If only I had a llama on the Inca Trail

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After bargin hunting for the best price to get across the border into Peru, we ended up settling on the ´collectivo.´ We rode in style across, in a car similar to an old cadillac. The only thing that was missing was Low Rider on the radio. We were stoked because it fit all 5 of our backpacks in the boot!

With our border crossing out of the way we embarked on another 20 hour journey. This time to Cuzco, for the Inca Trail.

We arrived 2 days before we left for the trail to aclimitize to the altitude. Sadly my body didn´t do as well as I hoped and I spent most of the time in bed or running to the baños. But I wasn´t fazed, I figured I should get used to roughing it and this is the ´No Nancy tour of South America´ after all.

Day 1: Cusco - Km 82 (2,750 mt) (9,000 feet) - Llulluchapampa (3,800 mt) (12,467 feet)

We left Cuzco/Cusco (I´m not sure of the spelling, I´ve seen it both ways) at 4am and headed to Km 82, the starting point of the Inca Trail. We went a company called United Mice, and I would highly recommend them. The value for money was good. The office isn´t the most organised but we had a fantastic guide and food was excellent considering it is carried the entire way and cooked on site.

So the first hour was nice, good steady pace, little bit of up and downhill. Just enough to get you comfortable. We stopped for our first break, everyone was feeling pretty good. After this break we experienced our first of many thousands of steps. It was 50 steps max, but it really let you know that we were about to cop a beating over the next 4 days. Our guide Sol kept telling us that the 1st day would be the hardest. This was because we would do 700m of the 1200m ascent to Dead Women´s pass. So after lunch it began. The first half wasn´t to bad, but I was glad we stopped for a rest before we attempted the last half to our evening camp. The rain had stopped the birds were singing and our clothes were beginning to dry. Little did you we know that our positive attitude would be smashed by more rain and never ending steps. You couldn´t see the top. When we finally did make it, never has a campsite looked so good.

Day 2: Llulluchapampa (3,700 mt) (12,139 feet) - Chaquicocha (3,450 mt) (11,318 feet)

The next day woke to llamas frolicking in our campsite. It was the best wake up ever. I tried to catch/lure one so it could carry stuff for me, but they would just run/frolick away. We trekked the next 500m to the top of Dead Women´s Pass. On arrival we were awarded by our guide with a shot of rum, but the first shot went to Pacha Mama (mother earth). After this we descended 400m for our lunch campsite. It was quite steep at first, but then turned into a nice stroll, with beautiful views of the valley below. After lunch it was up another 400m. On the way we saw another archeological site.

Back in the day (1911) when this american guy called Harry? with a Yale and National Geographic expedition discovered Machu Picchu he made all these statements as archeologist do, but it turned out he got a lot of them wrong. The site we saw after lunch, he said was probably a religious site, turns out now days they think it was a checkpoint/watch tower, because of the awesome views of dead womens pass and the valley below. After reaching our last intense summit/pass we were again rewarded by Sol with Peruvian chocolate. The pieces were massive, but it got us through till dinner.

Day 3: Chaquicocha (3,450 mt ) (11,318 feet) - Wiñaywana (2,644 mt) (8,674 feet)

Day 3 was an easy hike in comparison to the other days. We walked through the cloud forest. Aptly named because there is always cloud, even in the dry season it is wet, because of this crazy moss that is about 1m thick and full of water. (Maybe Australia should invest in this stuff). It was good till we had to desend 1000m. The drop off the side of the edge was quite far so it was nice to hug the walls for a while. We went throught this loco Incan tunnel that was ridicously steep and wet. Our lunch site was also our evening site, because we were only 2hr hike from Machu Picchu. In the afternoon we visited another archeological site, Wiñaywana (forever young). When they first discovered a lot of the Incan ruins they missed this site. It was my favourite after Machu Picchu, mainly because when Maja, Scuba and I went exploring its back blocks we found strawberries (they tasted quite sour) and a cave.

Day 4: Cusco: Wiñaywayna (6,264 mt) (8,6974 feet) - Machupicchu (2,400 mt)

We got up at 3:30am to be at the checkpoint by 4:30am, even though it doesn´t open till 5:30am we wanted to be the first at the Sun Gate. We were the second group at the checkpoint, but after a massive super fast hike, we got to the Sun Gate to be rewarded with a view of Machu Picchu. About 10mins later the clouds came over and it started to rain the rain of the rainy season. So we didn´t get to see the sun through the gate, but the view was worth it.

After another 1hrs hike we arrived at the site of Machu Picchu. Sol took us on guided tour and then we had free time. It was possible to climb Wiñay Picchu (the mountain in the background of all the pictures of Machu Picchu). I chose not because I found it hard not fall over while climbing up the stair around Machu Picchu. Apparently the view is amazing. Instead I was rewarded with being able to pat some llamas.

We then caught the bus to Aguas Caliente for lunch and from here we caught the train back Ollaytambo. From there it was a bus back to Cuzco and to our hostel. Which by the way happens to be the worst hostel ever. NEVER stay in Hostel Pirwa, never have I met such a retarded bunch of people who run a hostel. Total and utter incompitents. Fawlty Towers looks like the Hilton in comparison.

The Inca trail is one of the hardest things I have ever done physically, but it was worth every bit of sweet and blood (yes I was hardcore and managed to get scratched by a branch). Well worth the effort and money. Sorry for the lack of photos, but I´m sure if you google Machu Picchu images you will get better shots than I could have taken.

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Comments

[Jose]

tasting strange strawberries from a long dead civilization may not be the smartest thing you've ever done. and.... I WANT A LLAMA. Bring me back a llama please. I'm so jealous that you got to chase and pat and lure authentic llamas.

[Blur]

Perhaps, Ann, but it's still a shame about your camera :( Google will never be able to provide pictures of you and frolicking llamas, and that is a crying shame.