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Published: November 15th 2008
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From Puno we went to our next destination, Ollaytaytmbo, where we were to leave for our hike along the Inca trail and Machupicchu, very daunting.
At Ollaytaytambo there are some very nice ruins which we were guided around, (some of the stone were enormous, it made you wonder how they got them there), and a fairly decent market for some retail therapy.We got up early for breakfast and handed our 6 kilo bags to the guide for our porters to carry for the next 4 days, these bags are part of the load carried by the porters and weighed everyday before they can leave for the next destination.
We arrived at or start point and check station were our passports were looked at and stamped.
We then set off at a fairly easy pace on what was to be a very long hike, about 6 to 7 hours this day.
Day 1, on the trail we passed some ruins and terraces with explanations from the guide Marcello about the construction and who built them etc.
We stopped for lunch at a site that had clearly been used before, the porters had run ahead and set up for us. Our meal
was very good.
We left for more hiking up a gentle incline until we reached our first overnight stop.
The beer we had was very welcome as were the bowls of water for our feet.
Our view from the tents was of snow capped mountains.Day 1 over we felt good, but a little apprehensive when our briefing explained day 2 to us.
This was the big one. Up hill all the way to Deadmans pass, some 4100 meters high, and then beyond to our second camp site, luckily downhill.
I will have to admit that day 2 was quite difficult for me on the incline, but we all egged each other on as we came across fellow travellers.
The worse bit was to watch the porters fly past us with the large packs they were carrying wearing sandels on their feet.
I did better on the down hill section, gravity giving a helping hand here, and made it to the next stop first, making up for coming in last on the uphill sections.
The porters always cheered when we arrived, which made you feel a whole lot better for having done it.
Well worth the climbing as the views were
stunning.
Day 3 was to be our longest day, so we got up very early. (not difficult really, as we were all in bed by about 8pm cos we were so tired).
The hike again was made interesting by the views and ruins that we came across on the way, and many photo’s were taken.
Most of this day was down hill with some very tricky bits to negotiate. I did quite well on this section. But as usual the porters showed us how to do it.
Meals that were provided were excellent on this trip, but the toilets could have been better.
Our last stop was at a proper site with flushing loo’s and a bar. Much beer was consumed.
We had our last meal of the day, prepared by our own chef’s as usual, and had a gathering so we could say farewell to our porters, this was due to having to get up at 3.30 in the morning so we could arrive at Machupicchu and see the sunrise. Day 4, awake at 3.30 am (dark o’clock), and a packed lunch provided to us, off we jolly well went to stand in a queue to get in
Top of the hill
this was a pass we went over..........the highet point of our trip..............followed by a scary coach ride down the other side.........and a dead sheep, hit by our coach. to hike for an hour or more, to our final destination, Machupicchu, (the Holy Grail).
The walk was fine in semi light conditions, with the hardest bit on this leg being something they called ‘The Gringo Breaker’, a flight of stairs that slowed everyone right down to a crawl, this lead directly into the ‘Sun Gate‘, the entrance into Machupicchu.
What a glorious site we did see. Any photo’s I have taken can not do it justice, it is absolutely stunning, (mainly due to the Spanish not finding it and destroying it as they had done everything else on their way to sacking and looting the country.
We had a very detailed tour of the site, which was very well timed as it started to rain just before we left.
A quick bus ride to the bottom of the hill on numerous switchbacks to the town were we are to catch our train out of there.
Pizza and beer for lunch was a very welcome change from eating rice and pasta, not that there is anything wrong with that, but after 4 days it got a bit tiring.
In summary, the hike was well worth it. It seemed a
bit tough at times, but the views and the end result made it well worth the effort. Well done everyone.
The porters were outstanding and the guides very knowledgeable.
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