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Plaza de Armas - Cusco
The beautiful cathedral in the main square in Cusco Our overnight bus ride from Puno to Cusco was not exactly a good idea. We had tickets on this huge double-decker tourist bus and initially thought that it would be great! No one told us that there would be absolutely no heat and the Andean nights are freezing cold. So Shane and I were absolutely freezing. All the locals were wrapped in five blankets - I kid you not! Luckily, one of the kind locals offered us a blanket which Shane and I gratefully accepted. We stopped in every little small town along the way and our bus also broke down. We eventually got into Cusco two and half hours later than expected and then stumbled into our hostal room. Woke up five hours later. We had planned on seeing some ruins around Cusco and some of the sites, but Shane felt absolutely awful so we laid low for the next day and a half. Almost cancelled doing the Inca Trail, but Shane felt well enough by the end of the second day to give it a go.
The Inca Trail is highly regulated and you have to go with a guide. I had booked our four day trek with
Plaza de Armas - Cusco
A pic of the main square in Cusco. a highly recommended company, Llama Path. One of the options is to have a porter carry some of your belongings (sleeping bag, sleeeping pad, extra clothing, etc.) with a max of 7 kg. Shane and I have done some backpacking, but with the altitude, I was not sure how we would fare so I decided to go ahead and book a porter for us so that we would only have to carry our daypacks. The cost of the trek was $300 US each and an extra $30 US each for a porter. Plus we rented all our hiking equipment as we did not want to bring all our stuff for this trip.
There was a total of 13 of us doing the trek: 6 Canadians and 7 Americans. It was a fantastic group and we gelled really well together. There was also a total of 16 porters with us (including the chef and assistant chef) as well as 2 guides. Geez, an extra 18 people just so that 13 tourists can do a four day trek!
Our trek started on May 25 and Day 1 consisted of waking up at 3:30 AM (brutal!) to await the bus to
Inca Trail
Here is the group at the start - fresh and keen! come pick us up. We went through the Sacred Valley to the town of Ollantaytambo where we had breakfast and then continued on to the trailhead at KM 82. First day was pretty easy; you never really had to exert yourself for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Shane and I were worried about being able to do it as we haven´t done any trekking this year yet, but we were fine. We were usually ahead of the pack or else very near the front. When we got to camp, the tents were already set up for us and they brought us hot water in a bowl to wash with - lovely! Played cards with the others and went to bed at a reasonable time. Hiked about 10 km that day.
Day 2 was the day everyone dreaded. We had two passes to go over. The first one was 4215 m and we had to climb over 1200 m in five hours (also known as Dead Woman´s Pass - if you use your imagination, you can see the profile of a woman lying down), then descend to 3500 m before going back up to over 4000 m. I
Inca Trail
Stopping to eat some fresh cactus fruit at the beginning of the trek - YUM! thought going down would be easy but it wasn´t! Lots of step stone steps! We were awoken at 5 AM that morning by the porters with hot coca tea! Lovely! Then hot water to wash with - nice! We were off after breakfast by 6:30 AM. We hike through the valleys, Andean forests, and Andean mountains - it was lovely. The hike really was not that hard - just lots of steep stairs. Shane and I have actually done steeper hikes - the part that made it hard was the altitude! I was having a hard time breathing and felt very nauseated and dizzy. Shane was also feeling very nauseated, but doing better than me. Somehow, we made it through the day and did quite well, I might add, despite feeling awful. Hiked 16 km that day.
On Day 3, a lot of us were quite sore, but it was definitely an easier hiking day with just one pass to go over. We also got to see the beautiful Inca ruins at Huinay Huyana, where we stopped for lunch. The path to the Sun Gate, which allows for the first glimpse of Machu Picchu, has been closed for almost
Inca Trail
Some views along the Inca Trail. two months due to a landslide so many trekkers did not get to go to the Sun Gate. We were lucky - it reopened the day before we left our four day trek! Obviously, we were meant to go this way! Most people go to the Sun Gate the morning of the fourth day, but we decided to go all the way and camp in the valley that night near Aguas Calientes and save our effort for Machu Picchu the next day. Had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate and then hiked over to the Hut of the Caretaker just above Machu Picchu and watched the sun set over it. Amazing. I could not stop staring at this place - hard to believe mankind can create something so inspiring. Total hiked tha day: another 16 km.
Day 4 - woke up at 4 AM (groan!) and we all rushed to get out early. Got to Machu Picchu at 6 AM and watched the sunrise over Machu Picchu. Wandered around with our guide and then hiked up Huayna Picchu. Took us about 45 minutes to hike up (lots and lots of steep stone steps). We stayed
Inca Trail
One of the many beautiful Inca sites seen along the way. up at the top for about another 45 minutes and then descended. We took the bus into Aguas Calientes where the group celebrated the end of the Inca Trail. It was a terrific trip with a terrific group and guides (Jose and Urbano). Exchanged e-mails and promised to exchange photos!
Today, Shane and I are taking the morning easy and I am updating the travelblog. I am still feeling a little nauseated and I did not eat much the entire trek due to lack of appetite, but I am push the food today. We decided we have had enough of seeing the Inca sites and have opted not to see the ones around Cusco (they would pale in comparison now anyways after seeing Machu Picchu) and are off to Arequipa this afternoon (via plane we decided - had enough of the night bus experience) to view this beautiful city, its sites, and the condors.
Go Oilers, Go! (Shane is ecstatic we will be back in time to view the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals.)
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los dos portenos
mark mesle
how beautiful
what amazing pictures, we are so envious