Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

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CONGRATULATION’S

TODAY IS YOUR DAY.

YOU’RE OFF TO GREAT PLACES!

YOU’RE OFF AND AWAY.

(Dr Seuss)



Up bright and early for our great adventure. We leave from Cusco and travel 2 hours by van back down Sacred Valley, following the Urubamba River, past Ollantaytambo to km number 82 where our trek begins.



Here we have to pass the check point, which is very strict, passports must be shown and documentation stamped.



Our group consists of 11 staff, our guide Edwin, who is a lovely guy with a giggle only found in primary girl’s school. The cook Freddy who cooks us 3 course meals that would not be out of place in a French Restaurant, achieved in a tent attired in his white chef outfit. The 9 porters better known as Chasques, who were the great runners who ran the messages for the Inca’s a long these trails. They are local Quechan’s from the surrounding villages. The loads thy can carry on their backs are amazing as they jog the path with gorgeous smiles on their faces.



The other members involved in this journey are the crazy gringo’s who actually pay for the opportunity to sweat, gasp, ache and shiver for the 4 days. Joining us 4 are an American couple from New York, Patrick and Lacy. They are about thirty something and turn out to be great company. Patrick works for American Express and Lacy is a film maker both are marathon runners and look very fit. It would be fair to say that we don’t quite fit that bill.



The first day is spent meandering through local villages on our way ever upward to the top of The Andes. The river where we begin is 2600 meters above sea level and after our first, supposedly easy walk, we camp the night at Wayllabamba a small village 3000 meters up and 11kms from our start.



The scenery is magnificent varying all the time as the mountains climb out of the fertile valleys with Glacier topped peaks forming a breathtaking backdrop.



After a warm cerveza and a gourmet meal we retire to our canvas abodes to toss and turn the cold night on our aching bodies.



We are awakened before daylight to the words "Buenos Diaz Coca tea" spoken by the smiling Chasques. Coca tea is the dried leaves of the Coca plant and in case you are wondering it is what cocaine is derived from. It has qualities which aid in the symptoms of altitude sickness. At about 3000 metres the body starts producing less oxygen blood cells and when even the smallest tasks of exertion become a real challenge.



Today we are told is the day, the one that will make you or break you. From our camp we climb, scramble and step our way to dead woman’s pass, 4200 meters above sea level. And then descend 600 meters to our camp 12kms away.



Patrick and Lacy are powering away out front followed by Keith. The girls are next and if you ever wondered what the word determination looks like it is etched on their faces. Edwin and I bring up the rear and I think this probably reflects the personalities of the group.



Stupidly I have decided to carry my own backpack or to be precise Natarsha’s backpack. The same one she carried on this trek 3 years prior. I am told I am a fool but something inside me inspires and drives me to the challenge. After all I cannot be beaten by my 19 year old daughter. Pride comes before a fall and the way I am going I don’t think that is far away.



Passing donkeys, orchids, hummingbirds, mountains, sheep, alpacas, trees and endless valleys there is one more astonishing sight: Inca Ruins. There are many along the whole trek and we stop while Edwin explains their significance and the history of The Inca’s. It is very rewarding to learn about this once great nation. Their ingenuity and social structure amazing only to be ravaged by the gold hungry Spanish. One wonders how they would have evolved if not for the invaders of the Sixteenth century being only 100 years in to their development.



Sometimes I have to shake my head in disgust when I see things done all over the world in the name of God.



Topping the pass we pause for that obligatory photograph. The satisfaction and exhilaration washing away the pain of the climb.



The mist is rolling in from the next valley and as we begin our descent into the next valley the ecology has completely changed. You would swear you were in a scene from The Lord of the Rings. Rocky outcrops among open grassland with the mist swirling around you as you descend the countless steps to our next camp 3600 meters up.



The camp is now deep in the park and selling of goods is not allowed but luckily Patrick and I have had the foresight to overcome this problem. At lunchtime, which might I add was three courses again, served in our own tent than packed up and transported on by the Chasques. Cerveza and Coca cola is purchased and the head porter named Condor, A man mountain with the innocence of a child has agreed to carry for us.



I am starting to worry about Patrick because we seem to get along so well. His sarcasm and happy go lucky way a reflection of my own personality. Also he loves beer.



The toilets in camp smell a touch and Kathy and Sue have taken Lacy under their wing and are grooming her in the art of the bush toilet. The right location sought than speed and agility necessary for success. Modesty is not an option and be careful where you tread.



Day three and we are awoken a little earlier because it is 16kms to our next camp.



I think this has turned out to be my favorite. We ascend again to 3900 mtrs and traverse the rim of the mountain until finally descending 1400 meters to our camp.



We are literally walking on top of the Andes, amongst the clouds only a few snowcapped ridges above us. The environment changing again to rainforest. Being one of the slower groups we are lucky because a lot of the time we are travelling alone.



Our travelling companions coming in all shapes and sizes. Many nationalities represented plus many different personalities; the families with their children, the macho young men, the determined young girls, the super fit older power walkers with their sneering looks, the rude, the happy, the friendly, the arrogant all on the one mission and then their’s us. we don’t seem to fit into any of these groups. Just a bunch of fun loving fools wondering how the hell we ended up amongst this concoction of humanity.



Tonight we have to say goodbye to our cook and porters who separate from us in the morning. And even over this short time we have formed a bond, a song is sung followed by the shaking of hands and even the odd hug exchanged.



We rise at 3.30am to make our final trek to the ultimate goal: Machu Picchu



The ultimate reward for this journey. At 5 am we top the mountain at the Sun Gate and as the sun rises and the fog lifts below us the magical ruins of this Inca city is revealed to us. What a sight.



After all the beauty, hardship and togetherness of this pilgrimage we are here at last Macho Picchu (Old Mountain) the home of the Inca Gods.



Behind the city rises Wayna Picchu adding to the sight. The alpacas grazing on the terraced fields overlooking the temples with the housing below. The stone work is amazing all quarried on this mountain the buildings entwined into the natural stone. The home of the gods of the sun, the mountains and the condors.



Never found by the Spanish it was uncovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 overgrown and deserted only known by the local Quechan’s who kept its secret.



Returning down the mountain to the town of Aguas Calientas on the Urumba river our pilgrimage is complete.



What an experience we have had. We have conquered the demons of pain, been inspired by our surroundings and our companions and most of all humbled by the realization that we are just a fleeting moment in the immensity of this world.

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