The Lost City

---

Hello again

Natasha and I were 2 of a tour group of 16 that included 2 Canadians, 1 American, 5 Brits, 2 Norwegians, 3 Danish and 1 Australian. We all got on well which was good because we were to spend the next 5 days together visting various histric Inca sites and hiking the Inca trail all the way to the lost (or not so lost as we found out) city of Machu Picchu.

The first stop was in a small community where the traditional methods when it came to making and colouring textiles were very much still alive. Equally interesting in this hilltop village were the mating ritual of the native Llama. Also, like me, if you were in any doubt as to whether this cute creature can projectile spit, it can! According to our guide, if you happen to be the one who upset the fury animal it can spit with such force that it is possible to leave you with a bruise. Don´t worry, this didn´t happen to us!

We then stopped a Ollantaytambo where we learned about the ingenuity of the Inca people. The most memeorable example of which were the construction of their walls. Each stone is carved and pollished in such a way that they lock together without mortar, like a giant jigzaw. They angle their contructions in order to withstand earthquakes.

The first day of the Inca trail was along an undulating path and we made various stops along the way to learn of the flora surrouning us. When we made it to the site we were to have our lunch we were pleasently surprised as all the porters were lined up in a row giving us a warm welcome and clapping us as we arrived. Then after a rest we headed our for the 2nd leg to our resting place for the night. Once again this was followed by a hearty meal and an introduction to our porters - all 22 of them!

The 2nd day of our walk was the toughest because we had to climb from 3000masl to Dead Womens Pass at 4200masl. We really felt the efffects. If it wasn´t for us sucking on the Coca leaf and lollypops I think it would have been alot harder at this Altitude. We all made it to the top after about 5 hours and once there spared a thought for our porters. These men really are amazing. Ranging in age from 23 to 62 years, these men stride up the mountains, running at times and wearing only sandals (apparantly they have proper walking boots but are used to wearing sandals and choose to). They overtook us in no time and disappear off into the distance, with plenty of time to set up our tents, prepare a meal and provide us each with a little bowl of water to wash before dinner. The evenings activities for most of us were cards, backgammon, and general chat. For others, they decided to partake in far more intimate activities once it was lights out time! We were not invited for some reason or other.

The 3rd day of walking was the last full day before we arrived at Machu Picchu. The day passed as usual and we once again arrived to warm welcome from the porters and to a hearty meal. I am much better at cards now. Backgammon it is a mystery. It is not a test of real brains anyway....

On day 4 we awoke at 0430, trugging in the rain for 2 hours or more. Then, as we began to ascend over a hill there it loomed in the air before us. Machu Picchu. My first thought was how lucky a man Hiram Bingham was to introduce this marvel to the modern world. The truth is it was never really lost for he was lead by a local boy aged 11 back in 1911 to this site, and when he arrived at it there were native people living there. Although the city was not easily detectable as it was hidden by centuries of flora. We were so lucky as the weather here is notoriously inconsistent. It cleared before us and we basked for the rest of the day in this ancient Inca site considering the life of the great Inca people.

---

Photos

In Search
of the mysteries of the Incas

Playing Dead
Do not fear...he is just chilling in the sun and playing dead so the pesky tourists do not bother him!

Inca Trail
And we walk...

Inca Trail
Dead Womens Pass

We made it!
4 days and 45 km later...

Inca Trail
A few of our 22 porters