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Published: April 2nd 2008
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Evan getting into the spirit of things
OMG - he was dancing with a man - again! We arrived in Lima on 17 March just in time to start our one week tour. Our first morning we caught up with Aleisha and Dan, Aussie friends we met in Africa on our very first tour way back at the beginning of our world tour. Then we met some of the rest of our tour group and headed out for lunch and a city tour. Not much to see in Lima - and most of what you do see is covered in a thick layer of smog. We walked around a bit and then did a super quick tour through the monastery where we had a guide who didn´t seem to like having us around. We moved closer to hear what he was saying and he kept moving away!
Next day was a 3am start for a flight to Cusco. Luckily we survived the taxi rides of the day before and we made it to Cusco, only 1 hour delayed. We met the rest of the group for the flight, and another couple in Cusco. On arrival we all had our first experience of coca tea - made with dried leaves from the coca plant (used to make cocaine)
Locals from village near Cusco
This was our welcome - two men dressed as women dancing their hearts out. The rest of the villagers joined in and got us into it too! and hot water. Not bad, but not particularly tasty either. Then it was straight to bed for an hour or so.
On waking up we all headed out for a walking orientation tour of Cusco. It is a beautiful city - the navel of the world according to the Incas, and where they established their capital. Most of the old Inca buildings were knocked over or built over by the Spaniards, but you can still see plenty of glimpses around the town of the Inca craftmanship.
During our tour we visited all the main squares, saw the churches, the monuments and loads of souvenir shops - literally everywhere. Then we visited the Coca shop were we tried some more coca tea and also coca chocolate - that wasn´t so bad! But the biscuits were definitely not our thing. Then we had lunch at an awesome restaurant where Evan had some of the best garlic butter chicken he has ever had. It really did melt in your mouth. Gorgeous!
That night we had our briefing for the Inca Trail and our visit to Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) and then it was time to pack and prepare. The following
The beginning of the Inca Trail - Km82
When we were all still smiles and didn't know what was ahead! day we caught a local chicken style bus out to a local community. We were greeted by two male town elders dressed in womens clothes dancing and waving flags. No one ever did explain the significance of the women´s clothing. Maybe like men everywhere, they just like dressing like that occasionally!
It was an interesting experience. We hoed the field, dug for spuds, plowed behind a double team of cows. Then it was finally time for lunch - three courses of potatoes and a smidgeon of guinea pig. That was interesting - like chicken but chewy. Not that great really. The whole day was punctuated by lots of dancing. The villagers were always playing music and grabbing us and dancing and running along pulling us behind. It was very exhausting!
We caught a taxi to Ollyantaytambo (spelling?) where we had our last night in a bed before starting the Inca Trail. It was an absolutely incredible experience. We trekked with Llama Path tours and it was great. Up scale camping - we had porters, a chef and two guides and they did everything for us. All we had to do was try to drag our sorry behinds up
The whole team at Dead Woman's Pass
The highest point of the Inca Trail reached at the beginning of Day 2 and down the mountains! And, tell you what, that was hard enough without having to carry a tent, food and everything else and then set it all up yourself! The porters are amazing - they all carry about 25kg (that is the maximum) and they still manage to race past you while you are struggling to put one foot in front of the other and breathe in the thin mountain air. Luckily none of us got really bad altitude sickness.
The first day was definitely the hardest. We trekked upwards 1100m over 16km. The last 2 hours were the worst - it was step after step and it never seemed to end. Particularly for Jo, who was proudly the last to arrive in camp on that day (but never again!) with her heart beating a million miles a second. But what did we find on arrival? Our tents erected, hot water for a sponge bath, happy hour of coca tea and popcorn and then a three course meal for dinner. Who could ask for more?
The second day we walked 14km and also reached the highest pass of the trip - 4215m - Dead Woman´s Pass. From there
Dead Woman's Pass
We were very excited to make it - it was all supposed to be easy after that! it was down, then up and then down again. Up you couldn´t breathe properly and down you ended up with seriously wobbly legs and sore knees. Not much of a choice. There wasn´t much flat on the trek - and what there was, was commonly referred to as "Inca Flat" - in other words, not flat at all!
Day three was an easy day! Only 9km and mostly down hill - we dropped about 1000m that day. Even better, we stopped at lunch time and got to enjoy a few hours lazing around and enjoying the incredible views.
The whole way along we had been passing Inca ruins. They were very spectacular, but nothing really prepares you for Machu Picchu - the lost city of the Incas, only found again in 1911 by an American historian from Yale University. We finally got there on day four. We woke up at 3am for breakfast (a celebratory cake prepared specially by chef!) and then went to wait at the checkpoint gate. Our group were second in line. We waited for an hour while the line massed, and finally the gate was opened at 5:30am. Then, they were off and racing!
Our group all arrived within about 45mins. It was an interesting experience as many people jostled to be first to the Sun Gate, where you get your first view of Machu Picchu. We even saw one girl running past some other people on the narrow path slip off the edge. She was very lucky as a few more steps and she would have fallen where there were no trees to catch her fall. As it was she couldn´t pick herself up as she was carrying a large backpack (another reason to hire porters!).
The stinky toilets, sore muscles, and inability to breathe all fell into insignificance when we finally saw Machu Picchu. It really is incredible. We spent a slow hour walking down from the Sun Gate into the site and then a couple of hours with our guide at the ruins.
The history of the place and the Incas is quite phenomenal. We were particularly impressed with the amazing craftmanship of the buildings - the way they fitted rocks together, the overall design of the whole site, and the fact that the top of a mountain was remodelled to make way for the city.
It
is an incredibly beautiful place in the world, and when you are there it is easy to understand why the Incas believe in places of energy and the power of mother earth. We visited the now broken sundial at the top of the step pyramid (broken during the filming of a beer commercial!) and tried to feel the energy of the place, and then visited the guinea pig rock to try to absorb some of the fertility vibes it is supposedly full of. Then it was time to go.
We spent a few hours in the town of Aguas Calientes and then made the trip back to Cusco. We spent the next couple of days hanging out with new friends from the tour, recovering from sore muscles, souvenir shopping and enjoying some local delicacies. Cusco, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu were definitely a highlight of the tour.
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