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Published: October 20th 2011
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We have just completed the world famous Inca Trail to the lost city of Machu Picchu. Well, it´s far from lost at the moment, with more than 3000 tourists visiting per day!
But lets backtrack a bit. Our time in Lima ended with a pleasant 22hr bus trip over the Andes to Cusco. The route was almost identical to Namibia´s Skeleton Coast - desert and dune fields, with the odd hotch potch village. Our bus was like an aeroplane with no wings (included a hostess, safety video and meals on board) and consisted of a huge school group who were quite subdued due to the windy roads. The bathroom was frequently occupied with people who could no longer handle the combination of altitude and windy roads (hostess included).
Cusco is a touristy town, filled with restaurants, massage parlours and curio shops. This was quite a change from Colombia where tourism only seems to be starting up. We had one day to acclimatise and sort out money issues caused by our friends at Avianca.
We met the rest of our group during the hike briefing the night before - 4 Irish and 2 Canadians. We also found out there
Cusco main square
Local dancing during a parade would be 13 porters and a chef accompanying us!!! Phillipa ended up being sick the evening before the hike, but was fortunately better by the end of the first day. The hike started off at a gentle pace, led by our very amusing local guide, Roger. The scenery got more beautiful as we headed into the mountains, with snow capped peaks in the distance. Each day, we passed a few Inca ruins, all forming part of the Inca Trail leading from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Most were religious or resting sites for the Incas travelling to Machu Picchu. The Inca´s were a civilisation that existed in the 1400s whose empire was the largest in South America. They were busy conquering towards the Amazon Jungle before the Spanish arrived and wiped them out. Machu Picchu was the last city they built. They are famous for their neat masonry work and ingenious architectural and farming methods along steep mountain slopes.
Breakfast started with tea brought to us in our tents. Pancakes, fruit salad, cereal, yoghurt - we had it all. Lunch times were amazing. We would arrive to basins of water and soap with a tent and table fully laid out.
We then would have an appetiser, followed by a soup and main meal. Happy hour at 5:30 pm after each day of hiking consisted of hot chocolate, popcorn and some other treats (on our last day we even had a freshly baked cake - icing and all!). Suppers were another full meal. The campsites were at great locations, barr the long drops which were absolutely disgusting!
Our group was heaps of fun and we all got along wonderfully. Happy hour usually ended with card games leading us into suppertime.
Our final day, we were woken up at 3:30 am to be the first group at the Sun Gate where we would see the sunrise and catch the first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, the day started off overcast so we never saw the sunrise. The clouds lifted when we descended towards Machu Picchu, with breathtaking views of the city and mountains surrounding it. We spent a few hours exploring the city (along with a guided tour by Roger), before catching the bus down the mountain to Aguas Calientes (translated Hot Waters) where we would spend the night. Our tent never arrived here as planned, so we ended up
Km 82
Start of Inca Trail sleeping in the guide´s quarters below a restaurant.
After spending the day wandering around Aguas Calientes and visiting an Inca museum (not too much to do in the town unless you have heaps of money to blow on eating out), we took the tourist train back to Cusco. The train had another very loud school group on it, who gawked and took photos of bearded Marco.
The past two days we have relaxed in Cusco. Tonight we catch ANOTHER overnight bus further south to the town of Arequipa, where we plan to do some more hiking in the Colca Canyon and hopefully catch a glimpse of the condors!
Highlight:
Our group and the scenery on the trek
Lowlight:
Having to tip 13 porters (not obligatory, but obligatory)
What we miss most:
Marco - doing homely stuff (and DIY!!!)
Phil - my own computer
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Michelle
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Hey Phil and Marco, thanks for the update! Looks amazing!