Incredible Incas

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Incredible Incas

Apologies for the briefness of the following entry but I have got very behind...

The next destination on the itinerary was Chivay - a small market town and the base for Colca Canyon. On arrival we all headed straight for the thermal baths, with the most spectacular scenery and views of mountains and vallies. Not surprisingly, it was not easy to get out, as the early evening temperature was dropping quickly. We set off at 6am for Colca Canyon, to get the best possible opportunity to see some condors, incidental the national symbol of Peru. When we arrived there were two viewing points in opposite directions - and I picked the wrong one! After 10 minutes I headed to the other lookout point to hear that 2 condors had swooped down the canyon in front of everyone. The only ones I saw were far away in the distance. Gutted!

The home stay was one of the cultural highlights of the trip, although a little awkward due to my non existent Spanish. We arrived in the small village of Raqchi and were divided into groups of 4 passengers and introduced to our host and her basic but well cared for home (which would also be our home for the night.) Fortunately, there was a Spanish speaker in my group so we had a translator so meal times were a little as questions were asked about loves and vice versa. There was a pottery demonstration in the early evening, followed by an evening of local ceremonies, with all our hosts and their families and dancing in traditional dress. Before leaving the following morning, there was a tour of the local ruins and a walk to a look out point with incredible views.

Arriving in the beautiful town of Cusco marked the start of the Inca Trail...and reality!! It was a stunning, colonial, up market tourist town and we had a free day to explore the chocolate museum, cathedrals, churches, markets and shops, buying any last minute necessities For the challenge ahead. Our truck split into two groups; classic trek and community trek and joined with passengers from the other truck also doing the classic Inca Trail.

We began with a day exploring Inca ruins at Sacsayhuaman and Pisac, followed by a stay in the small town of Ollantaytambo. There were further, steep terraces of Inca ruins to discover and learn about from Paul, our guide for the whole trek, and a relaxed stroll around the pretty town. The expectation and trepidation of what lay ahead meant that the entire group was in bed by 9pm as we had a 6am start the following day. We were driven to the start of the trail and first met our porters and saw fort he first time how much they had to carry! I felt very 'soft' I was walked off with a little day pack of 'essential luxuries' on my back!

The first day of trekking was an easy and gentle walk compared to the next two days but it was opportunity to appreciate the stunning scenery, sunshine, chat and banter with some new faces from the other group, without being too out of breathe! It was only 3-4 hours of walking, with some card games and hot chocolate when we got to camp. Who said this was a challenge? The second day was the day I was dreading most - trekking to 'Dead Woman's Pass', the highest point of the trail at 4200m and the longest and most difficult part of the trek with only about 20%!o(MISSING)f it being downhill. It was also raining for most of the day! Reaching camp was a welcome sight but also satisfying to realise that the toughest part was over.

The third day was another early start with virtually no visibility (and therefore no views!) and permanent rain but there was roughly equal amounts of uphill steps as downhill steps. There was only about 5-6 hours of walking with plenty of breaks although it was too cold to stop for long. Once we reached camp, we realised that the end was almost insight, but it was a fairly buoyant evening with a few drinks with our crew to mark the incredible experience we had shared.

We were woken up at 3am on the fourth day to begin the final journey to the Sun Gate. We were first in the queue so that when the door was opened at 5.30am we were the first group to arrive at the famous Sun Gate after a 30 minute brisk walk. And what a moment! We were rewarded with some incredible sunshine and a clear view of Machu Picchu and one of the most memorable moments I can remember. After about 30 minutes, we began walking to the most famous Inca monuments with almost a day to be guided around the site with some free time to explore. I am a little ashamed to admit, that we were so tired, so when we sat down in the sun in the early afternoon, it was difficult to fight the urge power nap!! There was a final train journey back to Ollantaytambo to meet our coach and we arrived back in Cusco at 10.30pm...to the best shower I have ever had and som clean clothes!!

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