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Published: September 26th 2008
Greetings all!!
Albert and I are so excited to write this entry, as we finished the Inca Trail yesterday and have so much to tell you about. Since we last updated you, we flew out of Lima into Cuzco - a Peruvian city situated at 11, 600 feet. We were with the rest of our GAP adventures group and were picked up by minibus and taken to a lovely hotel in the middle of the city. Cuzco is gorgeous, a beautiful colonial city with quaint little cafes and restaurants framing a beautiful central plaza. We walked around a little, however, both started feeling a little strange with headaches, breathlessness and dizziness. We had been warned about altitude sickness, so knew this was probably normal, but I (Amy) felt so terrible, I had to go back to the hotel to lie down and was starting to worry that I wouldn´t even been able to attempt the famous hike...
However, the next morning we both woke up feeling so much better and were able to join the group on a day´s tour of the Sacred Valley. We visited Inca ruins, a brewery and a tiny village and market where we were able to
buy hats, scarves and gloves to prepare for the cold nights to come! We finished the day in Ollytaytambo, only 45 minutes away from our starting point on the Inca Trail - called Km 82...
DAY 1 - 4 hour hike We started out at 8am, having to leave behind our trusty backpacks, and instead packed two duffle bags that had been given to us, with a weight limit of 6kg (Not very much after sleep bag and sleeping mat..!) We had our final showers, and visits to normal toilets.. and took our 45 minutes drive to the starting point. At this point we were both feeling very positive and excited, although a little nervous about whether the altitude (or our fitness!) would prohibit us from completing the trek. Our guide explained that there would be 3 and a half days of hiking (Day 2 being the worst) and by the final morning, we would be at the Sun Gate after 26 miles of hiking, and would be able to view the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.
We began with a pretty easy, level hike. We passed llamas, donkeys, horses, and small villages, where we stopped to give some
of the children some toys that we had both bought for them the night before. Albert and I would like to take credit for our Mother Theresa moment, but we were told to expect some children to be lining the trail along the way, and were advised not to give them candy (poor dental health) and instead to buy them some toys or notebooks and pens. We will never forget the faces of these beautiful Peruvian children. Their smiles beaming with joy at their gifts. One little boy could not hide his excitement, when I took a picture of him and showed it to him on the digital camera. He squealed with delight - I guess mirrors aren´t a common occurence...
Back to the hike, around lunchtime we arrived to a camp area where we were suprised to find a large tent laid out with tables, chairs and cutlery. It was an unexpected luxury, but there was so much more of this to come. We even had bowls of water and soap to wash our hands! The food was incredible, every day we were treated to three course meals, breakfasts, lunches and snacks. Some of our treats included soup, beef,
Briefing in Cuzco
whilst drinking Coca tea to try and acclimatisechicken, pancakes, chocolate pudding, popcorn, jello (jelly!), and even a special cake baked with no oven in at the top of a mountain!
We cannot easily explain how this Trail really worked. Our group of 10 people, had 18 porters with us to carry our bags, food, tents, sleeping bags, gas tanks and all equipment. These local Peruvian men all had specific jobs and carried 20kg each up the trail each day. After we began hiking each day, these wonderful men packed up all our belongings and raced, literally ran up these mountains passing us, in order to be ready for us at the next rest stop with applause, food, tents and hot water for our feet. They worked liked mules and wore only sandals on their feet. We felt embarrassed at times, as they were like servants to us. However, they were so appreciative that we had visited their country, and that they therefore had the opportunity to work, they could not do enough for us.
Our first night (ever) in a tent was a lot of fun! A million miles away, literally and figuratively, from Manhattan and London, we camped out with the stars (we could actually see
the Milky Way!) in 3 layers of clothes each as it was freezing!
DAY 2 - 8 hour hike THE MOST PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING DAY OF OUR LIVES SO FAR....
We were awoken at 5am with hot tea, and water for washing at our tent. Breakfast of pancakes and omelettes and we were off. We basically climbed up and down two mountains today... The combination of the steep incline and lack of oxygen made the hike seems impossible, and we both had to stop freqeuntly on our way up to catch our breath. We did have some great motivation however, as 4 members of our group were over 60 and were in serious shape, passing us as we climbed the mountain - we had no choice but to keep up! Once we arrived at Dead Woman´s Pass (see video) (named this due to the shape of the mountain, not a horror story from the trail!) we were at 13,779 feet and our highest point. The air was thin, but the view spectacular. Albert sprinted up the last 20 steps, and as I finally made it up 5 minutes later, there was my fiance, drinking a Peruvian beer to celebrate, that
he had carried all the way up the mountain.
The afternoon was a slightly more leisurely downwards trek to the second campsite. We were exhausted. The area had unbelievable views of the mountains, and we were treated to more wonderful food and services, and a second night sleeping amongst the Peruvian mountains.
DAY 3 - 10 hour hike Although day three was a longer hike, the trails were overall easier and less steep. We completed two more passes with beautiful views - the hardest part of the days was a 2 and a half our trek down hill in the afternnon... 3000+ stone steps (nicknamed the Gringo (tourist)killers - part of the original Inca trail from the 15th Century) Although this was easier on the breathing, our calves and knees took a serious beating, and by the time we arrived at the campsite, we were feeling so thankful that we only had one more morning of hiking before Machu Picchu. If we had had any further to go, I really dont know if we could have made it...
On a side note, the toilets! Or lack of them. We had huts with holes in the ground to use throughout
the hike, and at night the situation got even worse as some hiker's/porters seemed to lose their ability to aim. We wont even go into the smell....!! We spent four days with no showers, beds, proper toilets..a long way away from the luxury we´re used to...and it was actually refreshing...
Our last evening on the campsite consited of a celebration with our wonderful porters. We sang to them as they looked bemused at us, and we toasted them and gave them some extra money as thanks for all their efforts. We finished the night off with a dance, as some of the porters took all the female members of our group to the middle of the tent to dance Peruvian-style! Our last night camping was short-lived as 4am came around and we were off again, but this time to the finish line, Machu Picchu.
DAy 4 - 2 hours hike to Machu Picchu We only had a two hour hike today, but it felt like 10 hours, as every muscle and joint in our bodies were aching. We were also so excited with aniticipation to walk through the Sun Gate, that we really coudn´t wait to get there. At
6.30am we arrived, and you can see for yourself what we witnessted. At first we were worried that we were going to experience another Tikal sunrise disappointment since the fog was very thick and we could only catch a partial glimpse of Machu Picchu. However, the fog and clouds cleared quickly, and we were able to experience Machu Picchu in all its glory. We felt truly rewarded for our efforts and the last 26 miles. The most amazing aspect for us was the sheer sizer of this ancient city, and the incredible condition it was in. We had a strange feeling of annoyance when we descended to explore the ancient city. The area was full of tourists, and it made us truly appreciate the actual hike and journey we took to get there. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, and one we would recommend to anyone and everyone.
Stinky and exhausted we returned to Cuzco for well-earnt hot showers and rest! We are now writing this in Lima airport, as we have fortunately managed to get on a flight to Buenos Aires a day earlier than planned (Albert insisted that we were in dire need of
Argentinian steak and red wine, and I didn´t take much persuading!) We will be in touch soon, bringing you the wonders of Buenos Aires. We hope you are all well and look forward to reading all your amazing comments soon!
A and A xxxxxxx
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jenni woolf
non-member comment
Guinea pig
You two are definitely NOT looking after my guinea pig, and I havent got one yet. Can we expect to see all these weird delicacies on the wedding reception menu! I think Albert has the right idea, the steak and red wine sound perfect. What a trek that sounded, the lack of washing and toilet facilities must have been awful. Looking forward to hearing details of the relative luxury of the next leg of the journey. Take care - we are all thinking about you. xx