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Published: November 26th 2008
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Inka
And so the trek begins... We made it - after 4 days of full on trekking we finally made it to the majestic Machu Picchu alive! Having previously trekked the Himalaya, I thought this was going to be a breeze. Afterall, we were only going to 4200m and we I reached 4500m in India without hassel. This was sure to be a walk in the park.
Luckily we had only 8 people in our group ( 4 aussies, 2 poms and 2 spanish) and with most of us pretty fit we set off on foot from the 82km mark. Day 1 was a beautiful clear day and it seemed to Giss and I, that the pace seemed pretty slow at the start but at least we could take the time to notice the secenery. We passed some early Inka ruins and day 1 was all pretty easy. So easy in fact that a few of us decided to crack open some beers once we had reached our camp site and have a drink overlooking the amazing mountain views. Unfortunately, at 2am I woke up to realise that the 2 beers and dinner did not mix well and as I frantically tried to open the tent
Inka
The deadly beer before disaster hit and Giss was covered in my stomach contents, I luckily found the zipper and made it out in the nick of time. Though Gissa´s shoes were not so lucky...
This was the start of what goes down as one of the worst days of my life. I was sick in both directions if you know what I mean and as most of you know, I am not a camper at the best of times. One night in a tent without shower access is adequate for me and I had pre warned Giss of this. I also cannot stand the sight of rain if I am camping let alone trekking in the rain. So, the second day which is known to be the hardest of the trek, was to test me both physically and mentally. Obviously it didn´t start well with me sleeping with my feet half way outside the tent with my shoes on ready to run to the bushes all night. By the time everyone was up in the morning, the entire campsite (probably 30 tents worth) knew I was the culprit with the stomach that had woken everyone the night before. I was green
Inka
Wanting to die at breakfast on Day 2 and not popular.
I also knew I had to climb to 4200m that day and without any energy and not being able to keep anything down, I knew it would be tough. I popped as many pills as possible, gastro blocked myself and prayed for the best. I was struggle street. So much so that I was sick on the trail and hating every minute. Just as I thought it couldn´t get any worse the heavens opened and for 4 of the 7 hours of walking that day, it poured. We even experienced hail when we reached the summit. We were drenched. Everything was drenched. I cursed so much that day and I was lucky that Giss and Kate were there to prop me up and push me through it when required. Giss even carried my pack for me I was struggling that much especially as the altitude started to kick in close to the top. Fortunately, as the day progressed I did start to feel better but I was especially glad to make it to the campsite that night with applause from the rest of the team and have Day 2 complete and never to be repeated.
Inka
On top of the Andes on Day 3 Day 3 was then my favourite day as I was feeling 100% and we managed to escape most of the trekking crowds. We also visited some spectacular and less known about Inka sights which matched the grandness of Machu Pichu. Even though the rain persisted and that night we were met with thunderous applause by the heavens in what was massive storm, we carried on and reached our final campsite. We had only one more day to go and we were pretty pumped to see Machu Picchu in all its glory and early the following day before the crowds.
With the wild weather we were experiencing, most of our trek had been covered in massive cloud cover so views had been hard to see, but on the final day we were blessed with amazingly clear skies and as we reached the Sun Gate for our first glimpse of Machu Picchu all you could do was hold your breathe and take it all in. It was splendid. Just amazing. Perched right up on the side of a mountain the city stood in all its glory. It was a sight to remember and the pain of getting there was all forgotten.
Inka
I love camping - NOT!!!! It certainly was an achievement and something to remember. We even cracked a beer to celebrate...
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Penny
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Could only happen to you Ames :)
Ames, I love it! I feel like I am there experiencing it all with you, except for the excretions from either end thank god :) Love reading your updates, keep it up!! Missing you heaps, pen x