Yet Another Gringo in Another Lost City of the Inca

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We have returned alive from the last of our South American adventure, barring an incident getting back to Lima or Sacramento. Three days from now, we should be back at home, resting comfortably in our own bed. For now, we are spending our last night in Cusco, or Qusqo in the Incan language. Our 4 days on Inca trail were, if not perfect with regards to the weather, an excellent experience.

After the last entry, we splurged a bit and went to Fallen Angel, one of the most expensive restaurants in town, outside the outrageously priced high end hotels. Extremely expensive to us, however, has taken on a new meaning and compares to your average US restaurant. If not for the exchange rates, we might have difficulty readjusting to prices back in the states. The restaurant was quite interesting, with glass covering bathtubs containing goldfish for tables, paper mache pigs, and rather intimidating bathrooms with walls broken glass in one and barbed wire in the other. We all enjoyed our meals and finally tried a Pisco Sour, which is the national drink of Peru and similar to a Whiskey Sour.

The following day, we awoke early for yet another day of travel. Our guide, or at least someone affiliated with Peru Treks, met us at our door and took us to the bus. The bus ride was to last four hours, and we began to get to know the 13 other trekkers joining us on the hike over the mountains to Machu Picchu. Many of them had not yet heard about the landslide and were disappointed that we would have to join all the other tourists going in the normal route. Our guide offered us the choice of staying at the last campsite or hiking to the town of Aguas Caliente. Only Sara and I were enthusiastic about Aguas Caliente, because it meant more time at the site, though everyone else may have been in a daze as the sun had not yet peeked above the mountains.

As usual, our three hour bus was doomed to take longer, as the bus broke down halfway, with what sounded like a dropped transmission. After 45 minutes or an hour, a new bus arrived, and we continued on to reach our breakfast spot in Ollantaytambo. We got to know several of our fellow travellers, including 6 other Americans, 6 British and 1 Kiwi (New Zealand, for the non-travellers). The remaining time passed quickly as we talked with the others and we soon were ready to hike. The first section went smoothly with some slight uphill climbs, soon reaching the lunch spot. At lunch we got to know our constant companions for this endeavor, and any worries that we might have had about such a large group, which were many, evaporated. The remaining hike was pleasant, reaching our campsite just before dark. Now, for all our ¨catered¨ trips, the meals have consisted of soup and a large dinner, usually heavily reliant on rice. Not to disappoint, our meals for this trip were very similar, though all have been excellent. Everyone went to bed, some a bit nervous, having never done a day of hiking like the next.

Since we had to make it over two passes, we rose before sunrise to allow enough time for all of us to reach camp before dark. The first pass was up, up, and up, going from about 10,000 ft to 13,700 ft. Many in the group had little experience, but everyone was enthusiastic, or at least willing, so off we went. I took off toward the front, but the Kiwi was a bit crazier than me and was practically running up the trail. Just before the pass, the altitude took hold of me and I had to slow to a crawl, but felt good at the top. Sara was just behind me as the fourth to reach the top, and was quite proud of herself, deservingly so. The views looking back were nice, but since the approach to Machu Picchu also requires approach cloud forest, the opposite side of the pass was nothing but mist. Everyone reached the pass in a timely fashion without anyone keeling over, though looking down the other was almost enough to push some over the edge (figuratively speaking). The descent to our lunch spot was steep, so there were many aching knees at the bottom, but we were all glad to reach the lunch spot, though I myself was not hungry at all.

After lunch, we prepared for the second pass, a much smaller climb. There was not much to remember for this pass, though that may have had something to do with how tired we all were after our first pass. We climbed about 500 meters more, generally in the clouds, and then descended to the best Incan ruins so far. In essence, the buildings were a hotel for those making the journey from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Our guide told us a little about the buildings, and then a little about what we would have seen if the skies were clear. Helpful. Anyway, we continued our trip, stumbing down the remaing 400 meters once again reaching camp at what would be sunset, if the sun were to be seen. In fact, we could hardly see across the camp site, and the fog was only getting thicker. Hopefully, morning would bring improved conditions.

Well, though hoping worked on many occasions, not so this time. Additionally, Jill had her second rough night of the trip, so Sara and I volunteered to take some of her gear. We hiked through the fog for most of the morning, seeing many birds and interesting orchids, but not much in the way of scenery. The fog had its own appeal, and we crested the top of our last pass at about 12,000 ft early. From here, we proceeded to drop down over 5,000 ft to the town of Aguas Caliente. Our guide showed us two interesting sites along the way as well as an amazing orchid that he had never seen. Lunch was spent where we would normally have camped for the third night at Winay Wayna, a large, terranced Incan community. From here we dropped steeply to the railroad track and walked for about an hour to town. Along the way, one of our guides posed a rather strange question, in the middle of an otherwise normal conversation, asking if I was "sincere" to my wife. I answer, of course, in the affirmative though he seemed to doubt my answer. Once again, I think that American movies have corrupted the views of many people here. Or maybe he runs a buisness on the side in Aguas Caliente. Anyway, that is one sure way to end a conversation. We reached town and headed to our hostel, which was nice enough, and then relaxed for the remaining time.

For yet one last morning, we got up before 5 am to catch the the 5:30 am bus to the ruins, the first of one in the morning. We had a short breakfast beforehand, and jumped on the bus. The national park for Machu Picchu does not open until 6 am, so we had a short wait, with about 100 other people, before getting in. Once in, we realized that we did not really need to be in a hurry, as fog covered the entire site. Fortunately, there was plenty to talk about without actually seeing the overview of the site, so we visited many of the temples, houses, and astronomical sites before being set loose on our own. We had planned to climb Huayna Picchu, but since it was in the clouds, we headed the other way to the viewpoint that is in every postcard of Machu Picchu. I think all of us were surprised at the size of the ruins, and quite impressed. Since we were feeling lazy, we picked our a terrance with our new friends, Brice and Naomi, and camped out hoping for the sun to come out. A few people did not get the memo, but for the most part we had our section of grass to ourselves. Though the clouds cleared, we never did get sun and ran out of time, needed to get back to town for our 3:55 pm train back to Cusco. As we reached the park entrance, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Oh well.

We hiked back to town, since our tour only included a one way bus tickets, since usually we hike into the ruins and take the bus back. This included yet more stairs, and everyone's knees were feeling the several thousand we had already done. We reached town and had lunch, catching the train with plenty of time to spare. The trail ride was slow and winding, with great views of the mountains and countryside. We finally reached town and headed to our hapless hostel, Casa de la Gringa, for a good nights sleep, but not before heading to Jack's for dinner with Brice, Naomi, Ed and Julia. It seems that I was not the only one asked about my "sincerity", as Ed had also been approached. Perhaps it is a normal question here.

Today was spent trying to do as little as possible, eating at Jack's an additional two times (mmm, huevos rancheros) and spending time on the internet. Sara and Jill spent some time shopping, with Sara bought a few handmade alpaca items (not as cheap as you might think) while I looked for a place to live for next year. Tomorrow, we fly out to Lima from Cusco for our last intra South American travel. Wish us luck.

PS: If you want to check out a world adventure, go to www.constantradius.com to see Brice and Naomi's world tour, including Africa, Asia, and Antarctica.

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Photos

The Group
This is the entire party at the top of the pass. Everyone was quite relieved to make it.

Rare Orchid
Our guide pointed out many orchids along the trail, with this one being the most rare and beautiful.

Winay Wayna
One of many Incan sites along the trail.

Nearing Aguas Caliente
Just as we hit the bottom of the valley, we ran into another Incan ruin.

Stonework
The Incans used on mortar, just very tight joints that have lasted for 500 years.

Rock Carving
This rock was carved to represent the surrounding mountains.

Building Into Rock
This is one of the main temples built into a rock.

A Seat for Us. . .
But probably a ceremonial site for the Incans.

The Early Day
This was as the fog began to clear from the site.

With People
Here we are, for proof.

Machu Picchu
THE picture!

The Sun
Just as we were leaving, the sun came out. Oh well.

Comments

[Bernadette Thomasy]

Thanks for sharing
Matt and Sara, Thanks for all your time and effort recording your fabulous adventures in South America and sharing them with us. A few months from now, you'll be glad you wrote everything down as soon as possible, because the details can fade very quickly. You kept your sense of humor the entire trip, Matt, and it made for good reading. You also had amazing luck with the weather and your travels in general, but I'm sure all your planning had something to do with that. We hope you had a happy, safe landing back in Sacramento. Love, Bernadette and Ken