The first thing to realise about Cusco is that, in terms of travel, it really exists for Machu Piccu and other Inca sites. The level of tourism here is incredible and you are simply not left alone for a minute by the tour touts. I guess one of the key impacts for those who make Cusco their home is that they must get increasingly frustrated at having their city invaded and for us this translated into encountering some of the least friendly and most harrased local people so far. Essentially, we just wanted to get out as fast as possible! Despite that, Cusco does have some incredible sites and one of these (or three) is the Cathedral, the Church of Jesus Maria and El Triunfo, Cusco´s oldest church. These three buildings are actually joined and we spent a good couple of hours, with informative headsets in absolute awe of the beauty of this place. The architectural structure, the history, the paintings, the silver and general decoration was incredible. There was a painting of the last supper with a 'cuy' (roast guinea pig) as the central feature, an alter covered completely in silver and a hand carved 17th century choir, among so many other features. This place was definately worth the visit.
Our third day in Cusco, and the day before we started our trek, we took a tour of the Sacred Valley. This was a bit of a rushed tour but did allow us to see some of the 'other' Inca ruins and check out some villages on the way.
Finally, the day dawned (well, not quite because we were picked up before dawn but ...) and we headed out, excited about the trip ahead and the idea of seeing one of the world´s most famous landmarks up close and personal.
Our group consisted of 16 tourists, 1 guide, 1 assistant guide and 21 porters. We had 2 Aussies (us), 6 Swedes, 2 Norwegians, 3 Americans, 2 Canadians and 1 Brit, with a mix of ages. As with all group activities people had varying levels of fitness and ability and so the group didn´t really stay together on much of the trek but breakfast, lunch and dinner were always entertaining and we were lucky to have a good group.
Day one involved lots of 'officialdom'; paperwork to be completed, borders to be passed etc. When we actually got going, we spent the first part of the walk on easy tracks with lots of stopping to check out the wildlife, explore some ruins and generally get lots of information from the guides about the local area. Then we stopped for lunch and were in for a real suprise. When we arrived at the lunch spot, the tent was erected, the chairs and cutlery were in place and we were served a three course meal that made the afternoon walk quite difficult! Given that our experience of trekking and camping when its just us is slightly different (ie. pasta with a tomato sauce poured over) we were pretty happy with how things were turning out! A relatively easy walk follwed lunch onto camp where again we were greeted by another lovely suprise - tents were up, snacks were served and dinner was on its way - this is civilised camping!
A bit of rain through the night left us feeling slightly concerned about what awaited us on day 2 but luck held out and the rain had departed. We were up early for the second and most difficult of the days. Following a hearty breakfast of quinoa, fruit, toast, pancakes and mate de coco we headed off, with instructions of the first meeting place. We agreed that given the size of the group, the different levels of ability and the difficulty of the day we wouldn´t stay together as a group and we wouldn´t stop for lunch, instead we would have sandwiches which we could eat as and when we chose, arriving at the days camp site in time for a later lunch. This turned out to be an excellent idea. The highest pass of the day was 4200 metres and although the walk was not long (maybe 40 minutes) it was steep and breathless and difficult. Having made it to the top (and may I say, rather speedily) we thought the worst of it was over but, as with most things, what goes up must come down and down and down ... Anyone who says that walking down hill is easier than up has never really been down a hill!! We arrived at camp at about 2:00pm that afternoon and spent a lazy afternoon sleeping and then chatting with Stion and Trina (Norwegian couple). About 2 hours later the next part of our group arrived and about another 1 hour later the rest straggled in. By now, we were cold and hungry and were ever so relieved when the guide said we would eat now (lunch!), rather than waiting for the final two group members - who subsequently arrived about 5 hours after our original arrival!
That night it rained like I have never experienced rain - it really sounded like glass was raining down on us and I was filled with trepidation as we awoke early for our final day - but again, our luck held and the rain disappeared. Although not as difficult as day 2, day 3 still meant a consistent up hill walk for most of the day but what made day 3 almost easy was the most incredible, breath taking, awe inspiring views imaginable (I know, I need to work on my descriptions). We spent the day mostly walking with Stion and Trina and had a really great day just enjoying the view, laughing lots and taking great photos (Tim is working on getting these on the blog as we speak). Having reached the day 3 pass with not to much time difference within the group it was really cool to just be the only people (other groups would come later) taking in the never ending views of mountain, sky and forest. It was also nice to achieve this level with the group, rather than individually. And then came the inevitable - the down hill run to camp. Well, having watched the porters literally run down the thousands of stairs the day before, we figured there has to be something in it. So we followed suit. And the difference it made was incredible. Obviously we weren´t quite as fast as the porters but for us time wasn´t actually the issue, the issue at hand was the pain in your knees from such a descent. The difference from one day to the next was amazing. I can highly recomend, on such downhill descents, go as quickly as you safely can and your knees will thank you!
The final nights camp was really luxurious with warm showers (if you wanted) and cold beers from the nearby restaurant. And knowing that the walk the next day was relatively short we had our first late night of the trek (about 8:30pm) before being up and back on the trail by 5:00am the next morning, waiting for the gates to open and the two hour walk to the Sun Gate, with everyone praying for sun and no low cloud. This walk was tough. Hundreds of people all leaving at the same time, heading for the same place, but not all walking at the same pace. Overtaking was not easy and it really is difficult walking at someone else´s pace. The final stage was the killer. Maybe 20 steps, ranging between 1/2 and 1 metre in height had people faltering at the final gate. But eventually we got there and again our luck remained - the sun was up and the cloud was high, providing us with an uninterupted view of Machu Piccu from above. As we spent the next few hours walking around, we couldn´t help but question how they managed to achieve these structures. The rocks, the steepness, the lack of machinery - how did they do this??
View of Machu Piccu from the Sun Gate
Feeling pleasantly exhausted, we headed down to the local town (Agua Calientes) for lunch, hot springs and where Tim and I were going to spend the night. After a lazy night, we headed back to Cusco for dinner with a couple from the trek and the night bus to Puno.
Before I leave this blog, I have to make special mention of the porters on the trek. 21 men carried enough food for 16 tourists, guides and themselves (and we are talking decent food, no pasta and tomato sauce here), tents for the 16 tourists and guides along with the cooking tent and eating tent (which they slept in) and all necessary cooking equipment. They went quicker than us, they were always smiling, chatting and laughing with each other and just generally amazed us with the weight they carried and how they carried it - no technically advanced backpacks or specially made hiking boots or walking poles. Truly incredible.
And that was Machu Piccu and the Inca trail. Definately worth the money, time and effort.
Hope you are all well and healthy and enjoying our tales.
Take care
Tim and Tracey
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