The Machu Picchu trekking saga
Trip Start
Oct 08, 2007
1
101
110
Trip End
Dec 16, 2008
Aguas Calientes,
Sacred Valley,
Peru
Thursday, August 14, 2008
All in all, Machu Picchu - yes, yes, yes! Trekking to it ... not so sure...
But let me start from the beginning
Salkantay 11
. I did not do the Inca "Inca Trail", because you have to book for it months ahead and I don't plan my life so meticulously lately. I did the Salkanty Trek instead. It is supposed to be tougher, but more plentiful in the vistas department... Hum...After a day of tramping on dirt roads that we share with the occasional car or a horse, I'm unconvinced trekking is the best Peru has to offer. At 6 pm, we arrive at the first camp in a valley surrounded by snow picks. It is pretty, but it is cold. And it's going to get worse. Nothing can make me crankier than being cold.
I am of course the only female traveling solo, and so, I have to share a tent with one of the guys. There is one single tent, but one of the guys is already spreading his stuff in it. He also doesn't have a partner, he says, and he is entitled to the tent just as much as anyone else. Fair point, non the less, not very considerate. To be fair, I'm not concerned about sharing with the opposite sex. I've done it literally 100 times in the numerous mixed dorms in Australia and New Zealand. Never thought of it as a problem. I graciously tell the apologizing guide that it is not a problem at all. He is very appreciative.
God Lord, what a job to deal with cords of whining brats all day long
Salkantay 12
. I'm telling you, some people are intolerably annoying and disrespectful. They fly half way around the world supposedly to experience different cultures, but end up wining about the service and the sleeping conditions all day long, and in general, behave as if the world owes them special treatment, just because they hold a first world passport. You get what you pay for. If you pay $140 for 5 days of trekking - food, porters, transport and tour of one of the 7 wonders of the world included, what exactly service are you expecting? And why are you talking down to the guide with this tone. How much do you think he gets paid for his 5 days of work? Back at the camp in the foothills of Salkanty mountains. It is -10 C at night. I kid you not. Sleeping in a tent at the foothill of a glassier - Check. I have literally all my clothes on, 3 (three) pairs of alpaca socks, 2 pairs of alpaca gloves, an alpaca hat, a scarf, two hoods and 2 sleeping bags - my own and a rented one. I'm the only one in the group who has spent the extra $20 to rent an extra sleeping bag, and the only one who is not freezing that night. Still, when the guides wake us up at 4:30 am with a cup of coca tea, I'm ready to get up and get going.
The second day of trekking is spectacular
Salkantay 13
. It goes over steep uphill, through a charmed alpine valley, again up a steep, steep uphill that leads to the Salkanty pass at 4,800m, and finally descends sharply to 3000 m, almost to the edge of the jungle. All in all - 21 km. By the time we make it to camp No.2, my camera's memory card is half full and my knees are aching. The evening is uneventful, apart from one of the Israeli trekkers from another group poring boiling water over his foot. Turns out, I'm the only one with First Aid kit. I patch him up with whatever plasters I have left. First Aid kit is almost empty now. I need a refill. The whole group is really grateful. They have just finished the army, but haven't been taught first aid there. What are the chances you find yourself in a situation having to help people while serving in the Israeli army?! Apparently not big enough to warrant a First Aid training. Strange, no? Off to bed. It should be warmer tonight, around 0 C, so I put on only two pairs of socks. In the middle of the night I dream that a dog is chewing on my hand. I wake up. It is darkness. The chewing continues. I take a breath and turn on my flash light. Non-sense! My tent-mate is squeezing my hand. I laugh somewhat nervous and say loudly: "Dude, you scared me!". Glance at the watch - 1:30 am. In my half asleep state, I conveniently assume that he must have been mid-dreaming of his girlfriend or something
Salkantay 14
. I turn off the light and try to go back to sleep. The chewing starts again. This time I flash my light in his face. He is greening. What the F*! "Just stop it!" - I hisss very, very, very annoyed, turn away and go back to sleep. What the hell is he thinking?! And when exactly did I say or do something to encourage this midnight amorous behavior?! Let's re-cap. Just as a background - the guy is Brazilian, from Chinese background, engineer from Sao Paolo. He loves his job, he told me, without me asking. So what did I say or do? I chatted to him on the first day of trekking. I said that I've been to Brazil, that I loved China, and that I know how to say "Hello", "Thank you" and "Toilet" in Chinese. Hardly a "Come on" behavior in my view. I also gave him a friendly look while he started a patronizing round of applause, when I finally made it to the pass - last in the whole group. Actually, I waved and smiled and said "Hello everyone, sorry to keep you waiting". That's it. What do you think? Never mind, let me tell you what I think. This is B.S. I gave no signs whatsoever. There are too many guys with big imagination and complete lack of common sense. And even if I was giving out signs left right and center, why the hell did he decide I wanted to be awoken at 1:30 am? And what exactly were we supposed to do at 0 C, in a thin tent in the middle of a camp site. Huddle into each others arms (with 3 layer of sleeping bags between us) and talk quietly about life? At 1:30 am? Since I'm on the subject, let me say one more thing
Salkantay 15
. Annoying number of individuals think that solo female travelers are out for a trouble. If I was a guy traveling alone - not a problem, how wonderful, what a macho thing to do, go out there and explore the world, like a real man, out on his own. What a wonderful adventure! But wait, why would a woman be traveling alone? She's ought to be looking for a trouble. Doesn't she have a boyfriend to watch out for her? Where the hell does this come from?! The movies? The children's books? How many stories about male travelers are there - countless. And girls - just one - Alice. And she was only traveling, because she got lost in Wonderland. And wasn't she chasing after a rabbit? We all know what rabbits do, don't we? Not only are these people narrow-minded, shortsighted and sexist. Most of all, and that annoys me at a professional level, they lack any economic sense. If I'm out for a quick affair, why would I need to buy a ticket around the world for $5,000? All I need to do is walk to the nearest pub, take a sit at the bar, flip my hair and smile. Okay, maybe it is not so easy. Maybe I need to say "Hello" and make a small talk about the weather, but believe me, I wouldn't need to tramp 40km uphill to get laid. So why am I here then? Like all the other people, for the challenge, for the adventure and to enjoy the nature. And I am talking about nature that still looks spectacular at 0C, if you know what I mean. Oh, I know I'm spoiling the good tone of my blog with "Sex and the City" undertones. Sorry. I lived in NY for 5 years
Salkantay 16
. I can't help it. So any ways, on the third day of this adventure I am dragging my right foot down, and down and down again, 20 km downhill to what appears to be a base camp three. I am way behind the group and the assistant guide is walking with me and teaching me Quechua - the language of the Incas that is still widely spoken in the highlands around Cuzco. The people here are very proud with their indigenous heritage, and prefer to teach you Quechua instead of Spanish. Once again, I've chosen the wrong place to be learning Spanish. After a while, the guide starts singing a traditional song in Quechua to demonstrate the versatility of the local culture. Very loosely translated, it goes like that:" Oy, oy, you woman, what are you doing in my corn field. I can see your red skirt from here. What are you doing in my cornfield? I'm gonna tell you father and let's see what you gonna say then." I wonder if this is the kind of song that local children, primly dressed in traditional outfits would sing for the tourists, or the kind of traditional song that youthful companies would sing around a campfire after too many cups of chicha (fermented cord drink that I haven't tried yet). I bet on the latter, but I sing along any ways.
After lunch, we are told that the camp is an hour drive down the road
Salkantay 17
. The bus is not here for unknown, but legitimate reasons. Lucky for us there is a truck. I can't possibly walk a minute longer. I get in the back of the truck with the other guys and galls from my group. Just when I'm thinking it is not so bad, 30 other trekkers get in the truck behind us. And finally two dogs, for a good measure and on their own accord. We all laugh and joke that we are just like a cattle. If the truck was to slip and to fall down the steep cliff on the left, we are all dead, 100% guaranteed. And when the world press reports the accident after the medal count form the Olympics and before the weather reports, people from all over the world would be thinking - what the hell were those idiots thinking? Still, I can't walk any more, so I spend the next hour pressed between a photographer from New York and a graduate student from Austria. One of the dogs is huddled on top of my bare feet. While trying to not lose my balance and step on the dog, am praying that the 80% Deed I had spread over my legs half an hour ago protects against dog parasites. All ends well finaly. As we disembark, the English galls have the most sensible reaction - light a fag and spent the afternoon drinking beer. Most of the rest of the group is bitching about the ride (don't blame them) and decides to walk the distance to the thermal baths - another half an hour downhill. The Spanish couple, myself and the other Brazilian get back in the truck, which we now share with fewer people. I climb to the top of the drivers cabin to join my Quechua speaking guide
Salkantay 18
. The views over the cliffs are terrifying, but I manage to take a nice photo of the group, so it's all worth it. So are the thermal baths. First shower in 3 days. When we finally make it to Aquas Calientes, covered with dust from the tourist busses that the more sensible tourist have taken, everyone is aching. The columniation of the hike is a 5 am steep climb to Machu Picchu, which take us to the site just in time to breath in the fumes of the first arriving bus. So was it worth the visit - absolutely. Was it worth the walk - not entirely.
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