The Salkantay treck
Trip Start
Jun 15, 2008
1
20
25
Trip End
Aug 15, 2008
Aguas Calientes,
Sacred Valley,
Peru
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The 4 day treck is called the Salkantay treck, after the mountain it goes over, and is the main Inca trail alternative. It is in fact, one of the the many inca trails in the area, one specifically used by the Inca warriors, because the altitude makes it harder. Obvs, Inca warriors are no match for the likes of us. Sure. I somehow doubt that the Inca warriors got their bags carried, tents put up and 3 course meals cooked for them on the mountain side though!
Imo and I were known as the "energetic" English girls, but I think it was more the case that our group liked to daudle (spelling?), ESPECIALLY our guide, a man called Washington, who can only be described as somewhat pathetic
Brig and Barbs
. Not only was he the slowest walker in the group (at one point we all had to stop and wait aout 20 mins for him to catch up!) but he also managed to complain about everything, from the altidude (he´s been doing the treck for 4 years you´d think he´d be adjusted) to his blisters. He also seemed very amused when Imo and I insisted the camp fire we had lit be put out properly with water, telling us that we were being paranoid and rediculous. As far as I´m concerned, it would be more rediculous to leave a load of glowing, sparking coals next to a pile of dry kindling, sitting on dry grass near some tents and sleeping bags all marked "warning extremely flammable". But maybe we´re over cautious?The treck itself, however, was fantastic, taking us up over a high mountain pass which you carry rocks and coca leaves up to to build a rock pile and throw your leaves into the wind for good luck. Speaking of luck, I found ANOTHER four leafed clover, the same night as we spotted one of the most amazing shooting stars I´v ever seen so luck is running high right now. That was on the first night when we slept below the Salkantay glacier, which made things freezing cold. Well to be more presise, below freezing. Don´t know what the actual temperature was, but we were told that standard is minus 10, minus 20 if its windy. Luckily, we smuggled along 2 sleeping bags each MOUAHAHA!
After the pass, we carried on down through a valley, through cloud forrest to where we got picked up by a bus on the 3rd day to be taken to some hot springs where we got to rest tired feet and enjoy "hydrotherapy"
Scenery
. This basically means jumping from freezing cold to hot hot springs. Apparently this is good for you. Duuuubious. It was nice to get clean anyway. After the Machu Picchu climb at the end of the treck, we are heading back to Cusco and then onwards towards Puno and lake Titticaca. Can´t wait!
Lots and lots of love and BBBB
Penny xxxx
The trek was really good, and even the rubbishness of our guide, Washington, turned out to be a positive as it meant that he didn´t really care about knowing where everyone was and so we were free to speed off at our own pace. We´re not sure if its our London walking pace or the fact that we are already pretty adjusted to the altitude but either way we were, once again, the speediest in our group, earning the titles speedy gonzarles. The first day of walking took us to our freezing campsite below the glacier but we survived with the help of nine layers and two sleeping bags each as Penny mentioned... sneaky sneaky.
Mountain
Things didn´t warm up much the next morning as we continued to the Salkantay pass. Naturally Penny and I arrived there an hour ahead of 'Washy' (apparently he had altitude sickness...) despite being trapped behind a slow moving donkey with a flatulence problem for some of the ascent. We therefore had a long time to recover, make our offerings to the angry god who apparently lives on the extremely beautiful mountain that overlooks the pass and generally soak up the incredible views. The rest of the day was downhill through very different but equally beautiful scenery to our campsite in a more jungly area.The 3rd days walk was good though not very long and dissapointingly we got picked up by a bus after lunch to take us to our campsite and on to the hot springs which were relaxing but mosquito ridden. We then returned for our 3 course dinner, sure, and resisted the not very great temptation to go 'out on the town' in Santa Theresa with Washington and a very strange and slightly creepy Norwegian in our group.
The 4th day we got up late, perhaps something to do with Washingtons and the Norwegians festivities the night before and set off for a walk, much off which was along the railway. After lunch Washington lost an Israli couple, and so, suprise, it was our job to set off in search off them. It was actually nice to be able to stretch our legs and have a mission, even to the point where I had to ditch my bag and run off to find them when they´d gone the wrong way!
The fourth night was spent in a hostel in Aguas Calientes, a town that exists soley to serve Machu Picchu and which is quite nice but has a slightly ski resort/disney land esque feel to it.
xxxxx
