PERU: Inca Trail>Machu Picchu>Puno>Lake Titicaca
Trip Start
Mar 03, 2006
1
14
23
Trip End
Aug 30, 2006
Puno,
Peru
Friday, June 30, 2006
A little on the porters themselves, approximately 34 strong for the 20 or so of us...only 200 walklers zre permitted in the trail each day with 300 porters!!!!!! only get to do the trek once a months roughly as there is such competition.. all of the men of various ages, shapes and form all congregate in the starting town to be selected usually.....got chatting to one of our guides at the back of the pack leisurely who informed me that each porter carried around 20ks on their back ranging from tent sets, our bags, gas bottles, cooking implements, cutlery, crockery, water......... looks painful as solid heavy objects are merely strapped to their backs.constantly sweating but always jogging to get to next stage before the leader of our packs you see... lunch always prepared well in advance and our tents set up before arrival late afternoon each day. amazingly strong and persistent men with smiles on faces......our guide Julio/J.C told us not to address them by the word "porter", rather "cuchiwato"...which in the native language of quechua, APPARENTLY meant "ladies' men"....
After lunch we sailed on and arrived at camp at 4:30pm ish. was fresh but cloudy here..... tents were pleasantly decent (silver coloured 2-man freeman dome style.....) no grumbles.... I was in a tent on my tod since my room-mate was on the alternative easier and shorter "Lares" Trek where they stay one night in hotel, get to stay 1 day in a village and have llamas carrying bags for them... 3 folk in total went on this treck as unfortunately late booking meant no posible on Inca T.... was grateful for the extra space and privacy but not that thankful in terms of extra radiating body heat, welcomed during overnight drops in temperature......Again, dinner was fab.. soup, chicken and chips, local pudding and hot drinkies.. even had a glass of hot water, sugar and rum to get the cockles warmed up somewhat.. a few rounds of cards and song practice preceded early bed as little light etc.
17th - day 2 of El Camino Inka: rise at 7am for a lovely breakfast to prepare ourselves for the hardest day of the trip according to the vast majority... gob-smacked at porridge, fresh fruit salad, bread rolls, pancakes!!!At 8:15ish the group embarked on their journey entailing steep, windy and unsteady paths to lunch spot then onward to the first "pass"...was so happy to have my walking sticks as aids..... puffing and panting were constant and breaks needed.... I formed part of a group of 7 leaders this day, who plodded on together with 1 assistant guide...readched lunch an hour and a half before the last soldier trotted in - funky 61yr old Ozzie woman, Kay. Great effort.... nice chance for a long-earned rest reallly.. Lunch was ace - alpaca for the meat........ Didnīt hang around for too long as knew the worst part was to come.... many many steps on uneven ground up to the first pass which was surrounded by mist half way up, so all we could hear was the sound of applause in the distance without any clear judgement about remaining distances to clime.... frustrating....When we got there it was so cold and misty that some of the pack decided to instantly move on after a few snaps...
I stayed behind to spur on the other dozen or so freezing ass off but relishing the moment..... many were tearful upon arrival due to glee, relief and other due to feeling slightly rough and poorly anyhow.... great team bonding again... one bloke even insisted on a photo with his baby son's photo next to the signpost indicating the altitude (4.5km roughly) and location etc. Once the final walker stumbled in, we had a group shot again.........I had a private shot ontop of the breast and nipple formation (is what the first pass is unoficially recognised by from the valley below leading up. v vivid shape actually hehe).
After all this hype, I decided to accompany the last 3 climbers at the back of the group to get a taste for their style and rest really...... took 2 hours plus to descend, descend, descend jaggered steps pretty much all the way to our second camp... the fog and coldness slowly cleared but the route seemed to go on for ages especially at their pace. all were getting a little delirious and hysterical at this point for no reason lol..... glad to have sticks again as tough on the calves.we arrived to meet the rest in darkness at around 5pm... That night was vvvvvvv cold indeed, especially for me having been in tropical environments for months beforehand......reached -2 apparently...no1 wanted to exit tents after going to bed and all wrapped up ridiculously well.
18th (day 3 inca trail):longest distance walking of 13k.....though steady ups and downs and straights all along....this day was called the "cultural day" due to many frequent stops along the route, on the final 2 passes and at a couple of ruin sites for detailed explanations...hence many more photo opportunities....nice for the group to stick more closely together as well. a few people had been sufering from the altitude and stomach upsets so the pace was a little slower....the second pass was awesome... crystal clear and very pictoresque with a range of snow-capped mountains in the distance....good spot for exploring rocks and that alone......the descent to lunch was similar to that of the previous afternoon though warm and clear....came across a couple of small scale defensive purpose ruins on the way to lunch which were impressive. Food was the best yet by far... bbq skewers of different meats, all diff types of carbohydrate and veg.......Following lunch, the best scenery was to come.... after gradual climbs around the clifftops overlooking the valley and parallel to mountains, we arrived at the thrid and final pass......stunning.... Aguas Calientes village from where the train stops en route to Machu Picchu for connecting buses could be seen as well as 3 coned shape mountaintops behind which lay the famous lost city of the Inca's, M.P. Excited! Panormas were fab.... also had to use this minging toliet, worst I have ever used in fact. portable loo with no portable devices...wooden inside.stained.... small hole in floor... pit not deep..... flies infested...... couldnt close door as so foul........ anyway enough on that!!!!
The remaining 2 hour descent down absurdly steep nevr-ending badly-defined steps is now a blur....minus 1 ruin site stop....a team of 4 of us decided to go full out at thsi stage as if racing... Ozzie dude Matt, his sis and her mate plus me. we just zoomed our way around, regardless of dusty windy paths and dodgy steps, desperate to arrive at the final campsite...Matt stormed ahead and even challenged a couple of the porters to a race near the end. crazy..... we all arrived around 3 30 pm and went straight to the hot showers which we longed for all day.... small price for heaven!!!! was nice to arrive in daylight and have a couple of hours free to chill before the main contingent turned up..... that afternoon we just had drinks and relaxed and polished up our attempt at a speech and song with dance actions.... in the end we just listed 10 things we appreciated most and I translated and formed a speech out of it in spanish... the song went down well and 3 lads did accompanying actions to facilitate comprehension.. This all took place after a fab feast.... pizza, chicken drumsticks..... the works...........all seemed rather offical to me... tour guide had to distribute our "recommended" tip amount of 10dollars each to be split between all staff in some coordinated fashion.. appeared like a presentation ceremony or distribution of xmas bonuses lol. song went down a storm and we heard the porters sing a chant in return.. in quechua lingo.... they all got a beer extra from our group so they were chuffed... some stayed up to dance for a while but I couldnīt face it.....
Song:
Verses 1 - 4: "When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the one who's freezing and grumpy"
"When I go out, well I know I gotta pee, I know I gotta pee with something prickly next to me"
"When I'm puffing, well I know it's gotta be, it's gotta be the altitude affecting me"
"My only saviour, well I know it has to be, it has to be the feast wyki(brother/friend in quechua) prepare for me"
Chrous: "And I would walk 33km, and I would walk 6ks more, just to be the one who walks 39kms to MachuPicchu's door".... La da da, la da da da, la da da da da da da da da da. :D
Mon 19th - Day 4 Inca Trek:Only got 6 hrs sleep that night as up at 4 for final brekkie and then walk to the gate wehre the famous walk to the sun gate began..... typically delayed by latin american timing but eventually got under way.... all was silent due to a combination of fatigue, aching and desire just to get there asap... pace was regular...... 7:30 am or so we got there..... wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! best view of trip so far........sun was shingin and beating down already.... could see the SHOULD-be wonder of the world site in front of us down the valley a bit, literally in between various mountains fo differing heights.... the terraces and buildings were so clear like on a postcard.......v green...
Then we walked another hour or so more along the narrow paths taking many diff shots of the ruins still in amazement at its splendour.... we had been told to carry this special stone along the whoel trip and then deposit it at this place in order to get rid of burdens etc.... our fantastic guide played tunes on the traditional instrument etc to add to the experience... On the verge of Machu Picchu, we all collapsed in the greenery and listened to an hour long presentation of the site and culture and history of the Incas which was great.... nearly fell asleep though.....Afterwards, we had another hr long tour of the actual site.....scaling the terraces, different important buildings and courtyards etc.....learnt all about the ceremonies and beliefs and functioning of the site...water channels..the lot.. too much to recall.......
That was it at M.P.........just about enough time there to be honest.. What are my impressions? Really should be the 8th wonder of the world.....how immense is this cleverly constructedsite, nesting in secrecy between these huge mountains as if it's floating.....Never inhabited as residences just for agricultural, religious and social functions.... Spaniards neevr ever reached there, so no influence... Very well preserved. much more dynamic than the Aztec/Mayan ruins though not as grand and vast. Hard to comapre. Must go!
So....2 lads crazily decided to climb a further sheer mountain face just to get to the top and see the view... all the rest just caught the bus down the hill to Aguas Calientes villages where we feasted together and walked the small town before our train ride back to Ollantaytambo..back to the start where we would catch a transfer bus back to Cusco again. ride was lush but 2 girls were heaving throughout and rushing up and down the isles.. maybe water or food but no idea.... 1 had to get off the bus to chuck up as well. she looked sto fragile and ill....bless 'em...
.When we got back there was yet another festival going on.something to do with Cusco and a 55 year anniersary. independence?! no1 was in any mood to join in so we ate a quick local meal and retired to bed for yet another IMMEDIATE onward journey the next day back aboard our giant tour bus... slept so well in warm hotel bed!!!!!!! yay...
20th: checked out hotel by 7 in order to board Peggy for our 8hr ride to Puno...... all so thankful just to sit on arses in bus really... and nap... was nice having extra people on board now since they joined in Cusco.. also, another Tucan tour (the one my 2 acquaintances from uni were on) was now running parallel to us in terms of itinerary....quite cool young bunch....the only real break was lunch in a gas station we had passed on way to Cusco a week ago, then some shitty ruins called Sillustani on the side of Lake Titikaka... just about noone was motivated of course having not recovered from the Trail.. so the tour was boring and laborious. Got to Puno by 5 and had traditional orientation walk... decided to get some cough medicine to aid my chesty cough and had a little nap before dining with my 3 best pals from the tour - Matt and the Irish sisters..found this cosy local folklore playing diverse cheap menu restaurant up the road and had 4 courses and hot drink for 5 dollars.. accompanied with sangria, so nice... then we went on to a couple of pubs for a free drink each then played jenga in this one pub.... very random but fun.... returned at a decent time as following morning was our 2 day trip out to some of the islands on the lake and homestay family evening.
21st: 4 of our party couldnt bear coming to the Islands due to chest infection, stomach upset, boredom of intense itinerary and stinking cold reasons........ rest of us jumped into these manual tricycle vehichles and got escorted down to the port where we would board our boat and meet our guide. Firstly, we were obliged to by groceries and goods for our unknown families to the value of 3 dollars each eg rice, pasta, fruit, biscuits, pens etc....our first stop was on 2 of the floating reed islands "Islas de los Ursos". Here we had explanations of the way of life and how the isles are made of reeds and sustain their form etc... good opportunity to buy souvenirs but not for me.... then continued on to another isle on a reed boat shaped like a dragon or whatever.. funky.. some of the guys tried their chances at manual rowing....
Back aboard the main motor boat we carried a further 3 hours onward to Isla Amantai where 9 communities live and lead an ordinary life working and cultivating etc... houses were basic but definitely inhabitable..... we were each allocated in pairs a homestay family for the day and night....... was a great experience.... our guide taught us a bit of quechua on the boat before arrival so we were proud with the few phrases we knew.t hank goodness our family was fluent in spanish though..... our quarters were typically the bes tin teh house with all the bare essentials egbed, table, potty thing, lights, curtains.... we presented our family of dad, mum, 27yr old daughter and 11 year old son (other siblings on mainland) with our goodies adn then tucked into local cuisine lunch consisitng of veggie soup, potato and sweet potato and fried cheese for mains.... herbal tea 2...... fine by me... then we had a pre-scheduled meeting at the soccer field where differnt group leaders had organised a footie match locals vs foriegners.. we lost but was interesting. basic concrete turf. I opted to walk to the peak of the barren Isle to see a gorgeous sunset.... one could clearly see bolivia in the distance, other isles and the tranquil lake all illuminated a rosy pinky orange.... peaceful....
That evening was the highlight though.... After dining with the family - veggie curry dish and soup, we were all dressed up in local outfits - boys = poncho and hat and girls = skirt, belt and other shit.........then we trotted down to the small community hall for a drink and dance session with local band playing..
we were all whisked around the room with partners and in long lines etc...combinations of barn type dancing and country etc... no ball lol!!!! was a lot of fun!! the night was a little cold but tolerable so slep v well........
22nd: awoke at reasonable hour to a brekkie of pancakes...locals especially learn how to make them for the benefit of the tourists... locals ate soup! In the morn we said farewell to the families at the port and ocntinued on to Taquile Island where Aymara is spoken rather than Quechua. All fascinating. Our excursion here consisted of a walking tour and discovery beforelight lunch.... Here we were told all about the myth of the birth of the Inca civilisation from the lake itself....as well as the theories behind the existence of the lake itself. Pm - boat ride back to mainland Puno and free afternoon which was spent chilling.... That evening was a huge group dinner asa good 8 people were leaving the tour here....tried alpaca pizza and mulled wine in Ekekos restaurant...then with our flyers the youngsters of about 12 went clubbing for the first time together!!!!! way hay.. all came out of shells, drank and danced for ages.... real party atmosphere. but then came the farewells.. some kindly promised they'd be up at 7 to say cheerio properly which was sweet.....some got drunk and nearly got into a brawl with some locals on the street but othewise was good night out.
