Cleansing the spirit, the Inca way
Trip Start
Dec 14, 2007
1
170
187
Trip End
Mar 16, 2009
Machu Picchu,
Sacred Valley,
Peru
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Price for us, like most people, was a prerequisite, but we were also aware that some of the cheaper options were 'fly by night' companies who cut price at the expense of quality and often exploited their porters. A company called SAS Travel came up as one of the top 5 tour operators for being professional, reliable, having good equipment, treated their porters well and even though they were not the cheapest, we felt confident that our money would be well invested
Unpacking of the gear
.After much deliberation we made a booking for the Lares Valley trek as we though it was the less commercial and crowded option and looked forward to getting a better understanding of the culture and communities in the region. Although this trek was technically easier then the Inca Trail it still required you to traverse mountain passes at 4450m. Once we'd arrived in South America we quickly realised that we were going to have to rush through Ecuador to and parts of Peru to make the departure date for the trek and decided to rather try and postpone the trip. Unfortunately the same trip was not available for the dates that we would have preferred, but luckily we were able to get a reservation on Inca Trail for the 9th December.
The night before we set off on the trek the group was asked to meet at the SAS offices to meet our guide, Carlos and for a briefing on the trail for the next four days, as well as what we would need and didn't need to bring along. At the start of any excursion where a group of strangers will be staying together for a few days its always interesting to observe how in the beginning most people in the group kind of nervously kept to themselves and really don't chat much to anyone. I knew this wouldn't last long and as soon as the walk began everyone would be chatting away like old friends
Porters discussing all the luggage
.In total our group consisted of 15 hikers, two guides and a staggering 21 porters. The porters would be responsible for carrying the tents, seating, food, cooking equipment and any extra baggage the walkers didn't want to carry to a limit of 18kg's. This was great as it meant for a small fee you only needed to carry your day pack with water, rain gear and warm clothes while the rest of gear would be carried to the camp site for you.
Before we left for the night we had to confirm names and passport numbers as passports were checked at multiple check points along the way and if their were discrepancies, especially in the passport numbers you could be refused entry. When I found my name and passport number on the list I realised there's a big mistake! The mistake wasn't with the passport number, but my name. Instead of Ryan Edward some how they had Ryan Coward!! Well, I wasn't sure if this was a joke an insult or just a simple typo, but decided to be brave and NOT pull out of the four day trek right there and then!
Day 1: With all the excitement and anticipation of the following four days it was hard to get a good night's rest so getting up at 04:30 was not easy
Group photo at the start of the Inca Trail
. We checked out of our hostel, stored our baggage and made our way down to the meeting point in town. The bus left Cusco at 6am and stopped briefly in a little town called Ollanta where we were able to stock up on any last minute supplies like water, energy drinks, snacks and even cheap wooden walking sticks, which Inge-Marie was delighted to purchase. A few kilometres outside of Ollanta we arrived at the starting point for the hike where bags were unpacked and luggage divided up equally between the porters. Each porter was only allowed to carry a maximum of 18kg's and so each bag was weighed before being loaded on the strong porters' backs. Between the two of us we had a little over 18kg's, which included clothing for four days, two thick sleeping bags (rated to minus 10 degrees), two sleeping mats and a few snacks. Out of curiosity I weighed my day pack and it was an astonishing 10 kg's and most of that was due to the camera equipment I was carrying. The price you pay for good pictures!
The first day was described as the "easy" section of the trail and started after a quick group photo at the start of the trail where we followed a winding path along the Urubamba River. The path gently made its way upstream till we got to the first Inca ruins called Llactapata, where two valleys split and one valley leads directly to Machu Picchu only six hours away and the other follows the Inca trail which gets you to Machu Picchu three days later
Porters going up the hill
. Despite my new second name I fought the urge to chicken out and take the six hour route and bravely dragged myself onto the long road.Besides a few steep steps, the first day's walking was relatively easy and gave us all a good chance to meet and chat to many of the other walkers without being out of breath. By the time we'd reached the campsite, just about everyone in the group knew each other and I'm glad to say everyone seemed to get on really well. The porters had already set up all our tents, including the dinning tent and the kitchen and we were greeted with a warm round of applause and cool drinks. This became the norm over the next few days every time we reached a lunch stop or campsite, I nice way to be greeted after some hard climbing.
We had a few hours to rest and wash before we were served hot drinks and snacks at 5pm and then had a few more hours to explore or play a little soccer with the locals before dinner. We were not quite sure what to expect when it came to meals but had heard that you get fed well and we were not disappointed! We were served a delicious three course meal starting with a healthy vegetable soup, mains consisting of meat, vegetables and potatoes and to finish off yummy dessert. With our tummy's full it didn't take long for the yawning to start and soon the group started peeling off to get some rest after the long day. Tomorrows' walking was going to be the toughest of the four days so rest was important.
At the end of day one we'd walked 14 km in about 6 hours and start at 2380 m above sea level and climbed to about 3000 m above sea level, where we camped at a site called Huayllabamba between local houses and some spectacular mountain scenery
View of the vallet
.Day 2: Aptly named the "challenge"! Day two would see us climbing pretty much the whole day to a peak at just over 4200m called "dead woman's pass". Not because a woman died trying to climb, it but rather because the saddle and peak, with a little imagination, resemble a woman lying on her back (see picture).
After a 6am wake-up call we packed our daypacks and all met for a scrumptious breakfast before setting off on the 12km walk. Many of us were a little apprehensive when we looked up and saw the path we'd be climbing but you could feel spirits were high in the group. The view climbing out of the valley into the forest was nothing short of spectacular and we soon started feeling the combined effect of the gradient and the altitude. We found ourselves resting often which gave me a perfect opportunity to unpack the camera and take a few photos. Besides the breathtaking mountain scenery there were hundreds of beautiful flowers, insects and birds along the way to snap away at.
By the tea stop (elevensies) we were already exhausted and the break was badly needed. We had some popcorn and filled up with loads of coco tea to get the energy levels as high as possible for the toughest part of the walk, the last 800m to dead woman's pass
Inge-Marie, all smiles
. We started slowly and reluctantly and were very quickly climbing some steep steps that seemed to never end. We found the secret was to constantly zigzag by trying to find the smallest steps so as not to leave yourself out of breath, the smaller the steps the less effort and oxygen required. Also, breathing technique was very important and Inge-Marie had perfect her breathing technique with a little help from Donna, by breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. This allowed you to take air deep into your lungs without hyperventilating by rapidly breathing in through your mouth.The last 50m's with out a doubt were the hardest of the day! Each time you though you were almost at the top it was either a false peak or a deceptive bend revealing that there still was a long way to go. The end of the day we had to dig deep to find the energy and breath to drag ourselves up the last few meters. Even a mouth full of coca leaves didn't seem to help very much. While we were taking one of our many breaks we heard the sweet sound of someone playing a typical Andean flute drift down the valley, and we both just sat silently and enjoyed the music and the spectacular view. This is what it was all about, the true spirit of the Andes!
At the peak of Dead Woman's Pass we were greeted with a big round of applause by the rest of our team who had made it up ahead of us. It was surreal to sit and stare back down at the massive mountain we had climbed and my heart went out to the remaining member of our team who still had to muster all their strength to make it to where we were. The team made a decision to wait until the last person had summited before continuing which gave us an opportunity to get a great group shot. I take my hat off to Richard who was the last to summit, who managed to persevere through the stomach bug and altitude sickness and still made to the top with a smile
The dining tent
.The rest of the walk was fortunately all down hill and after an hour we reached our river side campsite (Pacaymayo,) at an altitude of 3600m. This was going to be our coldest night due to the altitude so we made sure to leave out all the warm woollen gear to wear to bed. After another fantastic dinner it wasn't long before the yawning started and we all headed off to bed after a hard day of climbing.
Day 3 is described as the "Unforgettable" and the longest section (16km), but I was sure no matter how beautiful it was no one in the group would ever forget the climb up Dead Woman's Pass. Once again we were woken up at 6am and despite the cold temperatures overnight (4 degrees) we still managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep. Inge-Marie was almost dressed it all her clothing including hat, scarf, thermal underwear and even gloves, she looked hilarious as can be seen from the photo. IMH: I'm sure if you took photos of our fellow hikers in their tents they looked exactly the same - warm and snug (note that I didn't mention bed-bug).
The day started with a two hour climb which was steeper, but shorter than Dead Woman's Pass and finally ended back at 4000m above sea level at Runquracay Pass
Hand basins before dinner
. Fortunately this was to be the last big climb and I for one was relieved as by now all the previous days sore muscles we beginning to ache. From there we passed back through the high jungle as it is called, following the original Inca Trail constructed hundreds of years ago to carry pilgrims to Machu Picchu. The road was incredibly well constructed considering its location and the tools available at that time. The most beautiful section of this walk was the two hour hike after lunch where we passed through an Inca tunnel, colourful lichen and moss forests which were punctuated by snow white granite boulders.The views along this section of the walk were truly unforgettable especially once the low clouds had dissipated exposing beautiful views of the jungle covered valleys and distant snow capped peaks. The view was mesmerising and it was difficult to get back on the trail after resting a while with this magnificent backdrop but there were still some incredible Inca ruins to be seen along the way.
Before long we arrived at the Sayacmarca Ruins which had excellent examples of Inca ritual baths using typical construction techniques and flowing water. We spent a few minutes at the ruins while our guide Carlos explained the significance of the site before making our way down to the last campsite which offers warm showers and cold beer!
Spurred on by the thoughts of hot water after two days of cold washes we were ahead of the pack and managed to be the first to arrive in the camp after almost two hours gruelling downhill walking. The hot shower was well worth the effort and cold beer ended the day perfectly
Red flower
. For dinner we all met in the hostel which was situated at this campsite where our chef prepared one of his best meals yet. We dinned on yummy pizza, pastas and salads and together with a few drinks had a great last evening. After paying our farewells and tips to the porters and cooking team it was off to bed time as the next days walking kicked off at 4am!Day 4, our last day described as "unique" but for us it was the grand finale, the reward after three days of tough and unforgettable walking. We were up way before the wake-up call and were excited to get going. We were given the option the night before to either get up and have a normal breakfast or rather pack and grab a snack on the way to the check-point where all climbers have to queue up to start the days walk. We chose the early start and the snack and managed to be the second group in the queue which wasn't the wisest decision at the end of the day but more about that later.
When the gates finally opened at 5am we were off, literally to a flying start. It wasn't quite clear why such a fast pace was set but we all thought it was a race to beat the sun rise over Machu Picchu so we tried to keep up as best as possible even shedding extra garments without even stopping. Needless to say the rush turned out to be unnecessary as we discovered when we reached the sun gate
Bisa not Visa
. The sun gate was an erection put up to mark the point where the sun would rise over Machu Picchu during the solstice, but on this particular morning the sun and Machu Picchu where nowhere to be seen, all that was visible was a blanket of white clouds.After about a 30 minute wait we were rewarded with a small glimpse of the ancient ruins before being completely covered in white again. This was enough to spur everyone on and we set off down the hill knowing Machu Picchu was somewhere down there. Before long the white blanket started dissolving and there it was in all its splendour! Wow! The sight almost stopped us all in our tracks and there was a brief moment where we were all in awe before the camera's were whipped out and the clicking started.
To describe in detail how amazing Machu Picchu is would be an injustice to anyone planning to visit this magical place. What I will say is that seeing Machu Picchu for the first time was worth all the sweat, tears and breathlessness and I'd do it again in an instant. I would strongly suggest if you have the time to visit Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail as the reward of seeing the ancient city after three and a half days of walking will be hard to match.
After a guided tour through the cities highlights we were able to spend the rest of the morning exploring the city many different buildings, terraces and temples
Grinding up the local beer
. Even just resting in the shade admiring the view was magical and I felt could easily have stent the entire day there. We of course had the option of spending the entire day at the site but the downside to spending three days walking and getting up at 4am it that we were pretty exhausted by midday. At the end of the day it didn't help getting up at 4am not rushing to the sun gate and we all agreed that it would have been much more enjoyable to sleep to 5am, have a relaxing breakfast while the other groups queue to pass the check point. If we had of arrived two hours later would have had a great view of Machu Picchu from the sun gate and we would have been a lot less exhausted when we arrived at the ruins.
At 2pm we caught the bus down to Aguas Calientes where we all met at the company's hostel for a final group lunch before the train departed for Cusco. We opted to spend the night in town and catch the train back the next morning so it was sad good byes to many of the new friends we had met and hopefully would see someday again.
We managed to get on an early train back to Cusco and there was a sad moment when the train pulled out of the station and we knew our Machu Picchu adventure was coming to an end. The short, but extremely scenic train ride to Ollanta was enough to take our minds off leaving and to our surprise we also entertained by the coach staff who put on a hilarious alpaca garments fashion show.
We were glad and sad to be back in Cusco after a two hour taxi, we were glad to have one more day in Cusco, but sad that something we'd looked forward to for so long was now over
First night camping
. Many of the hikers in our group also spent the night in Cusco so we arranged to meet at one of the local Irish pubs for a few drinks and dinner. Sadly Inge-Marie had contracted some sort of nasty stomach bug and was barely able to move, let alone enjoy a drink so she reluctantly spent the afternoon and evening in bed. It was a nice way to say farewell and I was sad that Inge-Marie could not be there as we'd met some great new friends, at the end of the day it's a small world and I'm sure our paths will cross again. Our last day in Cusco was spent packing up, recovering for Inge-Marie and finalising arrangements for our next stop Lake Titicaca.
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Tip, use it / don't use it: The guide books will recommend that you book in advance but some members of the group arrived in Cusco a few days earlier and booked the trip in Cusco upon arrival for a considerable amount less than we paid for by booking in advance. This is probably only advisable during off-season which is the majority of the year. I didn't quite feel that this was fair but that's the way the ruins crumble. SAS can be contacted at info@sastravelperu.com
