Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail
A dream come true! Finally I can say that I´ve experienced Machu Picchu, and it was every bit as fascinating and beautiful as I had imagined! And although grueling at most times, taking the Inka Trail (4 days) to get there was both attractive and an informative preparation for the final destination.
Day One (Monday)
After spending 2 days preparing for the trail and getting used to the altitude of Cuzco (3400m.a.s.l.) on Monday morning at 5.30am the adventure finally started. I was picked up from my hostel and our group was transported to Ollyantaytambo, an Inka village on route, where we had breakfast and where those of us that had not already arranged a personal porter bottled out of carrying our stuff and paid up, or at least for the 1400m ascent of the second day. We continued on to KM82 (distance by train from Cuzco) where the trek starts (2600m.a.s.l). The first day was pretty easy going with a few ascents that caused us all to breath quite heavily and prepared our legs for the next day. We also stopped off to look down on the Patallacta ruin, where Washington gave one of his informative, though very biased talks about the Inkas. We got to camp (3100m.a.s.l.) ahead of schedule and were treated to a delicious early dinner by our cook, served by the porters. After dinner we were introduced to the porters, which I was very happy about, as we´d seen them gliding past us, lugging between 15 and 20kilos on their backs but with relative ease, and anyway, after two nights in Cuzco in a Gringo hostel I was looking forward to meeting some locals and chatting with them. We even learnt to greet them in Quechua “Alyiyanchu” (phonetically written), which I made good use of and greeted all and sundry the following day!!! Haha!! But I certainly got a lot of happy smiles as a result – it appeared I was one of the few Gringos that actually bothered to try.
Day Two (Tuesday)
I didn´t sleep a wink – discomfort, cold and altitude all contributed, but I was raring to go and get the hard bit over with. We had a hearty breakfast served again by the porters. We left them behind in the camp while they cleared up. The ascent started immediately, but was bearable until we got to the steps; they were steep and went on and on. We could see the dreaded first pass ahead, Dead Woman´s Pass, and very much above us, so I took it easy, went it alone, chewing coca leaves to give energy, stopping and starting, etc. I owe a lot to the coca leaves – if I think how much more I would have struggled without them…. but I must take my hat off to the porters, carrying our tents, the huge dinner and cooking tents, the gas canisters to cook our food, the food, the drink, etc. Most of them had already passed us after an hour of climbing, and at such a speed that they appeared to be superhuman. With only coca leaves to help them they ascended without water, food or any of the energy snacks we equipped ourselves with. I was determined to greet each of them as they passed and they appreciated that. It felt great to finally arrive at Dead Woman´s Pass (at 4200m.a.s.l – a 1100m ascent) and especially when I found out that I was not the last, but in fact the 7th of our group of 16, and the 2nd girl! When finally we got to camp (3500m.a.s.l. – a steep descent of 800m in 30mins) at 1pm - 2 hours earlier than Washington had forecast - I managed to spend some time chatting to most of the porters talking about London and learning a lot about their villages, their work as porters. I was pleased to have confirmation that they were indeed treated well by their employers, or at least better than most. I chose this tour company for that reason alone. After a big lunch I tried to have a siesta, but again I couldn´t sleep. We then had tea and biscuits, followed by dinner and I went straight to bed. It was cold at this altitude and the temperature was going to drop to about minus 10 during the night. I took some herbal sleeping tablets and slept for 2 hours, awoke and could get back to sleep.
Day Three (Wednesday)
This day was quite tough too: mostly ascent and descent. We started at 6am and finished at 4pm, the longest day by far. We started by climbing 450m to the 2nd Pass, then descended 300m into the cloud forest and jungle for lunch at the 3rd Pass. We had passed 3 ruins on route, Runkuracay, Sayacmarca (particularly well preserved – see pics) and Concha Marka and we were starting to recognise typical Inka architecture styles and engineering elements from certain Inka periods. The vegetation was turning from very orangey-yellow and dry at altitude to lush, green as we descended into the jungle. At the 3rd Pass, where we had lunch, we got our first view of Machu Picchu Mountain, with the MP ruins hidden behind it. We were getting excited and continued on quickly stopping off at the ruins of Intipata (sun temple) and then descending 1000m in just 2hrs to our final camp of Wiñay Wayna (2700m.a.s.l.) where we had our first hot shower of the trek. Washington took us to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna which was definitely one of the most impressive sites so far: a huge amphitheatre-like agricultural terrace formation with a temple of the sun at the top with a string of fountains leading down one side of the terraces to the residential area at the bottom. The fully functioning aquaduct was certainly very impressive and the views from this ruin are spectacular. After a delicious last dinner and a rather frustrating struggle within the group to sort out tips for the porters and cook I went to bed and slept quite well, finally at a lower and warmer altitude.
Day Four (Thursday)
We awoke at 4.15 to be at the camp ticket office before 5am, so that hopefully we´d be first to arrive at Machu Picchu. Washington hyped us up and we were under the impression it would be a fight to hold first position. Well it was a little difficult, especially as about 3 people were intent on pushing past us dangerously with precipices to one side of us. So therefore we were hurrying along at a stupidly fast pace not wanting to let our group down, when we approached a 30min steep ascent of steps. Without stopping we threw ourselves into it and got to the top gasping for air and hardly able to appreciate that we had finally arrived at the Sun Gate and had our first view of Machu Picchu. I was sweating so much that I couldn´t see for a few moments for the sweat in my eyes! We took in the view quickly before heading down towards MP, which was still quite dark as the sun had not yet appeared above the mountains. We arrived at a good viewpoint for the sunrise and took pictures. When the sun appeared on MP the grey-white stone ruins and the lush green grass became vibrant and the whole site came to life. Awesome! Just two or three buildings had the thatching reconstructed, which enables you to imagine how the whole village might have looked with roofs, and how the village might have been full of life with colourfully-clad Inkas busily working. Unfortunately it wasn´t long before that image disappeared as over a thousand colourfully-clad and very loud tourists arrived at about 10.30 having taken the first train from Cuzco. But thankfully before that happened Washington spent 2 hours showing us the site, stopping at the most important architectural and religious ruins and giving us a fantastic and informative (but as usual biased) talk about them. (I have added details to my pictures to illustrate the architectural and cultural elements, for those interested.)
The group dispersed (end of the trek) and we said our goodbyes to Washington and each other. I spent happy hours wandering the ruins alone, I had a little nap on the grass until the masses left for the last train back to Cuzco then went up to the higher ground to see the sun disappear behind the mountains. I stayed overnight in Aguas Calientes (now known as Machu Picchu Village) - as the name suggests it has thermal baths and is very touristy.
Day Five (Friday)
At 6.30 am I was back at an eerily misty Machu Picchu, to climb Waynapicchu, the mountain opposite MP Mountain. It was 30 minutes of agony – steps far steeper than anything we had done on the Inka trail, but I got to the top and watched the sun rise over a cloudy MP. The cloud rose eventually (after 3hrs) and I got my clear picture and climbed down, legs wobbling terribly. I spent another 2hrs walking around my favourite parts then returned to Aguas Calientes to relax for an hour or two before taking the train back to beautiful Cuzco.
Here are the photos of the Inka Trail and MP. There are quite a few and most MP photos have notes and tags explaining them - enjoy.
DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 11,754KM
Day One (Monday)
After spending 2 days preparing for the trail and getting used to the altitude of Cuzco (3400m.a.s.l.) on Monday morning at 5.30am the adventure finally started. I was picked up from my hostel and our group was transported to Ollyantaytambo, an Inka village on route, where we had breakfast and where those of us that had not already arranged a personal porter bottled out of carrying our stuff and paid up, or at least for the 1400m ascent of the second day. We continued on to KM82 (distance by train from Cuzco) where the trek starts (2600m.a.s.l). The first day was pretty easy going with a few ascents that caused us all to breath quite heavily and prepared our legs for the next day. We also stopped off to look down on the Patallacta ruin, where Washington gave one of his informative, though very biased talks about the Inkas. We got to camp (3100m.a.s.l.) ahead of schedule and were treated to a delicious early dinner by our cook, served by the porters. After dinner we were introduced to the porters, which I was very happy about, as we´d seen them gliding past us, lugging between 15 and 20kilos on their backs but with relative ease, and anyway, after two nights in Cuzco in a Gringo hostel I was looking forward to meeting some locals and chatting with them. We even learnt to greet them in Quechua “Alyiyanchu” (phonetically written), which I made good use of and greeted all and sundry the following day!!! Haha!! But I certainly got a lot of happy smiles as a result – it appeared I was one of the few Gringos that actually bothered to try.
Day Two (Tuesday)
I didn´t sleep a wink – discomfort, cold and altitude all contributed, but I was raring to go and get the hard bit over with. We had a hearty breakfast served again by the porters. We left them behind in the camp while they cleared up. The ascent started immediately, but was bearable until we got to the steps; they were steep and went on and on. We could see the dreaded first pass ahead, Dead Woman´s Pass, and very much above us, so I took it easy, went it alone, chewing coca leaves to give energy, stopping and starting, etc. I owe a lot to the coca leaves – if I think how much more I would have struggled without them…. but I must take my hat off to the porters, carrying our tents, the huge dinner and cooking tents, the gas canisters to cook our food, the food, the drink, etc. Most of them had already passed us after an hour of climbing, and at such a speed that they appeared to be superhuman. With only coca leaves to help them they ascended without water, food or any of the energy snacks we equipped ourselves with. I was determined to greet each of them as they passed and they appreciated that. It felt great to finally arrive at Dead Woman´s Pass (at 4200m.a.s.l – a 1100m ascent) and especially when I found out that I was not the last, but in fact the 7th of our group of 16, and the 2nd girl! When finally we got to camp (3500m.a.s.l. – a steep descent of 800m in 30mins) at 1pm - 2 hours earlier than Washington had forecast - I managed to spend some time chatting to most of the porters talking about London and learning a lot about their villages, their work as porters. I was pleased to have confirmation that they were indeed treated well by their employers, or at least better than most. I chose this tour company for that reason alone. After a big lunch I tried to have a siesta, but again I couldn´t sleep. We then had tea and biscuits, followed by dinner and I went straight to bed. It was cold at this altitude and the temperature was going to drop to about minus 10 during the night. I took some herbal sleeping tablets and slept for 2 hours, awoke and could get back to sleep.
Day Three (Wednesday)
This day was quite tough too: mostly ascent and descent. We started at 6am and finished at 4pm, the longest day by far. We started by climbing 450m to the 2nd Pass, then descended 300m into the cloud forest and jungle for lunch at the 3rd Pass. We had passed 3 ruins on route, Runkuracay, Sayacmarca (particularly well preserved – see pics) and Concha Marka and we were starting to recognise typical Inka architecture styles and engineering elements from certain Inka periods. The vegetation was turning from very orangey-yellow and dry at altitude to lush, green as we descended into the jungle. At the 3rd Pass, where we had lunch, we got our first view of Machu Picchu Mountain, with the MP ruins hidden behind it. We were getting excited and continued on quickly stopping off at the ruins of Intipata (sun temple) and then descending 1000m in just 2hrs to our final camp of Wiñay Wayna (2700m.a.s.l.) where we had our first hot shower of the trek. Washington took us to the ruins of Wiñay Wayna which was definitely one of the most impressive sites so far: a huge amphitheatre-like agricultural terrace formation with a temple of the sun at the top with a string of fountains leading down one side of the terraces to the residential area at the bottom. The fully functioning aquaduct was certainly very impressive and the views from this ruin are spectacular. After a delicious last dinner and a rather frustrating struggle within the group to sort out tips for the porters and cook I went to bed and slept quite well, finally at a lower and warmer altitude.
Day Four (Thursday)
We awoke at 4.15 to be at the camp ticket office before 5am, so that hopefully we´d be first to arrive at Machu Picchu. Washington hyped us up and we were under the impression it would be a fight to hold first position. Well it was a little difficult, especially as about 3 people were intent on pushing past us dangerously with precipices to one side of us. So therefore we were hurrying along at a stupidly fast pace not wanting to let our group down, when we approached a 30min steep ascent of steps. Without stopping we threw ourselves into it and got to the top gasping for air and hardly able to appreciate that we had finally arrived at the Sun Gate and had our first view of Machu Picchu. I was sweating so much that I couldn´t see for a few moments for the sweat in my eyes! We took in the view quickly before heading down towards MP, which was still quite dark as the sun had not yet appeared above the mountains. We arrived at a good viewpoint for the sunrise and took pictures. When the sun appeared on MP the grey-white stone ruins and the lush green grass became vibrant and the whole site came to life. Awesome! Just two or three buildings had the thatching reconstructed, which enables you to imagine how the whole village might have looked with roofs, and how the village might have been full of life with colourfully-clad Inkas busily working. Unfortunately it wasn´t long before that image disappeared as over a thousand colourfully-clad and very loud tourists arrived at about 10.30 having taken the first train from Cuzco. But thankfully before that happened Washington spent 2 hours showing us the site, stopping at the most important architectural and religious ruins and giving us a fantastic and informative (but as usual biased) talk about them. (I have added details to my pictures to illustrate the architectural and cultural elements, for those interested.)
The group dispersed (end of the trek) and we said our goodbyes to Washington and each other. I spent happy hours wandering the ruins alone, I had a little nap on the grass until the masses left for the last train back to Cuzco then went up to the higher ground to see the sun disappear behind the mountains. I stayed overnight in Aguas Calientes (now known as Machu Picchu Village) - as the name suggests it has thermal baths and is very touristy.
Day Five (Friday)
At 6.30 am I was back at an eerily misty Machu Picchu, to climb Waynapicchu, the mountain opposite MP Mountain. It was 30 minutes of agony – steps far steeper than anything we had done on the Inka trail, but I got to the top and watched the sun rise over a cloudy MP. The cloud rose eventually (after 3hrs) and I got my clear picture and climbed down, legs wobbling terribly. I spent another 2hrs walking around my favourite parts then returned to Aguas Calientes to relax for an hour or two before taking the train back to beautiful Cuzco.
Here are the photos of the Inka Trail and MP. There are quite a few and most MP photos have notes and tags explaining them - enjoy.
DISTANCE TRAVELED SINCE USHUAIA: 11,754KM
posted by Louise Parmenter at 4:53 pm
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