It all started with a meeting with our tour leader, Patricia in the lobby of our hostel. She is from Cusco which was good and apparently isn't always the case. Sometimes the tour leaders come from Lima. That day we did a tour of Cusco, the highlights being San Pedro market and the Coca Museum. Then we had the afternoon to ourselves before meeting our trek guide Tomas, and assistants Maruca and Elvis. Tomas gave us an outline of the trail and some tips like not to pack too much and things like that. First impressions - he used the phrase "now friends" a lot! We learnt later that this was the norm for him when delivering instructions or a lesson (on the Incas), but not when chatting casually. Perhaps surprisingly, it didn't get annoying :-)
Day 2 - we left the hostel with our (less than 6kg) duffel bags and headed up to the Cristo Blanco for a great view of Cusco and the valley. I paid 1 sol for a picture with a llama and two kids :-) I think they immediately went to buy some sweets with the money, oh well.
We spent the rest of the morning sorting different varieties of fava beans and planting them in a field where there was already corn or maize or something like that. Apparently when the beans sprout is when they harvest the maize. I think, can't quite remember.Then on to Amaru, a community above Pisac in the Sacred Valley, with a couple of stops for more pics and supplies. At Amaru, we met women from the community all dressed in their traditional clothing. They then proceeded to dress us up in the clothing in preparation for helping them in the fields. This is all part of the "responsible tourism" banner that Intrepid works under, but didn't actually feel too contrived. Anyway, ponchos for the guys and skirts, hats and capes or shawls (for want of a better word!) for the girls.
Anyway, we did quite a good job! Finished the whole field. Apparently when Patricia normally brings a group to do something like this they usually only get about a third of the field done. It was also really cool that everyone pitched in and helped with no hesitation. A good sign for the time to come.
After that we went back and had lunch. First course was potatoes with a sauce which tasted a bit peanutty but was apparently corn and spices (I think). Really good anyway. No plates or cutlery yet - Patricia peeled the potatoes with her fingers and ate them like that, so we followed suit.
Next course was soup - a clear broth with potatoes and dehydrated potatoes in it. Apparently they leave the dehydrated potatoes in the ground until the frost turns them black, and then they can keep them for a long time. They were okay in the soup but some folk didn't like them. You might be getting the idea that they like potatoes here!
The main course was a corn fritter, rice and vegetables and a guinea pig to share among us. Getting full by this stage! The guinea pig was ok but I don't think I got a real good bit. Not that bothered though, it tasted a bit like goat, nothing special.
Then a chance to see the weaving that the women do in this community and to buy some of their wares. We both got bracelets and I also got a bag, which I have been using ever since! Well, not on the Inca Trail itself.
We said our goodbyes and headed to Pisac for a look at the markets. It was really windy and we were a bit nervous walking amongst the wooden poles holding up the stalls. I would have liked to miss this step and go straight to Ollantaytambo but some of the others got some nice things. We are trying not to accumulate too much since we have a bit of travelling to do!
So by the time we got to Ollantaytambo town it was starting to get dark so we didn't have time to go and explore the big Inca ruin there. Photo from a distance though! We had a short tour of the town with Patricia including going to a house where the person had lots of guinea pigs! Then a bit of a wander on our own before having some drinks with some others from the group and then meeting everyone else for dinner. We were really lucky with our group. Everyone was really nice and got on really well. All relatively similar speeds on the walk too.
Day 3 and the first day of the Inca Trail! We got back in the minibus to go to km 82, where most people start the trek from. A bit of time getting snacks, then photos, and then going through the check point and we were on our way. For the first wee bit we could still hear and see the train in the valley heading to Machu Picchu town but soon we climbed away from the river.
Notable things - the only rain of the whole trek happened just before lunch, we saw two condors twice (assume they were the same pair), and our campsite for the night had an amazing view of snow capped mountains. Apparently it is unusual to see condors here and we could tell from the excitement of our guides that it was something special.
Day 2 of the trek, this was the big day where we expected to be walking for eight and half hours. Throughout the trip, when we stopped for breaks Tommy would give us an estimate of how long the next section would take until we had a break again or until lunch or the end of the day. On day 2, the first two sections, up to Dead Woman's Pass, we're supposed to take 2 hours each but we did them in an hour and a half each, some in the group much quicker. The climb up to Dead Woman's Pass was steep and hard going because of the altitude, but it wasn't actually as hard as I had expected. Bonus! The rest of the day was down 1 1/4 hours to lunch, up to the second pass, down to a very impressive Inca site, then up a wee bit to another beautiful camping spot.
Day 3 was relatively short again and Tommy said because we were making quite good time as a group we could go to a waterfall near the final campsite and have a 'shower' if we wanted. There were also cold showers at this last campsite but a waterfall sounded much more exciting to most of us! The day started walking through the cloud forest with mossy trees and orchids. We also went through a couple of tunnels and over the third pass. The highlights of the day were towards the end though - the terraces of Intipata with an amazing view up the Urubamba River valley, and the Inca agricultural settlement of Wiñay Wayna. You'll have to look at the pics to see why!
Day 4 started VERY early. I think we got up at 3:30... I seem to have blocked it from my mind! Two reasons. One was that the porters had to get a train from Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu town, at 5:30am. Apparently if they miss that one the next one isn't until 4:30pm. So we started queuing for the last check point at 4:30am. Second reason - it opens at 5:30 and apparently some people race to be the first at the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu. We were a few groups back and although we walked quite quickly, we still got passed by a few people. The worst this was the path was narrow and they didn't say 'excuse me' or 'con permiso' or anything, just pushed past you. Pretty sure Machu Picchu isn't going anywhere any time soon...
Anyway, when we got to the Sun Gate we could see Machu Picchu but it was a bit hazy. Although apparently it is quite often covered in cloud in the morning so we were quite lucky. I have to say though, after the amazing time we had the previous days, with great views, and Inca sites all to ourselves, Machu Picchu wasn't the highlight I expected. It is wonderful but it is so crowded and busy by the time you get there that it takes away from it somehow. Also we were tired and had sore feet! Definitely still fantastic as part of the overall experience though.
The final thing to was get back to Cusco, via train and minibus. We got back just before 9 and then had to go and get some dinner. SO TIRED. And then the shower in our room wouldn't work so we ended up using a shower in another room but didn't get to bed until about 11. So all in all about a 19 hour day!
Worth it though.
More pictures
here
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