There wasn't much more time to spare as the bus was packed and the Inca Trail waited. For the 10 people on the tour, we had 15 porters to carry our tents, mats, chairs, tables, food, cooking equipment and peronsal packs for everyone. Before the inca trail was regulated, the porters would carry 50kgs on their backs (about their own bodyweight). Now they are only allowed to carry 25kgs which is still very heavy to be climbing mountains.
At km82 (the start of this Inca Trail and the distance back to Cusco), the bus dropped us to meet our second guide, Santiago (I wondered if this would be reprentative of my previous experience in Chile but he turned out to be a fantastic help and eventually a friend). The Inca trail is now so popular that they have passports checks at the beginning and only allow 500 people/day (including porters and guides). In the words of Bruce, "I feel special...".
Feeling energetic and keen to get started, we set off for the 42km trek. Bringing into perspective is the fact that we are only completing a small section of the entire Inca highways which linked the empire from Quito in Ecuador to Santiago in Chile. We pass many ruins as we hike along the river. The first ruin, Llactapata was burnt to the ground by the last Inca emperor to discourage Spanish persuit down the trail and into Machu Picchu.
We are welcomed to lunch with applause from the porters who have trekked ahead to setup tents, tables, chairs and prepared a meal. The food is amazing, especially considering the conditions and facilities.
After a few more hours walking, Craig and I arrive at the first campsite and wait for the group. Everyone is glad to finish the first day. The view is spectacular and a photo will not do it any justice. Of course, we had to celebrate with a quite beer... but not too many as tomorrow was the most difficult leg. So with a feed and a few games of arsehole, we hit the sack.
We start the 2nd day in a group which is rather slow going. Patricia gave Craig and I directions to go at our own pace. The rain fell so I covered up with my garbage bag aka poncho. Every 50m, I have to stop and catch my breath - the altitude and steep terrain take their toll. But the good news is that my recovery is fast. We reach the highest point of our trek, Warmiwanusca or Dead Woman's Pass at 4198m. Craig was waiting at the top and we take a well deserved 15 minute break to admire the foggy but impressive view.
The trail down is wet and extremely slippery, especially for me being the only person trekking in sneakers. It's lucky we have walking sticks so I can take some weight off my decent. Even still, I very nearly went AoT 3 times which must have been funny for anyone watching my arms wave around trying to regain balance.
For the section which was supposed to take 7 hours, Craig and I completed in 3 and a half hours. The porters had only just arrived at the lunch camp and began preperations for the group. The rain got heavier as we waited in shelter for the rest of the group to arrive. 2 and a half hours later, the last of our group showed looking a bit crook. Claire had suffered a bad case of altitude sickness and lost vision near Dead Woman's Pass. The guides managed to help her through with some techniques but the oxygen for most severve cases was reserved if she didn't improve.
The afternoon trek was a bit easier, however, we still finished in the dark. Ingrid and Ann went straight to bed and the rest of us weren't far behind.
In the morning, we woke to magnificent views of the Inca valley that we couldn't see the night before. It had now been a few days since nature called, so I had no choice but to use the longdrop. As you can probably imagine, the toilets aren't very well maintained with no running water. It stunk to hell and was overflowing with stale water, urine and badly aimed battleships. Aneurin had other ideas as Craig told me later - he thought the wash basin on the outside of the toilets was the men's urinal.
The 3rd day is the easiest. Seemingly too easy for some as Craig convinced a porter to swap bags as they passed us in the morning (the porters have to stay behind to dismantle the camp and arrive before us at the next camp to setup). They are big bags and Craig hadn't done any training. He managed to keep up with their pace and met us at the first stop where we took a snap of all the porters. Craig later admitted he struggled with the last part. I was considering doing the same but Craig always seemed to be a step ahead of me on the trail and my aerobic fitness had certainly dropped in the last few weeks. Besides, we were still somewhere between 3000-4000m above sea level which does have an effect on my mild asthma.
The afternoon trek continues through some more breath-taking views and ruins. We finish the day at a slightly more civilised campground with electicity... finally we can take a warm shower. Craig and I sink a few beers while admiring some of the best views in the world and discuss what has been an unfortgettable experience of a lifetime. At our last dinner cooked by the support group, we are given a chance to show our appreciation with a speach from Chris in broken Spanish. We tip the porters & cook and offer them a beer aswell - they have certainly earnt it. I'm still amazed with their strength and fitness but they shrug off the compliments by saying that it is normal and they have grown up with the lifestyle. The porters sing a traditonal Peruvian song which we return with a bad rendition of Australia's unnofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda. The Norweigen family sing their traditional tune and we're all one big happy family on the last night.
Just before heading to bed, Aneurin and I went to the toilet. Aneurin gets ready to use the wash basin again but stops to check with me. Knowing Craig's story, I was in histerics laughing. Craig comes over to see what the fuss is about and soon the whole tour is in stitches. The rest of the campground would not have been happy with our group as they tried to sleep and we couldn't stop laughing.
Once again, I'm feeling the early starts as we pack and eat. The 4th day is the last of the trek and the most rewarding. It's so early that we are walking in the dark. It's a good job that I have my keychain light as I'm too excited to wait for the group. I'm the first to arrive at the Sungate (Intipunku) which in theory you should be able to see Machu Picchu. There is cloud and mist covering, making Machu Picchu that much more mysterious. The cloud disappears for a few minutes and we are treated to our first glimpse. After a few snaps (will have to show you the prints), we walk down the trail and into one of the 7 wonders of the world (currently taking votes online).
Throughout all my travels, I've taken my pillow and sleeping bag in case I had to camp without a traditional bed. Everyone seeing me carry my pillow through airports, trains and buses think I'm a bit crazy. Well, it was just the same at Machu Picchu - they wouldn't let me in with the pillow strapped to the back of my daypack. This caused great amused to our tour group as they have given me banter during the entire journey.
Patricia gives us some info on the ancient city as we admire the precision of the Inca's. Halfway through, a random girl approaches me to ask if I can be in her photo. I couldn't refuse which provided more amusement to the group watching. Chris managed to get a photo of me with the random girls.
Towards the end of the tour, Craig and I broke away from the group to climb Winaypicchu which is the mountain adjacent to Machu Picchu. It proved to be the most difficult climb of the tour which is why the rest of the group decided against the extra trek. But with risks come rewards, it was definitely the best view of Machu Picchu. In fact, I've been told that most of the professional photos you see of Machu Picchu are taken from Winaypicchu. The decent was even more difficult as we finished covered in sweat.
At lunch, we came across a photo that someone took at the start of the trek. I didn't even notice the photo being taken on day 1 of the trek and I don't know why they kept it for 4 days (2000 people have done the trail since) but I had to get it. We left Machu Picchu behind in a much easier way... train and bus.
Return rating: 9
Return rating: 9
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