Day 9 - Machu Picchu

Wow! Today was pure bliss. Like complete happiness! It is one thing to visit Machu Picchu, and something completely more meaningful to reach it after 4 hard, relentless, enduring, delightful, wonderful days! If you enjoy the outdoors and exercise, I highly recommend this hike!

Our day started at 3:30am with the knock on our tent. It rained most of last night but stopped by this time. It was a rush to beat the other 500 trekkers to the check in point, hardly a 5 minute walk away. We beat about 450 of them, just missed the benches, and sat in the dirt for the next 1 1/2 hours until the check point opened (it is the only way to keep people out of Machu Picchu while it is closed). As miserable as this might sound, it was not one bit! Then the gates opened, and the adrenaline started pumping. Knowing we were an hour away from the highlight of our trip - we would have run there had there not been 50 people ahead of us slowing us down!

Gasping for breath, we reached the rewarding Sun Gate after 50 minutes. It is the entrance to Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail but it is quite high up and still 30 minutes away from the sanctuary.

At the guard house we stopped to take the classic Machu Picchu picture (more like 20+ pictures). It is a view you will never forget.

Then we actually had to leave - the exit/entrance wasn't far - to have our 2nd breakfast, use a REAL toilet (oh - the joy of sitting down to pee!), and get our entrance ticket stamped so we could officially go inside.

Next our guide gave us a 2-hour tour of the site. Greg and I got a kick out of seeing THE tree in Machu Picchu (the tree in every photo) because we told Kate we would sit under it... We didn't know the entire field is roped off - off limits.

Sunday is free local day, and we noticed some in their traditional dress. I assumed they were the usual dress-up people who are looking for a quick tourist buck, but these were the real thing. They were the the shawmen/women from their town, who had travelled far to come to this sacred place. They made for some nice photos.

At 10am Greg and I had a date with Huayna Picchu mountain - to climb to the top of it. It is the tall mountain you always see in every picture of Machu Picchu; the Inca used it for special sacred ceremonies. Only 400 people are allowed to climb it a day, so you need to reserve your time in advance. The trail is exceptionally steep, and at times the stairs are like climbing a ladder. At the top, we hung our feet over the edge, popped the cork on the bottle of Gatorade I'd been carrying since early the second day, and took in the beauty of the sanctuary of Machu Picchu. I can't believe we are actually here!

Just as we got down off Huayna Picchu mountain, and found our way through the maze of ruins to the bus down to Aguas Calientes, it started to rain. In town we met back up with the rest of our group at the bar "Machu Pisco". There we found out that a couple of our trek mates got engaged at Machu Picchu!

The train ride back on Peru Rail was like riding through a greenhouse. The flora was green, lush and more what I was expecting from a jungle. SAS graciously upgraded our tickets to the fancy vista dome train, including meal service; not the Orient Express but it was quite the luxury after 4 days on the trail!

In Cusco we had to say goodbye to our new friends. When we met on the 1st day, and took our "family" photo at the start of the trail, I disliked the loose use of the word family. These strangers are not my family. I also secretly wished I was with a group of Americans rather than foreigners from Israel, Belgium, and the UK. So quite to my surprise, we very much enjoyed our time with these nice couples, and the fact that they were not Americans only enrichened our experience!

Tonight, in Cusco, as a treat we are staying in a nice room that opens onto the Plaza de Armas. We are exhausted!

Day 8 - The Unforgetable Inca Trail

The third morning started with rain - and happy 60th (!) birthday wishes to one of our porters. Greg isn't sleeping well - in a tent on a thin sleeping mat. He is thinking of stealing my mat from me. I'm getting some of the best sleep I have had in weeks. Greg said, "I know, you were snoring along with the porters!". They sleep all together in the dining tent next to us.

The rain stopped by the time we got started - early even though we didn't have far to go, and were done hiking for the day by lunch. It was something like 2 hours to the summit, and then 2 hours down to camp. We were in fog for more than 1/2 the morning.

The summit was nothing special since we could only see fog. It was quite drab, barren surroundings. I had to use the bano which was the worst yet - so bad everyone took a look and instead went to find a bush. It was a hole in the ground with no water to wash away the feces that missed the hole. So, as it turns out, this was our camping spot for the night!! And quite possibly the worst thing about this place is that it is over 4 hours from Machu Picchu, which means on the next morning, we would have to leave at 2am! But our guide didn't tell me any if this until we left it behind us, and instead went to commandeer space at camp Winay Wayna. If you ever make this trek, make sure you are staying at Winay Wayna on your 3rd night!! It was my only criteria when booking the trek, but obviously SAS messed up somewhere. Apparently while they were waiting to get more than 9 people on our trek, they lost the gamble and the camp filled up. There are several camps along the trek - not just one place for each night. It is the job of the trekking company to book the camps.

Today was labeled "unforgettable". It was! Not in the way I imagined though, but gorgeous all the same. I pictured something more exotic in the jungle. But with the fog and steep 2,000+ steps down (all original Inca trail), there wasn't much to look at; you had to focus very carefully on each step. Even though there was no challenge to the lungs today, you really needed to take it slow because of sore legs and feet but especially so you stop often to enjoy the beauty. I was always looking in every direction. In fact at one of the ruins, something caused me to look far to the side of me, and I spotted a few llama that we all stopped to watch and photo for a bit. The back drop of the photos was Machu Picchu mountain. We can see it now, and even people walking along the top of it, but the actual ruins are still out if view - our reward for tomorrow.

After lunch it was time to shower - another adventure. Free cold water for anyone daring enough! That would be me, and not Greg; he still stinks. The very cold water pours out an open spout like a hose (no shower head). At least it is warm today ~ 75 degrees. And I am clean!

There was supposed to be beer waiting at this camp - they had a bar and a store - but the government shut it down this year. Instead our cook "cooked" us a cake for happy hour; it is amazing what he can create in his camping kitchen!

The view out our tent is of the mountains and valley below. It is absolutely beautiful. The view to our left is Machu Picchu mountain. I could get used to this!

Day 7 - Dead Woman's Peak

We have to find a shirt that says "I survived Dead Woman's Peak"! It is the hardest and highest (13,776 ft) part of the trail. We left camp this morning at 6:30 and hiked straight up stair rocks for 3 hours. It is like walking Yosemite's Mist trail but for a really really long time and at a much much higher altitude. We celebrated our accomplishment at the top with tea and cheese sandwiches. Along the way there were more llama, and spectacular views of several mountains and valleys.

The rest of the day was long with steep downhills and even some more uphill. We reached our 2nd and last high summit ~3pm. After that we hiked through a foggy cloud forest - no views past 20 feet.

Greg was being esp. careful today because he accidentally got dehydrated yesterday, which really takes a toll on your body at this altitude. Last night he had tingling fingers and was uncontrollably shivering. I was ready to turn back but he woke up feeling great and ready to go! He had feared the downhills would be brutal on his knees but he didn't feel them at all.

We arrived at camp at 5:30 pm. No locals here selling Cusquino, and earlier Greg paid $5 for his Gatorade which would cost $1.50 in Cusco. We are definitely off the beaten path here! Even though it was a long, hard day, I really enjoyed it.

No pictures (from the phone) today.

Day 6 - Inca Trail Day 1

The first part of the day was not exciting. First, it started too early and involved a long bus ride. We left Cusco at 5:30 am. We had several hours to drive to the start of the trail, called Kilometer 82. We stopped for breakfast (eggs) and supplies right outside Ollantaytambo. Then we had another ~45 minute ride on a dirt road. When we got to the starting point, they weighed our bags that the porters carry. Unfortunately their scale was calibrated higher than the hotel scales so everyone had to take 2kg out and carry it themselves.

The Inca Trail starts out dry with cactus along the Urubumba River. It was fairly easy but they took us slow and had us break often. Locals sell chicha (homemade corn beer) along the way so we had a sip. Probably an acquired taste! Mostly tasted like fermentation. We bought Gatorade instead.

We had to reserve our spot for the hike over 5 months in advance. Only 500 people are allowed to start the trail each day - but at least half of that amount are necessary porters, guides and cooks.

The porters have only one speed - they are always running. They run passed us with ~80 pounds on their backs (stools, propane tanks, tents, etc - topped off with dozens of eggs). They run because they are in a hurry to get to the next stop and set up all the equipment.

By the time we arrived at the lunch location, the porters had set up a cooking tent, a dining tent (table with tablecloth, chairs, etc) and a full-on hearty lunch was ready and waiting. They put 6 different dishes in front of us, including soup. After lunch Greg and I found an open field and took a siesta.

The next part of the trail got better - we had turned into a different valley, and this one was greener. They let us go at our own pace so we weren't on each others heels. Instead of having us stop at the normal overnight campground, they had us get a start on tomorrow's "challenge". We hiked for 90 minutes straight up. At one point 3 llama came charging down the trail towards me. It definitely deserved a "holy shit" outloud! They stopped abruptly when they saw me - they are gentle animals. It was pretty cool.

When we got to the stopping place for the day, the porters had our tents set up and waiting. A local lady trekked up to us with a pack of drinks on her back. She was selling Cusquino beer - which, even warm, tasted very good. We watched the sun go down over the valley and mountains.

Next they served us tea, cookies and popcorn. And a bit later came a delicious dinner. The food is all very good!

The camp does have a bathroom -- lovely holes in the ground. I think it is going to take me a while to master that technique!

Even though it isn't 8pm yet, everyone goes to bed after dinner. It is supposed to get below freezing tonight.

You can definitely feel the altitude up here. The tradition to help with the altitude is to suck on a wad of coco leaves - kind of like chewing tobacco. I'm thinking that is what got me up that hill so easily!