|
|
|
Tel: 020 8220 6919 Mobile: 07941 246619 Skype:heatherwaring
|
The Inca Trail - the dream comes true.
For years I had seen that iconic image of Machu Picchu, I'd read about the trek and harboured a dream to go and do it. Then a couple of years ago, my poor husband, who'd had to listen to me going on about it, said, "stop talking about it and just do it". I did. The Inca Trail itself has to be taken accompanied by a guide so you can go with a company who provides an entire service right from the start or you can sort a guide out for the trail alone, but whichever option you take, plan ahead as there are only a certain number of people allowed on the trail each day and that Includes porters etc. Both options are fine, it really depends on you and what you want from the experience. If you take the second option, you are likely to have to carry all your own gear - tents and sleeping bags included and food as this is not available on route. I have to admit to having passed that stage of roughing it so I was looking for the complete deal. I cannot stress how important it is to do your research, to shop around, ask others who have been and then to make your own decision. Elaine, my partner in crime on this trip, and I narrowed it down to two companies, both of which we were happy with, and at the end of the day it was being able to both do the date available that cracked it, so we opted for Exodus. As long as there were 4 people they could run the trek (the maximum number was 16). At that point, I believe I wrote about the future trip in this newsletter and
also emailed the East End Girls to say I was doing it and threw in an invitation
to anyone wanting to join us. Soon I had three East End Girls coming too. Along
with a contact met at a networking do, who had just completed Table Mountain,
our group numbered 6. We flew, via Amsterdam, to Lima and there, at the airport, met up with the other 4 people who were part of our group. At this stage of course we were all very polite and subtly sizing each other up but my gut feeling sensed that all would be well and it was. We had one night in Lima, during which time we tried out the local drink - Pisco Sour and sampled some local cuisine before succumbing to tiredness and an early night. Although I was still excited, this brief stop over felt a little unreal and it was great when the proper adventure started next morning. Back at the airport to fly to Cusco, we discovered the true worth of tour guides. They knew the best seats in the plane so we all enjoyed spectacular views of the Andes on our short flight. We all knew about altitude and Cusco is actually higher than Machu Picchu but even I was surprised to feel the effects as soon as I stepped off the plane. It was rather like having a hangover without the headache. I was reminded of the altitude all day, as after lunch we were taken for an exploratory walk around the city. This was billed as a sight seeing tour but also gave our guide a chance to see how we functioned at altitude. I was glad I wasn 't the only one whose heart seemed to want to break out of my chest wall as we climbed the steep streets. 'Slowly, slowly' is how to do it and we were happy to take this advice on many occasions in the next few days. Cusco is the old Inca Capital and has some stunning buildings. It is also situated in a basin so we had wonderful views of it in the next few days and had time before and after the trek to sightsee. It is also the place to pick up things you might have forgotten and to hire walking poles and other camping equipment.
Main Square Cusco from above By dinner that first evening, the group had gelled well. We were sampling each others dishes which included Llama, sharing tips and news but staying well clear of the alcohol - a clear body and head were needed at all times and I think we all felt a little unsure about what was to come. Because of the altitude, getting acclimatised is what these first two days were all about and believe me it all makes sense. We spent day two visiting a number of different sites, all of which were situated above the city and also walked between a few. A chance to see how we coped and to try out walking poles. Now I had steered clear of these for years imagining that they would be more trouble than enough but I have to say that after Peru, I am a convert and I was one of the three who went off that evening to hire poles for the length of the trek. They were fantastic. Early the next morning we were off and it was really a relief to get going. I hadn't been able to sleep for a few nights and this had made me anxious, so much so that I burst into tears that morning and on talking to the others, there were churning stomachs etc to contend with. I think that for all of us, we were hoping that we wouldn't let the rest of the group down.
The journey was spectacular and one of my favourite memories is this photo taken at a viewpoint about 6.00a.m. It was breathtaking and had a truly magical quality.
Here in this busy little town, our guide's mum lived and she came to say 'hi'. It's also where lots of the buses stop so it bustles with local people selling their wares of colourful knitwear, hats, walking poles, cocoa tea etc. A few hours from here and we had arrived at the beginning of the trek. The moment had come and there was very little chance of any return from here. Rather than being scary though, we were well up for it and having picked up all our gear and met up with our porters, we spent the next while putting on the sunscreen, sorting out the back packs, finding cameras etc before following the crowds to the entrance. It amazed me just how many people there were around and you sort of get carried along. Here we are at the start - km 82
Our dear guide took so many of this photo with everyone's camera and had to go through the same process at a number of places throughout the trek. Just after leaving this point, we walked on to the actual entrance into the park where we had to show our passports and where we were all delighted to get a passport stamp showing an image of Machu Picchu and the date you start the trek. This is something I am very proud of.
Day one is meant to be an easy walk in. It starts off flat by the river and is very busy at the beginning which many people jostling to get to the front and porters rushing past with their huge packs. They carry all our luggage, the food, cooking equipment, tents, chairs and tables etc. While some head off to set up camp, others are heading to the lunch place to get the meal started. In all our time on the trek, the food was amazing. Never once did we have the same meal. Breakfasts were terrific. We were all given snacks every morning to keep us going and lunch was a veritable feast - usually with soup and then rolls and fruit. When we stopped walking at the end of the day, we all came together for tea, coffee or hot chocolate and then about 2 hours later we had a three course dinner. We even had wine on the last night. As we walked on day one, it soon became clear that our trail would not remain flat and we started to climb. For the rest of the day we had bits of both and at all times there was something spectacular to see.
I realised as we arrived at camp and I saw the set up, that one of the things that had been making me anxious was the loo situation. I had read lots of things about horrible loos and as I hadn't been sleeping, I had this vision in my head of having to find the loo in the middle of the night in this large camp site and worst still, not being able to find my way back. The reality was very different. In all campsites there were separate areas where all our tents were together including our dining tent and we had two loos just for us so if I did meet anyone, it was people I already knew. Research shows that the whole toilet issue is one which stops many women doing any long term walking at all and it is one question that I think you should ask. Anything to put your mind at rest. Day two dawned and with it the knowledge that this was the hardest day. Well, good to get it over with early on. Today was the day we would get to the highest point and cross Dead Woman's Pass - rather daunting if you're a woman. At snack break this morning we had another group shot.....
....the highest point that you can see behind us is the height that we are going to reach today. Shell shocked? No, amazingly laid back, perhaps it's all the cocoa tea and lack of choice. We just headed on. Today, we saw some wonderful flowers , had our own loo set up just for us at all stops (poor guy that's responsible for setting this up and taking it down again), walked through a field of Llamas and Alpachas and had lunch in a stunning setting.
Hanging over us all was the altitude we would reach and would we all be OK. I have to say our group were extremely supportive and helpful, unlike that of one Australian lady we met, whose group had walked on leaving her to make her own way as she was not going fast enough in their mind. We adopted her for a while and hoped she would manage to meet up with them all again. While relaxing after another wonderful lunch, we could see what looked like ants on the steep hillside above the lunch site, yes, the porters already fully loaded, were moving along quickly up the very path that we would follow on our way to the top. It looked so steep and climbed endlessly but we had to do it so.... It took a while and we had fallen into our usual pattern of two and sometimes three groups. Gemma, Alan, Elaine and Helen were usually at the front, then if there were three groups, Anthony and David would be in the middle and at the back the two Chris', Teresa and me. There was a guide at either end. We were all relaxed, there was no pressure and in this way we could all walk at our own pace. I like being at the back, it's much easier to take time to stop and take photos and I am very comfortable with my pace and style on treks like this. I like to be able to stop fairly frequently to catch my breath and the views and then move on again. The front group were about 40 minutes ahead of us at the back but when we all came together they had been enjoying the views which were spectacular. Here we all are at the top of Dead Woman's Pass
We did ponder whether we females should be more concerned but it's so named because the pass looks like a dead woman lying there. Once we were on our way down the other side I could see the outline but some of the party failed to see it at all.
The walking poles came into their element today especially on the long trek down to camp. Here are 4 of the group making their way towards a cup of tea at tonight's camp site. It was mainly steps on the way down, and as you can see all different widths and depths and very uneven so having two other stabilising points was very helpful. I know that my knees would have suffered much more without poles, as it was they didn't hurt at all. Our camp site was nestled in the undergrowth just off the main path and I had the most stunning view from mine. It made getting up at 6.00 almost bearable. Yes, it's not a 'long lie' kind of holiday. You make the most of the light so are on the go early and in bed, most nights by 9.00 glad to close your eyes and recharge.
This morning we also quite quickly reached Runcu Raccay. As you can see this is a circular structure with a rectangular outbuilding. This is thought to have been a guard post or, due to it's shape a religious building.
There are a couple of tunnels in the rocks on day three and here we are just before entering the 'Inca Tunnel'.
This was 16 m long and exploits a fault in an otherwise sheer cliff face. After this there is another climb. Although steep and dark, we knew that the worst day had already been passed and even it was quite easily managed. I would say we were all quite confident at this point.
This was our campsite on the last night and from here we could look down the valley towards Aguas Calientes the end point of the walk. Machu Picchu was out there too and as darkness fell we all climbed up to the highest point to view the lights in the valley and the stars. The plan was to get up even earlier the following morning to watch the sunrise. However, although we were all awake the weather was not in our favour and it was misty.
There was a real sense of ending on the morning of day four especially as we were saying goodbye to nearly all of the porters who had made the journey and the trek so much easier for us.
They all dressed in their ponchos and hats and posed for photos as Teresa, the only Spanish speaker in the group presented them with their tips and thanked them for all their help. It was really rather emotional and although we had been unable to communicate much verbally we had formed a special bond and it was clear they they too had a great team spirit and were very proud of the service they provided. We had treking to do though so no time to stand around....Soon we were off, water bottles filled, snacks provided, cameras ready etc. There was a real air of excitement and anticipation - well this was the day we finally got there. I recall the final day being fairly easy or perhaps that was just my mind set. I was being carried along on anticipation and elation!
This orchid is also called Winya Wayna - forever young and the above site takes it's name from the orchid which grows in this area. On close inspection you can see what looks like a face with an open mouth in the flower itself. To me, it doesn't look that happy. What a shame in such a beautiful place. Our guide was fantastic, not only was she knowledgeable on trekking the trail itself but she knew about the wildlife, the flora and fauna and the history too and most evenings before dinner she would talk to us about what we'd seen on the trail that day as well as when we were going to see the following day. There was so much information that sometimes it was really hard to take it all in. When we stopped for lunch on the final day, we were directed inside where an area had been set out by our cooks for lunch. There was the usual lovely lunch but we all found it really strange to be eating inside a building. There were also other people around and a small shop where you could by things. It felt too much too soon - I think we'd all got so used to being in the open and having so much space that it felt quite claustraphobic and very strange. We did know that we were due to reach Machu Picchu in late afternoon and that we would have a little time to look around but no-one knew quite when we'd get there. I recall having a snack break at one point in the afternoon and everyone asking (like small children do) are we nearly there yet? Neri, our guide was great. She didn't actually lie, she was very vague but at the same time led us to believe that it might be a while yet. I was leading the back group and about 15 minutes after leaving the snack spot, we came to a very steep set of steps. I headed off and then stopped to catch my breath and let everyone do so too. A couple appeared behind us all and I offered to let them 'run' on past us but they declined, happy too for the excuse to stop. 'OK, I'm heading for the top' I shouted down and climbed again and then I was there and looking ahead of my I suddenly realised that I was looking at that iconic image but this time it was not in a book or on TV, it was here.
No-one could have prepared me for this and I was so grateful to Neri for not telling us exactly where we were. She of course knew the importance of seeming to stumble onto it. It was fabulous, a real pinch yourself moment. It all happened so quickly and as the rest of the girls joined me on this top step, they too were experiencing the same thing. We walked down to join the others and to sit in silence and take it all in. And as we looked the sun , which had been behind the clouds, came out and lit up Machu Picchu, just as if someone had switched on the light. You can see how green the grass is in this photo. The whole group at the Sun Gate looking down on Machu Picchu
From here, we now had to walk on down to the site itself another 45 minutes further on but of course for much of the time you can see it and this is such a small bit of walking we virtually skipped there. This is a lovely time to arrive as the bus loads of tourists have gone and the only people around are some trekkers and a few people staying at the hotel just outside the main gate. It also means your photos have more chance of capturing a site free of people.
We made it!!
After this another couple of highlights - a bus ride down to Aguas Calientes and some time in the hot springs! After 4 days on the trail with no showers, sitting in hot pools sipping Pisco Sours and Beers was wonderful. Next day we had a complete day in Machu Picchu to learn about this amazing place. Below are a couple of sites that you might to look at to get some insight. http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/machupicchu/ruins.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu |
|
|
Further
along when we stopped at Ollantaytambo, this is the image of Teresa that makes me
smile. Not only a much needed cup of coffee but a great hand warmer because
it was still rather chilly. 
Day
three and more beautiful flowers especially orchids. Never did I realise how
many there were. Also fabulous lichen.
In
all we had been looked after by 14 porters, two cooks and two guides and there
were only 10 of us. 
We did see more orchids, we walked through some pretty dense rainforest, made
easier by the very clear and carefully built path we were walking on and there
were a number of other Inca sites to visit, the most stunning being Huinay
Huayna or Winya Wayna meaning 'forever young'. We reached here just before lunch
and this site is a great example of where the Incas have terraced the whole side
of a mountain. This site was used to grow food but the fact that this site also
has more buildings, higher quality stonework and a sequence of 10 baths suggests
a religious centre. When you stand and look at these places you wonder at
just how these people build these small towns in such out of the way places. How
did they get all the stones there etc? 
This
photo shows the Sun Gate itself, the spot from which you get your first glimpse
of the reason you are on the trek.