Inca Trail

After months of waiting and wondering the Peruvian government kept their promise and re-opened Macchu Picchu and the Inca Trail on 1st April- a special birthday present for me! The grande finale to our trip had arrived after years of planning and months of travelling to get here. It had been nearly taken away again with Blakey´s freak illness but the shot to the spine saw his lips shrink to as normal as they ever do and us board a pleasant night bus for the long and overdue ride to Cusco. As ever we slept intermittently and were not quite prepared when we crawled off at 6am and a taxi took us to the hotel to meet our group. We had one hour to prepare our bags, grab some breakfast and hop straight on a bus for the Sacred Valley along with 14 other eager trekkers. As the mini bus whisked us through the hills we snoozed in an attempt to catch up on sleep- it seemed like ages since our last undisturbed night- and we were never quite ready when the time came to go and view some ruins.

We had read in Bolivia that travellers coming from Peru might be disappointed- so going the other way we were certainly impressed. The huge stands of terracing supported by the large carved stones were incredible. I felt guilty as I struggled to keep my eyes open to listen to our guide´s incredibly informative (though rather long) explanations of the civilisations that constructed these feats of farming. One particulalry impressive section went down many layers so that a significant change in temperature could be felt form the exposed top terraces to the sheltered, sun drenched bottom- this is where the Incas cultivated wild crops for farming.

Whilst wandering through the impressive sites we started to chat to our fellow travellers- all English speakers wth an Aussie couple and some Canadians thrown amongst the predominately British crew. We soon started chatting to a group of lads travelling together that bought to mind "The Inbetweeners"- a really nice group with just the right hint of geek- exactly our kind of people! There was also a young English girl on her gap year before starting uni in a similarly tired state to us, though hers was hang over induced! As we slowly started chatting to people, even in our bleary eyed state, it seemed we had a decent group of people to share this experience with.

As we progressed throught the Sacred Valley we also saw a colonial church, as decorative as ever with gold and ornate paintings adorning each surface and gruesome depictions of Jesus´s suffering. Carlos explained the fusion of Andean religion with Catholisism as we rested in the pews and then took us to the town where we would stay for the nght, Ollantaytambo. Here we were introduced to a huge Inca complex hugging the side of a mountain- almost a sneak preview of what to expect at Macchu Picchu. The Incas really knew how to make the most of their locations with snow capped mountains glistening in the distance and a winding river cutting a steep valley- stunning.

Finally the tours of the day came to an end and we had the evening to ourselves. Feeling guilty about spurning the "getting to know you dinner" we headed straight out to town for some food with dreams of an early night. Thankfully the boys had the same idea, as did all the Brits, and we returned to hot showers and an early night in preparation for the strenuous next four days.

Day 1 of the Inca Trail was fairly leisurely- a 7am get up followed by an hours bus journey to the start point. From here we began the famous hike though we were stopped every ten minutes or so by our ever informative guide giving us more facts to remember. I´d love to bring a school party out on a trip like this as I have learned so much over the last 9 months- but we were eager to start challenging ourselves. The scenery was pretty, though reminiscent of our Colca trek the previous week and the path rather flat- we were starting to question whether we had paid three times the price simply for its notoriety- the beautiful scenery not quite jsutifying the price tag at this point. We were also struggling slightly with the need for porters- having carried our own bags on a number of treks we had managed to keep our packs light- it would have been much easier to carry them on this path than it was on the Colca trek last week. When we arrived at the camp for lunch 40 minutes early and simply sat down to watch the porters oragnise tents and food we felt a little guilty and slightly underwhelmed- where was the challenge we had come for?

The afternoon followed in a similar way- the gorgeous weather bathing everything in a warm golden light, beautiful green hills rolling either side of us with donkeys grazing but the flat path making ofr a fairly easy trek that we could have managed without all the trappings that came with the price tag. We arrived at camp just before 3pm and had the rest of the afternoon to amuse ourselves- the boys having an impressive game of high altitude football in which the porters beat them by just 5-4 whilst Blakey and I sat on a picnic blanket overlooking a valley and confided our slight sense of disappointment at this stage. However, having a cook with us did lead to a delicious evening meal and then bed by 8pm when the valley turned pitch black save the millions of stars that could be enjoyed from here.

The next day was an earlier start and from what we had heard, a far greater challenge. Today we were to trek to the highest point on the trail at 4200 metres- Dead Woman´s pass. Right from the beginning we faced an uphil incline- this was more like it! The altitude had us all huffing and puffing in no time as our thighs pushed against the steep slope- we had 1200 metres to ascend. By the time we reached the camp for lunch today we felt far more deserving- and very glad of the wonderful porters that allowed us a few minutes rest as they organised food, having arrived well before us and lugging 25 kilos of weight on their backs- absolutely amazing!

Then came the afternoon and another 800 metres of altitude on a far steeper never ending path. It seems doing Colca Canyon the week before is the thing to do- though we all huffed and puffed Blakey and I soon found our stride and slowly but surely made it up the mountain. Most impressively, Blakey beat the whole group and reached the summit incredibly fast. He was followed by a few of the boys and then I was the first girl to get up. As the boys clapped my achievement I refused to stop until I reached the very top step- something that insantly rewarded me with the most (literally) breathtaking views. Looking out across the otherside was a beautiful blue sky, glistening snowy mountains stretching across the horizon and pretty wisps of clouds floating below us halfway up the peaks. This is what we paid for- it was utterly spectacular and even more stunnig for the effort we had made to get here. With the rest of the group still making their way up we had plenty of time to enjoy the peace and quiet- Blakey waited for over an hour for everyone to catch him up- though the tranquility was momentarily spoilted by one of the girls having a panic attack and demanding oxygen (though it seemed to us she was just pissed off that her boyfriend had left her trailing- unlike me who was glowing with pride at my super-human fiance!) Unfortunately the second guide was bringing the first aid kit with the last members of the group a little way behind, but after taking her through some breathing exercises she calmed down. I think Blakey was even more proud of me in comparison to her and the phrase "Get me some oxygen!!" will always bring a smug grin to ur faces! After lots of congratulatory photos we began the much easier descent to our camp for the night, though the uneven steps were fairly steep- a real challenge for the few knee and ankle injuries in our group (though my peg legs were dosed and strapped and on good form- I really was feeling smug!) We bounded down, inspired by the fabulous views and hit camp by 3pm again- it seems we were an impressively fast group! At the highest camp we sat on our sleeping bags with the tent unzipped, looking out across the valley at the clouds below. Another delicious dinner was followed by another early night and an even earlier start at 5.30am- we were building up to something here!

The early start the next day was in response to the greatest amount of trekking coupled with a number of Inca sites along the way, but we had our second mountain pass to conquer first. Again the steep incline was hard work for our lungs but our legs had been well trained and soon made it to the top (Blake at the head of the group again- my hero!) Slightly less strenuous than the day before the view was even more impressive and once again we had lots of time to enjoy our achievement. We had been ahead of our guide for the whole trek so far- we assumed the two months enforced holiday as a result of the landslides had made him a little complacent, but today it was clear he was really struggling. By the time he joined us at the peak his colour was tinged green and he was clearly ill. It seemed he had picked up a stomach bug so we administered some of Blakey´s antibiotics and paracetemol to bring his temperture down and kept moving guiltily- if a tourist was in the same state we´re certain they would be given more support.

After the mountain pass we had 3000 steps to take down again- this time through lush cloud forests. We had ben told of the wildlife that lives here- snakes, frogs (which we could hear but not see everywhere) and most excitingly, spectacle bears- Paddington! We didn´t see any but it was nice knowing that we were officially in deepest darkest Peru if Paddington came from here and we enjoyed the winding trek hugging the mountain face (thankfully the sharp drops were disguised by the foliage) in the company of the three lads who kept us amused with amicable chats. Once again we were the first five to reach the meeting point so took a detour up the hill to a nearby Inca site that we had entirely to ourselves (giving Blakey the opportunity to go to the toilet in the most ancient and significant place he probably ever will- how lovely). We sat at the top terrace, looking down to the river below and the little tents lined in our campsite for quite a while until talk of how good it would have been to bring a beer up with us drove the party back down to camp. This being the closest camp to Macchu Picchu it was the first site with an electricity supply allowing us a stop in the bar with nice cold drinks and the chance to pay for hot showers. Having gone for longer without we kept our money and our body heat as we snuggled down in our sleeping bags for the last sleep before seeing Macchu Picchu itself.

It was still pitch black outside when the porters bought a bowl of tepid wtaer to our tents at 4am for a quick wash and early breakfast. We had a short walk to join the queue for the check point which opened at 5.30am followed by 6 kilometres to the famous site. As an added extra we had the option to climb Wiñay Picchu, the steep mountian that offers aerial views, but with passes restricted to 400 per day and day trippers due to arrive before us we had to be quick to secure a permit. Though we stopped for a couple of photographs en route we pushed forwards with the hope of this last challenge.

With Carlos still ill he sent our second guide, Nephalie, ahead whilst he walked at the back of the group. Having got stuck behind a couple of people the three boys and Neph had disappeared from sight when we passed through the Sun Gate into the stunning Inca citadel. Having worried that the ruins along the way might make everything merge into one we were soon reassured- it was massive and spectacularly impressive. Nestled amongst a range of mountains the location could not have been prettier and the range of buildings just amazing. We allowed ourselves just moments to appreciate everything but had already encountered day trippers- if we were to climb Wiñay Picchu we had to move fast.

We started searching for Neph and the boys but they were nowhere to be seen- we assumed they had run ahead to gain their passes and so asked another tour guide what to do. We were sent to the entrance gate of the complex right down the hill and out of the citadel altogether. We rushed there to meet a particularly unhelpful official who made no attempt to slow her Spanish (in fact, I think she purposefully sped up) and asked for permits. She told us we didn´t need them- though we had been told to rush here solely to secure them. I waited there whilst she ignored me and chatted to her friend and asked again to once again be told no, go there and get them from your guide. It was so frustrating, but I decided to use the opportunity to run to the loo just outside the gates as we had come all the way down here, asking if it was OK first- we were desperate to get back up and enjoy the sun rising over the valley as soon as possible. I ran to the loos then back up passed the security guard who stooped me and asked for my ticket. I explained that Carlos had my ticket, that he wasn´t well and that he was coming more slowly but that I had done the Inca Trail. I proved it with the three passport stamps- all dated- that I had acquired along the way. Blakey, thankfully the otherside of the barrier, ran into the office to the officials we had spoken to and asked them to identify me and let me back in, but they refused! All that walking, all that rushing at the last moment and I had to send Blakey in with the camera so I could at leat see pictures of the sunrise whilst I sat on the steps, waiting. About 20 minutes later Neph arrived with the two boys, bursting for a pee, and explained the situation. Still, Carlos had the tickets so the boys were not allowed out and I was not allowed in. Eventually, over 45 minutes later Carlos arrived (as well as the blazing sun) and I joined the growing hordes of day trippers (who hadn´t worked as hard for the privilege in my opinion!!)

As I had sat on the steps the jobsworth security guards had changed their mind about the information they had given us and handed Blakey two permits to climb Wiñay Picchu- thank goodness! If I couldn´t see the sunrise then this was to be my new "grand finale" as the group came back together I learned from Neph that they had been equally unhelpful with him- hence his disappearance when we got to Macchu Picchu- they had sent him across the complex twice, running with the boys only to be handed a permit at the first place he asked after the wild goose chase. However, this meant us and the three boys were going to face the challenge of Wiñay Picchu together- great!

After a brief tour with Carlos of the complex (though very in depth- the paracetemol and antibiotics had put him back on top form!) we headed to the looming, near vertical mountain slope ahead of us. We had 300 metres to ascend and were told it would take around 1 hour. The boys soon headed passed me but even I over took enough people to reach the summit in just over 30 minutes. Having all been impressed with our speed so far they had timed us- they arrived in 24 minutes and Blakey in 28 (though I think I held him up at the start when he had helped me on some particularly trecherous passes) Bloody hell- we were good! However, the moment we stood on the top the reality of being perched a top a vertical hill hit- Macchu Picchu looked tiny below, directly below- this place was utterly steep. I held it together until we went a little further and the boys climbed onto an outcrop on tiny steps that hung over the edge- then I lost it. As overly confident people jumped precariously amongst the bolders at the top it was too easy to visualise accidents and my legs went to jelly. I nearly bit Blakey´s head off when he asked me to take a picture of him jumping. I didn´t.

Thankfully for me an Aussie girl was experiencing similar vertigo, so when the time came to descend an incredibly steep set of narrow stairs with a sheer vertical drop of around 500 metres to the right hand side the two of us sat on our bums as our legs lost all strength and our tummies turned upside down. Blakey slowly went ahead and a couple of guys from her tour group behind us, encouraging us to take our time and keep our confidence. For the second time that morning I could have cried but manged to hold it together as I slowly and surely made my way down- it was the greatest challenge of the whole four days. I was so pleased to be back on solid ground a the end and as lunch time approached we treated ourselves to an incredibly overpriced drink (the adrenaline had uterly drained me) and boarded a bus to Aguas Calientes. That was one of my greatest achievements over the whole trip!

That afternoon we had a long wait for the reduced train service (80% of the trains are stuck behind the broken tracks in Cusco) but whiled away the time in the hot springs that the town takes its name from. It was great to have the afternoon with the rest of the group- a really nice bunch to share the experience with- but many of us couldn´t keep our eyes open on the 9.30pm train out of there. After two further buses we arrived back in the town of Cusco at gone 2am. None of us were in a fit state to say a proper goodbye- we will have to send a few emails to make up for it later.

The next day our tuned body clocks woke up at 7am despite our tiredness. We indulged in a big breakfast then headed back to our room which we didn´t leave until 6pm that night, only when our bellies demanded it. After a day of TV, snoozing and blog writing we were just about ready to face the world again. We booked tickets to Nazca for the following night and were out like a light again.

Our one last day in Cusco should have been sight seeing, as we would have done on our first day had we not been stuck in Arequipa with an ill Blakey, but having seen the greatest highlight of Peru a couple of days before we opted to sit in the sunny plaza, overlooking a cathedral and sipping coffees instead. We have two weeks until we return to normality and now we intend to relax.