If our already massive blog posts haven’t crashed your computer, this one will. Lots of people we know have done the Inca Trail or at least have been to Machu Picchu, so hopefully this post brings back some find memories. On Saturday March 24th at 4:00am we were met outside our hotel by our assistant guide Manuel to start our Inca Trail 4 day hike to Machu Picchu. We began driving around Cusco picking up other people from their hotels. At one of the pick up points a guy got on the bus from the Wild Rover hostel and we continued to Peru Treks to pick up our sleeping bags, mats, and our potters. Our second guide asked our sleepy-eyed group who had reserved a sleeping bag and 8 people put up their hands. Then the guy from the Wild Rover hostel told the guide he needed one and didn’t understand why he wasn’t previously informed that sleeping bags were a requirement. This guy wasn’t happy when our guide told him he was going to have to pay an extra $45 to rent a sleeping bag. So they jumped off the bus and began discussing the sleeping bag issue with other Peru Treks employees. No one could hear what they were talking about and assumed he just hadn’t read the 8 page debriefing sheet they provide when you go the day before to pay. After much deliberation between the disgruntled gringo and the Peruvians everyone got on the bus and we were on our way! But the bus turned back up a familiar street and pulled over at Wild Rover hostel AGAIN. The disgruntled gringo hopped off and was quickly replaced with a similar looking gringo; it turns out they had the same first name and so we picked up the wrong person. Apparently they only care about your first name! After some good laughs we were finally ready to start the drive to Ollantaytambo, a small town in the scared valley, where we ate a delicious omelet breakfast. Andrew and I had brought all of our bags and left the majority of our crap in Ollantaytambo to return there on the last night so we could spend another night in the scared valley before returning to Cusco. After breakfast we drove for another 30 mins down a bumpy dirt road and unloaded our gear, packed the last few things into our day packs and walked towards the beginning of the Inca Trail. The trail begins at a government check point where everyone has to show their passports and tickets and has to get fingerprints and retina scans… ok well the last two aren’t true it seemed like extreme overkill for a hike in the bush. We were excited to receive an Inca Trail stamp on our passports! The trail crossed a bridge and then followed the train tracks on the opposite side of the river. We were instructed that the first day hike was approximately 4 hours of ‘up flat, up flat’. We were surprised at how commercial the trail was, we walked alongside electricity poles, small villages selling goodies (a liter of rum for 25 soles), lots of pack animals, and at one point a young man riding a motorcycle. Our guide mentioned that the first day on the trail wasn’t going to be authentic but the next 3 days would be. Even though it was quite touristy, the trail was still very beautiful. The scared valley is stunning! We walked up and into our first ruins where our guide (Saul, or Coca Man as he preferred) told us a little bit about their importance however we found it somewhat difficult to understand his English. He would bounce his eyebrows up and down and end every sentence with “What, do you have any questions amigas?” followed immediately by, “ok good” and he would continue with his next speel. We laughed about it for the next 4 days! We were so impressed by the porters! They carry huge sacks full of our equipment and speed down the trail awaiting our arrival at camp. People behind yell “porter!” so you can move to the side and let them wiz past you. It’s remarkable how fast they can walk especially on the steep inclines and declines which we experienced several times throughout the 4 days. If you think you can hike relatively quickly, think again! At one of the small villages along the way we stopped for a Chicha break. Coca Man explained that the ladies along the side of the path sell Chicha, a fermented fruit drink with a taste similar to beer, used to give the potters energy, like they need any more. When we arrived in Camp our first day we were greeted by cheering and clapping porters who would pass us glasses filled with delicious juices. The porters were so much quicker than us that when we would arrive our tents would be set up, along with our dining tent and there would be snacks waiting for us! Treats like popcorn, cookies and hot chocolate were some of the goodies waiting for us in camp when we arrived. Dinner in camp consisted of a 4 course meal starting with a small appetizer, then a bowl of soup, a main (something different everyday) and dessert with Coca Tea. On our second day we were woken by Manuel shaking our tent saying, “Buenos Dias! Coca Tea?” To which we would respond yes! We sat sipping our coca tea half in our sleeping bags with the tent door open so that we could enjoy the views of the sacred valley before having to bust our asses for the next few hours. We had to climb up dead woman’s pass (4200m) and it rained pretty much the entire way. We were soaked getting into camp at the end of the day but we were hopeful that the weather would be a bit clearer the next day. All of my (Andrew) dry clothes got soaked in my bag so I wore them after we hiked to dry them. It wasn’t very pleasant. Day three was beautiful but wet again. We were able to stay mostly dry throughout the day (our rain gear decided to perform) but when we rolled into camp our guide was praying for sunny weather at Machu Picchu the next day. Our departure from our last camp was at about 4:30 so that we could arrive at the Sun Gate at just the right time for the sun to shine down onto Machu Picchu. It was a really amazing feeling to watch the clouds part to reveal the Lost City of the Incas. An older woman (actually she claimed to be the oldest on the trail) who struggled with the difficult terrain was crying at the site a Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate saying, “I guess this is what it feels like to be in shape!” We continued down the final stretch of the Inca Trail to reach Machu Picchu within an hour. When we arrived we took a small break before entering the city and Coca Man asked us to spend 3 minutes in silence to just appreciate our surroundings. Its hard to explain in words, but we had a There's a lot that we learned about Machu Picchu but rather than try to regurgitate it you're better off reading the Wikipedia page. Here are a few more pictures...enjoy!
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