For months we had been looking forward to tackling the Inca Trail and visiting the ruins of Machu Picchu. We had booked our place on the 4-day trek as far back as January (crazy! Men can actually do a bit of planning) since permits to walk the Inca Trail are limited to 500 each day. This was to be the highlight of our trip. Alas, the night before we were due to start the Inca Trail, disaster struck. Ed had been afflicted with a stomach parasite which made his chances of doing the Inca Trail very slim. His Harley-Davidson-riding-Doctor advised him not to take on the Inca Trail or things could get a lot worse. However, nothing could stand in Ed's way. So, as our alarm went off at 4.45am, Ed, equipped with 5kg worth of medicine, made the heroic decision to take on the 43km hike.
DAY 1:
After an hour and a half van ride, during which we tried to catch up on missed sleep, we arrived at Ollantaytambo and met the rest of our tour group. We cannot believe how lucky we have been with our fellow voyagers so far and this tour was no different. A Canadian, two Americans, three Germans, and 5 stunning Norwegians. They would form an integral part of our next 4 days as we went through both thick and thin with them.
After our group was dubbed "The Sexy Llamas" by our tour guide Johan, the trail began at KM82 with a slight climb through the Andean mountains. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, snow-capped mountains surrounded us on either side, exotic plants lined the side of the paths and after an hour, our first Inca ruin appeared 300 metres below us in the valley.
Llactapata
This site is called Llactapata (High Town) and was used by the Incas as a location where those about to use the surrounding Incan trails could trade goods. We were given this explanation by both Elias and Oscar - two of the most cheerful and cheeky tour guides we have ever met. We also discovered that the Inca Trail we were embarking on was used mostly as a pilgrimage and it is actually possible to reach Machu Picchu in 8 hours.... Not quite the same.
We were pleasantly surprised at lunch when we were ushered into a marquee with elegantly folded napkins, as if we were in the middle of a London restaurant. We were served a 3-course meal with food of an exceptional quality. How the chefs managed to whip up such tasty dishes in the middle of the Andean mountains is beyond us. One lunch they even managed to rustle up a cake! Yet again, as with the Salt Flat tour (see relevant blog entry), we were eating better than we had been for the rest of our trip.
Our dining room
The walk during the afternoon was very pleasant, with most of the kilometres lying along a flat ridge. Ed powered through and admirably got through the first day. We arrived into our campsite Wayllabamba at 4pm, and after another filling meal headed to bed, ready for our 5am wakeup the next morning.
DAY 2:
We had a 5 hour climb to reach Dead Woman's Pass, our first high pass of the trek at 4198m. We believed we had grown accustomed to the high altitude after 3 weeks of not venturing below 2,500m. However, for the last 200 metres of the climb the absence of oxygen was taking its toll on some of our group, meaning we had breaks every 30 metres or so. The pass is named Dead Woman's Pass due to the shape the ridges and rocks form when viewed from afar.
At the top of Dead Woman's Pass
Difficult to spot unless its pointed out to you, but in the valley it is possible to see the face and breast of a reclining woman.
At the summit, to celebrate we were each given a squirt of Pisco to drink (a spirit distilled from white grapes) from the penis of an Incan doll.
Ben and Ed getting a little squirt
DAY 3
None of us slept well that night but Tom definitely takes the crown. The illness which Ed had managed to recover from was now afflicting Tom. In a similarly fearless manner to Ed, Tom, with the determination of a salmon swimming upstream, motored his way through the morning and made it to lunch before any of the rest of the group. The previous evening, after a few Piscos had been downed, Ben agreed to carry one of the porter's bags for the morning. Oh dear god are those bags heavy, a bulky 25kg, and you feel every kilo of it. At times, Ben was climbing up the steep stairs on all fours. The altitude makes all physical exertion twice as difficult.
The porter whose bag Ben was carrying was aged 63! How the porters manage to do this is a mystery to us all. They run along the Inca Trail and have tents, marquees and food ready for us when we arrive in to camp. For our group of 14 walkers we had: 28 porters, 2 chefs and 3 tour guides. Each porter was assigned a different job, some were responsible for the tents, others for the groceries, and even a couple of porters to carry propane tanks! We were being looked after very well and the porters definitely made the trip more of a holiday than an arduous trek.
Ben survived a gruelling hour before handing over the bag, we had arrived at our first ruins of the day. These ruins were called Runkuracay, a circular city build on the side of a mountain. The ruins were used as a resting place for runners who ran back and forth through the 2,000,000km² of the Inca Empire, stretching from Columbia in the North all the way to Chile in the South. These runners would run along the trails at about 15km/h for four hours at a time, stop at one of these resting places and pass their messages on to the next runner. It was essentially a huge relay race. A few years ago there had been a marathon run along the Inca Trail. The winner was a 50-year-old farmer who also worked as a porter who ran it in 3h45. This feat became more and more impressive with each thigh-high step we climbed.
At these ruins Johan explained to us the basics of the Inca religion. There are three main domains occupied by the gods: Hanan Pacha, which consisted of the sun, moon and star deities; Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha, which were the realms of Pachamama (their version of Mother Earth). The Incas worshipped anything which brought life to people, this included mountains with glaciers as they possesed water. It was possible to see a channel that the Incas had build from a mountain glacier passing through the Sun Temple all the way to a substantial stone which represented Pachamama. At the peak we could see three different ecosystems all in one panoramic view. At the top of our picture were the mountains, level with us were tufty brown grasses, below us was the rainforest.
We continued climbing for another 45 minutes to Abra de Ruunkuracay (3998m) where we had some staggering views over Cordillera Vilcabamba. The walk down brought about a game called "The Singing Game" introduced to us by the Norwegian Babes. Now, all through our travels we have been singing, yet this was the first time fellow travellers had joined forces with us. The rest of our group were in for something truly unique and, in some cases, scarring. The singing (or in some cases, screeching) went on for a thoroughly enjoyable 3 hours as we began to descend into the rainforest. We were now walking on the original Inca Trail, the rest had been destroyed by the Inca's themselves to prevent the Spanish Conquistadores from finding their hidden cities. We passed through caves hollowed out by Incas themselves 500 years ago and were dogged by vertiginous drops for the rest of the afternoon.
Our ruin-spotting continued as Sayaqmarka - a huge town built up on the side of the mountain - loomed large ahead of us. We could not spend as much time here as originally planned as we were running slightly behind schedule. There was still time for a few photos, though.
We had made it to our final high pass of the trek at 3700m, by now used to the altitude, where we could see the Urubamba Valley below and the snow capped peaks of Salkantay 3,000m above us. No rest for the wicked as we were whisked off quickly and treated with another delight - the ruins of Phuyupatamarca (The Town Above the Clouds) at 3650m.
None of us slept well that night but Tom definitely takes the crown. The illness which Ed had managed to recover from was now afflicting Tom. In a similarly fearless manner to Ed, Tom, with the determination of a salmon swimming upstream, motored his way through the morning and made it to lunch before any of the rest of the group. The previous evening, after a few Piscos had been downed, Ben agreed to carry one of the porter's bags for the morning. Oh dear god are those bags heavy, a bulky 25kg, and you feel every kilo of it. At times, Ben was climbing up the steep stairs on all fours. The altitude makes all physical exertion twice as difficult.
Ben with the porter's bag
The porter whose bag Ben was carrying was aged 63! How the porters manage to do this is a mystery to us all. They run along the Inca Trail and have tents, marquees and food ready for us when we arrive in to camp. For our group of 14 walkers we had: 28 porters, 2 chefs and 3 tour guides. Each porter was assigned a different job, some were responsible for the tents, others for the groceries, and even a couple of porters to carry propane tanks! We were being looked after very well and the porters definitely made the trip more of a holiday than an arduous trek.
The Train of Porters
Ben survived a gruelling hour before handing over the bag, we had arrived at our first ruins of the day. These ruins were called Runkuracay, a circular city build on the side of a mountain. The ruins were used as a resting place for runners who ran back and forth through the 2,000,000km² of the Inca Empire, stretching from Columbia in the North all the way to Chile in the South. These runners would run along the trails at about 15km/h for four hours at a time, stop at one of these resting places and pass their messages on to the next runner. It was essentially a huge relay race. A few years ago there had been a marathon run along the Inca Trail. The winner was a 50-year-old farmer who also worked as a porter who ran it in 3h45. This feat became more and more impressive with each thigh-high step we climbed.
At these ruins Johan explained to us the basics of the Inca religion. There are three main domains occupied by the gods: Hanan Pacha, which consisted of the sun, moon and star deities; Ukhu Pacha and Hurin Pacha, which were the realms of Pachamama (their version of Mother Earth). The Incas worshipped anything which brought life to people, this included mountains with glaciers as they possesed water. It was possible to see a channel that the Incas had build from a mountain glacier passing through the Sun Temple all the way to a substantial stone which represented Pachamama. At the peak we could see three different ecosystems all in one panoramic view. At the top of our picture were the mountains, level with us were tufty brown grasses, below us was the rainforest.
It is possible to see the three different ecosystems
Entrance to the Inca tunnel
Our ruin-spotting continued as Sayaqmarka - a huge town built up on the side of the mountain - loomed large ahead of us. We could not spend as much time here as originally planned as we were running slightly behind schedule. There was still time for a few photos, though.
View over Sayaqmarka
We had made it to our final high pass of the trek at 3700m, by now used to the altitude, where we could see the Urubamba Valley below and the snow capped peaks of Salkantay 3,000m above us. No rest for the wicked as we were whisked off quickly and treated with another delight - the ruins of Phuyupatamarca (The Town Above the Clouds) at 3650m.
Phuyupatamarca
Darkness was drawing in as we reached our final ruins of the day, Intipata. After a team photo we made our way to our final campsite. There was no way we wanted to be walking down the Inca steps without vision, so we covered the final leg of our day in rapid time, arriving in camp just before the sunset.
Team Sexy Llamas
DAY 4:
We camped for our final night near Winaywamba (Forever Young), a ruin made up mainly of agricultural terraces. Sleep was hard to come by and the 3.45 alarm gave us the excuse we needed to give up the fruitless attempt to fall asleep. This was the day we were to finally see Machu Picchu; our many months in South America had been leading up to this moment. We made our way up 50 metres of dangerously steep stairs titled the "Gringo Killer" and reached Intipunku (The Sun Gate) just in time to see the sun's first rays light up the city of Machu Picchu. We had arrived and what a magical sight we were greeted by. Not a bad thing to see first thing in the morning.
View of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate
Our epic trek did not end there, however. We still had to wander the remaining few kilometres downhill to the Lost City of the Incas. The distance was covered rapidly and effortlessly, as the mythical Machu Picchu was tantalisingly close. As we neared our goal, we crossed many other travellers, huffing and puffing in the opposite direction to us. It occurred to us then that most tourists take a single day-trip to Machu Picchu and are satisfied with that. We, on the other hand, had opted for the full-blown 4-day 43-km pilgrimage to this Incan icon. And after a tough trip, arriving at Machu Picchu was made all the sweeter. We felt warm and fuzzy inside.
Machu Picchu in all its glory
Our leader showed that he was a veritable 'jack of all trades, master of all' by launching straight into a detailed history of this New Wonder of the World, having already guided, sheltered, fed and protected us over the preceding 3 days. Machu Picchu is thought to have been built in the 15th Century for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti. The citadel remarkably managed to escape the greedy clutches of the Spanish Conquistadores (the only settlement of note to evade capture) but was consequently abandoned and fell into disrepair. Although many rumours circulated about a fabled Inca City, it was not until 1911 that Yale history professor Hiram Bingham III 'discovered' Machu Picchu. 'Discovered' is, of course, a very contentious term as locals had been aware of the over-grown ruins for centuries (it is even said that upon arriving at Machu Picchu, Bingham was shown round by a farm boy named Pablo, who described MP as his 'back-garden' - Machu Picchu's very first tour guide!) Perhaps Machu Picchu's UNESCO plaque best explains Bingham's contribution, crediting him as the scientific discoverer of Machu Picchu. Bingham remains to this day a colourful yet controversial figure. Believed to be the inspiration behind Indiana Jones (intrepid explorers, university professors, PhDs, keen hat-wearers - there are certainly some striking similarities), Bingham also provoked an on-going dispute between Yale University and the Peruvian government due to his indiscriminate excavation of artefacts.
The three Indiana Jones
As well as its undoubted strategic and historical significance, Machu Picchu also possessed religious importance for the Incas. Machu Picchu is the site of the intricately-built Temple of the Sun. The Temple's bricks are held together without mortar. Instead, they are perfectly-carved blocks of granite which have been painstakingly-smoothed with balls of haematite (iron ore). The blocks then fit together as though part of an elaborate, high-stakes game of Tetris. Paradoxically, the lack of mortar makes the Temple more resistant to earthquakes, as the building is far more supple than its neighbours. The Incas' reverence towards the Sun is on clear display as the Temple has two important windows, which the Sun's rays will precisely pass through on the Summer and Winter Solstice.
The Sun Temple
While Machu Picchu's buildings are impressive, it is the Lost City's surroundings which are truly amazing. Machu Picchu is dwarfed by the imposing mountains which encircle it on every side. These mountains are all covered in thick, lush vegetation and prompted the romantics amongst us to ask the ultimate 'What if...?' question; 'What if there was another Machu Picchu-style city just waiting to be discovered?' Although the probability is remote, having seen how impenetrable the jungle is, we are unwilling to rule anything out. Never say never. Given its location, Machu Picchu should be entirely inaccessible. Unfortunately it is not. Instead, it is crawling with camera-wielding photo-snapping tourists who appear to be entirely engrossed in the most mundane fungal growth on the most routine brick of the most derelict Incan wall. They have little respect for their fellow travellers or the importance of the site (Machu Picchu is, after all, a sacred place) and they will go to ludicrous (not to mention very loud) lengths to obtain the perfect photo. One tourist was even overheard asking whether it would be possible to move Machu Picchu, a 500 year-old mountain and settlement, a few inches to the right in order to suit his aesthetic needs. After the tranquil 4 day Inca Trail, the return to the hustle and bustle of civilisation was a slight shock to our systems. On a more serious note, grave concerns do exist about over-burdening Machu Picchu with tourists and UNESCO may soon include MP on its List of World Heritage in Danger. We therefore feel very grateful to have appreciated the legendary (an overused word but on this occasion very appropriate) Lost City of the Incas before it suffers any further damage, whether at the hands of nature or man. Both the trek and Machu Picchu itself surpassed every expectation.
Machu Picchu and its surroundings
24 Hour Challenge
There is a well established tradition that those who wake at the painful hour of 4am on the Inca Trail should be awake to see that same hour come by again, 24 hours later... Given that Tom's health was still fairly precarious, it was up to Ben and Ed to carry the baton for the three nomads. The night started with a meal with those who had accompanied us on the four day hike to the Lost City. We were delighted to hear that the American man had proposed to his girlfriend with absolute success! The only way to celebrate of course was Pisco shots. Ben and Ed were the only ones to partake in this activity which got the night off to a cracking start. The restaurant owner then came to our table to give us a tutorial on how to prepare the perfect Pisco Sour. In pairs we added 6 ice cubes, 3oz of Pisco, 2oz of sugar water, 1oz of lemon juice and 1oz of egg white to our cocktail shaker and proceeded to smash it all together (which takes some serious physical effort). They went down oh so smoothly.
After a meal that settled the stomachs and treated the tastebuds our guide moved the party to a bar. At said bar Ben was most generous in funding a round of that British favourite: the Jägerbomb. Sheer comedy resulted as Ben had to teach the bar staff how to make the beverage. They should have donated the drinks after such a well delivered session of cocktail education. The guide (still guiding) shifted us to yet another bar where games ensued (Ben was dared to steal a balloon from behind the bar which, after 5 minutes of sweet-talking with the bar girl, he did). Casualties fell as three more clubs were graced with the dance moves of The Sexy Llamas, but eventually Ben and Ed were the last standing. When the church tower struck 4 and the 24 hours were complete, Ben turned into a pumpkin and the boys called it a night.
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