Machu Pichu - 21 November

Bags packed and ready to go. I transferred all my surplus stuff into my trust blue feed sack and put it in the hostel storage room in preparation for a quick departure the following morning at 430! (or was it 530....really early in any event). The guide from Peru Treks turned up on time and we made our way to the bus down the road. The previous night I had purchased some buns, jam and bananas for my breakfast, not wanting to get ripped off in some tourist town later that morning.

The bus journey took us into Ollaytambo where we would stop for breakfast at a restaurant. Although I had already had my banana and jam sammies I couldn´t resist the fruit pancakes, adding to them with the yogurt I had bought the night before which was a nice touch. We all introduced ourselves to each other and headed back to the bus, most of us buying walking poles from various sellers downstairs, which were basically a broom handle with a bit of colourful fabric and a loop on the top, with a rubber foot. Pretty basic but with all the steps on the trail they would prove pretty useful. Back in the bus to make our final 20minute ride to kilometre 83 where the track starts.

Soon after packing our newly issued sleeping bags and bed mats we made our way to the check point. It was funny watching the Russian couple try and sort their two sleeping bags and bed mats out as they only had day bags and there was no way their bedding would fit in so they tried several ways to strap it on the outside haha. Just before the checkpoint we took a group photo, which was interrupted by a train arriving which was pretty exciting. We made our way through the checkpoint, having to stop to get our wet weather gear on due to the rain that was beginning to fall more constantly The rain wouldn´t last for long, as we made our way up the track to our first Inca site and a break for a bit of food and a yarn. It was obvious from the first morning that the walk would consist of short stints of walking followed by long breaks to allow the slower people to catch up. We would walk on ahead making good ground only to have a couple of unhealthy young New York doctors plodding slowing in the rear. No big drama as the walk would be a pretty relaxed affair and just chilled out.
At our first lunch we would also get a sense for the style of food we could expect for the next found days. Arriving at the camp to clapping porters standing around tents set up earlier that morning we were given orange juice and stools in the sun while the final preparations for lunch were done. Lunch was inside a communal tent with a large camp table with table cloth and cutlery setting. After the mandatory first course or soup, we were treated to trout, chicken, salad and other great stuff, with a selection of hot drinks to follow. Not a bad start to the culinary experience I had heard so much about from other people.

After lunch we had our first uphill section, with the guide letting us push on ahead while he followed up the rear. It was a nice walk with great mountain and valley views, ending at a bridge over a stream where we would wait for the rest of the group, which would be around 25 minutes! Some 20 minutes later we arrived at the first camp, set on a terraced area below crops and amongst a small village. Some of the chaps played soccer on a fairly rough pitch with overly enthusiastic porters etc, which I sat out due to my sore foot and not wanting to get injured on the first day! I shared a tent with Lisa from Germany, who turned out to be pretty decent company. We all got a pretty early night as the next morning, like all of the mornings, would be an early start.

We were awakened at around 530 with a hot cup of tea in our tents which was a nice touch. It is light by around 5am so we were already stirring when it arrived. The second day has a reputation of being the most difficult as it involves a long slog straight up to Dead Woman´s pass at 4300m or so. Some people had elected to get a porter for the rest of the trip, the thought of walking with gear was just too much after the first easy day. A Canadian park ranger was the first to take up the offer. We joked that perhaps he got around the park in a huge pickup rather than foot as he was struggling pretty badly! We would push on up the hill for several hours to stop at a large flat campsite for popcorn and snacks. We arrived around 40 minutes before the rest of the group and lay in the sun for a while before it got a bit cold. With all the groups lying around on this big section of grass with alpacas etc walking around it made for a nice sight, although the rest of the climb, and steepest section, was clearly visible and looked a bit daunting to some.

It was actually a pretty decent climb and once we found our rhythms we made good time to the top to join all the other groups. I started yarning to a couple of Aussie lads on an around the world ticket while we waited for the rest of our group. As per usual, the two doctors and the Canadian park ranger were in the rear, arriving over an hour after the rest of us, who had only taken an hour and a half or so to get to the top. After some group photos we only had to walk down an hour or so to camp, which we could make out deep in the valley below. It was our first decent downhill plod and would give us a taste of how hard the Inca steps are on the knees.

Arriving at camp to cold orange juice as great, and an hour or so later we would have popcorn and biscuits and a general introduction to all our porters, cooks and guides. It was nice little ceremony and gave us an insight into the lives of the porters and how much work they do and the hardship they face. One guy, old mike as he become known, was 62 years old and still slogs along carrying 25kg (the max weight). We just pottered around camp sleeping and reading before dinner was served. We would all get a pretty early night as the third day is the longest and would require another 5am early start!

We had a pretty steep climb to start the third day but we would stop often to look at many inca sites along the way. At the top of the climb we performed a ceremony to Patchamama the god of the earth for good weather and a general thanks I guess. It was a pretty interesting little ceremony and gave us all an insight into the beliefs of the local people.

After the ceremony it was pretty much flat to our lunch spot. We would first stop at the largest inca site we had seen so far which was immediately across the valley. It was an awesome site with a heap of rooms to visit and lots of information from the guide. Lunch was a pretty awesome affair once again, although I fell asleep in the sun afterwards and really struggled to get going again after lunch. We were all pretty tired after several early starts and the sun was really baking! At least the walk to the next rest stop was flat and pretty interesting, leading through inca tunnels and high above the valleys below. We all met up again at another campsite looking down on the town of Aguas Calientes from high above. Machu Pichu was pointed out to us in the distnce, although we couldn´t see the village from this angle. The final camp was down in the valley, which was several hours below and after another couple of interesting inca sites.

The camp was pretty awesome, although confusing as hell. Perched on a hillside on several terraces it was pretty easy to take the wrong turn and end up on a different level, which happened a couple of times. I resisted the urge to hit the restaurant on site to have a hot meal or shower, not really seeing the point in it. I caught up with the Aussie guys and took photos of the awesome sunset. After dinner we would be treated to a massive cake the chef has prepared in a saucepan, more like a hot pudding with icing. It was truly excellent! We would then have to sort out tips etc which is always a pretty difficult thing to sort out. That out the way and the show of appreciation by the porters seemed to be pretty genuine which was nice.

Another early night as we would be getting up around 430 to get a early start on the track first thing the next morning. The next morning we only got a pancake, the porters seemed pretty keen to get back down to town to spend their tips so we were left pretty hungry and with no lunch pack that the other groups through the same company got. We were the last group to get to the checkpoint and to the Sungate which was a bit frustrating. However, the view from the Sungate was absolutely nothing as the fog was thick and intent on not clearing for us while we waited. We pushed on down towards the main Machu Pichu village, stopping at several other sites. We were briefly treated to a glimpse of the village in the distance through the clouds which renewed all our hopes for a good view later that day. It was an amazing site to see the village perched atop a narrow hill with mountains surrounding on several sides and deep drops on others.

When we arrived at Machu Pichu at the famous guard tower site where many post card shots are taken there was no view whatsoever and people just standing around waiting for the fog to clear. I was frustrated and impatient because people were just standing around and I wanted to get inside to get a ticket to climb Huyana Pichu later that day and tickets are limited to 400 per day. I managed to convince our guide to let the assistant guide take me down to the park entrance to store my large pack (no packs can go into the site) and then rush to the start of the climb to get the ticket. I got number 360 odd so was pretty stoked.

I went back to the entrance and waited for ages for the rest of the group to make their way down from the top. It was pretty late before everyone got down and after the scheduled 9am start of our 2 hour tour so that was a bit frustrating given I had to start the walk up between 11 and 1. The tour was very interesting although I felt sorry for our guide because everyone was pretty darn tired and lacked the attention he deserved. Never the less we all learnt a lot and got a good insight into the ruins. The weather had cleared up perfectly and was sunny and bright which was a massive relief.
I headed up Huyana Potosi which turned out to be a real slog and incredibly steep with ropes and wire most of the way up to cling onto. The views from the top were certainly worth it with Machu Pichu sitting far below in valley giving a tremendous perspective to how it fits into the landscape. The way down way was pretty hairy in parts, with lots of very steep steps which were barely deep enough to take a foot placed sideways. One chap had pretty much lost it and was making his way down with the help of other chaps with a large line forming behind him. We eventually got passed and started a quick decent. It was apparent that the large police presence up top was largely to help old people back down who had underestimated how steep it actually was...not the best job.

I walked around the site for a few more hours before heading back down on the bus to Aguas Calientes. I refused to buy water or food at the site given the truly overhiked prices. A bottle of water that cost 1 sole in town cost 10 there and a small sammie was 20!! So terrible, so I decided to wait until our group lunch down town.

I got down with plenty of time and didn´t miss much of lunch. The pizzas were like 25 soles, which is also very expensive but no real alternative and it was nice to share a final lunch with the group and sort out a tip for the guide. We had several hours to get to the 6pm train so I backed up my photos and kicked around the town which was touristy as hell but had the interesting feature of the train running through the middle of it. The train was a pretty darn comfortable ride to Ollyantambo, where we would transfer to a bus back to Cuzco. On the bus I yarned to the Aussie chap which was good fun and passed the time well. It certainly was a long day arriving back at 10pm after gettting up at 4. Glad to have finished it and able to relax in Cuzxo once again.