1) rather than taking hiking poles, buy one or two sticks in Ollantaytambo. I lost the tips somewhere on day 1 so they were not much help on the rocks.
2) learn more Spanish
3) train more for the Trail by using the Stairmaster as well as some aerobic exercises
4) catch a later flight out of Cusco so can have a lovely morning there and less time in Lima airport
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Things I was glad I took
1) good, worn-in hiking boots - day-hikers would be sufficient - but especially needed where we went downhill to support ankles
2) woolly long underwear, fleece and wool hat - it starts to cool around 4pm
3) pants that converted to shorts - by 10am I was unzippping
4) mosquito repellant - you can't see or feel them but I omitted to spray my legs the first day and was covered in red bumps by camp
5) toilet paper always
6) money exchange sheet from Oanda.com - helped me on the fly to work out my maximum price
7) some idea of an itinerary for the 4 days in Cusco of places I wanted to see - gave me a starting point as tour operators are on every corner
8) large ziploc bags for sorting clothes and supplies to find easily later - ie I put my night gear in one: woolly underwear and head lamp in one, and my toiletries and medications in another.
9) head lamp - it gets dark at 6pm and it is useful to have both hands free
10) bucket hat and sunscreen - everyone looks dorky in their hats but the sun is much stronger in the Andes than in Canada
2) woolly long underwear, fleece and wool hat - it starts to cool around 4pm
3) pants that converted to shorts - by 10am I was unzippping
4) mosquito repellant - you can't see or feel them but I omitted to spray my legs the first day and was covered in red bumps by camp
5) toilet paper always
6) money exchange sheet from Oanda.com - helped me on the fly to work out my maximum price
7) some idea of an itinerary for the 4 days in Cusco of places I wanted to see - gave me a starting point as tour operators are on every corner
8) large ziploc bags for sorting clothes and supplies to find easily later - ie I put my night gear in one: woolly underwear and head lamp in one, and my toiletries and medications in another.
9) head lamp - it gets dark at 6pm and it is useful to have both hands free
10) bucket hat and sunscreen - everyone looks dorky in their hats but the sun is much stronger in the Andes than in Canada
Sunday, September 7, 2008
summation
In all, the trip was much more fun and interesting than I imagined. Much to my surprise, I discovered I like travelling on my own. Every day was a challenge to do what I wanted to do. For example, did I really want to go to Pisac on the local bus enough to actually do it or should I just wander around Cusco in relative familiarity? For once the voice in my head said "just go" and I did and enjoyed myself more as a result. I don't want anyone to think I wasn't watchful of my surroundings or acted insensibly. I lied several times about a boyfriend back at the hotel when people asked me if I was travelling alone. I wore a money belt. I kept valuables in the hotel safe. I stayed close to the hotel after dark.
So although hiking the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate had been the original reason for going to Peru, the trip became something much more expansive than that.
So although hiking the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate had been the original reason for going to Peru, the trip became something much more expansive than that.
Lima
Despite Monica's best efforts, I hated Lima. She met me at the airport with a sign "Monica Tours" and standing off the side a bit so I spotted her easily. I asked immediately about the boat tour as I had packed my swimsuit in my carry on but forgotten to keep my jacket. It was not going to happen. And I think as a result, Monica thought I would want to hire her for a full day instead of just the pre-arranged 2-3 hours as my plane did not leave until 1:30am.
After stashing my big suitcase with "Left Luggage" at the airport (14 soles for all day), we went out to climb into her old white van. Inside she had fridge magnets from clients' countries that they had mailed to her. Because I had no interest in museums, Monica seemed a little unsure of what to do with me and I had not researched Lima well enough to offer suggestions. Later I found there was a zoo - I would have been perfectly content spending my three hours in there.
Lima was loud with honking and very polluted. And the driving was scary. I quickly got a splitting headache. We drove through about 5 districts, past casinos, shopping centres, the Canadian Embassy, Lovers' Park and some marigolds planted in a reproduction of the Nazca Lines. Eventually we came to some pre-Incan ruins and she asked me if I wanted to go for a look. Out of desperation, I said yes. There was an English-speaking group just starting up so I joined them. Trouble was, the guide spoke so softly I had no idea where I was or what it was for. I also have to admit I didn't really care. The most interesting thing at the ruins were two grey dogs running loose, who had tufts of orange hairs sticking out. I saw my first guinea pigs there too in their reproduction farm.
After about 3 1/2 hours, I told Monica I wanted to go back to the airport. She was shocked but off we went in troubled silence. We settled up, hugged and I felt relieved to be on my own again.
I think Monica would be a terrific help if you had a list of museums or places you specifically wanted to see - she had no problem waiting for me while I was in the ruins and knew her way around the city very well. I also fully recognize 1) I was already exhausted at that point and 2) I am not your typical tourist who is content with standard tourist places.
I am good at killing time in airports and I'd like to thank Starbuck's for making coffee that "is built to last". I had 10 hours to waste and knew if I read my book I'd be asleep in about 10 seconds. So I spent 2 hours in the internet kiosk and 8 hours people-watching.
After stashing my big suitcase with "Left Luggage" at the airport (14 soles for all day), we went out to climb into her old white van. Inside she had fridge magnets from clients' countries that they had mailed to her. Because I had no interest in museums, Monica seemed a little unsure of what to do with me and I had not researched Lima well enough to offer suggestions. Later I found there was a zoo - I would have been perfectly content spending my three hours in there.
Lima was loud with honking and very polluted. And the driving was scary. I quickly got a splitting headache. We drove through about 5 districts, past casinos, shopping centres, the Canadian Embassy, Lovers' Park and some marigolds planted in a reproduction of the Nazca Lines. Eventually we came to some pre-Incan ruins and she asked me if I wanted to go for a look. Out of desperation, I said yes. There was an English-speaking group just starting up so I joined them. Trouble was, the guide spoke so softly I had no idea where I was or what it was for. I also have to admit I didn't really care. The most interesting thing at the ruins were two grey dogs running loose, who had tufts of orange hairs sticking out. I saw my first guinea pigs there too in their reproduction farm.
After about 3 1/2 hours, I told Monica I wanted to go back to the airport. She was shocked but off we went in troubled silence. We settled up, hugged and I felt relieved to be on my own again.
I think Monica would be a terrific help if you had a list of museums or places you specifically wanted to see - she had no problem waiting for me while I was in the ruins and knew her way around the city very well. I also fully recognize 1) I was already exhausted at that point and 2) I am not your typical tourist who is content with standard tourist places.
I am good at killing time in airports and I'd like to thank Starbuck's for making coffee that "is built to last". I had 10 hours to waste and knew if I read my book I'd be asleep in about 10 seconds. So I spent 2 hours in the internet kiosk and 8 hours people-watching.
journey back to Cusco
I met Effrey at 1:45 and we went to the train station, which is rather hidden behind the local tourist market. The ticket master checked my ticket against my passport very carefully. The train turned out to be comfortable and only about 2/3 full. Two men wheeled a trolley with coffee and pop up the aisle once. Many people fell asleep with the rocking. The route back to Cusco follows the Urubamba river - the best views are on the right side of the train, which might be hard to find, as most people sitting backwards. The train stopped several times to let the oncoming train go by and blew its whistle to warn people off the tracks - villagers use the tracks as a path. It took only about one hour and 15 minutes to reach our start point. I looked out at the bridge and thought how far we'd come.
I ended up walking down to where Effrey sat to thank him for his extra help. He was storing my trekking poles and reached for them to give to me. I asked if he could use them and was relieved he was not insulted. I had been puzzling for 2 days over how to phrase the question. He glowed and it made my day.
We got off the train in Ollantaytambo and were met by a GAP van which drove us the rest of the way back to Cusco. Apparently this is the faster option. At the station there were many tourists waiting to buy tickets to go to Agua Calientes. I saw evidence of the strike the tourist on the bus had told me about - the driver had to dodge big rocks scattered across the road in several spots.
By 5:30 I was back at the hotel. Hot shower finally - unfortunately white towels became grey. I ate at my usual steak/chicken sandwich place.
Effrey told me he does 50 trips a year. As the trail is closed for the month of February, I thought perhaps I had misunderstood his answer. But then he said that his next time out was Saturday morning. We got back to Cusco Thursday night.
I ended up walking down to where Effrey sat to thank him for his extra help. He was storing my trekking poles and reached for them to give to me. I asked if he could use them and was relieved he was not insulted. I had been puzzling for 2 days over how to phrase the question. He glowed and it made my day.
We got off the train in Ollantaytambo and were met by a GAP van which drove us the rest of the way back to Cusco. Apparently this is the faster option. At the station there were many tourists waiting to buy tickets to go to Agua Calientes. I saw evidence of the strike the tourist on the bus had told me about - the driver had to dodge big rocks scattered across the road in several spots.
By 5:30 I was back at the hotel. Hot shower finally - unfortunately white towels became grey. I ate at my usual steak/chicken sandwich place.
Effrey told me he does 50 trips a year. As the trail is closed for the month of February, I thought perhaps I had misunderstood his answer. But then he said that his next time out was Saturday morning. We got back to Cusco Thursday night.
Agua Calientes
Agua Calientes is an odd little town with railroad tracks running right through its middle. Restaurants and hostals line either side of the tracks but there are also winding side streets. It seems completely tourist-based, which is understandable as thousands of people visit Machu Picchu every week and pass through the town. Everything is very expensive.
Effrey managed to change my ticket to the 2pm train and directed me to a cheap internet cafe close by where I spent most of the next two hours. It started to pour again but I felt quite cosy wrapped in fleece, writing and sipping my first coffee in 4 days. I decided not to go to the hot springs but just to wait until I got back to the hotel to shower. Needless to say, I had a lot of space around me on the train as a result!
Inca Trail - Day Four
At 3am it started to rain and I lay inside my tent with fingers crossed. It lightened at 4 when we were woken and packed our things. I could see headlights dancing around like fireflies as everyone throughout the campground seemed to be in a hurry today. Indeed Effrey was. Today was the rush to the Sun Gate.
A quick piece of bread and jam and gulped cocoa tea and we dashed down to the line-up. The last check-point did not open until 5:30am. We were about 75 people back out of 200 with 20 minutes to wait. Effrey warned us that people might run up the side of us to get ahead and to keep to the mountain side - just to be sure, "the left side".
Promptly at 5:30, the gate opened and the line started to move. I guess all the rabbits were at the very front as we didn't seem to have any problem with passers. But we also set a pretty brisk pace.
About 30 minutes in, it started to pour. We pulled out our ponchos and kept moving. I had too many clothes on and kept waiting for Effrey to call a break so I could de-layer. But he didn't. I climbed the last steep 50 steps in fleece, swimming in sweat. Bad planning.
In the end, I think Effrey was more upset than anyone about the weather. We waited at the Sun Gate for about 20 minutes, waiting for the fog to lift but it held fast. Then we continued on to the next stop where one gets that famous "tourist above Machu Picchu" photo - same thing there. By now the rain had stopped but the fog refused to budge. We decided to descend into the ruins for the tour portion.
After being rather isolated for 3 days hiking the Trail, it felt a bit of a shock to flow into bus loads of clean tourists and other hikers. So much noise! On the other hand, flush toilets (for 1 sole).
Effrey ushered us around, trying to avoid the groups, but even by 9:00, we were bumping into other tourists while listening to him explain the different buildings. Many people now take the train up the night before and get up early.
Machu Picchu was mystical with the fog lifting, then cascading over the rocks. It is a huge place - I was grateful we had a guide explaining the important areas to us. Some people wandered about on their own with a map and seemed a little disoriented.
I won't go into any detail about the tour and exactly what we visited as Machu Picchu is easy to research. I will say that I was fascinated by the fact that the Incans built earthquake-resistant buildings without the use of mortar. It seemed to me that the Incans were very clever, always testing ways of doing things from growing different crops in the terraces of Moray to leaning their walls slightly to counter tremours. I wondered if they had more earthquakes then so they could test more quickly. Imagine waiting 20 years, or even a generation to see if your hypothesis worked!
After the tour, I said goodbye to the kids and rode the bus with Effrey to Agua Calientes to try to change my train ticket from 7pm to earlier. I was exhausted and it started to rain again, settling in for the day. Now the trek was over, I was anxious to get "home" to Cusco.
A quick piece of bread and jam and gulped cocoa tea and we dashed down to the line-up. The last check-point did not open until 5:30am. We were about 75 people back out of 200 with 20 minutes to wait. Effrey warned us that people might run up the side of us to get ahead and to keep to the mountain side - just to be sure, "the left side".
Promptly at 5:30, the gate opened and the line started to move. I guess all the rabbits were at the very front as we didn't seem to have any problem with passers. But we also set a pretty brisk pace.
About 30 minutes in, it started to pour. We pulled out our ponchos and kept moving. I had too many clothes on and kept waiting for Effrey to call a break so I could de-layer. But he didn't. I climbed the last steep 50 steps in fleece, swimming in sweat. Bad planning.
In the end, I think Effrey was more upset than anyone about the weather. We waited at the Sun Gate for about 20 minutes, waiting for the fog to lift but it held fast. Then we continued on to the next stop where one gets that famous "tourist above Machu Picchu" photo - same thing there. By now the rain had stopped but the fog refused to budge. We decided to descend into the ruins for the tour portion.After being rather isolated for 3 days hiking the Trail, it felt a bit of a shock to flow into bus loads of clean tourists and other hikers. So much noise! On the other hand, flush toilets (for 1 sole).
Effrey ushered us around, trying to avoid the groups, but even by 9:00, we were bumping into other tourists while listening to him explain the different buildings. Many people now take the train up the night before and get up early.
Machu Picchu was mystical with the fog lifting, then cascading over the rocks. It is a huge place - I was grateful we had a guide explaining the important areas to us. Some people wandered about on their own with a map and seemed a little disoriented. I won't go into any detail about the tour and exactly what we visited as Machu Picchu is easy to research. I will say that I was fascinated by the fact that the Incans built earthquake-resistant buildings without the use of mortar. It seemed to me that the Incans were very clever, always testing ways of doing things from growing different crops in the terraces of Moray to leaning their walls slightly to counter tremours. I wondered if they had more earthquakes then so they could test more quickly. Imagine waiting 20 years, or even a generation to see if your hypothesis worked!
After the tour, I said goodbye to the kids and rode the bus with Effrey to Agua Calientes to try to change my train ticket from 7pm to earlier. I was exhausted and it started to rain again, settling in for the day. Now the trek was over, I was anxious to get "home" to Cusco.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Inca Trail - Day Three
Effrey had us up at 5am as today was the "long" day. He became quite anxious when he saw another group heading out before us and urged us to hurry up a bit. My back is killing me today - TG for portable heating pads.
Heading out it was very very steep and Sophie and I were soon down to our usual coping methods - her with her iPod, me cursing silently outward but loudly inward. About 1 hour into the hike, we came to a ruin but it was 100 steps straight up to see it. I took a pass and continued on by myself while the group went up. The path changed to flat and downhill, the landscape from rocky mountain to cool forest. No one was around me at all, which was lovely and peaceful. And so I walked for about 30 minutes and then of course, the others caught up. Across the valley, we could see smoke. Effrey said it was farmers burning their fields to prepare for the rainy season. Then up along the side of the mountain we went, through several tunnels and along narrow paths with sheer drops on the side.
Lunch was on top - freezing cold even with my fleece on. Washroom was funny - in the middle of a field a portapotty on top of a hole in the ground. Door wouldn't close but view was lovely once you managed to balance.
Then after lunch came the stairway to hell - about one hour of steep and uneven stairs down to the next Inca ruin - no way to skip or rush so it was thud! thud! all the way down. The ruin was interesting and gave us a bit of a break before another hour of stairs down. Where the trees broke, we could see the larger ruins, small in the distance, of where we were headed for the last camp. They looked so small I wondered how we would ever get there.
It took about one hour to reach them and when we did, it felt like we had reached the end of the world. This was my favourite moment of the Trail. I remember sitting on one of the higher plateaus and dangling my legs over the edge and feeling very very happy.
Another 15 minutes we were in the last camp: 9 hours of hiking, including breaks. Camp was rowdy as all the groups got there eventually and there was beer and showers to be had. We kept clear though as we were to be up at 4am for the final hike to Machu Picchu. I found it a bit jarring to be in so much noise again and the sound of the train startled me.
That night after dinner, we said goodbye and thank you to the cooks and porters. They were to leave on the earliest train in the morning, taking a shortcut down the mountain with all the gear. Only two carried our duffle bags to Agua Calientes to leave them at a restaurant for us to pick up later. We put all our tips into one pile (150 soles each) and Effrey sorted all the tips out by seniority. Cook and assistant cook get most, then head porter, then a bunch of money to be divided among the others. We all had larger bills when 20s and 10s would have been best. Then he called everyone together and we stood rather awkwardly about when he asked us to say something and he would translate it for them. I said thanks to the two men who brought us cocoa tea every morning. Someone else generally thanked the cooks, others picked specific things like me, so I think we covered everyone. One of the porters moved forward and said he hoped we had had a pleasant journey. In order of hierachy, four of us - the three men in the group and I - handed the tips to the appropriate receiver and shook hands. Then we shook hands and said thank you to each person and the tipping ritual was done.
Heading out it was very very steep and Sophie and I were soon down to our usual coping methods - her with her iPod, me cursing silently outward but loudly inward. About 1 hour into the hike, we came to a ruin but it was 100 steps straight up to see it. I took a pass and continued on by myself while the group went up. The path changed to flat and downhill, the landscape from rocky mountain to cool forest. No one was around me at all, which was lovely and peaceful. And so I walked for about 30 minutes and then of course, the others caught up. Across the valley, we could see smoke. Effrey said it was farmers burning their fields to prepare for the rainy season. Then up along the side of the mountain we went, through several tunnels and along narrow paths with sheer drops on the side.
Lunch was on top - freezing cold even with my fleece on. Washroom was funny - in the middle of a field a portapotty on top of a hole in the ground. Door wouldn't close but view was lovely once you managed to balance.
Then after lunch came the stairway to hell - about one hour of steep and uneven stairs down to the next Inca ruin - no way to skip or rush so it was thud! thud! all the way down. The ruin was interesting and gave us a bit of a break before another hour of stairs down. Where the trees broke, we could see the larger ruins, small in the distance, of where we were headed for the last camp. They looked so small I wondered how we would ever get there.
It took about one hour to reach them and when we did, it felt like we had reached the end of the world. This was my favourite moment of the Trail. I remember sitting on one of the higher plateaus and dangling my legs over the edge and feeling very very happy. Another 15 minutes we were in the last camp: 9 hours of hiking, including breaks. Camp was rowdy as all the groups got there eventually and there was beer and showers to be had. We kept clear though as we were to be up at 4am for the final hike to Machu Picchu. I found it a bit jarring to be in so much noise again and the sound of the train startled me.
That night after dinner, we said goodbye and thank you to the cooks and porters. They were to leave on the earliest train in the morning, taking a shortcut down the mountain with all the gear. Only two carried our duffle bags to Agua Calientes to leave them at a restaurant for us to pick up later. We put all our tips into one pile (150 soles each) and Effrey sorted all the tips out by seniority. Cook and assistant cook get most, then head porter, then a bunch of money to be divided among the others. We all had larger bills when 20s and 10s would have been best. Then he called everyone together and we stood rather awkwardly about when he asked us to say something and he would translate it for them. I said thanks to the two men who brought us cocoa tea every morning. Someone else generally thanked the cooks, others picked specific things like me, so I think we covered everyone. One of the porters moved forward and said he hoped we had had a pleasant journey. In order of hierachy, four of us - the three men in the group and I - handed the tips to the appropriate receiver and shook hands. Then we shook hands and said thank you to each person and the tipping ritual was done.
Inca Trail - Day Two
Official wake-up was at 6am though I heard the porters rustling about, unzipping flaps and calling out quietly "Morning - cocoa tea or coffee, madam?" I opened the inner flap to find two men outside, one holding a tray of cups and the other a steaming canister of tea. Shortly thereafter, as I was packing up my clothes and gear, another brought a basin of warm water and a bar of soap for a quick wash.
For breakfast in the communal tent: bread, jam, quinoa porridge and pancakes filled with apple. Water was waiting outside for us to fill our water bottles. Within 45 minutes we were on our way. Our tents had been taken down while we were eating and were well on their way to the next campsite. I left camp in long pants, short-sleeved shirt, arm warmers, wool hat and fleece. Within the hour I was stripped down to shorts and shirt. It was 8 degrees when we left.
In my notes that night, I wrote: I am in camp right now so it is easy to feel rather kindly about today. It was brutal. Sophie and I ended up alone at the back. The going in the morning up Dead Woman's Pass (1200 metres - steps - up in 3 hours, I think) was so hard, we decided to pick out markers maybe 30-40 steps ahead and just get to that. We had to stop to catch our breath. Thankfully Effrey gave us the room to do so for the most part. My legs felt like jello when we stopped and concrete when we pushed on. I could recover my breath fast enough when we stopped but within 10 steps I was gasping again. Even an emergency sports gel didn`t help. Toward the end, at the high altitude, we were down to 10 steps and a break, 10 steps and a break. The rest of our group made it to the top and were waiting for us. I was having trouble breathing for the last 100 metres. Effrey came up and poured a liquid into my hands, got me to rub them together very quickly for heat and then hold my hands over my nose and breathe deeply. That really helped. I asked him later what that was - aguaflorida, for altitude sickness.
Reaching the top was glorious and for me, my second favourite memory of the trek. It took us 4 hours to reach the summit, including breaks. It wasn`t quite cold enough for fleece on the sheltered side but standing up in the open, I really was happy to have mine. Effrey showed us the glaciers in the distance and told us how much they had receeded just over 3 years. They provide most of the farmers' water so he was worried about how they would make out in the future.
Coming down the other side was a treat for me. After lagging at the back, I positively skipped down the stairs on the other side for 2 more hours, though I almost twisted my ankle a few times. 6 1/2 hours of hiking, including breaks.
The camp is next to a small river. Some of us soaked my feet in the cold water. Luxurious place, for there are toilets that flush and a place to sit, not squat. Beautiful views of the valley. By 4pm I had my wooly long johns and fleece on as it was quite cold. This is the campsite at the highest altitude so the coldest of the 3.
Effrey offered us hot water bottles (gatorade bottles filled with boiled water) - I took one as I had given my heat sticks to the 4 people who froze last night (the warmest night) and it was very cozy in my rented down-filled mummy sleeping bag - I had to take off most of my layers to sleep. Again cards, an amazing three course dinner and then off to bed at 7. I felt bad we had taken that long as the porters sleep in our dining tent and several were shivering outside.
For breakfast in the communal tent: bread, jam, quinoa porridge and pancakes filled with apple. Water was waiting outside for us to fill our water bottles. Within 45 minutes we were on our way. Our tents had been taken down while we were eating and were well on their way to the next campsite. I left camp in long pants, short-sleeved shirt, arm warmers, wool hat and fleece. Within the hour I was stripped down to shorts and shirt. It was 8 degrees when we left.
In my notes that night, I wrote: I am in camp right now so it is easy to feel rather kindly about today. It was brutal. Sophie and I ended up alone at the back. The going in the morning up Dead Woman's Pass (1200 metres - steps - up in 3 hours, I think) was so hard, we decided to pick out markers maybe 30-40 steps ahead and just get to that. We had to stop to catch our breath. Thankfully Effrey gave us the room to do so for the most part. My legs felt like jello when we stopped and concrete when we pushed on. I could recover my breath fast enough when we stopped but within 10 steps I was gasping again. Even an emergency sports gel didn`t help. Toward the end, at the high altitude, we were down to 10 steps and a break, 10 steps and a break. The rest of our group made it to the top and were waiting for us. I was having trouble breathing for the last 100 metres. Effrey came up and poured a liquid into my hands, got me to rub them together very quickly for heat and then hold my hands over my nose and breathe deeply. That really helped. I asked him later what that was - aguaflorida, for altitude sickness.
Reaching the top was glorious and for me, my second favourite memory of the trek. It took us 4 hours to reach the summit, including breaks. It wasn`t quite cold enough for fleece on the sheltered side but standing up in the open, I really was happy to have mine. Effrey showed us the glaciers in the distance and told us how much they had receeded just over 3 years. They provide most of the farmers' water so he was worried about how they would make out in the future.Coming down the other side was a treat for me. After lagging at the back, I positively skipped down the stairs on the other side for 2 more hours, though I almost twisted my ankle a few times. 6 1/2 hours of hiking, including breaks.
The camp is next to a small river. Some of us soaked my feet in the cold water. Luxurious place, for there are toilets that flush and a place to sit, not squat. Beautiful views of the valley. By 4pm I had my wooly long johns and fleece on as it was quite cold. This is the campsite at the highest altitude so the coldest of the 3.
Effrey offered us hot water bottles (gatorade bottles filled with boiled water) - I took one as I had given my heat sticks to the 4 people who froze last night (the warmest night) and it was very cozy in my rented down-filled mummy sleeping bag - I had to take off most of my layers to sleep. Again cards, an amazing three course dinner and then off to bed at 7. I felt bad we had taken that long as the porters sleep in our dining tent and several were shivering outside.
Inca Trail - Day One
I woke at 4:30 with a thousand butterflies inside. Thank God for hot water. As I dressed, I could hear the chirping of phones all around waking others up.
Last night I spent an hour packing and unpacking, weighing and rearranging. Finally my porter bag came in at 5.9kg and my backpack, I think, at the same, even with half the trail mix out! The hotel gave me an id tag for my suitcase so I could claim it later and I left it in the room.
At 6am a van came by to pick me up and inside there were a bunch of kids. We looked at each other a bit dubiously. These were the people I was to spend the next 4 days with? I found out they had been travelling together for the last 2 weeks, which made me feel a bit more doubtful. But then I thought well, could be worse, and I came here to see the Andes, not make new friends.
The van drove on for 1 and a half hours to Ollantaytambo where we could use the bathroom in a small hostal, buy walking sticks, rain ponchos, hats, cocoa leaves, etc. We were swarmed as soon as we got out of the van. Around us, porters were gathering to bundle trekkers` equipment and bags. Most of the porters, we heard later, come from rural communities around Cusco.
After another hour along a gravel road, we reached the start point, km82. There were many other people there - 200 hikers are allowed every day. One of the staff came to give us each that day's snack bag: banana, 2 candies and chocolate cookies. We took our obligatory Inca Trail sign group photo. At the checkpoint, the official had a massive list and carefully checked my name and passport number. Our guide also had a group ticket. He was anxious to put some distance between us and the other groups and off we shot over the bridge and onto the Trail. At first the going was not too bad, comparative to the Bruce Trail pace, and we hiked as a group.
The first break was about 1 1/2 hours in, if I remember correctly, next to someone´s home. The women of the area sold water, gatorade and juice. Porters from all the different companies stopped to break as well and drank chincilla, a home-made sort of grape juice. For day 1, we passed through communities who use the Trail as their sole source of traffic. We had to clear the way several times for men with donkeys laden with goods, even once a small pig bundled up on one.
Lunch was served sitting down in a group tent: maize soup for starters, then fish, rice, and green beans. My first squat toilet. I took a photo, of course. Some manuvuering (sp?) required.
After lunch it became quite hot and I started to fade. Effrey the guide was sweeping right behind me, which I hated. I started to realize that his breaks were scheduled like Lucinda's on the Bike Rally - there was always a big hill after! The last break amused me - a window ledge with the usual gatorade, water and juice but with a sign: "Credit card accepted". A final 10 minute push to the campsite and we were done for the day at 3:30pm.
Today was my bad luck day: 1) I lost my treasured Montreal cap that someone gave me when I was nervous the first year I did the BR. 2) I lost the tips on my hiking poles, rendering them almost useless and forbidden on the Inca Trail rulebook. 3) I started to question my ability to complete the Trek and cursed myself for not training harder (that part didn`t last long as I managed to persuade myself it was not me but the fact I was trying to keep up to 22 year olds!) 4) I fell off my camp stool and scraped my hand.
Effrey was most concerned when I told him I had lost my hat and found a local woman to sell me the ugliest Inca Trail hat anyone has ever seen. (It came in handy later tho) The sun is incredibly strong in the Andes - I had sunscreen on and still got red. The bugs were also bad. I had pants on when we started and unzipped to shorts and got eaten alive.
Our campsite is a little away from the others. My little tent is right at the edge of the "cliff". I was glad I rented the optional thermarest as the default mat was very thin and worn.
At 5pm was tea: popcorn, crackers and jam and of course, cocoa tea. The group played "Shithead" which is a great game. I watched and wrote my notes, set up for the night.
At dinner we were formally introduced to the 2 cooks and 13 porters who would be taking care of us for the next 3 days. Imagine 16 people working to give 7 pleasure. Effrey then asked us to introduce ourselves in Spanish and say where we were from.
Effrey then told us yet again how difficult day 2 was - the others didn`t seem bothered but I was a little freaked out as I had found that first day (the "easy" day) a bit tougher than I had anticipated. Off to bed by 7:30pm - for the star-lovers, there were thousands in the sky. It was completely black by 6.
Last night I spent an hour packing and unpacking, weighing and rearranging. Finally my porter bag came in at 5.9kg and my backpack, I think, at the same, even with half the trail mix out! The hotel gave me an id tag for my suitcase so I could claim it later and I left it in the room.
At 6am a van came by to pick me up and inside there were a bunch of kids. We looked at each other a bit dubiously. These were the people I was to spend the next 4 days with? I found out they had been travelling together for the last 2 weeks, which made me feel a bit more doubtful. But then I thought well, could be worse, and I came here to see the Andes, not make new friends.
The van drove on for 1 and a half hours to Ollantaytambo where we could use the bathroom in a small hostal, buy walking sticks, rain ponchos, hats, cocoa leaves, etc. We were swarmed as soon as we got out of the van. Around us, porters were gathering to bundle trekkers` equipment and bags. Most of the porters, we heard later, come from rural communities around Cusco.
After another hour along a gravel road, we reached the start point, km82. There were many other people there - 200 hikers are allowed every day. One of the staff came to give us each that day's snack bag: banana, 2 candies and chocolate cookies. We took our obligatory Inca Trail sign group photo. At the checkpoint, the official had a massive list and carefully checked my name and passport number. Our guide also had a group ticket. He was anxious to put some distance between us and the other groups and off we shot over the bridge and onto the Trail. At first the going was not too bad, comparative to the Bruce Trail pace, and we hiked as a group. The first break was about 1 1/2 hours in, if I remember correctly, next to someone´s home. The women of the area sold water, gatorade and juice. Porters from all the different companies stopped to break as well and drank chincilla, a home-made sort of grape juice. For day 1, we passed through communities who use the Trail as their sole source of traffic. We had to clear the way several times for men with donkeys laden with goods, even once a small pig bundled up on one.
Lunch was served sitting down in a group tent: maize soup for starters, then fish, rice, and green beans. My first squat toilet. I took a photo, of course. Some manuvuering (sp?) required.
After lunch it became quite hot and I started to fade. Effrey the guide was sweeping right behind me, which I hated. I started to realize that his breaks were scheduled like Lucinda's on the Bike Rally - there was always a big hill after! The last break amused me - a window ledge with the usual gatorade, water and juice but with a sign: "Credit card accepted". A final 10 minute push to the campsite and we were done for the day at 3:30pm.Today was my bad luck day: 1) I lost my treasured Montreal cap that someone gave me when I was nervous the first year I did the BR. 2) I lost the tips on my hiking poles, rendering them almost useless and forbidden on the Inca Trail rulebook. 3) I started to question my ability to complete the Trek and cursed myself for not training harder (that part didn`t last long as I managed to persuade myself it was not me but the fact I was trying to keep up to 22 year olds!) 4) I fell off my camp stool and scraped my hand.
Effrey was most concerned when I told him I had lost my hat and found a local woman to sell me the ugliest Inca Trail hat anyone has ever seen. (It came in handy later tho) The sun is incredibly strong in the Andes - I had sunscreen on and still got red. The bugs were also bad. I had pants on when we started and unzipped to shorts and got eaten alive.
Our campsite is a little away from the others. My little tent is right at the edge of the "cliff". I was glad I rented the optional thermarest as the default mat was very thin and worn.At 5pm was tea: popcorn, crackers and jam and of course, cocoa tea. The group played "Shithead" which is a great game. I watched and wrote my notes, set up for the night.
At dinner we were formally introduced to the 2 cooks and 13 porters who would be taking care of us for the next 3 days. Imagine 16 people working to give 7 pleasure. Effrey then asked us to introduce ourselves in Spanish and say where we were from.
Effrey then told us yet again how difficult day 2 was - the others didn`t seem bothered but I was a little freaked out as I had found that first day (the "easy" day) a bit tougher than I had anticipated. Off to bed by 7:30pm - for the star-lovers, there were thousands in the sky. It was completely black by 6.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
update
So right now I am in Agua Calientes, totally exhausted and ready for the 3 and a half hour train ride to Cusco where I´ll try to write more fully about the trek while it´s fresh in my mind. Aqua Calientes is a small town at the foot of Machu Picchu with the train tracks running right through the middle. Shops, restaurants and hostels line the tracks. Our guide pointed out an internet cafe close to the meeting place and I am feeling a bit more human (albeit filthy) after a hot coffee and a bit of catching up. Surprisingly I didn´t miss the internet at all.
I loved the trek. It was better than anything I could have imagined. The Andes are startlingly beautiful. The going was very very hard. At times, I was desperately gasping for air and my legs turned to concrete. It really did become a matter on mind over matter. Two people from the other group turned back on the first day. I was with 4 21 year olds and 2 24 year olds, and on day one, I tried to keep up and paid for it later. Once I talked myself into thinking with common sense, I walked a lot by myself, many times with no one in sight, and enjoyed it more. It rained today so we were unable to get the standard photo shot of us before descending into Machu Picchu as it was totally covered in dense fog. But for me, it was a climax regardless.
Apprently there was a strike in Cusco yesterday over the high cost of living here and some tourists became a little nervous as there were huge boulders placed in the road and a tree was chopped so it fell over right when a bus went by. Their cab driver took them down side roads to avoid the demonstrations. But it was only for 24 hours so trains, cabs and restaurants should be fully operational by the time I get back to the city.
I loved the trek. It was better than anything I could have imagined. The Andes are startlingly beautiful. The going was very very hard. At times, I was desperately gasping for air and my legs turned to concrete. It really did become a matter on mind over matter. Two people from the other group turned back on the first day. I was with 4 21 year olds and 2 24 year olds, and on day one, I tried to keep up and paid for it later. Once I talked myself into thinking with common sense, I walked a lot by myself, many times with no one in sight, and enjoyed it more. It rained today so we were unable to get the standard photo shot of us before descending into Machu Picchu as it was totally covered in dense fog. But for me, it was a climax regardless.
Apprently there was a strike in Cusco yesterday over the high cost of living here and some tourists became a little nervous as there were huge boulders placed in the road and a tree was chopped so it fell over right when a bus went by. Their cab driver took them down side roads to avoid the demonstrations. But it was only for 24 hours so trains, cabs and restaurants should be fully operational by the time I get back to the city.
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