Hola Amigos,
Am currently ensconsed in Cuzco, Peru...relaxing after completing my Lares Trek and Machu Picchu visit.
I met up with my fellow travellers at Los Girasoles Hotel in Lima, a posse of 14 including 5 Canadians, 3 Irish girls, 4 Latvians, and 1 one other Aussie from Melbourne.
Our flight with local airline "Taca" was an uneventful 90 minutes, but saved us a 20 hour bus journey over the Andean Mountains.
Arriving in Cuzco, at an altitude of 3400m above sea level really affected me though, and while walking around the city, catching the sites, I was decidedly woozy with light-headed-ness and breathing problems. Even climbing a set of stairs to a 2-nd floor restaurant overlooking the Plaza De Armas took the wind out of me.
Anyway, after spending the day wandering the 15th Century era city streets, laneways and markets, it was early to bed as we had an early start to out tour.
Ostensibly, my original plan was to trek the Inca Trail all the way to Machu Picchu, but only a certain number of permits are issued for each day, and despite putting in for one 3months in advance i missed out. My consolation was to book on another tour for 7 days, encompassing what´s called "The Lares Trek", a 2 and a 1/2 days, 35Kilometre trek through the Andes.
The first real day of travel is Day 3 of the tour (Day 1 - Lima, Day 2 - Cuzco). This took us through "The Sacred Valley", taking in local communities, markets, and important and impressive Incan ruins from the 15th Century, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. The 2nd site is known as the best surviving example of Incan urban planning and engineering, with steep terraces guarding the Incan Fortress, and one of the few places where the Spanish lost a major battle during their conquest.
Day 4 began the actual trek. An early start of 6am had us in a mini-bus to the beginning of a 2 and a 1/2 day hike through the steep terrain of the Andes. If I thought my altitude sickness affected me at 3400metres, well then taking in mountain passes at 4400m and 4500m, and camping on the 2nd night at 4200m certainly had me struggling. Existing fitness levels aside, trekking at this altitude can certainly take your breath away (in more ways than one).
Our trek took us through the Cuncani Valley and over the Cuncani Pass (4440m), around Sondor Mountain, past Huacahuasi Lake, over the Ipasayqocha Pass (4550m), and thought the Patachanka Valley. At each pass, we celebrated by making an offering of Coca Leaves to the Andean Gods. This land is home to the indigenous Quechuan people, direct descendants of those who fled to the mountains during the Spanish rule to avoid being enslaved into working the salt mines of the day, a certain early death. How they manage to live here, with so little, and in such harsh conditions, boggled our minds.
Each morning, we were up at the crack of dawn or before, generally about 5am. The sun rises very early here, and also sets very early. The 2nd morning, after camping in freezing conditions at 4200metres, I woke up with the ground completely frosted over, and icicles forming on our tents...bloody cold!
The scenery was phenomenal. Glacial covered mountain peaks, jagged ranges, ice-cold streams, and terrain that varied from grassy plains to rocky plateaus that reminded me in parts of the Scottish Highlands and the west coast of Ireland. Me being the photographic nut that I am, was in 7th heaven. I had just bough a brand new digital SLR too, and boy did it get a work out. Check out my facebook link for a sample.
Every where we went, we met up with members of the local Incan communities, including numerous cute little kiddies. Each one of us had little gifts to pass on to them, from pencils and sticker books, to candy, and in my case, little toy Koalas holding onto a boomerang. Kitschy I know, but the kids loved it!. Also, for the adults, we made offerings of coca leaves, which they thrive on and love, and could be bought at a local market for 1 soles (local currency - about 40cents) a bag.
At the end of each day, I was sorely feeling the affects of the altitude. My head felt like it was going to explode. It was all I could do to just clamber into my tent, get changed into my warmest clothes and try to doze off. Some of the local women from the surrounding communities would set up little blanket stalls with trinkets and rtugs and scarves, etc, as well as bottles of water, sports drinks and beer....not one of us took up the option of a beer, it was the last thing on our minds.
Along with out two guides, Abel and Carlos, we had an additional team of 6 porters and 2 cooks, and mules and llamas carrying our gear, and full credit must be given to the team that set up our campsite, cooked us breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
At the end of Day 6 we ended up, via bus to Ollantaytambo, and train to a town called Aguas Calientes (Spanish for Hot Waters), where a hot springs pool was located - just the thing at the end of a tough 35 Km trek. Pity they were kinda shit, and not that hot at all.
Aguas Calientes is also the jumping of point for an assault on Machu Picchu, the final stage on the Inca Trail. In our case it was an assualt by tour bus up to the entrance...not exactly how i pictured approaching Machu Picchu in the many, many dreams I have had about visiting this Ancient Wonder Of The World, but that´s how it was to be.
Up at 4.30am for a quick brekky before heading off, the day began shrouded in thick fog and mist....and it didn´t lift for the whole day. On arrival at the entrance gates at 7am, it turned out was pretty much my best photo opportunity for the whole day. Our guide Abel was full of promises that the cloud would life giving us a clear view of the ancient city of Machu Picchu and the overlooking mountains of Wayna Picchu, the iconic "money shot" that no doubt you have seen before. It wasn´t to be. After a 2 hour guided tour of the site, explaining the history and significance for the Incan Empire, we were left to our own devices. A trek up to the Guard House at the very top and a very patient wait while wave after wave of fog drifted across, above and below was almost completely in vain. Just when we were about to give up, suddenly the clouds did lift and gave a clear shot of the city and a partially obscured Wayna Picchu.
But despite the disappointment the cloudy day gave us, it was also spectacularly eerie to watch just how quickly and thoroughly the fog came in, and how all-encompassing it was. When it was at its thickest, it was as if Machu Picchu was not even there. Pea-soup winters days in Melbourne or Edinburgh or anywhere else had nothing on this display.
Nevertheless, I had been to Machu Picchu, one of the many dreams I´ve had since I started travelling 11 years ago. A day to remember.
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