Machu Picchu - Lost City of the Incas

Getting ready for the Inca Trail in the grounds of the school yard
see all photos »

Ok, finally we are at one of the highlights of my trip - the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu!! The night before we stayed at Ollantaytambo in some hostel, which really isn´t worth writing home about. The town itself has some pretty impressive ruins, and is the gateway to the Inca Trail. It seemed dusty and unkempt for such a tourist drawcard, and of course is full of hostels brimming with enthusiastic and excited hikers readying for their next four days.

The day of the Inca Trail dawned with perfect weather, and unfortunately my cold which had turned into a nasty cough. At altitude this is not a good thing, I must say. Nevertheless, I bit the bullet and told everyone it was just a little cough and set off for the school yard just outside Ollantaytambo where we were all kitted out. From Cusco we were asked to pack a daypack with only essential items, we could also include 7kg worth of clothes which porters would carry in light backpacks owned by the tour company. The school yard was full of vendors and hawkers trying to sell last minute things like water, snacks, sweets, walking sticks, ponchos, hats ... and the list goes on. Anyway fully geared up, as nervous as hell we set off for the hills above. I have to say nervous, because deepdown I knew I wasn´t well, and probably should have cancelled it. Some of the others in the group were also poorly, so I just figured I would take things easy. Hmmm!!

Machu Picchu - Lost City of the Incas

The group in front of the official beginning to the Inca Trail for Machu Picchu
see all photos »

The first day was exciting I suppose. It was uphill most of the way, with a few small downhill runs. When I say uphill, that means stairs. The Incans loved their stairs!! So the hike consists of sets of stairs, after sets of stairs, at the same time trying not to trip over big rocks sunk into narrow gravelly paths. You can´t look up for most of it, because you´re too busy trying not to trip. We had two guides with us, Carlos and Alberro. Carlos was very experienced on the Inca Trail and provided excellent commentary and encouragement the entire way. Alberro was fairly young, a guide in training, and usually stayed back with the stragglers (of course that was me!) Some of the group (Wolf, Paul and Nuala) managed the hikes seemingly with little effort. The others, to different extents struggled most of the way. Of course I was probably the worst, but not the slowest. It is a fair thing to say that I coughed up a lung on the Inca Trail. Horrible I know, but that´s just how it felt!! Each day my lungs were drawing less oxygen, but I didn´t say anything because I didn´t want to suffer the embarrassment of being taken back on a mule. I had a supply (5) of antibiotics which I started on the last day in Cusco, so I hoped that would provide me with some relief.

Some of the scenery along the Inca Trail. These photos hardly do it justice!
see all photos »

The second day is the worst on the trail, because it is mostly uphill. And when I say uphill, it means uphill. Its called "Dead Woman´s Pass", and yes I very nearly proved the legend. Holey moley it was difficult!! It ends at one of the highest points on the trail too, so you can imagine the feeling in my lungs as I reached the summit. They were screaming! I couldn´t eat, talk or do anything much. The only thing that got me up there was counting. One, two, three .... up to thirty. I could manage only thirty steps before stopping for a 1 or so minute breather. This was my strategy, so blanking everything possible out of my mind, I was able to just focus on the number 30, but that was it. Anyway enough of that, somehow I managed to stay upright and breathing over the 3 nights and days.

The group during the Inca Trail. This was actually taken at "Dead Woman's Pass".
see all photos »

The porters that carry all the luggage and food and camping equipment etc were simply amazing. They RUN up and down the hills and stairs carrying in excess of 25kg!! Can you believe that? I am in awe of those guys, and the story goes that there´s a porter´s race to the ruins where the fastest does it in 3 hours 40 minutes!!! So I also thought about that on my way, convincing myself that its doable in four days if someone can do it in three hours!!

The food and lodgings on the Trail were nothing short of fantastic, considering the conditions under which they were prepared. Three courses for each meal, with snacks provided in between. The chef even had one of those big hat things and perfectly starched whites! So we had soups, even steaks, stews and desserts for most meals. Cooked breakfasts which were pancakes and eggs, ham and fruit. As I said, amazing! I was in a tent by myself because my usual room-mate, Jeannette had opted for the ritzy motel ($700USD per night!) and the train ride. The tents were warm considering the conditions, but I was still feeling chilled most of the time.

More spectactular scenery during the Inca Trail
see all photos »

Anyway when the day of actually seeing the ruins of Machu Picchu finally arrived, I saw it though a pain haze. The last day was chaotic. You are woken at 3:00 for some weird reason (to see the sunrise presumably, and be first there before the bus hordes arrive). The last day trek is about 2 hours, and is mostly uphill, culminating in a stampede toward the Sun Gate. Just before you get to the Sun Gate tho, you have to ascend the last set of stairs. I cannot begin to tell you how hard these steps are. About 70 or so I think, but the angle is soooo steep!! Anyway somehow I made it through the gate, panting, coughing and sweating like a racehorse.

Some of the 10 gazillion sets of steps on the Inca Trail. Note the porters resting on the right hand side.
see all photos »

At about 6:00am on 20th April, I first saw the ruins of Machu Picchu. Even though I was by that time incredibly ill, it was still awesome! Walking through the Sun Gate I could not breathe, talk or do anything but sit on the stairs and somehow take it in. It takes another 50 minutes or so to walk from the Sun Gate to the ruins themselves and by that time the wealthy people from the posh hotel, together with bus-fulls from nearby Aguas Calientes had arrived in their flocks. So all that effort to get to the ruins early and experience the sancturary with quiet reflection was shattered by the hordes crawling all over it. By the time we arrived at the ruins themselves, I would estimate there were already many thousands there. Just on that, there are calls for the site to be closed to tourism by the year 2010. So it may all come to an end because it would seem that science and engineering cannot find a solution for the drainage problems without massive re-construction of the supporting foundations. Only 400 (excluding porters) are permitted on the Inca Trail per day, but there is an unlimited number allowed to walk all over (and often steal bits) the ruins themselves. Something is wrong with this picture if you ask me. It should have been managed a little better a little earlier so it didn't get out of hand.

Me on the Inca Trail, see I did it!! But if you look close I don't look so good eh?
see all photos »

After the usual group photos etc, it was time for a tour which Carlos took for about 2 or 3 hours, taking us around the ruins explaining many things as we wandered around. If you want to have a check of the history etc without me rambling any further, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_picchu . This provides a very good and factual commentary.

After the tour, I started to become really ill, so just lay down on the grass and dozed off for a bit. We caught the train back around 5:00 or so to Cusco, which is a very picturesque journey by the Urubamba River. Unfortunately I remember little of this, because by the time we arrived back to Cusco, I had to be helped off the bus. Fortunately they had called a doctor in advance and he was waiting in my hotel room. To cut a long story short, he diagnosed me with bronchial pneumonia and gave me 2 injections and a whole bunch of drugs. He said if I wasn´t better in 2 days I would have to be admitted to hospital! As luck would have it, we were leaving then and I started to recover, so escaped that terrible fate.

The Sun Gate ... almost there!!!!!!
see all photos »

Next stop the Colca Canyon and Arequipa!  Stay tuned for the pics everyone!!