Egg Burp and the Moon

Pictures-

Inca Trail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianandkim/collections/72157602727400407/)

a good case of the plague leg (more than 100 bites!!!)

The mountains were steep, and the packs were heavy, (earning us the nicknames of ´gringo porters´), and the giardia was fierce (photo of Brians children ), but we survived the inca trail! The Camino Inca has been the highlight of our trip to date.

Monday the 22nd dawned early--earlier for Brian who woke up around 3am with horrible stomach cramps, egg burps,  and an inverted intestinal track.  Yes, we had our first nasty GI bug on board--just in time for the big hike.  Timing is everything, eh?  We think it was a night of drinking with some dirty ice cubes the night before our trip that did it.  The best part of it was that we had already stored our things for the trail including the Flagyl.

Somehow we made it to the trailhead without any emergency side of the road stops, and headed straight for the pharmacy where we loaded up on toilet paper and antibiotics.  We're thanking the powers that be for not needing a perscription for drugs here.  Ro, our guide was great, taking it easy on us the first day.  We hiked with a couple of Irish guys, Paul and TJ, and a couple of Brazilians, Igor and Fernando.  Brian and I were the only two of the group who carried our own gear, the rest hired porters (like any smart person would do. . .)  The porters are amazing, they range in age from 14 to their 50s. They basically strap rice bags full of gear to their backs (new regs limit weight to 25 kg each), and rush ahead to each stopping point to set up the tent and start cooking our next meal, or set up camp.  These guys, (like we're sure Tony would),  do the entire trail in sandals at a half run.

This was the most cush backpacking we have ever done. Meals were at least three-course, eaten at a table, and hot. Along the trail live about 100 or so people, and they sell drinks and snacks along the way. We saw tons of animals--cows, burros, llamas, chickens, pigs, red-headed parrots, andean hummingbirds, and lots of puppies!

The first day of the trail was gorgeous, and we caught our first glimpse of some Inca Ruins just before lunch. Quorihuayrachina was an Incan storehouse along the trail (see pics day 1). They were large and impressive, although we didn't hike down to them. We all made it to the first campsite, Wayllabamba, under our own power unlike one of the poor porters who had to be carried out on a stretcher after a falling rock put a big dent in his head. As if the altitude and a day of carrying heavy packs weren´t enough of a challenge, the porters settled in for a nice game of soccer as soon as we arrived. Igor, Fernando, and TJ joined in. Brian and I sucked air from the sidelines. We were saving our legs for the dreaded day 2, and Dead Woman´s Pass.

Day two dawned cold and partly cloudy after having rained pretty much all night long. We were woken up at 6am with a hot glass of tea delivered to our tent door, and a nice bin of water with soap to wash up with--like we said, if we weren´t actually carrying our gear, we couldn´t technically call this backpacking!

After our fabulous breakfast, it was time to brave the Machu Pichu trench toilets. For those of you who haven´t experienced the absolute joy of a trench toilet used by no fewer than 500 people before you, you really haven´t lived. Apparently squatting and aiming for a big hole in the ground is a lot harder than it would seem because there was crap everywhere!! As Paul so eloquently described it, ´fecal impressionism.´ The other great thing about South America is that the plumbing systems are very delicate. If you put the paper in the pot, it will clog and overflow. Try breaking yourself of that habit!! Instead of into the pot, you throw the paper (yup, even the brown stuff), into a basket next to the toilet to fester. I finally understand the reasoning behind scented TP.

The second day of the Inca Trail is said to be the most challenging because you hike straight up over Warmiwanusca, or Dead Woman´s Pass, the highest on the trail at 4200 meters. We were grateful for the cloud cover and the cool drizzle, because that climb was hard work! We didn´t do too badly though because we caught up with our porters who encouraged us to rest more and take it easy. By the time we got to the lunch spot, they hadn´t even set the tent up yet.

Igor woke up feeling bad, and tachycardic (fast heartbeat), so he decided to abort the trek and meet us at Machu Pichu in 3 days instead of risking a heart condition on the trail. I was just happy that even with the pack, I wasn´t getting left behind by my long-legged trekking companions (thank you giardia). We all reached the summit just as a wet cold front was blowing in, and damn was it cold!! It was so cold that I opted for dirty socks on my hands as mittens when I couldn´t find mine in the pack right away. The trail was shaping up to be easier than Colca Canyon, and the scenery and ruins were unbeatable!

Day three started with a clear view of a breathtaking valley with the near-full moon setting. After breakfast, curiosity got the best of us, and we decided to weigh our bags along with the porters in the morning. Brian´s weighed in at 18kg, and mine at 14.5kg!!! Those are heavy packs, and aside from 3 liters of water each, I´m not sure what the hell else we were carrying. The porters were all very impressed, and we became known as the gringo porters.

As we started hiking, though, the clouds rolled in, and then out again. Runkuracay was our first ruin of the day, a circular guard station. We were now walking on the original Camino Inca, built over 500 years ago. Just before lunch we stopped at Sayaqmarca, another ruin originally used for both religious purposes and storage along the trail. You can see their piped water channels in the pictures, and how the form of the construction mimics the surroundng mountain scenery. Amazing! Also note how the walls tilt in, and all of the windows and doors are trapezoidal. These features give the Inca construction anti-seismic properties--hey it is still standing after 500 years. . . From Sayaqmarca, Brian broke the land speed record running to the bathroom at the lunch stop. Nicely done.

During lunch, a gentle rain started to fall, got heavier, and then let up a little. By the time lunch was over it looked like the coast was clear, so we hit the trail again. About 30 seconds into the walk, it started to hail. At least we got to use our new ponchos! We walked the rest of the afternoon as ´little red riding hood´ (brian), and ´batman´ (kim). Unfortunately, the views were obscured by heavy fog, but at least we could see the trail, and we didn´t get a sunburn.

From the final ruin on the third day of the trail, Phuyupatamarca, (a religious center, again note the shape of the construction mirroring the landscape) we caught our first glimpses of Machu Pichu Mountain, and some Inca terracing during breaks in the fog. We cruised into the third and final campsite on a mission to eat and get warm, unfortunately this meant overlooking the most spectacular ruin along the Inca Trail, Winay Wayna. We thought that the tent-door service, and ladies selling water and gatorade along the way were extravagant, but we weren´t prepared for the setup at the third campsite. It is equipped with a full-on discoteque and bar!! Deluxe! We opted out of the dancing for fear that our 3-day trail stench would knock the whole room down, but we did belly up to the bar for a round of beers.

While at the bar, we learned about the Winay Wayna ruins, ´just 5 minutes walk behind the bar,´ so we decided to check them out. By far these were the most incredible ruins along the trail, maybe because we only saw them by the full-moon light, and maybe because we were the only ones there. They had terraced the entire side of a mountain all the way down to the Urubamba river. It was breathtaking. Fernando was there with us, and as a history buff, he gave us a good lesson about the site. We wish we had pictures, but I´m not sure that it would´ve done these justice.

Our fourth and final day on the trail started at 0400.  We had a

classic case of the ´hurry up and wait´ since the gate to get back

onto the Inca Trail didn´t officially open until 0530.  We cruised up

some more steep steps, over sheer cliffs to our right, and finally

arrived at the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) for a beautiful view of . . .fog.

We caught a few glimpses of Machu Pichu as the fog began to lift, but

it always descended again just before we had a full view.  It was

quite impressive nevertheless.  We can understand why the Incas

decided to put Machu Pichu on this mountain. Adjacent to Machu Pichu is another mountain called Huyana Picchu. The

ruins on Huyana Pichu were probably used for religious purposes, but

they also grew crops up there.  After 4 days of trekking, we decided,

what the hell, let´s climb another 750 meters straight up a trail that

warns not to do it if you are at all uncomfortable with heights.  Only

a few people die by falling from the trail each year, so what were the

chances, really. . .  I did parts of the trail on my hands and knees,

but it was worth every inch of the crawl!

In our opinion, Huyana Pichu was the best part about Machu Pichu.  The crowds were thinner, and so was the air. The views were stunning, and so were the

drop-offs!  The Incas were either part monkey and part mountain goat,

or had a serious death wish!  Narrow staircases (without railings)

clinging to the side of the mountain with nothing but 9000 feet of air

separating you from where you stood and the Rio Urubamba.  Again, the

pictures don´t do it justice, but we tried. Machu Pichu was built in about 10-15 years, and had between 1000-1500

permanent residents.  It had both religious and domestic function, and

for those lucky Inca men, the male to female ratio was about 1:10!

The ruins include extensive crop terracing, a section for temples and

religious happenings, and a civilian sector.  Because the Incas didn´t

have a system of money, they got creative about taxing their citizens.

Each person had to ´donate´ 2 months of the year working for the

government.  Not slavery exactly, just paying your dues.

The one thing that Machu Pichu still has no shortage of are biting insects and

llamas.  We never got very close to the llamas (not for lack of

trying, but our timing was just off), but the bugs were another story.

Brian was wearing shorts and had a good case of the plague leg (more

than 100 bites!!!) by the time we left.  All in all, the ruins were

amazing, and having said that, we´ll let the pictures speak for

themselves.