The Hills Are Alive

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As you are aware by now, I haven´t been able to shut my mouth about the Inca Trail since I decided to travel through SA. I know that some of you have contemplated getting a welder in to weld my chops together in an effort to calm my constant reminders. In these past few days I have walked for over thirty kilometers in pursuit of a dream that I have had ever since I became passionate about travelling. I have braved the elements, learnt a lot about Peru and its past and made friends along the way. It has been a challenge to say the least, and the Inca Trail is not for the faint hearted nor for the traveler who needs her creature comforts. It is the only way to reach Machu Picchu. Of course, you can go directly to the site itself but the walk is spectacular and essential in understanding what the citadel symbolises, both then and now.

The first day just as we were about to start the Inca Trail
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I was picked up from my hostel at six a.m. and taken to kilometer 82, from where you start the Inca Trail. There I met Maria, our guide, Giorgina and Anna Laura, two Argentinians who were to be my walking companions and three portadores, Olger, Juan and Exaltation. We had lunch and began our walk as quickly as possible because Maria had predicted rain in the afternoon. Maria has a curious but exact method of predicting the weather, as do all the guides. You know if it will rain because the frogs sing. That they did for the duration of the walk, in fact their performance was more like a cacophony of kermits chattering all at once and at the same time. Olger had another method - he read what nature had in store by tossing a few coca leaves. They were both absolutely correct.

Where we were on the second day ! See footnote 1
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It was tough to get started but I soon got into the spirit of things. When I imagined the Inca Trail, I didn´t quite know what to expect. I certainly didn´t think that the descendants of the Incas continue to live along the Inca Trail and in the tiny villages scattered amongst the highest corners of the surrounding mountains. They are only accessible by foot, occasionally a horse or a mule can make it up there. Along the Inca Trail you pass families that keep some of the traditions of their ancestors. For example, their deceased are buried facing the sun because their belief in the Sun God is still alive albeit mixed with Catholic ideals. Most people who live in this area speak very limited Spanish and only really speak Quechwa, the language of the Incas. This is because of the remoteness of their dwellings and the fact that education in some places is simply not a possibility. Most of the portadores ( people who carry the tents and other essentials ) don´t speak Spanish because they come from these areas. They know the trail the best and zoom up and down like men possessed, carrying up to twenty five kilos. I admire them so much because it is hard work and the only option for making money that many of them have. Every year a marathon is held and the record for completing the Inca Trail is an incredible three hours and twenty seven minutes!

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They are also interesting because they can recount the mysteries and enigmas of the area. Olger speaks perfect Spanish and cooks amazing food ( including fantastic pasta !) and told us about his beliefs. He and many others there, believe strongly in the magic and the power of nature. The mountains for example, have spirits and are alive. Three animals are significant : the puma, the snake and the condor. The condor represents the world of the sky , and the future. The snake represents the underworld and the past and the puma is the present and the earth. If you kill one of these animals, it wounds the Pachamamma and you have to make an offering in return or you will receive bad luck. An offering includes maize, a llama , coca leaves and various other elements. Strange things also occur in this area. For example, in a camp that we stayed in on the second night, a tourist killed his girlfriend for no reason and now her spirit haunts the men that stay there. There are tunnels and passage ways that have not been explored in the area because they mysteriously lead to the bizarre death of the explorer. Those that have been able to recount what they found said that they have met people transporting goods and gold throughout the labyrinth of tunnels. Some believe that they lead to the Incan lost city in the jungle which is said to be protected by the Incas who escaped to the fourth dimension. By the way, we are currently in the third dimension. It´s a bit difficult to understand and some of it is hard to believe but the Inca Trail certainly has an energy and mystery to it that makes you realise how much we are at the mercy of nature.

Our camp site on the first day
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I can therefore understand the belief in  the Earth. Especially on the second day. The first day was dry enough and it only slightly rained in the afternoon. We awoke the next day to find ourselves being pelted by rain under the cover of our tents. I have to say that there is something quite magical about sleeping in a tent with the pitter patter of the rain gently teasing you to sleep. By the end of breakfast however, it stopped raining and we were happy to traipse through the mud on what was to be our hardest day. Five kilometers of walking up hill definitely takes its toll on your body. We climbed from about 2700 meters to 4200 meters. I had to stop every ten minutes to breath as the air is so thin up there. At the start, the walk was great because you follow a mountain river through a cloud forest. The mountains are so verdant and I understood why the people  here believe that they have a spirit. It was at this point that I realised that this road was walked by the Incas and I was smelling the same fresh smells that they were, staring at the same scenes that they had done and feeling the same emotions that they must have done. In a place where the natural world enters every corner of your being and clouds dance around unreachable peaks, it is difficult not to feel amazed by what you see.

The cloud forest
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On the second day, after scaling a mountain and descending down to the camp, my whole body felt exhausted and I barely managed the effort to eat the exquisite lunch that Olger had prepared. After lunch I zipped myself up in my sleeping bag and fell into a deep sleep for a few hours on the freezing cold ground. I have by the way, become quite at ease with sleeping on the ground. When I awoke and opened my tent, the whole camp was eerily enveloped by cloud. I had been sleeping in the clouds and let me tell you , it is freezing ! Maria told us some more stories about the beliefs and traditions of the Incas which became more relevant when we got to Machu Picchu and we went to bed early so that we could hit the road at 6 a.m. That whole night the clouds decided to empty every last drop of rain and they continued to pursue us the whole 17 kilometers that we walked that day.

Machu Picchu
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It was a lot easier than the day before as most of it was down hill and at this point, you are so tired that in my case, my body just walked without even thinking about it. Not that you do anyway, but I felt as though I was on autopilot and the fact that I hadn´t washed for two days was the last thing on my mind. I did become slightly irritated by the incessant rain as my water proof jacket turned out not to be that protective of the rain and my back pack was soaked through and all of my clothes reeked of sweat and damp. Any concept of attractiveness and feminity was thrown out the window. Incredibly, some girls were wearing make up ! ´what is wrong with you , you weirdos?´is what I wanted to ask them - smelling like we all did, did it really matter whether you wore make up or not ?!

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Anyway, on the third night, you have the option to take a shower and stay in a hostel on a camp site two hours away from Machu Picchu. I chose not to do either because I only had dirty, muddy, sweaty clothes to wear after my shower and one day is not going to make a difference. I also quite liked sleeping  in a tent so I didn´t see the point of sleeping in a bed when the ground seemed just as inviting given my state of exhaustion. Olger cooked up the best meal for our last night together and he made me a special pizza, spelling my name in cheese and olives. It wasn´t bad either considering his means of cooking. We thanked the porters and tipped them because they provided us with constant entertainment and carried the essentials. The rest of what remained of the night was spent playing Argentinan card games. We went to bed early for a 4 am rise to make it to Machu Picchu before the sweet smelling tourist arrived from the nearby town.

The trail
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The next day, I was absolutely exhausted and I noticed that my muscles hurt the most today. After breakfast we walked a further two hours to the Sun Gate. It was really tough at that time in the morning and after three days of walking. I really felt the strain. When you get to the Sun Gate you are confronted by the site of Machu Picchu. You see it in its entire splendor. Luckily the rains had ceased and the sun shone brightly, illuminating the place with a golden shimmer making everything seem mystical and surreal. I sat down on a rock to catch my breath and I still hadn´t quite realised what I was seeing. Possibly because my eye sight has deteriorated significantly in the past few months due to the fact that I stared at a computer from nine til five every day. I couldn´t really see it properly enough or appreciate it from the height that I was at.

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From the Sun Gate you descend to the site where you can see it in all its glory in the morning light. I was one of the first to arrive there and I sat on my own for a while just taking in what I was seeing. What I saw was not only one of the most beautiful places that could ever have existed but I also saw the fulfilment of my dream. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, I had arrived. I was overwhelmed with such a strong emotion of relief that I shed a few tears of joy, That is why this is the best way to reach Machu Picchu. The trail itself was used by the Incas and by pilgrims. When you reach the final stretch from the Sun Gate to Machu Picchu, you realise that you are feeling the elation and happiness that they must have felt. There is no comparison.

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Maria also gave us a guided tour of Machu Picchu, also explaining why it was important. At most, five hundred chosen people inhabited the citadel. These were mainly the nobility of the Incas, priests, virgins of the Sun, astrologers and engineers. The Incas were no fools. It´s position was calculated so that it was inaccessible except by foot from the Inca Trail. In fact, the site was never discovered by the Spanish. Along the way, there are several military check points. Machy Picchu is hidden high up and surrounded by huge mountains. At the foot of these peaks, the river Urubamba or the Sacred River encircles the area so that it forms a natural barrier. The security of the place indicates that it was extremely important for the Incas. It is a place of immense tranquility where astrologers gazed at the stars and where the Earth and the Sky were worshipped. It is an incredible feat of architecture and engineering. Water, for example, was funneled under ground to the top of the citadel where it flowed down to the river below, going through a process of purification. Water was very important to the Incas. Moreover, Incas used different methods of construction depending on the importance of the building. They sculpted rock to form perfectly dimensioned bricks that fitted together in such a way that they did not need cement. The least important buildings did not require sculpted rocks and you can see the difference here. Another beautifully symbolic part of the complex is the plantation of a tree in one of the plazas. This was done after the rediscovery of the site.  It was planted to show that even in abandon and ruin there is still hope and life.

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By this point I was starving, exhausted and aching all over. I left for Aguas Calientes, the nearest town where I was to take the train back to Cusco. I had a few hours to kill so I went to the market and had a delicious lunch for 3 Sols which in itself is great because the prices in the town are over inflated for the tourist. If you are there, go to the market and eat great food that normal Peruvians eat. After this, I rented a hilariously ridiculous leopard skin bikini ( you should have seen the others !) and made my way to the thermal baths. I cannot tell you how good it was to wallow in these medicinal waters, soaking away my pains and contemplating what I had seen whilst the tepid rain massaged my shoulders. This is definitely the way to finish off the Inca Trail.

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Thank you again to everyone who sponsored me. You accompanied me in my thoughts and motivated me when I thought I couldn´t carry on ( sorry if I am starting to sound like some spiritualist nut , but it`s true). I am really grateful and if you haven´t sponsored me yet and would like to, please do so as the website is still open - but not for long !

Footnote 1  : I appreciate that I look like a disgrace to womankind  in most of these photos. I am not photogenic at the best of times let alone after such a long time without a shower and suffering from acute exhaustion.

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Footnote 2 : ditto

Footnote 3 : ditto