Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail

Finally it was time for us to embark upon the famous Inca Trail and follow in the footsteps of the Incas (up and down 1000s of "bloody Inca steps" as our guide called them), towards the sacred citadel of Machu Picchu.  The trek took 4 days, hiking up and down through Andean mountain ranges, passing by many Icna archeological sites on the way, climbing to a high of 4200m on the 2nd day at Dead Woman's Pass and ending up at Machu Picchu and the gateway to the jungle.  Our guide, Isaac, was brilliant.  He was a descendant of the Incas - of pure Inca blood (adding to that authenticity) - and would explain to us all about Inca life, spirituality and the function of the various sites we saw.  He also named us all "Superhikers", which we undoubtedly were, always overtaking the other groups (it was also a great motivational booster when you'd been hiking up and up for hours with no apparent end in sight - "A-pa, superhikers!  One last push, such is the adventure!"). 

One thing that really surprised me was that me and Gemma were practically the only people hiking the trail who hadn't hired private porters to carry our stuff.  Each group on the trail has their own group of about 18 porters who are just amazing.  They run along the trail, carrying immense loads on their backs, often wearing only sandals as fotwear.  They carry tents, food, cooking and dining equipment for the whole group.  So that when you arrive weary at camp, they already have the dining tent set up, offer you a drink and soon comes a gourmet meal (we ate so well on the trek!).  So considering the porters carry all that gear already, it didn't seem anything for me and Gemma to carry out own kit.  We got quite a few bedazzled looks from other hikers we passed because we were carrying big backpacks and comments like: "don't you have porters for that?!"  But it became our personal goal to make it to the end carrying our own gear, and that we did, truely qualifying us as Superhikers i believe!

It was a tough trek, our days would start with a wake-up call at about 5:30 or 6 ish and we would be hiking or visiting Inca sites all day until sunset.  On the 4th day we had to get up extra early -at 4am! - to start hiking in the dark and reach the sun gate for a view of Machu Picchu at sunrise (before all the tourists start flocking in) - it was absolutely beautiful (and has recently been voted one of the 7 New Wonders of the World).  We sat and took in the marvellous sight of the whole complex, framed by the 2 famous peaks, for a while before venturing in the site itself.  Isaac took us on a guided tour of Machu Picchu for a couple of hours and then we had a couple of hours to mouch around ourselves and "relax" - or in the case of us Superhikers, we took the time to climb to the top of Wayna Picchu - the tall peak in the photo behind Machu Picchu - as if 4 days of hiking hadn't been enough.  It was a really steep climb up on already aching legs but it was well worth it for the addrenaline rush and the view from the top. 

Finally our trek ended in Aguas Calientes where chowed down a well deserved buffet lunch and shared a last few celebrationary beers with Isaac and the rest of our group before hopping on the train back towards Cusco.  All in all it was an amazing 4 days, tough, but i loved every second of it and Machu Picchu is without a doubt one of the "maravillas del mudo".  To celebrate having succesfully completed the trail and being survivours of Dead Woman's Pass, we met up with the others in our group back in Cusco for a few drinks, which turned into quite a few drinks and somehow (after being up at 4am that morning) we managed to stay awake and out dancing until 5:30 the following morning!  And so ended our Inca adventure!