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Other entries in Machupicchu

In the shadow of the Incas

Despite being a bit nervous and apprehensive about the 4 day hike , it turned out to be the most fun, exhilerating and well organised trip I have ever done!

Day one was a 4am start, and we were picked up from our hostel by a bus load full of sleeping porters and co-hikers. We quickly became acquainted with a lovely couple from Australia, Andy and Natasha, Alan, a Roscommon county hurler, and Jessie, an American Lawyer. We knew fairly quickly that our mini-group would be great craic, and we'd have someone to share the pain with! After a quick breakfast in a local village, we drove the rest of the way to KM82, our starting point. After some rearranging of our luggage into the porters bags, and filling up with water and snacks, we set off for the first camp site, about 9 hours walk away.

We did the tour with Llama Path, a sustainable company so they claim, and it was soon evident that they were a great choice. The 18 porters and 1 chef overtook us, all dressed in red, at almost a sprint during the first 20 mins, and after 5 hours walking, we arrived to a feast laid out in a large dining tent. They had hot water in bowls for us to wash up in, and small touches like serviettes and a table cloth - in the middle of nowhere!!! Lunch was amazing - 3 courses of delicous, imaginative food, and how they russled that up in a field is beyond me! 4 hours later, after about 14 kms of walking, plenty of talking and a lot of sweating, we arrived in camp site 1. Our tents were already set up, and we were presented with more hot water, a choice of hot drink and warm popcorn!!!!, something we'd learn to look forward to every evening! Dinner was also an impressive spread, finished off with desert. We didn't hang about in the dining tent, since it doubled up as the porters accommodation. We also needed an early night since we'd commence walking at 6.30 am the following day.

Day 2 was tough. It was the longest day of the tour and we'd cover 16kms over 2 peaks (one called Dead Womans Pass), a combined vertical climb of 1.5kms. Ouch. It was to take 11 hours, and on top of that all, it was lashing rain!!! Our spirits weren't dampened however, but we had to take things slow. The altitude made every step an effort, thank god we hired walking poles to help haul ourselves up every step. Finally, at about 5.30, we arrived in Campsite 2, cold, wet and hungry, but at the same time elated since we´d broken the back of the hike. We saw some gorgeous inca ruins along the way, in particular one at the top of a rocky peak. How they built so high up, I´ll never know.

Day 3 brought glorious sunshine, in stark contrast to the previous day. For the first time, we saw the valley in which we camped since it was misted out the previous evening. There were snowcapped mountains in the distance and a lush valley spread out below us. We had breakfast in the sun, and started walking at about 8am. This was a short day thankfully of about 4 or 5 hours. The scenery along the way was superb, and the fact that the camp site ahead had hot showers and a BAR, it helped us work throught the stiff legs and never ending hills! When we arrived in Campsite 3, we had the most well deserved beer EVER! Before dinner we took a detour to a really cool Inca Site which consisted of hundreds of terraces nestled in a huge green valley .... really really awesome. Oh I forgot to mention I went over on my ankle that day too, (I can hardly leave the house these days without twisting it) ... but thankfully it wasn´t serious enough that I´d have to get a porter to carry me! That evening in the dining tent (I always feel really posh when I say that), it was our last night with the porters, so they sang a few songs for us and we all had a bit of a dance. It was a bit strange, but fun all the same, and at the end, us girls had to go around and kiss all 18 of them and thank them for carrying everything. It´s hard to believe that before the regulations came in a few years back, the porters would often carry up to 45 kilos EACH up those mountains. Amazing. It´s 20 kilos each now, still a huge amount to haul 45kms up the mountains. I could hardly drag myself up at times.

So finally, the day of Machu Piccu arrived. We had to wake up at 3.45AM (I can now confirm that 4 o´c in the morning actually exists), and we made our way down to the checkpoint at around 5. From there, it was another 2 hours to the Sun Gate. Short distance but difficult with high steps, and a dodgy ankle. Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in and we were completely misted in and saw nothing of Machu Piccu from the Sun Gate, or even further down in the park itself. It wasn´t until about 10am when the mist burnt off and we were presented with the most amazing sight - that typical postcard image of the ruins shadowed by Winay Piccu. After all the fun we´d had the previous 3 days, it was just the icing on the cake. We had a tour from Celso (our crazy guide) for a couple of hours, and then Natasha and I took it easy and enjoyed the sunshine while the boys climbed Winay Piccu. It was very tough apparently, and difficult in the heat, but they made it and got some great shots from the top.

So i´ve rattled on enough at this stage, I´ll let you all get back to work (haha). Anyway, I´d thoroughly recommend the 4 day hike, although it was difficult at times, if you have a normal level of fitness (and walking poles) it should be no bother to you!! The oldest guy in our group was 59, he was slow, but he made it all the same. I think the key is to go at your own pace. I don´t think i´ve laughed so much in a long time either .... brilliant fun, and well worth the effort.

So all that´s left to do now is sleep, rest the legs, and enjoy what Christmas in Cusco has to offer!

Merry Christmas everyone and keep in touch!

Am x

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