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Picture Perfect Peru

By : Lisa Hagan
Trip Begins September 4, 2010
Trip Ends September 9, 2010

A traveler's journey along the path of the Incas, from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Although everyone prepares you for the physical aspect of the hike, no one prepares you for the visual treat that this Andean hike offers. The trail presents an ever changing landscape of misty mountain peaks, snowcapped glaciers, luminous glacial lakes, waterfalls and cloud forests, full of colorful orchids and delicate hummingbirds. The journey culminates at the lost city of Machu Picchu, nesting high on a mountain ridge.
See my photos : Inca Trail Tour

Want to go? Inca Trail

I went to: Peru, Cusco, Machu Picchu Ruins, Inca Trail Day 1: Huayllabamba, Inca Trail Day 2: Pacaymayo, Inca Trail Day 3: Phuyupatamarca, El MaPi
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September 4, 2010
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Colonial Cusco

Cusco, Peru

I suffer from wanderlust. Not just any type of wanderlust, but an acute form, otherwise known as “yuppie wanderlust.” What is yuppie wanderlust you may ask? Yuppie wanderlust is a desire to see the world, yet seeing the world while staying in luxury accommodations. A traveler suffering from this affliction never stays at a hotel with less than 4 fluffy pillows on the bed, wifi, an ipod docking station and, oh yes, an in-room coffee machine, complete with individual size packets of coffee from a certain seattle based chain.

As a gift, I offered to take my fifty plus year old mom to Peru to see Machu Picchu. This legendary sight has been on her (and my) list for years. I booked our plane tickets with great excitement and began plotting a trip that was up to my usual standards. I was in the process of finalizing our day trip to Machu Picchu when my mom called and stated she wanted to hike the Inca trail. Our conversation went something like:

Me, “mom, you can go hiking around Machu Picchu.”
Mom, “Lisa, I want to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.”
Me, (voice starting to quake at the thought of four days without a shower), “They have one day hikes along the trail.”
Mom (sounding annoyed) “Lisa, I want to HIKE the TRAIL to Machu Picchu.”
Me, “Mom, you do realize it is quite challenging?”
Mom (now clearly irritated) “Lisa, this is what I want to do! You told me that this is my trip. I want to HIKE THE INCA TRAIL.”
Me (meekly) “ok, I’ll see what I can find.”

After much research (and many reassuring conversations with the staff at Adventure Life), I hesitantly booked the 5 day/4 night September Inca trail hike for me and my mom. The summer passed quickly and before you knew it, the trip was here. We landed first in Lima, spent the night at the airport hotel and took off the next morning for Cusco.

Cusco is a colonial town with a population of roughly 400,000. Upon arrival, we spent a few hours exploring Cusco. The Plaza de Armas (a beautiful square in the center of town with a fountain and several churches) was a short walk from our hotel. Because of the altitude and jet lag, we spent a large part of the afternoon napping. The Adventure Life representative was scheduled to meet us in the hotel lobby at 7 p.m.

The Adventure Life representative arrived promptly and began going over the details of the hike. He said that it would just be me and my mom plus our entourage of “only” 5 porters, a chef and the guide for the next few days. He took out a map and showed us our campsites for each night and gave us some last minute pointers on what to pack. I must admit, when the representative told us that we'd be traveling with 5 porters, a guide and a CHEF, I perked up slightly. How impressive... The closest I've ever come to having my own chef is ordering an omelet to order at a hotel. And now, I was going to have my own personal one for 4 days...

It was hard to sleep that night. Although, I was extremely excited about seeing the Peruvian country side, Machu Picchu, and meeting my own personal chef, I was not excited about the idea of “roughing” it for a few days with my mom. Prior to this trip, I had never gone camping. My sleeping bag still had the price tag on it! Plus, I was a bit nervous about the food. I am an extremely picky eater and was told that the chef would be preparing a “local cuisine.” I envisioned a 4 day diet of exotic meats, such as guinea pig and alpaca.

September 5, 2010
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Inca Trail Challenging? Piece of Cake!!!

Inca Trail Day 1: Huayllabamba, Inca Trail

Day 1 of the hike finally arrived. It began pretty early. Not knowing what the next 4 days would be like, I took an extra long shower in the morning and ate a second helping of eggs at breakfast. I also made sure all my gadgets were fully charged. I may be going off to the wilderness, but hopefully I’ll stay connected!

Teddy, our guide, arrived promptly at the hotel to pick us up. Although the lobby was packed with other guides, Teddy was very easy to spot as he wearing an Adventure Life hat. Teddy said that the ride to kilometer 82 (9000 ft and start of the Inca trail) would take about 3 hours. I didn’t mind the long car ride. The scenery was beautiful. We sped along, enjoying panoramas of snowcapped peaks, farming valleys and lakes. We saw Peruvians (more specifically Quechuans) engaged in daily life- plowing the fields with their cows, commuting to work, talking to friends, etc. Along the way, we stopped in a small town to pick up our chef, Augusto. Teddy directed us to the back of a restaurant that had a “good bathroom.” In the back of the restaurant, there was a large hutch full of guinea pigs (aka dinner for some lucky Peruvian!). Poor guys I thought.

We arrived at kilometer 82 late morning. Our porters were waiting on us. I was a little surprised to see how scrawny and small they all looked. I had pictured them to a bit more strapping… after all, they were carrying my gear, my mom’s gear, all our food and the various camping supplies (tents, stove, sleeping mats, etc). As we were about to set out, Augusto handed us a bag of three different kinds of (yummy) snacks.

The journey began across a small bridge. On one side of the bridge is “civilization” and on the other, the trail. This is it, I thought to myself, taking a deep breath as I began to cross, once I begin the hike, I’m stuck in the Andean wilderness for 4 days- no phone, no shower, no internet and no coffee.. with my mother!

The Inca gods must have been somewhat sympathetic towards my plight, since the sun peaked out. The weather was perfect for hiking. The initial 5 minutes on the trail started out uphill but it quickly leveled out. As it turns out, Teddy was a naturalist. As he walked along, he spoke of the various types of floral and fauna. Time passed quickly as we walked (a few ups, followed by a few downs, but nothing too challenging) and talked. I was enjoying our discussions with Teddy so much I kept my ipod tucked away. After two hours, we passed the archeological ruins of Patallaqta. These ruins are flanked by lush green terraces and the snowy giants of the Andes. Truly a spectacular sight!

As we continued along, I was surprised at how busy the trail was. Besides other hikers and guides, it bustled with porters, indigenous town people, llamas, horse, donkeys and the occasional pig. We passed through several small towns where you could buy soft drinks, candy bars and even souvenirs from some enterprising Peruvians.

Although Teddy said we were walking pretty fast, I note our porters quickly passed us. I quickly changed my initial impression of these men. Shod only in sandals, they speed along the trail with the 50 pounds of equipment on their backs like it was nothing.

Sometime around 2pm, we arrived at clearing for lunch. The porters had set up a large tent which was divided into two sides: dining and kitchen. Augusto had changed into a chef’s uniform, complete with chef’s hat. A pleasant smell was wafting out the “kitchen” side of the ten. We waited in the dining side. The table was set, the napkins were folded into a fish type shape and there were condiments galore on the table. Lunch consisted of buttery bread, a hearty soup and a chicken vegetable rice dish. I hesitantly tried each dish. The food was EXCELLENT!

After such a great meal, I needed a nap, not a hike. Alas, Teddy would not let us take naps, so we had to keep moving. We left the porters and Augusto to dismantle the camp and continued along the trail. Once again, I thought we were walking along at a fairly good pace. Apparently not fast enough since our porters soon passed us, continuing on to our campsite.

We arrived at our campsite in Huayllabamba around 4:30. The porters had already set up two sleeping tents and once again the large dining/kitchen tent. My mom and I shared a tent. Our tent had two sleeping pads and was large enough for another person. Interestingly, our campsite had a bathroom. This bathroom was unlike any I’ve ever experienced in the USA. A small building with a hole in the ground. In addition, there was horse tied up to it. (Later I would discover this was one of the nicer bathrooms along the trail).

My mom and I rested before dinner. Our tent had a spectacular view of the Andes. We unzipped the door and stared as the evening mist began to fill in, shrouding the mountains. Roughly 30 minutes before dinner, one of the porters knocked on our tent. He had two containers of steaming hot water to wash up with. What service!

Dinner was very similar to lunch; more delicious bread, a vegetable soup and trout, lightly breaded, accompanied by mashed potatoes. Once again, Augusto had prepared a fantastic meal. After dinner, Teddy told us about the next day's hike. “Possibly the most strenuous – 4 hours up and then 2 hours down” he said. I thought perhaps Teddy was exaggerating. After all, the day one’s hike was pretty easy.

We finished dinner around 7. I quickly discovered your evening ends pretty early along the Inca trail. My mom and I retreated to our tent. She promptly fell asleep. I read for a bit but think I probably went to sleep around 8. My phone, which appeared to have service most of the day, mysterious lost its signal. It was not totally useless. When I woke up in the middle of the night (ie, 11pm) to use the restroom, I was able to use it as an extra flashlight to help shoo the horse away from the bathroom.

September 6, 2010
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Gasping for breath at Dead Woman's Pass

Inca Trail Day 2: Pacaymayo, Inca Trail

Just as your evening ends pretty early along the Inca trail, I quickly discovered your mornings begin even earlier. Our porters “knocked” on our tent around 6am. They had two coffee cups, hot water and an assortment of hot teas/coffee. Room service, Inca trail style!

Shortly after the porters brought the coffee, they once again brought warm water to wash up with. Breakfast consisted of a hearty breakfast of french toast, eggs and bacon. Augusto once again gave us an assortment of delicious snacks.

We quickly set out, eager to tackle “Dead Woman’s Pass”. Day 2 on the trail is unforgiving. Unlike the previous day, with rolling ups and down, Day 2 literally consists of hiking 4 hours uphill. As you hike uphill, you pass through different microclimates/vegatation zones. In the beginning, you pass waterfalls, see colorful orchids and mossy trees. As you continue to climb, you move to a drier, arid climate. The vegetation is brown; visibility is poor due to the clouds.

I found myself ahead of my mom and Teddy for the first two hours. The trail is very tough. As I walked along, I could not help but remind myself that I paid for this torture! Not only are you walking uphill, but you are forced to walk uphill over uneven steps. As you climb, you feel the air getting thinner. As you climb higher and higher, every step seems to leave you gasping for breath. There were some parts where even the porters appeared winded!

There were several large groups on the trail. I was very glad we were not with them. It seemed like the people in these larger groups were always either rushing to catch up with the group or waiting on the slower group members.

Since the hike was so physical, neither my mom nor I did much talking (more like panting) as we trudged along. There was no thought of putting my ipod on. Teddy chatted the entire climb up. Not only was he an excellent guide, but he was quite the comedian. He really had me convinced that there was a café at the top of Dead Woman’s Pass.

After 3 hours of hiking uphill, we could finally see Dead Woman’s Pass. It looked so close. Little did I know that the 80 or so steps we had to climb would take almost an hour. I’d fall into a routine. Take 8 steps, rest and pant. Take 8 more steps, rest and pant, have some water. After an eternity of torture (ok, really an hour just as Teddy predicted) we finally reached the top where we sat and savored the view of plunging ravines and snow capped peaks. Words can not describe the amazing view from Dead Woman’s Pass is!

We watched several people make the ascent. One of the larger groups appeared to be waiting on the last group member to arrive. As she arrived, huffing and puffing up the trail, they cheered… then began collecting their belongings, ready to head out. We felt sorry for the poor hiker. She barely got an opportunity to sip some water before heading down.

The downhill portion of our hike turned out to be challenging as well. The rocks were slippery and it was raining slightly. I was so happy that Teddy loaned me one of his walking poles. After roughly an hour and a half, we rolled into our our campsite. Our porters and Augusto welcomed us with a cheer. Lunch was soup and some type of delicious chicken dish. Since we had arrived at camp around 2:30, we had long afternoon to nap and recover.

While my mom slept, I read. Despite the fact that I was now nearing the end of Day 2 without a shower, without internet/phone service, and had consumed my last coke that I paid a record price of 5 soles for, I did not care. I felt good. I had climbed Dead Woman’s Pass!

Shortly before dinner, the porters dropped off more warm water. I washed up, ate another fantastic dinner (how Augusto did it, I don't know) and promptly went to sleep. Day 3 promised to be a enchanting trek through the cloud forest, but also a long day of "gentle" according to Teddy (ha, we'll see) ups and downs.

September 7, 2010
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A Walk Through the Clouds

Inca Trail Day 3: Phuyupatamarca, Inca Trail

Once again, we woke with our porters, Jaime and Fortunada, “knocking” on our tent and offering steaming hot coffee/tea. Breakfast consisted of delicious cheese and veggie omelets and sausage. (I kept thinking of how careful our porters had to be to hike the trail and not break any of the eggs that they must have carried!) We started the hike around 7am.

Day 3 started off extremely sunny. Day 3 consisted of several “ups” followed by several “downs.” All and all, we were scheduled to trek roughly 7 hours.

Unlike the other days, where the trail curved left and right, the trail initially started off pretty straight. We could see our first destination from camp. About an hour up, we passed the Incan ruin of Runkuraqay. Unlike the other ruins we saw from afar, this ruin we could actually go in and explore. After a brief pause and a few pictures (photography- another hidden talent of our great guide Teddy!) we continued on.

As we continued on and up, it was clear we had entered into another one of the microclimates Teddy had talked about. The vegetation went from being green to being brown and barren. We walked past a small lake. The water looked black due to the reflection from the cloudy sky. It grew colder and began to rain. We finally made it up to the top and looked down. The entire area was shrouded in clouds. I was apparently why day 3 was described as “a walk through the cloud forest.”

As soon as we began our decent down, the rain stopped. The trail once again twisted and turned. My mom had a hard time with the down portion of the hike. Occassionally, I'd look over to see Teddy, holding her hand, helping her along.

The landscape varied more than then prior two days. Pea-green moss hung from trees and tree ferns sprout from cracks. We’d see large and small hummingbirds buzzing about, colorful butterflies and orchids of every color (over 250 species along the trail!). Waterfalls were very common. Every so often, you’d see ancient Inca ruins peaking out through the mist. Even though the ruins had been discovered long along, I could not help but feel like I had discovered them. It was pretty amazing to think that we were out in the Andes, miles from civilization looking at these spectacular archaelogical sites.

We had lunch around 1pm; I was surprised how quickly the day (and my time on the trail) was passing. Lunch was superb as usual. And as usual, the porters remained behind to dismantle the lunch tents and then quickly passed us.

In addition to the ruins, we passed through two tunnels along the trail. We arrived at camp late in the afternoon. Camp was huge, and slightly civilized, boasting real toilets, a bar and showers!

Although Teddy told me that I'd be able to get cell/internet service at camp, I didn't even check! I did however pay 10 soles (5 for shower, 5 for towel rent) and took what can be described as one of the best showers of my life. (ok, maybe not, the best, but the water was warm!)

For our final night of camping, we had a small celebration for Augusto and our porters. These guys are truly amazing. One of our porters, Fortunada, was 55 years old. He was in better shape than most 18 years old and always had a smile on his face when ever I saw him.

Following our final dinner, everyone went to bed in high spirits. Machu Picchu was only a two hour hike away!

September 8, 2010
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At last, we arrive at the lost city of Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu Ruins, Peru

Teddy had asked us what time we wanted to leave for Machu Picchu. I guess we were the only group that didn’t want to arrive at Machu Picchu at sunrise. The porters woke us around 7. We left after our hearty meal of pancakes, saying our final goodbyes to our porters.

As we passed through the morning checkpoint, Teddy had to search for the guard. Apparently we were the last group to pass through and he had gone back to sleep hours ago. Although the trail was never packed, it was exciting to imagine that we were the only 3 people on this part of the trail.

Our hike was roughly 3 hours downhill along steep slippery stone steps. There was one final “up” before reaching the ruins of Machu Picchu. This “up” was so steep, we had to go up it on our hands and knees!

We reached Intipunku (the Sun Gate) (and entrance!!) shortly before noon. With the sunlight glinting off the surrounding mountain peaks, the our first glimpse of the mystical ruins of Machu Picchu did not disappoint. The ruins of Machu Picchu stretched out before us like a fairytale. You forget cell phones, internet, ipods and gadgets... time stands still in lost city of Machu Picchu.

I can attest. The view gets better and better with each step (and I think I took a photo from each step). You don't realize how huge it is until you actually begin exploring it. Teddy did an excellent job leading us through Machu Picchu's many beautiful stone terrances, fountains, alters and chambers.

After a few hours of exploring, we were ready take the bus down the switchback road to the town of Aguas Calientes. Teddy was with us to the end, making sure that we checked into our hotel (El Mapi) without any problems.

Teddy was an excellent guide. We couldn't have asked for anyone better. After spending so many days together, we were sad to see him go.

El Mapi was an excellent hotel. Very hip yet environmentally friendly. After 4 days of "roughing it", it was great to have the luxuries of civilization- wi-fi, flat screen tvs, cozy beds and fluffy pillows. All guests get a complimentary pisco sour. I highly recommend a few of these after the hike!

The town of Aguas Calientes is an interesting mix of old and new. It was extremely easy to explore. Our hotel was within walking distance to the bus station (which takes you up to Machu Picchu) and the train station (with takes you back to Ollantaytambo). I was amused to see several Peruvian hairless dogs. These dogs appeared to be strays yet someone had dressed them in a sweater to stay warm.

September 9, 2010
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Getting Lost in the Lost City

Cusco, Peru

Our final day... It was hard to believe that we had only been gone a few days. It seemed we were gone for months. My mom and I return to Machu Picchu in the morning. We wandered around, losing ourselves in this mystical site.

Further adding to the “authenticity” of the ruins are llamas. They look so beautiful, grazing against the backdrop of ancient stone terraces and buildings. I had the bright idea of trying to pet one and discovered, yes, llamas do SPIT!

After taking a few final photos, we left Machu Picchu for the train station. (I must add, Adventure Life thinks of everything- our luggage was delivered from the hotel to the train station so we didn't have to carry it around with us during the day or worry about going back to the hotel to collect it).

We took Peru Rail's vistaclass train back. The train has windows on the ceiling. As you travel along, you can relax and look out the windows, admiring for one last time, the rugged Andean wilderness.

We were promptly picked up at the train station by two Adventure Life representatives to travel the final leg of our journey back to Cusco.

I could not help but reflect as we sped along, what a great time I had. Our trip with Adventure Life did not disappoint in the slightest. Everything was top notch and up to my tough standards. Yes, I had to rough it in the wilderness and go without a shower and modern luxuries. But, would I do it again??? ABSOLUTELY!!!! Our trip was the perfect combination of history, adventure, picture perfect vistas and yes, extraordinary local cuisine.

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