Titanium toes attempts to trek the Inca Trail plus some travels either side

[bPeteb]

It rained all night and it killed me just a little bit more each time I woke up and heard it. I knew with absolute certainty that if it was still raining when we got that wake up tent shake that I would be heading for the shower/toilet block to sit in the dry until it stopped raining, or at least until it was light. I just couldn't see the point in walking all this way and then getting soaking wet, again, to maybe see some of Machu Picchu, one arm in front of myself.

When the gentle wake up tap came there was no rain. We poked our heads out of the tent and could see stars. The porters handed out our breakfast bags, we waved them all good bye, and headed off to the final check point.

I still don't understand why we needed to wake up so early, or why anyone does.

Our group left the campsite just after 4am, in the pitch dark, headlamps and torches on, for the walk to the check point. That walk took all of 15 minutes. Then we stood there for over an hour. It's all about being amongst the first groups to get through the check point so that you are amongst the first groups through Inti Punku, the Sun Gate.

Elias admitted to me afterwards that if it had been raining when the camp was being pulled down he’d been planning to take us all up to that same shower/toilet block that I was going to go shelter in instead of having us stand down at the checkpoint in the rain!

At dead on 05:30 the line started to move and we got the final stamp on our trail pass. Then for some reason the people leading our group thought we should jog the last few kilometres to the Sun Gate. I let 'em go and eventually we caught back up to them. The earlier groups didn't take too kindy to others going past them on the narrow path.

Up the monkey steps (near vertical, hands and feet) and then the Sun Gate is right in front of you. Straight through it is the view I though we wouldn't see.

 

[love_the_life]

You are looking pretty pleased and so you should be; it was a mammoth effort.

And there's the road from AC to MP just behind you I think. It was a doozy!

 

[bPeteb]

You are looking pretty pleased and so you should be; it was a mammoth effort.

And there's the road from AC to MP just behind you I think. It was a doozy!

Thank you. Not sure if this was before or after I had a bit of a teary moment. Yes, sure is the road, and at the top of it the Belmond. Oh to have just walked in from there

 

[bPeteb]

Was it worth it?

I stood there looking down on Machu Picchu and I teared up big time and even now I'm still affected by the experience. It was and will be the hardest thing that I ever physically do. I did do it though, and I'm still surprised that I did.

It was my mum's travel dream to visit MP but they didn't make it while they could still travel. She was with me every step of the way and looked right through my eyes down onto that amazing place.

Enough with the blubbering.

Once we'd all taken the obligatory shots from the Sun Gate - everyone is amazingly polite as we all mill around getting the shots we want - Elias walked us down the path a few metres to a little dead end where we sat and had our breakfast that had been bagged for us back in camp.







Looking back towards the Sun Gate



Then we started down the path to Macchu Pichu

 

[bPeteb]

Bromeliads clinging to the cliff beside the Sun Gate



The scenery around Machu Picchu was stunning

 

[bPeteb]

Some zoomed pictures of MP from up near the Sun Gate

 

[bPeteb]

There are a couple of other Inca ruins that you pass on the way down to MP







Our brilliant guide 'Dont be a hero' Elias.



It was amazing how many people we passed who were walking up to te Sun Gate and it was maybe 6.30 in the morning. They would have taken the first bus up from Aguas Calientes and then walked straight through MP without stopping.

 

[love_the_life]

Yes, I took the easy way; just walked in from the Belmond.

I expect the people you met walking up to the sun gate were there for the early photo then will spend the rest of the day exploring MP, so that's why they didn't stop on the way up.

 

[amaroo]

Congratulations! The photos really tell the story - great Job!

Yes, sure is the road, and at the top of it the Belmond. Oh to have just walked in from there

Yes, I took the easy way; just walked in from the Belmond.

Yes, the Belmond "fast track" was just perfect!

It was amazing how many people we passed who were walking up to te Sun Gate and it was maybe 6.30 in the morning. They would have taken the first bus up from Aguas Calientes and then walked straight through MP without stopping.

We were one of those walking up rather than down. The mood/scene we witnessed at the Sun Gate was very special ... I had an overwhelming feeling that I was intruding so didn't hang around long.

expect the people you met walking up to the sun gate were there for the early photo then will spend the rest of the day exploring MP, so that's why they didn't stop on the way up.

Agreed. We stayed for two nights and had tickets to enter MP for three days. We did the Sun Gate on the third morning, by then we had well and truly explored MP.

 

[bPeteb]

The misery (I know that sounds melodramatic but for me it really was) of the last two days was forgotten as soon as we walked on to the site. It was brilliant. If you are even remotely interested you need to visit Machu Picchu. You can't help but get drawn into the place the moment you are surrounded by it.



The very happy trekkers



Machu Picchu before it got a lot more crowded



The whole concept of building these terraces up this mountainside in a fault zone and that they are still there blows my mind



a slightly fisheye view of the terraces on what I'd describe as the 'far side' of the site



Elias gave us 30 minutes to get some pictures before the crowds really swamped the site and then we headed out through the gates so people could use the loos.

On the way down we bumped into the rest of our group - the Quarry Trekkers, and the couple who had turned back on day two. Only two of the four who had started the Quarry Trail finished it. The two who'd originally thought they'd booked the Inca Trail didn't go the distance. One pulled out after two hours, the second made it just past lunch! Neither had any real concept of what was involved in walking uphill, at a decent pace at high altitude with a pack on your back.

The two who did finish the trek loved every step of it. I'm still not tempted.

 

[bPeteb]

Yes, I took the easy way; just walked in from the Belmond.

I expect the people you met walking up to the sun gate were there for the early photo then will spend the rest of the day exploring MP, so that's why they didn't stop on the way up.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing l_t_l. I'll go into a bit more detail but we really didn't spend enough time there after spending all that time walking there

 

[bPeteb]

We joined the masses



and went back into Machu Picchu where Elias gave us a two hour guided tour. I won’t bore you with much detail about Machu Picchu.

We learned that here are 18 distinct qualities of stone work at the site





The more important the structure, the finer the stone work

 

[bPeteb]

That the original spring is still flowing and that the irrigation/water system is still carrying water through the site





That most people are very nice when it comes to giving you room to take the same photo that they have just taken/want to take



That alpacas/llamas apparently breed like rabbits and the herd will be thinned after this season’s babies are delivered

 

[love_the_life]

I see that the Bing homepage today features the Moray circles - very apt.

 

[bPeteb]

Pictures taken while we were on our guided tour

 

[bPeteb]

Once the tour was over we had until 3 to do what we wanted. At 3 we all had to meet down in town so that we could go as a group to the train. We planned to go back up to the top of the site and work our way down to the entrance That was until Al's knee went. Luckily we were somewhere we could sit so that's what we did for about half an hour.

I took a few more pictures before he decided he could get up.









When he got up it was sore but he could walk. We didn't want to risk it happening again so we slowly walked out to the bus. We were both exhausted but nevertheless we'd hoped to spend what time we had exploring

Our last glimpse of Machu Picchu from the bus on the way down to Aguas Calientes. Until next time...

 

[bPeteb]

I’d read that Aguas Calientes was a bit of a hole but we both thought exactly the opposite. It is in an amazing setting in a very steeply sided valley



with a stream running right through it



and best of all for us, because we love trains, a train line also running right through the centre



of the very colourful little town.

 

[bPeteb]

We coud have joined the group for lunch at the restarant we all had meet at later, but we really needed some alone time. We found a café on the main square



where we sat in the sun and finally breathed out. We were parched. I desperately wanted something cold and sweet and a large lemonade did the trick. Al chose beer. Al’s beer was quickly followed by another. I chose mojitos.



1pm, when the group was meeting for lunch, came and went. The sun was still shining on us, the beers and mojitos still tasted delicious. We finally had alpaca, on kebabs, and it was delicious too.



This little guy lived across from the cafe. He was having a geat time kicking a football around down inside what I guess was the courtyard of their family home then emerged with this umbrella



The Peruvian dog

 

[bPeteb]

Some more shots from aroung Aguas Calientes

 

[bPeteb]

We'd been pretty happy with the transportation so far but Intrepid stepped it up a notch with tickets on a Vistadome train back to Ollantaytambo. The price on the tickets was USD90! Like I have said we loved trains so this was a super treat for both of us.



The seats were pretty comfortable but only one chair of the two backing onto each other could recline



There was a meal and drinks service. A hot snack and water/soft drink/hot drink included, alcohol extra



We had a show where this creature got a couple of people up to dance. No explanation of what he was supposed to be. Pacha Papa maybe?



Then a fashion parade where the two staff who had been looking after the meal service donned the very, very expensive alpaca outfits. We stopped or quite a long time while all of this was going on.

One of the less expensive trains on the way to Aguas Calientes. It still looked pretty comfortable. Just no view out the roof.



We were met at the station by the bus to take us back to Cusco. I just wanted to sleep, as did most of us but Carlos needed to organise the following ’free’ day. Despite really wanting to visit the Inca ruins on the outskirts of the town, the thought of having to be up by 8am and then walk four hours back into town was not even worth asking me about.

Not surprisingly no-one decided to take Carlos up on the offer. We can do that next time we vist Cusco.

I have no idea what time we arrived back into Cusco because I slept from the moment he gave up on organisig the next day. No-one was interested in a meal. All us Inca Trekkers wanted to do was have a warm shower and to sleep. We emptied all of our wet and dirty clothes into some plastic bags and dropped them at reception to have them laundered.

The lamb hot water bottles were being delivered as we got back to the room.

It was four days never to be repeated.