Machu Picchu- an incredible end to an amazing journey (winter solstice) 6/24/11

Today is the Incan Sun Festival and we happen to be going to Machu Picchu- pretty cool! We were up by 330 (am that's right), packed, and ready to go. We ate breakfast and had to wait on the group to get in line. We got there at 4 and other groups were already waiting. The entrance that leads to Machu Picchu opens at 5 and everyone gets in line since there are hundreds of hikers that come through there each day. We weren’t far back but people were saving other people’s place- yes that’s right, we went back to elementary school. These kids were sooo freakin annoying. We were cold and tired, the kids next to us were screaming and playing game.

After an hour of hell they opened the gate and we got through pretty quickly. Andy took off pushing people out of the way. People yelled and called him names as he passed but he didn’t care. I, on the other hand, was not able to push guys out of the way. I tried passing one guy and when he realized what I was doing he put the block on me. Other people were coming up from behind trying to pass this group as well, they didn’t make it easy. At one point I jumped over tree stumps and the edge of a cliff to pass people. They were walking so slow!! Why not let people pass? One girl was hiking with her walking poles sticking out to the sides (not how you use them) taking up so much room, I jumped over them and ran past her. Another girl came up behind me and tried to pass the group too. I told her to go for it and they tried to block her. I finally got past the two large groups and almost ran the rest of the way. The hike was 2 hours to the Sun Gate in the dark, by myself, my light almost dead, Andy nowhere to be found.

We were told there were so really steep steps right before you reach the Sun Gate. As I reached the steps (it was pretty much a ladder not stairs) the first asshole that wouldn’t let me pass caught up to me and tried to pass me here. It didn’t work. I finally made it to Winay Wayna (the Sun Gate)! I was the 4^th person there and the view of Machu Picchu was amazing! The fog was hanging over Machu Picchu and the sun was getting ready to rise in 20 min. We sat, rested, and enjoyed the quiet before all the loud-ass American’s showed up (that’s right I’m talking shit about my own peeps!) The Incans were amazing how they built Machu Picchu. If we would have been there on the 21^st (the winter solstice) the sun would have rose exactly between two hills off in the distance. We saw it only 3 days later and it looked pretty close. After taking lots of pics we headed down the mountain for an hour to Machu Picchu at 2400m. We were told the Inca Trail was 28 miles, but that doesn’t include the distance up and down all the hills which makes up the who hike; so we don’t know how far we really hiked over that last 4 days. Antonio gave us a tour and we took tons of pics, admiring the ruins we worked so hard to see.

We knew that only 400 people could hike up Huyana Picchu (in Quechua it means “Young Peak” and is 1200ft higher than Machu Picchu) each day and we would have to be really lucky to get picked. Many tourists stay in Aguas Caliente and get to Machu Picchu early to get in line for Huyana Picchu. Around 11 (the first group up Huyana is 10) Antonio went over to talk to the gate keeper to see if we could get in. I was secretly hoping we wouldn’t because my legs could barely move. But of course, he got us in. Andy, myself, and the gals all went for it although Leslie and I weren’t thrilled. The hike was very steep, I had to crawl on my hands and knees up the mountain some of the way. I guess my legs were in shape from hiking up the thousands of other steps, but these steps didn’t hurt as bad as they should have. Along the way we had to pass people coming down, one of us taking the edge by the cliff. This is Peru people, they don’t have the highest safety standards. I used the rope when possible to ensure my safety, especially since my legs could give out at any time. We made it to the top in record time. Antonio told us it would take 2 hours and we made it in 40 min. Booyah!

The view was amazing from the top and I was exhausted. An idiot was holding his child off the edge on the other side of the peak. I was waiting for something bad to happen. People are idiots and there’s nothing holding you back up here. We finally made it down, I was ready to rest. Andy and the gals said, shall we go see the Inca Bridge? I couldn’t believe they wanted to walk more, especially since I knew to get there we would have to hike up hill, back towards the trail we came down into Machu Picchu. All of a sudden, I got really cranky. Days of exhaustion and no water to drink at the moment didn’t mix well. The gals bought me some water (because Andy drank the water we had) and it calmed me. I do admit I was happy we went to see the bridge, if you can call it that. It’s a little strip of wood along a straight vertical side of a mountain connecting what used to be a path. It was beautiful and I was happy we saw all there was to see (and now I could sit for a long time).

We headed back to the main gate and took the bus down the hill to Aguas Caliente to have lunch with the group one last time. The food was crap, but I was just happy to sit, drink a beer, and relax. Andy and I upgraded our train tickets to the Peru Rail. It’s supposed to be nicer, but the real reason was because it left earlier and we wanted to get back. This town was so touristy, it was hard to take. All the hotels were so expensive, nothing about it felt real- even the food was terrible. We were happy to get on the early train out and relax, but relax was not what we were allowed to do. The train took 3 or so hours to go 60 miles because the damn thing went so slow. The people on the train were there to entertain us. I just wanted them to go away. They kept trying to engage us and I wasn’t having it. At one point they put on a clothes show where they strutted down the train walkway. It was so bad and I was losing my patience- not that I had much in the first place. I put my head down and they got the hint. The ride was beautiful along the river valley.

We made it back to Cuzco and planned to go out since it was the Sun Festival. We took a shower and lied down to enjoy the bed. Of course we then decided we were getting up. We were beat and had an early flight home the next morning. What an amazing way to end the best adventure.

Day3 and it's the most beautiful day yet 6/23/11

Up at 530 for breakfast at 6. Each day the wakeup call keeps getting earlier and the hikes are harder. We had a heavy uphill start to the morning but this time the weather was much warmer since we were at a lower altitude. The uphill was difficult like yesterday but I guess we were used to it by this point. Antonio started us off again telling us some history along the way, then he let us go and told us where we were going to meet. Andy hung back with us as much as possible and we stopped for pictures along the way. We could see the beautiful snow-capped mountains in the distance (Salkantay Mtns). As we continued downhill we reached warmer temperatures in the Andean rainforest where we saw lots of orchids. We had lunch on a peak with a beautiful view of the valley and mountains then continued on our decent. The flora and fauna was beautiful! So many flowers and colors, even the mosses were shades of red, green, yellow, and all the shades in between. The weather was perfect, sunny with some lovely white clouds around the mountains. I was so impressed at the beauty, I had no idea we would see this. The rocky path was still difficult to walk on, but we took our time. We saw the Sayacmarca ruins on our journey; the path also went through a cave where we took some pics. Another long day of hiking and we were ready for bed early. Antonio told us we had to get up early to get in line to leave the campgrounds.

I might die 6/22/11

Up at 6 to have breakfast by 630. We had pancakes, toast, and tea/coffee. I ate as much as possible since Antonio said we wouldn’t hit the lunch spot until 3. How was I going to hike 8 hours without eating? I guess the cookie snack pack was supposed to tie me over. The Atlanta couple started with the coca leaves to help with their altitude sickness. I’ve had coca tea before which didn’t affect me more than tea normally does. She was chewing them to get the full effect. Eager to see what these coca leaves were all about, I put some dry coca leaves in my mouth. Bitter, nasty, damn these things better do something for how bad they tasted. They told me to chew 8-10 so I put one by one in my cheek, trying to chew and having all the moisture in my mouth disappear. Others felt tingling in their mouths, so I chewed until I felt something like a tingle. Breakfast was done and we were off on the big second day.

One we immediately left the campsite we started hiking straight uphill. It was cold out so I had a jacket on but I knew I’d but taking it off pretty quickly. Slow and steady was the plan. Antonio started leading the pack until he handed it over to Andy so Antonio could stay in the back with the Atlanta couple. Andy took off so I was back with the gals from Portland. We chatted when we weren’t breathing heavily. Yesterday and the first part of the hike we were walking on a dirt path. Then the dirt turned into stones. It’s not easy to walk on stones so we’d walk on the dirt on the side of the path when possible.

Antonio gave us the option of stopping at one of the rest areas to use the bathroom. The gals stopped but I didn’t because I knew I would freeze and my legs would stop working. I don’t know if the coca leaves helped or I was just feeling good hiking in the beautiful Sacred Valley, but I kept on the path in Andy’s footsteps (although I couldn’t see him). I could see the sun coming over the mountains which gave me more motivation to reach warmth. It’s amazing the temperature difference in the shade vs sun at this altitude.

Then I saw the stairs to the summit called Dead Woman’s Pass at 4200m (not because someone died but the shape from afar resembled a woman lying face up) or as the locals call it Warmiwanusca. They were no joke. A few were small stone steps, many were a foot or more high. My strategy was to lean far forward which put more of my backpack weight forward instead of behind me. This helped and I was able to move faster. Moving fast wasn’t the answer because I would take 10 steps and I’d have to catch my breath. I passed porters who were sitting on the side of the path chewing more coca leaves. I wish I had some of my own at this point, anything to help. I kept on and saw Andy chillin at the summit, no doubt he had been there for 30 min or so. I hit a wall, apparently the same wall the gals hit later. Every 10 steps I would stop to catch my breath. I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, very odd feeling. I finally made it to the summit, using my arms to push off my legs. Andy was filming and telling me to touch the summit marker. I did it! Out of breath and needing to lie down, but I did it! We sat and enjoyed the view waiting for the others to arrive. Antonio said not to eat our snacks above a certain altitude because it was hard to digest food, but I didn’t care, I needed some fuel. It only took me 3.5 hours to reach the summit- not bad vs the 5.5 Antonio told us.

After resting for a bit, it was time to start the downward journey. The sun was now behind clouds which made it cold. We had purchased walking sticks in Cuzco so I busted them out for the hike down the mountain, boy am I glad I had those. Andy didn’t need them because he was running down the mountain like the porters. I took my time since each step was over a foot high. Those hiking sticks were a lifesaver. Since Andy wasn’t using his he let the gals use them and they were very grateful. It was so nice finally walking downhill, although it was very hard on the quads. I was able to enjoy the scenery, not always looking at what was up the hill in front of me. We made it to our lunch destination and I was starving. Good thing they always have tons of food for us- including apps and Koolaid for lunch. We kicked ass so much we reached the lunch spot by 12 instead of 3 which Antonio predicted.

After an hour rest we were off again. We continued downhill, enjoying the views as we went. Again Andy was off again and I hung back with the gals. We reached out camp spot in record time again so we had plenty of time to rest and relax in our tents. This campground was on the side of the mountain by a stream. When I got there Andy was already dipping his feet in the freezing water. I did the same. It felt good then my calves started cramping. Enough of the sun, time for some rest before dinner after I got an awesome calf massage from Andy. After a short snooze we had more popcorn and cookies with tea, then dinner. Tonight we met the porters. This meant everyone went around and introduced themselves in Castellano if possible. The couple from Atlanta went first talking about the kids they didn’t have together. Andy and I both announced we have no kids then it was Leslie’s turn. For whatever reason, maybe because it was the question of the week, but Antonio asked Leslie if she was single. She paused and then answered yes, no thinking our new tour group from Peru would be able to handle that she and Kristin have been together for 10 years. Best to be safe at this point I suppose. From that point on I teased her about being “single”. Everyone was exhausted from the hard day’s work so we called it a night around 8. Today was hard but tomorrow is the long day.

Here we come Inca Trail! 6/21/11

Up at 530 to catch our ride to start our journey to Machu Picchu. We jumped in the Wayki Trek van and picked up four other guests, a couple porters, and our guide Antonio. A couple hours after leaving Cuzco we reached the entrance to the Inca Trail. We staged our equipment which now included sleeping pads that we didn’t know we had to carry. No worries, it was just another 2 lbs to add to our bag that probably weighed 20-25 lbs. The sleeping bags added most of the weight to our backpacks but we were pretty skim on what we brought. I brought a couple thermals tops one bottom, socks, sunblock, snacks, a towel, and two jackets. Not too bad for a 4 day hike. We were hiking with two gals from Portland, Leslie and Kristin, and a new couple from Atlanta, Robert and Karen. We quickly started our hike after passing the checkin with our passports. Andy and I were lucky that we were fully acclimated from being in La Paz/Titicaca the week before, the other travellers just arrived in Cuzco 3 days ago. We were done with the attitude pills which was awesome- I couldn’t stand the tingling sensation in my fingers and feet those pills caused.

As soon as we crossed the bridge (a river flowed through the Sacred Valley) and started up the hill I felt like I was going to be in trouble since I was already panting. It was slightly sprinkling which I didn’t mind because it meant that it wasn’t hot. Antonio said it’s usually really hot starting the hike so we were lucky- I could use all the luck I could get. We hiked over the rolling hills. At first we stayed low in the Sacred Valley, enjoying the scenery and the easy of the hike. Our porters ran past us carrying no more than 50 lbs on their backs. At the start of the trail all the porters are weighted. If they weigh more than the 50 the tour company is fined. These guys hauled ass past us so when we reached one of the stopping points lunch would be ready. Antonio had us stop every now and again so he could give us a little history. I’m all for learning about where we are hiking, but most of us just wanted to get going.

Towards the end of the hike we started slowly going uphill. Since this was supposed to be the easy day I was trying to take it slow but I was still breathing hard- nervous what was in store for me the next couple of days.

We stopped at a campground with 300 other campers. Only 500 people are allowed on the Inca Trail each day which includes porters. We were a group of 6 plus 9 porters (including a chef and his assistant) and Antonio. It’s amazing how much crap these guys have to haul, but lucky for us there were they because I would have probably died. Andy killed the hike beating everyone by a significant amount of time. He was a maniac. Dinner was delicious and we were all hungry. I tried not to eat all the popcorn and cookies they put out for us during tea time (5pm) but the hike had already started my metabolism. Everyone was in good spirits. The first day was done, no injuries, although not everyone was feeling great- the altitude was starting to get to them. It was damp out and we headed back to the tent where I gave Andy a calf massage. We went to bed around 9 and slept as our sleeping bags slid off the mats and into the corner of the tent. Tomorrow is supposed to be a really tough day- lots of stairs going straight up a mountain. Oh man.

Rest before the final adventure

After 11 hours of sleep we slowly got up and headed down to the kitchen to make ourselves breakfast. We cut up fruit that we bought the previous day (white tomato looking things with purple stripes), made some instant coffee and bread with jam. We talked with a couple from S Africa who now live in Panama and a Canadian dude. The couple wouldn’t stop talking but I guess that’s what happens when you travel when you’re retired.

We headed out for a day of shopping and relaxation. The weather was perfect once again- very warm in the sun and cool in the shade. We went to San Pedro market, an indoor market with lots of food, meats, and some tourist crap. We walked around town some more and another parade was going on. I still have no idea what all the parades are for. In all we got some walking sticks for Machu Picchu tomorrow ($40 for 4), Alpaca gloves, sweater, scarves, Sacha Inchi nuts that are supposed to have a lot of good Omega fats for the hike (per the S African couple) and other excellent items. Hungry and it was only 1030, we headed back to the large market and got some soup with a huge chunk of Cordero (lamb). It was delicious and just what we wanted.

On our way back to the hostal we stopped at the Wayki tour office, the group we are touring Machu Picchu with. They showed us the map and what we can expect each day. The highest we’ll reach (Dead Woman’s Pass) is only 13.5k, not the 16k that we previously though. We almost saw another kid get hit by a car, I can image that’s a common problem down here. Back to the hostel for some cheese we found at the market, avocado, crackers, and a taste of Inca Kola (taste like cream soda/Mountain Dew)- not good. We saw outside and relaxed while we ate our nutritious lunch.

The day we pretty chill. After shopping we relaxed at the main square- Plaza del Armas. There’s no shortage of peddlers there but they don’t really bother you too much. If anything it’s only because Andy will egg them on to mess with them- good thing we wasn’t up for it today. He’s not feeling well which isn’t good since we’ll be camping outside for the next 3 nights. I’m still not over my cold but it’s not causing me too much harm. Guess I’ll finish the rest of our vino tinto and call it a night early- we have to be ready by 545am for the two plus hour bus ride to the gate to start our hike. We are so ready! Talk to you in 5 days when we’re on our way home to sunny CA!

We made it across the border to Peru!

Up at 630 to catch our flight to Cuzco after a crap night of sleep from the celebrations the night before. Thinking how small the airport was we didn’t think we would need to get there too early. Wrong. Everyone and their mother were at the airport this morning. We didn’t think we were going to make the flight and we almost didn’t. We had to run to catch the plane. If we didn’t get on this flight we weren’t getting to Machu Picchu since the border is closed via ground. The people I sat beside on the plane bought the last tickets and paid $500 each vs our $125. We checked into El Tuco Hotel, getting some clothes washed, and relaxing a bit in preparation for our big hike in a couple days. We talked to a couple at the hotel and they said it was one of the biggest efforts they’ve done. I hope they are out of shape. 26 miles in 4 days at 12k altitude- about 8 hours of hiking a day- shouldn’t be too bad.

After unloading our luggage we headed out to see the town. Someone said Cuzco is nicer than La Paz and they were right. Cuzco has less people, wider streets, nice architecture, and no one has thrown anything in my face yet. There was a parade going on (of course) so we checked it out. I’m not sure if it was a parade for Jesus or the Inca god, it can’t be for both right? I’m not sure but I saw both Jesus and the Inca god in the parade.

We walked around town for a bit, eating some street food along the way. We had pork with hot green sauce and maize (not sure if it was maize but they were huge corn kernels), and we drank some funky berry drink. The dude asked if we wanted a small and we said no. When we tasted it we understood why he thought we wanted a small. We saw checha for sale but didn’t have the guts to drink it- yet. Checha is made from women chewing on yucca root and spitting it out. The bacteria in their mouth aids in the fermentation process so it always tastes different. If it tastes bad then it’s bad luck- no shit.

We got our third parade fix and headed up a hill for a better view of the city. We stumbled upon another celebration with music and cervesas. Way better than a parade although we could still see it in the larger plaza. Andy got some cervesas and I grabbed two chairs. As I was going to sit down some ladies yelled at me for taking the chairs. Damn I wish I understood Spanish so I could argue back. Anyways, I successfully got the chairs and we enjoyed some wonderful weather and music. We sat and look over the city, watched children play and the gringos visit the area in their tour buses. I even helped some kids climb up a wall- how about that?

We made our way back to the hostal after stopping at a super market to buy so wine, real cheese, and macaroni and cheese- real American style. We’ve been jonesing for some good wine and cheese so we bought the second most expensive wine (still only $7) and blue cheese (I’m really surprised they have blue cheese here). It’s 6 and the mac and cheese is almost done. We have to go back to our room since we’re not allowed to drink in this hostal- lame. We have a full day in Cuzco tomorrow- looking forward to it!!

Hiking at 12.5K ft with 40 extra lbs

The major hail storm woke us up this morning. It was so crazy and hard, I was hoping it wouldn’t break the windows. It finally stopped around 7am, just in time for our morning walk. Yesterday we decided to walk from the north to the south end of the island. We heard it only would take 3 hours but we thought it would take less. It was beautiful out so we put on our 40 lb backpacks and headed out. Along the way we met up with a Norwegian couple. They were planning on walking to the south as well but they weren’t sure of the route. We showed them the direction, not the directions they were given of course, and the four of us headed out. They were hesitant since the dark clouds seems to be coming our way again. Andy said we were going for it and they did too.

Not only were we walking up steep hills, but we were at high altitude with huge weights on our backs. The walk wasn’t easy but it only took us two hours. Every time we walked down I hated it because I knew we’d have to walk back up. The views were beautiful, but I was concentrating on breathing and not passing out since we have a flight to catch tomorrow. As I mentioned it hailed just a few hours earlier so there was some snow on the ground. Could have fooled me- I had my jacket off since I was breathing so heavily.

At the top of the hill where we were to catch the ferry, we stopped for some much deserved pizza. Apparently this guy was a chef and now he serves organic vegetarian pizza. It might have been the most delicious food I’ve ever had (not just because I was starving). The four of us ate our pizza overlooking Lake Titicaca for the last time. We enjoyed our meal and made it down the very steep hill to hopefully catch a ferry. The ferry we wanted to catch just left, but like many countries we had money so they took the four of us and another family. Good thing because the next ferry was at 330, meaning it wouldn’t get to Copacabana until 530 and we’d miss the last bus to La Paz and in turn miss our flight the next morning. Anyways, we got to Copacabana at 130, just as a buz for La Paz was leaving. We ran and stopped it. The four of us not only stopped the bus but we got the last seats on it. How’s that for luck (again)!! We enjoyed the ride back and the Andies in the background.

Made it back to La Paz in the daylight which was good since another parade was going on. There was just a parade last Sunday, now they need another one? We couldn’t cross the street anywhere so we got a room at a hostel down from where we previously stayed. Dropped our stuff off and out for dinner. Walking through the crowd I was getting really aggravated. My last experience with a La Paz parade didn’t go too well and I wasn’t up for it again. We quickly found a tourist place to eat (since I didn’t want fried food). We made it back to the hostal with no injuries and no fights.

In desperate need of a shower, I turned on the hot water not expecting much. A minute later, I saw steam coming from the bathroom. We raced for the bathroom since neither of us has had a hot shower in a month. Andy slipped and crashed on the floor- I was victorious (and it was totally worth it). Best shower ever. It’s now almost 10 and the damn parade is still going on. I’m glad I’m not out in that crowd- bad things would definitely happen. It amazing how trashed Bolivians get when celebrating Jesus.