 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trail of the Incas |
|
|
|
To walk over the Incan paths to Machu Picchu takes about 4 days for untrained people, the Incas who live here are holding championships every year, the winner last year walked this distance in 2 1/2 hours |
|
|
|
 |
|
� The people here are all dressed up beautifully and I'm very much impressed by the hats the women wear. When we arrive, the villagers come to us to offer us cocoleaves, but since I only like them in a good mate, I only take a few leaves. |
|
|
Cuzco - kilometro 82 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We are driving from Cusco to Urubamba. This village is as you all know very famous for its maize. It is therefor not suprising that on the fence of the central square, there's an great, golden image of a maize-ear.We are not very lucky, it's a lokal holiday, so we have to move on to the next village.
Since we're not used to climing up the mountains, we are trying to find some carriers here in the village. After half an hour we arrive in Ollantaytambo. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Having some chicha |
|
|
|
Normally the famous Incatrail starts at kilometro 88, but since the road was blocked and we couldn't pass it with the truck, we decided to start walking from this point (kilometro 82). We walk down a small hill for a while and then we cross the river over a wooden bridge. From this point on, I have the feeling that we leave the modern world and make a transition through time. Our group walks very fast, but some friends and I don't want to walk that fast and we decide to walk our own tempo, to look around us and enjoy the beauty that we see. The path is fairley straight, with every now and then a considerable climb. Some parts are so steep that we begin to wonder if the climbing day tomorrow will be that steep as well. According to our guide it's not, but the day is harsh, because we will be climbing almost the whole day. Not quite reassured we arrive at the first stop. Here we find a last piece of modern civilization: a toilet with running water.
It is raining and a hard wind blows over the field, so it's rather cold. I was so cleaver to leave my coat on the peg down in Cusco, so I'm sitting there with chattering teeth. Fortunately Alex has brought a complete wardrobe, so I can put on some of his warm clothes.
After the break, we have to climb again and at the beginning of the evening we reach our first campsite. Everyone is very tired so within a minute everyone is fast asleep. But after half an hour I'm completely recovered and together with Alex we, strange as it may seem, go out for another walk.
We walk down to the river that comes flows with an enormous racket through the curves. Before it gets dark completely we return to the camp, have a nice meal of soup with potatoes and as a main course potatoes with soup, just as we we eaten several times on our journey.
After dinner we have a little chat and then it is time to go to sleep, because tomorrow will be the toughest day. |
|
|
|
Day 2: Climbing, climbing and climbing |
|
|
|
Right after breakfast we went on with the trail. The path isn't very steep and I walk together with someone that has some walking experience, so I'm in good company. This time we are walking in front a whole time but after a while our carriers pass us with about ten kilo of equipment on their backs, walking on their shoes made of rubber tires, it is as if we are standing still.
On the way we meet some women selling chocolate and drinks. Where these people come from, is a complete mystery to us, since in a wide range we cannot trace any cottages or villages. |
|
|
|
After two hours we have a little break to drink something and rest for a while, but very soon we continue the path to the top of the Wamiwa�usqu-pas, with is at a height of 4.198 meters. Warmiwa�usqu means "Dead Woman's Pass", and I begin to see why they named it like this. The last piece of this pass the Inca's have build a staircase. After ten steps I was completely out of breath, but then, after two minutes I could do another ten steps, so finally after an hour or two I reached the top. We had to wait untill everyone was there before we could begin lunch.
After that our guide had persuade us to go on, but he promised that soon we would see our first ruins. It wasn't a very difficult walk and there we stood in front of the Runkuraqay. The sun was shining and the view was so impressive, one should see it with their own eyes. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Before it was completely dark we had a nice meal and after that we had a little drink to celebrate to good outcome of this day. From Bolivia we had brought some deliscious San Pedro and also someone had brought some Pisco, so we had a very good time... till everyone was ready for bed. This bed was a little unconfortable, because our tent was standing on a hill, so I had to put my backpack underneath my feet so I wouldn't fall out of our tent. I slept like a dead woman.... |
|
|
|
Day 3: My poor knees |
|
|
|
This day should be easy, while we only have to descent, so I start to walk with an enormous confidence. Well the first part was indeed easy. It was a petty that we walked in the clouds, so we cannot see far. Because of the damp, some parts are very slippery. So we have to be carefull where we walk. After some time we reach the beautifull ruins of Sayacmarca. |
|
|
|
We had lunch, and then it happened: my knees were locked and like a very old lady I had to move on. It took about a quarter of an hour before I could bend them again. This was the beginning of a tiring day. The path consisted mostly of stairs with steps that varied from 8 centimeters to more then half a meter. My poor knees weren't up to this and every now and then they refused to do their work. Fortunately we arrived at another ruins, the Puyapatamarca (city in the clouds). |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This consisted of some sort of watchtowers that were put up in strange, whimsical forms. From the Puyapatamarca we could see the next ruins we were about to visist. But as we walked along, we couldn't see it anymore because of the clouds. And when finally the clouds dissolved, we were completely opposite this ruin. ARGHHHHH! |
|
|
|
I couldn't take this anymore and wanted to walk to the river that was close and from that point I would go further by bus, in the morning. Just as I screamed in agony, we heard the voice of our guide. She stood there on the terrace of the ruins (Hui�ay Huyana) and told us that they were lost and we only had to walk for about ten minutes to arrive at the hostal, were we would spend the night. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
I never felt happier in my life. Jumped up and almost ran the last part.When I arrived there, I fell on a chair, totaly broken. The rest of our group, who had been there for more than an hour, went on to see yet another ruins, but I took a raincheck on this one. Fortunately I wasn't the only one walking like a poor old lady. We descided to take a nap before dinner and had to descent a staircase with only three steps, but it were very painfull steps. The carriers were sitting over there and they had some great fun watching those stiff Europeans walk down the stairs. |
|
|
|
After dinner I took a lesson in Quechua from our Peruvian guide, it was quite an enjoyable evening. did you know that Quechua isn't a written language? So if you want to rembember the words, you will have to write them down fonectically. |
|
|
|
Day 4: Machu Picchu |
|
|
|
For breakfast, the cook had prepared us some pancakes, yummie... My knees were, suprisingly, completey recovered and we didn't have to walk very long before we would reach on of the most impressive sites on earth. The weather was fine and after two hours we reached another staircase. Our guide shouted not to look up. to late, this was an enormous steep staircase, wow I hadn't seen anything like it. But after this effort we would finally reach the Inti-Punka (Sungate). Only a few people have the fortune to really see Machu Picchu from this point, while it is mostly coverd in clouds. So it is when we arrive, but we are lucky, the clouds begin to dissolve and.... this is spectacular, what a view, it is the view that is moslty used on postcards and in travelguides. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Do you want to see more? The experience cannot be described, so the only thing I can say is: |
|
|
|
go there and follow the trail of the Incas..... |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|