MACHU PICCHU, PERU

Machu Picchu sparkled at our feet in the early morning sun, 1100 feet below and one mile away. It was a spectacular sight not only because of its beauty and vast size on the lush green mountain top high in the Andes of Peru but because it was our reward for having endured the last 3 ½ days of camping and trekking 27 miles on the Inca Trail.

We signed up for the Imperial Service 4-Day Inca Trail Hike along with Portia’s brother Geff and wife Debbie, and with Brant and Shirley, two good friends whom we met while cruising last year in the San Blas Islands. After spending a night in Lima, we flew to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, and to spend a few days at an altitude of 12,200 feet in preparation for the almost 14,000 feet passes we would be encountering on the Inca Trail. In Puno, a few of us experienced headaches but no other serious side effects from the altitude. It was cold and rainy, and a big change from the tropical weather of Panama. It was so cold that our bed and breakfast family placed hot water bottles in our beds! We took a boat ride to the reed islands on Lake Titicaca to visit islands totally built of reeds with reed houses, reed boats, indigenous people who eat reeds and reed-eating guinea pigs, all floating amongst the reeds growing in the lake. It was unusual.

After 2 days in Puno, we took an 8-hour bus ride to Cuzco, stopping at 4 Inca ruin sites and going over a 14,200 foot pass. At this point Steve and I were chewing on coca leaves, drinking coca tea and sucking on coca candy which effectively took away our altitude headaches. The cocaine in these leaves is so minute that we would have to eat bushels of it to experience anything other than a thinning of the blood to relieve headaches. We continued our addiction to coca leaves for the next week especially chewing on them as we hiked the Inca Trail.

Cuzco was the “belly button,” the center, of the Inca Empire in the 12th Century and today it is the hub for travel to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley areas. We found many restaurants surrounding its attractive main plaza and many Inca ruins in the city itself. On Thanksgiving Day, before dawn, the 6 of us were bussed along with our 10 porters and guide to kilometer marker # 82 to start the hike. Reservations are a must; passports and permits were checked by officials as we entered the trail. Strict rules are posted to protect the environment and each porter’s load is weighed by officials to ensure porters are not overloaded.

Our first day was the easy “flat” day’; we hiked for 7 hours (8.5 miles) going from 9000 feet to 10,800 feet. As we marched along the trail, our 10 porters overtook us at their quick pace, carrying our belongings, tents, sleeping bags, food, chairs, cooking pots, plates, cups, eating utensils and dining table. Each day after breakfast we happily walked off with the guide while the porters broke down our camp into neat packs. They would then quickly pass us on the trail and then have a delicious lunch waiting for us in our dining tent, table set with folded napkins, as we straggled in. Before every meal, a warm bowl of water, soap and a towel were provided to each of us. After lunch we again strolled off while the porters packed everything up only to pass us soon and have “happy hour” snacks and juices/hot drinks ready upon our arrival at our next camp site, followed by an abundant dinner expertly prepared by the porter-cook.

The second day was the “long day,” 11 hours (9.5 miles) during which we climbed to 13,800 feet, descended to 11,700 feet and then climbed to 13,200 feet. Steve and Debbie outpaced us all, arriving at the passes with seemingly little effort. Shirley suffered from altitude sickness in the form of cramping in both legs and extreme breathlessness which made her progress slow. Brant at age 73, without aid of coca leaves or walking stick, carried Shirley’s pack. Geff and Portia progressed steadily until hitting the 13,000 feet mark, at which point they had to stop every 30 feet to catch their breath. At lunch Shirley took altitude sickness prescription medicine and within 2 hours her cramping ceased and she forged onward at a steady pace. Rain and mist at the passes made the trek more interesting and a sauna effect was created by our bodies from the ponchos we wore. Our 4-man tents (big enough for 2 people to sleep in or 4 people to huddle in balls) were very comfortable and kept us dry but our sweat soaked shirts from the day’s hike never dried in the humid environment of the tent.

The third day was a short, “down, down, down” day. After a little climb to 12,100 feet from 11,800, we descended to 8800 feet, mostly in the rain over a period of 5 hours and covering only 6 miles. Most everyone’s knees hurt, except Debbie and Brant. Geff was hit with altitude sickness symptoms of nausea, lack of appetite and extremely sore knees but recovered by the next day. We all happily fell into out sleeping bags after a farewell ceremony for the porters following dinner at which time we presented them with their tips. Their regular pay is $17 per day each; they look forward to the tip money. And they certainly deserve it! They carry about 60 pounds each on their small frames (average height was about 5’2”) and most wear open toe rubber sandals as they carefully step on the uneven surfaces of the Inca Trail.

Our camp site on this last night was crowded and very wet. We were in the cloud forest and it poured off and on. There is a restaurant/bar with real flushing toilets and beautiful Inca ruins (Winay Huayna) nearby, all only accessible via the trail. Many one-day Inca Trail hikers stay one night here before descending into Machu Picchu. Because of the limited camping space, our tents were positioned so that the entrances were only a few inches from a ledge and we all feared falling into the abyss (about a 10 foot drop into heavy wet brush) during a night bathroom run. Speaking of bathrooms, there was some form of toilet at each of our lunch stops and campsites, ranging from a simple hole in the floor, to a flushing hole in the floor, to the fancy flushing toilet without a seat, all of which challenged one’s thigh muscles as one orchestrated keeping pant cuffs off the usually wet floor, careful balancing, flashlight strategically aimed, and paper ready. Enough said, probably too much information for some, but an interesting reality fact to others.

On the fourth day, we were up at 4:00 am, breakfast at 4:30 and on the trail by 5:00, because the final official checkpoint before entering Machu Picchu opens at 5:30 am. After a brief wait in line, we walked the one hour to the Sun Gate, the vista overlooking Machu Picchu. Flowers including orchids, colorful moss, and all forms of lush greenery abound in this area. The last 50 steps up to the Sun Gate were so vertical and uneven that we did not look up as we climbed for fear of falling backwards. 70% of the amazing Inca Trail is original, dating back to the 12th Century. Miles and miles of the Inca Trail were constructed on the sides of steep mountains, raised high in the air by enormous walls built of fitted rocks with hundreds of feet drop offs on one side. What an engineering feat! Whenever we heard the call, “Porters!!” we quickly moved to the uphill side of the path rather than chancing being knocked off the ledge/downhill side. At a few places, the trail itself goes right through caves in huge rocks, one for a distance of 30 feet.

As we descended from the Sun Gate (this was a control gate once used by the Incas), the views of Machu Picchu were fabulous at every level. And then upon arriving at the site, the huge size of the one time city/temple becomes apparent. From the incredible walls of rock which have been ground to fit perfectly together, to the Sun Temple with its windows positioned to precisely receive the sun’s light during the Winter and Summer Solstices, to the amazing water system running through small grooved channels in the rocks, to the beautiful vistas of the river far below and towering 20,000 foot mountains nearby, Machu Picchu is truly spectacular and is justifiably one of the 7 wonders of the world. Since we arrived just after sunrise, the crowds had not yet appeared and we were able to enjoy unencumbered access to the highlights of the site as wonderfully described by our Inca Trail guide.

After a fond farewell to our guide, we took the bus down the hairpin turns to the river, to the small town of Aguas Calientes where the end of the line train terminal is located. Because the train is the only way to access this town, its quiet narrow streets are free of cars. Only the buses ferrying visitors to and from Machu Picchu move up and down the wide road along the river until dark. We checked into our hostal (room with private bath and breakfast) overlooking the river for $35 per night. A nice hot shower after 4 days on the trail was simply delicious and socially necessary since we planned to meet for dinner later. The next day Steve, Portia and Shirley indulged in one-hour massages at a cost of $25 each, a well deserved treat. After enjoying an early dinner, we caught the train for a 3-hour ride back to where we started the hike, and from there we endured a hair-raising van ride in the dark back to Cuzco. This ride served as a reality check and made the 4-day hike seem like a walk in the park.

In Cuzco from our quaint bed and breakfast, we leisurely visited historical sites within the city and visited 5 Inca sites during a one-day horseback ride on horses that were so skinny that we should have carried them! We found a few delicious restaurants and lots of desserts to satisfy even the biggest chocoholic in the group, Steve. After returning from our 4-day trek, we happily discovered that we were able to more easily climb the steep stairs leading to our bed and breakfast. Our legs were definitely stronger as were our lungs! After 13 days in Peru, we were ready to leave Cuzco at 11,000 feet to seek a warmer climate at sea level. We had endured living and breathing at high altitudes, visited the miraculous Machu Picchu and numerous other ruins, cruised Lake Titicaca, visited the reed islands and SURVIVED the 4-day hike on the Inca Trail!!!!