"Travel is more than the seeing of sights. It is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -Anatole France |
Two years ago, I traveled a bit in South America with some
friends and, like most backpackers, Machu Picchu was on our itinerary. We did a
one-day hike and arrived at the ruins early in the morning as the fog was
beginning to disappear.
To this day, it is one of the most incredible things I've
seen. I did regret, however, not hiking the famous Inca Trail, and have been
itching to go back ever since.
Lucky for me, I have a husband who has been dreaming of
doing the hike since he was young, and I got a second go at something that for
many is a “once in a lifetime” experience.
We actually booked our two spots for the Inca Trail months before we
even purchased our flight to South America. Ballsy, huh?
With nearly one million tourists visiting the famous ruins
each year, there is a seemingly endless amount of tour companies to pick from. So as you can imagine, choosing one to go with was a daunting task.
Ranging from minimalist and
dirt cheap to over-the-top luxury, we had our work cut out for us.
After reading reviews and researching multiple companies, we
decided upon Peru Treks. With five stars on TripAdvisor (which hasn't led me
astray yet), a reputation for treating their porters right, and a reasonable
price, we were happy with our decision and started counting down the days ‘til
our journey began.
Peru Treks did not disappoint us. We were served delicious
four-course meals, and although we had to wake up before sunrise each day, the
porters greeted us with tea in hand outside our tent. Talk about “room service”.
Our group of 14 was from all over the world. Australia,
Sweden, Brazil, and the United States. And we were of all ages. There was even
a family in our group with four kids ages 12, 11, and two 8-year-old twins!
The four-day trek itself was pretty difficult at times – Day Two in
particular.
The second day is known for being the toughest, so we set
out early for a 5 hour hike. Completely uphill. Oh, and don’t forget about the
altitude. At more than 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) at times, we all got short of
breath without much effort.
The landscape along the way was stunning and made up for all
the out-of-breath moments.
When I would stop to breathe and readjust my pack – which was a
common occurrence – porters would whiz past me. They carried packs four times
the size of mine, wore sandals, and some were old enough to be my grandfather. They
were incredible.
And made me feel a bit inadequate.
Taking a much-deserved break |
We were up so high, we can almost touch the snow! |
Arriving at “Dead Woman’s Pass” – the point at which the
path starts going downhill – was an incredible feeling of accomplishment.
We made it to the highest point! |
We hung out at the top for a while, taking in the view… and snapping a few jumping pictures, of course.
We had the hardest part behind us.
Our guide, William, pointing out "Dead Woman's Pass", which we had crossed the previous day. Damn, we were high! |
We woke up at 3:30 the last morning of our trek, which just happened
to be my birthday, in order to make it to our destination before the gates
opened to the tourists arriving by bus.
The campsite on our last night |
When we reached the grounds, the fog was hanging so thick
and low that you couldn't see more than just a couple meters ahead. Needless to
say, when we took a group picture at the famous viewpoint, it looked more like
we were inside a cloud than at the famous Inca ruins.
Sun Gate: the entrance to Machu Picchu |
Where is Machu Picchu?! |
Soon after though, the fog began to lift, and Machu Picchu
began to emerge from the mist in all its glory.
It was an unforgettable sight. And since we were there
early, the only people at the site were people who had just completed a trek. There was a certain camaraderie amongst us.
Before long though, people started arriving in all
directions. Large packs of middle aged foreigners wearing wide-brimmed hats and
carrying massive cameras swarmed around tour guides reciting the history of the
ruins in just about every language.
Machu Picchu is listed as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World and is on countless lists of places to
see before you die – deservingly so. You can’t, however, deny the shift in
atmosphere from peaceful during the early morning hours, to crowded and buzzing
with people as morning slips away.
After our guide, William, gave us a two-hour tour of the
ruins, we were free to explore. We wandered about, dodging tourists, and taking
pictures.
One of the best moments of the day occurred after we had
hiked up some stairs to get a better view without tourists obscuring our
photos. We were talking with our backs to the ruins and when we turned around
we had a little surprise waiting for us… Llamas!
Lucky for us, we had our cameras ready and snapped these beauties:
More photos from the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu:
Our guide William's shirt had a llama with a phone and said "Llama Me"... a play on words since it means "Call Me" in Spanish.
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Some seldom-visited ruins along the trail |
Mud bricks out to dry |
Donkeys everywhere! |
The porters have to take breaks too! |
Ben decided this was where the Incas held concerts back in the day and he reenacted. |
Llama on the path! |
More ruins along the trail |
These kids were troopers! |
Yet more ruins... |
Even adults play with their food... |
The cook even baked a cake to celebrate my birthday on our last night! |
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