Inca Trail - Day 1: 12/9/08

We began our journey at 9am at Km 82 - a town called Piskakuchu.  From the start, the view were amazing.  Hiking along the Sacred River, we were surrounded by mountains, endless fields of corn, and the little local towns.  Throughout the hike, we shared the sacred pathe with Incan descendants still living in the area (and their many mules).  Periodically the porters, each carrying 50-60kg of our belongings, zipped past us with their ripped calves flexing as they rapidly trekked up the path.  

This first day was the "easy one."  With little incline and varied terrain, it was cake compared to what was to come.  We stopped frequently and our guide Percy explained to us the incredible history of his ancestors.  It seemed that around every turn there were more ruins, expertly crafted by the Incas in the 1500's.  We stopped for our first meal, which was cooked for us by the chef that traveled with our group.  After lunch, we hiked for another 90 minutes and reached our campsite for night 1, which was nestled in a valley surrounded by green mountains (some still snowcapped, even in the summer).  Our tents were set up, and the group quickly hiked over to the adjacent soccer field, where the boys proceeded to play 4 games against the village locals.  Despite the altitude and obvious disadvantage of being gringoes, our team (Inca Kola) had an impressive showing and although they ultimately lost the majority of their games, they still kicked ass.  

Emma and I sat on the sides to be team cheerleaders.  The prospect of tomorrow's hike (which will be grueling) combined with my lack of soccer skills made sitting this one out an obvious choice.  As I sat and looked around me, I tried to fully take in the beauty of my surroundings.  I feel bad because the pictures will not do this place justice.  The only way to truly experience the Peruvian Andes is to be encompassed by them, breathe in the fresh air, and feel the sun warm you.  A simple photo only captures a few degrees of 360 degree panoramic amazement.

Now It's about dinner time and while I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt, I am now clad in a wool hat, gloves, scarf, and 3 layers of clothes.  I can see my breath in the glow of my headlight and it is FRIGGIN' COLD OUT HERE!  I pray that tomorrow will be ok for me and that I can maintain the positive attitude that Fred has taught me.  Good Karma...and OFF I GO!

Journey on the Inca Trail

 

Last week, I returned from Peru, which was INCREDIBLE.  I met up with Emma, my favorite adventure buddy and dear Aussie friend (who moved back to Australia after our trip and I don't want to talk about it).  The trip was a 2 weeks adventure in Peru. The second week was spent prancing around Lima and Cusco, and exploring the jungle (which was surprisingly mediocre). But the first week was the highlight of the trip - and certainly one of the highlights of my travel life - hiking the Inca Trail for 4 days to reach Machu Picchu. 

 If you haven't already done it, you MUST put it onto your to-do life list.

Since we went through GAP adventure tours, we were joined with 9 others for our excursion to Machu Picchu.  And what a group we were!  I could not have asked for a better crew of people to spend the week with, and it made the trip even more amazing than it would have been otherwise.  Almost everyone else was from Australia, save for 3 other Americans, a guy from Ireland, and another from the UK.  I have never met an Aussie that I didn't adore, and that has not changed.  We all bonded quickly, and became the Yellow Llamas, the most kick-ass group to ever hit the Inca Trail

Once I arrived in Cusco (2 days before the trail), I began to keep a travel diary so that I could record exactly how I was feeling at the end of each day.  So, here it is...

Cusco: 12/7/08...The Drama of Getting Here

Today we arrived in Cusco, which is the historical "hub" of Peru.  After a 630 am wake-up call, which actually came at 5:10 am and made me close to pulling a Russell Crowe on the hotel front desk, we headed to the airport.  After a one hour flight, we landed and Cusco...and thus the fun of altitude sickness began!  Despite the fact that I am taking Sorochi tablets (Peru's version of Diamox), drinking roughly my body weight in water, and relaxing today, I am still getting my ass whooped by Team Altitude.

I have had a hard time catching my breath after 1 fight of stairs (which sucks when your hotel room is on the top floor).  My breathing feels labored, even at rest, and despite the 10 gallons of moisturizer I have applied to my face and body, I am still thoroughly dehydrated.  But, tomorrow is a new day and I hope to be adjusted to the altitude.

Actually, I really can't complain, as it's a minor miracle that I even made it here!  You see, being a dumb and naive traveler, I didn't THOROUGHLY check the Brazilian embassy website before leaving.  I knew I needed a yellow fever vaccination and I knew I needed it 10 days before hitting the Amazon (which will be 10 days into my trip).  What I did not know until my friend Melissa (another American living in Rio) pointed out is that I needed the vaccination 10 days before LEAVING Brazil.  If you are flying out of AND returning to Brazil, the government requires that the vaccination be fully effective before you leave the country and enter into Peru.  This means a person needs to get vaccinated at the very least 10 days before the flight out of Brazil.  My flight was December 5, and I had gotten the shot (and dated certificate that proved it) on Dec. 1.  So, when Melissa told me on Wed night that I would likely not be allowed on my 6am flight Friday morning (the same exact thing happened to her last year), I panicked.  

Thursday is a blur in my head- a day spent FREAKING out and trying to figure out a solution.  Enter my incredibly stable and resourceful boyfriend, and we wound up at the Peruvian embassy in Rio.  I found out that if I flew out of a different country, such as Uruguay or Argentina, I would not be asked for the yellow fever vaccination (since those countries do not require a traveler to get the vaccine before going to Peru).  Alas, this meant that all I had to do was change my early morning flight from Rio-Peru, to Rio-Argentina, and then Argentina-Peru.

Armed with this advice and a credit card, I proceeded to change my flights (and dole out an extra few hundo).  Sure, it was 5pm on Thursday by the time I figured it all out.  Yeah it was expensive and made my travel more complicated...but guess what?!  I am HERE IN PERU and nobody asked to see my damn vaccination certificate!!  WOO HOO!!

Tomorrow it's off to Ollytatumbo for my last night in civilization (and my last hot shower) for the next 4 days.  And then...THE INCA TRAIL...