Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail

More bus journeys but this time to altitude. Cuzco, the ancient city greeted us with thin air and steep slopes. The Inca city stands at over 3000 meters above sea level making you run out of breath when taking on even the mildest of slopes and giving you a real fear of altitude sickness. We had arrived to acclimatise before we took on the famous Inca trail, a 4 day hike of mountains steep passes and glaciers.
We had to book months in advance to get a place as it fill up pretty quickly due to the fact that there are only a limited amount of people allowed throughout the year.
We soon realised that our meagre sleeping bags would not withstand the cold of the second nights trek so we had to hire some which did the required job adequately.
The first day, we were told, was the easy day. We met our group of 13 people and took a bus to the start of the trek. “Easy” wasn’t the fist word that sprang to mind when faced with the first climb. The paths were steep and the air was thin but we got through it with good humour and the group bonded very quickly. We were all in the same boat so their were many helping hands when things got tough.
The next day we all soon realised why they called the first day easy. Our wake up call was 4:45am, starting the walk well before 6. Were warned about this day but the toll of 4 hours up hill to a mountain pass called the, “Dead Woman’s Pass” was a lot to take. The pass was 4200m above sea level. The going tough. Every footstep was laboured and every meter higher we went seemed to take just that little bit more air out of your lungs. Sue, to her credit and defying her asthma, made it with out any problems. We all did. It was hard but the surrounding views of vast mountain ranges and our own sense of accomplishment made this one of the most memorable moments in Peru. And that was all just before lunch. We walked one hour down hill and ate a hearty lunch only to discover we had another full day of walking all up hill!
The next day was shorter, stopping after more lunch. It also gave us a chance to thank our porters. These men are truly supermen. The walk the same trail as we do but carrying all of our tents, food, our clothes ect and there own equipment, setting off after us and arriving before us (they would pass us on the trail during the day) to make lunch and the campsite ready for us. Tipping them at the end of the trek was essential.
Photos cannot come close to how beautiful the Inca trail is. Nor can my words for that matter. Just trust us to say it is one of the most incredible, awe inspiring places that anyone is likely to visit. Mind bending vistas, cloud forests and hills whose heads touch the heavens. Nature showing off.
We passed many incredible ruins on the trek but nothing prepares you for the spectacle at the end. The great Machu Picchu city. The last day we woke even earlier 3.45 am and started a 1and half hike to the Sun Gate. A place overlooking the city ruins that catches the first rays sun. We did it 45 minuets. I don’t know what happened to the group but we steamed through the last trek. Stripping off layers (but not stopping!) as the sun appeared on what seemed like a race to the end. The group even left our guides behind! They turned up 10 minutes later confused onto what just happened.
Again, words and photos fail to describe just how wonderful Machu Picchu is. I can just tell you that we spent half the day there wallowing in its beauty. We were fatigued and our legs ached but we all had a great time.
The group we trekked with, two couples being honeymooners (!), all met up for a drink the day after to recall how tired, smelly and out of breath we all were over the last 4 days. An experience we all will not forget.