At Machu Picchu at last!

“Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty.” –WW
(Map this!)

Finally, almost 25 years after following Nancy Drew to Machu Picchu in the footsteps of no-gooders, we finally arrived in person at Machu Picchu. An incredible sight after an incredible journey. Machu Picchu does not boast the Incas’ most beautiful work; Cuzco, Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo have more beautiful masonry. It is the location, the ring of exactly the right mountains, with Machu Picchu nestled at the base of the awe-inspiring Wayna Picchu rearing up in the clouds. (It takes less than an hour to climb it).

Tired and hungry, we reached there early after a beautiful morning walk at dawn. Machu Picchu seems oddly familiar after the many articles in the National Geographic and museum shows. The Sun temple. The temple of the Condor. The Sun Dial for astronomical observations. The granaries. Beautiful but oddly still. A very different place from the village in the foothills, Aguas Calientes.

Aguas Calientes was actually not as bad as the guide books make it out to be, as long as you expect a tourist trap. It is the home of the nasty biting flies. Its a place of rest for the weary, to recuperate after the spiritual silence of Machu Picchu. We stayed an extra day and tackled Wayna Picchu the next day. It is a short but extremely strenuous hike, clambering up rocks using steel chains most of the way up. The view is spectacular. From the mountain top Machu picchu looks like an hourglass.

The train is a nice way to get back. This must be the train that Nancy Drew took to Machu Picchu. It has a glass roof, but can in no way substitute for the trek. The mystery of Machu Picchu is felt the most on those long, steep trails leading up to a destination you will not see till the last day.

Circular Ruins

The circular ruins at Runkurakay most likely do not exist as it is impossible for man to create such a stunningly beautiful site. (Map this!)

A short and strenuous distance out of camp in the late morning we came upon a site startling in its simplicity and perfection. Its purpose was lost in antiquity – was it a watch tower? A garrison? I think we all know its true purpose.

Perhaps it is there to dream a man, to create him in minute perfection, to every last detail. I think all of us have been to this place during some time or some place either in this life or some other that we know cannot exist.

Pass at Runkurakay

The Inka Trail always reveals its treasures slowly and only to those willing to work hard – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Dead Woman Pass

A vigorous walk leads them to the dead woman pass, where the real Inka Trail begins. The camp is very rustic with glacier cold showers.
(Map this!)

Despite being older by a decade to the next youngest team member we made good time to the Dead Woman pass. The reason for the name is ambiguous – depending on who you believe either an old woman died on the ascent or one can see the form of a dead woman amongst the ridge tops.

This was supposed to be the hardest day of the trek but in the end it presented only minor challenge as we used Dick Wurms famous amblin’ method from Aconcagua and both the altimeter and the Heart Rate Monitor to pace ourselves.

The road from here was the real Inka road, as in it had been laid by the Inka and not ‘reconditioned’ by the government. A long steep descent brought us to the second camp of the trail, Pacamayo. The campsite was a dump with low slung buildings and muddy dirty campsites. The porters had run ahead of us and setup the tents and bowls of steaming hot water to wash our face, hands, and feet.

Q’Ente Group at the Dead Woman Pass

Slowly the anticipation of reaching Machu Picchu was building, but we had to wait several days to get there. The Inka Trail was cleverly designed to create drama and not reveal its secrets all at once – one has to work hard!

Mess Tent

Travelling regally in the footsteps of the Inkas
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“Tea or coffee”? We wake to this familiar call as a basin of hot water, soap and towels miraculously show up outside our tent. Better hurry up, the water will get cold! The hot drinks show up even before we finish our ablutions. And voila! What’s that? The mess tent is ready for us with hot cakes and cocoa tea!

Life on the Inka trail was luxurious, to say the least. After a morning walk of a few hours, we would stop for lunch, to be greeted with the ever present hot water basins and a cool drink. Then a three course sit down meal. Peruvian food has got to be one of the best in the world with uncommon dishes like ceviche, choclo (a very big, flavorful corn) and kui (guinea pig). And how can you go wrong with produce from “Valle Sagrada” (the sacred valley)? The name itself conjures up visions of food fit for the table of the Inka kings. Our camp cooks adapted this gastronomic legacy to camping admirably.

Stopping for a breather at Llulluchapampa

Walking on the trail gives you a strange sense of pilgrmage as you realize that you are walking the trail setup and travelled by the Inkas, who would visit sites of largely unknown purpose perched precariously but stunnigly beautiful in the mountains. The regal sense is unwittingly preserved by the tour companies with tent service, mess tents with elaborate meals and porters carrying huge loads so that we, the spoilt, the rich, can walk unemcumbered.

Is this how the maharajas of India, the kings of the Inka and the marauding mongols journeyed? Amongst stupendous scenery being waited on hand and foot? Have to say – its an amazing way to travel!

A hot and dusty hike winds past ancient ruins. Camp setup next to horse poo.
(Map this!)

The most common trailhead for the Machu Picchu Trek is at railway marker KM82, just outside the fortress of Ollantaytambo in the sacred valley. Ollanta, as it is called by the locals is best known for its huge stone monoliths joined together with amazing precision, and the restaurant ‘Kusicoyllor’ which is Quecheua for ‘Happy Guinea Pig’. Don’t know how happy guinea pig are to eaten but I must say they are pretty tasty!

By the Urubamba river we prepared our backpacks and hiked a flat and dusty trail along the river and past the Inka agricultural ruins of Pallacta. The train carrying tourists bound for Aguas Calientes chugged past and reminded Neena of the time she had read of Nancy Drew making the same trip.

Terraces at Pallacta

The porters scampered past us with their heavy loads to setup a mess tent and make lunch for us. In addition to doing all the cooking and cleaning they also carried all our gear so we could hike comfortably with day packs. In the evening we camped in a field littered with horse dung but we were too tired to let it bother us in any way.