Photo of the day, 4/28/2010: an excellent recommendation.

sign at the bus stop to Machu Picchu

Photo of the day, 4/27/2010: at last!

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu trek: day eight.

Late last night and this morning it poured. We had a brief repreive during breakfast but the drizzle started again as we said goodbye to our wonderful chef/assistant chef and porters and headed out...

And then the drizzle stopped, and then started, and then stopped, lather rinse repeat. It became an exercise of "how hot in my raincoat can I stand to be, because as soon as I take it off I will need it again." It got warmer as we descended into the jungle and the rain finally ceased, for the most part. Our good weather luck was holding out.

entering a cave walk-through during a rainy portion

It was another slow day up to the Sun Temple so once again I treated it as a nature walk. We saw fern trees, fiddleheads, tons of varieties of orchids including the gorgeous MP orchid, and butterflies and birds galore.

Krustyus the Clownus species

Machu Picchu orchid

We also stopped at a few of the ruins along the way. Some were agricultural centers and others were shelters for the folks who maintained the trail back in the day.

room with a view at Intipata

Intipata ruins

Winaywayna ruins

Finally the top of the pass, the Sun Temple!

Viki attempts to greet the sun

And lots and lots of fog! What an odd name for a place in the cloud forest. Our first glimpses of the sacred city did not look promising - we saw it for a few minutes and then it disappeared into the fog.

no, really, it's there

We had a quick lunch and continued on down the pass, stopping at more ruins before the fog and clouds burned off...

Chema explaining the tomb of the high priest where a woman's skeleton was found

... and there was Machu Picchu. What an amazing site.

The weather cooperated as we took a two hour tour of the city. The amount of thought that went into every detail of where things were placed in relation to the sun, and how the serpent/puma/condor and "threes" were incorporated, was really stunning.

Chema showing the stepping-stone like architecture - three steps, of course

The giant rocks were pieced together like a puzzle and the numerous sets of steps carved into the huge naturally occurring boulders were mind-blowing. Puts modern architecture to shame to some degree...

steps carved in one ginormous boulder

Oh right, and the 360 panoramic views of the Andes weren't so bad either.

This is a poor (at best) summary but suffice to say, I was overwhelmed. Both from the cumulative week's events and the site itself.

We got kicked out because of the time, and I think two hours is far too little time to fully appreciate the magic of this place. But as soon as we heard it was possible to climb Waynapicchu to the north, Viki and I decided to return the next morning before our journey back to Cusco.

see you tomorrow, Waynapicchu

It would have been nice to sit with the llamas or next to the peaceful fountain for a little while this afternoon though - next time!

Aguas Calientas is a weird little tourist town by the river. Our hotel is perfect. We had dinner at a nice pizza place that played really bad 80s music really loud, and now we are heading to bed for our early start in the morning. Our guide was quite lively at dinner and shared more about Andean culture and life... The quote of the day is from him.

Quote of the day: "The problem is the Catholic church..." (in response to a question about whether birth control methods are taught to high school kids in the Andes - they are, but the church doesn't like it... what a widely applicable quote though)

Photo of the day, 4/26/2010: rock aht.

post hole carved in stone - Sayaq'marka ruins

Machu Picchu trek: day seven.

This morning we awoke at 5:30am to get an early start. Warmiwanusca Pass ("Dead Woman's Pass" - so named by the porters because the tourists are usually white-faced when they reach the top) was a no-problem 1200 foot climb and the views at the top were awe-inspiring.

we're not dead, we're resting

We took a quick break and continued down a very long, steep stone stairway with gorgeous views...

there are hundreds of orchid varieties on the Inca Trail

... to Pacaymayo where we had a snack and headed west up another 300m of steep stone stairs to the Runkuraqay ruins, the only circular shaped ruins we would see on this trail.

my favorite - the Incan niche

From there we descended 300m again...

... and one of the younger porters met us to give us a silent tour of the Sayaq'marka ruins - "silent" because he spoke no English and my Spanish today was a colossal fail. Anyway, on the edge of a cliff, this was a strategic site that blended well with the terrain, had panoramic views of all the possible entry points and may have housed up to 30 families (hard to know for sure).

It was enormous, yet from the outside and distance it looked quite small, kind of like the Winchester Mystery House with its labyrinth of rooms you would never guess would fit from the outside.

We continued uphill for a quick lunch stop and a beautiful walk through the cloud forest along a steep cliffside, past amazing new flowers and mosses, inside a naturally formed rock cave, and to
Phuyupatamarka, our final resting point for the day and final campsite for the trip.

I {heart} moss

Viki going into the abyss

yet another lousy campsite view

We are surrounded - absolutely surrounded - by frogs and toads! I couldn't find one but you sure can hear them everywhere. There are lots of other campers around but it's nice to have a campsite that doesn't smell like a cow (or horse or llama) pasture and the fog from the cloud forest is eerily fun to watch roll in (and out and in and out).

also fun? these guys

Tomorrow we have a bit of hiking and smaller exploration of ruins along the trail before we enter the Machu Picchu ruins. After that, a shower, clean clothes and a warm bed. I decided earlier in the trek that I have spent nine weeks wondering which shirt is less dirty to wear each day, so for this trek I gave myself a break from this decision by wearing the same shirt/pants combo all week. (The pictures will show this so I might as well just disclose it now.) It's been cold enough (or slow enough) that neither got too gross but I am sure the shower will be amazing and the combo will be tossed into the "burn these" pile immediately afterward.

It's weird to have porters carrying our stuff, especially ones so young (our tour guide this afternoon was 18) and somewhat older (one of the older ones was having a hard time up Dead Woman's Pass this morning). I am trying to just accept that it's a hard job but a job regardless, and I will surely be tipping them well. Sounds like they are quite an organized bunch with a Union, and regulations on weight they can carry and that sort of thing, which is definitely not the
case for many other hard jobs here or in the US. So there's that. Two sides to every coin, as our guide keeps saying.

So that should be the quote of the day but instead it's going to be "peep peep peep!" - the toad outside our tent

(later)
An almost full moon, ground toads chirping all around, the clouds completely visible in the moonlight, stars peeking out, it's not too cold to enjoy the view, a great tentmate and a few plastic tumblers of Chilean wine out of a box. This could be the best day yet of my 2010 adventure. (How many more times will I say that, I wonder?!)

Photo of the day, 4/25/2010: hello, tourist.

Best. Llama. Face. EVAH!!

Machu Picchu trek: day six.

This morning we joined the official Inca Trail.

Inca Trail checkpoint

Our climb to Llulluchapampa campsite was slow and uneventful. The views were great though - amazing what climbing from 3000m to 3700m does for the scenery. We could even see the trail we did two days ago and the glaciers from the first few days waaaay back in the distance.

and DONKEYS!

According to the "rules" we have to stick together during this part of the trek so since there was no hurry, I stayed behind the last one of our group and admired the views, the flowers, the caterpillars and some crazy spider-web-like moss on the trees.

A lot here reminds me of Parque El Cajas, especially the "enchanted forest" of Andean trees.

But I am still seeing new things too - many new species of flowers, and a crazy tree with red spikey flowers that only grows here. A particular species of tree (yukas? - need to check this) shed their bark regularly to prevent moss and other invasive pests from growing on them. Neat.

At camp some llamas wandered in to graze. We are in tourist land now - there are groups of campers above and below us for the first time this trek. Fortunately we are right by another babbling brook and the parrots are also nearby for noise distractions! It's fun watching them (and the cute little sparrows) swoop and swarm.

The moon is almost full. You barely need a "torch" (flashlight) to find your way to the "bathroom" (flushing ceramic holes in the ground - strangest but most logical toilets I have ever seen). The stars are a little washed out by the moon but the southern cross was visible tonight. We may have a full moon the night we arrive in MP...

Fingers crossed for that and continued great weather. We are due for a downpour on the trail any moment now. (Anti-jinx in full effect.)

Tomorrow we have two passes to climb. At today's pace it is going to be a long day.

My first camera battery finally died today after lunch, after threatening to do so for two full days. It has been hard to monitor my camera battery consumption because everything is new and beautiful. Knowing I was limited, I tried to take more photos early in the journey, when we were trekking where few people had ever passed, figuring I could google "official" Inca Trail photos if worse came to worst. At day six with another almost-full battery I have abandoned that plan though. That's probably the only thing I have missed about not having electricity this time around. Some of the ranger stations up here have solar panels for their communication device charging. Electricity might come to the villages soon too... What are people most excited about? TV, natch.

Quote of the day is a tie. Viki: "I've seen a lot of animals wander through my campsite... Bears, marmots, deer... But never a llama." Me at 7:30pm as I crawled into my sleeping bag: "I always think it's too early to go to sleep and the next thing I know it's morning..."

We have a 5:00am wake up call tomorrow. Yep, it's going to be a long day.

Photo of the day, 4/24/2010: I told the guide to stop picking such lousy campsites.

morning view at Muyu Muyu

Machu Picchu trek: day five.

This morning we slept until 7am and awoke to a bright and sunny day, but with clouds looming in our future. As Viki said, "if you don't like the weather just wait five minutes." That might have to be the quote of the day, as it proved true several times in the span of just a few hours.

After a leisurely breakfast of the usual (porridge, granola, eggs, bacon and Nescafe) we set out on our short morning trek to the next campsite. It rained briefly but not enough to dampen our spirits. We descended to Paukarcancha through meadows of green and flowers similar to those we had seen the first day of our trek.

Clearly we were back in the tropical lowlands, at an altitude of about 3000m, where things other than rocks grow. Right before our campsite we passed Incan ruins of a small town. On the short walk down to camp four parrots flew by... Hopefully not our last sighting.

We arrived around noon. Today's journey was short for two reasons. One, we say goodbye to our horsemen and their horses. From here on out porters will carry our bags and gear, and I will have no more fun rides on Ballo. I imagine it will take some time to sort through things and prepare the gear for the porters to hand-carry. Yes, I am getting awfully spoiled on this trek.

Two, today we enjoyed a Peruvian barbeque which took some time to prepare. A hole was dug in the ground and stones were heated for about 2-3 hours until screaming hot. Then, meat (in this case lamb purchased yesterday from a local farmer), potatoes and homemade cheese are arranged in the rocks, the rocks are covered with tall grass (and a tarp to speed things along), and about 45 minutes later we enjoyed the tastiest meal yet. Yes, I ate part of a cute little lamb and boy, was it yummy.

We are staying in the backyard of a local farmer; her husband passed away a while ago so she "rents" space in her backyard to groups for a little extra income. This also allows trekkers to enjoy this type of lunch (fires aren't allowed in the sanctuary of MP) and a cold shower (if desired, I did not but I did wash my hair - a luxury!) before starting on the official Incan Trail. The farm is small but really quaint with gorgeous views of the valley, and a menagerie of chickens, bunnies, cats, dogs and a pig entertained us as we feasted. (I hope none of them are breakfast tomorrow.)

Lunch was delicious. Our hostess made amazing chili paste ground and mixed by hand to spread on the meat and potatoes. The salads (beet and carrot, broccoli and cauliflower, and a sort of lettuce slaw) were fresh and the barbequed cheese (made here) was great. As usual, way too much food. The Pilsner purchased from our hostess helped us wash it down though!

We have been lounging this afternoon, packing up what we no longer need to send back to Cusco to lighten the porters' load and resting up for the next few days. Rumor has it there are 20,000 steps down the trail into Machu Picchu. If that's true, I need all the rest - and the leftover lamb and potatoes - I can get my hands on...

backyard campsite at dusk (not pictured: campsite)

(later)
Spent a while talking with the guide about the highland people, their habits and customs. Of interest...

- The land is communally owned and if one party wishes to sell their land the community must agree to it.
- They sometimes move around the countryside rotating crops, so they may be on one farm for a few years and a new farm the next few years. (The homes with thatched roofs are occupied; the ones without are not.)
- When a new couple gets together the whole community joins forces to build the house and the parents of the couple throw a big party/feast.

I think our guide is sensitive to years of questions about the "savages" who live off the land and tempers his comments accordingly. I've heard some insensitive questions/comments on this trek and have probably said some myself without realizing, so I understand his defensiveness, but it sounds like old times in the colonial US to me. There us much we could learn and employ from these folks... In particular the minimalism. It's been working for them for hundreds of
years.

The soup tonight (all we could bring ourselves to eat after the lunch feast) was lises - a sort of tuber that grows in the Andes. It was delicious. I did manage to eat some chocolate with peanut butter in addition to the sweet corn dessert - all in the name of lightening the porters' loads, of course.

we really like tha moon

Quote of the day: "there is no Quechua word for 'meaning'." - Quechua dictionary (Hugh Thomson, "A Sacred Landscape)

Photo of the day, 4/23/2010: so, um, what's for lunch?

brown Swiss cow at our lunch stop

Machu Picchu trek: day four.

(Key decisions recently: Viki is buying a topographical map of the hike and I am buying a field guide. So at some point one of us will correct any incorrect names of mountains, passes, flowers, birds or anything else I have misnamed this far.)

The hike up to Huayanay pass from Anqascocha only took a few hours. At ~5,000 meters (15,200 feet) it was the highest the four of us had been and we all felt great at the top! Even getting to the top was easier than we all imagined.

15,000 feet - no problem

There was a pyramid of stones at the ridge; rebuilding/reforming this is supposed to bring luck and a good trail. Our guide rebuilt it for us with a stone pointing like an arrow at the top, and we followed its direction.

The views were - say it with me - stunning, and a short while later we reached yet another gorgeous lunch spot, this time in a cow field. Sounds like a terrible idea, I know, but in this instance it was charming.

how now, brown cow

The cows were that small Swiss variety that has adapted to the highlands well. So very cute, and quite curious about us or, more likely, what was for lunch. (Viki decided early in her Peruvian aventura that dogs were cuter here. I must agree about the cows.)

After lunch we hiked to another pass with several waterfalls and an avalanche overheard in the distance, then I opted for a horse ride (because why not, right? might as well save my knees and Achilles tendons for when we no longer have horses) through a few alpaca farms and down the pass to the campsite at Muyu Muyu.

a collective ton of fluffy goodness

The horse was in much better condition than the one I rode in the Galapagos and its leader much more gentle. I am sad (yet happy) to say I think its owner takes much better care of their herd than the island horses.

thanks for the lift, Ballo

And now I sit by an overlook of a beautiful valley with a few rivers running down to join each other at the bottom. The scenery here is truly amazing. Because of the newness of the mountains, we can see all colors and shades of stone - gray, black, brown, white glacier-capped - while strolling through fields of dried grass that turn in seconds into meadows of pretty floral bushes and butterflies.

Not sure I have experienced such dramatic differences in landscape in one 360 degree view before. Amazing.

(later)
At afternoon tea (yes, that's right, and we get a morning snack too) we learned a little more about Peruvian culture and history. The potato is the main staple here in the highlands, it's eaten year round and with almost every meal. The International Center of Potato Research (CIPS) found that a few thousand varieties of potatoes grow here in Peru.

Quote of the day: "I had no idea there was an International Center of Potato Research."