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- Leslie Oman

Peru travel chronicles #4: machu picchu!

Buenas Noches!

Machu Picchu was incredible and earning it by way of the Inca Trail was deeply rewarding. Day 1 of the Inca Trail was a surprisingly light day likely because our hard working trail porters were carrying all of our gear! The first night was very cold in my little tent as I hadn't discovered the “hot water bottle in sleeping bag” trick yet! Life at camp was fun as everyone got used to the new surroundings, connected with other G Adventures groups, and tested out gear.

Each day we woke up by 5am, had breakfast, matte de coca (tea from dried coca leaves) and left by 6-6:30am finishing between 4-6pm daily. Day 2 was a 1200m ascent to the Dead Womans Pass at 4200m (13,860 ft) followed by a fairly steep descent just to prep the knees for what was to come. I noticed some of my camp mates struggling with the altitude and change in diet. I felt thankful to have spent a week adjusting and that I was able to simply enjoy the experience. The stars were incredible each night and I marveled at the Southern Cross, Milky Way and an up-side-down Big Dipper shining brilliantly in the jet black Andean sky.

Day 3 was my toughest day with hours of mostly incredibly steep, deep steps descending to our final campsite. I plunged my feet and knees straight into ice cold water on arrival and was very grateful to have finished our longest day. Along the way, we stopped at several impressive Incan ruins including Phuyupatamarca, Sayacmarca and Intipunku (say those 10 times quickly!).

On Day 4, the final hour long hike beginning at 5am to the Sun Gate was intense! People were running and passing on a very narrow VERY treacherous path and one girl toppled and broke her ankle and

wrist just in front of us. The skilled guides cobbled together a makeshift stretcher from thick branches and sweaters and had to carry her out - talk about intense & difficult work! There was one final challenge just before the prize, with an almost vertical "staircase" to scramble up - yikes! Once we reached the Sun Gate and had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu there was an hour long hike down to Machu Picchu surrounded by the most spectacular mountain range. Where the base of the trail met the Machu Picchu ruins, I met up with my original Gap Adventures group. They had completed their hike of the Lares trek the day before, traveled by train to Agua Calientes and entered the site from below. We had a fantastic two hour tour of Machu Picchu by our Gap Adventures guide Mario including a great explanation of how the Incans set up Machu Picchu for farming, with a constant water supply, a natural amplitheatre, compass, clock and seasonal indicator. They truly honoured Mother Earth and developed the most ingenious ways of living in harmony with their surroundings. While my friend Sonja hiked up Waynapicchu (the towering peak north of Machu Picchu), I found a quiet space and sat in the sun for a long time breathing in every sight and sound of this most magical place...

We made by train back to Cuzco to enjoy a couple more days and add to my souvenir collection… I ended up with so many gorgeous hand woven Peruvian alpaca blankets, hats, sweaters, and belts I could have started my own bizarre! “That'll be 15 soles, ok, 10 soles for you!” I returned home to Toronto and could hardly believe my incredible Peruvian adventure was over – what a great experience! Thanks G Adventures & Planeterra!

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Peru travel chronicles #4: machu picchu!

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