Friday August 29th, 2014
Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and Cusco, Peru
At 3am I are waking up to begin the final hike to Machu Picchu. After nearly 7 hours of sleep, my mental and physical state is slightly improved. I manage to drag myself out of my sleeping bag and over to the breakfast tent.
When I arrive, the porters are serving pancakes. I feel hungry but my mouth is still very dry. I attempt a few bites but am unable to swallow. I offer my plate to my trail friends and the food is gone before I can complete my sentence.
After breakfast, we dutifully join the group at the line for the last checkpoint. Our guides are near the front and call for us to pass the others so that we can stand with the group. The other hikers do not like this, but Dad is pushy, so we eventually end up near the front. It is still dark and cold outside. And now it’s starting to rain. We have to wait nearly an hour for the checkpoint to open up before we can proceed.
There are conflicting stories as to why the group had to line up at 4am when the checkpoint doesn’t open until 5. One possibility is that our guides wanted to be at the front of the line; another reason is that the porters have to pack up the gear, run down a hill, and catch an early train back to Ollantaytambo. Neither of these reasons is good. I am grouchy.
Once the checkpoint opens up, we shuffle through and are on the final leg of the hike. The guides are going fast and about half of the group cannot keep up. Other groups are passing. It is a race to the ancient ruins and our group is definitely losing.
Eventually, Dad comes to terms with the fact that his group is the slowest and stops to rest while everyone else passes by.
It’s still dark and very misty but the sky is starting to light up and the views are incredible. I am still fighting some pretty nasty stomach cramps and exhaustion, but it’s hard to not get caught up in the excitement of this portion of the hike.
After an hour or so we eventually arrive at the sun gate, an Incan ruin that overlooks all of Machu Picchu and sometimes directs the sunlight into one of the ancient temples below. There is no sunlight now, only waves of fog intermittently allowing spectacular views of the ruins below. I use this opportunity to sit and rest. I really do feel terrible, but we are very close to the end and I am focusing on keeping it together. After very many pictures, the group continues the hike down to Machu Picchu. Eventually, we arrive. Whew.
Raul tells the group to take 30 minutes to use the restrooms and grab a snack from the café. I am overly excited to see a “civilized toilet” with running water. Next, I attack the café. Exhausted and starving, I am unable to make a rational food decision. I end up with Doritos and orange juice for breakfast. For the first time since yesterday morning, I am able to chew and swallow food. My mouth finally works again.
Machu Picchu is really, really big. Things are often smaller in real life – Machu Picchu is much bigger. I was surprised to see an abundance of guards and free-range llamas.
Raul walks us around some of the ruins and explains how Machu Picchu was always known to the indigenous people and was only found by American explorers when a little kid accidentally spilled the beans. He also explains how a lot of the buildings were used and then attempts to field several questions for which he does not have answers. After the tour, Laura and I wander around for another 45 minutes or so. We look at a very old, functional sundial, pet the llamas, and intermittently run into our trail friends. It feels strange to see them in public.
Around lunchtime, we hop on the bus to Aguas Calientes, where the group will have a final lunch together. The seats on the bus are the most comfortable seats, ever. I immediately fall asleep and pray that we never make it to Aguas Calientes. Of course, we are there in a mere 30 minutes.
We quickly find the designated lunch restaurant and sit at a long table. I order a small cheese pizza and Sprite. Raul gives each member of the group a certificate and a hug.
After lunch, Laura and I are faced with an important decision – (A) spend the afternoon in Aguas Calientes and take the chartered bus back or (B) utilize public transit and get back a few hours earlier. I have some anxiety about Peruvian public transit, but it is ultimately overcome by an intense desire to get back to the hotel.
Getting a train to Ollantaytambo is a piece of cake. The train is wonderful and I drift off to sleep again. Eventually, we end up in Ollytaytamba. It is after dark and we really have no plan to get from here to Cusco. Luckily, Laura, who is better at this than me, has befriended a fellow traveler and convinced him to let us tag along. As we all exit the train, Laura follows him, and I follow Laura. We end up in a dark parking lot. A cab driver is yelling at me to put my bag somewhere and my body somewhere else. I don’t really understand, but our new train friend translates. Eventually, I sit down in the cab/van and try to relax. We are on the last leg of our journey back to Cusco.
At this point, my stomach is really starting to cramp up again. I am getting waves of pain coupled with hot flashes every few minutes. The cabbie’s driving abilities are not helping and right when we can start to see the lights of Cusco, we are stopped on a one-lane street due to a car accident. No one is clearing the road. I mentally prepare to be here all night.
After some amount of time, the van starts moving again and, eventually, we end up in the town square at Cusco. I feel like death.
In a total daze, I follow Laura around a few corners and up a hill and somehow end up at our hotel. It is late and we have to ring the doorbell.
One of the staff lets us in and shows us to the storage room where our bags are stored on the top shelf. We get them down and trudge up a flight of steps to our room for the evening. We have an early flight in the morning and still need to pack and shower. While Laura goes to the hotel café to order wine for dinner I take a shower but try to be quick because the water is already not very hot. I somehow get all of my belongings in order and lay down for 5 hours of badly needed sleep.
