Peru Pt. 5
7/21/2008
We got up around 0630 and had a lame breakfast at the hotel. Then we took a very bumpy bus ride out to kilometer 82 of the train track, which is the start of the Inca Trail at Piscacucho. When we got out of the bus we were mobbed by sales ladies with water, candies and hiking sticks. We both bought a walking stick, S/5 each. Of course, after you buy a stick, the next question is "Do you want a rubber cap? Is necessary." We didn't opt to double the price of our sticks and it turned out the rubber caps weren't actually necessary. We went through the checkpoint and after a bit of waiting for the guides, we were off. The trail was very scenic but also covert with donkey shit and little flies or gnats or something which really loved to fly right in front of your face. They didn't seem to want to bight or anything, just annoy. Also, it was very, very dusty. I think by now at least, all of the dust is out of my lungs and sinuses. Ick... Anyways, we saw a few smallish ruins along the way and stopped for a while a place where we could look over the ruins of Llactapata, but we didn't go down to them.
We got to the lunch spot around noon and the porters had set up a tent and table and everything. They had bowls of water for us to wash up and everything. Then we had a nice lunch with soup and everything. Ah, roughing it... We took a brief rest after that and then continued walking. The trail got a bit steeper and the bugs got much worse. In all the 12km hike for the day wasn't very difficult, and pretty good preparation for the next, which will be the hard day.
We made it to the campsite at Huayabamba (which is fun to say) around 1600. The elevation there was about 3000m, which was still lower than Cusco. Probably good for acclimatization. We got our duffels from the porters and unpacked into our tents, then had tea. I could probably get used to Tea. I've been thinking the day could use another meal... Too song after, we had a three course dinner, including trout pizza while our guide shared more history with us. After dinner, we looked at the stars for a while, since they all a whole other stars on the southern hemisphere and all. I believe the Milky Way was up, as well. We went to bed pretty early, around 2130, since after it gets dark there's not a damn thing to do... k still wasn't feeling completely better, so one of the porters gave her a native remedy. It involved rubbing some mixture of coca leaves and maybe honey and water and who knows what else all over her stomach. It was a bit of a mess...
Today also began the trend of truly horrifying bathrooms. All of the bathrooms once we were on the trail are squat toilets. They do generally flush, but the flush goes all over. So the floor is always covered in something brown. It's probably just mud, but maybe not... The one in the campsite for the night was made better by it's flushing mechanism not working and the door not having a latch, so everyone had to go to the bathroom with a buddy. So, maybe we were roughing it just a little...
"Family Photo" at the beginning of the Inca Trail. Our guide was a big fan of "Family Photos".
Walking on the Inca Trail
I suppose we climbed that...
k and some porters. Note enormous packs. They are more fit than you will ever be.
The place of Llactapata
Workers restoring some unknown ruins.
We got up around 0630 and had a lame breakfast at the hotel. Then we took a very bumpy bus ride out to kilometer 82 of the train track, which is the start of the Inca Trail at Piscacucho. When we got out of the bus we were mobbed by sales ladies with water, candies and hiking sticks. We both bought a walking stick, S/5 each. Of course, after you buy a stick, the next question is "Do you want a rubber cap? Is necessary." We didn't opt to double the price of our sticks and it turned out the rubber caps weren't actually necessary. We went through the checkpoint and after a bit of waiting for the guides, we were off. The trail was very scenic but also covert with donkey shit and little flies or gnats or something which really loved to fly right in front of your face. They didn't seem to want to bight or anything, just annoy. Also, it was very, very dusty. I think by now at least, all of the dust is out of my lungs and sinuses. Ick... Anyways, we saw a few smallish ruins along the way and stopped for a while a place where we could look over the ruins of Llactapata, but we didn't go down to them.
We got to the lunch spot around noon and the porters had set up a tent and table and everything. They had bowls of water for us to wash up and everything. Then we had a nice lunch with soup and everything. Ah, roughing it... We took a brief rest after that and then continued walking. The trail got a bit steeper and the bugs got much worse. In all the 12km hike for the day wasn't very difficult, and pretty good preparation for the next, which will be the hard day.
We made it to the campsite at Huayabamba (which is fun to say) around 1600. The elevation there was about 3000m, which was still lower than Cusco. Probably good for acclimatization. We got our duffels from the porters and unpacked into our tents, then had tea. I could probably get used to Tea. I've been thinking the day could use another meal... Too song after, we had a three course dinner, including trout pizza while our guide shared more history with us. After dinner, we looked at the stars for a while, since they all a whole other stars on the southern hemisphere and all. I believe the Milky Way was up, as well. We went to bed pretty early, around 2130, since after it gets dark there's not a damn thing to do... k still wasn't feeling completely better, so one of the porters gave her a native remedy. It involved rubbing some mixture of coca leaves and maybe honey and water and who knows what else all over her stomach. It was a bit of a mess...
Today also began the trend of truly horrifying bathrooms. All of the bathrooms once we were on the trail are squat toilets. They do generally flush, but the flush goes all over. So the floor is always covered in something brown. It's probably just mud, but maybe not... The one in the campsite for the night was made better by it's flushing mechanism not working and the door not having a latch, so everyone had to go to the bathroom with a buddy. So, maybe we were roughing it just a little...
"Family Photo" at the beginning of the Inca Trail. Our guide was a big fan of "Family Photos".
Walking on the Inca Trail
I suppose we climbed that...
k and some porters. Note enormous packs. They are more fit than you will ever be.
The place of Llactapata
Workers restoring some unknown ruins.