Salkantay Trek, Peru - Day 3

We awoke again to coca tea served by the porters. We were so deep in sleep that the porters had to unzip our tent to wake us up. I’m really loving this coca tea! It perks me up right away. We spent the first few hours of the morning learning how to harvest the fruit off the local coffee plantation and turn them into roasted coffee beans. They even brewed us a pot of coffee to taste the fruit of our labour.

Today’s trek would be a short one. We would get to our camp for the night at about 2pm, just in time for lunch. First up, we would have to hike for about 2-3 hours uphill along an original Inca trail which would lead us to the first site of the Lost City of the Incas. The Llactapata Inca site was never discovered by the Spanish after it was abandoned by the Incans and therefore was not destroyed. We had a view of Machu Picchu ruins, Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains from here. Historians gather than Llactapata served as a resting place for Incans travelling along the Inca trails. They have found ruins almost every 20km along Incan trails, about the distance one would cover walking for a whole day. This was where travellers could rest and eat before carrying on with their journey.

Our camp was only a 20 mins trek from this site. This campsite was the most established we have seen on this trek. There was a basic restaurant, toilet facilities and an incredible large campground with views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. We spent the afternoon playing cards and before long, happy hour consisting of the usual hot popcorn and tea was served. Surprisingly, I was able to get some reception here to send some text messages to Aaron. I wish he could see what I was seeing.

Dinner was extra special tonight. It was Rachel’s birthday and the chef had specially baked a cake for her. That’s right – a cake. How one would bake a cake with only a portable gas stove and a pot is beyond me. The chef did a stellar job. I had a huge chunk of the chocolate cake and it was delicious! Needless to say, Rachel was absolutely blown away. She had also convinced our guide to collect firewood for a campfire earlier on so we got to enjoy our cake in front of a roaring campfire.

The guide spent the night telling us folklore from the highlands where he was born. They worship the mountains. He told us of scary tales of lost souls trying to snatch hikers in the mountains. By the time the fire burnt out, it was past 10pm and I was freaked out. I was really looking forward to tomorrow when I would see Aaron again.Read more