Machu Picchu, Peru

Cusco to Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Guide Eduardo. Hotel El Mapi by Inkaterra

We had a very early morning pick up by Eduardo at 4:30 am to drive to Poroy Train Station (a 20-minute trip from Cusco. Driving through the dark streets we could see women sitting outside stalls and on street corners with their bundles of goods to sell when the city woke up. The train arrived and we got on the special car that had the special viewing dome. The hotel had packed a very tasty breakfast and the train served hot drinks. The views along the way with the fast-flowing river and steep mountains were very picturesque. After about an hour the train stopped at what is called 104Km and we (Judy, Don, Gary, Karina and Lee) with backpacks and poles in hand, jumped off, literally, as there was no step down from the train. We waved goodbye to Mike who was going on to the hotel in Machu Picchu where we would meet up with him at the end of the day. Eduardo gave us a few minutes to set up our walking poles and then we walked across a suspension bridge to the admission gate.

The hike was a total of 12 km long and was probably the most challenging thing Judy, Lee and I had ever done. Firstly, because it was seriously rough terrain up and down over 12 km with the elevation changes from 2100 m at start to 2899 m. at Winay Wanya ,our stop for lunch, then down to 2745 m at the Sun Gate and then down to 2445m where the bus took us down to the hotel. Secondly because Judy had a knee replacement only 6 months earlier, Lee, because she is in bad need of a second hip replacement and Don because he has problems with heights and cliff edges. The three of us were very happy with our new hiking boots and the walking poles we had purchased, without which, I think we would still be there. Gary and Karina did not use poles and at half our age were not quite as physically challenged as we were.

Our first stop was at the site of recently restored Inca ruins of Chachabamba, only about 15 minutes along the way. These ruins, discovered in 1940, are located on the old Inca road that ran along the southern bank of the Urubamba River. The style of buildings and stonework suggest that this used to be an important religious site, as well as having the secondary function as a gate house guarding Machu Picchu above. Chachabamba is set at elevation of 2,150m. Chachabamba, a Quechua word which means valley of trees. From the type of architecture, structures and distribution, probably it was a religious center where the Incas performed ceremonies dedicated to the Mother Nature. In the middle of the construction there is a square that holds an altar carved on natural rock. A few meters from here there are several ceremonial water baths. Probably the place where the Inca pilgrims took purification in order to clean the soul before arriving at Machu Picchu.

The zone of Chachabamba is in a very fertile valley, a great place to grow tropical and subtropical food and plants, sweet potato, yucca, and medicinal plants.

At Chachabamba there is a control point for the trekkers; here you have to show the permits for the climb and the entrance to the national park of Machu Picchu. The weather is normally warm and tropical due to the location; it’s surrounded by a pristine forest.

From there things got more strenuous as we ascended through tropical rain forests with continually fantastic views, most of which Don missed. He has difficulty coping with being on the edge of drop offs which might just lead to a life ending experience, which well describes a lot of the trails we were on. Leaning towards the safety of the mountains, which was usually on our left, not looking down but rather to the safety of the rocks on the left, and Gary’s incessant babble kept him going. We saw lots of orchids and other flowers. It was a constant drizzle all morning until just after our lunch break 3 ½ hours into the trek which helped prevent us from overheating. In addition to our guide Eduardo, we had a young man who served as our porter and, with his very small frame, he remarkably carried our box lunches and a bit of extra water with no effort at all.

The trail was usually narrow, sometimes only 2-3 feet wide, almost never flat and the ups and downs involved seriously steep steps, often with a rise of 16-20 inches, both going up and down. Missteps, particularly going down would have resulted in tragic results. As a result, part of the fatigue we were feeling was not just because of the altitude, and steepness, but frankly, because it was exhausting just to keep concentrating. At one point, our guide took our poles and told us we had to climb the next “stairs” on our hands and feet. I would guess the length of the stairs was about 100 feet and the rise could have been easily 40 feet. Don took some very unflattering pictures of this ascent. We stopped for a snack break along the way and then after climbing up many terraces we finally broke for lunch.

The box lunches were quite elaborate, and the energy source was welcome. We were warned in advance that there were no washroom facilities until we got to our lunch break at Winay Wayna at an altitude of 2899 m. Because of the need to keep hydrated, some of us had to stop for a pee break on the side of the mountain pressed tightly into the bank on the “upside”. From here we continued to the peak altitude of 2720 m. to what the literature describes as “a final set of stairs” (misleading in the extreme) to arrive at Inti Punku, (Quechua words for Sun Gate). From here we got our first views of Machu Picchu and it was quite exhilarating even if a bit cloudy. It was quite a celebration; when anyone reached this point, everyone including people from some of the other groups were congratulating everyone for making it this far. Little did we know that the descent down would be a long series of steep ups and downs which made for an exhausting trek. And so it was, that after 9 ½ hours, we finally reached the bottom and even in our tired state, we had to really scurry to catch the last bus down to the village. On one 1/2 of a hip, Lee rushed ahead to make sure the bus did not leave without us. We descended in the bus, on switchbacks, back down to the valley floor and then had a short walk up to our hotel which seemed to be miles away. Mike was in the lobby waiting for us. We had no time to waste as dinner was booked for ½ hour away. Previous to this, because of the altitude, most of us were drinking very little alcohol, if any, but that night Don had a celebratory Martini. We were equally exhausted and exhilarated. Everyone headed to bed right after dinner.
Lee however decided to go up to the fifth floor and had a sauna and a hot tub. Heaven for her after a very tough day.Read more