online photo album application - flash animated world map

Jon and Sarah's

World_Tour_2006

It's FREE to register and create your own netGallery

View
Flash Version

netGallery > Jon and Sarah > World_Tour_2006 > Peru > Inca Trail Day 01 to Machu Picchu

Inca Trail Day 01 to Machu Picchu

Peru

December 2006
1 days

Day 01: Cusco to Wayllabamba (12km)

So a couple of lame office workers from Britain decided to take up the Inca Trail Challenge hey. A four day trek over mountainous peaks, hiking up to 8 hours per day through all weathers. Surely they prepared for this by doing their research and training to ensure they knew what they were letting themselves in for and that they were physically up to it..... did they? Nope! Ha haaaa... lets just see how this pans out shall we..... read on...

The first day of the trek is supposed to be relatively easy and serves as training for the days to follow and to weed out the weak ones. We were collected early from the hostel at 5am and travelled by bus, past the villages of Chinchero, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, for the 2½ hour scenic trip to kilometer 82 (the start of the trail) - that´s what the guide book says but we wouldn´t know as we were fast asleep although we keenly eyed up each new hiker that boarded the bus. In a millisecond, like Terminator, our brains were running full physical comparisons to see if they were any more suitable for this challenge than we were. Whenever the bus door opened we prayed that old age pensioners would be struggling to heave their zimmer frames up on to the bus but each time another young fit couple would stride down the Isle kitted out in full hiking apparel and you just knew they´d completed a full 50 situps before breakfast.

The bus stopped at the town of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley for the opportunity to have breakfast and buy much needed walking sticks, (a piece of thick bamboo!). Little did I know that this would be the last time I would have an appetite for the next 48 hours and just how essential these walking sticks would be in ascending/descending the Inca Trail.

After breakfast each person was introduced to their personal porters. In our group, as well as the hikers, we were to be joined by many others who would make our trip as comfortable as possible. There were two Tour Guides, who were responsible for our safety and who would tell us all about the sites en route. Then there were two cooks, and 21 porters who would carry all the camping equipment, tents, chairs, cookers, food and clean water for us to utilise. We had been told about these amazing people by others who had hiked the trail and about their amazing strength, agility and tenacity that helps them carry a silly amount of equipment at high speeds wearing the most basic of sandals.

Then there were Personal Porters, who were men booked by more than one hiker to assist in carrying most of that hikers clothes, sleeping bag and mattress.... did we think to get one... No! We had to carry all our own heavy rucksack to which they strapped our sleeping kit making it quite a lump. Mistake numero Uno!
Having arrived at km 82, the starting point, we had our photo taken and Passport stamped then crossed the Vilcanota River and followed the trail to the right as it climbs steeply up from the river. We were warned there would be no toilets for at least two hours so its the bushes from the get go!

The Inca hillfort of Huillca Raccay come into view high above the mouth of the river Cusichaca ('happy bridge'). The Incas, when they conquered the area, built a fort here since the site commanded an excellent view up and down the Urubamba valley and controlled the entrance to the Cusichaca valley. It was a short descent down to the Cusichaca river where there were views of the Cordillera Urubamba Mountain range and the snow capped peak of Veronica 5860m.

About an hour and a half in to the ascent I (Jon) starting to get symptoms associated to exertion at high altitude. I never get headaches, never, but now I had a relentless throbbing above my eyes and a feeling of nausea was creeping up on me. Now usually when you get feelings like this you stop what your doing and go and take a little lie down, maybe with a hot drink. No chance... we had milestones to reach and the porters were already waiting at the midway camp with our lunches. So forward and on we go!

We stopped for a good view over the extensive Inca ruins of Llactapata meaning 'upper town' in Quechua which were first discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 and was primarily an agricultural station used to supply Machu Picchu with maize, the staple crop of the Incas. The settlement comprised over one hundred buildings, houses for the workers and soldiers, including five baths. Whilst this was all being explained to us I sat barely listening and feeling very sick and wanting to return to civilisation. I took an altitude sickness tablet to see if that helped and when everyone got ready to move on my heart sank at the thought of it. It wanted to just lay there.... although even that was not safe as tiny scorpions had been seen in the dirt nipping in and out of tiny tunnels.

The next hour up steep hills to camp was very very hard... By now I felt weak as a baby lamb who´d been put on the stepper machine at the gym after a night on the beers! Hell on Earth! And we´d paid good money to feel like this.

We were the last two to arrive at the lunch camp site and walked in to applause from our fellow hikers who by now could see clearly that I was struggling. I drank one cup of coca tea whilst they ate as I could not face a morsel of food due to the nausea. I knew I needed to eat for energy but just couldn´t. A 15 minute break after lunch and then we were told to get ready once again for the next 2 hour hike to the night camp. For the first time in years I felt like crying but simply put on my backpack and pigeon stepped my way up the trail ..... and then it started to rain!

For a further 7 km the path followed the left bank of the river up to the small village of Wayllabamba (the name in Quechua means 'grassy plain') where we camped at 3,000m.

We made it! The easy day was over and it had been one of the hardest of my life.

I fell in to our tent feeling so sick and got straight in to my sleeping bag and started to shiver. Sarah and the group went for dinner whilst I took two paracetamols and slept. Miracle drug, an hour later I could lift my head up without feeling sick and actually wanted to eat. I ate 10 spoonfuls of plain rice and a Milky Way!

Night fell and all went quite around the camp. But not all was quiet in my stomach as a new symptom was about to inflict itself on me..... diarrhoea! The worse day of my life was about to get worse... now imagine the setting please.

Its 3am and I´m in a tent perched very high up a mountainside, its pitch black and oh yes, did I mention that by now its tipping it down with rain. The camp is asleep including Sarah and I am very cosy in my mummy style sleeping bag. Now the drugs have helped but I still have a headache and mild nausea but now a desperate desire to use the toilet immediately is my new concern. Had I been in a 4 star hotel bedroom this would have been a simple task of running to the bathroom. Not here!

Sorry to sound so negative but I'm trying to get you to understand how depressing this was. I had to fumble around in the dark quietly for my head torch and fired it up! OK with some light on the situation I unzipped my sleeping bag and started getting dressed. Full waterproof gear went on and with toilet roll in hand I stated to exit the tent. It was chucking it down and dark and the last thing I wanted to do was trip over a guide rope and fall through someones tent.

Trainers squelching in the mud and with a whiff of nearby farm animals I minced my way up the path for the 5 minute walk to the toilets. I reached the open toilets and checked out the gents side. The were four traps and praying for a clean one checked them out in turn. (Those of you with weak stomachs please skip to the next chapter!) What The Diddly!!! How on earth had people managed to get their 'I am holding up quoted fingers' DEPOSITS all over the seat, floor and up the walls. Even in my desperate state I had to stare in amazement and have a little chuckle.... Poor man who will have to clean this Manana! So I point blank refuse to enter these cess pits and try the ladies..... like a palace in comparison!! Why is that! Men aren't wearing furry loin loths anymore and holding spears so why aren't they potty trained. Not stopping to ponder on that any longer I leapt in and did my business, stepping the head torch down to its lowest power so as not to have it run out on me and leave me here in darkness. So I have to admit I was sitting there feeling very very sorry for myself. :( Very sorry indeed.

Walking back to the tent in the rain with my headlight barely lighting the path I felt eyes on me and looked up ahead to see two yellow peepers staring back at me. Turning up the brightness on my light I could see the outline of a big black dog.... Oh great... now I'm going to get mauled by a rabid K9. So as not to aggravate the mutt I turned my torch away and just stood there not making eye contact hoping he would leave. He didn't move so I made 'nice doggy' noises to not appear threatening and he let me pass unharmed... phew.

I spent the rest of the night like a grandfather clock pendulum swinging from hot to cold with clammy shivering to boot. I could not bare the thought that in a few hours we would be decamping and back on that that Inca trail for day two which they say is the hardest of the four days. A big part of me wanted to continue and not fail the task but a small part of me inside was screaming to let me be airlifted out of here, at any cost, back to a warm bed and creature comforts. Just wanting to feel well again and listening to the rain hit the canvas I drifted off to sleep finally.