April 3, 2012 - Inca Trail Day 1

We began our Inca Trail adventure bright and early, with a 5 a.m. bus pickup, which felt very early since we’d been up late braiding our hair, in matching pigtails  (obviously). We were told we could sleep on the bus ride to Ollantaytambo but I was too busy snapping photos of the sunrise shining off the snowy mountaintops we could see off in the distance the entire way. We stopped for a quick breakfast where we got to know our fellow trekmates. In addition to Ceri and Pete, who we had already met, there was Steph and Erin, also from London. Kristy and I joked that maybe we’d pick up British accents on the trip (which we did find ourselves doing!).

Then we continued on, past Ollantaytambo and down a windy dirt road that did not seem like the main thoroughfare to a major tourist destination. Finally we arrived at a large parking lot where a few other buses where offloading trekkers. We prepared our bags for the porters, hit our last clean bathroom for several days, and then started off to the checkpoint to officially enter the trail.

Our first steps were crossing a gushing Urubamba River. Then we started a gradual uphill, enjoying the gorgeous scenery around us. For the next few hours we hiked, stopping every 20 minutes or so for a break, a snack, sometimes a bathroom. At one “trailside” stand we enjoyed a fresh prickly pear, right off the cactus. Along the way, our guide Erik shared information about the plants we were passing, the history of the trail, and other cultural notes. When we saw the Perurail train chugging by he introduced us to the concept of train riders as cheaters!

We also got our first glimpse at how hard the porters work. They started after us and no more than an hour or so in they were running past us, all carrying 25 kilos on their backs. Apparently there is a porters race from mile 82 until the finish of the trail and the record is 3 hours 30 minutes. Considering the trail distance is just a bit longer than a marathon that might now seem so fast, but that’s without accounting for the rough trail conditions, steep hills, and high altitude. With those in mind, it is truly an amazing feat!

At one point we stopped to examine a cactus and Erik explained how the white fungus-looking stuff on the cacti was actually bugs, which the local people use to make dyes and lipstick. This was the same thing we had learned in Chinchero. Erik explained that many local plants are exported to other countries used for natural products.

The hike was quite relaxing until we began a steep uphill, which Erik told us was a prelude to Dead Women’s Pass the next day. But this hill was short, and we easily reached the top a little out of breath but no worse for the wear. Then we stopped at another trailside stand where women were selling chicha, the fermented corn drink. Erik enjoyed one, as were many of the porters who had stopped along the way, and shared a sip with us. We also saw donkeys nuzzling each other in the field – so cute. It is surprising how many horses, cows, and donkeys you see along steep hillsides around the trail. It seems like they come out of nowhere, but Erik explained that there are villages all around, hidden by the mountains and the trees.

Later that day we passed through several villages along the trail. It was fascinating to see people walking past us with donkeys carrying goods like pasta, rice, and potatoes. Can you imagine if to get to the market each day you had to hike on a trail that other people do for recreation? At one stop we had a good laugh as two tiny black dogs harassed a passing donkey. Ironically the bigger, older dog stayed out of the fray, too wise – or maybe lazy – to be bothered. At a nearby stop there was a full-scale convenience store and bar, right on the trail.

The end of the day seemed to drag on as we faced a gradual but long uphill to our first campsite. We arrived huffing and puffing, but looking back nothing compared to how tired we were the following days. Our porter team greeted us with applause, again ironic because they had it made it there before us and already set up the tents and started dinner. But it was a sweet gesture. At this point Erik introduced us to the team and we took a group picture. It was nice to have a sense of comraderie with the team, like we were all in it together for these four days.

Then we had our first nightly happy hour, which consisted of popcorn, cookies, and tea. Luckily Steph and Erin had brought cards so we enjoyed several games of Shithead, a game I had learned from Josh and thoroughly enjoy. In subsequent nights our card games also included Spoons and Bullshit (me and Kristy’s recommendations which were big hits), Rummy, which was a little rough because the Brits follow different rules, and even Egyptian Ratscrew, which we taught Erik on the last night.

After that we had a delicious dinner. I can’t actually remember what we had each night, but it was all wonderful. Then we went to bed, exhausted from a full day of hiking.

Cuzco with Kristy

March 31, 2012 - I have been slacking on the blog and now I need to recap the last week with Kristy before I take off for travels again with Mike. So, I’ll start with Saturday morning, March 31. I headed off to Cuzco via a comfortable but slow bus ride on Tour Peru. I arrived around 3 p.m., happy and a little nervous for some odd reason. After haggling with a taxi driver (because I’m sick of being ripped off) and finally settling to be dropped at the bottom of the hotel’s street and hike the last three blocks straight up hill (bad idea) I arrived at Hostel Corihuasi. Kristy answered the door obviously sleepy from her rest after the long overnight flight, so my timing was perfect. We quickly got ready and headed out to explore Cuzco.

The weather was beautiful so we ate outside at Los Portales near San Francisco Plaza. Before enjoying our palta a la reina (avocado stuffed with chicken salad) and lemonade we were bombarded by tons of people trying to sell us various artesania. Kristy bought a doll, the “Barbie of Cuzco.” Then we headed over to SAS Travel to pay for the rest of our trip and explored a bit more of the city before heading back to our hotel for a cup of coca tea. We ended the night with a dinner at Brava, where I enjoyed stuffed chicken parmesan and Kristy had risotto croquettes. Although it was delicious, we were so tired by the end we were nearly falling asleep in our plates!  So we called it a night and curled up in our cozy room with a heater and down comforters, a welcome change for me from Puno.

The next morning we had a delightful breakfast at our hotel (eggs, yogurt and granola, tea, and warm fresh bread) with a view of Cuzco out the wrap around windows and then headed off early to the SAS office to meet up with the group for our free Sacred Valley tour.

There were 11 of us on the tour, two families from Pittsburgh and two friends from London, who we quickly found out would also be joining us on the Inca Trail. We all piled into the SAS mini bus and headed through winding roads past some of the ruins overlooking Cuzco and into the Sacred Valley. The views were gorgeous with rolling green hills, steep mountains, and gushing rivers. Our first stop was a touristy market where Kristy petted an alpaca and got her first taste of Peru’s cheap but beautiful handicrafts and how hard it is to resist buying them – basically she didn’t. Then we continued on to Pisac where we both fell victim to pretty things. We got matching embroidered pictures we are planning to frame for our offices (future office in my case) and I got a really unique painting of the reed boats from Lake Titicaca, a fitting souvenir I thought since I spent so much time here. We also found baby alpaca yarn at about half the price it was in Puno so I bought some for Mom and then kicked myself for not buying more.

Then we winded up the road to the ruins at Pisac. Our tour guide, Martin, gave a nice explanation of Inca terraces, which in this site at least were used for experimenting with different types of agriculture. The Incas cultivated dozens of types of potatoes and corn. This site was also one of the largest Inca cemetaries, and you could still see holes in the mountainside from where tombs were uncovered due to erosion and exploitation.

Kristy wasn’t feeling well from the altitude so this is probably not her favorite part of the trip. But luckily she felt better as the day went on.

Our second stop was delayed by engine trouble for our bus so we stopped in a tiny little town, which turned out to be nice because instead of eating the 30 soles buffet at the tourist restaurant in Urubamba we ate a still touristy but somewhat more authentic restaurant that was also much less expensive. Then our bus was fixed and we continued on to Ollantaytambo, which was awesome!

I wish we had more time to explore the narrow, ancient alleyways of this “living Inca town.” It is a great example of the Inca’s city planning, which included zoned areas, sophisticated irrigation and drainage systems, and designing cities in symbolic shapes. For example, Ollantaytambo was designed in the shape of an ear of corn, an important symbol and food for the Inca’s. Cuzco, the capital city, used to be in the shape of the puma, the sacred animal representing the “middle world.” And Machu Picchu is in the shape of the condor, the animal representing the “upper world” or heaven because it was thought to carry people up to the sky when they die.

What we did get to explore in Ollantaytambo was the “Fortress Ruins,” although our guide, Martin, explained that while the structures were used last as a fortress during the Incas last stand against the Spanish, they were originally temples and astronomical observatories, as evidenced by the sophisticated stone work and symbols that only exist in sacred Inca places. Also, the mountain across from the ruins has the face of Wiracocha, the supreme god of the Incas, carved in it, as well as another face that is hidden during the solstices, indicating its astronomical importance. The mountain also features a natural food storage structure, which took advantage of the wind and high altitude to keep foods cool. Pretty neat.

At this point in the tour we were running behind so we headed off as the sun was starting to set for Chinchero. Along the way we saw a huge rainbow crossing the valley, which we later learned was seen by the Incas as a sign of the end of the rainy season and the time to plant crops. When we arrived in the town of Chinchero, which is itself an archeological site, it was dark, and we climb quickly up to visit a colonial church. Then we passed through a busy artesan market to visit an almost hidden women’s cooperative. There a young women, in quite impressive English, walked us through the process of how they make wool for traditional textiles. First, she showed us how they clean the wool using a native root. It turned alpaca wool instantly from dirty to sparkling white. Then they use natural products for dyes, such as bugs that grow on cacti. We were all amazed as she crushed what looked like a small white seed and it made a brilliant red color on her hand. She told us they use this product for natural lipstick too, and joked that it is kiss-proof. Other colors were made from seeds, leaves, and flowers. Plus they add things like lemon juice to change the colors. After that she explained the process of drying and then spinning the wool, which she joked women can do while walking, talking, dancing, even kissing their husbands. Then she showed us the weaving process, which was very similar to the exquisite techniques I had seen in Guatemala. We were thrilled to finally see some original handicrafts that weren’t carbon copies of everything you see in all the stores (although we did later see similar things in Cuzco) so Kristy and I bought some table mantels.

Now quite dark, our group headed back out of Chinchero and home to Cuzco. It was an exhausting day but a great glimpse into the diverse and interesting cultures in Peru. For me it was nice to be a tourist for a change and actually learn about the meanings behind many things I have seen but not understood in the last two months.

The next day we were going to check out the other ruins near Cuzco but decided to sleep in and take it easy instead. We walked around San Blas, enjoyed a very Gringa lunch at Jack’s Café (I nearly melted when I tasted my juicy burger!), checked out a history museum and the chocolate museum, and shopped until we dropped. We also visited the Santo Domingo church and Qoricancha. This was a fascinating place, well worth the $5 we paid for a guide. The Spanish built a church and convent on top of the Inca Temple, so everywhere you turn you see the juxtaposition of old and new, pagan and Christian. As our guide must have said a hundred times, the innovative Inca architecture has long outlasted the Spanish designs through earthquakes. Each time, the Spanish would rebuild using their same process of stone with cement, even though the Inca technique of fitting stones together without cement or mud and using trapezoidal shapes with slight inclines rather than straight square/rectangle shapes had clearly stood the test of time. We also learned more about the beliefs of the Incas, such as that temples for “male” deities like the sun were adorned with gold while “female” ones like the moon temple were decorated with silver. The temple also featured an interesting painting of the Milky Way, showing the animals the Incas thought appeared in the constellation, including a black llama and baby, a frog, a snake, and a condor, all of which have important meanings.

Later that night we got to see a processional for Semana Santa. Right as it was getting started, rain began pouring down, so we ran into an Internet café. With a few hours to kill before our orientation meeting, we decided to get a massage. After all, it only cost $8! It wasn’t the greatest massage ever, but it was relaxing. Then we headed to the orientation meeting and home to pack for the Inca Trail!

More to come on that amazing adventure….