Hola to the masses from Cuzco, Peru, still. We are still in Cuzco after about two weeks, but have recently returned from doing the Inca Trail. We started our voyage early morning on the first of December. In our group were two Germands named Max and Tom, a Belgian girl named Nathalie, two guys named Ryan and Michael from Australia, and of course Dad and I. We bussed from our hotel in Cuzco to the small town of Ollantaytambo. From there we hopped back on the bus and had lunch at kilometer 88. I had been up the night before getting sick and was still feeling under the weather so I opted out of lunch. We hiked several hours through the Urubamba and Cusichaca Valleys. It started to rain part way through so my pack was pretty soaked due to the lack of a cover for it. The two Aussies didn't have pack covers either, so they were bumming as well. That was the point in the trip when we realized that our "rain jackets" didn't do much of anything. Despite the rain we saw beautiful Andean mountains and got to see an Incan ruin. The ruin we saw was Llaqtapata which in Quichia means something to the effect of "town at high elevation." The first camp we had was at the camp Wayllabamba at 9,840 feet above sea level. It was clear the first night that our group was going to make a very fun experience out of the Inca Trail.
The second day was, according to the guide, the most difficult day. We broke camp fairly early, then ascended 3,600 feet to the top of Dead Woman's Pass. This was the highest point we climbed to on the Inca Trail at an elevation of 12,600 feet above sea level. From this point, we hiked about an hour downhill to our camp called Pacaymayu. We had been hiking for about six hours and got to our 11,800 foot camp at about 11:00 AM. We had lunch here and played a German card game called Shnautz. That spelling is probably horribly wrong, but being as neither Max or Tom are here to correct me, it'll have to do. The second night was probably a bit cold for Ryan due to several factors. Some of which being, he didn't have a sleeping bag, his sleeping pad was soaking wet, and we were sleeping at somewhat of an elevation, so it was rather chilly. After a long morning and an afternoon of food and card games, we hit the hay to rest for the third, and most spectacular day.
The third day, although involving lots of hiking, was one of the more beautiful days. On this day, we saw four archeological sites. We got up early in the morning and hiked up about 45 minutes to the first which was Runkuraqay. It is theorized that Runquraqay was used as a sort of hotel for people on their way to Machu Picchu. We then continued to hike another hour and fifteen minutes to the top of the pass. When we arrived at the top, we made offerings by making a little circle of stones with a piece of food in it. The offerings were in hope of a nice sunny day. From there we descended upon the Sayacmarca ruins. Thought to once be a worship place of the Incas, the Sayacmarca ruins had been rebuilt after earthquakes had taken them down. From here, we hiked up and had lunch before taking a short nap. Once we got moving again, it started to sprinkle a little bit, but that passed. The group decided to take the long way to camp so we could see the Puyupatamarca ruins. There ruins are part of three terraces that all face different directions. Each set of terraces was used as a greenhouse for domesticating plants. From here we made our way to camp which was at the Winaywayna lodge. There were hot showers there so we all got showered up. While there we also saw the Winwaywayna ruins which were a few minutes from camp. After a fun night, we laid down to rest. We got up very early the next morning so that we were one of the first groups to arrive at Machu Picchu. It was foggy in the morning, so we couldn't see the classic postcard shot of Machu Picchu. So, we took a consensus and headed into the ruins. They were amazing. We visited all the different parts. The sun temple, water temple, the intihuatana stone, and much more. We climbed Winay Picchu in 22 minutes. Winay Picchu is the mountain you always see in the background behind the ruins. The view from atop the mountain was spectacular.
After our stint up Winay Picchu, we climbed down and then made the descent to the town of Aguas Calientes. We had lunch and spent some time at the hot springs before boarding the train back to Cuzco. The train ride back wasn't so bad, it was the bus ride that was the tough part. We made it back all in one piece after witnessing some amazing things. The city of Machu Picchu will not soon leave my memory.