"Why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?
Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking.
Live in silence.
Flow down and down in always
widening rings of Being."
-Rumi
About me: I have been backpacking around the world since age 21. I lived an expatriate student life in Prague in 1994 and can manage in four languages. This trip was a personal journey to Machu Picchu, the Inca's center of the world. Usually an urban trekker, this was my first adventure in outdoor trekking. As a solo traveler, I pushed through physical barriers and fears. In return, I experienced incrdeible beauty and met some wonderful people along the way.
I hope that this blog sustains the memory of this trip and provides others who are thinking of making this trip an idea of what it was like. I thought I would be prepared for the altitude as I had been OK in other high altitude cities, like Mexico City, but the altitude in Cusco affected me quite badly for days. Prior to my arrival, I had booked the Salcantay trek ( 5 days/4 nights, 100km) to Machu Picchu with United Mice. This is an Inca Trail but is not the classic Inca Trail (4 days/ 3 nights, 33km). The payoff is that the trail isn't crowded and goes over amazing vistas but is physically difficult and starts in high altitude.
Gear that I loved: My Asolo hiking boots, Columbia Goretex fleece jacket & windbreaker, Roehmer socks and liners, EMS hydration backpack, Outdoor Research sunhat, baby alpaca hat and gloves, fleece pants, wetwipes, Teva sandals, dexamethasone, DEET 30 spray, Neutragena sunscreen 30, Sorijichi Pills, toe warmers.
Gear that was useless: dental floss, my suitcase on wheels, Purell hand sanitizer (wetwipes were better), Goretex ski gloves (alpaca was warmer), Diamox
Gear I wish I had: head-mounted flashlight, super quick dry towel, a pair of lightweight expandable walking poles, an altitude-distance-temp watch, fitted convertible pants, prescription sunglasses, down sleeping bag
Day 1: My flight out of Philadelphia was cancelled at the last minute because of a storm in Miami, my first stopover. Unfortunately, I lost a day in acclimatizing.
Day 2: I start my flight out again with stopovers in Miami and Lima and arrive in Cusco at 8am Sunday morning. My hostess gave me coca tea upon arrival to help with the altitude. I decided to do all day guided tour of the amazing Sacred Valley/ Urubamba Valley because it was market day in Pisac, the finest market in the region. We tried some 8 varieties of potatoes (potatoes are from Peru) and corn while perusing the colorful craft market. We visited some smaller towns along the way, including the citadel ruins at Ollantaytambo and stopped for lunch at an amazing buffet where all the local speciaities were available, including alpaca and guinea pig. I was tired but only had a slight headache.
Day 3: I felt the altitude today - a faster heartbeat, a slight headache, and pins and needles in my face, hands and feet. The Diamox I started before the trip did not help but the dexamethasone aborted the headache. I drank alot of coca tea, a regional aid for the altitude. I spent most of day gathering gear for the trip. Other trekkers warned us that it was extremely cold at night on the trail and recommended alpaca knits and fleece. At 7pm, we met at the United Mice office for a breifing. There were 15 of us from all around the world :Gary and Claire - Ireland, Line and Fritz - Norway, Stephanie and Yvonne - Switzerland, Marcus- Germany, Andreas- Australia, Mark - USA, Glenda - New Zealand, Zoe and Sharon - UK, Liesbeth and Olivier -Belgium and myself. Our guides were Yesenia, Solei, and Edgar.
Day 4: United Mice picked us up at 4 am in a bus-truck hybrid, and we drove 4 hours to Mollepata for breakfast and then another hour to the start of our trek. After lunch, the trail meandered through a large field then zigzagged steeply uphill for 3 hours. All the while, it was getting colder as we reached the base of Salcantay mountain. We camped at an elevation of 4200m. That night temperatures were 15F (-5C) and I hardly slept despite wearing 8 layers. The cotton sleeping bags given to us were inaedequate for these temperatures. My resting heart was 120 bpm and I was tachybreathing. However, camping outside under with the milky way was a magical experience and the gorgeous snow capped Salcantay loomed over us across the lagoon. We heard two loud avalanches in the night that sounded like distant thunder but we were far enough away. It added to the raw beauty of the Andes.
Day 5: In the morning, I found my eyeglasses frosted inside the tent much to the humor of Andreas, my tentmate. Since clean water was a commodity, I decided against contacts. As we prepared for breakfast, I had no appetite and felt naseous. My heart raced at the slightest exertion. Zoe and Sharon were feeling terrible and abandoned the journey and Solei accompanied them out on horseback. The rest of us climbed uphill for 3 hours to the first pass. I had a difficult time. The nausea worsened as I ascended and with the double vision and dizziness, I could barely place my feet on the rocks. I perservered to the pass but started the descent immediately. I seriously considered abandoning the jouney, but there were no emergency horses left so I had to continue. Yesenia gave me a cotton ball drenched in alcohol and herbs to sniff and I chewed alot of coca leaves. A passing caravan let me hire a horse for the last 20 minutes of the journey to join the others for lunch. My teammates were very supportive and coaxed me eat despite having my having no appetite. Afterwards, I felt better and could continue the descent. After another 3 hours, we camped for the night at the side of a mountain village.
Day 6: I was never afraid of heights until this trip. Many times I did not dare look down. There were no ropes or anything manmade to hold onto. The day started down a very steep, slippery and narrow trail that hugged the mountainside. We left the puno, the highest Andes elevation and descended into rainforest. Here we passed a dead horse that slipped off the trail a few days ago, saw orchids and tropical plants, and ate guavas in a pasture. We stopped frequently to allow horse caravans to pass on the trails, leaving dust in their wake. At one point, there was a small avalanche of rocks that fell ahead of me on the trail. On many difficult but beautiful parts, I focused only on the trail and couldn't stop to take photos. At the end of the day, we washed in a glacial river. My long curls were now a mass of dust coated tangles and I was coughing from the dust I had breathed in on the trail. The humidity made it difficult to dry laundry and the sleeping bags were smelling musty. Thankfully, the nausea and dizziness had gone and I had a normal resting heart rate. My appetite returned. However, the tingling remained for a few more days and my knees were sore.
Day 7: This day's trail itinerary went over a steep uphill pass and then descent. I chose not to join today's trek. I was given that option and I felt that my body needed rest. I spent most of the day with Line, Marcus and Yesenia who also opted out. We took a bus to a a river where we crossed a long, wobbly suspension bridge on foot and then walked to another cable bridge where we were transported two at a time in a metal suspended cage. Finally, we stood in the back of a truck with the locals and their produce as it made its way on a serpentine cliffside path overlooking a roaring glacial river. When we got to our destination, we took a cold shower. Line, Marcus, Yesenia and I waited for the others to join us on the patio. After lunch, we went by train to our last campsite at the foot of Machu Picchu mountain. That night, the mosquitoes were out in droves. Their bites itched like mad. We hiked to Agua Calientes and had a good night soak in the questionably hygeinic sulphur baths. The baths were open to the stars and the whole group relaxed our aching muscles and talked. The town of Agua Calientes was like a small Alpine village with a main road dedicated to tourists. The hardest thing was smelling and refusing all the scrumptious food that we hadn't eaten in days. United Mice had good camp food, but it was hard to refuse these gourmet meals. I compromised with a small bag of Doritos. My walk back to camp with Glenda in the dark was really beautiful with just the shadow of the mountains surrounding us.
Day 8: We woke up at 5am to be at Machu Picchu at 7am just in time to see the sun come up. Our reward for doing the trek was having the ruins virtually to ourselves. After 10am, the first trains come to Agua Calientes bringing 1500 people to the site daily. Machu Picchu was stunning and more beautiful then in pictures. It is completely surrounded by soft Andean peaks and the ruins are in good condition. Unfortunately, we had the most incomprehensible tour guide and quickly lost interest, but he was worth it for the laughs. A day for flying Coca leaves, Llama north, and the evil eye. I climbed the base of Huayna picchu but decided to leave the peak for another day. When all the tourists started to arrive, we headed back to Agua Calientes for a long-awaited pizza with Frtiz, Line, Gary, Claire, and Edgar. The others joined us eventually. I took a 5 hour train back to Cusco at a different time than the rest of my group but was hoping to meet them back in Cusco for drinks that night at Jack's Cafe. On the train, I revisted all the vistas backwards and in fast speed but via the comfort of a train seat. I had a great conversation with an Italian couple for the duration of the trip. When we finally arrived in Cusco, the streets were overun with crowds celebrating a festival and traffic was horrible. I got to the hostal, had a luxurious hot shower, and tried to meet the group at Jack's Cafe. Unfortunately, I lost my way in the crowded Plaza Del Armas and got there too late. Nobody was there.
Day 9: After a good sleep in a real bed, I arose early for breakfast at Jack's with the goal to sit, eat, and see if any of my group would show up. Without cellphones and leaving as quickly from Agua Calientes as had happened, meeting up proved a challenge. Luckily, Fritz came to Jack's Cafe to see if I was there and then eventually, Claire, Gary, Line, Fritz, and Glenda showed up for lunch. We ate and took the day easy. I bought an awesome ceremonial knit hat at the Mercado Del Artesenia which I hope to frame and we looked for gifts and small trinkets to add to existing collections at home. After a nice dinner at Baghdad Cafe, we said goodbye to Claire and Gary who were on their way to Cuba.
Day 10: After a breakfast at Jack's again, I said goodbye to Line and Fritz who were continuing their journey to Lake Titicaca. I needed professional help for my windworn curly hair and antibiotics for the worsening bronchitis. After taking care of these needs, I spent the day visiting some of the cathedral and churches in Cusco and exploring the meandering cobblestone streets. I wandered into Magic Hands where eI met Jesus De Jairo, a Quechua shaman who makes beautiful jewelry. His door is locked and he only allows people into his store as he wishes. With a gregarious personality and an imposing stature, this man will tell you things about yourself that you thought only you knew. Also recommend is the elegant handmade silver jewelry at Esme designs on San Blas. This area of Cusco was my favorite - it's a quiet artistic section on a lovely hillside.
Day 11: It's my last day in Cusco and I had a few hours for a relaxed breakfast and buying gifts. I was now fully acclimatized and it seemed a shame to have to go back to sea level and let it all go to waste. I left that afternoon and with the stopovers, I arrived in Philadelphia 20 hours later on my birthday. Luckily there was no jet lag with a one hour time difference. But I am tired. I scrub myself clean and take a nap. I can unpack tomorrow.
I loved trekking and being outdoors. Despite the inconveniences, I would do it again, but I need to train before my next trip and have at least 5 days to acclimatize before setting out. I learned to be really efficient from my fellow trekkers. I also have a better idea of altitude neurology than I did before. Please enjoy the photos and feel free to write with any comments or questions.
