Peru 2019: Inca Trail Day Four
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| We made it! An amazing view and a great accomplishment – but the adventure's not over yet. |
Jan. 9, 2019
Well, we did it!
We've boarded our train to Ollantaytambo, where we will then get a mini-bus to Cusco.
Today was hard, but are we ever proud of ourselves.
After another damp night of fitful sleep, we were roused at 3:30 a.m. to clear our tents by 4. The rain, thankfully (Thank you, Pachamama!) stopped at about the exact moment we stepped out of our tents.
All of us were tired, cold and in bad moods. There was bickering and complaining and impatience all around.
We had to wait till 5:30 to start our hike (the Chasquis had to leave earlier, which is why we had to get up in the dark) so we sat on benches and found creative ways to bandage Mia's blistered feet (maxi pads have so many uses!) by iPhone light while we gathered the courage for one last trip to the stinking hole-in-the-ground referred to as a bathroom.
Mia felt really sick, in pain and exhausted and my heart was full of guilt and concern as we started our final hike.
Early morning was misty and damp. And we were slow. So I think our first leg of an hour and a half took about two painful hours. The tropical foliage and mountain vistas were stunning but we were not in much of a mood to appreciate them – especially Mia.
That first leg took us to the Puerta del sol (the sun door, or sun gate), where all the other tour groups had gathered: the Brits, the Australians, the Koreans, Shane's U.S. buddies the "Super Best Friends" …
The ancient "gate" looks down on Machu Picchu and we all waited, cameras ready, for the sun to come over the mountaintops and shine down on the ancient city, parting the clouds in its way.
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| Dozens of tourists wait for the sun to rise at the Puerta del sol. |
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| The sun will part those clouds and reveal the ancient city of Machu Picchu. |
Once we all got our shots of the thoroughly amazing view it was time for – you got it – more trekking.
Down, down, down more stone steps we went, leg muscles shaking, knees smarting and feet burning with each and every one. On this final portion of our hike we started to encounter tourists going the other way. They would have arrived by early-morning bus at Machu Picchu and be hiking up to the Puerta del sol, and what struck me about them was how fresh and enthusiastic they all seemed, with their clean hair and clothes, their makeup and perfume and their energetic pace. We, in contrast, with our filthy hair, mildewed clothes and sunburned, bug-bitten skin despite the layers of sunscreen and repellent, trudged along with dull determination as we carried our heavy packs on our aching backs.
The sun was out in full, though, and as we rounded the bend that brought our ancient destination into view our moods and steps lightened tangibly.
We entered the site – already overflowing with tourists – under a sizzling 8:30 a.m. sun that felt like midday. Taking turns with the hordes of other visitors speaking a variety of languages we shot our quintessential postcard pic of the ruins and their mountainous backdrop, so thankful to have arrived, finally, and to have a moment to take off our packs and soak up the view, the sun and the reality of what we had just accomplished.
Then we had to head to the official entrance to the site where we had the pleasure of lining up three separate times to check our bags, purchase our bus tickets for the eventual trip down the mountain and finally re-enter the site.
Now we were boiling under the scorching sun, hyper aware of our throbbing feet and and resenting every moment of jostling crowds, slow officials and obnoxious tourists.
After perhaps an hour, which felt all but unbearable to the lot of us but especially to Mia, who was feeling weak and sick to her stomach, we were back in, slathering on another layer of sunblock and following Marco for a fascinating tour that we were unfortunately too wiped to quite appreciate to the fullest. He knew exactly the state we were in and so gave us his mercifully short version then pointed Mia and me to a shortcut to the exit and bathrooms while leading the boys along the longer route out for a few more views and historical tidbits.
His knowledge of and respect for his country's history and especially that of the Incas are thorough and make him an excellent guide. Temples, religion, Mother Earth (Pachamama), architecture, agriculture, societal hierarchy: It was all there, inspiring us to want to more … perhaps at a time when we are less exhausted, sore and hungry.
Mia and I got to use our first real bathrooms in four days on the way out. It's amazing how much you can relish the mere presence of a toilet seat, paper, running water and soap dispensers. I have to say, I was insulted to have to pay 2 soles each to use the facilities, especially after all we had already spent, at the site and on the trek overall. It amounts to less than $1 CAD each, but aren't bathrooms an essential service? The practice of charging for use of (often substandard) bathroom facilities is not uncommon in Peru, but I wonder if it would even be legal in Canada.
After our bathroom break it was time to join the lineup of hundreds for the bus trip down to Aguas Calientes, the tourist town at the base of the mountain where we would have lunch and catch our train back. The length of the bus line was daunting to say the least, but it moved quickly, considering, and we were seated on our bus for the winding half-hour descent within 30 minutes. So just half an hour of standing surrounded by yet more tourists, some friendly, some loud, some pushy, some outright rude.
I at once loved Machu Picchu and confirmed that I abhor tourist traps.
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| The town of Aguas Calientes, at the base of the mountain. |
Jan. 10, 2019
In Aguas Calientes we went to Marco's favourite restaurant on the main street through which the train tracks run. He clearly goes there regularly and is chummy with the staff. We got to store our bags, and the food was excellent. They even gave us each a Pisco Sour on the house. Even for 13-year-old Mia, though she didn't want hers and gave it to Wolf and me.
After a rest and a satisfying meal we were all in better spirits, though we also were taking account of our various ailments: sore feet and leg muscles all around; foot blisters and an increasingly unstable stomach for Mia; sore throat and developing cough for Wolf; extremely burned and blistered nose for Shane; swollen left ankle (I had twisted it twice on slippery rocks the day before) plus a collection of crazily itchy bug bites for me.
Hugs, toasts and appreciative words were exchanged with Marco before he took his leave and we went off to purchase shampoo, conditioner, aloe vera and clean, dry Peru T-shirts in anticipation of the showers we were anxiously looking forward to on arrival in Cusco.
Our train was on time and comfortable: a table for four, air conditioning and snacks and cerveza for purchase. Plus, no walking! No stone steps! However, Mia's stomach situation was continuing to deteriorate.
From the train stop in Ollantaytambo, another tourist pit stop full of hostals, artisanal shops and restaurants named after Incas, llamas and Pachamama, we got not a mini-bus but a private car to Cusco. Shane, Mia and I nodded off frequently in the back seat, waking occasionally to heavy rain, crashing thunder, lightning and even hail!
After it all, we somehow managed to arrive, wet, exhausted but so very grateful and in one piece at our Cusco apartment at 8:30 p.m. We only had a few hours to rest – we had to catch a 6:40 a.m. flight today back to Arequipa – but were all anxious for our turn to use a clean, private bathroom, have a hot shower complete with soap, shampoo and conditioner and catch a few winks in a real bed with pillows.
Mia was first in line for the bathroom but came out worse than she went in, having found disturbing signs she had most certainly caught a parasite. I will not go into more detail than that, but as I tried to calm, console and reassure her, Wolf got on the phone to his brother Coqui, the doctor.
Then Wolf headed out to a pharmacy with a list of about a truckload of meds to pick up: anti-parasite and antibiotic medications for Mia (you don't need a prescription for those things in Peru), ointments for her blistered feet and Shane's blistered nose and more antibiotics for Wolf's worsening cough. I got off easy with After Bite, Advil and an elevated foot.
What was supposed to be a night of rest and relief turned into a night of tears and treatments – and little sleep.
Poor Mia was in one of the worst emotional states I've ever seen her in. As is her nature, she was blaming herself both for catching the parasite and for "ruining" the hike. "Why me?" she kept asking, "What did I do wrong?" and "How did I cause this?" All of this mixed with fever, exhaustion and thorough revulsion.
We all assured and reassured her that she had done nothing wrong and by no means ruined anything. We all had bad moments: I broke down and cried after spirit-breaking Day 2; Shane was unbearably grumpy in the mornings and Wolf was sick, slow and constantly complaining throughout.
And so many people – especially travellers – catch parasites. We were camping and hiking in the mountains and jungle, using filthy latrines with rare opportunities for proper hand-washing. The last two days we were drinking boiled mountain water, not bottled water, and we touched all sorts of plants and animals. Who could resist petting a llama? We spent two nights in the pouring rain, so our packed clothes, already dirty, remained damp and reeked of mildew by the end, and we were all overtired and immune-suppressed from overexertion and lack of proper sleep.
I sure hope we have at least convinced Mia that none of this is her fault. If anything it's my fault for getting her to do something she – or any of us, frankly – wasn't ready for.
It is now 9 a.m. and we are in the air on our way back to Arequipa. This trip wouldn't be itself if anything went smoothly, and this morning, after sitting on the plane in the Cusco airport for an hour waiting for takeoff we had to disembark because of bad weather having closed the Arequipa airport.
Just please let us land safely.
9:25 a.m.
And we have landed!
Sometime later
So what did I learn on the stunning and trying Inca trail?
That though different people are made of different stuff, we can always dig deeper and push harder to achieve things that might seem impossible at first.
That we were somewhat ill-informed and ill-prepared. The website said this trek was OK for any healthy person. That's misleading. For anyone but experienced hikers it is extremely difficult. Not impossible, but if you ever want to hike the Inca trail, you need to train and get yourself in shape first.
That when families travel together in uncomfortable conditions they will lose patience and bicker over trivial things.
Previously:
Inca Trail Day Three
Inca Trail Day Three
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