Friday 5 July 2002
The two-day Inka-trail had an early start. Our tour-guide would pick us up at 5.45am, so we were awake at 5am! We had an awful mess that morning, as we both felt miserable. We had to pack for the trip and put our remaining baggage in deposit. We managed it all, but we were stressed when we sat and waited for the guide, after have eaten a quit, short breakfast in the cafe.
Half an hour later we began to be worried. Had the tour-organizer cheated us? Shortly after we got the answer, she arrived short of breath and told us to wait just half an hour more, as she had to pick up other tourists.
We were picked up at 7.15am and were in a sulky mood, as the guide had asked us to be very precise. We just hate to wait 1,5 hour without reason early in the morning. Our condition was not optimal for such a trip. Both Ane and I had the diarrhea, which led to the decision to take some Imodium pills. The medication works but won't kill the germs. This fact turned out to matter a great deal for my part of the trip.
It would be fair to say that a two-day mountain trek was a stupid task to do when having diarrhea, altitude sickness and a weakened body. And it was. On the other hand, really can't visit Cuzcu without experience the incredible Machu Picchu and we felt pretty well when booking the trip two days ago.
We had the option to take the train all the way, but didn't see it as an option. Machu Picchu is not only the ruins, it very much the walk at the Inka-trail leading to the city. We just had to get down to it!
The trip started by bus on a two-hour drive to the 82 Km mark. This is the spot where the normal four-day Inka trail begins. We continued by train to the city Chachabamba, where our walk could begin. Four young American guys accompanied us on this trip. They were quite nice and patient with our bad performance.
The first day walk was estimated to something between three and four hours. Our version took some five hours! It was beautiful, bud tuff. My stomach gave me the cramps and I sweat profusely. Ane almost fainted several times, as she hadn't eaten that much because of queasiness. The four Americans continued in advance by themselves, while the guide patient went with us.
The steps were cut into the rock and as we walked we passed small waterfalls, pieces of jungle and were enthralled by the view. The stairs were extremely hard for us and required a lot of rests. Unfortunately stairs are hard to avoid when climbing the mountains. At last when we arrived to the hut for the night, I was totally exhausted. Ane put me in the sleeping bag as I was trembling with cold and I was only up once to get some warm soup for dinner.
Most of the backpackers slept in tents or this hut with room to some 20-30 people. We had one toilet only and a cold shower. On the other hand, this totally isolated mountain hut had a pleasant restaurant with beers, food and nice atmosphere. Outside in the cold night we saw the Indians that worked as carriers. They slept under their carpets on the ground, which must have been an absolutely a freezing experience here in the mountains.