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With Cuzco having over 3000 tour companies, chosing who to do our Jungle trek with was about blind luck and we really had no idea what to expect. What we got was a very mixed bag of 15 people spanning England, Germany, Italy, France, Argentina and Switzerland as well as a 22 year old tour guide called Hidare. Hidare was the type of guide who complained about walking more than us, was generally guessing which way to go and regularly lost members of the group. Having said that he had a tough job on his hands with our group consisting of keen hikers all the way through to people who just plain didn't want to walk at all. In he made up for his lack of organisation by being a pretty cool guy who we could have a good laugh with.
Day 1: Cycling around the sacred valley. This was nice and scenic but what kind of let the day down were substandard bikes with flat tyres, roadworks and thunderstorms. Thinking I was now a professional downhill mountain biker after death Road in Boliva, I was happy to go a little faster only to find my tyre was flat and very close to popping meaning I had to change bikes midway through. This resulted in me, quite convincingly, rolling in last to the rest of the group clapping at my arrival. After a rather easy day we made it to our first stop which was a dusty little run down town in the hills, home to one bar aptly named "Only Bar", which wasn't open when we actually wanted a beer. We took a stroll to the less populated and more rundown part of town where an old cheery granny welcomed us in with a toothless grin. She offerred us some of the traditional Chicha drink which is an alcohol made from corn which is chewed and spat into a tub to ferment. Didn't tase too bad but can't say I indulged in any more than a sip!
Day 2: What was meant to be a 7hour day turned into a 12hour one partly due to our giant group and one girl just not wanting to walk. At the front we would make it to crossroads only to have to wait half an hour for our guide who was with the slow walkers, to show us which path to take. Having said that it was an amazing walk which took us from fast flowing rivers to ridges overlooking valleys and along the famous Inca trail. The part of the trail we did was built precariously into the side of a mountain overlooking a valley which, after all these years, was in considerably good shape (apart from the odd landslide). The scenery was beutiful and when we reached a ledge looking over the valley we were all blown away- it really is the continent that keeps on giving. As the day dragged on, after a very late lunch we were back at the river where we had to take local cable cars from one side to the other. This consisted of a rickety wooden platform dangling from a cable which was pulled over the gushing river by people on the opposite side. After a couple of wrong turns we made it just as dusk was setting in, to the ultimate reward of hot springs. Perfect remedy to a long day of walking.
Day 3: Having chosen (rather stupidly) to do the morning of walking instead of ziplining, 5 of us set off in the rain (which very quickly became 2 of us due to the other girls refusing to walk and opting to instead take the bus). It was a rather dull walk along a road beside the river where there was a lot of construction going on for a new hydroelectric plant. One highlight was a beautiful little waterfall and mandarin tree providing amazingly ripe fruit for the days walk. Reaching the end of our mornings walk at a point where the construction site meets a railroad track we had two problems. Firstly we had to wait 2 hours for the zipliners to arrive and secondly Hidare couldn't find the girls who took the bus. Tired and cold we eventually re-grouped, finding the girls in some far off restaurant. Being told we only had 3hours walking ahead livened our spirits only for them to be quickly crushed to a pulp when it ended up being more like 5 hours of walking...in heavy rain. The only redeeming factor was that it was beautiful landsape following an old train line as it curved through the mountains with rivers below us and cloud forests high above. The town that we arrived in (again at dusk) which is the launching point to Macchu Pichu- Aquas Calientas- was a reward in itslef. Built in a valley tiered over the fast gushing river, it has an almost mystical vibe due to its extreme surroundings...until you reach the hoards of tourists that is. We got comfortable with hot showers, a fish dinner and put ourselves to bed for a 4am wake-up to walk the inca trail to the ancient city.
Day 4: Waking in the dark and watching dawn creep over the valley was an epic experience. The walk was straight up for about 45mins but not as hard as I thought, being driven by the excitment of seeing this deserved world wander. Walking in for a tour at 7am, there were very few people around and we really got the chance to take in our surroundings. You see pictures of it everywhere, but when you see it yourself, it really is a magical place. How the Incas built this, in the position it was in and to make it so durable with primitive technology, is unbelievable. We also had a lot of mist blowing in and out across the ancient city which added to the mystic and beauty. It truly is a special place. They only let 2000 people in a day which was implemented in 2009 when up to 80000 people a day were sometimes visiting. They also only let 400 people a day up to climb Hyuanapichu in two groups which you have to book in advance. Looking at the size and gradient of this mountain I could completely understand why you had to sign in and out as I am sure accidents aren't that infrequent. The trail was not just about the physical ascent, but for me the height. The angle we were climbing up was pretty high- in areas having to pull ourselves up the crumbling path with ropes-and each ledge curved around with a sheer drop backwards on to the path you just came from. Adding to that, the path wasn't maintained spectacularly, with rocks being loose and wet and the narrow path being shared with two-way traffic. Having said that, the view from the top was like nothing I have seen. Peering into the steep valleys below was dizzingly beautiful and when I overcame the vertigo, the intensity, extremeness, and ruthlessness of this region, were just mindblowing. And to think the Incas held this mountain in such high regard they would make expiditions up it with primitave tools in unbelievably dangerous conditions. Extraordinary!!
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