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So better late than never I suppose. I actually completed Machu Pichu 5-6 weeks ago although it feels like an eternity! I am now determined to get this blog up to date, finish the tories of Peru and get you all to where I am in Brazil.
Machu Pichu was never really on my original itinerary however Bolivia was a washout and Peru became n]my focus so rather than spending a week there i ended up spending about 5 weeks and therefore Machu Pichu had to be done. We arrived in Cusco in the pouring rain and the freezing cold and booked ourselves straight on a 4 day trek although opted against the famous Inca Trail due to availability of dates and went for one of the alternatives called the Lares trek. You end up in the same place but just take a different route through local communities and a very rugged landscape, camping close to villages and making friends with children along the way with offerings pre-purchased from local markets. I definitely think my gifts for the children were the best: I had mirrors for the girls and turtle hair bands plus marbles and pencils with rubbers on the end. Turns out that kids are the same the world over and my fellow hikers with sweets were much more popular (until they ran out and they had to settle for my things!) I think they were just saving the best for last and on the last day of the trek i was swarmed with kids around me whilst everyone else just watched laughing!
On our trek were: Me, Mark and Kevin of previous mention, Thomas and Rush (2 American guys our age) Laura and Eoign (Irish couple our age), Justino our guide.
The trek itself was fantastic, a little tough in places due to altitude (we climbed to 4400 metres) and the pouring rain and wind which constantly blew my red plastic poncho into my face so I couldn´t see where I was going. Before reaching the highest point of the trek, our guide Justino told us all to find a small rock to place at the summit as traditionally by laying the rock you supposedly cleanse your sins. Having finally made it to the top (I wasn´t last... Mark???) and being beaten by the elements so visciously, I didn´t even wait but started straight down the otherside for a 2 hour hike in the mud before lunch. My haste meant that I totally forgot to put my rock down and later found it in my pocket at dinner. Well you can imagine the drama that ensued, everyone had cleansed their sins apart from me and this was not good. Justino explained that it would work the same if I put it at Machu Pichu so the rock trekked with me for another day until a suitable resting place was found.
The trek lasted 3 days, (2 nights in a tent which was unnaturally cold and one night in a hotel) and the fourth day we arrived at the ruins of Machu Pichu from a small town called Aguas Calientes (tranlsates as hot waters although ironically only cold water was available in our hotel). We got up at 4.00am to get to the ruins at daybreak after a night of too much drinking in a local snooker bar and not making it to bed until 1am. Despite the lack of sleep and mild hangovers, the view was simply breathtaking and my American fellow hikers were constantly referring to the scenery as something out of Narnia. It really is like nothing you´ve ever seen though, kind of eery as the clouds partially cover the tropical mountains. It was touch or go whether we would get a clear day for it or not but we were in the rainy season and the sun was yet to shine throughout the trek however we continued to pray. Arriving at the main entrance there were simply hoards of people waiting to get in but nothing to see as the cloud cover was total. We headed straight for Huayna Pichu, the large mountain that makes up part of the Machu Pihu scenery and started to climb to the top. It´s pretty tough and not for those with Vertigo and the stairs are as high as my waist which makes for considerable effort for small people. Half way up, Thomas, Laura Eoign and I decided to follow the sign for the grand cave out of intrigue. Having climbed half way up the mountain already in the sweltering sub tropical heat, we found ourselves on a wild goose chase of a cave that would appear not to exist and practically back at the bottom of the mountain. Turns out the cave was 3 hours walk away although of course they fail to mention that on the sign so we never made it and decided to turn back and recover already trodden ground and lost height.
During this detour however we did come across some ruins where Laura and
I decided would be a good place to place my rock and finally cleanse the sins away. In typical girl style we found the rock a perfect resting place (where it wouldn´t be intimidated by larger locks as it was only little) and gave it a ceremony with coca leaves and tribal dancing. Thomas told me that now the process was complete, when I reached the top of Huayna Pichu, I would be rewarded and the skies would clear and we would experience perfect views. So, we pushed on and on until we reached the top. I opted for the clambering route not realising there was a more simple path and at one point, adrenalin pumping found myslef hanging on to this mountain my a tree route. I survived though to everyonés amazement and 30 seconds (no lies) as I stepped foot on the top of the mountain the skies cleared and we had the sunniest, most amazing views ever making the trek in the rain for 3 days definitely worth the pain!
We then went out the following night and drank loads of cuba libres and danced to cheesy music at good old Mama Africas, Cuscos most treasured night club!
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