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Morning all,
Today is our last day in Cuzco after a bloody knackering Inca Trail.
We moved to our fancy hotel after the last entry and found that the shower had no hot water. Not a great start for a place that cost double what we were paying in the previous hostel. We met the tour group that evening: Three Brits from the Lake District, two German guys, an American couple and a Canadian fella. Vic later realised she'd left her diary in the last hotel. It's now in the post.
Our flight to Cuzco the next day was at 5:15 am so we had to leave the hotel at 4, which was fun. Aside from us, there were about four people on the flight. We spent most of the first day in Cuzco sleeping and acclimatising and had sushi for dinner. Nice.
Another early start the next day for a tour of the Sacred Valley. Started in a little village supported by GAP (the tour company). They had alpacas. Next Pisaq with some ruins and a market. We (mainly Nick) bought lots of stuff including a hat, gloves, panpipes, a painting, a bottle holder and a hat ribbon. Lunch was in a slightly overpriced buffet place in Urubamba, but they did have alpaca meat and chicken curry. Finally onto Ollantaytambo where we'd stay the night and a bit more Inca stuff. We had a good meal there with the group, including chippy chips (Belgian fries, apparently).
Earlier than planned start the next day to mooch on up to km 82, the official start of the Inca Trail. First day was nice and easy. Relatively flat and only 10km with plenty of stops. We were happy and played cards and ate excellent food prepared in a tent. On the whole, the food we got over the four days on the trail was some of the best we've had in Latin America. Next day wasn't so easy. We started walking at 6am and climbed 1200m over a distance of 7km to Dead Woman's Pass (altitude 4215m) before dropping 300m over 5km, and all before lunch. I played more cards with peeps and stuff while Vic had a bit of a rest.
Next day was the furthest walk (16km rising over two high passes), but with the promise of a bar at the end of it as an insentive. That day was bloody hard too, though we did get a lunch break in the middle. Only problem was that we had to get up at 3:30am the next day to try to be first to Machu Picchu, so drinking and general merryment was a bit restricted. Vic rested a bit more.
We succeded the next day in being first in the queue for the final checkpoint on the trail. We got there at 4:20am, a good half hour before anyone else (about 25 groups in total), and more than an hour before the checkpoint opened. Unfortunately, to some people, getting up a bit later and then pushing past those who've made the extra effort to get to the site first is a preferred approach. Running on the trail tends to be frowned upon as at times the path is very narrow and has a sheer drop on one side. Incidentally, the people that came running past were later overtaken while they struggled for breath climbing some steps.
When we finally arrived at the first viewpoint it was a bit misty, and the views weren't steptacular. By the time we got down to the site, however, it was a lot more impressive. After a few group photos (I'll put them up a bit later when I remember my camera) and a bit of a rest, we had a great guided tour and a few of us climbed the chin of the face behind the site (can't remember what it's called). As we were on our way out, the swarms of day trippers from Cuzco were starting to arrive. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but did provide plenty of comedy.
We spent a few hours in the thermal baths in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu pueblo). They were a bit filthy, but then so were we. I particularly enjoyed the freezing plunge pool - very refreshing and invigorating after five days of trekking. There was a dodgy man with a huge camera taking photos of the baths (& people in them) til he saw that we'd seen him & started taking photos of trees etc. Then after a couple of drinks we were on the tourist train back to Ollantaytambo where we caught a bus back to Cuzco. After a much needed hot shower we met up with the group for the Last Supper. It was in an Italian restaurant that was way out of our league, and I think the staff realised that. First they tried to overcharge us, and then to shortchange us. Food and company was good though.
So that's pretty much it. For me, one of the best weeks of the trip so far (although we did end up spending an absolute fortune). A great experience with great people, great food and great sights, more than worth all the hard work. I'd recommend it to anyone (though I'd also suggest you get fit first).
Tonight we're off to Arequipa, and back to the budget lifestyle we're more accustomed to.
Love,
Nick and Vic
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