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HolaAmigos
We got back from the Inca Trail yesterday safe and sound and are now in Nasca. But less about Nasca, we´ll save that for another update.
The Inca trail was amazing.There´s so much to tell that we thought the best thing to do would be to break it down day by day.
Day 1 - 11km
We got picked up at about 6.30 in the morning and got the bus to the first check point, which was 2 hours from Cusco. From there we got another stamp in the passport to add to the collection that we already have. We trekked for about 3 hours along relatively easy terrain. Clare was struggling a bit with a dodgy stomach that had started very violently the day before. She did pretty well considering but Nicky was kind and carried her bag for some of the uphill bits and flexed his (massive) guns!!!
We had our lunch which consisted of a 3 course meal which was miles too much considering we had about another 5k to go that day. We then carried on our hike for about another 3 hours with a stitch, and got to camp at about 4ish.
The campsite was in a small village. The team porters had run on ahead of us with all the camping gear so that the tents were all set up by the time we arrived. We were clapped into camp and welcomed with a drink and a bowl of water to wash in. We were really lucky with the group we had. It was nearly all English people of around the same age apart from an older couple (Mike & Elaine) and an Australian/South African couple, another Mike and Katie, who we had met at our briefing the day before.
We had another 3 course meal in the evening and got to know each other better. We really got on well with the others in our group. There were 5 other couples, so 12 of us in total, which turned out to be a really good number.
After we ate we talked for a bit and then we were all in bed for about 9. I think that this is first time since we were kids that this has happened! But we´d definitely earned it.
Day 2 - 9km (6 km very steep uphill and 3km down hill)
Day 2 is seen as the hardest day. The day started with a 5.30am wake up. We had breakfast and then started trekking at 7am.
This was a killer of a day, where the first 6km were all steeply uphill. The weather was hot as well which didn't really help but at least it wasn't raining. Clare was still suffering but she did really well to do the 6 km. We got to Dead Woman´s Pass which is the highest point we trekked to, about 4500m above sea level. We had climbed about 1500m in about 4 hours which doesn't sound a lot, but trust us when we say it was very tough. Most of it was up steps that were nearly vertical and were really painful on the legs. Plus, the higher you get the more breathless you become which makes things even harder. You could tell it was hard as the porters who carry about 20 kilos and who in the previous day were virtually running past us, were walking, taking breaks and feeling the burn themselves.
When we got to the summit we chilled for a few minutes, took a few pictures and then descended for 3 km down some really steep steps and got back to camp just before 1pm, which was really good going as our guide Raul reckoned we would get there for about 3pm.
Whilst at camp we napped, chilled out, ate more food, got to know each other more and shared our own feelings and war stories about what we thought of the day.
Day 3 - 16km
This day started off with some sore legs and wet tents after it absolutely chucked it down with thunder storms all night. But luckily the rain cleared almost completely once we started walking and it just drizzled for a few hours, which was fine.
The day started off with a short climb up, but nothing like the previous day. We then had about 7 hours of really lovely walking through jungle and enjoyed some stunning views across mountains, valleys and saw loads of magical clouds that just hang in the valleys.
I think this was our best day really. Partly because Clare was feeling better again but also because the scenery was stunning. Plus the campsite where we were overnight had clean toilets (which was a real luxury after some of the stinkers we´d experienced), hot showers and a bar. So we were able to wash properly for the first time in 3 days and have a beer!
Day 4 - 6km
Our last day started really early with our wake-up call at 4am. We walked to the Sun Gate for our first glimpse of the Incan city of Machu Picchu. We were lucky to have a clear view as apparently it´s cloudy 80% of the time. We then descended fairly steeply down to Machu Picchu until we arrived upon the most amazing panoramic view of it imaginable. It´s hard to explain how much different the city looks in real life compared to the pictures. It´s so impressive and very awe-inspiring. We´ve taken loads of pictures but they probably don´t do it enough justice.
We had a few hours looking around Machu Picchu in the sunshine then caught the bus down to the nearby town just as it started raining to catch our train back to Cusco.
All in all, the trek was a huge adventure and an incredible experience. We would definitely recommend it to anyone, just do it when you first arrive in South America, not after you´ve been eating, drinking and generally getting fat for 7 weeks! Oh, and allow at least a day afterwards to recover and allow your aching muscles to get back to normal! Check out the pictures if you get chance, they´re fab.
We´ll do a normal update in another few days.
Much love to you all,
Clare and Nicky
xxx
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