The Inca Trail: Don´t even attempt it without plenty rum and cocaine

After a couple of days in Cuzco (Surprise! We got there after all!), (more on that later) we began the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu at 5.50am on the 21st of June. There were fifteen of us on the trip, and as this will be a long post let´s have a few introductions! There was Sheldon from London, at the end of an eight month trip around the world. Forty-nine year old Mike from Australia, and his athletic and slightly acerbic friend Megan. From the States, there were Libby and Lynette, New Yorkers with opinions on everything. Three quieter Americans were Donny and Ashley, a couple, and Donny´s sister Jess. Five others in the group hailed from Hong Kong - I thought they were younger than me before finding out that among their numbers were a radiologist, an opthamologist, a surgeon, a dentist and a married couple! There was also our guide Freddy - an immensely passionate and voluble man fluent in English, Espanol and Quecha - and around twenty porters, or chaskis as they prefer to be known. (Quecha for runner.)

Day 1

Our first stop after a couple of hours driving through the Sacred Valley was at an isolated restaurant offering a rip-off buffet breakfast. Stubborn to the end, we resolved to survive on snickers till lunchtime. We did purchase a (shared) walking stick along with some coca leaves and charcoal to help with the altitude. The charcoal works to neutralize the addictive properties of the coca leaves, Freddy told us, shaking his head in reverential wonder at the genius of Mother Nature, or Pachamama as we referred to her throughout the trip. From the start of the trail the scenery was incredible - the valleys, mountains and lush vegetation made for constant photo opportunities. The path was narrow and stony, with little shade - I got burnt quite badly on the first day. At first thr group walked together, but as the day went on we spread out more and more, as everyone found their own pace. Before lunch we stopped to admire our first set of Inca ruins, and take a detour from the track proper to climb a perilously steep hill for the best photo of them.

Lunch was a pleasant surprise - the table was laid with silverware and napkins and the chaskis handed us glasses of juice as we entered camp. We had a three course meal of avocado salad, soup with ´picante´ to add in and dessert, followed of course by coca tea. We also got through the obligatory introductions, to the soundtrack of Freddy repeatedly insisting that we were ´a family´. Just before sunset (and 13km into the trail) we reached our campsite. Three of the Americans arrived almost an hour later, struggling under the weight of their massive packs. We didn´t have a porter but had opted to rough it, leaving most of our things behind in Cusco. It became brutally cold as soon as night fell, so after dinner (more vegetable soup, the classic Peruvian dish of lomo saltado and bananas flambeed in rum) we all headed for bed. Our foam mattresses did little to make the ground more comfortable and the toilet facilities in camp were basic to say the least!



Day 2

After a relative lie-in till 6am, Manuel the assistant guide on the trip brought us coca tea in bed. Breakfast was a carbo-loading feast of porridge,(I skipped it, obviously not really Scottish) fruit salad, granola and pancakes, with toast on the side if required. And yet more coca tea. But we needed all the calories we could get for the morning ahead - five hours of a steep uphill climb to Dead Woman´s Pass, at 4200m above sea level. Halfway through we stopped for a second breakfast of popcorn and cheese sandwiches, before we all broke out the charcoal and coca leaves. Freddy showed us how much charcoal to use and how to chew them and assured us that the numbness and tingling in our mouths was normal. The leaves did help give me a bit more energy, and I pretty much chewed them all day to try and combat the fuggy head and tingling fingers caused by altitude. (I was also popping altitude pills and drinking as much coca tea as I could get at mealtimes.)

Even so, as we walked further up the stunning mountain track to Dead Woman´s Pass I was really suffering. Our surroundings were incredible, with a glacier in the distance, llamas grazing in the valley, waterfalls and orchids along the way, but it was hard to appreciate them while struggling to breathe and shaking uncontrollably. To help with the symptoms, Freddy and Manuel gave me what they called their Magic Flower Remedy - two unknown, apparently natural liquids from seperate bottles were combined - when inhaled, it helped to clear the lungs and head. They gave me a little sample on a cotton bud to sniff as I climbed, kind of like the smelling salts used by Victorian women.

After many, many rest stops we reached the top. I should say that on the previous day Dave and I had bounded along near the front, but on the second day we floated around near the middle most of the time. Sheldon invariably led the way, with Megan following just behind. At the top, what else would you do but have a ceremony to celebrate Pachamama? We all put a stone we had carried up the mountain on a pile and had a group hug, before pouring rum over the rocks. What, you didn´t know Pachamama likes rum? She also enjoys coca leaves so those had a place in the stone pile too. Then we all got a shot of rum, which is meant to be bad for altitude sickness but which I think helped...The rest of the day was downhill, which was less exhausting but tough on the knees. At camp we had lunch (soup, then pasta with chicken) and a siesta before dinner. Although the meal itself was once again delicious, the highlight was Freddy´s cocktail at the end- black tea, orange juice, sugra, cinnamon, cloves and more rum! We drank it while he told us a ghost story about the valley we were sleeping in - scary but not as bone-chilling as the revelation that an average of three people a year die doing the Inca Trail. They do not tell you that when you´re booking it!

Day 3

Our final day of trekking began with more coca tea, and another substantial breakfast. It was by far the most scenic day, with visits to several Inca sites and a track that meandered through cloud forest, beside trickling streams and mossy trees. Amazingly, despite the fact that 500 people start the treak every day, at points you can be walking totally alone for half an hour or longer. We reached the final campsite around 5pm, and went for ´hot´ showers before a drink in the bar with everyone except the Hong Kong contingent, who kept to themselves for most of the trip. At dinner, the chef produced a cake to wish us all good luck on our travels. We distributed our tips to the porters and headed off to bed before Machu Picchu.

Day 4

No coca tea in the tent this morning! We woke up at 3.30am to scarf down breakfast and go and queue in the dark to be in a prime position to reach Machu Picchu before everyone else. Ar 5.30am, we began walking the final few kms to the Sun Gate in the dark - Sheldon nearly fell off the path twice on the way. Sunrise at this time of year, as Freddy had warned us, is not a dramatic display of colours but more a case of the sun´s rays coming over the mountain and falling on Machu Picchu. It may not sound spectacular but it brought a lump to the throat - there was even a collective gasp from the crowd of about 100 as a flock of parrots flew over the ruins. Freddy gave us a tour of the site, and then we had a few hours to explore it ourselves before the crowds arrived. Later, we all met in the town below for lunch, before heading to the hot springs to wash away the grime and sooth our aching muscles. (Many more photos on Dave´s facebook!)