Inca Trail - Part Two

We are actually back in the states and finally starting to recover from the flight back. It seems that the more I travel the more I've really begun to hate flying. There is something about any flight that just drains you. We actually found a website which ranks every seat on every plane and gives you the best places to sit in the airplane itself. Take a look:

www.seatguru.com

In anycase, from where we left off in the last posting, we had just arrived at our campsite that overlooked the mountains surrounding Machu Picchu. In the picture below one can see the mountains starting to get smaller as one looks east. We are on the edge of the Andes here. The mountains will soon be replaced with the Amazon rain forest and part of the reason some of our pictures are hazy is from the controlled burns the farmers of Amazonia use to cultivate the land.

We slept in a massive rain storm that night. Luckily by the morning it had past - but what a view when the Sun came up! The rain had cleared a good portion of the haze.
We continued along and began to descend into the cloud forest. Near our campsite was the ruins of Phuyupatamarca. This literally means the city of the clouds. It has an impressive assortments of circular towers and water channels. The latter being a strong hallmark of any ruin. Despite being at approx 11k feet and having to wear a light jacket, I was surprised to see so many Mosquitos. They are tiny little buggers - hard to see but pack a hell of sting. As Juan, our guide, would say - they even make the Puma cry.

From here the vegetation got progressive more dense. Every turn were a multitude of trees covered with an assortment of epiphytes. Orchids seemed to line the path and Juan went so far as to point out the ones that were used as hallucinogens during the time of the Inca and even to this day.

The path itself became quite interesting as there literally is a drop of hundreds of feet if one is to fall off. Not only would one die, they would likely never find your body again. That said, the views were outstanding when one can find an opening in the bush.

A few hours down the path we came to our last major ruin prior to Machu Picchu itself - Winay Wayna. The name means "forever young" and is named after an Orchid that grows through out the ruin. This was one of my favorite sites. The farming terraces were concave to help preserve heat and allowed the Inca to grow a multitude of crops. The upper portion of the ruin holds a fascinating temple - like structure and the living quarters are large enough to feel like you are getting lost. However, making your way deep into the structure itself you arrive at the royal quarters. At the far end is a rounded room with classical trapezoidal windows that over look the valley below. From here you can see the waterfall that thunders down the mountain side. I highly recommend bringing a small lunch and just sitting here and taking in the grandeur.

Take some time here. The site itself is worth exploring from top to bottom. Once you leave you get back on the Inca trail and its only a few more hours of hiking to Intipunku - the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu.

The final leg of the journey becomes a bit easier as you have descended about 2-3k feet from your starting point. The oxygen is a bit richer and I felt like I had a lot more energy. By the late afternoon we had made our way to Intipunku. It was here in 1911 - a hundred years ago - that American explorer, Hiram Bingham, first got a glimpse of the famed "Lost City of the Inca." It was here that I had an important question for Maria . . .

Inca Trail - Part One

We have been training for some time for the Inca Trail - running uphill, lifting weights, and pushing that extra 30 minutes. What was unexpected, was the historical reading - this was a trail of tears in the latter part of the Inca Empire. During the retreat from the Spanish, the Inca used this trail to escape and establish its last line of defense at Vilcabamba. Machu Picchu, just happened to be on the way. However, one can see that the site for Machu Picchu is more than an archeological phenomenon - it truely is a spirtiual site. Its surrounded by a ring of tall mountains, then on three sides as the Urubamba river wraps around its base and finally by an inner series of sharply ascending mountains. . . but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

We began late in the morning after seeing the site of Ollantaytambo. We crossed the Urubamba River at Km 82. The route was fairly flat on the first day - again, I was getting good at identifying different types of poo along the path (I'm adding llama to my list now). We were surprised to see how many people lived along the path. It was good to practice our breathing techniques - if you breathe out against pursed lips, you will increase your O2 retention.
Within a few hours we came across the ruins of Patallacta. We had just crested a large hill and with the diminishing light of the sun, the ruins were illuminated ahead of us. The ruins were impressive and showed a clearly organized city with divisions for various castes. Our guide had informed us that this was the original site of the entrance to the Inca trail - at Km 88. We camped out near the ruins that night and the nearly full moon gave the site an ethereal glow.

The next morning we awoke to the rising eastern sun. The Inca placed a great reliance on the sun and the moon - especially to the summer and winter solstice. At this point, the altitude was becoming difficult. Even the extra days that we had spent in Cuzco and Ullantaytambo were not enough to divert the headache and fatigue completely. I HIGHLY recommend people stay a few days in Cuzco before attempting this trial. We began to ascend more steeply as we passed the Village of Wayllabamba.

This would be the last place one can buy that critical supply of Snickers, juice, etc. Of course there are a few restaurants and even a place to get a massage if one wants. From what I've gathered electricity had just recently been connected to the area and thus they have all manner of chilled treats and oven fresh bread. Nothing like downing an popsicle to bring out the true flavor of the ancient Inca.

However, once you pass the village (and the thought to reconsider the alternative Inca trails) one finds themselves in isolation. The stones of the trail are your only true reminder of civilization. What was impressive was the sense of challenge - the only person that you have anything to prove anything to, is yourself. You are slowly ascending up to dead woman's pass and as you go, you have this incredible amount of time away from the clutching of modern life to think.

Not to say I'm overtly religious, but everyone takes their own view of spirituality and I think that when you find yourself climbing a hill, without access to email, gasping for breath it gives you a good opportunity for retrospection.

By the end of the second day we had made it to the tree line - somewhere about 12.4k feet. The headache was beginning to sink in and even the coca tea was not being helpful. We saw 8 other hikers at this point - heading back down to Km 88 to get the to the train. Unfortunate. By the way, on asking others which trail to take, the argument was that there were too many tourists on the classical trail. Our company managed to set us up in excellent campsites and scheduled us to start and stop at irregular times - as a result we saw few if any other tourists. Also keep in mind the alternative trails can sometimes hit 16k passes and go on for 7 days - a very difficult challenge for the first time high altitude climber.
In either case, our third day began with an ascent to dead woman's pass (Warmiwanuska) - 13.8k. This was to be the highest point in the hike. The sun was very powerful and even the reflection of some of the glaciers and snow capped peaks can damage your eyes. We then began to descend quickly back down into the cloud forest where we were greeted
by much needed o2. Of course we then had to ascend to the 2nd pass where we saw the ruins of Runkuraqay - which likely represented an solar observatory. The road from here to the 2nd pass was one of my favorites - not that we were just getting closer to lunch, but how incredible the scenery was. In front of you is winding stone Inca road that sharply ascends the mountain. You pass by 2 dark ponds on your way up to a circular dais in the pass itself as clouds brush past you alternating the light schemes of the valley below.

From here the Inca trail descends again and passes by a lush jungle - I was surprised to see so many insects at such a high altitude and in relatively cold climate. We got into our third camp a bit late in the day. We made it in time to watch the sun set in the west. From our vantage point, we could see the mountain where Machu Picchu was - far below us.

Ollantaytambo

After 3 days of adjusting to the high altitude of Cuzco, we headed out with our guide, Juan, into the sacred valley. During the wars of the Inca and the Spanish, this was the site of a dramatic struggle where Manco Inca retreated to. The Urubamba river cuts its way through the valley and in the geological past when the river was larger, it had placed a rich bed of sediment that allowed plants and crops to grow extremely well.

We arrived later in the day to main town square and made our way to the most quaint hotel - Hotel Pakaritampu. The views of the valley were outstanding from our window. Surrounding the hotel where various examples of the local flora. Hummingbirds came to our windows to sample the flowers.

After getting a little rest, we quickly gathered our hiking gear and made it into town - which is still based on Inca planing. Keep in mind the long sticks with the plastic red bags at their ends. These are the sites of breweries - places were one can get Chicha - Inca corn beer. Be careful, its very strong - and should not be had, before trying to scale the valley walls.

Ollantaytambo, the town, is perhaps one of the most quaint little cities. There are plenty of restaurants and like I said before, still based on Inca design.

There are various water channels that traverse the city which still bring water to its people.

On one end of the valley, there is an opening in the city boundary where one can ascend along the valley wall to an ancient Inca granary. From there, one can go higher to one of the many watch towers that gives one excellent visual access to the valley itself. Its a bit technical and one should give themselves plenty of time to go up and down.

After the climb, we got a glass of wine at a small restaurant near the river. Chilled and watched the stars come out into the valley and got some rest. The next day we headed out to the old ruins of Ollantaytambo. In 1536, the Inca were able to put up a stout defense and after breaking a dam and flooding the Spanish, they were actually able to defeat them here. A short lived victory, however, as the Spanish quickly regrouped and pushed them onward down the valley to Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the Inca.
The walls are an impressive representation of Imperial Inca design. Large blocks of stone fitting perfectly into one another are the norm in the more sacred portions of the complex. Surrounding the ruins are retaining walls and farming terraces. The site is divided into areas for the lower, middle, and noble classes. At the very top are areas designed for religious needs, including the "Temple of the Sun" - an excellent example of Imperial Inca. A recurrent aspect of Inca architecture is the devision of water usage. It goes to the priests, then the nobles, then the poor smucks at the bottom. Yet, everyone seems to get access to this precious resource. I was especially impressed with the houses for the proletariat - as they were quite large and signified a robust empire with a health division of goods.

We snapped a few quick pictures, including the fountain of the Princess above. It was now time to see if all that training was going to pay off - the next stop was the Inca Trail.

Cuzco, Peru - Day 4

I think the only one more excited to be in South America than me, is Maria. She never flinched when I told her our travel time was about 19 hours. We managed to get a flight from San Francisco to Miami and then to Lima. We switched carriers to LAN and made it into Cuzco late in the morning of Sept. 2, 2011. What can I say? Only thing worse than long distance air travel is altitude, which is a real pain in the ass. I've reviewed a bunch of sites and I've gotten conflicting data as to exactly how high Cuzco is. Roughly, its about 10.5k up. The air is dry, the O2 is low and walking short distances the first day was enough to get my heart to 140 bpm. However, what a city to fly into! Maria and I have loved everything about this place since we have gotten here - the food, the sites, the people.
The first day was a haze of short trips from the hotel to get water, find our directions, and figure out where to get some food. Like most colonial cities, everything radiates out from the central square - La Plaza De Armas. Wear shoes that have good traction, the stones of the streets are slick and worn smooth after centuries of urban foot traffic. We took it easy the first two days and let our bodies slowly acclimatize. Despite the constraints of low oxygen, we were able to find a bunch of nice restaurants including Incanto, Greens, and Sara - which we will talk about more in a later post.

Be careful with the money exchangers - they come up with all sorts of fees and having someone that speaks Spanish really helps here. What I would recommend is use up your dollars / euros etc if possible and then take out Soles at an ATM. There is a Scotia Bank Atm where the Ave. Del Sol meets the Plaza De Armas which didn't charge me a fee. (Thanks to Susie back home for that tip)

Also keep yourself really well hydrated and don't simply just drink water by itself - you will deplete your electrolytes. Get an electrolyte drink mix to add to your water. Some may taste awful, but you'll absorb more water in the end. Once your body gets used to the situation the city really opens up. I highly recommend just taking in the vibe from the central square and picking a new direction daily to just check out what's there. The city is packed with cute spots.
We met our guide - Juan on the third day who took us on a tour of the city and the surrounding area. The cathedral in the center of town is a must. If you can, get a guide! There are so many interesting aspects of the art that one would otherwise overlook - especially how local artists would secretly add symbolism to the art to preserve local beliefs in otherwise contemporary european religious paintings and sculpture.
We took a short drive from the city to the Blanco Cristo - a statue resembeling the one in Rio De Janerio. At night, it is lit up and shines ghostly white overlooking the city below. Honestly it looked a little creepy up close as it does at night from a distance, but it was on the way to our first Incan site out side of the city of Cuzco.

Sacsayhuaman

I am beginning to get a true appreciation for Incan Architecture. The clean lines between megalithic masses that fit together with no mortar is still standing well today as it did over 500 years ago. There is an elegant simplicity to the complex creation. The site itself looks at first like a fortress - and indeed in the wars between in the Inca and the Spanish it was the site of a battle in 1536. However, it was a religious center in its time and the walls that one can see are just a small portion of the entire complex. From above one can see a complex foundation with three large towers that have since been taken down. A lot of the blocks used in the construction of the Churches of Cuzco. Wandering around this site, one begins to see how impressive Imperial Inca was.
The views of the valley and the city below are fantastic and worth the trip out there. Unfortunately, I'm running low on internet time and need to get to sleep - we head out to the Sacred Valley in the morning. So I'm going to cut this short. Bottom line - Visit Peru people - the vibe out here seems to attract a young at heart spiritual groove.