Machu Picchu

Cusco was one of those places that everybody seems to quote as the favourite on the gringo trail, so I was itching to get there an see what all the hype was about. Famous for being the capital of the Incan empire, before the Spanish invaded and smashed it to pieces, this very old city not only boasts some amazing architecture, but is also located next to one one the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu.

Being 12 days in to a stomach bug picked up in Bolivia(very common issue amongst fellow travellers) I was happy to avoid some of the party scene at Pariwana hostel and instead take the opportunity to relax in on of the most comfortable beds I have stayed the whole trip, catching up on a few episodes of Breaking Bad. The hostel itself was a great example of Spanish architecture with all the rooms situated around a big courtyard, filled with beanbags and backpackers throughout the day.

It took until the night before I was due to leave for the trek that a group of Australian nurses who checked in to my room strongly suggested I start a course of antibiotics, couldn't hurt to boost my chances of not defecating all over one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Booking a Machu Picchu trek comprises 3 more popular options;
Inca trail - the traditional and most famous trek that cover 45km of the most popular trail, with various ruins along the way
Jungle trek - the easiest option that comprises a day of trekking, a day of zip lines and a day of mountain bike riding
Sulkantay - the longest option that covers 85km ranging from 1,500m to 4,600m  and was recently names one of the best 25 treks in the world.

Given that the official Inca Trail needs to be booked months in advance, I opted for the increasingly popular Sulkantay trek, which also boosts the benefit of having about 1/5th  the number of people doing the trek at any one time and attainable at a far more reasonable price. There was no issues arranging this tour for the following day, however you may need to book tickets to Wayna Picchu mountain as they only allow 400 people entry per day (spread over two admission times).

Struggling through another early morning wake up as the bus collected me at 3am, I was pleasantly surprised to find Tom and Elyna whom I'd met on Isle de Sol waiting in my transport (they are roughly due to arrive in Mexico around the same time as me in early march, travelling also overland) along with another Aussie bloke Dion who I'd met on the boat Copocobanna. The idea was to get a few hours rest on the winding road up to the trail head (Mollepata) where we stopped for a quick breakfast and met our guide crew before the journey began.

Included in the trek price was a horseman who would pack 5kg each and carry them up until the second last day, my bag was smack bang on the limit. Previous warnings were adhered to as the trek started off at almost a painful pace, the group was stopping to rest around every half an hour which was setting us up for a long days walk. Frustratingly one of the Canadian birds who had joined the group had never been in high altitude or a multi day trek in her life, definitely a dead weight in the group as it was clear that we would be constantly waiting for her to catch up.

After lunch I powered ahead with Tom to reach our camp before the rain came belting down and persisted for most of the night. Luckily our tents were already set up inside a large tarpoleon shelter that kept the wind at bay whilst we munched down hard on the platters of biscuits, hot chocolates and Coca tea. It wasn't until speaking with a mate back home recently that I realised how unusual it was to be drinking tea made from fresh Coca leaves, apparently its effective in fending off high altitude sickness.

Waking up early to a clear morning was a welcome relief as we set off towards the mountain pass for Sulkantay, our highest point at 4,600m. The approach was nothing short of spectacular after rounding the first corner and having the brilliant white peaks standing tall in front of us. For me this made the Sulkantay trek option preferable as we forgo some smaller trail ruins to see the mountains up close, not that any of the smaller ruins would come close to the impressiveness of Machu Picchu.

At the pass itself our group assembled for a quick group shot, the temperature had very quickly dropped to freezing in the strong wind. Three of the trekkers who were from Peru had never seen snow in their life and were snapping endless photos as they got caught up in the moment. It really was an impressive point along the trail, especially with the piles of spiritual stones alongside the snow edge as the view tapered off into the lush jungle behind.

Next we began to descend through the grass lands and down towards the Jungle where our camp at Chullay would be waiting, cold beers and assembled hammocks prepared. Tom and I raced off again, missing one of the turnoffs in the early jungle stages that wound us up the mountain instead of down towards the river. We recovered quickly and were back on track after some minor bush bashing.

Deeper in to the jungle we wound along side a river that swells in early months to levels that force the trail to be closed, coinciding with the time they also close Machu Picchu for annual regrowth. Along this section we passed lots of wild fruits including jungle strawberries, passion fruits, mangoes and even the Ayhuasca flower.

Our third camp included a visit to the nearby hot spring which dissapointigly would not let beers be taken anywhere near the waters edge, also a dismal 29c. Back at the camp a bonfire was set up where we drank the night away with a local Inca Tequila brew, the guide getting a little too involved and ensured laughs all round with an impressive display of drinking skills, leaving him a little worse for wear the next morning as he trailed well behind the group.

Winding our way along the train tracks with glimpses of the famous Incan city high on the mountain top, we ventured in to Aguas Calientes for the final nights stay in a hotel, this being the closest accommodation's to the ancient ruins. It was Halloween and a horde of children burst in to our dinner celebration to scam candy off us, unfortunately they had not quite mustered up the traditional dialogue as the simply continued to repeat "Halloween.. Halloween.. Halloween".

In order to make it up to Machu Picchu for sunrise we departed at 4am, inspired by the guides offer of a free pizza should I beat his record time of 45 mins up the few thousand stairs to the entrance, I never did get rewarded for my 39 minute feat. Being first through the gates meant that we managed to get a few rare snaps of the deserted ruins before hoards of lazy tourists were bussed up from the town below, apparently now they are even talking about building an airport in Aguas Caliente!

We were given a walking tour of the city that outlined some of the amazing architecture and farming methods invented by the Incans. The city consists of over 600 terraces that not only served for agriculture, but also helped to prevent landslides. Stones were carefully carved by master stonemasons so they fit together without the use of mortar, special concave sides fit in to the convex side of the next stone and angles of windows and doorways ensure the structure is earthquake proof. There is even an advanced drainage system built in to the city that is the key to its longevity.

After a quick photo shoot with a friendly Llama I made my way up Wayna Picchu which is the smaller of the two side mountains next to the ruins (the bigger being Machu Picchu Mountain). This epic onslaught of steps added to what was definitely the hardest day of the trek. Upon slugging it out to the top, we were rewarded with an unbelievable view of the archaeological sight from the mountain top temple.

Back in Cusco I rewarded all my hard work with a very mediocre all you can eat Indian feast, again tempting fate with the buckets of slosh that looks well past serving date. Machu Pichu is an amazing feat of human ingenuity, its one thing that everybody should visit at least once in their life to see what the Incan elite so carefully preserved from the Spanish invasion by destroying all trails and evidence of its existence.