Let's see...starting with the Camino Inca (Inca Trail). This was a 3 night/4 day hike and is only 25 miles but since it is roughly 3,600 meters above sea level, it feels a lot longer! Anyways, the Inca Trail was probably the thing I was most looking forward to on our trip for 2 main
reasons: 1) Machu Pichu is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and 2) the Inca Trail is a combination of two of my most favorite things: hiking and speaking Spanish...simultaneously! So, we got up very early on March 8th to begin the much anticipated adventure. We knew that our group would consist of Kevin and me and then a married couple but that was all we knew. We did not know what to expect of this married couple and were unsure if they would be hikers or even remotely our age but were pleasantly surprised to meet Dave and Jo! Dave (from Dublin) and Jo (from Manchester) were just married in Mallorca, Spain last summer and are currently on their 10month around the world honey moon so obviously they had many amazing stories and photos to share. So the four of us set off with our guide, Roger, 4 porters, and one cook. Porters are people who carry your things for you (cooking supplies, food, water, tents, etc) for very, very little money. Actually, this really depressed me because I had read in Lonely Planet (our trusty guide book) about the mistreatment of porters and did not like seeing that this is indeed true. They carry over 50lbs worth of supplies up and down precarious ascents and descents and often are wearing make-shift sandals and using tarps or blankets as backpacks. I felt so spoiled carrying my measly day pack and wearing my legit hiking boots while they had such inadequate supplies. But, Roger, our guide, said that they are thankful to just have jobs. I guess it is a matter of perspective.
William (18yr old porter) and me
So we hiked and hiked through the Andes passing Inca ruins along the way. We stopped and camped three different nights. The first night was fine but the second night, not so much. We were hiking the Inca Trail during rainy season and let me tell you, rainy season it was. The second night, Kevin woke me up at about 2am as his sleeping bag was totally and completely soaked. Honestly, it looked as though he had dunked it in a lake or something. We tried to improvise a somewhat dry bed by placing our rain coats underneath of us and my sleeping bag on top but it was not an enjoyable sleep. Aside from this little mishap, we were essentially treated like kings and queens. Not only did the porters carry the majority of our things (well, Kevin carried my sleeping bag..thanks, Kev!), they also pitched our tents, cooked our meals, and served us TEA twice a day...once in the morning while we were still lying in our sleeping bags and once in the afternoon. It was unbelievable. And the food! Soups, fish, veggies, wontons, pudding, pancakes with caramel sauce, homemade popcorn. Let's just say that every calorie we burned while hiking was more than adequately replenished.
Our group: Dave, Jo, Me, Kevin
On the last day, we woke up at 3:30 am to start hiking in hopes to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu, but alas, the weather was not in our favor. We arrived to a cloudy Machu Picchu but nevertheless, it was incredible. I could not get over the fact that it was built so long ago (in the 15th century) and is still in such great condition. I feel very fortunate to have been able to see it with my own two eyes.
Kevin and me overlooking MP
After a night of celebrating the completion of the Inca Trail, we rose bright and early to go river rafting. This was not the best activity that we have done because the water was absolutely freezing, and I can't believe I am saying this, but it wasn't adrenaline-rushing enough!! After rafting, we got our things together to head to Arequipa via a 16hr bus ride.
In Arequipa, we were planning to hike the world's deepest canyon (supposedly), El canon de Colca. I had never hiked a canyon before and was curious. It is counter-intuitive to hiking a
mountain; first you descend and then you ascend and we decided to then ascend again to see a rural village. We were racing against the clock because we had to catch a bus at 2pm. We were very optimistic of our ability to be able to hike the canyon, village, and back in 7 hours as we had no problems on the Inca Trail. However, we were now hiking on open face desert and in blistering heat. Also, we foolishly didn't bring enough water or any food. So, unfortunately, I suffered my first dehydration experience. As I said earlier, I absolutely love to hike but as soon as I felt dehydrated, I HATED it. Every step took all of my strength and I really had to focus on my footing as I was feeling rather dizzy. Kevin had to carry my pack (again, thx Kev) and luckily we made it back to the town without major problems. But, I have definitely learned my lesson to never, ever hike with a limited water supply ever again. And, despite feeling awful, the canyon was still incredible to see.
After Arequipa, we headed south to Puno, a boarder town of Lake Titicaca. We were looking forward to having the chance to do some homestays and experience authentic Peruvian culture. The first homestay that we did was with a man named Emiliano and his wife, Jonny. Emiliano and Jonny live in a tiny village called Chifron with a population of 24. It was intriguing to hear about Emiliano's life (Jonny didn't really talk to us..at all) and hear about his arranged marriage and the fact that he has lived in the same house his entire life. Very eye opening. Unfortunately, we left earlier than we had planned as both Kevin and I suffered from bad colds- perhaps a result of sleeping in a small lake a few nights before? When we got back to Puno, we took a day off and literally spent the whole day resting.
On Sunday, not feeling 100% but somewhat better, we got our things together to go to the Island of Tequile, one of the islands on Lake Titicaca. Tequile was like a whole other world. The people of the island work in a communal way- they rotate jobs according to their profession so that everyone has an equal opportunity to earn money. For example, a family who runs an inn is given (by the authorities of the community) designated days in which they are allowed to house guests. Therefore, when we disembarked from the boat, we were told that we would be staying with Maria and her two sons, Abdon (10) and Saol (7). We were shown to our cozy rooms with bamboo siding and hay floors. I felt as though I had traveled back to Biblical times.
We then played futbol (soccer) with the boys, Abdon and me v. Saol and Kevin and we won :) After futbol, the boys told us that they would show us some of the Inca ruins on the island. Now, I am not judging, BUT I just thought it was very interesting that these two young boys were allowed to roam with the American tourists with their mother nowhere in sight...and not knowing us AT ALL.
Anyways, Abdon and Saol grabbed their wooden flutes and away we went, literally marching to the squeaking of their music for about 45 minutes. The ruins were beautiful in their own right, although not like Machu Picchu!
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing until dinner when we had the chance to finally converse with the mother, Maria. She told us about her marriage and how the authorities of Tequile were not too happy that she married someone from Puno (another town) as opposed to Tequile. Maybe this is somewhat ignorant/naive , but I kept having to remind myself that no, we did not travel back in time, but Tequile is a completely different type of world than what I am used to.
It was humbling to live in such a world for 24 hours; to see the little boy walk to town to buy candles for light, to walk on a hay covered floor, to think the people of Tequile have no access to the outside world while on the island- no mail, no telephones, and certainly no internet. After a tranquil 3 hour boat ride back to Puno basking in the sun, we will now make our way onto our 2nd country: Bolvia!
