Success!!

It´s Sunday morning and Daf and I are back in Cusco after out Inca Trail adventure.  I must say it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in recent years, but I managed it.
We set out on Wednesday morning very early and picked up our fellow travellers, a young British couple and a Serbian woman and then drove to the start point at Kilometer 82.  There was plenty of evidence of the recent floods and mudslides with the railway line being completely washed away in parts, and huge sections of mountainside blocking roads and destroying buildings.
Access to the Inca Trail is strictly controlled and passports have to be shown and matched against paperwork before folk are allowed to start the trail.  There were 5 of us in the party and we were supported by a local guide (Jamil), a cook (Tomas) and eleven porters so it really felt like an exotic expedition.
The Inca Trail is only 42 kms long but it goes over such huge mountains and at such high altitudes that it is a really difficult trek, with high temperatures in the day and very low temperatures at night.  I found the walking at high altitude very difficult even with liberal quantities to coca tea to sustain me, and had to stop frequently to catch my breath.  Fortunately, the others in the group were not that much fitter so I didn´t feel that I was holding any one up.
The trail passes through some stunning scenery, with fabulous views of the glaciers in the High Andes and small villages in the valley of the Urambambo river.  As we proceeded we passed by ruined Inca buildings and local dwelling places, all of which seemed to be inhabited by very tough looking folk in traditional clothing with very young children helping with the animals - donkeys, llamas, alpaccas and goats. 
We walked for up to eight hours each day for the first three days, starting very early and stopping for lunch at the next camping place.  We had lunch cooked at the camp on arrival, and then afternoon tea of crackers and popcorn at 5.30, and then a three course dinner at about 6.30.  After this, we all just went to our tents and slept until the next day when we started all over again.
By the end of the third day I was exhausted and was feeling quite ill with headaches, sickness etc, but there was nothing for it though than to just keep going.  On the last day we were up at 4.00 am to start the last section of the trek to the Gate of the Sun  entrance to Macchu Pichu.  we started out in heavy rain and by the time we arrived at about 7.00 am it was still pouring down and the whole valley was shrouded in thick cloud.  This was really disappointing as the best views of MP are from the Gate of the Sun.  We carried on down into MP and the rain stopped and the clouds disappeared to reveal an absolutely beautiful place - the Lost City of the Incas.  A lot has been written about MP, but to experience it first hand is an amazing experience and was really worth the effort getting there.
We had a guided tour of the ruins which cover a huge area, and then had free time to explore on our own.  Daf went back up the mountain to take photos and I found a place to sit and dry out whilst looking out over the ruins - lovely.
The journey back was a lot easier - we took the train back to Km 82 and then a bus from there to Cusco.  I was very tired but really glad I had accomplished something that has been an ambition for years.
 
A quiet day in Cusco today and then off in the morning on a bus journey over the Altiplano to Lake Titicaca.
 
Elwyn

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