Peru: Back from Salkantay Trek and Machu Picchu

So here I am again, back in Cusco after having had one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. The Salkantay Trek was incredible and Machu Picchu is definitely a place to visit at least once in a lifetime, if not more.

The trek started last Saturday morning. Several preparations had been made during my time in Copenhagen and Madrid and this was the time to put all the equipment to test. No doubt it was going to be a really tough one.

The trek started on Saturday morning in Cusco. After a really early wake up at 4.00 am, we were picked up by a minivan that would take us to the small town of Mollepata, where the trek would begin. The first day was almost the hardest one, not as much for the length of this stage or the actual climb, but because of the extreme weather conditions we suffered. After a lovely beginning, enjoying a slow but constant pace, we were caught up in the middle of a merciless storm after lunch. The skies opened up and torrential rains washed us up for over two hours, which made finalishing the first stage really hard, struggling with a steep climb and the annoyance of the rain that certainly left me in really bad spirit. Shame there was nobody to cry to, and had to put all my strength together to get to camp at around 5.00 pm, completely wet, cold and grumpy. Luckily enough, the sleeping bag and the several layers of clothes played their part and kept me warm through a long cold night at the camp in Soraypampa, over 3500m above sea level.

The second day was the toughest one in terms of real climb. Leaving the camp behing, the initial part of this stage seemed already hard, but nothing compared to what it would later turn into. As we started climbing with the Salkantay peak in front of us, and while hearing the sound of an avalanche in that same mountain, the path became steeper and steeper until we reached a higher area all covered in snow. You could really see the suffering in people´s faces and the need for more frequent (and longer) pauses became a fact for all of us. At midday, and after having struggled for like four hours in the hardest part of the whole itinerary, we reached the highest point of the trek (a bit over 4600m above the sea level). The rest of the day would be a really steep descent that would put us down again to some 2900m, after passing a beautiful valley first and then a rainforest area with the most difficult stone path to descend. After nine hours of a long and complicated trek, we reached the Challway camp in a moisty and foggy valley. Our knees were really strained by this stage, but there is nothing that couldn´t be cured by a nice dinner in good company and a long night of sleep, only to be awaken early in the morning by the chicken in the camp. These are the incoveniences of nature.

The third day wasn´t a hard one. After all, it was only four hours of hiking along a dusty road and through a long valley that would end up in Sahuayaco. From there, we were taken by a tiny minivan, loaded with 17 people and our bags on top in the craziest South American style, to Santa Teresa. I thought I would avoid the Death Road in Bolivia, but this was not much less scary, with deep cliffs on the sides and a driving style that reminded me to that of my brother in law. The landscape changed completely to some jungle like area and we could see some really weird species of trees and vegetation I had never seen before.  The great reward of the stage was a lukewarm shower at camp, followed by a nice dinner cooked by the best camp chef ever, Benigno, and some beers around the bonfire. We had some laughs and enjoy the chat with a funny Brazilian character whose mission in life is to travel in bicycle around the world. He started in 1994 by travelling through different part of Africa and Europe, and has been travelling from 2005 non stop in a trip that led him to cross the American continent all the way from South to North, and ending in Alaska. This fellow has visited something like 60 countries in the last 5 years of biking. Impressive.

The fourth day was a long but enjoyable one. This was the stage that would end up in Aguas Calientes, from where we would visit Machu Picchu the day after. The trek was split in two parts: first, a long trek along another dusty road with some wonderful views of waterfalls on the side of the road, and then, after a stop at Hidroelectrica and a nice lunch, a long walk by the train tracks from where we would get the first impression of Machu Picchu terraces from the foot of the mountain. No great remarks about this day that, despite its length, finished with a team dinner celebration in a restaurant in town. No time for many drinks though, as another early day was waiting for us the day after in order to ensure we got tickets to climb to Waynapicchu mountain (the famous peak that can be seen in all postcards just behing the ancient town of Machu Picchu).

We had a really short night of sleep in the dodgiest hostel by far since I started this trip: no hot water whatsoever, a moisty cave-like room without windows and extremely noisy that made it hard to rest well for the day ahead. Waking up at 2.45am (no coca tea served this time!), we quickly got ready and headed for the bridge where the climb to the town of Machu Picchu starts. We were the first ones to arrive there, but soon a long queue of trekers would be behind us waiting for the race to the top to start. As mentioned before, only the first 400 people to reach the entrance and sign up can get tickets to climb up to Waynapicchu, and it was a matter of principles for us to complete our trek by reaching this peak. Ten minutes before 5am, and after having accepted the bribe of the guard to pay one sol per person, we started an extremely intense and exhausting race towards the top, in the middle of complete darkness and ascending on the most impossible stone steps. Being one of the first groups to reach the entrance, getting the tickets to the mountain was a complete victory with a sweet taste: that was almost the culmination of our trip.

We headed for the watchtower to see the sun rise in the middle of a foggy morning that would later clear up to leave a precious sunny day in the legendary Inca town of Machu Picchu. The town in itself is amazing. The architecture of the Incas was way more sophisticated than many of the civilizations of their time, and the use of thick solid stones to build their houses and temples almost reaches perfection. The town was built at around 1400 ad and abandoned one century later with the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores to the area. The Spaniards never found it and, hence, it wasn´t destroyed like many other Inca sites around. The main theories state that this town was a religious and political centre where a small elite would spend some part of the year here to decide on matter concerning the economy of the conquered regions, supported by farmers who would provide the necessary support with the basic functions. Once abandoned, Machu Picchu was taken over by nature and covered by vegetation. There are indications that the site might have been spotted by different people during the 19th and beginning of the 20th century,  and that its presence was certainly known by the locals, but it was not until 1911 that the American historian Hiram Bingham set foot on it and made it known to the outside world, becoming Peru´s most important tourist attraction.

Today´s only population of Machu Picchu is made of twenty llamas, while the town is completely crowded with flock of tourists during the day, despite the limitations of number of visitors to protect the site. It is a really inspiring place and you can easily spend a whole day wandering around and enjoying the mesmerising buildings and magnificent views of the mountains around. This is, no doubt, a magic place.

Climbing Waynapichu is challenging due to the narrow and steep steps that lead to its top, but once up there one feels like being on top of the world - not recommended for people who get easily scared by heights though.

I can say now that I´ve been on top of the world and I would love to come back maybe doing the Inca Trail next time for a change.

At the moment of writing this entry, I have also completed a one day tour to the Sacred Valley, visiting some other Inca remains in the area around Cusco. I will upload more information in future posts regarding this and my stuck plans of crossing the border to reach Bolivian lands, due to the demonstration of Peruvian miners as a political weapon for the upcoming final round of the national elections.

Also, I just wanted to inform you all that I have made some technical changes to the settings of the blog. I believe the comments section was restricted to registered users but it should be open as of now, so please take a few minutes of your time and leave some comments to keep me company in this journey!