We slept in! All the way to 6:30!

According to the CDC, 80% of illness from waterborne pathogens come from the hands or improperly washed goods, NOT the drinking water.

It was a crisp morning, and by now we were getting used to the city vibe. We walked the streets and checked out a few shops.

As we walked around town, we ended up back at the square. I was needing to exchange some money for the next few days. About a week ago, we went down Avenue El Sol, where there were many money exchanges. A bit nervous, I found a little shop that looked legit and even had a protective glass for the cashier, so it felt pretty safe. I think the exchange rate was around 3.5% for my $300.

Today though, I’m an old pro! While at the plaza, I spied a money exchange on Portal Belen and walked in.

“Can you exchange $200?” I asked.

“Si!” said the lady behind the counter.

I handed her two one hundred dollar bills and she promptly handed them to a young lady on my side of the counter who quickly disappeared out the front door.

Huh. I did not see that coming.

After an extended period of time, I asked sheepishly, “Where did she go?”

“She’ll be back soon,” I was assured.

Sure enough, in about five more minutes she reappeared with the solas. I think the exchange rate was 3.73%. So I believe I just paid a quarter of a percent for the young lady to wait in line at a local bank or another money exchange. Live and learn!

Back when we first met, Ruben suggested that we need to check out Museo Inka, the largest collection of artifacts in the country I believe. This sounded like a great thing to do today!

Ruben says he loves President Obama! The Peruvian government was suing Yale University to return thousands of artifacts collected during the rediscovery of Machu Picchu in 1912.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia even asked Obama for help in the dispute. The artifacts were returned and many of them were placed in the museum.

The museum did not disappoint! Such fine pottery and playful styles. Well worth a visit for anyone in Cusco.

I want to make special note of this last picture with the two-burner cook stove. We saw this type of stove across Peru and it is a pretty cool design. You basically feed long pieces of wood in through the slot as they burn so you don’t have to cut to length! And you have two burners to work with.

Also, I was curious at the collection of quite large clay vessels in the museum with bluntly pointed bottoms. Seems they’d be a pain since they don’t stand up. But looking at the photograph above the cook stove I now see why. So you can carry them on your back! Genius!

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We had some family over for a visit a couple of weeks ago and were telling them about our odyssey. Larry commented that “They never invented the wheel!” And pretty much across the land, this style of carrying things is like that in the photograph. We watched an old man pulling the steep grade to his home on Llactapata. He had a colorful blanket tied at the corner and slung over his shoulders with the knot across his chest. He looked tired and was struggling to get the load off. Sergio, our guide, rushed over to help. He pulled out a big daypack….and a 20# canister of propane weighing about 40 pounds!

While there are certainly an outrageous number of uses for the wheel, they are of limited value for transportation in many parts of the Andes. The mountains have ‘shoulders’ and actually steepen toward the river valleys. All the land is hand-worked, and much of the cropland is on the mountain shoulders with just a footpath for access. Even the construction crews do much by hand, it’s too steep and narrow for big equipment and just not wheel-friendly. Inca flat is a term we sometimes heard. Their version of flat and ours differs greatly.

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Well, we managed to fill up the day! We went back to the hotel and rested a bit and then went looking for a new water bottle and some tasty food. Lo and behold, we ran into Ruben! He had just parked his motorcycle and was about to give another tour bunch the lowdown on tomorrow’s activities. He suggested we go to Mama Seldonia for dinner.

And so we did.

Late yesterday, Ruben and Big Al checked on Patricia to see how she was doing with the stomach bug. Ruben brought some meds and electrolytes, feeling pretty confident the bug would be vanquished before Rainbow Mountain in two days.

In the meantime, they rearranged our schedule so that we could get the most out of the day before our scheduled train ride in the afternoon. The 5am departure “to beat the crowds” became an 8am thing for me while Patricia recuperated. This was incredibly convenient…and a testament to the Alpaca team to take care of us.

As expected, Big Al is at the hotel on time. Patricia is doing better, and while not up to the hike, gives me the “high sign” to go ahead with the day. Big Al and I board the bus and ride the tourist trail to Machu Picchu.

Most visitors to Machu Picchu arrive via bus from Aguas Calientes. While I’m not disparaging their efforts, it’s in stark contrast to spending a few days in the Andes hiking and peeking, walking and yearning, looking and not seeing. And then…watching it unfold.

Patricia and I have already had an epic odyssey. If we had not ever seen this place we would have felt its presence always. It’s considered to be the second and final center of the Incan rule, after Cusco. Some accounts treat it as merely a ‘retreat’ and a place for the leadership to meet. It’s probably impossible to know. And it’s probably a case where modern arrogance should be very careful. What I see, now that I’ve spent so many days ‘sneaking’ up on it with tours to Sacsaywaman and ruins in Sacred Valley and Cusco, is a very stable system of governance. A happy people, a learned people, and a people still with an eye on the future.

I mean, over 500 years! Think about that. But also consider that even that couldn’t happen unless there was a stable and thriving “before.” Take chuño potatoes for example. It’s a method of freeze-drying potatoes that dates back several centuries before the Inca rule. The Inca didn’t destroy, they accommodated, they learned, and they moved forward.

Access to Machu Picchu is limited to 5,000 people per day, including guides.
Huayna Picchu allows only 400 per day.

All of the backcountry around Machu Picchu, including the Short Inca Trail, is limited to 500 people, including guides and porters.

Another shout out to Hobnail Trekking and Alpaca Expeditions for having us “in the queue” so that we could experience these things! The limited availability can be a big challenge when traveling.

As we chatted about everything from Incan history to boiling water, we moved quickly up the stone steps. It was so much fun to stretch the legs and the lungs! We passed a lot of people. It’s amazing what a few days in the Andes can do for you! Big Al timed us and said we set a record of 37 minutes to the top, hahaha!

I noticed that he faltered a couple of times on the way up. And at a slightly sketchy stone slab at the top, he had trouble with his footing.

“Man, I can’t stop thinking about my shoes! It’s causing me to stumble!”

We both paused and laughed. I’ve probably messed this young man up for life.

Such fascinating granite stonework! Steps and rooms carved into solid rock. Stone rings and square/cylinder cuts for roof supports. In one photo, the wall to the right is smoother than the left to indicate a difference in status between the two dwellings.

The water management was most intriguing. There are channels cut into the stone that carry water in all sorts of directions. There is one ‘room’ with a fountain and rectangular pool cut from the bedrock. The water flows out through a channel. But, the channel stops just short of the pool and tunnels in from underneath, apparently to keep the integrity or aesthetic intact. So playful and so cool. I’d love to come back here and spend more time.

Big Al promised me I’d be back at La Cabana by 1pm and we arrived a little early. Patricia had slept all morning, and the hotel made accommodations for her while we were gone.

VistaDome to Ollantaytambo

While on the train, we were treated with a fashion show and some local dance and costumes.

The attendant came through and suggested, since there were empty seats, that we could move to the other side of the train for the best view. A thoughtful gesture for sure, but we stayed in place and let others move over.

If this had been the beginning of our journey or part of a short motorized tour, we’d have certainly moved. But after being on the Andes for six days, we were happy to let others garner the better views.

Not that my nose wasn’t pressed against the window from time to time…

When we arrived in Ollantaytambo, Big Al was there to greet us. He directed us to the Alpaca Expeditions bus waiting to ferry us to Cusco. It was at this point that we realized how big an operation this local company is! Over 70 guides we are told. Ollantaytambo is a hub for all kinds of outdoor adventures and Alpaca green was everywhere!

We really liked the buses that carried us around Peru. Very modern and comfortable. Better than flying! All of them, whether large or small, were very sleek and had these cool mirrors. Having them pitched forward like insect antennae allowed the drivers to see around the corners on the narrow streets and keep a slim profile.

On our bus, all of the Alpaca gear was loaded first chair! Unfortunately, this left no room for Big Al and he sat in the doorway. Mainly because he could move out of the way as necessary and because he was a guide-in-training and probably didn’t have his “time” in yet.

By the end of the day, Patricia had not rebounded from the stomach bug. We found a farmacia in Cusco and the lady seemed to know exactly what she needed, something to conquer parasites like Giardia. So she’s started on a three-day round of meds and more electrolytes. Hopefully it will kick in soon!

Tomorrow we have a well-deserved day off! Nothing on the schedule at all. What will we do?

It’s Day 9 of our 17-day odyssey. We just finished our 5-day/4-night Salktantay Trek late yesterday and said goodbye to our new friends. Today, we’re finally going to touch the gray granite of Machu Picchu! It’s hard to imagine that, in just a day and a half, we will have hiked from that grand view on Llactapata. Down to the river, up the river valley, and then up to this, the last and final center of the Incan Empire and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

But today we’ll do what is known as the Short Inca Trail, it’s only about 7 miles long. But wait…there’s three or four thousand feet of climbing involved with all the ups and downs (including the gringo killer approaching the peak at Intipunku, the Sun Gate). Oh, and we’ll need to walk the rail bed in the morning along the Urubamba River for about 5 miles just to get to the trailhead.

We didn’t need our flashlights for very long and it was sweet walking in the twilight and listening to the birds. Big Al pointed out an Andean cock-of-the-rock, native to Peru. It’s a spectacular bird and darn near impossible to photograph in the trees!

Now this is some fine trail! And…it can be a bit disconcerting if you look just past the tall grasses and plants on the downhill side! But so much fun!

The Short Inca Trail leads to Wiñay Wayna, which means “forever young” in Quechua. The Inca built a home for their leader here. It was never found by the Spaniards and was in a pristine state upon its re-discovery.

Wiñay Wayna is just another mind-boggling spectacle that just seems to happen everyday and around every turn. The Inca were so adept at carving a living out of these steep mountains. More than a living, a fruitful and rewarding way of life.

The terraces were built to raise food for the royal family. At one end of the terraces are a series of stair-stepped spring boxes. The water is provided at the top via an aqueduct from a spring located in a cove and works its way down each terrace to the living quarters. Water can be channeled where necessary.

And, after all these centuries, it’s still running!

What a magnificent place!

“Jefferson! Do you feel the energy!?”

As I walk up from the rear, Ruben is at the head of the group, showing them a primordial fern tree that is just stunning. His comment, of course, is referring to my bare feet. He gets a big thumbs up from me. Yeah, I feel it.

This has turned out to be…surprise…another full day! The climb was more difficult than expected and the heat and humidity were the highest we’ve experienced so far.

Reaching the Sun Gate was such a reward! Today we actually climbed and skirted around Machu Picchu Mountain, opposite Llactapata, to reach it. We could now look over to the west and see our camp from just two nights ago!

There was more haze this afternoon than we’ve seen to date. But we soon started hearing thunder and watched a short-lived storm quickly clear the air, just for us! The sunbeams were streaming down and we saw a rainbow!

But even an idyllic life has its ups and downs. Apparently Patricia had picked up a stomach bug and, with all the extended exertion, it had chosen this moment to act! She needed to get down fast and Ruben put Big Al on the task. We hurried down to the visitor center.

How thankful can we be that she made it to the bus station at the end of this day? Ruben made sure we got on the next bus down and we made it back to the hotel. We couldn’t make dinner, so Ruben brought me a pizza and some medicine and electrolytes for Patricia.

One thing about an odyssey, things can change quickly. But our guides adapt quickly too. Our next day was to be a tour of Machu Picchu, so we actually had a little flexibility. We decided to see how things were in the morning. For now, we’ll just hunker down and see how the medicine performs.

Today’s bus ride from Machu Picchu is the first time we’ve been in a vehicle since the Glass Cabanas and we’ve covered a little over 60 miles through the mountains by foot. Not a bad way to find Machu Picchu.

Oh, and Ruben says that this trail was harder than upcoming Rainbow Mountain. That sounds promising.

“4am!” Emma’s is the first voice in a potential rebellion.

Sergio quickly reconsiders and recalculates. “Ok, 6:20.”

It was the night before, and we’re eating just after dark. It’s such a stunning campsite, we don’t want to leave before daylight.

Sergio adds, “Truly, if we were to take any extra time, this is the place.”

Because once we hit the river valley, there will be hustle and bustle and we won’t have these kind of views. It’s hard to believe that this is the last day of the “trek.” Not the end of the odyssey for sure, but today we’ll be parting ways with our new family.

Not that we’d actually rebel. We’d pretty much follow Sergio anywhere at this point. And we’ve learned the value of the early rise.

Patricia has just amazed me. In this five day trek, we’ve had three big climbs up steep, rocky trails and at high altitude. I very well know her determination, but she’s also learned to listen to her body. And she’s managed to do the hardest thing she’s ever done. And, in fact, something that so many cannot do. And she’s excelling at it!

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As we stroll outside after breakfast, Harry yells, “Jeff, I think I see a couple of condors!” He’s watched them rise quickly on the air currents out of the steep valley between us and Machu Picchu. I run for the binoculars. As we look, it appears to be a couple of young ones that are tussling with each other. They go back and forth for a moment and then one breaks off to the left. The other just shoots to the sky, it’s incredible how fast he’s climbed. In just a couple of minutes they’re both gone, even thought the distances are vast. It’s like one says, “This is my mountain range over here, that’s your mountain range over there.”

Porters Juan and Santos blew by us on the trail. The packs can be well over 100 pounds, each just a big duffel with no waist belt. We actually saw a girl that was being carried by a porter coming up to Llactapata. She had gotten seriously dehydrated and the porter carried her to a medical tent at the top where they started a saline IV. I don’t think the couple was with a guide service. They came out of their sleeping quarters the next morning and started down the trail on their own. Maybe a little oblivious to what they were dealing with. Kudos to the porters!

Because of the limitations in access to Machu Picchu, and even the surrounding backcountry, most of the porters and locals have not seen Machu Picchu. One cool thing Alpaca Expeditions does for the community is to get the necessary permits/tickets and schedule the time for many of them to experience their heritage.

We pretty much circumnavigated Machu Picchu without seeing it. As we neared Aguas Calientes, we did see the hairpinned road that now serves as the bus shuttle route to the site.

Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by U.S. archaeologist Hiram Bingham.

The miles are beginning to add up! While the river valley was relatively flat, walking the train tracks was the least enjoyable. There are sections of footpath, but there’s also a lot of rail bed walking on large gravel. So the 6 miles was a little long.

But there were goodies along the way, like mango popsicles!

We enjoyed the Hobbit Houses. We soaked in the solar hot tub with Emma and Harry. We ate popcorn. A big, wonderful dinner. Hot showers. And we got to charge up all the things. As we walked here along the road, we saw similar dwellings on the other side of the river, but they looked unused. As it happens, the landslide/flood took out the access bridge to them, and Alpaca decided to rebuild on this side of the river. The others are no longer accessible. We also noticed an Inca trail on the other side. Due to rock slide dangers, it too is not accessible and has been blocked by the locals for safety. That’s too bad, it looks like it could be a nice path. But the dirt road is fine and has little traffic. This is a dynamic place.

In about three miles we’ll be leaving the river road and start a four mile climb to Llactapata. This will give us our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. I’m really diggin’ the way we are sneaking up on it. As you’ll see, rather than a bus ride from Aguas Calientes straight up to it, we are destined to meander around it for days, with tantalizing glimpses along the way.

Until this point, the porters have been able to use either the pack horses (on Salkantay) or vehicles to haul the gear. They’ll get a ride to the “Camino Inka”, but at that point they’ll have to shoulder everything for the next two days. If we had it to do over again, we would have certainly lightened their load a few pounds.

We stop for lunch at a small coffee farm. While the rest of our new family is fixing lunch, we follow the owner into the farm to have a go at picking beans. Two types of plants, one taller with smaller beans, one shorter with larger beans. It’s guys against the girls and that’s three to two!

After another massive meal, we continue our climb. It’s quite a bit warmer today and we’re on the sunny side. The views are stupendous and it’s a beautiful day! And it’s a good thing we have plenty of time because it’s a hard pull to the top! The lower altitude certainly helps.

Family! Slowly! Slowly!

Sergio is always watching after his family. Patricia says, “If I go any slower, I’ll be crawling!” And the last mile is the steepest. But boy, what a nice grade. The Inca were trail masters too! And I’m loving it. I feel like a condor!

It’s a sense of accomplishment when you look down and realize that you’ve climbed from the river below, just today!

And so far it is a good day, a great day at that. But here in Middle Earth there’s always seems to be something magical and mysterious and unexpected.

We make the gap at Llactapata and start our descent to camp through the forest. We break out of the trees and we are at what could best be described as an Incan armory. A large building that housed weapons for the warriors for quick access. As we come around the corner of the building, we’re facing due east, and there is Machu Picchu. It’s an indescribable view and brings one to tears. We relax and soak it in, the light is fading and changing rapidly.

Sergio takes some time to bring out an ornate tobacco pipe. It depicts the Inca trinity of condor, snake, and puma. It’s a time of silence and reflection as Sergio says a few words and blows the smoke across each of us in turn.

What a day indeed!

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About the title of this post…

I’ve come back outside to gawk. I’m laying in the grass with my little tripod and phone camera snapping pictures.

I flip on my red headlamp to preserve my night vision and not wake the neighbors. As I come up to the line of identical tents with my dim light, the starry shadows play a trick on me. (Or could it be my mountain giddiness?) I come up to our tent and find the zipper pull. But that’s not where I remember leaving it. Oh well. I start to open the door.

“Is that you Jeff! Are you outside?”

Wow, that sounds like Harry! I’ve got the wrong tent!

“I’m sorry!”

I knew Harry and Emma were in the tent next to us, so I move down one to ours and find the zipper.

Emma yells out, “Jeff!”

Yikes! “I’m so sorry, I apologize!”

Apparently the first tent was Sergio’s! And I thought it was Harry! I mean, it’s an honest mistake. Quechuan and Australian accents sound soooooo much alike, right?

Okay, I’ve found Harry and Emma, so we’re next.

Ya know, I really didn’t know where David’s tent was…

“Jeff! What are you doing?!”

Are you kidding me? I’ve literally hit every tent. Everyone is awake now and we’re all laughing.

“Well, since you are all awake, you might as well get out and look at the stars!”

I didn’t sleep much that night. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite pleasant. I just lay there and let the experiences of the last few days just roll around in my head. Sweet dreams.

Besides, thanks to Emma, we all got to sleep in, all the way past 6am!