The hard rain woke me up. Backpackers tune in on those things. I did a survey to see if anything was getting wet. We are only two in a four man tent but it looks like a bomb went off, our gear and clothes are everywhere. The tents are well-worn, but everything is fine. Alpaca has thoughtfully placed heavy plastic on the inside. We also learn that our comfy pads are a ‘plus up’ from Hobnail. For just a brief moment we felt kinda bad for the others and their thin pads. But it was just a brief moment, we’re old after all. Besides, these kids are literally half our age. I remember when we slept on a slab of rock in the winter, using a straw to breath through the blanket of snow covering us. But I digress…

Satisfied that everything is dry, I relax in the middle of the night. I begin to worry about the weather in the morning, it’s a pain to strike camp in the rain. But I easily push the thoughts aside and listen to the raindrops hammering the tent.

We both feel really good. And about that “baby alpaca” in the last post…it’s a hot water bottle for the sleeping bag. Perfect between the sore knees or tired feet! Such luxury!

We’re up and moving at 5am. Upon opening the tent, I see that while it had rained on us, the mountains caught a good snow, and I was looking at the moon over a snowy range. Sergio was standing just outside. “That’s a pretty nice view behind you,” I said. Looking in the opposite direction. He says, “this one is pretty good too.”

Wow! All the trivialities of life just melt away. It’s gonna be a good day.

We’re going down today, all the way to the river and a completely different climate. In fact, we’ll pass through several microclimates on the way down. And this may be our longest distance day. While we still have the option for horseback, Patricia is feeling great, and the lower exertion and altitude will help. Yet another big breakfast, plenty of coca tea, and we’re ready to go.

It warms up quickly! And this was the ONLY day of the 17 that I wore shorts. And that was a mistake. Small flies and mosquitoes made quick work of my lower legs and ankles. And of course the UV is very high up here. The locals always stay covered up and have wide-brimmed hats.

Google Earth is coming in handy at showing the trek. Our route today, shown in red, follows the valley down from Salkantay to Colcapampa, where we stopped for lunch. We parted ways with our horseman Gomersindo and he headed back in to the mountains.

Looking at Google Earth I realized that the photogrammetry was taken in June of 2020….five months after the landslide/flood from Salkantay Lagoon. While the bridges were rebuilt in time for our route (in red), they don’t exist in Google Earth (yet). You can see how the flow really scoured the river valley!

After lunch, we walked the dirt road all the way to the Hobbit Houses in Loreta. Hot showers, electricity, even a hot tub (water pumped up from the river and heater)! The walk was long but pleasant, and we were able to chat most of the day.

We drop off the road to the Hobbit Houses and they are delightful as are the gardens. It’s been another full day and it’s time to rest and recharge. You guessed it, we’ll be served tea early in the morning. We’ve got another big climb ahead of us.

But this time it will be Inca footpath, I’m excited!

It’s cold this morning. Above freezing, but damp and the fog is thick. Hot coca tea was brought to our door promptly at 4:20am. Sergio wants us to be on the trail in an hour, it’s going to be our hardest day and he wants plenty of time.

I liked the way he pulled us together last night, a family group on a trek. We have trekkers Emma and Harry (ages 29) from Australia, and David (a bit older maybe) from San Francisco. Sergio, the guide, is I think 38 years old and has been guiding for 10 years. Alfredo is the (super) chef, Juan and Santos are our two porters, and Gomersindo is our horseman for the next couple of days. Patricia and I are the old people at ages 70 and 62. It’s shaping up to be a nice family I think. Plenty of people to carry us out, hahaha!

I’m bleary-eyed this morning and running a tad late. Watching the stars last night may have slowed me down. With the mountain weather, it’s taking time to decide which clothes to carry and then get the duffels packed, we won’t have access to them until camp tonight. At breakfast, we are humbled by what a master chef can do with a two-burner propane stove and we welcome the hot food, muña, and coca teas. And there is always instant coffee with powdered milk! I notice that Gomersindo is fast asleep in his bag on the floor in the corner of the dining kitchen. He seems unbothered by the activity, and his important role comes later so he’s taking advantage of the extra minutes.

One thing we’re asked near the end of every meal is how much water we will need until the next. It will be boiled and ready for us by the time we’re ready to hike. I do not like being low on water, dehydration in the mountains is not good. The blood gets thick, the joints don’t lubricate, and energy to the muscles is impeded. For this morning, 5 liters for the two of us.

The early morning climb up to Humantay Lagoon totaled about 1500 feet in elevation. Six of us (the five trekkers and the guide) separated from the Alpaca team at Soray for the climb. The others are going on toward the pass to set up for lunch.

Family! Slowly! Slowly!

We’re struggling with the altitude and it is steep, slow going. But once we get there, we have it to ourselves. It’s quiet and serene. It’s a sacred place for the Quechua. Sergio pulls out a flute, and we have a few sublime minutes of reflection and thankfulness. The middle picture above is linked to a short video pan of the lake with a bit of Sergio’s flute accompaniment. 

It’s only 8am. What a day already!

Conveying the scale and steepness of the these mountains is a challenge. In Soray, we see blue domes of glass as we walk by, available for tourists to rent. When we look again from Humantay near the lagoon, we see just how far we’ve come.

There were quite a few places with lodging and cabanas like this. Soray can be achieved by some vehicles, and certainly by horseback, so the lagoon is a popular hike. But for us it’s a waypoint, and we move back down the talus slope to reconnect to the Inca trail and begin the bigger climb to Salkantay Pass.

Things get real…

On the pull toward the pass, Patricia is beginning to struggle. The Diamox has been a mixed bag. While it helps prepare you for the altitude, it also has side affects. We both seemed to suffer mild headaches and a little nausea, and David quit taking it because of his nausea. Even with that, we should have started taking it a little sooner I think. It actually takes weeks to fully acclimate. I stopped taking it last night and Patricia took her last dose this morning. We’ve been going hard for four days and it’s all catching up with her. I see her get a little unsteady and am keeping a close watch.

Sergio sees it too and asks me how it’s going. He mentions there are a few options. There is a location up ahead where we can get a horse to carry her to lunch and then the pass. And she can go all the way to camp, and even to the valley tomorrow by horseback if necessary. These are good options to have! The guides always carry an oxygen bottle too, as well as satellite phones.

We agree to get a horse for her to ride to the lunch spot. We’ll see how she feels after that.

“But,” I say, “it’s got to be her decision.” He nods in agreement.

Right now we’re at a little way station taking a break. It’s drizzling and everyone is wearing their rain jackets. As I come up to her I can see her lower lip trembling under the hood. She doesn’t say, “my legs hurt” or “I’m so tired.” No, she says,

“I don’t want to quit.”

“You’re not quitting, you’re adapting. It happens all the time on treks and expeditions.”

“Besides, it’s only a small piece of what we are doing.”

She grudgingly agrees and Sergio asks Gomersindo to bring us a horse. But not here, we’ll meet him on the way. In a few minutes I look up, way up, and on the mountain slope is Gomersindo and the horse, coming down an incredibly steep zigzag trail. We connect and Patricia gets situated. While these mountain horses are small, a rider is still pretty tall in the saddle, and this is rough, rocky trail. And Patricia has to be careful with her back. I’m a little nervous, but I can’t think of any other option than to go back down the way we came. “Are they going up the way they came down?” Sergio responds, “No, they’ll be using a lower trail.”

Time to put faith in the team, they’ve done this a few times. But…the horse is not happy with the situation and no amount of tugging is getting him to move up the trail. Adjustments are made, but nothing is really working. Gomersindo decides to go get one of his own horses.

So we’ll walk a little further (slowly, slowly) to a new meet point. On the way, I’m surprised to see Harry coming down. “You’re going the wrong way!” I tease. “I want a horse!” he says. The altitude is working on everyone and Harry seemed a bit underdressed this morning with shorts and a light jacket. So Gomersindo puts him on the uncooperative one. If it works, Harry can ride it back to where the other horses are and Gomersindo can pick up one for Patricia.

In the composite photo above, you can get an idea of the trail, working its way up to the right. And if you look off to the left a little over half way up, you’ll see a tiny green dot representing Harry in his poncho (inside the red circle). The horsemaster has figured out the problem and they’re going back up the steep zigzag trail that works its way up above those rock outcrops. Pretty wild.

In a few minutes Patricia is on a new horse and all seems agreeable. They get a head start and in less than an hour, we all meet up again for lunch. Along the way, I seem to have a break through. I find my lungs and my pace. Maybe it’s the mountain energy.

Lunch is just grand and the food just keeps coming! We get a chance to recharge and everyone is in good spirits. Patricia is feeling a little better but decides to ride the horse up to the pass. She’s learned to relax into its stride. After that we’ll be descending all the way to camp. Besides, the entire horse ride up only amounts to about a mile of today’s trek! Harry is hiking again as well. We make the pass around 3pm.

In the clouds and mist, the pass was just mystical. Sergio gathered us all and introduced us to a thanksgiving ritual using three coca leaves. Prayers to Pachamama (earth mother), thanking her for all of trek family and all that we’ve been given. After praying, we blow across the leaves and then find a personal spot to bury or place them under some rocks. A physical way to connect and be enriched. It was a special and emotional moment today.

Bring it on home.

On the way down, Sergio points out rock that has a white cast to it. About two years ago, a landslide pushed a massive amount of water out of the Salkantay Lagoon. The water rushed down the mountain, causing the collapse of 300 houses, multiple bridges, with at least three confirmed deaths. We’ll see more evidence of this later on. There’s no wonder the locals are in awe of these “mountain masters.”

Salkantay finally reveals itself! And thanks to Sergio, we stopped and turned around to enjoy it!

The “-tay” in Quechua means provider, in this case water from the rains, clouds and snow. Salkantay- mean savage, aptly named for this “mountain master.”

It’s the beginning of Spring here, and we listened to small avalanches all afternoon due to the melting snow.

We’re almost there!

Back in the clouds, we put some layers back on. We make camp right at dark. The tents are ready and bowls of hot wash water are waiting for us.

Dinner closes out the day. Flaming plantains are served, the eerie blue flame makes them hot and delicious.

I’m beat. It’s been a 35,000 step day and my knees are sore.

The “baby alpaca” is just the trick…

Tinkering around with Google Earth after I got home stateside, I was surprised to see the detail it has for Salkantay. It was a big day. You can see today’s route. And if you look way over in the upper right corner, you’ll see I’ve placed a marker on Machu Picchu, our trekking destination….

This post was a hard one. I wanted to keep it relatively chronological (this is an odyssey after all, it’s what Homer would do). And I didn’t want to bore anyone with too much detail (but then again, Homer’s Odyssey is not a short fiction either). But it’s a packed day! And tomorrow promises to be even bigger, with Ruben handing us off to the Salkantay Trek leader and his team for the start of our 5 day, 4 night mountain meander.

But it’s hard for another reason. Now that I’m back home, my mind has absorbed and processed many things. And things that seemed to pass quickly and unnoticed, now come spilling out and I want to share them. So hang with me.

We had free time this morning to explore Cusco. The attendant at the Rumi Punku did a wonderful job of pointing out things to see and outlining areas that we should avoid. Cusco, after all, is over a half a million people. But there were no worries in the city center and a respectable policía presence everywhere we went. We exchanged money easily on Avenida El Sol and explored the Plaza de Armas. And we learned first-hand about the street vendors, they’re not pushy but they are relentless! “No, gracias,” became a very common phrase. We were hoping to find authentic keepsakes and there’s just no way to tell with the street vendors.

While I have several pictures of downtown Cusco and the plaza, you might get a better feel for the streets with Google Maps. I took a screenshot of the Rumi Punku entrance so you could see the double-jamb doorway, indicating a special entrance for the Inca, something I mentioned in an earlier post. So you can just click on the picture and let the Google Street View walk you down the street and look at the amazing variety of shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Sacsayhuaman – The House of the Sun

Ruben picked us up a the Rumi Punku at 1pm and we headed up above the city to Sacsayhuaman (saying “sexy woman” gets you close 🙂 ). According to Inca oral history, Pachacuti, the 9th Inca ruler, thought that Cusco, the lion city, had a body and tale, but needed a head. Sacsayhuaman, the House of the Sun, was built to complete that vision.

For the past couple of days we’ve been ‘absorbing’ the stonework remnants lining the streets of Cusco, even finding the “12 angle stone” and the puma during our walk. But these did not prepare one for the House of the Sun! As we walked closer and closer to it, it just boggled the mind. Stones, some weighing over 100 tons (two or three times a fully loaded tractor trailer in the USA), are fitted so tightly together they look watertight! There’s no mortar and the stone puzzle pieces even look playful, with crazy angles and curves.

We are used to thinking, maybe it’s because of the way we’ve been taught (history is written by the conquistadors, after all), that living in these other cultures were terrible times. That it’s only our ‘enlightened’ way of living that leads to happiness. I didn’t get that sense here. There is a pride in this construction, and it took great effort from thousands over decades to do it.

The Inca ordered that the provinces should provide 20,000 men and that the villages should send the necessary provisions. If any fell sick, another labourer was to supply his place, and he was to return to his home. But these Indians were not kept constantly at a work in progress. They laboured for a limited time, and were then relieved by others, so that they did not feel the demand on their services. 

Spanish Chronicler Pedro Cieza de León, 1553 (from wikipedia)

Much of this stonework would have been covered in gold plate. Can you imagine what this place must have looked like? All we have remaining today is the foundation, really.

As I walked about, observing what was to be seen, I beheld, near the fortress, a stone which measured 260 of my palmos in circuit, and so high that it looked as if it was in its original position. All the Indians say that the stone got tired at this point, and that they were unable to move it further. Assuredly if I had not myself seen that the stone had been hewn and shaped I should not have believed, however much it might have been asserted, that the force of man would have sufficed to bring it to where it now is. There it remains, as a testimony of what manner of men those were who conceived so good a work. The Spaniards have so pillaged and ruined it, that I should be sorry to have been guilty of the fault of those in power who have permitted so magnificent a work to be so ruined.

Spanish Chronicler Pedro Cieza de León

This is like trying to photograph the Grand Canyon. You try to get an angle that expresses it and after a while you throw up your hands, sigh and say, “Oh well, they’ll just have to see it for themselves.” I didn’t do a very good job of capturing all of the “ramparts,” but I think that they represented the “teeth” of the puma’s head. The circular bases were for a tall, 3-ringed tower that set at the very top and must have dominated the landscape, especially if clad in gold!

Q’engo

Just a short drive from Sacsayhuaman is Q’engo, and is one of the places where the Inca mummified the remains of their leaders and people of importance.

Puca Pucara, Tambomachay, and the Andean Rescue and Interpretation Center

From there, the van took us to Puca Pucaru, an Incan observatory, at over 12,000 feet, the night sky must be stunning.

As we walked around, Ruben showed us several things. Like the double-jamb entrance, signifying importance. Or a low place in the rock floor, that was filled with water so that the astronomers could look at the heavens reflected in the pool and not have to lay on their backs.

And there’s this, embedded in the wall. Ruben is touching the centers of two flowers, each with four large petals radiating out. Pretty cool.

In the small village of Tambomachay lies the Andean Rescue and Interpretation Center. They keep llamas and alpacas, and are registered to work with the vicuña, the smallest, the softest, and the most endangered.

The wool is taken every couple of years. And for the alpacas, the baby wool is the softest. The wool from the vicuña, is the best of the best, a sweater in the US may be $6k.The weaving is done locally, and the picture above shows the array of plants used to create the natural dyes. The white ‘frosting’ on the prickly pear is actually a fungus.

When crushed, it’s black, and when mixed with ash, it makes red. With lime, it becomes blue. Those two make purple, and all together you get brown. The owner was doing this so fast we could hardly keep up!

Needless to say, that now-empty duffle we brought is going back filled with some fine winter wear!

Q’orichancha – The Golden Temple

Our last stop of the day were the ruins of the Golden Temple, located in the navel of the world, Cusco. Of course, the Spaniards razed all they could, stealing the gold and using the smaller stones to build their houses with even a convent being placed on top of the foundation of the Incan temple.

But some of the construction was left intact. And it’s pretty magnificent. Rather than the playful curved boulders, the stones have straight sides…but every one is unique and fitted without mortar.

So what is it with the stones anyway?

Why all the effort? Maybe simply enough…earthquakes. There are two colliding tectonic plates here, earthquakes are common. The Inca came up with a system they thought would last for all time. In fact, a major earthquake in 1650 leveled many of the newer Spanish structures without damaging the Incan works.

And yet there are more tricks up the Incan sleeve. The walls are all trapezoidal and lean into each other at about 5 degrees. The doorways and windows angle in slightly for stability.

Ah, but look at the picture. On the tops of some stones, racetracks and ‘I’ shapes were carved, matching across stones. Metal alloy was poured into these shapes to bind adjacent stones together before the next course was fitted. Phenomenal!

The Inca empire reigned over 500 years. It is estimated that there were over 12,000,000 people living in the empire before the first wave of European diseases swept through. The Spaniards arrived soon after in the 1500’s and it was all brutally destroyed. Spanish chroniclers said the stones at the House of the Sun were covered in gold plate, and that 700 were removed by Pizarro’s men.

We toured the convent now sitting on the foundation of the Golden Temple. But for some strange reason, we weren’t allowed to take photos, even without a flash.

There were many gilded paintings and enclaves holding figures from the Bible and Christian saints.

In the Cusco Cathedral, one large painting jumped out at me. Painted in 1723, it depicts the Last Supper. This is a photo I found online.

And yes, that’s a guinea pig. It’s almost as if to say, “I know we destroyed your way of life and killed your people, but we’re on the side of Christ. And you can be on his side too. See?”

It’s a lot to think about. The expansion of Europe and the conquests. The Pilgrims pushing the Indians off their land with cries of “manifest destiny.” It seems pretty obvious to me that things were WAY worse for the common man on the other side of the Atlantic. The Americas most certainly looked like Heaven on Earth. Unfortunately, the New World was just a place to continue to spread the Old World. I wonder what it would be like if the Americas had been left alone?

Well, I’m glad I got all of that out. Tonight we have to pack up our duffels with all we will need for seven days, the rest of our luggage will remain at the Rumi Punku.

Before the trek though, we have a couple more stops. And I think they will fascinate you.

The mountains are calling and we must go…

Our international flight from Houston landed in Lima around midnight on the 2nd of September. Customs was surprisingly easy. No forms to fill out and there was a departure gate that said “Nothing to Declare.” We went through it and….were on the street in Lima? The Wyndham hotel was right across the street and the longest line of the entire day was to the front desk.

While we waited in line, I noticed a single, well-worn book on the coffee table. Intrigued, I took a look. It was by Martín Chambi Jiménez, one of the first major Indigenous Latin American photographers.

Of all the beautiful pictures, this one caught my eye. Look at this man’s massive foot and ankle!

This was actually a hint of things to come. The hobbits of Middle Earth would be impressed I think.

By 10:30am the next day, we were crossing the Andes on our way to Cusco. Cusco was the original center of the Inca before their influence expanded and it is one of oldest continuously inhabited cities in the entire Western Hemisphere. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The population of over 500,000 lives across the ancient valley at an elevation of over 11,000 feet. Cusco is considered the “navel of the world” and the original city center is believed to be in the shape of a puma, one aspect of the Incan trinity representing the power of the earth and the land of the living.

At the airport, we were surprised and delighted to meet the owner of Alpaca Expeditions, Raul. Mark and Holly from Hobnail Trekking had set up a Zoom meeting with us all a couple of weeks earlier to go over the itinerary and ask questions. Of course, we didn’t know many questions to ask! We’ve not traveled like this before and it may have been a tad awkward, especially this first meeting.

But at the airport, Raul was relaxed and excited to see us, he was in his element and his home country. We were comfortable right away and his driver quickly whisked us away to our hotel, The Rumi Punku. And on the way I learned why I did not want to drive in Peru…

The Rumi Punku

The ancient downtown area of Cusco consists of narrow cobblestone streets between city blocks of both Incan and pre-Incan stonework. And even though the Spaniards tore down most of the city buildings in the 1500’s, they left much of the foundations and street network intact. This truly may have been because the stonework was so large and tight it was far easier to build adobe structures on top of it rather than try and tear it down!

So you have these city blocks with a perimeter of thick stone that define the narrow streets. In this photo, you see the rougher, pre-Inca stone (with mortar) on the left and the very smooth, mortarless Inca stone on the right side of the street.

You also get a feel for how narrow the streets are! These sidewalks are pretty typical! And the traffic can get pretty heavy, watch your step…

All of this massive stone and thick walls is pretty imposing and seems fairly impersonal. But along the walls are doorways that open up in to little shops. A restaurant with maybe six tables. Or maybe a farmacia with just what you need for a stomach bug. OR…it may open up into a central plaza with many shops, each plaza having its own special character.

You begin to realize that these thick walls isolate the street noise really well and provide a wonderful sense of security and peace.

And so we come to the Rumi Punku. In Quechua, the main dialect of the Inca, this means “stone gate.” The entrance is actually an original Incan entrance and is a double jamb, signifying it was a government or public entrance. When you step through the gate beyond the thick wall you find a most wonderful hotel. It really reminded me of the La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s an architectural gem, an art gallery, and an incredibly friendly and cozy space all rolled in to one. Every angle is a picture, every object is thoughtfully considered. You can tell it is well-loved and well-cared for. And quiet. And….you’ll understand the importance of this later….it has a nice fountain of filtered water where you can conveniently fill up your water bottles.

A great tambo to rest from the busy day. Even at 5am, the fire is going and hot muña and coca teas are available. Breakfast included so many fresh fruits and juices too.

Ruben

Soon after we arrived at the hotel, we met Ruben, our first guide. We were supposed to walk to dinner to discuss the next two days of activities, which included ruins close to Cusco and a day trip in Sacred Valley, where he was born.

One of the most important things to consider on this odyssey is the altitude. It’s a big deal. Cusco sits at over 11,000 feet, Salkantay Pass over 15,000, and Rainbow Mountain passes 16,000. But even Lake Titicaca, adjacent to the altiplano (high plane) is at 12,400 feet!

The internet is abuzz (mainly from U.S. travelers) with all the benefits that coca tea has for altitude acclimation and sickness. It’s everywhere. Coca tea will solve all ills! Trying to do our research, with our biggest concern being acclimating to the altitude, we bought in, even buying some coca tea at the Lima airport so we could get started soon!

While waiting on Ruben at the hotel, Patricia had ventured down to the dining area and made herself a thermos of coca tea. When Ruben showed up, he introduced himself and then… promptly poured her tea down the drain! “Coca tea is for energy, but it will not help you with the altitude!” Ruben said it was a big mistake to drink it early on and that it would actually contribute to a lack of sleep and unsteadiness. He said that after three days it would be perfectly fine to try, but based on his 27 years as a guide, muña tea is the way to go. It helps both with the adjusting and with the digestion. Muña, or Andean mint, is actually a distant relative of the mint family, it is prevalent and quite good. So we followed the master’s advice.

Ruben walked us down to the Pachapapa restaurant, where the small entrance opened into a large courtyard under the sky and a large adobe wood-fired oven, something that we would see everywhere.

As we discussed the itinerary over candlelight, I realized that he was not talking to the owner in Spanish, but Quechua, his native tongue.

It was all a bit mysterious. And just so comfortable.

I had the potato soup, followed by chicken stir-fried spaghetti with a quinoa biscuit and gooseberries for dessert. Patricia had a corn appetizer, the smoked trout and chocolate turron. Wow. Pico de gallo (“rooster’s beak,” due to possibly the early method of pinching the condiment between the thumb and forefinger), we would learn, would become ever-present with our meals. We did not try the guinea pig but it, too, was ever-present on the menu.

Ruben, a 50-year-old Mestizo from Sacred Valley, has a unique heritage. He is half Spanish and half Inca. When he was 8 years old, he began attending school and was taught Spanish. As he progressed in his career as a guide, he dedicated himself to learning English through a one-year intensive program. We would come to learn and be humbled by the dedication and hard work he and the other guides put into mastering other languages.

Ruben is a force of nature. And he made the next two days quite an adventure. But that wouldn’t start until the afternoon. In the morning, we had some time to explore the city as we continued to acclimate to a town that is literally a MILE above the MILE HIGH city of Denver, Colorado.