Days 8-11: Incas, treks, mountains and Machu Picchu

Saturday 28th September

Day 8: Inca Quarry Trail

I remember first hearing about Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail several years ago. It stuck in my mind as this amazing (yet arduous) journey that you take and once you reach the top you see this beautiful vista and impressive ruins. I never really forgot about the idea of one day visiting Machu Picchu but I think there was also a part of me which doubted my ability to make the journey.

Earlier this year after I had made that massive decision to take a break from teaching in the UK to possibly follow a different path or to retrain in the UK, I decided I wanted to fulfil this long desired dream of mine.

I did SO much research: what countries would I go to as well as Peru?

What tour company would I go with?

What was involved in the trek?

Through my research I decided to go with Intrepid as I’ve travelled with them before and have had good experiences. Once this was decided, I realised there isn’t just one way to Machu Picchu – there is in fact three.

The Classic Inca Trail which I knew of is the 42km hike and lasts 4 days and 3 nights, it finishes when you walk through the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu.

The second option is the Inca Quarry Trail. This hike is 26km long and is 2 nights and 3 days. It finishes in the town of Ollantaytambo. You then catch a train and bus to reach Machu Picchu.

The third option is to not hike at all and to meet the Quarry Trail hikers on the third day to catch the train with them.

Permits for the Inca Trail sell out months in advance and therefore when I went to book, all the permits were taken. I decided that I would hike the Quarry Trail instead.

On the morning of the start of our Quarry Trail I woke up with a mix of anticipation, enthusiasm and also nerves. What was ahead of me? I couldn’t really know for sure.

We left early and drove to Choquequilla. This is a small ceremonial place where Incas worshipped the moon and the sun. It is set up high on the mountainside and you must use a lot of steep steps to reach it. To be honest I found it quite a difficult climb, I was still very much adjusting to the altitude. The uneven steps were pretty brutal too – but I did make it to the top! At the top was a cave. this place was dedicated to Pachamama (Mother Earth). There was an alter there with beautifully precise carved edges. Some people believe that this alter comes from before the time of the Incas – due to how exact the carvings are. We were also told that nobody knows for sure its real name – some locals call it naupa iglesia. In any case, it felt like a very special place and it was nice that we were the only people there. Unfortunately I didn’t get many pictures of this site.

After we had hiked our way back to the bus we drove to Rafq’a, the starting point of the trek. Here we met the horsemen who would carry our main luggage and supplies. We then got ourselves ready for the first part of the hike.

We walked uphill for about an hour and reached the rural community of Socma. We stopped at the little school there for a drink of water and a snack. I was already starting to feel a little fatigued but nothing major. After all, I had my walking pokes which I knew would help!

After our little break we carried on uphill. Today we would be climbing up 600 metres in elevation and so the majority of our walk was uphill.

I’m not sure what I found more difficult during the next hour or so… maybe it was half and half. I found the relentless uphill gradient and less oxygen a real challenge. It made walking much slower because my legs felt so heavy and i felt a bit lightheaded. As much as I tried to ignore this aspect though, the other part that was making my hike difficult was the uneven ground – I had to watch the ground so carefully, and a combination of eye strain and dizziness made me more exhausted than I can ever recall.

Whilst the hike was hard, I loved the views. My favourite part was the beautiful waterfall – Perolniyoc cascade.

We continued our uphill trek and the altitude started to make my head feel a bit strange. One of the guides had this natural liquid which had alcohol and many flowers and herbs. You pour a little into your hands, rub them together and then inhale and exhale the smell. It basically opens up your airways and helps you breathe better.

It’s like my head stopped being lightheaded and fuzzy, I could think a bit more clearly and could breathe a bit better. With this I was feeling good to continue.

I was the one at the back the whole way up to our campsite. I was told I was only 3 minutes behind the next person, so this made me feel a little better about my pace.

We had two guides on our trek and they told me how much harder the next day would be and that they weren’t sure I’d make it before dark. Quite a few hikers arrive in the dark but because of my vision this probably wasn’t doable. I began to second guess my decision.

On the Quarry Trail there is an emergency horse if someone is feeling exhausted, is injured, or is travelling far too slow. I never asked for the horse. I wanted to do it by foot!

During the next hour uphill, I was fighting a battle in my head which felt like it was tearing me in half. The first part of me was stubborn and determined that I would do this hike because I told myself I would, I told others that I would, I didn’t want to fail. I didn’t want it all to be for nothing.

The other part of me knew the guides were right, normally it wouldn’t be an issue to walk at a slower pace on the downhill section on the second day… but because of my eyesight they kept saying it might be not safe for me. I had to agree with them there.

As I hiked I could feel myself wanting to cry. I just kept thinking “I don’t want to fail.” I felt like I had something to prove. Now I look back, did I? Who did I have to prove something to? Why did finishing a trek mean I was successful?

I finally decided that my goal didn’t have to be to finish the trek. Why couldn’t my goal be that I simply tried, I gave it a go.

As a teacher I would tell my students that I didn’t expect them to be always right, they didn’t need to be, what I wanted from them was their effort. I wanted them to try new things and see what they could do. Baby steps and small goals. So I wondered, how come I could be so understanding with my students but not myself?

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Greg Anderson

About 10 minutes before I reached the campsite I had completely run out of energy – I felt absolutely deflated… the guide who had stayed at the back gave me this mixture which you rub on your hands and then put it to your face and inhale and exhale the smell. It really helps you breathe better at altitude for the short term. With my breathing in better condition at that altitude, I finished the last of the hike. By the time I reached the campsite I was only a few minutes behind the trekker in front of me.

Our campsite sat at 3,700 meters above sea level. We reached the campsite around lunchtime.

The porters and horsemen had arrived earlier and had set up our tents and the cooks were preparing our lunch in their kitchen tent.

After lunch, everyone took a break in their respective tents until around 4:30pm when we set off to explore the Q’orimarca archaeological site. This site wasn’t too far from our campsite and was amazing to see. This site served as a checkpoint to the Incas, and the view was amazing! You could see all the way down into the valley where we had come from.

Looking down into the valley and all of the trails that looked like small brown zig zag lines etched across the mountain made me stop and reflect. I may have decided to not hike the remainder of the trail, but look where I had come from that morning! If you had told me I’d hike all of that a year ago when my confidence was rock bottom I wouldn’t have believed you. I had hiked up 600 metres in elevation over 8km in a few hours. I had hiked the first part of the Quarry Trail and I needed to appreciate that this was my goal – I had tried, and this alone is okay. I knew that the next day the hikers would reach an altitude of 4,450 meters above sea level and I really wasn’t ready for that yet.

Once we had finished admiring the ruins and the views, we headed back to camp for dinner!

Wow! A three course meal up in the mountains! It was amazing to see what the cooks could produce in their little tent.

We finished the night with hot chocolate, popcorn and cards.

Sunday 29th September

Day 9: Back down to Ollantaytambo

The next morning at 5:30am we were woken by our guide. She woke us up and gave us a hot cup of coca tea. The porters came around shortly to put a bowl of hot water outside of our tents for us to wash our faces and get ready for the day.

We had breakfast at 6am and then were ready to go at 6:30am. After saying goodbye, everyone headed to the right to go uphill, and myself and one of the guides took a left to head back down the mountain that we’d hiked up the day before. Strangely enough the hike back down was so much easier. Maybe I was more accustomed to the altitude because I didn’t have anywhere near as much trouble breathing, I didn’t stop once the entire way back to the school in the village of Socma. The guide with me was surprised to say the least. Whilst going downhill is generally harder on everyone, I found it easier to go downhill because as I descended the amount of oxygen in the air became ever so slightly better.

Because I was unable to finish the trail, I had to use the emergency money all hikers are required to have on hand. Once the guide and I had arrived back to the school we waited for an hour and a half for the mini bus to pick us up. This had been organised by my tour leader who was back in Cusco when she had heard I was unable to finish the hike. This bus dropped me at the hotel we had stayed in at Ollantaytambo two nights before. I paid the bus driver 80 PEN and once I was checked into the hotel which my tour leader had also organised, the guide who had come with me down the mountain left. I made sure I tipped him well because he had been so understanding and kind to me during this time. I paid another 80 PEN for the hotel too.

For the rest of the day, I just relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet. There was a couple of cats at the hotel which also kept me company. I had a little wander around the hotel at the stalls but didn’t really go far.

Monday 30th September

Day 10: Off to Aguas Calientes

In the morning I went to have breakfast and was surprised when I realised I was the only one there! Needless to say I was very well taken care of and spoiled. I came to realise I was the only person staying at the hotel.

A couple of hours later I was waiting outside of the lobby for my tour leader. It was here I made a friend – well sort of. The daughter of the lady who owned the hotel had a little stall outside selling all kinds of clothes and handmade items. She didn’t speak English, and my Spanish runs out after I tell you colours, numbers and basic greetings and nouns I’m pretty well out. However you can achieve a lot by using body language and facial expressions and we had a great couple of hours with each other. She had a little baby boy who was 8 months old, and I definitely enjoyed spending time with him and making him smile.

I eventually got a message from my tour leader saying she was running late and if I could meet her in the main square – so I set off to do that.

We went to a restaurant and had a pineapple juice each and waited for the hikers from the Quarry Trail to arrive.

Once they arrived we spent some time catching up and then we headed for the train. The train took a couple of hours and had some beautiful views along the way to Aguas Calientes.

Aguas Calientes Is a lovely little town which I thought was quite unique! The unique part was that the train line runs straight through the middle of town. There are no cars and the only way out of the town is either the train or the bus up to Machu Picchu.

We checked into our hotel and headed out for some beers, Pisco sours and of course some card games. Everyone met together later to have dinner and an early night.

Tuesday 1st October

Day 11: Machu Picchu

We were up early on Tuesday because today was the day we would visit Machu Picchu! I was so excited! It was raining overnight so I was a little worried about the weather ruining the visit but stayed hopeful.

After breakfast and taking a very windy bus trip up to Machu Picchu we hiked up those big Inca steps for about 15 minutes to reach that famous and incredible vista.

I can’t explain how awesome it was to be there. I sat on a rock and watched as the mist moved slowly and gracefully along the mountains and in the valley. After a while the three girls from our group who hiked the Classic Inca Trail arrived – I had so much admiration for their efforts. They definitely worked hard for that view!

We went for a 2 hour hike around Machu Picchu and checked out the ruins and I am amazed at how they constructed all of this prior to simple things such as the wheel.

After a few hours we hopped back on the bus, the train and another bus which took us back to Cusco.

We were reunited with the rest of our luggage and after an early dinner it was time to chill out, play some cards and enjoy a good night sleep.