The Story of the Sandals

Back on the Monday before I went on the trail, and Encarna was still with me in Cusco, I found a lovely pair of sandals that I HAD to have...ladies, you all know what I´m talking about. This was in a mini market type place that we had ducked into to avoid the rain. The sellers were in a U shape in a large inner courtyard of an old building.

The lady selling the lovely sandals didn´t have my size in the colour that I wanted (red, of course) but she did say that her husband could whip a pair up for me no problem. I would just have to put down a deposit and come back on Wednesday (the day before the trail). Hmmmm sounds good to me! I paid a deposit of half the negotiated price and she told me she would be there on Wednesday at 9 sharp with my sandals.

Wed 9:00 - no one
Wed 10:00 - no one
Wed 11:45 - "Oh, sorry they´re still not here. Can you come back later please?"
Wed 1:30 - "Oh, when I said later I meant like 3."
Wed 3:30 - "Oh, sorry. Still not here and I´m closing at 4 today...but the lady across the way will be here to take them from the guy when he gets here....for SURE in an hour."
Wed 4:30 - (lady across the way) shakes her head - they still haven´t come.
Wed 5:10 - Still nothing. I left an angry note (I went to use an internet cafe to use google translate).

When I got back to Cusco after the Inca Trail, I was determined to get those bloody sandals!

The morning started much like it did above - no one was there. By my third visit at 11, one of the other sellers asked me to stop and have a look at her stuff. I was so angry by this point I replied, "No comprando nada aqui, la señora de 48 me robaron!"  - I won´t buy anything here the lady in stall 48 has robbed me....and I stomped away.

The woman called me back a few times before I reluctantly turned and walked back. She wanted the story. I explained the thing as best I could - the verb tenses were all over the place...gasp! - and the woman managed to piece it together. By then another vendor, a gentleman, had come over as well. They discussed the situation and then turned to me and said, "We will call them and get you your sandals. If they don´t show up we will reimburse you ourselves." wow...

They called the people from stall 48 and asked me to come back in 40 min...here we go again. But, I went away and came back an hour later for good measure.
 The maker of the sandals was there...with my sandals and a thousand apologies - it was Christmas time...there were many orders...the wife didn´t consult...etc, etc...
Anyway, I finally got my sandals - and I still had an hour to kill before my flight to Iquitos...the jungle.

Aguas Calientes

I had booked a "fancy" hotel in Aguas Calientes - the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu - as a special treat after 4 shower less days of sleeping on the ground and sweating all day. And it sure was a fancy place! So, can you guess what I did after check in?

OHHHH GLORIOUS HOT SHOWER!! My hair was so nasty, it had started moving as one solid mass. Four days of sweat and grime scrubbed away in just a few blissful minutes. AHHHHH!!!

I went to the meet the rest of the trail group at the designated restaurant in town, I was squeaky clean. They were all green with envy at my nice smell and clean appearance.

After a nice lunch, some of us decided to try the hot springs that Aguas Calientes is named for...the downside (if you´ll pardon the pun) was we had to go up more stairs...UGH.

When we finally got there it was a little like stepping back into the 60s. Pink Floyd was being pumped out of the speakers. We walked through a bar area that over looked the open air hot spring tubs like a psychedelic balcony. The bar was full of trippy paintings, dream -catchers, comfy couches and wooden lamps. You can call up to the bar from the springs and they bring you down your drink.

The baths themselves were a grey murky colour, and the bottom was gravelly, and they smelled like, well...pee.There were several baths of varying temperatures - the hottest one was the busiest. There were tourists and locals alike in there - some seemed to be asleep. After 4 days of lugging heavy baggage on one´s back, the heat was fantastic and the tension melted away almost instantly - despite the smell.

There was one fella in the baths who really stood out - he was a rangar (a red head) and he spoke to the locals in Spanish...but that wasn´t what made him stand out. It was when he got out that we really noticed him...he was wearing his tighty-whities in the baths...Oh no you didn´t...
We watched in horrified fascination as he walked towards the showers. That was when we saw the most horrifying thing of all. The skid marks.
DAMN!

...no, we didn´t get out. It was too nice in the baths.

When we finally did emerge with our raisin fingers, we stopped on our way down the hill at one of the many bars that offered happy hour. We had a quick mojito and then I walked the group to the train station to bid them all adieu - I was the only one spending the night.
I slept like a log that night...

Inca Trail - Day 4

Christmas Juan

Our wake up call today was at 4:15. Ugh. We had our breakfast and then hurried to get our place in line - the gate of the final check point opens at 5:30.

The gate is by no means near Machu Picchu - no. This is the final check point for those doing the trail - I guess they want to make sure all those that go in, come out. After the checkpoint its another 5kms to the Sun Gate, one of the four cardinal points of Machu Picchu.

Once past the final checkpoint, we walked. This final 5k was easy compared to what we had endured to date, it was relatively flat and the rented sleeping bag and mat had been taken by the porters back to town - suddenly our packs were 3kg lighter! AHHHHHH!

Juan had called the stairs before reaching the Sun Gate, the monkey stairs because they´re so steep you end  up using your hands to climb up. 45 steps up and we were finally overlooking Machu Picchu....it looked kinda puny...but then we still had about 20 more minutes to walk - we weren´t there yet.

When we finally did arrive (after more administration and a really expensive tea); we were all awed. We had made it....and it was huge.

"Discovered" in 1911 by Hiram Bingham - who claimed he discovered nothing of value...most of the gold had been pilfered by then - Machu Picchu had already been standing for over 460 years; its watering and drainage system was still working, and still works today. Scientists and archaeologists now believe that no more than 1000 people lived there and that it was an important place of learning, research, and religion. The architecture is truly the pièce de résistance though and there is still much speculation on how they managed to fit the stones so perfectly. Only the most important buildings are made with such precision, but even while wandering around the "common" buildings its amazing to think that people without modern lifting equipment or modern tools could have built such things in such a place.

It was drizzling most of the morning, but no one minded - it was Christmas day and we were in Machu Picchu...and the clouds had come to play. Wind currents would swoop them out of the valleys and up into the surrounding mountains, sometimes blowing them coyly over Machu Picchu - playing a game of peek-a-boo with the entire place. Truly magical.






There were a lot of people there - less than I thought there would be - but many nonetheless. Yet, there were times and places that I would wander into and it felt like I had the place to myself. Even the sounds of the crowds would disappear into the mists and I was alone with the builders of this beautiful place.

Inca Trail - Day 3

Day 3 is classified as the long day (Christ, you mean to tell me the other days were somehow short??)

We had an extra 3kms to do; 15kms in all. Up, and down - and the down bit included something called "the gringo killer"...awesome.

We sat down to a hearty breakfast (after the tea in sleeping bag of course); porridge, pancakes, toast, coca tea...apparently we were going to need all the help we could get. I was completely exhausted, I had not slept much that night and my shoulders were so tense from hauling the backpack and having them hunched all night in an effort to stay warm. The backpack had to go back on. I swear that thing put on weight every day.

We started the day with stairs. Oh joy. I was so tired, I don´t think I was conscious for most of that morning. At least the sun had decided to join us that day. By the time I got to the lunch spot I was a mass of sore shoulders, legs and delirium. Ahhhhh soooooouuuuuuuuup. mmmmmmmm. Every meal was a massive 3 course extravaganza - but this day I could only handle the soup. I snuck away and lay down on a rock, overlooking a magnificent valley, surrounded by majestic mountains...and I fell asleep. I had 15 min before the group left - Juan wanted to show us some ruins not far away before we dispersed.

My eyes opened exactly 15 min later - how? I dunno. I was so tired I`m surprised I didn`t wake up at 4! I got up completely refreshed, went to the portaloo with the best view ever, got my pack and I started my second to last segment of the Inca Trail...the gringo killer.

This section was basically all down hill, steep steps - I`m talking as high as my knee. Again, the runners would speed by, skipping along the stones while we lumbered cautiously along. Once you got into a rhythm though it was better - although after about 30 min the knees were making a very convincing protest and the thighs were shaking - the views were spectacular though.

All this downward motion brought us to the cloud forest - its considered part of the jungle - it was quickly getting hotter and hotter. Now, because that morning and the night before had been so cold, I had put on 2 pairs of leggings, my woolen socks, 2 sweaters, and my polar fleece jacket. At one point I had to stop and take some stuff off. I took off my leggings, sweaters and jacket and I should have changed my socks while I was at it - but I didn`t. HIKING TIP: Don`t wear woolen socks when its hot and humid and you`re sweaty.
When I arrived at our campground I had a 5cm rash around my ankles - complete with heat blisters...those things hurt when you accidentally scratch them, you know.

That night there was much feasting. It was Christmas eve. We thanked all our porters and wished them all a Merry Christmas, as the next day after breaking camp, they would be on the next train home. And we would finally set eyes on Machu Picchu.

Inca Trail - Day 2

Juan explaining the day of pain

Day two is classified as "challenging". Yeah. I do enjoy the euphemisms they use to describe these things. 12k uphill...

We got our 5:30 wake up call accompanied by a nice hot beverage. Ahhhh now, when was the last time you got served tea in sleeping bag?? Classy!

Our campsite was in between of two mountains - not quite a valley. When we looked around we understood quickly that there was no where to go but up. We could make out the small scar that the trail made on the mountain. The Andes are young mountains so they haven´t had time to soften up - the slopes are almost always steep.

By the time we put on our packs, our camp site was already broken down and the runners were starting to leave. We began our ascent (into madness)...from 3100m above sea level to 4200m - Dead Woman´s pass (sounds inviting no?) and then beyond. They had wisely given us a very light breakfast - they didn´t want us hurling eggs and bacon on the trail.

Dead woman's pass

We walked up. One foot in front of the other. Sometimes, when we were lucky, it was an incline. But mostly it was steps - stepping stones going up. Oh, did I mention that it was drizzling? It was Katrina made me keep going...Katrina and the Waves - Walkin´ on Sunshine. Slowly, slowly. I was very glad that I rented those walking sticks - I used them to haul my body up the stairs...the slopes were so much easier. I hated the stairs.

One foot, next foot. Step up. Step up. We had a mini second breakfast at one point, just to keep us going, lunch was going to be after the pass - at around 2...it was only 10:30. ETA to final camp site 4:00....Challenging, eh?

We met other trekkers while going up this hill, all of them wet with rain and sweat, all of them with a haggard, but determined look in their eye. Runners passed us all - many of them had only sandals on their feet, sandals made of recycled tires (or tyres for my Aussie friends). Tom, one of the guys in my group later reported that he saw one runner playing a pan flute while almost skipping up the stones. Everyone witnessing the event scowled. Runners can carry anywhere from 15-20kg...most of us were carrying less than 5. Oh, and no, I didn´t get a porter - I carried my own stuff.

Dead Woman´s Pass was cold and windy. It appeared suddenly. I had made it! There were snow capped mountains all around. Beautiful. There were many trekkers taking a break here, but the journey wasn´t yet over. Now, we had to go down.

Sounds easy, doesn´t it? Sadly, that´s not the case. More stairs...now, when I say stairs, there´s no uniformity here - these are rocks that have been placed to form a stair-like structure because the incline is too great for people to walk down (funny, the way up looked much the same...) After about 10 minutes my knees and upper thighs hated me - I thought for sure they would walk out on me (har har)...Oh, and just to make things more interesting, the rain had formed small running streams - right down our "staircase".
 

Anyway, I shan´t bore you with every jarring and agonising step down - suffice it to say, I made it. The sun had made its appearance for most of the afternoon, which should have dried us up, but no, we were drenched. The views from our campsite were spectacular though. We were overlooking a valley couched in clouds.

At dinner Juan warned us that this night would be cold. He wasn´t kidding. It dipped to below 0 and I barely slept because I couldn´t get my feet warm.

Inca Trail - Day 1

It was a rainy morning - I waited outside the Hostal at 5:30 in the morning for the bus to pick me up. I was closest to the office so I was the last one. As I got on I could see some very tired looking people. We drove to Ollantaytambo to grab some breakfast (another scenic drive, but I was sleeping, and it was still dark, and it was raining...did catch it on the way back)

the motley crew

After breakfast (I had 2) we got back on the bus and drove a little more to the "start" of the Inca Trail - technically it´s called km82 - it was still raining. Once there we organised our gear, the trail operators gave us our sleeping bags and mats. Then off we went. There were 13 of us in all (yes, I was the odd man out) and all of us were from one place, but living in another, and all but 4 of us had opted to carry our own gear.

- you do have the option to hire an extra porter to carry your gear for you as long as it doesn´t exceed 4 kgs -

There were 24 porters (runners they prefer to be called) to carry all of the stuff we would need - tents, tables, chairs, food, gas (wood fires are not allowed), etc. That´s a lot of people.

The first day is classified as "easy", meaning mostly flat - mostly because nothing is flat in these parts. We were moving from 2600 - 3100m above sea level. After an hour, my pack was already heavy - what was it going to be like for the next 3 days?! The rain subsided and we did get some sunshine - how quickly temperature changes, one minute you´re wet, cold and miserable, next you´re sweaty, hot and miserable. We had 12kms to do this day and there were some very steep "flat bits", but the scenery was beautiful - the mountains kept us all in line.

We did have lunch along the way that day, but quite frankly I can´t remember it at all. When we stopped that evening at our campsite we were all pretty wiped out - we had walked from about 9 to 4:30. Food never tasted so good and the hot soup that kicked off dinner was a huge success. During our after dinner tea, Juan, our guide, mentioned that this was the last opportunity to hire a porter....and that day 2 was going to be harder. Gulp. It rained through our dinner and then it rained all through the night. But I think that we were all so tired that we all slept like logs.

Hangin´ in Cusco

We spent the next couple of days enjoying Cusco, which, although very geared towards tourists, it still has a very nice feel to it.

We visited a convent with a very surly gatekeeper! The Convento de la Merced was built in 1650 and it had some fabulous old paintings that, for once, we were allowed to photograph! There was also a very cool dungeon type place which still had intact the original frescos (no pics allowed there I´m afraid) - One room had plenty of angels and the other was full of skulls, depictions of damnation, fire and brimstone - Cool!



Inka structure in front - convent behind...
yes, that is the real Inca building- not fake



We also visited Qoriqancha which was originally an Incan site - known as Inti Kancha or Temple of the Sun, but was then built upon by the church (made into another convent - Convento de Santo Domingo in 1534) in an effort, I think, to show that they were more powerful...couldn´t beat the stone masonry however! It was an interesting place with one foot in on century and culture and one foot somewhere completely different. Actually, it had a third foot because they had converted the upper floor into a modern art gallery. It was a really odd combination that somehow worked.



Pepino



During our Cusco wanderings we at one point found ourselves in the market where we saw this weird round thing - it was light yellow in colour with some purple striations on top - neither of us had ever seen anything like it. I picked one up and sniffed it, no smell. The lady who kept the stall came over and Encarna asked her what it was - Pepino, she answered. Hmmmm a pepino is a cucumber...this did not look like a cucumber at all. The lady explained that this was a sweet cucumber. Oh. I put the cucumber down and never in my life have I ever gotten a dirtier look than the one I got from this lady. Apparently, you mustn´t touch the produce in markets. Only the proprietor can do that. Oh. Oooops.

We ran into this cucumber again on our second visit to Pisaq (sometimes its nice to get out of town), this time I bought one and asked the woman to peel it for us. It was a light yellow in colour on the inside as well...and it had no pits - I wonder how it propogates. It tastes like a cross between a cucumber and a melon - not too sweet, very refreshing! Two thumbs up from me!

Speaking of  fruits...one of the other things I enjoyed in Cusco were the cactus pears. There were ladies who sold them from their wheelbarrows in the city. They peel them for you and put them in a bag - how they did this with their bare hands I don`t know...those things hurt! They are a nice snack while you´re walking around. There are many such people on the streets selling their wares - everything from cactcus pears, to fragments of rock crystals, to hangers (?! yeah that was a weird one). These people are eeking out their living doing this.

Cusco wins a championship against arch rival Lima.
Party in the streets!