Treking the Inca Trail y Feliz Ano Nuevo

Ola Companeros y Feliz Ano!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,

So the journey continues in Peru and comes to a close with this blog entry. We left you before the Christmas Holiday and after our lovely week in the Sacred Valley. My sister Jana and niece Janine joined us on the 21st of Dec finding their way thru the obligatory acclimatization issues. Janine managed to pass out dramatically on a side street about 12 hrs after arriving, we suspected a combination of altitude and dehydration. She recovered quickly and both were ready to experience Peru within about 24 hrs with the help of rest and the all important coca tea-the Peruvian remedy for ¨soroche¨ or altitude sickness. Fast forward to the Inka Trail. We were driven with 5 other participants (Italy, Brazil, Ireland all represented) over the mountains and thru the Sacred Valley the 60miles to the trail head. Disembarking with a number of other trekking company travelers ( the per day trail volume is closely regulated by the Peruvian government) we were ostensibly herded thru a ticket check point with our fearless and intrepid guide, Manuel along with the 14 porters and chef who were hired by the company to carry all supplies needed for the next 4 days. We understood that the Inka Trail trekking industry is quite regulated and support teams are paid in accordance with the work they do as well as cleaning up a bit with tips from the pasajeros (us). Still, it was hard to watch other people carry our gear and sweat their way up to the 12,000-14,000 ft passes. That isn´t to say we didn´t have a day pack of our own to carry... just to earn an iota of commiseration rights. We were fed well under a simple kitchen tent with even lunch awaiting us in the middle of the day. There we got to know our friends from other countries and tried to find our way thru language barriers.

So onward we trekked thru rainy season weather walking about 7 miles on day one. Now, this was called the ¨easy¨day and had us a bit worried about days two and three by the time we reached camp. The kids, of course, outwalked us with irritating ease and agility. So, why do people always seem to worry about how the kids are going to do on these backcountry treks of which we are so fond. I believe the tide has formally turned and the more appropriate wonderment will now be, ¨How are Michael and Lisa going to keep up with those kids?¨.

Day two, Christmas Day, was wetter than day one and longer as well - about 8 1/2 miles with a five hour climb right out of camp. First we had the obligatory pose with Santa hats and the trekking company gave us each a small gift. We gave the kids a bag of candy and surprised them with the good luck charm ties given us by the Dworschack clan (now traveling in a parallel fashion in Central America) prior to our John Muir Trail trip. We had forgotten to pack them and felt lost without their representaion on our trip. A quick call to arrange them to be sent to my sis and, voila, an awesome Christmas Day surprise. Anyway, the day, uphill we went and went and went. We summitted ¨dead woman´s pass¨ at about 14,oo0 ft in super misty, cold weather and felt the need to get off the mountain and down to camp. Day three was more of the same weather but included a knee crunching 4 hr descent to our final campìng spot. The porters, each carrying about 20 kgs, would run down the steps in the rain covered by only a poncho while us gringos carefully picked our way down one step at a time! The trek also included a visit to Incan ruins along the way. It´s important to note that there were many ¨Inca Trails¨ throughout the Incan Empire and to Machu Pichu. These are trails that were paved with rock over many years and many are still being uncovered even today.

The final day was a 2 hr walk to Machu Pichu leaving at 5:00am (not my strong point as many of you know!) in the rain, no less. A bit miserable but an awesome payoff for our efforts.

We walked around the magnificent Machu Pichu for about 2-3 hours just absorbing the majesty. It´s simply indescribable so just check out the picture and try to get over there someday if you can.

A train ride back to Cusco where we rested, washed clothes and generally regrouped for a 2 day trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca, at 14,000ft, the highest navigable lake in the world and home to the Uros people -indigenous folks who, 600 yrs ago, found it better to create floating islands of reeds/grass then become imbedded in the constant onshore conflict between warring tribes. There they developed a lifestyle that involved using the reeds for food, lodging and transportation and fishing in the large lake thereby creating a sustainable and stable community.
Jana and Janine had not yet had an opportunity to visit the Sacred Valley and chose to experience the wonders of Moray, Chinchero, and Ollantaytambo while we were off in Puno country.

Back in Cusco for the New Year´s Eve celebration. Apparently Cusco is The Place to celebrate the New Year and we carved out a spot for ourselves on the second floor of a Plaza de Armas (central plaza) building in the Cappucino Cafe, our favorite internet and sandwich spot in Cusco. It was a rather rainy and chilly night with the crowd in the plaza square building slowly from 9:00 on. There was a steady flow of firecrackers, screamers, concussion bombs intensifying significantly after 11:00pm. The noise exploded into a roar about 5 minutes from midnight and then all hell broke loose with people shouting and singing and sulfur smoke everywhere. The central crowd broke into the street and paraded around the square shoulder to shoulder with the fireworks blazing everywhere and the great cathedral in the background. It was a most memorable New Year´s Eve experience for all of us.

Thus capped off our Peruvian adventures and now it´s time to say goodbye to newly made friends and journey onward to Chili.

Mas Tarde and Ciao
Feliz Ano!