My Trek & Machu Picchu

Day 1. Sunday 24th April
My day started at 3.30am. I hadn´t gotten any sleep because I was too excited so at 2am I decided to cut my losses and get up. I went and met the group and we waited for the bus, which was 45 minutes late. When it finally arrived it was the bus from hell, small, cramped and old, and winding up through the mountains on unpaved roads was horrible, I had to stop the bus and throw up in some small rural town.
At 9am we finally arrived at Lares hot springs (altitude 3200m). After almost 2 weeks of cold showers I was so excited for the hotsprings, however it wasn´t what I imagined. Instead of crystal clear water bubbling from natural springs, it was more like a municipal swimming pool, browny/orange water and full of Peruvians. We had breakfast and I ventured into the water. It was actually lovely, really hot, and only orange because of the sulphur which made it hot.
At 12.30 we started our trek, uphill, in the scorching sun, towards Cunkani (altitude 3800m). We went up and down mountains, walked through and along rivers, passed llamas, horses, sheep, cows, farmers, children... the heat made it difficult but the scenery was beautiful. The Andes are really stunning. We walked for about 4 hours before arriving at our camp. We ate tea and were in bed by 8pm, long long day!

Day 2. Monday 25th April
The hardest day of my life. Today we had to trek 20km horizontally and 1km vertically, going from 3800m to 4800m altitude, and I wasn´t nearly prepared for as hard as it was going to be.
We set off at 7.30am. First we followed the river along the valley, steadily climbing upwards along a mountain path. Soon the path disappeared and we found ourselves climbing over rocks. Our route getting steeper and steeper and harder and harder the further we went. The weather was also getting worse; first rain, then snow, then hail. It felt as though we´d be climbing forever. As we got higher into the mountains we passed lakes and glaciers, but it was hard to appreciate their beauty because I was in so much pain. The altitude was really affecting me, by the time we´d reach 4000m I felt as though someone had wound tight elastic around my chest, my lungs were burning and my heart was thumping so hard I thought it would burst out of my throat. It was really a struggle to breath, every step was an effort. The cold and the hail against my face didnt do much to boost my moral either. At 4700m I was gasping for breath and wheezing so badly that I collapsed onto a rock and broke down. It was torture, I was dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I felt sick and my head was pounding due to the altitude and I was freezing cold and wet. It was such a horrible feeling, I didn´t know if I could carry on and I cried my eyes out. After some encouragement from our guide, Marco, I got back on my feet and started back up the mountain, still carrying my backpack even after the guide had offered to acrry it for me. The turning point came when Marco played Eye Of The Tiger on his ipod, it made me laugh and gave me that extra boost to get to the top. At 1.30 I made it to the highest point of the trek, Sicllakasa Pass, 4800m. I cried again at the sommet because I was so relieved and happy to have made it. Unfortunately that wasn´t the end of the trek, we had to go down again down the other side of the mountain! We went down another 700m to our camp, and both my mood and the weather brightened up. At almost 5pm we arrived at camp, Puvoc, a lucious secluded bit of land next to a river, it was really beautiful, and at night the sky was full of more stars than I have ever seen. It was a very challenging day, but I was so proud of myself for doing it.

Day 3. Tuesday 26th April
Sleeping at 4000m is COLD! I slept in 2 pairs of pants, wooly socks, a hat, a t-shirt, 2 jumpers, a sleeping bag and liner and a hot water bottle, and I still wasn´t warm! But fortunately the sun came out as we set off down the mountain at 8am. It was much more pleasent going down than it was going up, and the view was stunning. Tropical plants, wildlife, rivers, streams and water falls, and on both sides huge towering mountains. After a pleasent 4 hour walk we had lunch and got the bus to the town of Ollantaytambo, one of the last cities where the Spanish defeated the Incas. The town is really small, but unfortunately has been turned into quite a tourist spot. After a look around the group headed to a bar for a well deserved drink! There were 8 of us in total, 3 Spanish men, 2 girls from London, an Australian lad and a girl from Canada. We got on really well and they were a great source of encouragement during the harder times of the trek, I´m sure we´ll keep in touch. At 7pm we made out way to Aguas Calientes, where we slept for a couple of hours before the highlight of the trip: Machu Picchu!

Day 4. Wednesday 27th April
At 3.30 we got up, had breakfast and joined the long queue of people waiting to get the bus to Machu Picchu. It was raining hard, and I almost fell asleep in my poncho at the side of the road. We queued for two hours, which was necessary if we wanted to be one of the first to get there and to get a pass to Huayna Picchu, the highest point of Machu Picchu which only 400 people per day are allowed to climb. At 6am we where there, but we couldn´t see anything! The entire mountain was covered in a thick blanket of tropical mist. Looking down it felt as if we were floating in the sky, looking down on clouds. We were given a tour of the ruins, it is really incredible what the Inca´s knew and did, for example they used astronomy to work out north east south and west, and their construction techniques are amazing, they crafted their rocks to slot together like lego, they never used clay or cement to hold the rocks together. Incas invented lego... who knew!! At 8.30 we started our climb up Huayna Picchu, only 400m of steep slippery steps carved out of the mountain side over 600 years ago!! At the top there was nothing but big rocks which you had to cling to and balance on precariously to avoid falling to your death, but the view was absolutely breath taking. The mist miraculously cleared by the time we reached the top and you could see all of Machu Picchu, all of the ruins, the surrounding mountains and the river Urubamba. I felt like I was on top on the world, looking down on clouds. It was a hard and tiring hike up but well worth it. The way down was almost as difficult as the way up, my knees turned to jelly and by now the sun was burning down on me. Machu Picchu really is a wonder of the world, it´s beautiful, amazing and incredible. I´m so glad I went there. Our trek had now come to an end, and we faced a long journey home. Two hours on the train, followed by two hours on a bus. But first we had a celebratory meal and some nice cold beers!

Absolutely fantastic experience. Met some brilliant people, saw some stunning places and pushed myself beyond my limits. And I want to do it again!!!!