Highlights from Peru (Serina's List 11-20)

Posted by Serina Hardiman

It's occurred to me that our trip was pretty much segmented in three: Q'osco, Inca Trail and Lima. What luck my numbered list is divisible by three! Coincidence, maybe?

Serina's Peruvian List of 30 (continued)
11-20 Inca Trail

11. The cosmos must have known that ever since a small child I've been hung up on suspension bridges and heights. Big time! Probably irrational but I'm still fearful of both like you would not believe. So what comes on TV the day before we hit the Inca Trail but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - en Espanol! We didn't catch it from the beginning but we surely caught the part close to the end where Indy is surrounded on both sides of a rope bridge swaying high above a river of blood thirsty crocs and makes the decision to cut away the ropes and let the bridge fall free. This is fine and dandy but I know what is to come the next day. We kick off the four day hike with a trip over the Urubamba River on what else but a suspension bridge. Now I know it wasn't elevated high above a canyon and it certainly was far more sound than what the good Dr. Jones swung by but the wobbliness of it made me happy to zip across it in record time. This wasn't the only encounter on bridges of shaky nature but I sucked it up like a big girl and faced my fear.

From Inca Trail

12. Our guides were absolutely wonderful.

From Inca Trail

Oscar, often stopping to examine and explain the local flora, was our main guide. We found out he had done the Inca Trail over 400 times. He would stop to talk about the medicinal properties of certain flowers and at one point popped off little round insects (cochineal) that had nestled in what looked to be ash on the side of a prickly pear cactus pad. Oscar then demonstrated that these insects are harvested for the dark crimson dye by basically popping it between his fingers. He told us (and I Wikipedia'd it!) that this dye was used to make the British red coat uniforms.

From Inca Trail

Cesar (you can call him "See-zar" but he prefers the correct pronunciation of "Say-zar") was our second guide with a gift for storytelling. He would touch on the history and lore of the Inca's as we traipsed from ruin to ruin, often stopping to draw diagrams in the dirt. They took turns shifting between the front and back of the group making sure to give everyone their attention and talk about points of interest on the trek.

13. Warmiwanuska is officially the highest altitude I've been to on foot to date. I made it! 4215 meters / 13 828 feet above sea level and I made it! We started off the second day hiking from Wayllabamba which sits at about 3000 meters / 9840 feet up to that pass. It was tough but SO rewarding and I can honestly say that your body won't let you down. You just have to stay in the mindset that you are going to complete that ascent and you'll do it. It was one of the most physically challenging feats I've accomplished so far and it's as if it gives me some kind of rush to want to do more. Chris and Cesar really helped me out with motivational words and encouragement. What a great cheering squad! Once we started getting closer to the top the clouds rolled in and let loose a bit of drizzle so that by the time we reached "Dead Woman's Pass" there wasn't much visibility to really take in the terrain we covered. Still, that didn't stop us from feeling accomplished!

From Inca Trail

14. I underestimated the super powers of Claire's "lollies". She had offered some earlier on in the trip and I shirked off the sugary sweets but it wasn't until the fourth day at the Sun Gate (one hour before we made it to our end target Machu Picchu) I finally broke down and had a couple. They certainly did add some pep to my step and therefore I realized, albeit 3 days late, the error of my ways.

From Inca Trail

Claire was one part of the New Zealand newlyweds in our group. I know that spending 4 days with 13 (30 if you include the porters) strangers hiking ancient roads of Peru may not sound like an ideal honeymoon for most but I was thrilled when half of our group consisted of newlyweds sharing the love (even if Chris and mine was delayed two years). We couldn't have asked for a finer hiking family.

15. "Monkey Steps" are no joke. When your guide tells you it's best to just climb the steps on all fours he's not just trying to pull one over on you for a Kodak moment. One of the things I kept joking on the trail is that if Chris had my feet and I had his legs we'd be perfectly suited for Inca Steps.

From Inca Trail

16. I have a profound respect and love for camping now. On one hand you have nature surrounding you with all of the sounds and scenery to go with it. On the other you zip yourself up in a cozy little hut to give you a remote comfort of home and a barrier from any unwanted pests. All in all, it's you in the vastness of nature where you feel the thrill of the adventure and expedition then the insignificance of feeling so small in comparison to the beauty surrounding you. It's a lot for your senses to drink in but it's absolutely worth ever minute. Our gear could not have been more faithful and comfy. My tent mate could not have been more wonderful and cuddly. It makes it even more worth it when the view from your tent is mountains and valleys and clouds and trees and ruins as far as you can see!

From Inca Trail

16. Chris and I had some mixed feelings about getting to Machu Picchu. We were thrilled we made it after the trekking we had accomplished but kind of saddened that some of the most interesting parts of the trip were behind us. We perched at the Sun Gate to see the sunrise but was welcomed with cloud cover obstructing the view. We descended for about an hour to the top of the ruins where we were informed that about 50% of Machu Picchu still has yet to be excavated. As we continued on we found that there were far more people in the ruins that we had grown accustomed to while on our trek. In the course of our hike we had seen about 200 other hikers and 300 employees of tour groups as they limit the daily amount of folks on the Inca Trail to 500. Once you get to Machu Picchu you start to mingle in with the day trippers who come up by bus and train. It was great to see many people from all over the world sharing the experience of seeing on of the new wonders of the world. We were told there is a possibility of UNESCO shutting down access to Machu Picchu in around 20 years due to the impact the foot traffic has on the site and that the two mountains nearby, Wayna Picchu and (now I can't remember the name of the smaller one) are moving apart 1cm/year. This has been causing some of the ruins to separate.

From Inca Trail

The ruins were just phenomenal to peruse as the structure and methods used are quite baffling. We wove past other tour groups and in and out of various sites including the Temple of the Sun

From Inca Trail

Sometimes we had to wait for more tour groups to maneuver from room to room. One place that was funny to visit we the king's bathroom. A narrow passageway lets itself into a tiny closet sized room. We were able to fit about 5 of us in it.

From Inca Trail

I highly recommend at least one trip in your lifetime to Machu Picchu. There are so many details to see and most of the time I tried to keep a happy balance of filming them to actually seeing them without looking through a viewfinder.

17. Llama, llama, llama. Here a llama. There a llama. Everywhere a llama, llama! I think this is the start of an unhealthy obsession.

From Inca Trail

From Inca Trail

From Inca Trail

From Inca Trail

18. After spending our time at Machu Picchu you are given a bus ticket and time frame of when you need to meet your group at Aguas Calientes. I have got to say the most terrifying experience for me was the bus ride down. It's my fear of heights kicking in again and the fact I've watched too many adventure flicks and have an overactive imagination. You motor down a series of switchbacks that hug the side of a mountain. We alternated from mountain wall view to steep drop view. Poor Chris' arm, is all I have to say.

19. Aguas Calientes is a nifty little town. It is solely a tourist town feeding from the Machu Picchu experience so you have to watch the prices but I gotta tell you the food I had there was FANTASTIC! If you ever in town you definitely need to swing by El Ayllu. They have various avocado salads there that are to die for! Their pizza ain't half bad either. What adds to the ambiance is that most of the shops are right on the railroad tracks so it's not too odd to have a scene like this from your dining table.

From Inca Trail

The Hiram Bingham is the most expensive train, running at about $700 a trip.

Dogs still roam free around Aguas Calientes but they certainly are of a more friendly and approachable variety. This little fella almost got a one way ticket back to Georgia with us. He snuggled up under my feet at the restaurant and went right to sleep.

From Inca Trail

20. My aunt asked me what was the one thing I was glad I brought on the trek that I would have been absolutely lost without. My answer is the fine specimen below.

From Inca Trail

His excitement, determination, sensitivity, encouragement, patience and love helped me from start to finish. Between alternating switchback patterns to pace, gently reminding me to hydrate and later becoming the pack mule for my water bottle and various other gear, being my lookout when I had to duck into the bushes and rubbing my back on the third day when I got sick every 15 steps he deserves a medal. Never once did he lose his gentle demeanor. If he hadn't been on the trail with me I would have taken up the Quechuan farmer on the second day who offered me a cheat to the top riding his horse. Either that or I'd have been headed back to Ollantaytambo to catch the train to Machu Picchu.