Day one of the Inca Trail began early. We got picked up at 5 by bus and were on our way to Ollyantatambo, about 1.5hrs out of Cusco.
The village of Ollyantatambo is pretty cool, surrounded by mountains, ruins, and a rushing river. Very pretty. The whole Sacred Valley area is beautiful actually. Has a NZ south island feel.
We picked up the rest of our group and headed for the town of Piskacucho, the starting point of the trail.
After getting everything sorted and passport stamped, we were underway.
The first few hours were pretty easy. It was a gentle incline and we passes many interesting flora and fauna species. We stopped at the Lllactapata ruins on the hill, which overlooked the Torontoy ruins in the valley. This was our first taste of the grandeur and wonder of Incan ruins on the track.
The cool part of the trail is all the locals setup stalls selling Gatorade drinks and food. Very handy. They even charge for use of toilet, 1soles (35c), which is nothing.
We continued on going up and then back down mountains. Frustrating in a way as we walked 11 km but didn't really make much progress in terms of altitude.
We stopped for lunch and a breather. The food is quite fantastic considering the limited resources. We are quite spoilt. Soup followed by fish with rice and potatoes. Peru loves it's double carbs. Every meal has it!
We then stopped at a small place where Peruvian widows make a local beer called Che-cha. It's made from corn then fermented like normal beer. It's 8% however and only costs 50c
I love Peru, as they love beer. When the Incas made offerings to the gods they mixed Llama blood with beer. Most western mythology would choose wine, but here beer!
We got to camp early, about 3pm. The porters are amazing. As well as running the trail carrying all the gear pretty much, they set up your tent for you too. This is indulgent now.
We got some beers, Cusquena, not bad, and walked over to the village football pitch to watch the locals vs the porters/guides. Good fun! Some of the guys from the group got involved. Were pretty good but the altitude hot to them pretty quickly.
Dinner was again amazing. Soup again, followed by main and dessert. Have I mentioned how good the food is!
I'm loving this trail. Our group is awesome, different to our tour group. The kiwi couple are here but not the rest. I like the kiwis, they're very funny people actually. The group on general is more our age group, more easy to chat to and have a laugh with.
Were Having Fun!
- Blog from iMat
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