Trekking through the Andean
Today I’m suffering from my first (and hopefully last) bout of food poisoning and hence, rather than going a-salsa-ing tonight as I had originally intended, I’m sitting in bed feeling a bit miserable.
Have decided to do something productive so I am organizing my pictures and reflecting on my last 5 days spent trekking in the Andean mountains. It had its ups and downs, but overall was an amazing experience, particularly for a city slicker like me. I have found, to my surprise, that I’m not actually all that adverse to sleeping on the ground, hiking for hours on end, going to the toilet behind the nearest available bush or rock (it’s actually a lot cleaner and smells a lot better than many toilets), and getting absolutely filthy.
I get a feeling this entry’s going to be pretty lengthy (since I don’t have much else to do, so if you don’t have the time to read it) I don’t mind if you just look at the pretty pictures :)
Day 1: Saturday 4th June
Woke up ridiculously early (4am) to take a bus to Mollepata which is where the trekking started. Met up with my trek companions: 4 crazy mountain-climbing Spaniards, who were very nice, but spoke very little English; our guide – Christian; cook – Alejandro; horse-master – Andreas; and his assistant (and wife) - Natividad.
I had thought that 3 days of acclimatizing in Cuzco would have prepared me sufficiently for my trek. I though wrong. Heading out from Mollepata, it took a total of 15 minutes for me to start feeling nauseous, which worsened as we hiked along. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), having thrown up (twice) during the morning, I had a good excuse to ride one of the horses after lunch and for the rest of the day. Unlike the Inca trail, where horses aren’t allowed, we had horses carrying our stuff, rather than porters, and there was a spare horse available for those who, like me, couldn’t hack the altitude.
The scenery was stunning, and I felt a bit better on the horse, but was still feeling ill so I couldn’t totally enjoy it as I would have liked.
Me and my horse, Yurac (which means white in Quechuan)
It got colder as the day turned to early evening, especially since I wasn’t particularly exerting myself on the horse. We eventually stopped to camp for the night at the foot of some glacier-covered mountains. Needless to say, it was freezing!
Me and my tent. Note how I’m wearing every single layer of clothing I had, including the incredibly chic beanie with the ear-flaps.
I can easily say that the first night was the coldest night I have EVER spent. I discovered that my thick socks (the thickest I could find in Cuzco), were pretty much useless, and the sleeping bag I had rented through the tour agent wasn’t filled with down as I had asked for, but rather some crappy synthetic stuff (damn that woman!). I wondered if my feet would ever be warm again.
Day 2: Sunday 5th June
Managed to survive through the night, and woke the next day feeling a bit better, but still queasy and light-headed, so after breakfast it was back on the horse. Probably a good thing since this was to be the toughest day of the trek, climbing up through the mountain pass (at an altitude of 4,600m), and I really didn’t think I could handle it. And though I did feel a bit like I was cheating, it was better than throwing up and feeling nauseas the whole time.
A walk through the clouds
I actually quite enjoyed the horse-riding during the morning. It got a bit scary at times since some of the passages were quite narrow, and horse, for some unknown reason, often decided to take the passage closer to the edge with the sheer drop on the other side. Nevertheless, I put my faith in it’s trusty four legs as well as Natividad (who was leading the horse), and we managed to get through the pass safe and sound.
The Salkantay pass
Felt a bit better after lunch, and hiked for the rest of the day. It was reasonably easy, mostly downhill, and it felt good to be back on my own two feet.
Back on my feet
The campsite on the second night was next to a couple of local farmhouses (and thus in amongst the chickens and roosters). It was thankfully a bit warmer, and whilst I still suffered from cold feet, it wasn’t the frost-breathing experience of the night before.
Local kids playing soccer.
This is Lucas (or that’s what we named him anyway) who accompanied us for three days on our trek. Apparently some of the dogs owned by the local farmers make a habit of following the trekkers, knowing that there is good food to be had from those on the trek.
Day 3: Monday 6th June
Woke up refreshed (despite the 4am wake-up call from the roosters), and really enjoyed the day of hiking, particularly as we descended to lower altitudes. The scenery changed again, as we entered more of the forest area. Weather was perfect for hiking and the scenery was interesting (if muddy at times). I’ll let the pics do the talking.
Pretty waterfall
Through the forest
Over a rocky stream
And another
The grottiest I’ve been in my life - my trekking pants after 3 days.
That night we camped just outside the town of Santa Theresa, which due to its warmer climate and rich soil, used to be the wealthiest town in the region (producing an abundance of fruit and coffee), until the three rivers the meeting point at which it is situated, flooded in 1998, wiping out the entire town. It’s still in the process of rebuilding (on higher ground) and at roughly 15% of its previous production.
Remains of part of the old town
Soon after arriving at the camp-site, we headed off to some hot springs for a bit of a wash. Not having showered for the last 3 days, I was really looking forward to it. What I hadn’t expected though, was the half hour hike to get there … in the dark! Well, by the dim light of my torch-on-a-headband thingo (pretty cool contraption since it leaves your hands free to grab onto rocks n things). Despite being concerned about falling and twisting my ankle, and thus adversely affecting my upcoming tango-ing in Argentina, we arrived there safe and sound. The spring was warm and relaxing, and since I arrived unharmed, well worth the extra hike.
Day 4: Tuesday 7th June
We headed off today for Aguas Calientes (town situated at the foot of Machu Picchu). Highlight was a cable “car” ride across the river, which was lots of fun!
Arrived at Aguas Calientes in the early evening. The town isn’t particularly interesting, having been created purely for the tourist trade for those heading to Machu Picchu – i.e. filled with restaurants and merchandise floggers.
Since we were staying at a hotel that night, got to have a much-anticipated shower, which, unfortunately, was cold, but served it’s purpose in getting me clean at last!Also appreciated being able to sleep in a real bed.
Day 5: Wednesday 7th June
Woke up early this morning to catch a bus up to Machu Picchu (no waking at 3am to walk up the mountain for me thank you very much!). Arrived just before the sun broke over the mountains, which was an amazing experience.
Took a guided tour around the ruins, which was built in the 15th century, and rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Absolutely stunning. Particularly before the busloads of tourists arrived around 11am. After the tour, we had some time to wander around. As expected, I ended up using up all of my camera memory and batteries taking photos and video files.
Arrived back at Cuzco that evening.
THE END … for now.
Have decided to do something productive so I am organizing my pictures and reflecting on my last 5 days spent trekking in the Andean mountains. It had its ups and downs, but overall was an amazing experience, particularly for a city slicker like me. I have found, to my surprise, that I’m not actually all that adverse to sleeping on the ground, hiking for hours on end, going to the toilet behind the nearest available bush or rock (it’s actually a lot cleaner and smells a lot better than many toilets), and getting absolutely filthy.
I get a feeling this entry’s going to be pretty lengthy (since I don’t have much else to do, so if you don’t have the time to read it) I don’t mind if you just look at the pretty pictures :)
Day 1: Saturday 4th June
Woke up ridiculously early (4am) to take a bus to Mollepata which is where the trekking started. Met up with my trek companions: 4 crazy mountain-climbing Spaniards, who were very nice, but spoke very little English; our guide – Christian; cook – Alejandro; horse-master – Andreas; and his assistant (and wife) - Natividad.
I had thought that 3 days of acclimatizing in Cuzco would have prepared me sufficiently for my trek. I though wrong. Heading out from Mollepata, it took a total of 15 minutes for me to start feeling nauseous, which worsened as we hiked along. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), having thrown up (twice) during the morning, I had a good excuse to ride one of the horses after lunch and for the rest of the day. Unlike the Inca trail, where horses aren’t allowed, we had horses carrying our stuff, rather than porters, and there was a spare horse available for those who, like me, couldn’t hack the altitude.
The scenery was stunning, and I felt a bit better on the horse, but was still feeling ill so I couldn’t totally enjoy it as I would have liked.
Me and my horse, Yurac (which means white in Quechuan)
It got colder as the day turned to early evening, especially since I wasn’t particularly exerting myself on the horse. We eventually stopped to camp for the night at the foot of some glacier-covered mountains. Needless to say, it was freezing!
Me and my tent. Note how I’m wearing every single layer of clothing I had, including the incredibly chic beanie with the ear-flaps.
I can easily say that the first night was the coldest night I have EVER spent. I discovered that my thick socks (the thickest I could find in Cuzco), were pretty much useless, and the sleeping bag I had rented through the tour agent wasn’t filled with down as I had asked for, but rather some crappy synthetic stuff (damn that woman!). I wondered if my feet would ever be warm again.
Day 2: Sunday 5th June
Managed to survive through the night, and woke the next day feeling a bit better, but still queasy and light-headed, so after breakfast it was back on the horse. Probably a good thing since this was to be the toughest day of the trek, climbing up through the mountain pass (at an altitude of 4,600m), and I really didn’t think I could handle it. And though I did feel a bit like I was cheating, it was better than throwing up and feeling nauseas the whole time.
A walk through the clouds
I actually quite enjoyed the horse-riding during the morning. It got a bit scary at times since some of the passages were quite narrow, and horse, for some unknown reason, often decided to take the passage closer to the edge with the sheer drop on the other side. Nevertheless, I put my faith in it’s trusty four legs as well as Natividad (who was leading the horse), and we managed to get through the pass safe and sound.
The Salkantay pass
Felt a bit better after lunch, and hiked for the rest of the day. It was reasonably easy, mostly downhill, and it felt good to be back on my own two feet.
Back on my feet
The campsite on the second night was next to a couple of local farmhouses (and thus in amongst the chickens and roosters). It was thankfully a bit warmer, and whilst I still suffered from cold feet, it wasn’t the frost-breathing experience of the night before.
Local kids playing soccer.
This is Lucas (or that’s what we named him anyway) who accompanied us for three days on our trek. Apparently some of the dogs owned by the local farmers make a habit of following the trekkers, knowing that there is good food to be had from those on the trek.
Day 3: Monday 6th June
Woke up refreshed (despite the 4am wake-up call from the roosters), and really enjoyed the day of hiking, particularly as we descended to lower altitudes. The scenery changed again, as we entered more of the forest area. Weather was perfect for hiking and the scenery was interesting (if muddy at times). I’ll let the pics do the talking.
Pretty waterfall
Through the forest
Over a rocky stream
And another
The grottiest I’ve been in my life - my trekking pants after 3 days.
That night we camped just outside the town of Santa Theresa, which due to its warmer climate and rich soil, used to be the wealthiest town in the region (producing an abundance of fruit and coffee), until the three rivers the meeting point at which it is situated, flooded in 1998, wiping out the entire town. It’s still in the process of rebuilding (on higher ground) and at roughly 15% of its previous production.
Remains of part of the old town
Soon after arriving at the camp-site, we headed off to some hot springs for a bit of a wash. Not having showered for the last 3 days, I was really looking forward to it. What I hadn’t expected though, was the half hour hike to get there … in the dark! Well, by the dim light of my torch-on-a-headband thingo (pretty cool contraption since it leaves your hands free to grab onto rocks n things). Despite being concerned about falling and twisting my ankle, and thus adversely affecting my upcoming tango-ing in Argentina, we arrived there safe and sound. The spring was warm and relaxing, and since I arrived unharmed, well worth the extra hike.
Day 4: Tuesday 7th June
We headed off today for Aguas Calientes (town situated at the foot of Machu Picchu). Highlight was a cable “car” ride across the river, which was lots of fun!
Arrived at Aguas Calientes in the early evening. The town isn’t particularly interesting, having been created purely for the tourist trade for those heading to Machu Picchu – i.e. filled with restaurants and merchandise floggers.
Since we were staying at a hotel that night, got to have a much-anticipated shower, which, unfortunately, was cold, but served it’s purpose in getting me clean at last!Also appreciated being able to sleep in a real bed.
Day 5: Wednesday 7th June
Woke up early this morning to catch a bus up to Machu Picchu (no waking at 3am to walk up the mountain for me thank you very much!). Arrived just before the sun broke over the mountains, which was an amazing experience.
Took a guided tour around the ruins, which was built in the 15th century, and rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Absolutely stunning. Particularly before the busloads of tourists arrived around 11am. After the tour, we had some time to wander around. As expected, I ended up using up all of my camera memory and batteries taking photos and video files.
Arrived back at Cuzco that evening.
THE END … for now.
posted by linh at 06:33
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