At 04:30 hrs. most of the dormitory was up and scrobbling about with final packing and preparations. It seemed that half the hotel trooped out into the dark wet morning. The road to the Railway Station was full of gringos in local hats and rucksacks, walking close to the walls to avoid the worse of the rain.
Women swathed in blankets sold coffee and mate de coca, which is tea made from coca plant leaves, from big jugs outside the station. The raw or dried coca leaves are cut, placed in a teabag, and steeped in hot water. Pre-Incan Indians used coca leaves as a stimulant to overcome fatigue, alleviate pain, and treat altitude sickness. Mate de coca is a very popular tea in Peru and Bolivia.
I was a bit worried that Eddie wouldn’t be able to get a ticket for the train so it was with some relief that I spotted him in the second class carriage, towering above the local passengers. At 05:30 hrs. the train made a slow start, shunting back and forth along the four switchbacks as it ascended the steep slopes above Cuzco. This train commences the first of four switchbacks (zigzags) immediately after departing from the San Pedro Station which allow the train to ascend to the station of Poroy in the higher section of Cusco.
The woman next to me commented that this was the oldest engine, and it certainly seemed to be struggling as it crawled up the hill belching dense black smoke from it’s central funnel. The journey was uneventful but the scenery was worth seeing. Green mountains and the occasional snow-capped peaks soared upwards from the boiling chocolate torrent of the Urubamba River.
We arrived at Kilometre 88 where it was spitting with rain and about twenty gringos disembarked.
The Inca Trail runs about 43 kilometres, beginning at Qoriwayrachina, popularly known as km 88 on the Cusco route climbs steadily up to Huallabamba, there it continues to the Llullucha Pampa until it reaches the pass of Warmiwañusca at 4,200 metres above sea level. Then the trail drops into the Pacaymayo Valley and you go across two more high passes before finally reaching the ruin of Machu Picchu.
The trail goes through several Inca ruins such as Llaqtapata, Runkuraqay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Wiñay Wayna; traveller’s camping areas, tunnels and winds through some of the most beautiful scenery.
The trek to Machu Picchu is completed when you arrive at Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. It is the high entrance from the Inca Trail and overlooks this ancient citadel. A chance to visit Machu Picchu along the trail trodden by the Incas.
A couple of French lads beat us down to the bridge where we had to pay 700 I/- Intis and sign the book for the Inca Trail, but we overtook them almost immediately on the other side. We set a good pace hiking through undulating woodland along a river and turned right into a cultivated valley.
This small group of huts is located at the confluence of the Cusichaca river and the Llullucha stream (or Hatun Wayruro). Some of the huts in Wayllabamba are built on the foundations of Inca buildings, and there are sections of ancient aqueducts, still in use today.
We continued up a steep climb to the fork in the river and up through the woods. At the base of the mountain on the opposite side of the Llullucha stream are the ancient tombs and the remains of a path near them.
After these, there are remains of some terraces in very bad condition. The Inca trails through this point were important, one continues continuous to the Wayllabamba river (this point is also called Cusichaca) and ascends to the Nevado Salqantay, a sacred mountain covered with snow.
Others continue up the Llullucha stream to the canyon and ascend to the Warmiwañusqa pass that continues towards Machu Picchu. This was the walkers’ route.
There was a splendid view back along the valley from the direction that we had come from. We stopped where a small waterfall crossed the path and brewed up some coffee.
Refreshed, we started off again through the wooded hillside. Huge caterpillars, the size of my little finger and bristling with hairs, crossed the track. We paused for a self-timer photograph as we cleared the woods and then continued through pasture land, dotted with cows, to the top of the first and highest pass.
Most people tackled this 4,200-metre pass at the start of day two, having camped at Wallabamba at the end of day one, but as it was only 15:00 hrs. we decided to continue and get it out of the way. It was tough going and breathing was difficult because of the altitude.
We stopped every ten to fifteen metres and sat panting on a rock until we could manage the next stretch. Some locals with donkeys passed us coming down and offered to take us to the top. It would have been nice but the top was in sight and we were determined to struggle up unaided.
We reached the zenith at 17:00 hrs. and settled down to take photographs and indulge in another coffee. It was possible to camp here but it was very exposed and there was no water. We decided to descend to the next campsite and were almost immediately enveloped in cloud.
After a few falls which left us sodden from the waist down we crossed the river by a crude bridge and entered the camping area. Some Canadians gave us some hot soup and showed us a vacant camp spot. There were a lot of tents here because there was a Spanish film crew with a herd of colourfully dressed porters out making a fictional drama programme.
We put up our tent on the short sloping grass and cooked up some soup and beans for basic nourishment. A sign by the tent said “Beware of Bears”. Just as we got into our sleeping bags at 20:00 hrs. it began to piss down with rain.
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