A light continuous drizzle at around 1 a.m wakes me up...and I somehow cannot get back to sleep. Twist and turn as usual, to no avail.
Miserable day in sight to what should have been the highlight of the trek.
The camp goes into bee mode at arnd 3.30 am. We are all meant to tackle the trail leading to the Sungate early in the morning. Quick breakfast, and we get in line at the control gate, armed with our head lamps. After a 40 minutes wait, the gates open at 5.30, and we proceed to the fairly easy undulating terrain at a brisk pace, in a fairly dense fog. Sungate, from which we were meant to have an amazing view of Macchu Picchu at sunrise, was rebaptised cloud gate.
As we reach the entrance of Macchu, the fog still hasn't cleared, and we just all stand there, unamused by the cruel joke pacha mama (mother earth) made on us.
And then, without warning, the fog gradually starts to clear up.
First, a silhouette of the foreground reveals the ruins in the immediate vicinity, before going into hiding again. Then a partial mountain in the background. Then some small huts on the side. It's as if the mystical and capricious site doesn't want to reveal all in one go, and wants to make us linger, whilst building the excitement. Hmmmm...that does sound familiar...!!!!!!!!!!! :P
As the layers of fog peel away, more elements are added to the canvas, until the site can be admired in all its glory. There is no way even the most mediocre photo shooter can come out of this without at least a few stunning images.
As one of the members of our group says, it seems unfair that some people can just take a train to admire the same breathtaking views that we had to work so hard for, through intense effort, little sleep, near freezing temperatures and at the sacrifice of our personal comfort. Such is the world, unfair and cruel, in all its beauty...!!!
As a side analogy and real anecdote, Ken, a pilot from Singapore airlines and one of the Llama lover's group was told by his friends that Macchu Picchu was easy. So he went ahead and booked the Inca trail, only to find out later that his friends had taken the train to get there!!! BASTARDS...!!!
Despite fighting jet lag, and less than perfect physical condition, no trek experience, the guy just ploughed through every single day. He was always the last on the ascents, last on the descents, last at camp and the one with the least rest time. Most of us endured a near death experience on dead woman's pass on the second day, and I struggle to imagine what it was like for him. I'm willing to bet my trousers that more than 95% of the people would have given up midway if they had to endure what he did...!!! No complaints, sheer determination. Finest example of mind over body. And he even climbed Huanna Picchu, a small but incredibly steep and treacherous mtn overseeing Macchu, once he got there, which I didn't get to do, because we didn't book our tickets to that section early enough...KUDOS to the guy...!!!
We head to the entrance for registration, quick chicken sandwich snack provided by our travel agent and loo break, and we start an almost 2 hour guided tour by our guide. I wrestle the crushing sleep during the fascinating explanations and anecdotes. Guide finally leaves us to explore the massive site on our own for about 2.5 hours. Meeting point at our hostel set for the final lunch as a group at 13.30.
I am neither an animal of words nor extreme superlative illustrative vocabulary, so there is no way I can describe Macchu Picchu without failing it. You just need to go there, and experience it for yourself.
As the day progresses, the site just fills up with visitors, and I had to wait 10-15 mins in one spot, which I considered at the time as the best, just to get 1 shot which doesn't include people pulling strange faces at the camera...!!!
We exit the site at around 12.50, and move to the final group lunch held at our hostel. Smiles printed on each of our team member's faces, cheers, laughs and loud conversations follow. Contrast that with another group of much younger people doing the trek through the same travel agency, where everyone is sitting there, dull and subdued. Amazing how it's the people who you travel with who add that touch of magic, which just boosts the whole experience.
We started in the Andean High mtns, moved to the rain forest, then the cloud forest, bumping into Inca site ruins all along the way which doubled as points of control for the Incas. We were told innumerable stories and facts about the Inca and their amazing civilisation, and got an insight into the very most recent discoveries about their world. We found a little about the flora and fauna in all the different elevations and conditions e.g over 40 species of hummingbirds, each feeding an their respective specific flowers, vegetation, etc... I caught a glimpse of the lives of those amazing people who I shared the experience with. Classic 4D/3N Inca trail: a tale of exhilarating adventure, human encounters, laughter and pain, but always of fun. Memorable...!!!
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