Walking with the Inca - A trip to Machu Picchu
"Ama suwa, ama
llulla, ama qhella" – was the age-old quote in the Andean highlands that
defined the code of life for a nation that rose from oblivion to become one of
the greatest cultures of its time…The Inca. The Quechua saying means, “do not
steal, do not lie, do not be lazy”. This simple rule that defined the social
interaction within this people was enough to create a kingdom, 500 years ago,
that boasts one of the seven wonders of the world today…Machu Picchu.
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Coricancha - Cuso
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The passage to Machu Picchu
using the historic trail is very controlled – only 500 permits are allowed per
day, and that includes porters and guides. In addition, you can only use the
trail under a guided tour. The permits are generally booked months in advance. So,
it was decided at the beginning of the year, that this is where I will venture
this year. Do the Inca, take the trail and walk the same footsteps that
thousands of ancients used to move between the Incan capital Cusco and the
King’s summer abode of Machu Picchu.
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| The sacred valley |
The best time to do the hike is between
August and October. This is the end of winter season in the Southern Hemisphere
and the dry season is at its peak. I had originally booked my trip in September
but had to revise the dates to November. November is when the wet season starts
in the Andean highlands; so, with crossed fingers, I packed my bags, and
greased my hiking boots to start the one-week trip to Peru.
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Pisaq
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Cusco, the ancient Inca
capital is the first stop. Close to 3000m elevation, this also acts as a stop
over to get climatized to this high elevation. Cusco is also where the Peru
Rail starts in train journey for Machu Picchu, for those who do not want to
toil the 4-day trail. The town is full of tourists, young and old. Many
rejoicing in the memory of the marvel and plenty, looking forward to witnessing
it. There is plenty to see in and around Cusco and this is where you get your
first acquaintance with the Incas. The city had the largest temple of the
empire, dedicated to sun, moon, stars and lightening called Coricancha. The
Spanish destroyed the temple structure and built a convent on its foundations,
but still some sections of the Inca architecture are wonderfully preserved
here.
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Sacsayhuman
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Nearby, there are other
Inca sites that are accessible within driving distance. One site is
Sacasayhuman, which presents a classic experience to view the architectural
brilliance, use of local rock formations and use of ramp and rollers to move
huge granite blocks set on one another without use of mortar. Or, a trip their
sacred valley agricultural hub of Pisaq; that show cases their terraces and
farming techniques. The final stop before the start of the trail is at
Olyantamtobe, a massive Inca fortress. This is where you can see Tambos (the
living quarters) and the Quilcas (grain silos), up and close.
Now, that you have been
in Cusco and nearby towns for the last two days, you are ready to embark on the
4 day Inca trail.
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| Starting the Inca trail |
Day 1
The trailhead starts at
km 82, a half an hour drive from Olyantaytambo. Some paperwork, and a quick
walk through a small museum and you are on your way. This is also where I meet
my guide Oswaldo, the cook Rosario and a team of four hard working, sturdy and
light footed highland porters. It is these porters that make these excursions
possible. And this is where you see the wonder that is coca leaf in action.
Seeing these porters chewing a bunch of coca leaves and running up and down the
trail, takes you back in time when the Incas used to have runners between their
fortresses and the miracle coca plant.
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| Willkarakay settlement |
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| Porters make light work of the aggressive climb |
The first day is a
gradual 12km hike with a net gain of 300m to a final elevation of 3000m. We
hike along the Urubamba river for most part before climbing up to Huallabamba
for the night camp. As we are passing through the rich and fertile valley, we
see a lot of native flower and Fauna, including orchids, grenadine, avocado,
passion fruit and corn. You pass through several villages where the highlanders
still believe in the ancient Inca religion, seeking blessings of the
surrounding snowcaps, and “Pacha-Mama”, the mother earth. The amalgamation of
the catholic influence is definitely there but gets very limited as you start
climbing up the trail. The highlight of the day is Willkarakay, a mountain side
agricultural site that is a beautiful testament to the surprises this trail
holds, before delivering you to its final jewel at Machu Picchu.
Day 2:
This is by far the
toughest day of the trail. Right from the beginning the trail winds upwards at
staggering pace. We will climb from to 4200m at Warmiwanuska (Dead Woman) pass,
before climbing down to 3600 for the night at Pacaymayo. The climb is made more
difficult by the fact that the 1200m gain is completed in only 6-7km, so a good
gradient. In addition, unlike many other trails, the Incas used the mountain to
their advantage; and that implied using stairs rather than straight path. In
total the 4 day trail has more than 20,000 stair that you climb up or down.
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| Approaching dead woman' pass |
As we climb up towards
the mountain pass, the clouds start coming in and it starts to drizzle. The
cloud cover does not allow a direct sight of the snowcapped mountains and
increase the mystery surrounding the ancient valley. We reach the top in 5
hours, to be greeted by tightening valley, above the tree line and plenty of
Lamas. The Urubamba is now a silver thread somewhere down below. I cannot
emphasize enough to take altitude sickness seriously here. The sudden elevation
gain is quite visible and can cause headaches and fatigue issues if not taken
care of properly.
After a short stay at
the top, we climb down the trail to Pacaymayo. The climb down was made quite
treacherous by the pouring rain. This is where good hiking boots, and the use
of hiking poles helps. Many a hiker slipped that day, especially when climbing
down the stairs – no wonder the stones had been polished thoroughly after
centuries of use.
Day 3:
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| Intipata terraces |
This is a long day in
terms of distance, 18km in total. But almost all of it is downhill apart from
the first couple of hours. We climb up to the Runkurakay pass at 4000m, before
climbing down all the way to WinayWayna at 2665m, right at the gateway of Machu
Picchu. That night it had rained quite heavily, and it was still foggy when we
started the climb up to the pass.
The climb down is made
interesting by passing through several ruins at Phuyupatamarca and Intipata. As
the trail passes right through Intipata, it allows you to see the marvel of
Inca architecture on a smaller scale, including aqueducts, water fountains and
the living quarters. Intipata, place of the Sun, is also where you start seeing
the Urbamba river once again and the valley opens to show its grandeur. The
WinayWayna ruins are very close to the camp site. This was a farming location
that was built to secure food for the city of Machu Picchu. The site starts
distinguishing between upper and lower-class houses, showing that you are
approaching a seat of power now and its name seems to have kept it purpose….
WinayWayna means forever young.
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| Urubamba comes in sight again |
My guide asked me to
climb at the top a short hill at the top of the pass to an altar. He wanted to
perform a ceremony, praying to the ancient gods. Testament of the local beliefs
that are still entrenched despite centuries of Christian influence. Taking
three coca leaves, each representing the three stages of the world – the top or
the heavens represented by the might condor, the middle where Inca lived, and
presented by the powerful Puma and the under, represented by the Serpent. Inca
did not believe in the concept of hell, but in another birth – hence they would
bury their dead in fetal positions, mummified and with their belongings, ready
to start the new life. We completed the ritual and started our climb down. It
is almost all stairs from now to WinayWayna, and majority of this is the actual
trail. Once again, the rain had made the journey challenging, both physically
and mentally. In this one day alone, we come down almost 7000 stairs.
Day 4:
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| Negotiating the Gringo Killer |
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| There she is! |
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| Entering the city |
When we reached the sun
gate, the weather had turned cloudy and there was a number of hikers gathered
there, not wanting to leave before getting this glimpse of the city from this
vintage point. One by one, they all left, until it was just Oswaldo and I
sitting on the Inca laid stone wall. I looked at him and said, “I need to see
it – won’t be back here any time soon”. He replied very calmly, “in that case
you must blow to move the clouds away”. And just like that we both blew into
the wind, and for that one moment, the cloud cover parted, and we got to see
the site that we had travelled all this time for. When you view the city from
this vintage point, you can close your eyes and go back 500 years to imagine
all the Inca pilgrims, walking in line with their children and Lamas in tow,
climbing over the sungate, and setting their eyes on what must have been a
bustling place at the time, with banners, and thatched roofs, and chants of
religious ceremonies, and music.
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| The Condor temple |
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| The immaculate walls of the King's Chamber |
Taking it all in, we
start the short climb down to the city. Pictures cannot do justice to the architectural
marvel. As you walk through the main entrance, you are welcomes by terraces,
and two storied huts, and barns, and grain storage sites and the king’s
chambers and the central structure of the sun temple, and the cleverly carved
condor temple – all leading up to the Sun Dial on top of the central pyramid.
When Bingham discovered this place in the early twentieth century, he wrote
that he was mesmerized by the fineness of some of the walls. You can witness
the excellence, when you visit the king’s chambers or the temples, where stone
after stone has been immaculately placed, just like Lego blocks, finished to a
razor edge straightness and knit without the use or mortar. It took us good three hours to visit all the main sections of the city.
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| Machu Picchu |
Finally embraced by the
joyful feeling of been there, done that…. we take the bus back to the city of
Aguas Calientes, for a well-deserved lunch, and onward to Cusco using the Peru
Rail. As the train rushes through the corn fields, in the shadows of the snow
caps and amidst the sounds of the Urubamba river; I cannot help but send a
silent prayer to Pacha-Mama for letting me see her wonders. And then, I calmly
sit back, close my eyes, and chew on my coca leaves.
Take it all in, in just 5 minutes at....
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