I WILL WALK 500 MILES
The following 5 days held no place for technology and traditional diary entries were penned to remind us of our epic journey through Peru. On foot. Blistered foot. Below are excepts from Kez’s daily diary which has been edited for family viewing:
Saturday 13/08/2011 – 19kms trekked.
“Crazy early start today, 4am! Picked up by tour guide and walked to meeting point where bus took us and fellow trekkers on a 3 hour trip to small village called Mollepata. Coldest bus trip of my life, wanted to rip off stupid bus driver’s head for not turning on the heater AND driving with the window open. What a monkey. So jealous of all of the clearly seasoned hikers that are clad in North Face, showing off their warm expensive coats, boots, neck warmers and mittens. Meanwhile I’m in my scabby old jeans, a measly disposable windbreaker jacket and Big W flanno and I feel like a tip rat. A cold tip rat. All I can think is warm thoughts, especially when I was little and would squat in front of the roaring fire at Nundle of a snowy winters’ morning in the dark where dad had hung our uniforms over the dining chairs so it was nice and warm for when we got out of the shower. Giggled to myself thinking of when Melinda scorched her bare bum on the fire door and had grill marks for weeks. Oh man, what I would do to have my bum scorched right now. Finally arrived to our starting point in Mollepata: sun out, thawing the fingers and toes before the trek. Could see the destination for the day, although convinced that the guide was pointing out the wrong snow capped mountain we were headed for. Looked MILES away in the distance. Turned out, it was the right one. Start of the trek was impossible, thought I was going into cardiac arrest but it just turned out that I’m ridiculously unfit from all the beers consumed in the past 3 months. Thankfully wasn’t the only one struggling. One of the trekkers (super odd bloke) scored a sneaky ride in the truck that takes the food and supplies to the 1st camp site. Clever little Guido. 8 hours into it and I’m pretty sure I’m near death. Can see the camp site, one of those so-close-but-so-far-away scenarios. Finally reach it and we’re all so exhausted. Some girls are crying. Camp site is at the foot of the snow and is awe inspiring. Sun starting to disappear and the cold really kicking in. Put every single item of clothing on in hope to avoid frostbite but still doubtful it will save me. Nice dinner of hot soup, chicken stir fry and rice. Couldn’t bare the cold any longer, went to tent (yes, TENT!) at 9pm and jumped in sleeping bag which offered ZERO relief. Not sure if I can manage the rest of this, I’ve never been so cold or uncomfortable in my life. Ads is just as rattled. Might be able to talk him into going back as tomorrow is meant to be ‘hard’. Terrific.
Sunday, 14/08/2011 – 23kms trekked.
THE worst night of my life. Ads seconds the notion. So cold, couldn’t even consider sleep, regardless of being exhausted and aching. The dogs literally barked all night, I was quietly hoping that one would come into my tent and maul me so I didn’t have to go on any further. ‘Woken up’ at 5am by our guide George. Can’t get over how cold it is… Australian snowfields are like the tropics compared to the Andes. Breakky served, hot coco demolished and started on the road again – this time UP the huge snowy mountain (Salkantay). Had to whip out the iPod to distract myself, played Temper Trap’s ‘Sweet Disposition’ on repeat as the sun started to rise and made the snow glitter like Mariah Carey. Magical. Every time I hear that song, I’ll have that image etched into my brain. Poor Ads has developed crazy blisters now, his new trainers that he bought the day before we left are tearing his paws to shreds. He can hardly walk. Once we reached the top of Salkantay (4,650m high) had a brief ‘ceremony’ then descended down other side for 3 hours to where lunch was being prepared. Spag Bol and choc pudding was well received and then it was another 4hours downhill. Went from freezing cold in morning, to hot jungle in the space of half a day. Arvo walk was very rough on the knees and feet. I developed terrible blisters too. Starting to see the benefits of hiking boots now. Finally reached camp site, tents already set up on the side of a cliff, amazing view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Too cold to shower, have to put up with being filthy, sweaty and probably a tad stinky. Fun night of drinking games (without alcohol) kept mind off the pain. Started to rain, most tents flooded, ours only a tiny bit. One win for us so far. Exhausted once again, hoping I will be comatosed until the morning.
Monday, 15/08/2011 – 15kms trekked.
What happened to my coma? Was another freezing, sleepless night, couldn’t get warm but certainly not through a lack of trying. Even tried sit ups in the middle of the night to get a sweat up but to no avail. Everyone appears to be feeling the fatigue now although I seem to be the most vocal about it. Ads keeps on giving me “the look” when I whinge. I’m only saying what everyone else is thinking! Wonder if they have english divorce papers back in Cusco…
Neither of us can walk properly, apparently hiking boots are worth their weight in gold on excursions such as this! Beautiful going alongside the river, mozzies left me alone for once and bit Louise 87 times on ONE leg, poor thing. Eventually dragged ourselves to Santa Teresa for lunch, this time grilled chicken and hot jelly. Perfecto. Get to camping site, everyone changes into their swimmers and heads to the nearby hot springs. We don’t have any money so stayed at the camp site. Had small cry, so far from anything. No way of getting back to Cusco, have to walk another 2 days and my feet are now bleeding. Everyone gets back and says the springs weren’t that good so that cheered me up a bit. Amazing dinner of chicken, pasta, creamed potatoes and fruit salad for dins. Bonfire and The Macarena on repeat (South America’s staple export) had me yawning. Pretty sure some sleep is on the cards tonight.
Tuesday, 16/08/2011 – 21kms trekked.
Have put my foot down (so to speak) and refuse to walk the first leg today. Ads and I score a 30 min bus ride with the cooks to Hidroelectrica village to save our feet, walk is only alongside the dirt road and not really interesting anyway so nothing missed except for additional blisters. Ride is in a 12 seater minivan, with 17 people. They whipped out some of the camping chairs and put them in the ‘aisle’. So resourceful. Drive is scary, narrow gravel road etched into the side of the mountain, have to pull over and squeeze past with any on coming vehicle, like the Death Road in Bolivia. Arrive to Hidroelectrica where we have the option to take the train to Aguas Calientes which is what some of the others are going to do. Wait at a makeshift cafe for the group/walkers to arrive – 3 hours. Little local girl has for some reason befriended me, climbing all over me and hugging me, she’s like a stray kitten. Starting to be a pest now, wants to scribble in my journal. Kick her off and she keeps coming back and climbs onto my lap. Finally her mum realizes that Im no longer impressed and takes her away. So nice to sit in the sun alongside Ads and chill out without busting our bodies – such a stunning day, can see part of Machu Picchu in the distance. Group arrive and we have another awesome lunch of a huge hearty salad. And soup of course. Show George my blisters and they are the size of golf balls, he insists that he needs to attend to them. I insist that I’m a massive sook and he should get knotted. He wins. Ads rounds up the troops for some entertainment. HOLY HELL – scream my head off, everyone is laughing and I feel like swearing and cursing back at them. Too scared to look at what George is doing but I’m pretty sure we’ve been lost in translation and he is amputating my feet. Ads assures me that he’s merely hacking away at them with a needle and his bare (filthy) hands. Show is finally over and I can actually fit my feet into my shoes. Ads and I decide to walk the next leg, it’s too beautiful to miss out on. Soldier on, hopping like invalids alongside the train line – a rockstar round of applause from the group boosts our efforts (and egos). Jungle is so lush and refreshing, glad we pushed on. Finally get to Aguas Calientes which is at the foot of MP, entire village hangs over the river. Super touristy, but so quaint and adorable… Everyone rushed to their hotel room, couldn’t wait for a HOT shower. Have walked a total of 78kms and it’s been 4 days since we last showered – could hear the “ahhhhhhhh” echo throughout the corridors as everyone soaked in the hot water. Ads & I snuck off to a gorgeous little bar next door and downed some beers before dinner, was a magical setting hanging over the Urubamba river and so good to just sit back and talk to each other. Last dinner with the group, followed by more drinking games (this time WITH alcohol) – must remember the knocking game and 7 for home. Jork from Germany is hilarious at 7. Thinking a rematch in Germany is on the cards. Send ourselves to bed for the big day tomoz.
Wednesday 17/08/2011 – 2,000 stairs and 6kms trekked.
Start walking to the entrance gate to the Machu Picchu stairs at 4am. Feet not too bad , think the excitement and anticipation is masking any pain. Get to the gates thinking that we’d be the first ones waiting, already 30 or so other people when we get there. Gates are finally opened at 4.30am and it’s all uphill from there. Hard work as we climb 2000 stairs, sweat pouring out of us but it’s beyond magical and hardly feel any discomfort. Reach the top, wait for entrance to the Machu Picchu ruins to open. Walk through the passport check point at 6:05am and have the moment we have been dreaming of: Machu Picchu! The sun begins to rise upon the Lost City and I find myself a fraction emotional to be experiencing this wonder of the world in such stunning surrounds. The ruins are hardly ‘ruins’ at all, they are in immaculate condition and are truly the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. All of the heartache and sore feet seem so trivial now in contrast to this heavenly place. Get a personalized tour with George and are consistently blown away at the mind boggling logistics of how on earth the little Andeans managed to maneuver such massive blocks. Tour ends and we say farewell to George and Ads and I walk the grounds in our free time. Find a grassy spot overlooking the entire of Machu Picchu, sun shining and we have a lay down and drink it all in. Starving, we decide that we’ve seen what we needed to in the grounds and head to the cafeteria outside the gates. Contemplate walking back down the 2000 stairs to Aguas Calientes and then agree we’ve got nothing to prove to anyone and get the air conditioned bus down to the bottom of the hill. Have a hot choc and choc cake to get a good hit of Peruvian Coco and replenish energy levels. Find massage parlor and both have a solid 1 hour kneading that we’d been craving for months. Go back to our hotel and get a room for a few hours for some sleep and shower before train back to Cusco. Only 3 trains depart Aguas Calientes each day back to Ollytantambo and we booked the 7pm train so we could get into Cusco around 10pm. Go to desk and try to check in – not on their list. Train fully booked and so is the 9pm one – only available is 10:55am the following morning which is hardly convenient considering our flight out of Cusco is at 8am. Try to explain our predicament to insensitive women at ticket booth but to no avail, they’ve put their guard up and won’t budge. Tears don’t even seem to have any impact on their decision, what a waste of water. Run back to hotel where one of the girls at reception spoke broken English and rang our guide in Cusco that we booked and paid through but they could only apologize and offer to pay for our nights accommodation in A.C. and get us on tomorrow’s train. No one seems to get that we had to be on that flight from Cusco as was it is a connecting international flight to Argentina. Some of our group members hear our debacle and offer their seats and to take the train the next morning (such adorables) but they check passports to correspond with tickets and witches at ticketing booth insist that it can’t be transferred. Manage to find a handsome train conductor and tell him our predicament and with a wink and a promise, he helps us- out of view of Satan in the ticketing booth. Long, long night with many tears and heartache but we end up getting on the last train out of A.C. – without the horrible ticketing ladies knowing. Finally get back to our hostel in Cusco (where our luggage was stored whilst on trek) at 1am and collapse on the bed. Forgot to pass message onto the PeruRail Ticketing Nazi: “1982 rang and wants it’s purple eyeshadow and scrunchie back”. Bam!
In summary and in hindsight, we would do it all over again. Particularly now that we’d be so much better prepared. It was beyond incredible and we hope to revisit sometime in the future. Machu Picchu is something that should not be missed in a lifetime and to be able to see, breath and touch the Lost City of the Incas, is something we will never, ever forget.
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