Hernan had a van pick us up, then we picked up the other couple who would be on the hike with us, Elsy and Matt. We didn't realize it until awhile later, but we were the only 4 in our group. We were supposed to have 7, but the other 3 canceled last minute. What a stroke of luck!
The bus ride was extreme. Our bus driver went crazy passing people and driving too fast for the winding mountain roads. Bean and Matt shared an interesting eye contact moment when he slowly passed another van on the outside edge in thick fog and another car came out of nowhere. Surprisingly we made it safely after 2 straight hours of that!
We took a quick pit stop at Ollantaytambo so the porters could grab a bite to eat and get everything situated for the trek. We walked through the little square, bought our coca leaves, and practiced hovering over a toilet without a seat. I also loved watching the little kids run around- they were so incredibly cute. Another interesting sight was a mother sitting on a stone and her maybe 2-year old daughter just walked up to her and started breastfeeding. It was no big deal! Nobody batted an eye. The mom definitely had a brightly colored blanket on her back- probably to put her daughter in when they were ready to leave!
We hopped back on the bus and drove to KM 82, the start of the trek. I have hundreds of scenery pictures but I will avoid boring you with those. One of my favorite discoveries is that you get 2 stamps in your passport- one at the beginning of the trek and one at the end. Actually, anyone who goes to Machu Picchu can get the 2nd one, but the first one was the one to be proud of.
We started by crossing a bridge over the river. It's amazing how big the river is and how small it looks as you get further along the trail. The first day is the easiest, we only hiked about 5 hours, with a long break for lunch. We were at our camp by 2pm. Some of the highlights of the first day were of course the beauty of nature. Truly incredible.
The dog we saw on one of our rest stops who looked like Brooklyn.
The abandoned school on the land where we ate lunch, and the stray dogs we fed our scraps of pork to. I'm not a big pork eater so I loved getting to feed them.
The food! We were amazed at what they create in a little tent. A tarp was tied to split the tent into a kitchen area and a dining area. We sat with Elsy and Matt and Hernan and Hans huddled around a card table for every meal. The first meal we didn't talk much, just about how nice everything was. We always had tea and soup before every meal. The soup was my favorite.
One thing I learned is that the Inca Trail connects several Inca cities. At one point, we came across a field and Hernan said, "This way, my friends" and pulled us closer to the edge. When we peered over, all four of us gasped and exclaimed "Oh wow" (or variations of that). This is what we saw:
It's Llaqtapata, and it has something to do with a serpant and that's why the terraces are shaped like that. It was then we realized that Machu Picchu was just one piece of the puzzle. I started to realize that the journey is the best part, not just the ending. I learned a lot on this trip, not only about the history or the area, but about myself and what it means to be alive. I tend to focus on the tasks at hand as a mean to an end, so learning to enjoy each moment was a big thing. Even the moments that seemed impossible.
As if it's possible to have so many highlights in one day, I have a couple more. Hernan showed us wild mint, so we picked it. It smelled like mint.
This picture of Hernan and Hans pointing out where we are on the trek.
And finally, the gorgeous campsite for our first night. A family lived on the grounds and there were chickens roaming all around. The bathroom was high on the hill (picture coming soon), and our tents were pitched on the grass below.
We did so well and arrived so quickly we had plenty of time for a quick nap and change of clothes before tea time. About an hour before dinner we had hot tea, good conversation, and delicious popcorn. That was one of my highlights of the trip- tea time and popcorn every single day.
Our new friends were surprised to learn that we aren't really big hikers, and that we didn't do as much as we could have to prepare for the trip.
I slept really well the first night. As much as I'd like to avoid getting personal, this trip was a spiritual experience for me as well. If you don't know me personally, a little back story: a good friend of mine died from colon cancer at age 22, about 6 months before she was to serve as a bridesmaid in our wedding. Just after she passed, I had a couple of dreams about her that I really felt like her sprit was visiting me to help me feel better. I haven't dreamt about her in a couple of years.
That first night, I dreamt that I was at our high school and there was a dance going on in the cafeteria, where they were always held. I was walking through the crowd, saying hi to people and I saw Donna dancing in a group of people. I was so excited to see her, I went over and hugged her and asked how she was doing. She said she was so happy and excited because her birthday was coming up. She looked healthy and vibrant and comfortable with her body (something she didn't feel all the time). I got confused because I know her birthday is in August and it's not 'really' coming up soon. For some reason, I asked how old she was going to be and she wouldn't answer me. But the number '5' popped into my head. She disappeared and I don't remember the rest of the dream.
When I woke up the next morning, I was still so excited that I dreamt about her. Then I realized that this year marks 5 years since her passing. So maybe she was letting me know she's happy where she's at and glad her '5th birthday' is coming up. She's celebrating!
I know she would be proud of me for following this dream- to hike the Inca Trail.
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