Woke up to a mini panic after a rough night. I couldn't even eat breakfast - I think between the loss of appetite from the altitude and harsh third world and rural conditions really got to me (don't mean to sound like a princess but it's seriously insane). I forced myself to eat some because I knew we had a long day ahead of hiking ahead. As we packed up our bags, and the porters helped packed up our tent, we realized that our Surefire was missing. We dwelled on it for a while since we purchased it specifically for this trip and realized how useful it was based on last night's experience. What really upset us was not losing it, but knowing that one of the porters stole it (and we know which one...). I exited the tent in the morning knowing it was still in there, but after they packed our tent, it was no where to be found. Shady. This is not setting the right tone when we are supposed to "bond" with our tour "family" for the next 4 days.
We got on the van, met the rest of the tour group that did not sign up for the PV and headed to the Inca Trail. It was a short ride and we made a stop at Ollantaytambo for the last toilet bathroom and picking up last minute items. Based on last night's experience, we panicked and bought more hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and coca candy. I wanted coffee so badly to give me that extra boost of energy I desperately needed but didn't want to risk having to use the bathroom later on.
We stopped at another location to gather all of our gear, apply sunscreen, and prep for the hike. Our tour group was originally 9 people total, however, 2 people ended up not beginning the hike due to altitude sickness and one from food poisoning in Cusco. 2 down already and it hasn't even begun!!
We arrived at the entrance, got our stamps, snapped a few pictures at the entrance and were on our way in a jiffy.
After hiking for about 2 hours we stopped for lunch, and while we waited for the food to be prepared, we dipped our feet on a stream nearby and it felt so good to give our feet a refresh. It definitely helped a lot with the swelling. Lunch was good - very impressive dished given the circumstances.
After lunch, we hiked some more and finally reached Wayllabamba where we camped for the night. We had dinner and when we were all returning to our tents, the sky was lit up so brightly and we saw so many stars. It was so beautiful. We didn't dwell too long outside to watch the stars because we had to prep for bed which seemed to take us at least 45 mins a night. I was smarter the 2nd night - I made sure I did not drink much liquids at dinner, peed before sleeping, and wore about 10 layers. I slept much better the 2nd night.
At the entrance about to embark on our adventure!
The very beginning of the hike
The views were stunning even just in the beginning of the hike. The trail was relatively flat, but I still struggled on the small inclines as the day was hot and sunny, and the altitude just made everything a little harder. There were locals herding animals along the trail which explained the massive amount of animal dung we saw on the trail.
Beautiful scenery everywhere we look
Llaqtapata
Can you spot the tiny llama up on the hill? So we learned that llama can climb steep hills easily but tend to carry light loads (~20lbs) but horses can carry much heavier loads (~40lbs) but cannot climb steep hills (mainly on flats)
Break time
Typical path on the first day - mainly flat, but with no shade
After hiking for about 2 hours we stopped for lunch, and while we waited for the food to be prepared, we dipped our feet on a stream nearby and it felt so good to give our feet a refresh. It definitely helped a lot with the swelling. Lunch was good - very impressive dished given the circumstances.
After lunch, we hiked some more and finally reached Wayllabamba where we camped for the night. We had dinner and when we were all returning to our tents, the sky was lit up so brightly and we saw so many stars. It was so beautiful. We didn't dwell too long outside to watch the stars because we had to prep for bed which seemed to take us at least 45 mins a night. I was smarter the 2nd night - I made sure I did not drink much liquids at dinner, peed before sleeping, and wore about 10 layers. I slept much better the 2nd night.
I look like I'm dead here, but this was basically how I slept every night - easily 6-7 layers with 2 hoods and scarf. It was really cold at night!
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