Inca Trail Day 1

So after my last post I manuevered my way through the crowd in the square and up the dark cobblestone path to the Andean Moon hostel. It was a damp, cold, windy night and while it wasn´t raining anymore, I felt like the rain hadn´t quite finished yet...I climbed the spiral staircase and tiptoed my way to my room (the narrow, thin wooden hallways seemed too fragile to bare much weight!) and had to bang on the door several times to get Andy to open it for me...he was already asleep. I tried to pack my bags and get ready for the trek but decided to put it off to the morning...I was chilled to the bone and so tired...I just couldn´t wait to get into bed. I heard quite a ruckus going on downstairs in the hostel´s kitchen and was sure it was my group but couldn´t muster the energy to go down and join them. Instead, I fell asleep under layers upon layers of thick woolen (most likely made from llamas) blankets and slept straight through until my $4 target alarm clock buzzed off at the lovely and very dark hour of 5:30 am...Wednesday.

I woke up from a relatively sound sleep to find that the electricity had gone out overnight. I couldn´t be sure my camera batteries had charged fully and worse yet, had no light to pack the stuff! Ugh, why had I procrastinated!? I somehow found my way to the tiny bathroom and let the ¨hot¨water run for what seemed like forever...my day was really going to be off to a bad start if the hot shower I was promised before 4 days of camping wasn´t going to pan out...fortunately, it did eventually warm up. I had to shampoo and lather in the dark but at least it was hot in this cold. Afterwards it was a struggle with Andy and I both fumbling around in the dark with headlamps trying to pack our bags again for the trek...and then suddenly we heard a loud click and the electricity was going again! Thank God!!!

I tried to lighten up my bag but nothing seemed to help...I honestly think the bag itself is just heavy because I really didn´t feel like I had much in it! We brought our stuff downstairs to the open air courtyard and then went back up to the second floor roof deck where the air was as crisp as the view of the early morning sky...the hostel was nestled in the valley of several mountains and the view was so incredible it seemed fake...

We went back downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast which was a 4 inch diameter pancake with butter and jam, super concentrated coffee which you add hot water to to make it like regular coffee and fresh papaya juice. I usually like papayas but as papaya juice was the last thing I had to drink before the altitude and nausea hit me last weekend I just couldn´t bear to have a sip...the coffee was a bit disappointing so I shared my stash of hazelnut flavored instant coffee with my table...including Andy and the two ´flips´as Andy called them...the girls are from the Philippines and Micci works in Canada as a caretaker and Maria is a nurse in Kentucky. They grew up together and now travel together at least once a year...

We heard all about the night before...our guide Jose was drinking in the kitchen and a small group joined him as everyone was returning from dinner...the drinking escalated and I´ll leave it at that, but judging from reports I was surprised anyone made it to breakfast on time!

We all checked out of the hostel, purchased some aqua sin gas for the morning trek (which we were told was going to be about 4-5 hours of a steady incline to lunch) and struggled with our daypacks and the duffle bags we were to turn over to the porters...down the cobblestone pathway to the square where our bus was waiting for us. An open air vehicle was parked behind it with a group of 20 scruffy looking men...donned with hats and gloves and sandles: our porters. Of course we were hounded by women carrying baskets trying to get a last minute sale...ponchos, hats, gloves, water bottle carriers...we got on the bus and the anticipation was palpable...

We drove through the countryside for about 30 minutes...saw little children in school uniforms walking in small groups along the railway...fields and fields of corn...cows grazing...women working in the fields...men working on the roads...llamas wandering about...and more political paintings up on the sides of houses and bulidings which I forgot to mention previously...every little town has a preference for a presidential candidate and they paint their name and symbol up on a public structure in their town...Jose explained that so many people here are illiterate that they use symbols on their ballots...one guy´s symbol is a soccer ball, another a loaf of bread, another a shovel and yet another has a mountain as his symbol...interesting.

We arrived at the base of the Camino Inka and had the opportunity to use a bathroom before the trek...it was our last chance at a real toilet with a seat for the rest of the week! Of course we had to supply our own toilet paper. Our porters hopped out and started packing up our duffle bags...they can carry a maximum weight of 25 kg. I don´t know how they do it! More women tried to sell us last minute items and some of the guys purchased bandanas...the sky was clear and although it was still cold, we were anticipating a really hot day and they wanted their necks covered up...

We fumbled with our walking sticks and started down the dirt and gravel path to the Inka trail sign and entry point. We stopped to take a group photo and made Jose figure out about 12 cameras...this took a while. Finally we were in the queue for the trail´s check point...only 500 people are admitted each day and it is strictly regulated. They checked our passports and we got a new stamp added...for the Camino de Inka.

Then we crossed a wooden bridge over a river with rapids...and we were officially off!

I have to stop here because we´re stopping to get coffee before our trip home but I was write more later! 24 hours of travel today, ugh!