It was everything I imagined and more. The previous two days I educated myself on the Sacred Valley and the Sun Temple in and around Cusco. I had a great local guide, Janet, who spoke fluent English, actually too much for my liking. She was a passionate chatterbox. Even during the four hour bus ride she had to tell us about the type of corn that was being grown on the hills, the different types of potatoes and local myths etc. We did a bit of climbing up different temples and cities and settled for our buffet lunch just outside of Urubamba where two local musicans played the pan flutes and other wind instruments in front of the river. Lunch was amazing. I didn’t have any guinea pig which was a bummer. But there was raw sea food, island style. I, of course, had seconds with pisco sour to wash it all down. After a 90 minute train ride thru the mighty valley of snow-capped peaks and above the roaring river we arrived in the Machu Pichu township.
4am: time to wake up and buy tickets for the bus. There were 7 of us staying in the same hostel, all with the purpose of meeting our guide and trekking Wayna Picchu. It started pouring down and against my better fashion judgement I wore one of those hideous plastic ponchos(again). Very practical and very ugly. Anyway, I managed to get over myself long enough to keep dry and book myself in to trek ¨the mountain of death¨. South Americans have very dramatic names for tourist attractions, and as history shows these titles are warranted.
After my two hour tour that started at 6am I trekked Intipunku. I was meaning to hike Michu Pichu which has the highest peak. Hence the city being named after it, actually no one knows the original name of the city, I´m guessing ¨City in the mist¨ in some type of Quechan translation. Anyway, I made a wrong turn and ended up on a smaller peak. Not that it was a small feat by any means. It took 90mins up and back. A good warm up, I had no idea what I was in for…
As you´ve already discovered I didn’t die hiking up the steepest peak around the Lost City. But it's common knowledge that the public climb at their own risk and death is a certain possibility. I reached the summit after 60 minutes of intense cardio workout. Again, the altitude played a huge factor and at some points I found myself huffing and puffing after only climbing four steps. Laugh out loud as much as you like, I stll can't believe it myself. Only 400 people can climb the peak each day, as many as that sounds at 5.30am all the entry stamps were sold out. Anyway, the track is narrow enough without anyone else on it. At times I was literally pulling myself up by a rope as the hill was too narrow and steep to climb. Probably the biggest physical achievement in my life yet. If you make it to The Lost City I challenge you to scale Wayna Picchu…right to the tippy top. I did it and was floating on cloud nine until...
