Well, where do we even begin to describe the truly awesome experience that has been Machu Picchu and the Salkantay trek?!
Our original plan was to try the Lares trek, as we had heard good things about it. However, a week before we arrived in Cusco we thought we had better start thinking about booking our trek, and surprise surprise, there was no scheduled departure for the Lares trek. So, without too much bending of arms, we were persuaded to opt for the Salkantay trek and the timings worked perfectly with our plans. We had just enough time to wander the winding streets of the picturesque Cusco and take in it's Inka heritage before starting our mammoth trek.
The first day of the trek involved a very long bus ride on Peruvian village roads to our breakfast stop. Our porters jumped out of the mini bus, and within minutes they had erected a dining table and breakfast, complete with coca tea to help with the altitude - some of us were more aclimatised than others! Our first days trekking was fairly short with just 3 hours uphill hiking to our first campsite. We arrived to already pitched tents and tea time at the foot of the initimidating Salkantay mountain (4200m). What more could you want?! Well, actually the clouds parted briefly and we were able to catch a glimpse of the milkyway and do some star gazing at the base of the snow capped mountain. If it wasn't for the intense cold, we could happily have stayed there all night!
Day two and we were woken at 5am by "Hola, buenos dias, coca tea?". The tent un-zipped and our friendly porter poked his head in to offer us coca tea and coffee in bed. What a wake-up call. After a healthy breakfast we started what was to be our longest day trekking. Three hours ascent to our summit of 4600m - I'd like to point out that it was snowing - followed by two hours descent to our lunch stop and then another three hours trudging through mud in the rain to reach our second campsite. On our way we passed two young girls from a local village...everyday they walk 2 hours each way to get to school. Whatever the weather. And you could tell they were well rehearsed as they looked considerably less muddy than our group. Finally we arrived at our second camp and were greeted once again by pitched tents and afternoon tea - this was luxury camping!
The third day was another short hike of three hours to camp in preparation for the final days 6 hour slog. As we were setting off on the third day we got wind of a few mud slides along our route, so we were forced to take a slight de-tour. It was the same route, but on the other side of the valley. Whilst on route, and waiting for the stragglers to catch up, Tim and Alphonso (Passionate American/Mexican) heard a rumbling approx 100 metres away. They turned the corner to discover a rock slide that had covered the road - luckily there was nobody walking or driving past this at the time! After a few more dodgy river crossings due to bridges being swept away we arrived safely at camp. It's worth mentioning that we were now walking through the jungle and the sun managed to pop its head out briefly to remind us that it still existed.
The rest of the afternoon was ours to enjoy, but the sunshine was short lived and we were forced to seek refuge in the local bar and watch the rain pouring down. This was the last thing we wanted as we already knew that the route on the last day involved a serious ascent, followed by a steep descent, and we had already witnessed the power of the rain. 
Despite the bad luck, there was still something quite beautiful about the jungle while it was raining... the locals went about their business as if nothing had happened, and the local women continued to hang their washing out. I guess it would dry sometime! The rainy weather also gave us the opportunity to bond with our group more and many laughs were had. Here's a brief intro: Alphonso (passionate Mexican born and bred in LA), David (young Sweede with an eye for the ladies), Mama Lucy (Columbian mother hen with serius altitude sickness the first night), Adrianna (daughter of Mama Lucy and in search of positive energy at MP), Elaina (Marine biologist from Seattle with serious opinions on the comparison between english and american food names), Tony (actually Anthony and introduced himself as Tony by pointing to his toe, followed by his knee), and finally Willy (our guide with a passion for his heritage and some very funny stories).
The final day of trek and we were greeted once more by our friendly porter and his offer of coca tea... despite no longer being at altitude it only felt right to oblige. Unluckily for us, it had rained all night, and despite our guide's attempt to please the whole group, we were forced to right off the first part of the day's hike - the way would have been too mdangerous and we ran the risk of mud slides. Instead, we caught a bus to the second leg of the hike and finished the day by walking through the jungle to Aguas Calientes - otherwise known as Mach Picchu town. We would spend a night here before heading to Machu Picchu the next day. On route during the day we had circled the base of Machu Picchu mountain and caught some distance glimpses of the site, so we were on tenterhooks for the next day! A scrummy dinner and some pisco sours and mojitos later and we were in bed with anticipation.
Surprise surprise, we got up at 4am to the sweet tones of rain hammering on the roof. Never-the-less we queued for the bus, and were successful in catching the first one to Machu Picchu. Earlier in the week we had made one request of our guide: it was allowed to rain all week, but there had to be sun on Machu Picchu day. As if by magic, the rain stopped as we boarded the bus. As we climbed the road to the entrance you could feel the buzz of excitement on the bus.
Luckily we were one of the first groups to arrive at the site and words can't describe the feeling we experienced on seeing the picture post card Machu Picchu. To top it off, the clouds parted and the sun shone as the morning mist lingered in the valleys surrounding the site. It was truly something majestic, and each of us was privately thankful to Willy and his supersticious offerings throughout the week for the sun he brought us. No matter how much people brag about Machu Picchu, it doesn't detract even an ounce of amazement from it, and the following day we felt really quite priviledged (and a little surreal) to have stood on that mountain and seen Machu Picchu just one day earlier.
It turned out our group had become quite attached and we spent the next six hours exploring the site, as well as the near-by sun gate and inka bridge together. We made it back to Aguas Calientes in time for a celebratory lunch and the perfect way to end an amazing five day trek. We're already planning a return visit!
