25 June: Salkantay Trek Day 5: Machu Picchu

Salkantay Trek Day 5: Machu Picchu

We had 6 AM tickets for Machu Piccu, so we met at the bottom of the steps at 4:30 AM in order to be near the front of the line when we were allowed through at 5. It took slightly more than an hour of climbing mostly in the dark at high altitude up the 1,600 stone steps of varying depth and height. The views were stunning, but the walk was strenuous.  We arrived before sunrise and saw the sun rising over the ruins. It wasn't super spectacular because the surrounding mountains blocked most of it.

View of the Surrounding Mountains from near the top of the steps

Our 'guided tour' of Machu Piccu involved a lengthy explanation by a tour guide in heavily accented English mostly on the history of Machu Piccu.  It was interesting but we would have preferred an explanation of the different parts of the ruins.

 We walked along the path to the Incan bridge--this trail was right along the cliff, not unlike many of the other trails we took. But just beyond the area we were allowed to go was a part of the trail that had pieces of wood bridging the two parts of the trail.

It was nice to get to Machu Piccu before it got crowded and to take our time looking it over. Since the paths are all one way, we eventually found ourselves at the end and out the door.

View of the valley below--we walked along that river on Day 4!

We walked back down the steps to Aguas Calientes and hung out there until our train left. In Ollantaytambo we were met by a bus and driven back to  Cusco where we had to walk across town to Hostal Resbolosa. Here they seem not to have planned for us because they tried out several rooms--one of which had someone in it already, someone who objected to having their door opened while they were asleep. The room we were finally taken to had inadequate plumbing. Not only was the shower a luke-warm drip, which was expected based on our last stay, but the toilet made a noise. Initially the noise subsided after a while, but eventually it just continued. We were too tired to care and just went to sleep, but around in the middle of the night loud knocking on the door informed us that other people cared and that we had to do something about it. The walls are so thin that everyone gets to share all the noises.  I eventually woke up enough to get up and turn the water off entirely.  

24 June: Salkantay Trek Day 4

Salkantay Trek Day 4: Santa Teresa to Hidroelectras to Aguas Calientes

We hiked 11.8 miles at 7,055ft-7,986ft. Some of our group went on an adventure sidetrip with a zipline, a suspension bridge and rock climbing in the morning, We had originally planned to do the zipline but decided that we weren't interested in the whole adventure package. We walked past the remnants of a village which had been completely flooded about ten years ago and had subsequently moved higher up and along a very pretty river, but nothing as spectacular as the previous days. Then we walked past the bus station and along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. Most of our group was taking the bus back, so they left the majority of their gear at a hotel and carried only what they needed for the next day. We had the luxury of having our packs since we would be taking the train from Agua Caliente and would have only a short distance to carry them.  We spent the day walking around Agua Caliente and stayed at a hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Part of the Hydroelectric
System

One of the choices had been a 4 day trek or a 5 day trek. In restrospect although I am happy with the 5 days, I realized that the people who did the 4 day tour didn't miss much. They weren't able to do the adventuring, but the parts they were driven on were the less interesting parts of the walk.

23 June- Salkantay Trek Day 3

Salkantay Trek Day 3: Chaullay to La Playa to Santa Teresa

Day: hiking 10 miles 9,842 to 7,055ft
We generally stopped to rest at a booth where fresh squeezed juices and fruits/veggies were sold.
Along the way our guide crushed some berries and drew pictures on our faces with the dye from that.
In the evening we were driven to Cocalmayo Hot springs 45 min away from site in Santa Teresa.  The amusing thing about the drive was that there was one more person than seats, so they put a plastic chair in the aisle for the extra person.

Night: tent camping--This night we did sleep in tents as promised. What we weren't told was that all of the tents would be crammed together on a concrete slab.