Cusco and The Sacred Valley - Part 1
Many of you have expressed great interest in hearing about my adventures, and said they're particularly looking forward to these blogs. So, I will also sprinkle these stories into my blogs. This first one, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, is one of my favourite highlights of all my adventures.
I was in Cusco and exploring the Sacred Valley for some time, nine days in total. It's the longest I've spent anywhere on my extended trips away travelling around. By the time I'd arrived in Cusco, I'd already spent a few weeks traversing Lima to Nazca, immersing myself in cities to desert oases, hard desert to soft desert and massive towering sand dunes. And of course, the magnificent Nazca lines themselves amidst the history of the Paracas and Nazca peoples, whose influence on the country extended far longer in duration that the Incas who we've all heard about.
I'd also already done my first multi day hike in the second largest canyon in the world, Colca Canyon, and trekked on my first day, far away from the tourist trail, up to the geysers, mountains, and volcanoes solo with my guide to 4,600m elevation. So, I was well assured before arriving in Puno and Cusco that altitude was not going to be an issue for me, which was a great relief. My sister's girlfriend is extremely fit and healthy, and she suffered altitude sickness a couple of years before, so I didn't assume for a second that my fitness would be the only variable at play. It can happen to anyone. The first couple of weeks of my travels felt very much a holiday with much excitement and a constant coming and going of ecosystems, views, beds, and buses. It was incredible, to say the least, but I was very excited to arrive in Cusco and base myself there for over a week.
I did write an intro to this blog about the Cusco area, but it became so very long that it rivalled the actual story in length. As it ended up unintentionally flowing into a very deep journey of parallels into Yoga philosophy and then the nature of life, the whole thing was a good hour plus read. I think you'll thank me for splitting the original thesis up and saving that fun for another time, many more blogs in. Also, if you just want to look at the pictures, there are four sets after each day. It seems short and sweet really isn't my style.
Day 1 - Cucso
I left Puno on a night bus at 10pm and arrived in Cusco at 5am the next day. Hardly the path of the ancients haha, but I'd experienced the highlands of the Altiplano between Arequipa and Puno and was maximising my days. They were home to many alpaca, who prefer the cold altitudes of 4,000m plus, which was delightful to see. But on my night bus I got, thoroughly hoping to sleep. I'd booked this bus before I'd even set out on my trip a month before, and was grateful to secure one of the only four single seats downstairs on the double decker bus, which meant both a window (not that I needed it at night!) but also a wall to lie on and a direct, unobstructed exit to the toilet.
Puno was cold, at 3,380m above sea level, and I'd worn my thick thermal top to bed every night with great appreciation, but Cusco felt even colder getting off the bus at 5am in the morning. With only a few hours of sleep, suddenly we were there and they dropped me off near my accommodation, as I'd booked a hostel well away from any noise and completely out of the way. Cusco's altitude is 3,399m, and I'd have been near this as I was staying just about as far up the hill as possible towards the ancient site of Sacsayhuaman Fortress and Temple. In fact, it was only a five minute walk away.
The city of Cusco was deliberately shaped like a sacred puma, with the fortress of Sacsayhuaman forming its head. The puma represented middle earth, the earthly realm of the living. The predator was the ultimate symbol of strength, power, and wisdom, the apex predator in the Andes. The other two aspects of Inca cosmology were the Upper World and Lower World. The former was represented by the condor, symbolising through its flight the heavens, stars, and divine gods. The latter was represented by the snake, representing the world of the dead, fertility, and inner wisdom. In modern Jungian psychology, we can understand the Under World they were speaking of as our shadow self, the parts of ourselves that we deny or do not face, the inner world of instinct and intuition, as well as what we suppress and repress and avoid bringing light into, or facing. Yoga encourages us to bring awareness, or light, into our inner world of feeling to face what we're resisting and what is 'stuck' due to not feeling or facing certain things, then letting that life force energy flow on through us. Anyway, I digress...
I exited the bus, found the steep steps up to the small plaza above the road, and identified my hostel, Super Tramp, up another flight of stairs. The other thing that had attracted me to this hostel, other than its away from the crowd location and curfew so I could get get a good night's sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn every day, was the view. Supposedly the best view of any hostel in the whole city, it did not disappoint. The aesthetics of the hostel were lovely too, it was very much bohemian, hippy vibes, with murals and fairy lights decorating an indoor seated café bar area with glass windows overlooking the view, and also an open courtyard seating area on the other side of the steps also overlooking the view. The city stretches along a valley, and climbs up every mountainside, with Viva El Peru carved out in gigantic letters on the opposing hill to where I stood.
They allowed me to enter my room early for a small additional cost, but as there was one person sleeping in it, I ditched my things and just sat overlooking the view of the whole city for an hour with a couple of complementary black coffees between my shivering hands to warm me up as I watched the sun rise. Unlike Lima, where I had to go out of my way to get to the high vantage points of the city, which are not in tourist destinations, in Cusco, the hills rise up all around the historical centre and the city spreads in every direction. Finding a good vantage point from all the mountains is not hard when the historical centre and tourist destinations, as well as the high end bohemian area of San Blas, both extend up towards where I was sat. But I had the perfect view, the reviews did not lie. It would be worth hiking up the mountain in high altitude every time I walked back from anywhere!
Once the sun was up, I finally warmed up with a blissfully hot shower (many of them are not hot, which is okay in sunny Brazil and India, but definitely not in the Andes!) and then set off at abut 8am to explore the city. I had designated day 1 to do this, and had a lot to fit in. I'd planned a route that took in all the sights by walking the shortest route between them all, and headed up the hill to Sacsayhuaman. This fortress temple is not only the puma's head, but composed of stones that are so perfectly put together that they need no adhesive or joiner, and are so tightly fitted together that you could not even slide a piece of paper between them. They are all different sizes and shapes, and whilst some are smaller, some are far in excess than the tallest of men. The mind boggles.
It turned out to be the best possible place to start my Cusco adventure. By 9am, it was already baking hot, an extreme difference from how absolutely freezing I'd been towards the end of the night bus and then getting to the hostel. All the layers came off, sun cream on, and I walked around the amazing site of massive interlinking rocks for two hours. It was fairly quiet when I got there, although even when it got busier by the time I left it still didn't feel too crowded in the areas away from the main wall where I then was, because the site is so big for one thing. The feel of the place was quite magical, serene and calm. I walked along the base of the stone wall taking my time and was delighted when I realised you could go up into it! It made you feel very insignificant and eluded mystery walking around... and the viewpoint from the top I think must be the best view in the whole of Cusco, which to experience before I'd even really stepped foot in the city was quite spectacular.
I walked around the field to the hill mound on the other side, past grazing alpacas, and up onto the top. It was so quiet up there with no-one else around, overlooking the wall and the view behind it, that I naturally thought perfect meditation spot! And the first of my travels where there was no sunset or wind, but instead, beautiful mid-day sun on my skin. It was also one of my most peaceful meditation spots, despite being within one of the main tourist destinations of the city.
Invigorated by the magic of the site, the panoramic awe-inspiring views, and the beautiful sunshine on my skin, I then walked down into the arena style circular ring and followed a tunnel I saw people coming out of. It was much longer and darker than I expected, and very narrow, twisting and uneven under foot, and I might have turned around if two boys hadn't come up behind me shrieking with laughter and followed the narrow passage into the dark. So I followed and eventually came back out into the light very pleased I hadn't turned back.
Afterwards, I made my way to the Blanco Jesus overlooking the city, which I could see level with me, only a few hundred metres it looked like as the crow flies. I found a mountain bike style trail up a hill in it's direction and went rogue in my journey there, climbing a steep trail to the top that definitely wasn't for limited mobility. I had memories of the Brazilian Christ the Redeemer hill being notorious for muggers, and thoroughly hoped I didn't encounter anyone. My experience of Peru to that point positively suggested I would not, but the mind likes to create fears and I tried not to invest in them with my energy. I got to the top and scaled a barbed wire fence to enter the site from a route that clearly wasn't meant to be a route. I did a quick walk by, interrupting the hordes of serious Instagrammers to take a walk-by quick selfie and looked at the view before following the road around because the next destination on my planned Cusco explore list could be reached in this direction too it seemed, rather than going back down past my hostel.
This journey turned out to be completely off-piste. From one of the highest point of Cusco overlooking the city, I missed the turning at first because it was so small. I traced my steps back along the road and found a small path etched into the dust, just like another mountain bike trail heading down. I started down it, it was very dusty, and very slippery especially with my vans on, which had absolutely zero tread before being walked in all over the world. It was very steep in places too as it snaked back and forth down the hill. There were many branches in the path and it took effort to choose the right one each time to keep following Google Maps. I started to get a little nervous again about if I'd encounter anyone along the way or where I was coming out into, for there was no-one around but plenty of trash and a mattress amongst other signs of life. I felt I'd gone too far to go back though, so continued the anticipated fourteen minute walk down at a much slower pace than this because it was so slippery.
Even so, at one point, I slipped quite comically as if I'd slipped on a banana peel, and caught myself in a crab position but landed on my last two right knuckles which cut quite deeply and were filled with blood, dirt and broken skin. I got straight back up and continued down, coming along side the back of the residential area up the hill. It was standard local housing and it occurred to me I had no idea what area this was and if I should be walking through it. But I'd really come too far now so I tried to look like I belonged and kept going.
I walked much more quickly through the houses and small paths following the steps and paths down, and when I was over half way I entered a path that had two dogs further down who jumped up and started aggressively barking at me! I'm more scared of dogs than anything else since one bit me a few years ago. I immediately retreated and was just wondering where to go when I saw two girls walking down a little further along. I followed them down some different steps, and then made my own way down a multitude of steps and alleys before arriving on a very nice bohemian narrow cobbled street. I still wasn't sure where I was, but realised after that I'd entered the San Blas area, the nicest bohemian area in the whole city, not that I quite knew this at the time.
I followed this road along and turned left and was amazed when my sat nav brought me out at the lovely place where the steps are that went up to my my hostel. It seems the highly popular Mirador view point so highly recommended was exactly where the bus dropped me off up to the plaza below my hostel. It was heaving with tourists there, and indeed every time I passed which made getting to my hostel quite an ordeal every time. Having already seen it earlier when I departed, I made my way down the street towards the Armas De Playas and cathedral. Now on familiar ground once more, I stopped on the road, washed my cuts with bottled water and rubbed hand sanitiser on them, which stung a lot, but the cuts looked much cleaner for it. I could relax, adventure over.
I then explored Playa De Armas, the cathedral, the artisan alleys, around the famous angled Inca stone wall, San Blas viewpoint and neighbourhood, which is when I realised that's where I'd walked through on my steep descent from the top. When I entered the famous stone wall street, I went from being peaceful and alone to overwhelmed by hoards of tourists. I didn't stop to look at the wall properly because it was so busy and I'm not a a fan of enormous crowds all trying to get their must-get photo. But I took it in, and also all the lovely shops along this route.
Cusco is definitely my favourite city and it's filled with hippy, spiritual feeling vibes. Shamanic art work and massages were on ever corner. I went down to the main plaza and saw the cathedral on the side of the square, and the plaza filled with people in the big square around the fountain. Again, it felt far too busy for me to want to stay, but just like on my walking tour in Arequipa when a festival parade marched colourfully by, as I stood on the main square I saw a brass band march come out and proceed to walk across the road in front of me. I could hear them at times throughout the city for the rest of the day. My sister was right, the Peruvians love any excuse for a fiesta and parade!
Afterwards I made my way to Qorikancha Temple of the Sun, the sacred Inca temple turned Spanish church, which was impressive but I didn't go in, and then onto Mercado central San Pedro local market, where I finally got my lucuma juice to start. If you ever get chance to try lucuma fruit in a juice, take it. It's like caramel and ridiculously smooth. A friendly happy Peruvian lady called me over almost as soon as I entered and I thought why not, I wanted this juice in Arequipa and never got one. I bought a super thick Patagonia style fleece for what I knew to be a good price, which turned out to be a wonderful investment for the cold of mornings and evenings of Cusco. I've also been living in it since I've been home, you've probably seen it if you come to my classes.
I found a nice restaurant bar with a view to sit in San Blas and read my book (The Shaman's Apprentice at this point, I can highly recommend) and drank a coke as the sun went down, and then went back to my hostel. If you stay in Cusco, I'd very much recommend San Blas area, it's a bohemian dreamy maze of cobbled streets and winding staircases that are lined with endless wall murals, epic views, balcony terraces in small cafes and restaurants, artistic stores, and dogs. I was in bed for 8pm which was perfect, the evening diners had left the hostel restaurant, the light dimmed, and I was able to sleep soundly until my 2.30am alarm went off for rainbow mountain.
Day 2 - Rainbow Mountain
The next day I jumped out of bed half an hour before I had to be at the meeting spot. What a morning it turned out to be! After checking yesterday with the tour provider the day before that my hostel location would not be a problem and highlighting the lack of direct road access, they assured me it would be fine, I then received a message requesting I be ready five minutes earlier, which was fine, I was ready. And then, while I was waiting at 2.50am, I got a message asking me to go to a hotel as they couldn't get to my hostel. There was a map screenshot with an arrow on and the name of a hotel. I replied okay, put the
name of the hotel in Google maps, and said I'd be fourteen minutes. They asked me to be there by 3am, which was in six mins time.
I had no time to be annoyed that I'd checked this the day before only to be sent on a mission at 3am trekking across the pitch black streets of Cusco. I flew out of the hostel and down the steps at breakneck speed, ran up the steps to the right, which were steep and long and at altitude, and was breathless by the top. With no time to spare, I flew out onto a main road and followed it around at speed running past quiet deserted side of road venues that were bustling in the day but spookily quiet at night, with rubbish bags strewn along the fence alongside the side of the road I ran. I didn't like the quietness or the likelihood of people lurking in the shadows where I was and ran even faster.
It brought me out at some steep steps down towards the town again and I flew down them, passing a couple of young people walking hand in hand back from a night out on the town. After a few more dodgy feeling streets, I eventually came out onto a main road that I ran up and could see four clearly inebriated people repeatedly smashing bottles in the street and shouting and arguing loudly, and had to pass them as I came within sight of the hotel name. There were a few minibuses passing on the road, and one parked up ahead, but it was not manned.
Just as I was getting to the destination, raging hot and exhausted, the tour leader rang me
and asked where I was. 'I'm just arriving now, I'm here!' I gasped, out of breath. 'Where, I cannot see you?' he said. I told him the hotel name and described the street, and it became apparent I had gone to the wrong place! I was quite insistent to put it politely that they come and pick me up from where I was, 'I'm on a main road now. I've just ran here at 3am in the morning, there's drunk people around me, I've gone where you told me to go and I'm on a road, just come and get me!' He was very apologetic when he arrived that his assistant hadn't sent me the actual address, just a map screenshot with a hotel name that I put into Google and was the wrong one. Not a relaxing start to the day! I simply replied, 'You're here now' and got on.
Luckily the day improved greatly. The guide said on the minibus that Rainbow mountain was the same altitude as Everest base camp! I hadn't realised it was so very high. We stopped for breakfast two hours into the journey, and I ended up sat next to two English and two Dutch guys who became my trip friends. Everyone always asks when I travel alone if I'm lonely, and I reply never. You make friends wherever you go and I'll talk to most people. We had a nice big eat all you can buffet and set off for the last hour of driving to the hike starting point. With my belly full and it still being very early in the morning, I fell asleep in the van then until we got there, and missed the wonderful views of driving that last hour. Fortunately, I saw them on the way back, dramatic grey and green mountainous Andean terrain and mountain streams winding through the valley with dramatic twists and turns along the road in every direction. In fact most of the drive on the way back was spectacular, even the part we'd missed on the way there in the dark. Although I fell asleep for the last half hour or so of that too, I really must have been tired!
Vinicunca, Rainbow Mountain, is a seven coloured stunning mineral-striped mountain, where you start at 5,036m and hike up to 5,200m. It's a challenging 1.5-3 hour hike, and then the same again back, but easier. Once we arrived, we got given our arm bands and group name, Super Happy Hikers, and then paid two sols for the bathroom (twice the going rate for any other paid toilets I encountered, a clear reflection of having a monopoly in the wilderness and the economics of supply and demand. Luckily we passed another bathroom on the way to the Red Valley and that attendant was asleep on the ground so we balanced it out with a free wee). Then we walked 100m or so and stopped, at which point both our guides looked at me and said, 'You're a good walker!' I didn't realise everyone was wheezing along slowly behind me, struggling with the altitude. Yet again, I was amazed at how little this even bigger 5000m altitude affected me! Either I was a Peruvian mountain sherper in a past life (I have a broad back, as apparently they do, and get mistaken for South American when on the continent by most locals until I speak, so it's possible!) or maybe it's the Yoga...
Having chatted and bonded with the English and Dutch pairs, the second we were given permission to just follow the road and make our own way up the 3.5km ascent to the peak, I was off like a rabbit out of a cage. I overtook several alpaca groups being herded, and all the walkers that had set off before us. We had left early to avoid winds later in the day, but also the 3000 tourists that would descend upon it. My sister, and others, had said this place was really busy, I'd been told it was normal for half hour queues to get photos at the best view points. I just wanted to be up there without crowds for long enough to really sit there for a while with relative peace to enjoy the view.
So, I was on a mission. I put in a good stride the whole way, winding down the dirt track and into the sun, unaffected by the altitude it seemed at all except on the steepest last parts up to the mountain where I did shuffle my feet a little slower. But even there and on those last steps, I still overtook every one in my path. What a lovely feeling to feel like Superwoman! The guides and guys in my group were seriously and vocally impressed by the pace I put in. One passed on a horse and shouted as much, and the others said so later. I got to the over half way point or so where you start to have views of the rainbow mountain and enjoyed five minutes there, but otherwise didn't stop. The whole way it was surrounded by otherworldly mountains and colours, the sun streaming towards us coming over the snowy mountainous glacier in the distance. The alpacas were hilarious to see and pass, especially seeing them run, which was possibly the best run I've ever witnessed.
I've never been the best at anything. Usually not the worst, unless it involves catching, but never the best. When I mountain bike, I'm at the back of the pack crawling up the hill after everyone, always. Half of them have e-bikes and I don't, so I have that in my defence, but still, I've never been faster up the hills than any of the men I've ridden with. It was a challenge to not feel too smug. But the challenge in life is not to turn away from enjoying things that go well and pretend you don't enjoy it, of course you do. The challenge is to not base your happiness upon it. So when I'm slugging away at the back of the pack slowly up the hill on my bike and am consistently at the back, I'm just as content doing it and getting to participate in something that I love as when I'm surprising myself being first hiking up a mountain and realising altitude is my friend! Whether we're good or bad, first or last, win or lose, it doesn't matter. Do your best and surrender the rest. Enjoy the successes, weather the losses, but because our peace of mind and contentment is detached from the outcome, we are not swayed by the passing moments of happiness or strife. It did feel good to feel how happy my lungs, brain, and body were at altitude.
When I got to the first peak, I got to the first picture perfect place directly in front of it with no queue and took some, and then ascended up to the higher peak viewpoint past some poor, exploited alpacas wearing sunglasses, who did nonetheless look very cool. When I got to the top, the views in every direction were just stunning. As the queue was only four strong, I waited for my first ever insta-queue photo, next to a signpost with rainbow mountain in the distance. Because I was so early up, and the queue was barely a queue, why not, I thought. I shall finally share them here having actually shown no-one any of these photos.
Then I sat on a nearby rock and just took in the view for twenty minutes whilst savouring my Inca coca chocolate bar, my staple it seems of journeys and hikes here. The crowning glory of getting to the top and savouring Peru's best very cocoa-intense chocolate bar slowly to the most awe-inspiring views. It was such a lovely moment. Despite all the people around, my little perch on top of the world taking in all the colours and peaks offset against the bright blue sky was perfect. Of all the trips taken, this was one of many people's top two that I spoke to, and I'd have to agree, if you're in Peru, you've got to see it. It doesn't look real.
I slowly made my way back down to the first peak and went and got a coffee, which was absolutely delightful, and chatted away to the Dutch guys who'd turned up. The English soon arrived and the guide who apologised and explained he'd been AWOL because our group had had a lot of difficulties. One girl was on oxygen in the van the whole time and had been in a critical condition since she'd arrived. Another girl that struggled to hike had been on a horse, but had not been able to ride the horse past a point for some reason. They were trying to arrange a motorbike for her but she never got to the top despite still at that point making efforts to do so. The older nan with them had fallen over I gather and hurt herself pretty badly early on. We agreed it didn't matter at all that the guides had been missing in action, it had been a very personal hike anyway. It wasn't a talking hike, it was everyone at their own pace digging in and just making their way. We had a group photo at the top holding a banner, and then only four of us opted to go onto the Red Valley.
We walked along Red Valley path, which was the easy bit, pretty much flat having gained the elevation already. We walked in through the stone arch that could be seen from the path winding up to Rainbow Mountain, and the view that met us was quite sensational. It was even more amazing than Rainbow Mountain in every direction, filled with greens and reds from the copper, iron, and other minerals that make the whole area so red and colourful. It felt like we had the place to ourselves and the four of us stopped there and took photos and chatted for a good half hour before resignedly going back, we'd have liked to hike the trail that went along this valley. From the hustle and bustle of Rainbow Mountain, amazing as it was, this was the real highlight and absolutely worth seeing for the extra fifteen sols.
The guide then did give us some interesting and brief information. Including the fact there are rainbow mountains that are harder to get to and showed us an amazing photo that looked like an artist's palate. And also, he said this was the easy trail. The old one came from the opposite direction, started at 4000m, and took eight hours. He said people used to die on it due to suffering heart attacks on the way up to 5,200m elevation. He also said that the locals up here never suffered covid, 'their lungs were too good.'
The Red Valley and the walk back down were very social and we chatted the whole way. It was a very easy walk down although significantly longer than we'd realised we all agreed. The walk up had been absolutely in the zone, controlled slow breathing in and out of through the nostrils, regulating breath and heart. Taking in the epic scenery in every direction that felt like a combination of the moon and Mars. While the way down was laughs the whole way, endless chatter and connection. Balance.
When I got back to Cusco, I mooched through San Blas once more where I found a family run and feeling bar restaurant high up on the hill, which possibly had the best view from this side, just above the San Blas view point. There was no-one inside and I sat and chilled with a pineapple juice and the shaman book until the sun had almost set completely. I felt very rude going into their private house to use the bathroom twice but I sat there a long time and needs must when you have a bladder the size of a pea.
I then wandered down to the view point and sat on the wall talking in the beautiful sights of the city lit up stretching all the way up the hills. Walking through San Blas all lit up in the dark was beautiful, you could spend your life savings in Cusco there's so much lovely art, jewellery, and clothing to buy let alone delicious restaurants, cafes, and bars on every corner. If I hadn't of been going to the Amazon next and didn't want to risk the beautiful shamanic art I found in one shop degenerating in the sweaty heat of the rainforest, I really would have come out with two pictures I don't have space for and significantly poorer. Being a vegetarian (or vegan), organic, healthy, and spiritual is really not a problem here if you seek it out. I bought a delicious looking pasty with spinach and cheese layered within it from a very friendly Peruvian family and ate it as I made my way back to the hostel and was in bed, dead to the world very early again for my next 3am start the next day.
Day 3 - Humantay Lagoon
Whilst I had been travelling, almost every single person I'd met had either done the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu, or was due to do it. The reason being that it's much cheaper and you didn't have to book it months in advance. The ancient Inca Trail has very strict regulations controlling how many people can enter, and large licensing and administrative costs to cover as a result of this. When they broke down the cost for us later on the trail itself, it became apparent that they only make £50 per person on the Inca Trail, which is nothing when you consider the total cost of doing it, it's essentially £12.50 a day and they were the hardest working people I've ever seen. Anyway, I had begun to wonder whether I'd chosen the right trail when looking at people's Salkantay pictures and hearing how this trail is much more nature based with beautiful landscapes than the Inca Trail itself, which takes in many more ruins and history. Only as I neared Cusco did I hear of other people doing the Inca Trail and their feedback was all glowing, so I happily accepted my decision and when I found out that I could do the most picturesque highlight of Salkantay Trail as a day trip from Cusco itself, I immediately booked it in when I arrived. This is where I was heading today.
The walk to the agreed meeting point was slightly fraught that morning again as the guide WhatsApp messaged me and in typical Cusco fashion it seems, changed it to a road and sent multiple map pictures with arrows but no specific details such as road names and landmarks. Alas, I found it and it was filled with vans and people being collected so felt much more safe, and on I got.
It quickly became apparent that I was the only non Spanish speaking person on the trip that day and it suddenly felt much more lonely. There was as group of six Spanish men and several Peruvians in groups. I had actually spent a year learning Spanish on DuoLingo, but my understanding of actual Spanish conversation is of a ratio of about one word to a hundred.
The journey to Humantay Lagoon took us in the direction of Machu Picchu itself. I recalled my sister talking about being nervous about buses travelling along the narrow roads, and of hearing about incidents where the buses fell off the roads. Looking over the side, especially in the last hour or so of the journey there, I would not want to ever imagine one of those minibuses going over one of the steep mountainous sides into the abyss. The road there snaked around the mountains, slowly gaining elevation, rounding tight corners where thankfully the driver would slow down to barely a crawl. Credit and thanks to the driver, he wasn't a lunatic and clearly valued life over getting home in time for dinner. If I'd have been the type to give into fear and worry more, I might have had severe anxiety over being so close to the edge of these well trodden mountain paths with sheer descents to the edge. Especially as I was sat window side next to the sheer descents, and when looking out of the window at points, I couldn't even see the ground before the edge. But I chose to trust that we would see another day and simply enjoyed the view.
The mountains on every side were different, some barren, brown, and rocky, some luscious and forested hinting of the cloud forest that begins near here and makes it's way towards the Amazon where it becomes rainforest. And those in front of us were capped in snow around the jagged edges and peaks. That was where we were headed, up to a glacial lake. The river at the bottom of the interlocking mountains wound effortlessly and serenely beneath us, getting ever lower as we increased our altitude. It's difficult to convey just how insignificant the Andes make you feel, they consist of endless enormous mountains of every shape and size in every direction, all with their different mountain spirit, or apus, as the indigenous Quechua people believe.
As we got closer, we encountered lots of donkeys being led along the road that we had to sit behind, whipped along by a cowboy on his. There wasn't space on these roads to overtake the donkey packs, let along another minibus, so I thanked Pachamama that this was a quiet road and the only people really driving down it were the tourist buses all heading in the same direction in the morning and afternoon so that we hadn't encountered anyone coming in the opposite direction.
The hike started along a gentle road altogether, before taking a left into a field filled with donkeys, most of whom were tethered to posts in the ground. The ride of shame as it's jokingly referred to is always there on these hikes, courtesy of the poor donkeys whose eyes did not shine, except on the Inca Trail when if you really can't do it, it's the porters and the guides who will rescue you in what I now know to be called a porter rescue party. More about that in Part two...
On the hike up, two of the Spaniards overtook me. It was the only time on any of my hikes that anyone did, but a welcome serving of humility was most welcome. We all congratulated each other on being good walkers at the top and it turned out half of their group spoke some English, so new friends were made despite the initial language barrier. The walk up felt much harder than the previous day had though, in fact it was the hardest walk I did in terms of feeling a heaviness in my muscles. It was a combination I think of tired legs from yesterday (I hoped my one semi rest day the next day and massage prepared me for Machu Picchu!), but also the fact that whilst a similar distance hike to the day before, it was much steeper and continuously so for most of the hike after the initial half kilometre or so.
Humantay lagoon is a glacial lake, set within a snowy mountain, surrounded by mountains. It really was beautiful, more so in a traditional sense than Rainbow Mountain that was much more barren feeling. As I approached the crest, evidently so for the people you could see gathered there at high points, it was quite the take your breath away picture perfect view that awaited.
The serene, aqua, radiant bluey-green, still water of the lagoon contrasted with the snowy, grey mountain and endless bright, blue and sunny sky of the Andes behind it. It was the perfect reward for a challenging but fun hike. It was the type of water you just want to get in, but know that it would be cold enough to give you hypothermia in a minute even if we were allowed. I arose over the crest, turned straight right and made my way along the ridge to the first quiet spot overlooking the lake, almost to the end. I sat and had my reward chocolate again, and then I made a little stone pile offering to Pachamama and practised some gratitude. I meditated for twenty minutes again before making my new friends, took some pictures, and then walked around the lagoon to see from all angles whilst climbing over rocks to dodge the masses of people clamouring to get the perfect selfie on the water's edge.
I found out just before we walked back down that the young girl sat in front of me on the bus was actually Irish and we walked down together chatting all the way while I tried to distract her from her appalling altitude sickness, which had plagued her all the way up I found out, accompanied by much vomiting. My distraction techniques and ceaseless talking did the job, we only had one vomit on the way down and she messaged me the next day to say I'd helped her more than I could know.
The bus back felt hot and long, although the restaurant there and back had spectacular views. That evening, I had a much needed shower and then headed to the amazing vegan Chia restaurant I'd seen on the parallel Sam Blas road to my hostel road. There I had a delicious mocktail and sushi, and found my favourite restaurant in the whole of Peru. I went back there another two times. I enjoyed reading my book and then headed back to have an early night and catch up on some sleep. I was in bed by 8.30pm, passed straight out from sheer exhaustion.
Day 4
The great thing about waking up consistently at 2-4am, and going to bed at 8-9pm, is that you naturally start to wake up at 5am and it feels like you've not only had a lie in but are well rested and can make the best of the day. I am not a morning person before 7am usually, so this was an exceptionally lovely feeling for me. So, waking up easily and naturally at 5am, I got out of bed without an alarm or rush, and had left the hostel before 6am! I was pleased that I had lots of time to go and have a little look at Pisac on my rest day, with no rush. Or so I thought. This turned out to be my most manic and crazy day with unexpected surprises of the whole trip.
I was only going to Pisac because my best pal from Colca Canyon had told me that I would love Pisac, and that she'd choose it over Ollaytaytambo. So I thought I'd catch the local collectivo minibus from there solo from Cusco, have a little wander around, and then catch it home and be back in plenty of time to make it back to San Blas for the pre-Inca trail massage that I'd booked on my rest day at 3.30pm. I also had to pack and buy some essentials for the Inca Trail itself, where you camp for three nights and walk four days, as well as attend a meeting at their office near the historical centre at 6pm to discuss arrangements, plans, and logistics for pick up the next day, unsurprisingly very early in the morning.
I found the collectivo street for Pisac outside of the tourist centre easily enough, getting by on my pigeon Spanish to agree the destination and price with the driver before I jumped on. Collectivos for different places arrive and depart from different random streets, there are no bus stations as such for the large part in Peru, and the local collectivos simply go when they're full. They're cheap as chips, and definitely the way to travel. Soon, the bus was full, and off we went. Before long, we'd also picked up another three people, one of whom had a very large roll of carpet or something similarly rolled and shaped, and he expertly slid it under my feet and the seats and joined the other two people standing by the door for the 45-minute journey to Pisac.
Pisac is another of the ancient ruin sites of the Sacred Valley, just like Sacsayhuaman just up from my hostel, and the Inca Trail itself. But other than that, I didn't really know anything about it. Some things I have to plan to the smallest detail, others I like to leave vague and open to flexibility, surprise, and adventure. Some people hate surprises, I love them. And Pisac was the biggest and most welcome magical gem of a surprise of the whole trip.
Pisac town itself is charming, it's just like San Blas, hippy and spiritual vibes with beautiful art murals everywhere, ecstatic dances and ceremonies advertised on gate posters, and high end and beautiful bohemian and spiritual feeling clothes, jewellery, and art shops littering every corner amidst the many cafes, bars, and restaurants. Best of all, it's surrounded my mountains. It's not that big either, I would very much have liked to stay in Pisac. Even the market there was reflective of the place. I could have spent all day (and week) in Pisac, I could absolutely see why I'd been told a few times I'd love the place.
On arrival, I crossed the bridge across the river to enter the town. I fancied a coffee and googled shops that were open, because nothing seemed to be yet I was so early, and as luck would have it stumbled across the best café in all of Peru. It was full of vegan plant based organic healthy treats that I could have bought all of, decorated beautifully across several cosy floors and rooms, and with a couch view in the top room of the some of the endless mountains surrounding Pisac. I ordered an almond milk cappuccino, quinoa bread, and three vegan treats, half of which to take with me including vegan snickers and white matcha squares. They were all delicious, and I thoroughly appreciated my excessive ordering later that day.
I discovered in the café that the historical site was just over an hour walk, according to Google Maps, and presumably all up hill, or I could get a taxi. I obviously decided an hour wasn't that much and chose to walk despite it being meant to be my rest day. What a decision walking turned out to be! I really hadn't prepared for more, I was wearing my only summer dress and my vans, which is hardly the attire I wore for every big walk. I was not aware at the time that if you google it as words, it'll tell you that walking from Pisac town to the first set of ruins takes about one hour, nor that the full uphill climb takes one and a half to two and a half hours of steep climbing depending on pace.
My google maps must have been marking it as the crow flies! Especially as it did take me to the last ruin on the site as intended, it just missed out one heck of a lot the trail so that it appeared to be the slowest counting down sat nav time I've ever seen. But absolutely in the best possible way.
Pisac ruins feel like they begin as soon as you walk up the hill out of the village towards the ruins. The lane is a beautiful walk in itself, with trees lining the sides casting beautiful streams of light from the side onto the path in dazzling rays.
If you want to imagine Pisac, imagine the famous image of Machu Picchu with all of its stone ruins and wide, mesmerising terraces, nestled amidst cloud forested and vibrant, mossy green mountains. Well, Pisac is similar, except it's surrounded by all kind of mountains, some forested, some supporting grass, shrubs, or cacti, some grey, some brown, some green. And best of all, riddled in big, ancient Incan terraces at many points along the gigantic walk. You walk up a terrace zig zagging initially along as you leave the path out of town, and then climb the very steep, individually and uniquely cut stones steps to the first peak. And already the first view of Pisac below is incredible, and the valley view to the other side opens up along which I then walked.
There is no really sight like the terraces, and they are even more impressive stood upon them taking in how huge and vast they are, sculpted into the mountains. And the most amazing thing about them is how well preserved they are. I hadn't even made it up these first steps before stopping to put sun cream on. With the high altitude, the sun is particularly powerful. And I was to be out in it a long time, much longer than I anticipated! Because another difference in Pisac and Machu Picchu is the size of the place. The Pisac site itself and all of the ruins and terraces within it are spread over a gigantic area that's four times the size of Machu Picchu. That said, more ruins are being discovered all around Machu Picchu, so they might just be covered in forest as Machu Picchu itself was until relatively recently. But even so, Pisac is enormous.
The walk up from the bottom of the hill to the destination showing as Pisac ruins that I headed towards took me seventy-five minutes in the end with some nice stops to take in the views. It did indeed turn out to be the main part of the site. Which was less than the indicated Google lower time, and I could not suggest this walk more! I was listening to some You Tube videos through my headphones for my own guided Pisac tour, and they recommended not walking from the town because it's pretty hard going, long, and the main site also has lots of steps. If you're relatively fit and mobile, do the walk from Pisac, it's the best bit. Just take a tonne of water and allocate a whole day to it, no time restrictions.
This was my favourite walk for many reasons. Firstly, it was the only long hike that I did completely alone, without even a guide. I pleased myself, took detours where I went, and didn't have to wait for anyone. But more to the point, there was almost no-one around full stop! Very few people come to Pisac just to do Pisac, they do the Sacred Valley day trip and do several sites in one day. So, whilst they come to Pisac, they only come to the point that my sat nav was walking me towards, and don't venture any further into the endless ruins, terraces, and mountains that I ended up walking along completely alone for the rest of the day.
It felt like I was no longer a tourist in a tour group and had become an adventurer, stumbling across ancient ruins quite unexpectedly as it would have felt in days gone by. The walk and other ruins were so quiet that in the space of 75 minutes, I saw a mere handful of other people. Which made it infinitely preferable to the much busier main site that I finally reached and its terraces, impressive as a they were. The walk really was serenely peaceful and beautiful, even if treacherously steep and constant uphill and steps for the most part, just like the Inca Trail! I was not doing my legs any favours for starting that the next day, I thought a couple of times. But after yesterday's mild achy legs, today they felt great. I'll never forget the colours of this place lit up so brilliantly by the tremendously sunny sky. I just hadn't expected this place to be so beautiful. In fact, I had no expectations at all really, which is always the best way. Utterly breath taking in more ways than one.
The walk to the main site at the end takes in all numerous other sites and amazing views of endless terraces, mountains and viewpoints on the way. Some sites are there as you walk through them, others invariably require a detour up a mountain. I saved the detour ones for the way back and kept heading towards the main site initially, but enjoyed wandering through the abandoned, quiet ruins as I passed them by. All of these things were absolutely the best parts of Pisac, which the Sacred Valley day trip goer just doesn't get to see. This is actually what my friend had told me, she wished she'd had more time in Pisac. I was beginning to understand why. And whilst I did it at my own pace still fairly fast, there was no rush. It's a good job I did walk fast too because I'd have never fitted it all in otherwise.
The other big difference between Pisac and Machu Picchu is the regulation. You pay a few sols to get in, and once in, you're free to go wherever the hell you want. There are no zone passes, guides, queues, out of access areas, or designated routes. All of which Machu Picchu has in abundance. Pisac is the solitary experience you wish you could have in Machu Picchu, and arguably almost just as beautiful across the whole site on a gloriously sunny day. As soon as you get away from the main site of course, which is more crowded, although not nearly to the same extent Machu Picchu is. The unexpected freedom of this day really was the crowning feature.
I walked around the main site once I got there, did a meditation on one of the empty, long terraces that were a few metres deep, secretly hoping the alpacas might move in my direction before I re-opened my eyes. I then walked back exploring many of the other ruins and views up the hills back the way I'd come. Going up and down several additional mountains doubled the walk on the way back I'd hazard a guess. I saw a handful of people in one of the other sites and a couple of walkers on the paths between them, but that was it. The whole day was easily more walking than the previous two days, in just as much altitude, and totally rewarding! It was a worthy unintended sabotage of my rest day and most welcome surprise. Sore legs after all those steps would be a tomorrow problem.
Once back in Pisac town, I had a little wander around the market I'd spotted on the way up and ended up buying some turquoise Pachamama earrings, my only just because I like it holiday treat for myself. I then got straight on a collectivo even easier on the way back, as I crossed the bridge, a man saw me walking and was shouting 'Cusco?' I said yes and jumped on giving him my equivalent of about a pound.
I only made it to my massage just in time to be there a few minutes early enough to politely ask if they had a bathroom to go and wash my feet in their sink because I'd been walking all day and had got very hot and sweaty. In my lifetime, I've never known myself to have smelly feet. Ever. It was almost a daily occurrence for half of this trip.
The massage was excellent, despite a little heavy-handedness and some very heavy breathing, which was a little distracting. She was breathing so heavily next to me the whole time that it sounded like a Ujjayi Darth Vedar breath through an amp on max volume and with extra distortion. I was sure my broken muscles would surely appreciate it.
Having practically ran to the massage, I then ran back to my hostel, showered, washed, and plaited my hair, intending not to touch it for four days. Afterwards, I headed straight down to the Inca trail pre-meeting and was relieved to see the building existed, always a great start after handing over lots of money, however vigilant in checking it out. After a chaotic start in the ten minutes preceding it where I sincerely questioned my confidence in the operator, our guide, Danny, took over and over the next hour filled us in on everything we needed to know for the next four days, crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is, and was quite simply fantastic.
I had many questions before I entered, and I had none left by the time he asked for questions at the end. He even checked all the passport information even though the office already had, just to be sure we wouldn't be held up. I'm a highly efficient and organised person in a chaotic sort of way, and I love that level of efficiency in another. All with a smile on his face and a joke around every corner. I liked him from the off and felt totally assured we were in good hands. I had some doubts about several things to do with the group, namely their ability to do such a notoriously challenging multi-day hike. But he spent a good deal of the time emphasising that we were a family for the next four days, and I chose to be optimistic.
I left to go and run my last errands in preparation for early pick-up the next day (mainly buying more snack supplies), and then packed all my stuff into three specific bags which took an hour in itself. When I finally finished, exhausted, I collapsed into bed ready for the main event of the Sacred Valley: The Inca Trail.
A lovely read. I was there 20 years ago ,having travelled to Argentina to visit my son who lived there. You reminded me of the magic of it all... ..the people, the landscapes, the architecture and the feeling of spiritual enlightment. Can't wait for the next chapter.