Bloody Trekking Weather!

When I was describing our trek in the Torres Del Paine national park, I mentioned how we experienced many different types of weather, but the predominant one was definitely the amount of wind. Well if Torres was the windy trek, the Inca Trail was definitely the wettest trek.

We should have known what was to come from the first day we spent in Cusco - the Andean city which is the base for all visitors to Machu Picchu. After arriving and checking into our hotel, we went out to explore the city and found that the warm sunlight of an hour before had been replaced by grey clouds and impending rain. The following day, we walked up to Sacsayhuaman (pronounce it "Sexy Woman" but with a hint of a Spanish accent and you aren´t far off) which is an old inca ruin overlooking the city, and whilst taking photos, the clouds rolled in again and we got caught in a rainstorm on our way down. Finally, on our last day in Cusco we went on the sacred valley tour to visit several other inca ruins, and whilst at Ollantaytambo, had a slight downpour. So we can´t say we didn´t have any warning! Luckily, Cusco and the surrounding area is a lovely part of Peru, and even without perfect weather is a wonderful place to visit. However, the reason we were there was not Cusco, but the Inca Trail and its conclusion at the old Inca city of Machu Picchu, and so at four in the morning on New Years eve, we boarded a tour bus with the rest of our group and began the drive into the sacred valley and the beginning of the four day trek.

I´ve just re-read that last paragraph, and I´m concerned that if I´m not careful this post may end up sounding like one big moan about the rain (I suppose the title of the blog hasn´t helped either!) so I´ll get that over with now. It rained, every day, for hours, whilst we were walking, and I don´t think I got everything completely dry until two days after we finished. There, I´ll try not to mention it again. The thing is, despite the rain, Mandi and I had a fantastic time. We were lucky enough to be with a great group of travellers (Matt, Claire, Oli, Joel, Amy and Lee) who were all really nice people and who we learned loads from - we had a great time talking to them over meals and on the trail and their company and conversation helped the rain become more unnoticable (last time I mention rain, promise).

We were also lucky enough to have a great guide in Flavio - who was full of information on everything from the inca history to modern South American politics - and a great cook and porters behind him who were always smiling whatever the weather (damn it! OK, that was the last time) and who gave us a great New Years Eve party on the first night of the trek.

So after 3 days and nights on the Inca Trail we finally arrived at our destination along with the other 300 or so fellow trekkers, and unfortunately a few thousand people who had stayed overnight at nearby Aguas Calientes and got the bus up that morning. I don´t want to harp on about this so will get it out the way now, but it was a bit disappointing to see just how crowded the city was. I realise that the tourism industry is important to Peru, and I´m glad that people can get to the city without having to do the 4 day walk that we did so everyone can enjoy it. However, it felt as though there needed to be some tighter restrictions on the number of people who were allowed in each day and perhaps where they could walk once there to help reduce the wear and tear on this excellent site.

The city itself is great to see. We walked to it in yet another downpour (cr*p - I am trying, honest), but half an hour after entering the city, the clouds and rain cleared away and we were left with some wonderful views over the old city and the peak of Huayna Picchu behind. Flavio gave us a great tour around the city buildings and pointed out the numerous points of interest until finally we had an hour or so in the sun to wander around and get some last photos and memories before heading for the combined bus and train journey that would be our much easier route back to Cusco.

Overall, Mandi and I had a great time on the trek. Not only did we see some great places, but I doubt there could have been a better group on the trail to share it with (although if any of them are reading - sorry if I went on about American Football too much, once you get me started on that subject....!). Flavio was a brilliant guide, and the whole group got on really well and were interesting and fun to talk to. Plus we got to learn yet another fun card game (thanks Oli)! It was great to see Machu Picchu (and despite my moaning about the weather, it cleared for that day which was the most important part of the trek so shouldn´t really complain), and was nice to be back walking in the mountains for a few days. After returning to Cusco we were able to have one final meal with our group before going our seperate ways and Mandi and I began our two day bus journey away from Cusco and Peru and back into Chile. Our next destination being the Atacama desert in Northern Chile where there are some weather stations that have never recorded a drop of rain.....

Steve