Friday, December 22, 2006
21/12 Rain, rain go away, come again another day...
It is summer solistice, the second most important date in the Inca calendar and where is the sun?...I suppose you can't have a cloud forest without cloud. Hit the mountain at 6.30am in the thick fog and light rain which hung around til 10ish. Got an hour of intermittant sunshine for some photos and the cloud closed in again. Poncho weight rain. Explored anyway, got startled by a Llama galloping past and climbed Wayna Picchu the crag at the back of all the photos of Machu Picchu.
The trail was extemely narrow and steep. Hard work. The views would have been awe inspiring on a clear day. Every so often we got a peak at the river and Inca site below us, and I mean IMMEDIATELY below us - a sheer drop! It took your breath away and motivated you to keep climbing on the off-chance it just might clear for a life-time memory view and if really lucky - photo...The fog was so thick on top it felt like you could step off the mountain onto a solid white mass. Reminded me of the day I topped Mt Snowdon but even thicker - if that is possible. My trail buddies (the US couple from a couple of days earlier, I now know as Fernando and Juliana) wondered aloud how close to God did the Inca high priest need to be?!
Still a very special day. HINDSIGHT: I would Touristadome train window seat up from Cusco afternoon of day 1; overnight Agua Calliente; early bus to MP; stay all day and catch the last bus back (there are at least 4 walks of different parts of MP to do); overnight Agua Calliente Day 2; early backpacker train any seat back to Cusco day 3. But if there is a next time it will be in May (low season, but dry and green) and I want to hike it.
Interesting mix of government and private enterprise. Govt sold the train service to Orient Express $100 US return pp. Also sold buses to site - flash 27 seat Mercedes coaches. But they are running on govt maintained roads. Gravel and mud single lane switch backs. Hate to think what the maintenance schedule is to keep the coaches in service...The govt even tried to sell the MP site til they got caught out.
Saw a a couple get engaged on the mountain. One of the trek groups was doing their goodbye speeches in the background behind me and I noticed a guy get down on one knee and then the girl hugged him and the group started cheering and clapping. I couldn't hear them but it was pretty obvious. Very romantic. How he kept his secret for four days on the trek...he would have been so nervous too...
When I got back to Cusco it was sooo good to have a hot shower and scrub all the mud off and thaw my feet. Not sure I could have had the patience to be wet and muddy for four days on the trail. I probably would have been ready to kill someone by then!
Buddied up with Fredrico (sat together for 4 hours on the train), an El Salvadorian from New York, for dinner. We tried Alpaca at the local Peruvian Chinese restaurant (these are known as Chifa locally). The alpaca was excellent. Tender and beef-like in texture and taste. I imagine a roast Alpaca would be very good. Also Peruvian Chinese is very good. Light and flavoursome. Their chilli soy is FANTASTIC - cut the chilli into a bowl of soy and let steep for a couple of hours. It has a KICK. Actually Chinese here is quite like Oz. Lots of fresh veges and very little battered.
It is summer solistice, the second most important date in the Inca calendar and where is the sun?...I suppose you can't have a cloud forest without cloud. Hit the mountain at 6.30am in the thick fog and light rain which hung around til 10ish. Got an hour of intermittant sunshine for some photos and the cloud closed in again. Poncho weight rain. Explored anyway, got startled by a Llama galloping past and climbed Wayna Picchu the crag at the back of all the photos of Machu Picchu.
The trail was extemely narrow and steep. Hard work. The views would have been awe inspiring on a clear day. Every so often we got a peak at the river and Inca site below us, and I mean IMMEDIATELY below us - a sheer drop! It took your breath away and motivated you to keep climbing on the off-chance it just might clear for a life-time memory view and if really lucky - photo...The fog was so thick on top it felt like you could step off the mountain onto a solid white mass. Reminded me of the day I topped Mt Snowdon but even thicker - if that is possible. My trail buddies (the US couple from a couple of days earlier, I now know as Fernando and Juliana) wondered aloud how close to God did the Inca high priest need to be?!
Still a very special day. HINDSIGHT: I would Touristadome train window seat up from Cusco afternoon of day 1; overnight Agua Calliente; early bus to MP; stay all day and catch the last bus back (there are at least 4 walks of different parts of MP to do); overnight Agua Calliente Day 2; early backpacker train any seat back to Cusco day 3. But if there is a next time it will be in May (low season, but dry and green) and I want to hike it.
Interesting mix of government and private enterprise. Govt sold the train service to Orient Express $100 US return pp. Also sold buses to site - flash 27 seat Mercedes coaches. But they are running on govt maintained roads. Gravel and mud single lane switch backs. Hate to think what the maintenance schedule is to keep the coaches in service...The govt even tried to sell the MP site til they got caught out.
Saw a a couple get engaged on the mountain. One of the trek groups was doing their goodbye speeches in the background behind me and I noticed a guy get down on one knee and then the girl hugged him and the group started cheering and clapping. I couldn't hear them but it was pretty obvious. Very romantic. How he kept his secret for four days on the trek...he would have been so nervous too...
When I got back to Cusco it was sooo good to have a hot shower and scrub all the mud off and thaw my feet. Not sure I could have had the patience to be wet and muddy for four days on the trail. I probably would have been ready to kill someone by then!
Buddied up with Fredrico (sat together for 4 hours on the train), an El Salvadorian from New York, for dinner. We tried Alpaca at the local Peruvian Chinese restaurant (these are known as Chifa locally). The alpaca was excellent. Tender and beef-like in texture and taste. I imagine a roast Alpaca would be very good. Also Peruvian Chinese is very good. Light and flavoursome. Their chilli soy is FANTASTIC - cut the chilli into a bowl of soy and let steep for a couple of hours. It has a KICK. Actually Chinese here is quite like Oz. Lots of fresh veges and very little battered.
# posted by The Essence of Good Taste @ 12:20 PM 
