In what was to almost assuredly guarantee one of our most memorable experiences in all South America, Nic and I undertook the 5-day 'Salkantay trek' out of Cuzco to the legendary lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. Although discovered as recently as 1911, the mysterious ancient ruins set amongst high altitude cloud-forest and accompanied by striking peaks on all sides, are of such astounding beauty that the archaeological site is now considered one of the 7 Wonders of the World.
Longer, higher, supposedly more scenic and infinitely more remote than the well-trodden "Inca trail", our trek would approach the city from sacred Mt Salkantay via the same route of approach as American adventurer Hiram Bingham, who first discovered the city with help from some local Peruvian farmers who´d apparently known about its existence some time beforehand.
Despite 'Salkantay' being a far cry from the countless tourist hordes which our destination would eventually reveal, I was certainly expecting a social trek, however with 12 walkers, 3 English-speaking guides, 1 cook, 2 porters/muleteers, 4 mules and an emergency horse following behind, I was somewhat overwhelmed by this new level of "babysitting trekking". Still, with an ongoing case of tendinitis in my right knee, such an elaborately planned expedition allowed an easier decision in going ahead with the trek, given some serious US dollars had been deposited 4 months in advance to secure our placings.
My trusty 10 year old Lonely Planet guidebook amusingly stated that trekking to Machu Picchu could be done independently for as little as $20/US, with touring companies complete with tents and food costing a more hefty $75/US. Having since grown possibly into the single most visited site in South America though, I was not surprised when forking out closer to $400/US for the privilege to walk to the city; a culmination of Gringo fees of which I saw little ´spending evidence´ towards our porters or the surrounding national park itself, despite a few cushy buses transporting tourists up from the alternative $120/US train from nearby Cuzco city.
One advantage to approaching Machu Picchu the traditional hard way, is that most trekkers make it into the city well before the "granny" tourists arrive, but more importantly the blazing hot sunshine itself. Entering the city with its giant stone-framed agricultural terraces laid out before us, complete with a few grazing lamas and surrounding thick morning fog lifting briefly to reveal the steep peaks behind was a serious sight to behold. As sunrise began we realised we were in cloud rather than fog, which slowly cleared with the wind until the entire spread of the city and its precariously high location could be seen.
Our guide "Victor" lead us around all parts of the abandoned city, explaining both Hiram Bingham´s original wacky theories on certain rooms and temples (he was more adventurer than archaeologist) in comparison to today's theories, concluded via more thorough methods of study. Although the Inca culture never developed writing they were astounding stone masons and amazing road builders, developing their own message-relay system of runners and checkpoint offices spanning their empire across the high Andes. Machu Picchu itself contained many "Indiana Jones" style innovations, including the "Temple of the Sun" which cleverly used the position of the suns rays twice a year to announce the beginning of their Summer and Winter solstice periods.
Finally, after taking countless photos, Nic and I did a quick but hairy ascent scrambling up slippery rocks, hanging ropes and the occasional worn Inca-made steps up the accompanying "Manu Piccu" peak overlooking the city itself; which can be seen in the typical postcard shot seen here.Jealous yet??? :)
