This morning we woke up to fog and it rained as soon as we were done with breakfast. Of course! We started the day with porridge and buns with butter and jelly.
Today, we would go over a pass (not as high as the last one!) at 13,041 ft. The hike would be moderate and we would pass a few ruins along the way, so it would be very scenic and thought provoking. Excellent.
The first set of ruins, Runcu Raccay, were originally thought to be a kitchen so it was called Cucina. Later on though, they decided the place was a lodge where the important people would go and stay to prepare before going to Machu Pichu. The ruins were quite small and physically unimpressive. It was the situation of the ruins and the forethought of design which was quite interesting. From this lodge, one could see the approach trail as it winds it’s way up to the pass, so it was very easy to defend.
Shortly after the pass, I ran into a Spaniard (Enrico) who was hiking with his own guide and porter, in the opposite direction of us. Enrico had a huge backpack!
Enrico’s guide was a flirty little guy…he told me he would give me a liter of Cuzquena beer if I would haul Enrico’s stuff back to Agua Caliente. I said not even for 5 liters…The Peruvian porter then changed tactics. He said since my husband was in the US, and not in Peru, that I should be considered single…Nice try Mr. Suave porter dude. I told him my marriage vows don’t work like that…and he was very sad afterwards. Ha-ha-ha.
As I stopped for a little to chat with Enrico and his Guide, I noticed Enrico was sniffling quite a bit. I offered Sudafed for his cold. He replied that his father is a pharmacist, so he came prepared with a whole kit of drugs.
I said goodbye to Enrico and pressed onward. I should remark that my boots were still soaked from the day before, so I was wearing my Chaco’s. With the red poncho covering my backpack, and bare legs with sandals, everybody thought I was a porter. It was actually rather nice…the other porters would move out of my way as I jogged up behind them. Then, they would murmur in surprise as I slid effortlessly by…it was awesome.
Except, at some point, Carlos caught up with me (because I had stopped to chat with Enrico). He was not at all happy I was jogging in my Chacos. He gave me a stern lecture about how nice he was being to even let me hike in the sandals to begin with, that he should have made me hike in wet boots, and that he was worried I would get hurt if I continued jogging.
He said I could only continue with the sandals if I went slow. It was a little annoying, because I’ve hiked 14’ers in my VFFs (with absolutely no sole) and I ran for 19 miles in the Grand Canyon on a severely sprained ankle. None of this mattered to him, he was completely adamant in his decision. So, of course I relented. I didn’t want him to get all worked up again.
So, my dreams of prancing down the Inca Trail, as the Incas must have done centuries ago were just going to have to wait until later. Next time, I’ll hire a private guide or do it as a marathon.
The second set of ruins, Sayac Marca, were an ancient monestary equipped with aqueducts! It was rather neat and had good views of the drop from the pass, as well as the place we would be eating lunch at, Chaquiccocha.
At lunch, we had mushroom, chicken, and corn soup. Fresh guacamole with toasted buns. Very tasty!
The trek to our campsite from Chaquiccocha, was amazing. We passed by a cloud forrest; a path which winds it’s way through dripping moss covered trees and abundant tropical flowers with fern carpeted floors. This part of the hike was the most beautiful. Every now and then, the clouds would lift and we would be treated to views of jaw dropping snow covered Alpine vistas. We went through the Inka tunnel and made our way to the campsite at Phuyupatamarca.
This campsite is the most amazing campsite. It’s on a ridge which juts out from the land around it. There is a 360 degree view of snow capped Andes mountains. We set out our stuff to dry and then spent the next hour gapping at the view. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…I tried to ask Rolando to identify some of the mountains.
We had tea at 4:30pm and I looked forward to dinner. All these beautiful views fed my soul, but not my stomach!
Dinner was spinach soup with veggies and rice. Flan was for dessert-YUMMY!
Tags: Exodus Tour, Hiking, Inca Trail, Pacaymayu, Peru, Phuyupatamarca