Cusco to Wayllabamba
We hardly slept. The need to rise early always interferes with a good night's sleep and today was no exception. It was too early for breakfast though we did grab some tea and toast...
And we waited. Our pickup time had been specified as 5:40, and we did begin to get worried as we began to approach 6:00. Dawn was breaking. It was a beautiful day outside, beautiful but cold.
Soon the bus pulled up , and our guide E hurried us inside...
The drive was beautiful. The scenery kept me awake as we passed the lovely villages of Chinchero, Urabamba and Ollantaytambo. We soon reached what was called Kilometer 82 in the map.
Ollantaytambo is where we had breakfast with our team and our time there was made of the stuff of first introductions and first time conversations. It was our last chance to buy anything we wanted, that we might have missed. So we got hiking sticks, and water. We collected the sleeping bags we had hired . We mulled over hiring the services of a porter as the sleeping bags and mats did make our backpacks bulky and unwieldy. We were in luck... Luggage sorted we followed our guide
Vilcanota River.. |
The Entire Group :) |
Inca Ruins - Llactapata |
We hadn't gone very far and we got to see our first Inca ruin :). The ruins of Llactapata was discovered by Hiram Bingham (who also discovered Machu Pichu) in 1912.
De-cyphering the two words - 'llacta' means town and pata means "height" Archaeologists believe that it was built by someone of high rank , and that it must have definitely been connected to Machu Pichu considering the proximity to the site. Like Machu Pichu this site was covered by dense vegetation which had to be cleared.
Hiking up.. |
The Ruins |
We were told the settlement comprised of more than a hundred buildings. They were to house soldiers and workers. It is believed that it might have been an agricultural station the purpose of which was to supply maize (the staple grain) to the important site of Machu Pichu.
Our Lunch spot from a distance.. |
Thankfully lunch was soon declared.
Our Dining Tent |
What followed was even better, a starter, sumptuous soup, and a main course. Amazing that so much and in such elaborate detail was done to such perfection in sparse conditions such as these
Playing footie with the locals.. |
M
lovely!!! trekking is so brilliant i love the physical weariness u get, which finally lets u rest ur mind, in gorgeous surroundings.
ReplyDeleteanyway, i hope u will post a detailed FAQ for thos who aspire to do the inca trail at some point :)
FAQ on the way :)
ReplyDeleteand what you said is sooo true... you also feel very different in the wild.. somehow your instincts are sharper ..maybe something ancient survived deep within us?