Then we went to the hotel. It was not nice at all. Some of the people did not have hot water, we did. The bathroom was filled with mold. The guide said that there are not enough hotels in the town. Jack and I walked around and could see the rooms are very expensive. So we were only in the room ten hours and we survived.
We took the bus up to MP at 6:00 and began our walk at 6:30. Nine of us went with guide Joel. The others did an easier walk with Pavel. We walked away from MP 1300 feet up a mountain and a 3 mile round trip. It had rained and the stones were slippery. The steps and paths were quite difficult. We were walking to the Sun Gate. It is the beginning of the Inca trail and the main gate to MP. The hikers were coming the other direction that have done one walk from far away. It is a four day hike and you need a guide with you and a cherpa to carry your tent and belongings. You carry in and out everything, including your human waste. You need to make reservations at least 6 months ahead.
Children were walking with parents in sandals. Natives were on the path.
It was complete fog during the entire hike up. When we got to the top and 1 1/2 hours later still fog. Then the sky's opened up and we could see MP down in the bottom of the mountain.
What we saw at the top for one minute when the fog almost cleared.
The level path. I never took a picture of the steep uneven steps. Probably because I was so busy looking down!
Joel helping Judy. Steep cliff.
In the Sun Gate.
End of hike. At the top.
Name of the Sun Gate to prove to PAVEL that we made it.
Picture on the way down with fog lifting.
Still farther down the mountain.
Look how far away Jack is from MP.
My handsome man!
Joel, the second guide for MP. He was superb. He never left all 9 of us. He was running from one person to the next to help us get up and down difficult areas. And most of us did fall but not serious. Guides study tourism at the university. It is a major. They need to know history of country, birds, some medicine, vegetation, etc.
There are no toilets or food in MP. That is all outside the gate. So you better bring plenty of water with you.
We took the bus down the mountain at 11:30. Had a nice lunch back in town. Another tour group came by train to MP and left with us. They had a free afternoon to explore the town the first day.There is nothing to see! And the other tour group only saw it the next morning. I would not have been satisfied with that tour.
Got ourselves stuffed into the train for the 1 1/2 hour ride to where the bus was waiting for us. Then a two hour bus ride back to Cusco. Pavel herded us like a mother with her chickens. He would say, stay close, get in single line and we would get through areas with no trouble Wonderful hotel and our suitcases where already in the room. We only took backpacks to MP. We went from 9000 feet to 11,000 feet and PAVEL told us to drink and take it easy that night. We were dog tired, so no problema. He also instructed us to only eat soup and where to buy the meal. We all listened to him. He was back in his home town and wife and four year son are here. But he had to sleep in the hotel with us! Jack was asleep by 8:30. I woke up with a bad headache and began to drink a lot of water. Then felt fine. Jack felt like he needed more oxygen. The problem with the water drinking and high altitude is you have to pee all the time. I always have toilet paper is a pocket. Here is a toilet that you flush with a pail of water. Throw the paper in a waste basket next to the toilet.
Location:Machu Picchu, Peru
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