Juan Carlos, our fantastic guide on the Inca Trail joked that the porters, running up and down the path, were 'Hurry Porters'. This sparked an unlikely comparison in my brain. From the rugged mountains to the magical ruins, the food served on silver platters to the old fashioned train ride - my experience of the Inca Trail didn't seem that different from Harry Potter's first adventure at Hogwarts.
It got off to a bumpy start as I overslept my alarm by an hour and rushed downstairs from my chipboard bunk (one could even call it a cupboard) in my pyjamas to find Marco (a clean-shaven Hagrid) waiting for me. After brief hysteria dressing, packing my bags and checking out in 5mins flat I was on my way to the mystical land of the Sacred Valley. Marco became my guardian angel for the trip, as I had proved I needed one, always making sure I was ok and organising a suitable tent mate for me, as I was the only solo female on the trip.
The 4 brilliant guides were our teachers, my 17 fellow trekkers my classmates - all Gryffindor for sure. And the amazing porters made very good house-elf impressions, their weathered faces aging them far beyond their years. Their tiny little bodies carried way more than it seemed possible and they worked tirelessly between each day of trekking to put up our tents, prepare our meals and clean up around us. The food was out of this world - far beyond usual camping fare. We had platters of trout, chicken curry and beef stir fry (all traditional Peruvian cuisine when given their proper names - truta, aji de pollo and lomo saltado) avocado, beetroot and potato salads, a soup and desert with every meal. The 18 of us sat around a long table with striped tablecloth, silverware and even candles under a canvas roof with the 4 guides at one end - not quite the great hall but a pretty good substitute and still with a magical quality as we emerged each evening after dinner to find a brilliantly starry sky complete with llama constellation.
By day, as the landscape transformed from river valley, to barren mountain, from tiny villages to lush cloud forest, and we walked through a misty haze occasionally parting to reveal our next destination, it did feel as if we were on a quest to find a missing puzzle piece or even a horcrux. But ofcourse what we actually discovered was a variety of Inca ruins, each one more impressive than the next. The granite stone walls fit together perfectly with no mortar, built to withstand the frequent earthquakes in the area, and the building layouts and decoration were often based on the Andean representation of the Cruz del Sur (or Southern Cross), a little bit like the Deathly Hallows sign. We learnt about colcas (storage rooms), different functions of terraces, their viaducts, the astronomical temples, the sun temple, and its windows that correspond to the 2 solstice sunrise positions, and the chasquis - the Inca messengers that could apparently run from Cusco to Machu Picchu (128km) in 6hours - I reckon they must have had a portkey! I, on the other hand, chose to take the trail at a much more sedate pace (with no travel buddy to keep up with) and, as the last of our guides kept telling me, it was a walk to enjoy and connect with the spirits - not a race. I took this advice to heart, unlike the rest of my group, and made it to Dead Woman's Pass (4200m) 10minutes after the rest but feeling rather refreshed actually!
After 2 days of walking through the clouds, the third day's 3000 'gringo-killer' steps downhill were a revelation as we emerged into a stunning jungle-covered valley with sharp ridges, waterfalls, orchids and more inca sites of the most gravity-defying terraces. We camped on more terracing with vertical drops right outside the tent door, giving the impression of floating in mid-air - broomstick style.
The final flourish of the trail, trekking to the sun gate for sunrise and our first glimpse of the famous Machu Picchu, was followed by a tour of the site itself. Although it's phenomenal setting in the hanging valley reminded me of Hogwarts, perched on top of the mountain, the atmosphere was more like the Quidditch World Cup - thousands of spectators queueing for a spot in the stadium, only to be herded around in a one-way stampede! I made a hasty exit after
being reprimanded for doing a handstand - as though I'd sent the dark mark into
the air rather than just my feet.
The trip was rounded-off with an old-fashioned train ride complete with brass luggage racks, lampshades and complimentary at-seat service of snacks and cocktails. No chocolate frogs though I'm afraid!
After 2 days of walking through the clouds, the third day's 3000 'gringo-killer' steps downhill were a revelation as we emerged into a stunning jungle-covered valley with sharp ridges, waterfalls, orchids and more inca sites of the most gravity-defying terraces. We camped on more terracing with vertical drops right outside the tent door, giving the impression of floating in mid-air - broomstick style.
The final flourish of the trail, trekking to the sun gate for sunrise and our first glimpse of the famous Machu Picchu, was followed by a tour of the site itself. Although it's phenomenal setting in the hanging valley reminded me of Hogwarts, perched on top of the mountain, the atmosphere was more like the Quidditch World Cup - thousands of spectators queueing for a spot in the stadium, only to be herded around in a one-way stampede! I made a hasty exit after
being reprimanded for doing a handstand - as though I'd sent the dark mark into
the air rather than just my feet.
The trip was rounded-off with an old-fashioned train ride complete with brass luggage racks, lampshades and complimentary at-seat service of snacks and cocktails. No chocolate frogs though I'm afraid!
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