December 17
We were picked up from our hostel at 6am and drove through the Sacred Valley to Piscaycucho where we started the trail. 2700 meters elevation.
We crossed the Urubamba river by bridge and headed out on our way.
Then started our “easy” day. We walked about 12 kilometers. It took us about 4.5 hours as we walked on land that is called “Inca flat”. This does not mean flat. It means a series of ups and downs. It gave us some incredible views of Mount Veronica and some time to learn a little more about Ruban, our guide for the trek.
Things Ruban told us:
-Ruban’s father comes from a royal Inca family (although not in the line of rules) and his mother comes from a line of military Incas.
-Ruban’s grandmother is a shaman. The way that shamans are determined is if a person is hit by lightening and they live, they can now be a shaman. She, obviously, survived her lightening strike and continues to practice to this day. Part of her responsibilities: healing by using natural plants and reading coca leaves the way that women in New Orleans read tarot cards or palms.
-Ruban is the first person from his village to go to university. Since then, two of his brothers have also attended.
-To become a guide on the Inca Trail you have to attend university for either three or four years and pass multiple tests.
-Condor is originally a Quechua word, which is cool because it’s the word that the rest of the world uses for the bird. I don’t know of any other Quechua words that are used in English.
-There has been a recent Inca ruin discovery in the jungle that could potentially be larger than Machu Picchu.
-Ruban can run 12 kilometers in 30 minutes. Note: this feels untrue. If he’s really doing this, at altitude, then he should become a professional marathon runner. Mike offered to be his manager.
-Ruban plays futbol for the Cusco club team.
Here are some baby chickens from our lunch spot:
We arrived at Wayllabamba, our camp site (3000 meters), around 4 or 5pm with time to settle in as the porters and our cook, Alberto, got dinner ready. We were tired. They were not. They were full of energy despite walking the same hike with roughly 20kg of weight on their backs. Our campsite had my new favorite ballerina flowers, plus a few others – great omen for the start of our trip!
After a huge, delicious dinner that included tea time and Bananas Foster, we headed out to our tent for bed. As we walked out, there were a few stars in the sky poking through some clouds and Ruban started singing Coldplay. “Look at the stars, look how they shine for you”. So we laughed and he proceeded to sing multiple verses. Man of many talents, but not the best singer.
Day one is supposed to be the training day for day two. Michael thought day one was super easy… me a little less so. I was definitely nervous going into a more challenging day.