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| Morning view (imagine 360 degrees) right outside of our tent...my iPhone doesn't do it justice;P |
Woke up on Day 3 still alive...yay! And yes night 2 was pretty cold (low anticipated of -2C) but apparently it wasn't as cold as it could have been due to some light overnight rain.
Trip tips: You would be have been comfortable/warm in a down sleeping bag. Unfortunately, I (being allergic to down) opted for regular sleeping bag PLUS 3 bottoms, 4 tops, 2 socks (1 wool), "maybe" alpaca mittens and a very comfortable cashmere beanie (thanks Sienmi!). I survived but after I woke up and covered my head with the sleeping bag as well. Another note to keep in mind before you try to find a portable heater to bring on the trip... I am a person that runs "cold" usually.
Day 3: Chaquicocha to Winay Wayna (Forever Young)
Whoo hoo! Today's hike was previewd by our guide to be only 1/2 day til 1pm...what to do with our "free time" in the afternoon??? I kid you not, this was the best news all trip haha. I was already in mental 'survival' mode by this time.
I voted nap...lol - yeh, that did not happen.
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| So peaceful up on top - so quiet:) |
Just after hiking our 3rd mountain pass of the trip, we see...another Inca ruin! They love their mountain side constructions:) ...the ruins are starting to get larger now...
Note that most larger ruins always have agriculture "steps" as part of the community. The steps allowed the Incas (and Andean) farming area to span multiple altitudes (and therefore temperatures) so that a variety of crops could be grown. Okay maybe mountain-side building had some benefits in addition to inaccessibility lol :D
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| Phuyupatamarca "The City above the Clouds" (3680m/12073ft) |
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| Close up on the five stone Inca "baths" (from above pic) - more for ritual water cleansing than actual baths. |
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| Aguas Calientes is the small town nestled by the river near the top of the pic...where the train from Cusco or Ollaytaybambo would take you to get to Machu Pichu base...getting close!!! |
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| Be careful not to step or sit on the llama "beans" lol...they're pretty fragrant so can't miss! |
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| This llama was hilarious! Totally just sat there an deadpanned the camera...awesome photo op loved it:) |
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| Killing some time between popcorn happy hour and dinner with Anna's Banana-grams! Seriously a hit on this trip...may buy myself the game... |
So instead of a nap in the afternoon "free" time...I took advantage of my Andean surroundings and visited "Little Machu Pichu" or more accurately known as Winay Wayna in the Quechua language....yes more steps:) But the steps still amaze me since they are so huge!!!! Looks small here but you can not jump down from step to step...well you could but ummm you might incur some injury. You also might find a llama grazing on one of them as well...super cute:)
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| Winay Wayna (translation: Forever Young) or mini-Machu Pichu preview...located right by our campsite on the 3rd night |
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| Managed to squeeze in a tiny photo nap after all... |
We are now literally right around the corner from Machu Pichu!!!! (Alas, in the real world still a 2 hour hike away...for now dinner and rest...)
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| (the zig-zag trail to the right is the 30 min bus ride from Aguas Calientes city up the Machu Pichu) |
Trail tip: Yes, on our orientation, night 3 was the campsite where there would be showers to refresh ourselves and be once more tolerable to our tent roomie. However, as of 06/2013 - the running water was MOUNTAIN cold water (i.e. freezing!) as testimonied by the 3? 4? guys that braved the showers (kudos!!!). So be prepared or bring a billion kid/diaper wipes (you still have to carry them!) for a "sponge" bath on the go if you're not into mountain cold showers.
(Track our progress on the Llama Path map)
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