Inca People Were Evil and Thoughtless

I´ll start this off with a relieved 'I completed the Inca Trail!' style gloat. It´s a gloat only because the potential for other results was certainly there - Mike and I alternated between being slightly sick and dizzy to trying- desperately-to-unzip-all-twenty-doors-of-your-tent-in-the-middle-of-the-night-before-vomitous-action type ill throughout the four days. I literally had to army march him from the respectable altitude of 3000 metres to 4200 metres (Dead Woman´s Pass) on Day 2 lest he tumble off the side. He was so blessedly out of it that he felt no embarrassment when he was sick in front of a fellow hiker, a pretty Norwegian girl, who was highly sympathetic.

The trail itself was a revelation - you just got to marvel at how dastardly clever the Incas were, well before their time. They channelled water effectively in neat little viaducts. They built everything to face the sun. They used huge stones and God only knows how they transferred them from quarries that were often miles away. Plus, they had a real eye for aesthetics - the sheer beauty of the sites that they chose (and the tactical positioning) was often breathtaking, even though they were often shrouded in cloud.

The hiking was usually either dramatically uphill or downhill which meant that you were either gasping for breath or pathetically clutching your knees. And we had porters to carry all our stuff, something which felt like guilt inducing lavishness. These men, with the most bulging calf muscles you will ever see, literally ran the Inca Trail with at least 20 kilos on their back. My admiration knows no bounds.

Machu Picchu itself was absolutely stunning. It is sandwiched high above a U-bend in a river, surrounded by several intimidating mountains and is virtually impossible to access. We spent a good six hours exploring it as we were practically the first people on site - before the camera toting Japanese / American tourists began to block up its steep stairways. However, to say that Machu Picchu is the sole purpose of the trail would be completely unfair - the trail and all the archaeological sites that you see along the way make it a thorough experience. I only curse the Incas for their belief that you have to suffer in order to attain something good - they could have short cut it through the valley but opted not to. Boo to that!

I could blether for much longer but I shall restrain myself. I will attempt to get more photos up online. White water rafting tomorrow, chocolatey rivers ahoy!