28.03.2008 Inka Trail - Day 3

The moment we got our eyes open at 05h45 we saw amazingly beautiful mountains in the horizon. Snowy tops in the sunrise. Straight after packing we climbed up about 1h30 and got to the third pass (3670m), where the breakfast was served. Fantastic view of 360 degrees, clouds below us and snowy mountains around us. The sun was up and no other people in sight. After breakfast we headed for the jungle. Time to get dirty!! This was a fun part where we got mud all over our legs (and shorts for those who slipped...). This was a short day, the third camp site was waiting for us 1000m below. This meant very long stairs, more than 3000 steps down... We were very happy to have the walking sticks with us to keep the balance. The Inka stairs are very irregular, they are made of rocks, and sometimes they go down very steeply. On the way we stopped to see Phuyupatamarca (The Town Near the Clouds), a Temple for the Mountains. For the Inkas the mountains mean protection, Apu. Along the trail we saw a giant humming bird, orchids and many other interesting plants. We arrived to the camp site, Wiñaywayna (Forever Young) around 13h and headed straight to the bar for a well deserved beer! This was the largest of the camp sites, where most of the Tour companies are sleeping before going to MP. According to the new rules only 500 people per day are allowed to access the Inka Trail, this includes hikers, guides and the porters. Because of the number of people, the toilets were disgusting, there were a lot of noise, and we realized that it was a very good choice not to have stayed at the regular camp sites along the trail.

After some free time (siesta) we went for "History Time" to Wiñaywayna archeological site which was situated about 5min walk from the camp (most hikers miss it while being too busy drinking beer at the bar). It was a very big agricultural site, comprised of around 60 terraces and archeologists think (based on the number of houses and rooms) that about 40-50 people lived and worked there. We enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the place around a wine glass (from Erick´s magic bag ;) ).

After dinner we had a little ceremony with the porters and chefs to thank them for all their hard work during the hike. They had prepared a little song for us in quechua, and Jo got to danse with the head chef Xsixto! Suddenly we realized that our bed time had passed and went quickly to the tents at 20h45... ;)