My first solo
trip and adventure was to hike the Inca Trail in Peru. I had never been anywhere a little different
on my own, nor had I hiked anything that involved altitude and the potential
for altitude sickness. So it was
definitely an adventure for me, but it opened the door to the world of solo
travel and adventure and I haven’t looked back.
Arriving in Lima
at night with no domestic flight to Cusco leaving until the morning, I ended up
sleeping on the floor of the airport with the other backpackers. There were no
seats, or benches anywhere to be found, so there was no option at all. I could have taken a cab to a hotel, but I had
read to many scary things about women in cabs in South America that I decided
the floor was a better option. Quite a
start to my adventure!
Landing in Cuzco with an altitude of 3,400 metres (11,200ft),
it was higher than I had ever been before and as I waited at the baggage
carousel my heart was racing. I was
seriously worried about the altitude and was very happy that I had arrived a
week before I was starting the Inca Trail to give me more time to acclimatise.
As soon as I arrived at the hotel I was given
a cup of Coca tea, also called mate de coca, which is an herbal tea
(infusion) made using the raw or dried leaves of the coca plant, which is
native to South America. Apparently,
this was what you had to drink to combat the altitude sickness and over the
next few days I found it did help quite a lot. My room was on the 3rd floor and
every time I returned to the hotel I made myself walk up the 3 floors to try
and acclimatise, by the 3rd floor I was completely exhausted and
trying to catch my breath. If you’ve
never experienced altitude, it’s really quite amazing how it affects you. It also interrupts your ability to sleep
well and I had a few really bad nights of sleep before getting used to it.
Cusco is a lovely city which I enjoyed exploring, although I
was surprised at the size of it and the amount of pollution, staying off the
main streets was better. My favourite
area and one I would recommend is San Blas, tucked away to the north of Plaza
de Armas. You can see the architectural
influences of the Spanish after the conquest.
It seems like a quieter, more interesting area of the city to wander
around. There is no end of history and Inca
sites to visit throughout the city.
The Inca Trail itself was much more than I thought it would
be. Initially I had thought only about
the finale, the big arrival through the sun gate to see Machu Picchu below, but
the hike turned out to be if not more enjoyable, at least as enjoyable as that
magical moment. Along the way you see
many other old Inca buildings and settlements and although the trail is
something that many people hike, it was less crowded than I thought it would
be. We didn’t see any other groups until
we reached the campsite the night before the Sun Gates. The number of permits issued is tightly
restricted to keep the numbers down so it’s something that you need to book
quite a long time in advance to avoid disappointment, although there are other
trails that lead to Machu Picchu, just not the ‘Inca Trail’. Plus, you need to carry your passport with
you to get stamped at the check points or they will deny you access. It was quite hard going, and very slow at
times as that was the only speed you were capable of doing with the altitude
affecting you. At night in the tent it
got very cold, so definitely make sure you have lots of warm clothes as it was
deceivingly hot in the day.
Walking through the Sun Gate and seeing Machu Picchu sprawling
below you is a very special moment. It
was a little disappointing to have to share it with so many clean, sweet
smelling tourists who had just got off the train instead of hiking for 4 days
and I have to admit I did resent them a little, but it was still
wonderful. We were able to go back
in the afternoon to enjoy it after we’d cleaned up and there were far fewer
tourist there then, so it was much better.
It really was a wonderful experience and planted the seed for
future adventure trips.
