Day: May 14, 2019

We were woken by our local support team at 5am for a cup of hot cocoa tea – becoming a favourite of the whole group.  There was a severe frost, so getting out of bed was tough although the rising sun illuminating the surrounding peaks made it worth it.  We were away by 6.15am to once again climb over the Salkantay pass – the weather was great so we were treated to spectacular views of the incredible peaks.  

The rest of the day was basically a descent. We were making good time so Fernando suggested we have lunch at the Andenes ruins rather than planned small community of Wayracmachay.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but it soon started raining and combined with our growing hunger, made us wonder if we had made the right call. The scenery was amazing – a huge mossy valley filled with massive, multi coloured boulders and towering peaks and the odd glacier gauge through the hills. We got a great feel for farming life in the valley where the animals were allowed to roam free. We finally all arrived at the lunch site by 130pm to be treated to another great feed and some sunshine. 

It started raining again soon after we started walking but it was not too heavy and we had some tree cover. It lasted for an hour after which the sun burst through once again. Thankfully the mosquitoes were not a problem and it was nice not to be struggling for breathe. About an hour out of our campsite at Collpapampa, a few other (younger) trekkers started to pass us.  However we had our own private campsite out the back of a local’s house. It was perfect with chickens and dogs running around the place.  We negotiated for warm showers while downing a cerveza – 50 souls for 6 of us.  Shame the showers were only luke warm but still they were a relief. We then convinced Fernando to arrange a fire (20 solos for the wood) which was magic to sit around after dinner.  Day 2 involved 17.6km, over nearly 9 hours but with only 270m of climbing – like I said, it was mostly downhill!

We left our support team to the fire about 10 for another night of slumber with a small mat and a sleeping bag.  The support crew were still at it when I got up for a piddle around 2.30!  Hopefully we will still be getting breakfast in the morning! The roosters decided to start to crow around 3am – didn’t know that roosters suffered from insomnia!  However we were woken at 545am to a cup of hot cocoa tea by the team, with little apparent effects from the late night sojourn. However Fernando did not rise until 630 and looked as bad as anyone I have seen with a hangover.  Although full credit to the man, he soldiered on as engaging as he had been on the previous 2 days. I guess it helps that he is only 32!

We met our guide Fernando and the tour owner Carlos at the hostel around 5 to get a briefing on what to expect over the next 5 days.  Didn’t sound too stressful, except maybe the very early morning starts. We were given a bag into which we had to patch our belongings for the 5 days – 7kg max. We then headed for a couple of drinks at the 180 View Escobar – best view of Cusco apparently or your money back – followed by a pizza at our favourite local pizza place.  The guinea pig pizza was only tried by Andy.

We got picked up at 430am the next day and met the rest of our crew including Ebanhulio, our cook, the assistant cook plus the helper. We were all back to sleep in no time, to be woken up at the Inca ruins at Tarahuasi.  Once again you could not help but marvel at their workmanship.  We stopped for a great breakfast at Mollepata – a thriving little town that basically didn’t exist 15 years ago.  

We arrived at Soraypampa around 10.30 for the start of our trek. We also got to meet our 7 mules and their 2 ‘mulers’. The numbers of trekkers was a bit scary but Fernando suggested we skip Humantay Lake, where they were all going, and head straight up to the Soraypampa campground – thus avoiding the crowds.  It was a great move as we basically had the trail to ourselves.  It was damn hard work climbing from the 3880m at the start to 4450m at the campground.  The scenery was amazing although the lack of breath made it a wee bit of a challenge to really enjoy.

We arrived at the campground around 2.30 before getting stuck into an amazing lunch. – how Ebanhulio manages to cook the food on a few gas burners is incredible. The trout was amazing. A couple of our group took the opportunity of the tents being set up to catch some sleep, while the rest of us climbed another 200 metres to view the Salkantay lagoon.  We were treated to a sunny afternoon which meant that colours of the lagoon, and the Salkantay and Palqay peaks, were amazing. We were also treated to several small avalanches. Day 1 involved a light 11km walk, taking us just over 7 hours for a total climb of 942 metres.

We all had a bit of a kip before joining Fernando in the mess tent for an hour of his history of the Inca empire. Very interesting. Amazingly we were the only campers on the whole site.  We were treated to another great meal before all being tucked up in bed by 8 – bed was certainly the best way of avoiding the biting cold.  Deryn and I were adamant we would not be getting up in the middle of the night for a pee as 1) it was too damn cold and 2) getting in and out of the tent required a degree of flexibility that we both lacked. We were both successful although we were told we missed an incredible night sky.  Our hired sleeping bags were a bonus, albeit they were a bit like riding a bull, as they kept us warm while the rest of our crew struggled with the cold.