As I sat on the edge of my bed on Saturday night in the town of Aguas Calientes (different than the hot springs) I felt the tingle in my back, feet, shoulders, and legs. A massage would have been real good about right then.To jump back to why I was feeling this way I'll start from the beginning.
That morning the guys were little over tired from the night before and slept through the first part of breakfast. When they made it around the corner to the restaurant after not too long, we noticed that their hair was quite indicative of the mornings events. It was a humorous way to start the day.
Instead of a short drive, we actually started the day off with a 30ish minute drive from one part of the valley to another. We arrived to see our awaited trail of the morning. This was part of the new Inca Trail that was discovered not too long ago. I looked up out of our van to a never staircase covered in grass and rocks and surrounded by fruit and coffee trees. Almost immediately we embarked on our 3 hour uphill, upstair hike. Today wasn't just an up and around themountain kind of day. It was most definitely an up and over the mountain kind of day. And I truly mean mountain. Not hill or any other small earthly plate. Our goal was to reach the lodge up and slightly over the top of the mountain where we'd rest a bit and eat lunch.
This uphill battle was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was a mental challenge to push to the top and enjoy the view all at the same time. I can't explain how awesome it felt to zig zag one at a time straight up a mountain. Although difficult for me, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I had great friends right behind me encouraging me along the way and keeping the journey a memorable one.
When we finally made it to the top to a set of ruins called Llactapata I was consumed with joy for making it this far. Awaiting us up there was also our first distant view of Machu Picchu. Sara and I decided to frame it for the books and remember the fact that we actually made it to such an incredible view. Not to mention, we had quite a delicious meal prepared for us up there. Luis showed us around the ruins a little bit and we went trekking into some uncharted territory. It was cool to learn even more about the Incas and walk an area that not very many people have ever seen.
After lunch we found time for a little siesta on a few borrowed blankets atop the mountain. Not a bad gig if you ask me. I seemed to have passed out quicker than I thought and I was clearly enjoying my nap. It was glorious!
Our trek after lunch, although downhill, was almost just as hard as the uphill battle. It was an hour of zigzagging pretty steep down the mountain. Luis was a pro since he's done it so many times but the silly gringos were lagging behind quite a ways. Even though I felt like I was practically running down the mountain. When we finally made it down all we had left was a short hike to the hydroelectrica before hopping on a train to Aguas Calientes town (base of Machu Picchu).
It was very clear to us what we needed to do that night after dinner considering we'd have a 4:30am wake up call to catch the bus before sunrise. Bedtime shortly after dinner it was!
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