THE PERU INCA TRAIL

The Peru Inca Trail with EXPLORE

PEA28JUN08 © Charles Warner, with photos by Joy Jonstone and Lee Chandler 28 November 2015

A short man with a wide-brimmed explorer's hat, he had greeted me with curt friendliness. Ahead of me in the queue, now he shot off to the next stage of the arrival process at Lima's international airport. Phil Wharmby. He was going to be a hard act to follow, I thought. I was glad that I'd trained really hard.

This 21 day EXPLORE tour was particularly good. It first proceeded down the desert coast of Peru from Lima, allowing us to get used to the country and then ascend gradually into the Andes so that we could acclimatize. Secondly, our guide Lou Van Zwanenberg took great pains and special delight in making us happy. We were all going to traverse the Inca Trail together, even if we had to be carried.

On 29 June we visited the ancient seat of power Pachacamac - low outlines in the sand, attended by smallish dogs looking rather like the Harry Potter's Dobby. Lou lives in Cuzco. She would like to ride a motorcycle down the Pan-American Highway. She tells us that she likes to go en famille on the beach and eat fish and chips for a week. Phil looks at me with a grin. She has a complicated history involving New Guinea, a scale 9 earthquake, and time in Australia and England.

We take a boat ride around Ballestas Islands. ("Supposing we jumped in the water and swam to the island, could we manage to climb up over the slippy guano covering of the rocks?": not a sensible question to ask unless people know you really well.) There was a bit of a smell (anchovies) and it was depressing to learn of the use of explosives for fishing. A stratus overcast and calm swell in the sea gave the place a sombre atmosphere and meant that photos of the celebrated "candelabra" made in the sandy rock were not as good as the postcards.

By the time we got to the Nasca lines I was tired, and failed to properly appreciate our flight over these delightful linear outlines in the sandy rock, sometimes difficult to spot from about 1000 m altitude. The terrain looks as though it could blow away or wash away instantly, and it's difficult to accept that most of the features one sees are some 1500 years old.

We went shopping for Nasca pottery. I get assistance with remembering what we're expected to do, etc., from Lee Chandler and Joy Jonstone - Joy Houston to us to distinguish her from Joy Bells Hanley of Swindon. She says she's a Hillary girl when asked whether she supports Obama for the Democratic nomination for US President - so No. As we wander round the archaeological site and surrounding rocks at Puerto Inca, I get puzzled looks when I say "Let's shoot that bird" (referring to a 500 mm lens rather than a cartridge). Phil disappears on a long exploration and Joy Houston and I climb a hill.

Joy Bells Hanley Charles buying fruit We drove from Puerto Inca to Arequipa on 2 July. Lou said that this was going to be long and dull but it didn't seem like that. Upwelling ocean water and green valleys, a wayside church and prickly pears were much enjoyed. Lou told us of her 7 years in the British Navy, rising through the ranks from rating to officer.

I never sleep for very many hours at a time. At 0430 next morning I tried to get the Manager at the hotel desk to take a message for Mary Luz. I had met her on the flight out from Madrid. We had not got along very far because she spoke Spanish and German while I have English and some French. But she had told me to get in contact when we reached Arequipa. The Manager didn't understand what I wanted and called Lulu. Naturally Lulu was livid! Bad ydea!

We went to visit the Museo Santuarios Andinos of the Universidad Católica de Santa María. There we saw the body of the little Inca girl Juanita who had been offered in sacrifice and buried in ice on the Ampata Volcano. The ice had melted due to heat from eruption of another volcano nearby, and the body had been discovered in 1995. Our visit to the Santa Catalina Convent, where girls were confined from their youth, was also rather sobering.

Graham Taylor, Joy Jonstone, Lee Chandler, Elspeth Spensley, Joy Hanley Having lost the others after fruitlessly pursuing Mary Luz, I joined Roberto Temple alone at lunch on a large first floor balcony overlooking the main square in Arequipa. He was manager of mines situated at 4000 m altitude. He wasn't interested in the European Union. He didn't care very much about Obama. China's enthusiasm for Peruvian resources were his greatest international interest.

During the night there was a lot of riotous noise. My next door neighbours in the hotel, Robert Dillarstone and his son Jake, said that it wasn't them. We tried to help Jake ponder his options after school at Oundle. Coca tea freely available in the hotel lobby was great for acclimatization.

Over a 4000 m pass from Arequipa, we descended for the night at Chivay, near the Cruz del Condor. We took pictures of children and alpaca in the town. On the way back, wanting a bit of excitement, I stopped to join a dance party in a cafe, students from Lima celebrating the retirement of a much loved teacher. I was hopeless at Spanish dancing, and soon retired to bed. In the hotel room I couldn't find my camera, and thought I'd left it with someone at the party. They all shook their heads solemnly and assured me I was mistaken, but I didn't believe them. Disconsolate, I got on the phone to my sister in England and kept the person in the adjacent room awake half the night while I lamented my ill fortune. In the morning Lou asked me whether I'd mind if she looked through my bags for the camera. "Sure go ahead", I said, "You won't find it." I carried on writing notes on cards to distribute around Chivay. "Is this the camera?" asked Lou. It was. I exploded with incredulous excitement. Magic. Here was an omnipotent tour guide who knew us better than we knew ourselves. Later she complained that I hadn't actually said "Thank You" for the find.

That day, 5 July, we hiked along the rim of the Colca canyon; Lee took botanical photos, including a stereo-pair. We drove up on to the altiplano and on to Puno on Lake Titicaca.

BIENVENIDOS A LA ISLA FLOTANTE LOS UROS TATA INTI We had fun with the locals on their reed islands just offshore from Puno, then crossed Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island and hiked the one kilometre to Pedro's house to stay the night. At 4000 m altitude, this was excellent training for the Inca Trail.

We bought clothes at a central store, and climbed to the top of the Island. I bought some beads from Owilia (7). Lee Chandler got a photo of the green flash at sunset of rather a peculiar nature, later published as an unsolved mystery of camera optics by the American magazine Weatherwise (May/June 2009, 62, 3, 46-7). As we returned to Padro's house for the night, the Milky Way appeared in full brilliance, and Lou lovingly drew our attention to its features - Beta and Alpha Centauri and the Southern Cross. Next morning at 0608 Joy Hanley and I, looking east from Pedro's house ~ 50 m above the water, agreed that we'd seen the green flash as the sun rose over Lake Titicaca.

At midday on 7 July, after return from the west side of Taquile Island to Puno, we had to make all speed to Cusco to avoid consequences of a strike. We did photograph the circular towers of Sillustani. In Cusco we celebrated Graham Taylor's 47th birthday. He teaches art at four different centres. Phil knew the countries of all the flags in the pub.

Graham Taylor, Joy Jonstone, Elspeth Spensley, Phil Wharmby, Joy Hanley, Charles Warner, Rob & Jake Dillarstone, Lee Chandler We had two full days in Cusco rather than just one. After a strenuous climb up from the city streets, the massive stones of Sacsayhuaman leave one wanting to see a full model reconstruction of this immense Inca fortress.

On 10 July we went off to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba. I would have liked time to climb the fortress and the hill overlooking the town, but we had to get to Kilometre 82 and the start of the Inca Trail. Off we went, and in a few hours reached our prepared campsite on a bank of the Rio Cusichaca just above its join with the Urubamba, with the substantial settlement Patallacta (2700 m) on the opposite bank. We were introduced to our porters, a cheery bunch of colourful family men.

Up the valley of the Cusichaca to Huayllabamba (3000 m). No longer pottering about on Taquile Island, this was the real thing. Rob and Jake Dillarstone led, and Graham happily carried a pack of 9 kg or more. Phil carried 7 kg or more. I expected to be slowest; I carried a minimal 4.4 kg. Joy Jonstone, Lee Chandler and Esther also went quite slowly. I breathed noisily. I also walked at a variable speed under constant throttle setting, and this annoyed Lou, who told me that I should keep a steady pace. She was a bit anxious.

The campsite at Llulluchapampa (3600 m) became cold that night, 11/12 July. My breathing continued noisy and worried people. I was offered oxygen but declined. My tent neighbours Lee and Phil hoped I'd still be alive in the morning. I got about 3 hours in patches, getting up to pee several times. Coca tea arrived at 0500 to conclude a terrible night.

We climbed slowly up to Dead Woman's Pass (4256 m). After a group photo we descended to Pacamayo (3700 m), a pleasing little place where I put in a tactical sleep - an invaluable 20 min. Someone threw a blanket over me - bliss! My light weight pack was taken from me and given to our guide Edmundo (of Condor travel) to carry. He was interested in my father Oliver Warner's books on naval history. We reached another unspectacular pass (3963 m) and went on to Sayac Marca (3600 m). On arrival at our campsite at Phuyupatamarca (3650 m) I went straight to sleep from 1800 until midnight.

At 0600 we rose to see Salcantay peak at sunrise. Pleasing for the girls, we had a dance party with our porters after breakfast. It seemed that they had a rather low opinion of their miscellaneous adventurer clients, preferring a close knit family life. The walking was much easier on this day, although the weather wasn't so good for views. We all recovered our vigour. Passing Intipata (shown above) we reached Winay Wayna (regrettably whizzing by an interesting museum) and climbed about the site. Another 2 hours saw us to Intipunku the gateway to Machu Picchu. Phil Wharmby produced a bottle of champagne for us all to celebrate! We descended by bus to Aguas Calientes, took a swim in these waters and had a big dinner. We felt fairly heroic. Lou told us how she played competitive squash to ~national standard at the age of 16.

Next day 14 July we bussed back up to Machu Picchu for a tour. There was an opportunity to climb Huayna Picchu (2640 m). Lou was reluctant to allow this and gave me a form to sign disowning responsibility for my falling off. I met lots of young people on the quite easy climb (Thomas Urup with me in the photo). At the top, with clear air all round, this was the most exciting mountain I ever climbed. Machu Picchu lay 230 m below at 2410 m, and there was a sheer drop of 650 m to the Urubamba at about 1990 m. The top of Huayna Picchu was wide enough for a stereo-pair of Machu Picchu.

After returning by train to Cusco we made a trip to Pisac to look at ruins and shop, and next day went rafting on the Urubamba. Then it was time to disperse. Phil went to Ecuador for two weeks, and Lee Chandler, Joy Jonstone and I flew to Puerto Maldonado for the 3 day Amazon extension of our tour. After cruising for an hour up the Rio Tambapata we reached a lodge. We went for walks and climbed a 30 m tower into the treetops, notable for macaws flying around in pairs. On the way home Lee photographed one of a family of 7 capybaras on the river bank. We enjoyed final meals at Luigi's in Lima before returning home.

More photos may be found on picasaweb.