10 October - Inca trail to Llactapata
Having descended to 2,200m/7,217ft above sea level for our second night, we started our trek the next day in more humid weather, plus rain. It was therefore difficult to figure out what to wear in the first couple of hours. Rain jacket but sweaty? Rain poncho but dealing with wet hood and wind? Stress to rival that of The Wet Tent Flap. Eventually resolved on just getting wet so no rain jacket or poncho, and stole Olli's Yankees cap to cover increasingly gross hair. Grumpy Victoria until the rain eased. Day 3 description: "Moderate difficult - 12km - Highest altitude: 2,700m/8,858ft above sea level" Once the rain eased and the (my) grumpiness had subsided, Day 3 turned out to be utterly amazing: - Coffee plantation on the trail: as a group we picked beans, peeled them, roasted them, ground them and then drank the coffee. Organic, fair trade, amazing! And then I told the group all about Charlotte being Marketing Director at Divine Chocolate UK, who all then vowed to try the fair trade chocolate. - Beautiful scenery: stunning views of the valley below as we climbed higher on the Inca trail that winds up one of the peaks surrounding Machu Picchu. - Llactapata: the highest point of the trail with a rarely seen, simply stunning view of Machu Picchu, a lesson in Andean history from Adolfo, our guide, and a look around the ancient Incan ruins at the site. Our campsite was just below Llactapata and we had uninterrupted views of Machu Picchu from our tents and the rest of the site - which we had all to ourselves, no other trekking groups! Breathtakingly beautiful, especially under the blanket of stars, making us forget our sore blisters and muscles.
