At 7am, we set off with my teacher and owner of the school in a communal taxi...school owner in the boot.....LOL...(don't you just hate being the boss at times like this...??) towards Chincero..another route to the Sacred Valley..as opposed to the Sexywaman one.
45 minutes, later, we jumped into a really filthy, stinky taxi for a 20 minute ride to the start of the trek...All looked harmless and I felt relaxed and unbwogable......
As we started to climb, the uneasy feeling of Islas on Titicaca lake came back....I was struggling to breath, nose was out of control...and I wondered why my companions had walking sticks....When I did enquire how long the walk was.... i was in shock...9KM....of this ...
Vaya!!! Kumbe getting fit had not been in vain....the path was nicely marked at every 50 meters....that became my motivation...kept a watch of the diminishing distance...struggling 400 meters behind the other two..
The empty quite space was great...nothing, no one..just he mountains, you, your food, drink and bag...
I began to wonder which would be better....to carry 2 liter of water, half a chicken, chips and fruit in me belly or in in my bag!!!!
Finally at 11.00am, half way at 4,700M above SL... snow peaked mountains...I felt ecstatic... I could do anything...Sigona half way banda climb ...no biggie...
Mlevi celebrated by having half the chicken...
I was motivated...half way there and from here it could only be downhill, RIGHT....????
As we trekked on...I started to get a niggling in the right knee. I was offered a walking to help along...but I was of the opinion, that I was invincible...the descent was rapid the next 3km...as we picked up rivers heading to Huchuy Qosqo (small cusco) it got ever steeper..
I had not even realized that we were headed to the Sacred Valley to see pre-inka ruins..... I was now really suffering and the only way out was to opt for 3 legs.... quick lessons in walking zigzag, grip, posture (otherwise wrong result...sounds familiar from another sporting life...) and I plodded on..
I could see the ruins...just down below, but...that must have been the longest 1km of my life......
I just collapsed onto grass upon arrival
but one thing worried me and seriously... we were the only ones there, save 2 care takers...these were famous pre-inka ruins...where were tourists, villagers...MOST IMPORTANT, THE TRANSPORT????....A stinky taxi was suddenly so desirable....
"where was the transport outta here?" Mlevi asked...
No one was really keen to answer, but I was vaguely informed it was below the edge of the ruins...
Not wanting to be a bad guest...Mlevi settled down to the rest of the pollo (chicken), a rest and a look around the ruins....2 skeletons were found 2 yrs ago in the ruin walls...these inka walls were esp thick...12inches...or 3 times what we see now... This discovery should have been exciting for tourists...so where were they... I was to find out later.
At 3pm... we set off after my condition was discussed...the care taker said that they have had cases of tourists unable to walk..so they offer help:
1. A small steel strecther
2. Strap the incapable tourist with a plastic sack to their back....
Wow...choices, choices....for sure not the gunia (sack) on the back of some small peruvian fellow...dignity if everything even at times like this....so I thought...
even the stretcher...ummmmh I decided to brave it....A gal must always look good, you never know who you might meet....:-)
They asked how much I weighed...decided to use my last known "light" weight....LOL... and hope to get away with it....
Finally, I got to see where the transport "below the ruins" was......!!!!! UTTER DISBELIEF!!!
SHOCK! 4km below (1and a half hour walk...if able bodied....)...
OOOOOKKKKK, let's see how far Mlevi can get.... at this point in time, I acquired another pair of limbs....making me 5 legged
This man and I clung to each other for the next one hour or so....Literally the descent was the deadliest part of all the trek
Another guy followed carrying the stretcher....in wait...another took my bag....making me an eight limbed creature... infact 9 limbed plus the stick.....
By now my camera battery had died...just like owner..so you will have to wait fro the final photos of mlevi on stretcher from companion's camera
After 1KM....image caved in to reason at a point where ...my "guy" told me that the image of Jesus's face was on the rock...right in front of us...I really tried to see it...but...failed.
I non the less decided this was the sign from divine powers above ...to get on the stretcher.....so I did...I lay there and tried to weigh nothing...cursing the chicken and chips I had earlier indulged in.... Mlevi placed her life the hands of these men, and prayed...a slip from one of them...the fall down would not be pretty...
500 meters helps in reliving pain...and so I got off and pushed on clinging to my guy...another 1km, and another stretcher ride.......and we neared the village, the bridge over Rio Wilkamayu (Urubamba) and the transport....oh transport...
When I saw the I km sign, I almost hugged the stone marker....
Wow.....!!! Had just done a 13km hike, up to 4,700m, then descended 4 km there after....
****** ******* *******
I did over hear the guys discuss my weight...and they had more or less got my "heavy" weight....right...
but they got my age wrong...by 15 yrs younger.....
Ha! Ha! Ha! not a bad deal....?
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