Following Inca's steps to Machu Picchu II.
My host Cesar was worried about me planning to do the Salkantay trek by myself. Also, he recommended that I take a taxi to the bus stop in the centre. Fortunately, I do not like unnecessarily spending money, so I decided to walk there. And the universe knows how to help us to get the best. I caught the Colectivo to Mollepata just on time. It seemed as though they were waiting just for me. The driver threw my rucksack onto the roof, and immediately after I sat down, we left. The way was expected to be lengthy, and I was sitting next to a young "Greengo" guy, so we started talking. He was a nice, friendly and talkative Swiss boy with the same interest in hiking up to Salkantay pass to reach Machu Picchu.
The Colectivo dropped us off on the main square of the little Peruvian town. I met two other "Greengos", a German couple, equipped with the rucksacks and walking shoes. We got some snacks, shared our fruit and without any arrangement started our hike on a very nicely marked path.
I got an excellent map on my phone, they gained knowledge of Spanish, and all of us got a little packet of coca leaves and courage to do the hike. In the beginning, the road was quite easy, but after some kilometres, there was a steep path. Today's goal was Soraypampa, over 20 km from Mollepata. The sun was shining, and I took off my trouser legs and was wearing only shorts, that was the most foolish idea because I became a straightforward target for mosquitos.
We reached the camp in the late afternoon. I did not have a tent, but luckily, it was not a rainy night, and a little shelter was enough for being in my sleeping bag covered by a mosquito net. My new friends were fully equipped with tents and camping cookers, so I joined them cooking pasta or rice every day. There was no option to buy prepared food in the first camp. The kitchen and the local chef are available only for tours. Unfortunately, my Swiss friend presented himself as the real Greengo, because he bought a rocoto sauce for pasta instead of tomato sauce (rocoto is very very very hot kind of pepper but shaped just like a tomato, so the little packet that we poured on our spaghetti was for seventeen portions). So we were happy with my bread and cheese.
The second day of our trek was the hardest and steepest hike to the pass. The weather changed rapidly. But we were truly motivated to reach the Salkantay Pass, the highest point in our lives. The path was steep and seemed to us like it was never-ending. There was no view around us, and we couldn't see the mountains with snow-covered peaks. We were exhausted carrying our heavy rucksacks, but suddenly we reached the top. It was windy and rainy. But we did it! It was an indescribable feeling. Finally, we are here! We took some pictures, placed our backpacks back on our shoulders, and carried on. The way down was faster but still not very easy. Rainy day, slippery path, and high attitude. We were tired but satisfied. Today's goal was Chaulley. A beautiful wet place with several camps situated in two-storey houses so that we could place our tents (or just mat and sleeping bag in my case) inside under the roof. Our European group cooked together - pasta and tuna fish and ketchup. Delicious!!! We could also smell expensive food prepared for the people hiking with an agency. Without envy!!!
The guide was so loud waking up his tourist group. So we got up quite early and started the trek almost at sunrise. According to some advice from different people we didn't walk on the path but the road. There was a big collapse on the way, full of stones, so we had to use a little hand-operated cable car over the river. It was a crazy adventure, but fun. After reaching the opposite bank, we walked for a while and then crossed the river back to follow the comfy road.
We found a lovely village, finally the option for tasty Peruvian dishes and coffee. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed the time there with great food and strong but sweet coffee. The last and also most challenging part of today's hike was still ahead of us. We had also got a cup of coca tea, and full of energy we started the steep hike. We almost ran because we expected to reach the summit in 2,5 hours, but we accomplished today's goal in only 1,5 hour.
We found a campsite in Llactapata with an inexpressibly bewitching view to the valley with Machu Picchu in the background. We enjoyed this magical moment without any words. There was muddy and wet ground everywhere, but luckily the owner of the campsite offered to us camping in the house, sheltered under the roof. We enjoyed the atmosphere sitting outside together and drinking beer.
We could sleep longer the next day because of the excellent location we were in. The hike down was also tricky and exhausting, and we were approaching Aguas Calientes slowly around the train tracks. Once we got there and found a hostel, we were again full of energy to enjoy our last evening together playing pool and drinking Pisco Sour.
We started our last hike early in the morning with torches. Mark and I were going to hike up the Machu Picchu mountain, so we had to refuse the guided tour through the citadel. The sky was cloudy and foggy, so we couldn't enjoy the view on the way. I remember one place where I had to stop. I felt a steady flow of some strange energy. It came into me, and it was around myself. It forced me to stop and just breathe. I kept my concentration only on the energy, and I felt that this is the feeling I have been looking for. This is the sign telling me I am walking towards my dreams, and this is the right path.
After some time, I started hiking again and got to the summit around ten minutes behind Mark. We couldn't see anything, but we sat down and were waiting. It was cloudy for a few minutes but suddenly the clouds opened for us and we got a stunning view downhill. We hiked down together, and I had felt something changed in myself.
The Machu Picchu citadel is an amazing energetic place hidden in the mountains but overcrowded. Of course, it is one of the ‘must-sees’ in Peru, but you have to be prepared for dozens of people walking around you taking selfies and photographs. We enjoyed the walk through the citadel and being in this sacred place. But in the end, we found out we didn't see the Inca bridge and usually, people are not allowed to go in again. But we asked, and we were. We got back in and started the tour again — such an amazing experience. To ask is sometimes enough. I had to say goodbye to Mark because he decided to stay in Aguas Caliente until the next day. I was full of energy and also under some time pressure, so I almost ran down and then around the rail track towards the bus station where another Colectivo was waiting just for me. After several hours on the way, I arrived in Cusco again, ready to start another adventure.
Feel the energy...