The Final Days: The End of An Epic

All epics -- no matter how great, how lengthy, or how perilous -- must come to an end; accordingly, so, too, must this story. I´m sorry to say that we have, after much hardship and adventure, come to that time. But wait, my friends! Put down your pitchforks and torches. Save your rioting for another day. For there remains yet one last adventure to tell before this tale of unparalleled greatness reaches its conclusion. Our hero has one last task to face, one final obstacle to overcome. It is the showdown between archenemies, the battle with the final big boss. Indeed, in the final days on his excursion, our hero faced his most daunting challenge, and was rewarded with the most remarkable experience of a lifetime.

When I last updated you on my trip, I had just left the Galapagos and was beginning to embark on my next adventure: an excursion to Peru to undergo a trek to Machu Picchu. Well to Peru I went, and trek I did. After my Galapagos cruise, I was feeling pretty wholly satisfied with my cross country adventure, thinking anything else would be hardpressed to even come close to such an extraordinary experience. Well, I`ll let you decide for yourselves which of the two adventures was the more fantastically life-altering. Suffice it to say that the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, which I will subsequently describe for you, was -- without question -- the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It was also unbelievably rewarding in every way imaginable.

And here is exactly how it happened.

Day One -- Cruzpata to Salkantaypampa
Starting elevation: 3,400m
Ending elevation: 4000m 
Highest altitude: 4000m
Walking distance: 14km (5-6 hours)

We started the day off bright and early. The SAS tourbus picked us up at our hotels/hostals between 5:30 and 6:00am. We drove for about 2 hours before stopping for breakfast at a small village. The breakfast was...disconcerting, to say the least. It consisted of little more than a unappealing ham and cheese sandwich on not-so-tasty bread. To put it simply, I was extremely disappointed, and very worried that the extra money I paid was not, in fact, going to get me more quality meals (there will be lots more to come on the topic, but essentially I was dead wrong and my trepidations were entirely misplaced. Thanks goodness). After breakfast, we transferred from bus to truck to drive another hour or so. But friends, let me tell you, this truck was not as you are currently picturing in your mind. It was an open back pickup (think transportation of livestock) into which 16 passengers, several crew members, and lots of luggage was crammed. We stood the entire way, holding on to the sides for dear life. We were, time and time again, assaulted by tree branches as the crazed driver rushed ever onwards to our destination. Oh yeah, and it was pouring down rain. Not the greatest start to an epic journey, eh?

But alas, we made it, we were alive (albeit wet), and ready to start our trekking. By the time we started walking, the raining had slowed quite a bit, but it was still very wet and dreary. Visibility was very poor. As we got higher, the weather improved, but the skies were still filled with clouds and fog, blocking our views of the scenary. All in all, it was not the weather one would hope for on a scenic trek through the mountains (though occasionally the cloud covered mountains would make for a cool, though difficult to photograph, image). Again disappointing (but again, only temporarily. Read on!). The hike started at Cruzpata (3400m). We walked for about 2.5 hours to Soraypampa, where we had our first lunch. Again, I`ll talk about the food in more detail later, but this was when I first realized how wrong I had been in my assumptions. During our lunch, we were met by a nice rock avalanche that nearly took out our food tent as we all sprinted to safety. Nice and calm, just the way I like my meals. We finished the afternoon by hiking the rest of the way up to our first campsite, Salkantaypampa (4000m), which took another 2 hours or so. Of note, this was by far the highest elevation that we camped at, and accordingly the coldest night. And by cold, I mean freezing. And by freezing, I mean -- well, ok, I guess that`s pretty much by definition what I mean. In fact, it was so cold, I awoke the next morning to find my brand new Kindle completely non-functional, destroyed by the frigid air. Anyway, with my new camping gear, along with layer upon layer of clothing, I managed to survive the night.

As a side note, Dad made me pack a sweatshirt before coming on this trip, which I had lugged around the entire time up until this point as extra weight. All along I had cursed him for making me bring it, but on this particular night, I was thanking his wisdom and foresight. Thanks, Dad!

Right before bed, the clouds parted for just an instant, giving us our first glimpse of the Salkantay peak (6264m). We were amazed not only by its sheer size and beauty, but by the fact that we were so close, and yet had no prior idea it was there. Darn clouds.

Day Two -- Salkantaypampa to Collpapampa
Starting elevation: 4000m
Ending elevation: 2800m
Highest altitude: 4600m
Walking distance: 18-20km (8 hours)

We were warned multiple times that the second day on the trek was by far the hardest (and that, in fact, the following days would be rather easy, gradual hikes). Like all days, we had a gentle wake up call around 6:00am, at which point they brought hot tea and water for washing to our tents. Upon exiting from our tents, we were very pleased to find clear, blue skies, along with an absolutely gorgeous view of Salkantay, the peak which had only just teasted us the night before. After a bit of jaw-dropping and picture taking, we had half an hour to pack things up and get ready for breakfast. After eating, we started the day`s trek around 7:00am (all of this was fairly standard procedure for the following days). Here was where we met our first real challenge. We hiked for about 3 hours from our camp in Salkantaypampa to Apacheta pass, which boasts an astounding altitude of 4600m. The point of this seemingly tortuous endeavor was the rewarding views of Salkantay mountain, which were --at that altitude, quite literally -- breathtaking. The climb was unbelivably difficult. It was incredibly hard to breath. Upon reaching the top, we were once again met with disappointment: there were clouds obscuring the view. But just as our fearless guide Rubin predicted, after finishing our complimentary tea and snacks, the clouds disappeared and the view was indescribable. I am literally without words. Snowcapped peaks and enormous glaciers surrounded us, utterly demanding our attention. It was hands down one of the most beautiful (and rewarding) sights I have ever witnessed.

After spending a significant amount of time trying to capture the perfect picture (I got some good ones, but no matter how good the shot or camera, no photo is truly going to do this place justice), we continued onward. The rest of the day was spent hiking downhill which, while a wonderful reprieve from our previous agonizing ascent, was also an arduous undertaking. This was especially true considering the sheer distance we continued to hike after our battle with the monstrous pass. By the end of the day, I was the sorest I had ever been in my life (save perhaps for the end of day 4). We started by walking about 2 hours down to Huayracmachay where we had lunch, and then continued onwards for another several hours to our second (thankfully much warmer) campsite at Collpapampa (2800m). During the descent, the scenary was continually changing, sometimes gradually, other times abruptly; the views were never disappointing. For parts of the trek down, we found ourselves hiking a path between two enormous peaks, Salkantay mountain on one side, and Pumasillo on the other. Throughout the entire day (and the entire rest of the trek, in fact), we were blessed with warm weather and perfectly clear, blue skies. I don`t think I could imagine better conditions.

Day Three -- Collpapampa to La Playa
Starting elevation: 2800m
Ending elevation: 2300m
Walking distance: 11km (4-5 hours)

The morning routine was just as described previously, albeit with significantly more leg cramps. I awoke feeling absolutely, unbelievably rested and relaxed. I had slept perhaps more heavily than ever before in my life. Thinking back over the night as I lie snug in my sleeping bag, utterly at peace, I realized that night had likely been the best night of sleep in my entire life. And we were camping, no less. If nothing else, perhaps this will help illustrate just how much turmoil my body had gone through over the course of the previous 24 hours. As Rubin would say, (and as I now plan to say as frequently as possible), I slept like an alpaca baby.

The entire third day was very short in duration, and entirely downhill. It was a wonderful break from the previous day, although I was still very sore throughout. We reached our next campsite with plenty of time to rest and relax, which was very much needed. We left our campsite at Collpapampa and started our hike downhill. We very quickly entered into the high jungle zone known as the Ceja de Selva. It was rather astounding how drastically the scenary had changed in such a short period of time. There were trees everywhere; they utterly engrossed the hill sides. Everything was a dark, lush green. We saw birds, flowers, waterfalls. We stopped for lunch partway through the afternoon, then continued onward to our 3rd (and final) official campsite, La Playa (2300m). Here there was electricity, an actual, fully functional bathroom. Up until this point, we had been using a portable camping toilet, one of the chemical ones, which was consistently disgusting due to the fact that so many people were experiencing traveler´s diarrhea. I`ll spare you further details. There was a nice river nearby with icy cold water; most people chose to go for a swim, though I elected to stay behind. I think I might have had a bit of heat stroke -- I felt like heat was radiating from my entire body, and I very quickly fell asleep in the shade. But after a quick rest, I was feeling much better, and I joined them at the river. I didn`t feel like changing clothes, so I only soaked my feet, but this alone felt fantastic on my poor, blistered feet.

Day Four -- La Playa to Aguas Calientes
Starting elevation: 2300m
Ending elevation: 2000m
Highest altitude: 2700m
Walking distance: 15km (6-7 hours)

I mentioned before that day two had been purported as the only truly difficult day. Well, this was a straight-up, old fashioned falsification. Day four was brutal -- in my opinion, as hard as it is to believe, more difficult than the second day. Though we didn`t have the altitude working against us, the sheer steepness of the inital climb was miserable. The morning trek took us from La Playa (2300m) to Llaqtapata (2700m), an agonizing 400m climb almost literally straight up. But, as always, it was certainly worth the effort. Our day started out as per usual, though this morning we were hiking not just any ol´ path, but on the remains of an actual Inca trail. After walking about 45 minutes to the trail, we climbed for a little over 2 hours (ultimately beating the record for reaching the pass, according to our guides). We rested briefly at some Incan ruins and enjoyed the astounding view, which happened to include our first glimpse of the far off Machu Picchu city. Afterwards, we continued down for another 2 hours to the Hydroelectric Plant (1870m), where we had our last lunch with the SAS foodstaff. Again, downhill, though somewhat relieving, was still exhausting and painful. After lunch, there was an option to either walk the rest of the distance for the day, or to take the train. Considering the sweltering heat of the midday sun, the guides recommended the train, so that`s what we did. The train ride wasn`t altogether pleasant, with the sun beating down on me the entire way, but we arrived in Aguas Calientes (2000m) 45 minutes later. As I mentioned previously, the previous night had been our last official campsite; much to our aching bodies` relief, we spent the fourth night in a comfortable SAS hostal called Hostal Viajeros. We had nice, warm beds and, more importantly, hot showers. Not just warm showers, HOT ones. I think this was the first time in about 4 weeks that I had gotten a truly hot shower. And boy did it feel good. There was the option to bathe in the town`s hotsprings, but nobody partook. We had a great dinner prepared by the hostal and called it a night.

Day Five -- Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu

This, our final day in the unbelievable journey that we had undertaken, was indeed a true reprieve from the previous four. We awoke earlier than usual, at 5:30am, in hopes to get an early start in order to catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu (an astounding sight, so I`ve heard). Unfortunately, as you may have gathered from my most recent (of many) parenthetical observation, we arrived just after the sun had peaked over the far off hills -- we missed it. I was extremely upset by this. In fact, this was really my only complaint for the entire trekking adventure. I believe this was an important enough event for us to have been sure to make it on time. But alas, we did not, and in the end, who am I to complain. I spent the day reveling in some of the most staggeringly magnificent, overwhelmingly stunning views in existence. I can`t even begin to put into words how impressive this day -- the culmination of so much sweat, agony and hardwork -- truly was. Nor can I begin to describe, or even imagine, how much these experiences meant to me, and how they have altered my life for the better.

We started off (after numerous photo ops, of course) with a 3 hour guided tour by none-other than our very own, fantastic guide, Rubin. He showed us around to the various sights, providing history along the way. The temple of the sun god. The temples of the puma, condor and snake. The navigational compass, aligned perfectly with the various mountains in the distance. The sacrificial table. The sundial. The rock quarry (Machu Picchu was, in fact, unfinished at the time when it was abandoned. It is estimated that they would have needed another 50 years to complete it, brining the total build time to 183 years). Time and time again, I was astonished and impressed by the sights, the views, the craftmanship and forethought, and the longstanding  history.

After the tour, we had free time for a few hours before needing to meet back in Aguas Calientes for our final lunch. There were a few choices for activities: one might spend some more time exploring the Incan ruins; climb up Huayna Picchu Mountain (though you had to book this in advance, and Jared was the only one who did), or maybe Machu Picchu mountain; or perhaps meander up to the Gate of the Sun, the official entrace to the area coming from the classic Incan trail. Rubin recommended the Sun Gate, as it gave the most impressive views of the city, so I started with this. From Machu Picchu, I walked quickly with several others up an Incan trail, mostly cobblestone and steps (I hate steps now, by the way), to a view which was indeed spectacular. I didn`t stick around for too long, however, because I also had high hopes of making it to the top of Machu Picchu mountain before having to call it a day. So after snapping some sweet photos, I hurried back down to the city to try my luck on a different trail. Unfortunately, in the end, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn`t have enough time to make the hike. In fact, I almost certainly would have, but there was just too much on the line to risk it. First of all, I didn`t want to arrive back late and miss lunch, having to suffer through a train ride home on a empty stomach. More importantly, if I missed the train, I would have had to stay overnight in Aguas Calientes, subsequently missing my flight the next day, and so on. So, in the end, to my extreme disappointment, I made the tough decision not to hike the mountain. Another time, perhaps?

I managed to meet up with some of the others before heading back to Aguas for lunch. We were all very reluctant to leave, and indeed spent several more minutes just staring at the beautiful city in all of its wonder. Eventually we were able to pull ourselves away, and we hiked back down to Aguas Calientes. We actually had the option to hike up this same trail in the morning rather than taking the bus, but I`m ultimately pretty glad that we did not. It was pretty steep and would have been an unpleasant way to start off the day. After lunch we essentially hopped on a train for about an hour and a half, then onto an official SAS busin Ollantaytambo, which took us the rest of the way back to Cusco (approx. another 1.5 hours). We arrived back around 6:30pm. I spent the evening walking around with my newfound companion Jared, a fellow trekker, browsing markets and picking up some last minute necessities. I ended up rooming with Jared--as well as someone he had met up with previously, also returning from a 5 day Salkantay trek--in a rather sketchy hostal. We elected to take the cheaper room, which was exactly the same in appearance as the more expensive one. When asked about this, the owner told us it was because of the noise -- apparently there was a discoteca located below. In retrospect, we probably should have payed the extra couple of dollars; it was looooud.

The next morning I woke up early and started on my long, ridiculously circuitous journey home. Because I initially booked a roundtrip ticket from Portland to Quito, I had to fly all the way back through Ecuador instead of flying straight home from Peru, which essentially added an entire day to my trip. At first I was very upset about this, and indeed tried in several ways to alter my itinerary; however, in the end, I was able to make some last minute purchases in Quito that I had foregone previously in Otovalo and regretted ever since. And now, I am sitting in my hostal, late at night -- much too late, in fact, for the early morning I have ahead of me -- trying desperately to get onto paper (or, at least, its electronic equivalent) all of the thoughts that have been filling my head for days. And at least, we have neared the end.

But first, some final words about the trek.

I am so glad that I ended up spending the extra money to go with SAS; everything about the company was absolutely perfect. Both of the guides, Rubin and Oscar, were incredible. The food, as I alluded to earlier, was amazing. No, it was beyond amazing. It was first-class, restaurant quality food. It was served buffet style, the problem being that every single plate was so tantalizingly appetizing that you simply had to try them all. We were blessed with variety in the dishes, each one wonderfully different from the last. Recipes ranged from typical, authentic Peruvian food to a new spin on an old favorite. Some examples include lomo saltado, ceviche de trucha, pepper relleno, stuffed yuca, veggie salads (lots of delectable, fresh avocados), dulce de leche, corn tortillas, pizza, fried potatoes, etc. The list goes on and on. Our chef was a worker of magic. And he did all of this in a tent, with food and supplies brought along on horseback from day one. Rather impressive, to say the least. Breakfasts weren`t nearly as spectacular as lunch and dinner, but were still nothing to complain about. We typically got pancakes, toast, porridge, and sometimes omelets. I stuffed myself over and over again, only to do it once more a few hours later.

While we are on the topic of food, I want to mention a few other Peruvian dishes that I got to try while in Cusco. Upon arriving in Cusco, one of the owners of a hostal I stayed in kindly showed me around town on one of my first nights. He introduced me to a local favorite, pollo a la brasa (chicken which is flame roasted, comes in orders of whole, 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8, typically served with french fries and a veggie salad -- I´ve often seen it around Peru and Ecuador). I also tried some local street food, such as papa relleno (a fried potato stuffed with veggies, egg, etc., served with various condiments -- it`s reminiscnet of a baked potato, except it`s an altogether different kind of spud, and, of course, fried rather than baked). Lastly, I tried, reluctantly, another local streetfood delicacy, a cow heart kebab (similar to the meat kebabs I have described in earlier posts). Jared talked me into trying this one, and it wasn`t at all as gross as it sounded. In fact, in terms of taste, it was incredible. As for appearance and texture, it was pretty much indistinguishable from any other type of beef. What can I say -- when else would I have tried it?

Ah yes, one other food side note. I learned that the cheese filled, tortilla/pancake things I have described so lovingly in the past, at least one variety of them, are known as llapingachos.

One other funny story. Before starting this journey, along with a couple of times along the way, I have had the occasion to laugh at my passport photograph, showing it to friends and family whilst professing how ridiculously different I look. The photo is from Junior year of highschool when I went to Spain, and I look pretty significantly different. However, nobody commented on this, or even gave the picture a second glance, throughout my entire trip. That is, until today. It occured as I was going through some sort of passport check (not exactly sure of its purpose, as they have like 30 of them and never really tell you what they are doing) in Guayaquil, Ecuador this afternoon. I walked up to the window and was met by an unfriendly looking man with a bald head, large forehead and dark face. He was behind very thick glass with a unreasonably small circle cut out to augment communicative capabilities. I couldn`t hear a word he was saying. He also seemed to refuse to repeat anything for me, and instead -- I suppose -- just came to his own conclusions when I was unable to answer his questions. Anyway, as I handed him my passport, the following conversation occured:

"This doesn`t look like you. Is this you?"
Um, yeah, that`s me.
*glances at photograph*
"You`re fat in the picture"
Oh, ok...
"But now you look skinny -- why?"
Um, because it was a long time in the past.
*Calls over coworker*
"He looks fat in the picture, but now he is skinny. Is this him?"
"Yeah, he has a fat neck. Also, his hair is long in the picture, but here he has short hair"
"Why is your hair longer in this picture, and you look different?"
...because sometimes people appear differently than in the past.
 "So this isn`t you in the picture then?"
What!? Yes, that´s me!

This is nearly exactly how it happened. I was in utter disbelief. On the one hand, I didn`t want to have to deal with going through any additional security if this persisted, but at the same time I couldn`t help but laugh when he asked me these questions. After a while, I was finally able to convince him. I just took the whole thing as a compliment. A big, hilarious, ridiculous compliment. And then this happened...

"Where do you come from?"
The United States -- Portland Oregon.
*Types on computer*
"Orlando?"
No, Oregon.
"Miami, yes? You`re from Miami?"
What?No. O-r-e-g-o-n.
*Looks confused. Calls over different coworker*
"You´re from Miami?"
No! from Oregon. 
"New York?"
No, the city of Portland, the state of Oregon.

Reading over the conversation now, as comical as it sounds, I still don`t think I`m doing the situation justice. The sheer ridiculousness of the whole experience was simply absurd. As I walked away, I couldn`t help but laugh at their ineptitude. And that`s the beauty of international travel: you never quite know when you might come across an absolutely unforgettable experience. Sometimes it happens while basking in the glory of one of the seven wonders of the world, and other times it occurs in line at the airport security check, trying to convince a grown man that people can lose weight and cut their hair.

With that, I believe this post -- and consequently, this epic -- must come to an end. I have overcome all the obstacles, bested all the baddies, and risen above all the challenges. I have learned a lot, and experienced even more. My life has been changed for the better in so many ways. As much as I regret saying goodbye to these wonderful countries, as well as to the unforgettable experiences they have provided, I am so very ready to return home. I know that there remains so much more for me to do here, not to mention in other as of yet unexplored realms. However, every hero must realize when it is time to set aside his sword, when it is time to heed the call to home. For me, that time is now. But the time for adventuring and exploring; for struggling and overcoming; and for traveling and learning will certainly come again. I look forward to that time with eagerness in my eyes and excitement in my heart. I sincerely hope -- when that time comes -- that you will join me once again. Who knows? Perhaps next time, rather than living vicariously as an innocent bystander, a faithful onlooker, a devout follower, you will be instead be right here by my side, an apprentice to my sword, a companion to my mind. And that, my friends, will be an epic of its own right, and an adventure for an entirely different story.