Up at 5.30, breakfast at 6. A beautiful morning after last night’s rain: clear skies and sunshine. Today we were to start the real Inca trail. It is not that long - only 43km - but you walk up 2150m and down 2100m so it’s tough. We left at 7 and were driven up the valley to K82 (the tiny settlements only have the names of their point on the railway track) to start the trek. We had to go through the official checkpoint and cross the river on a suspension bridge. The walking was not too bad today as we were not too high - although we were getting wise to Wilfredo. If he described the terrain in advance as ‘undulating’ we could expect to struggle. I’m not sure where he got this optimistic word from but I suspect he used it tactfully to avoid being honest about how much we would have to work. There was one particularly hot and steep bit of the path and Wilfredo did play his queña (a type of Andean recorder) to encourage us up. Lots of steps today and lots of humming birds. Had a good view of the spectacular Inca site, Huillca Raccay. Stopped for a wonderful lunch in two large tents by a cooling stream. It was windy so the porters were actually holding the tents down from the outside!
We camped at Huanllabamba and met our two-person sleeping tents for the first time. The evening was a bit chilly but we sat outside and had a quiz. Dinner was delicious. Went to bed at 19.30 because I was exhausted and had another early start in the morning. Not many people slept well due partly to the altitude and partly due to the fact that the tents were pitched on a slight slope and we kept sliding down in the night. I woke up in the night and read my watch upside down so thought it was morning! Luckily went back to sleep.
