May 7, 2008

Travel South America;second day of our trek on the highway of the Inca's…

We wake up bright and early to a warm cup of tea which has been delivered to us by one of our incredible porters, they also deliver us a bowl of warm water so that we can wash the sleep from our eyes…look at where we are, what do we have in store for us today?

Firstly a deliciously cooked breakfast, to give us the energy to trek for another day, how exciting…

The trek today is fairly hard going following the railway track until we reach these beautiful Incan ruins, called Chachabamba. These ruins were rediscovered in 1940, and are situated on the ancient Incan road that was located along the south side of the Urubamba River. Some archaeologists suggest that the style of buildings and precision stonework indicate that Chachabamba was an important religious site. It is thought that Chachabamba played a secondary role as a guard house protecting this entrance to Machu Picchu.

Wouldn’t it have been amazing to have seen this area fully functional as the incredible Incan Empire that it was; what would we have been part of? Just sit on one of the walls at Chachabamba and contemplate the mystery and the mystical feeling that this region brings…WOW

After refueling our spent energy with chocolate bars and water we head to where our porters have set up camp for our lunch, beautiful scenery, can it get any better…think that we are in heaven!!!

Then we continue our trek which will take us further along the gorge of the great Urubamba River, with its steep forested sides leading up to high glaciers to a remarkable campsite at Pacamayo Bajo, we will know we have legs today as we will be climbing up lots of steps…

However, when we arrive at our camp site we will be in a setting of cloud forest, strange Andean plants and dozens of varieties of orchids growing in the wild; all the pain in our legs will go when we settle in this beautiful, serene, mystical place for the evening.

Off to bed after our second day of trekking on the Alternate Incan Trail, and dream of our experiences…