25 kilometers in 3 days doesn't sound like a lot, does it? I remember walking 25 kilometers a day in order to become a real man at the scouts in Belgium. But that was 22 years ago and on a flat road. And be honest, a real man... never came out of it.
Now we've just passed the ultimate test: walking 3 breathtaking days in the Andes, starting at 2.800 metres above sealevel and climbing one pass until 4.600 metres. Sleeping in a basic tent, on a 5 mm sleeping mat, with no comfort at all. 15 liter water, 6 instant noodle packages and 2 double layered toilet paper rolls. The goal: reaching Machu Picchu, every backpackers dream.
We organized the tour ourselves. Starting in Mollepata, we hired a mule, a horse and a guide. The guide was a very young boy, David, who made us believe he's 17 years old, but measured the distance from Mollepata to the Machu Picchu to somewhat... 220 kilometers. Ok, David was not the most clever guide, but at least he knew the way and he managed to lead the horse and mule with care.
After each day of walking I felt my muscles hurt more and more but I felt happy and relieved. Respect for the old Inca empire: that's what I thought. And also I succeeded in freeing my head of trivial every day problems. Why bother if you have knees that still follow the rythm of the trek and if there's noodle soup at the end of the day.
On day 4 we finally got to see the Machu Picchu, which is Quechua for 'Old Mountain'. It rained when we arrived at 6 am, but after an hour or so the clouds went by and we had this most amazing view on what was once one of the last hideouts for the Inca empire. See for yourselves.
1 opmerking:
god zij dank mijn zus is weer aan den drank....
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