It was quiet in the room when we woke up. The two girls we shared with had left at 4 in the morning. Presumably for the whole day. We were lazy. Which we deserved but in the end we managed to get up in time for breakfast. And then what? It was now "post-inca-trail" for us. Feeling a bit weird to have signed up for this so long time ago and now it was done. And we had a great trip, no doubt about that but as usual we also had a lot of reflections about the trip.
Is the Inca trail worth the money? Not really sure about that. The USD 700 we paid for our trip could take us on at least two other 5 day hikes somewhere else in Peru. It could even take us on one of the alternative Inca Trails to Machu Picchu for half of what we paid.
The constant feeling of walking in one big line - the Inca Trail is one-way - also didn't add to the experience. When you walk the sections where you can actually see longer stretches of the trail you see lots of people in front of you. Our guides from Peru treks didn't really impress us. They seemed to be able to follow a set itinerary and that was it. One of our fellow hikers was very keen on taking a lot of photos, he was quite fit and he was constantly doing small detours to get the pictures he wanted. They couldn't really handle that or the fact that our group was split into "fast" and "slow". So the group naturally broke up in two after a few minutes of hiking which meant endless waiting for those of us who where in the front. The lack of ability to guide the group probably peaked when arriving at Machu Picchu where Mikkel was feeling ill and they stuck to the group photo session instead of guiding him (an others) to the toilet.
The whole thing with the porters who would clap and cheer at you when you arrived at the camp sites didn't add to our hike as well. A seeing just how much they have to carry up and down the trail - they do carry the whole camping equipment every day - doesn't seem logical. Let's face it. The Inca trail is sold out 6 months in advance, so it should be pretty easy to plan ahead and have permanent camp sites set up. Like shared kitchen facilities and tents. It's doable in so many other places so why not here. We don't mind the porters and them carrying stuff on the trail. It's a living for them and probably better paid than so many other unskilled jobs around here. But why does it have to include carrying so many unnecessary items? It didn't add to our trip.
Some alternatives to doing the Inca Trail. There are other trails. They will not take you to the Sun Gate in the morning but they will still include the Machu Picchu visit.
Another alternative could be to go to Ollantaytambo and stay there for the night and from there get transport to the Machu Picchu entrance. Be there at 6 AM or as early as possible, hike straight to the Sun gate - and be there before 7 AM when the groups start to arrive. And then have the rest of the morning to spend at Machu Picchu before the crowds get there at 10.
We also had the train included in our trip. The ticket said USD 75, the train left in the evening when it was dark so that was a complete waste of money looking out the windows at the pitch black night. Take the train but do it during the day.
And then avoid the stay in Aguas Calientes. Unless you want to visit some of the ruins around the area. It's not really a pretty place, its expensive and feels like a transit place for all the people going to and from Machu Picchu. Which it is. Instead try to stay at Ollantaytambo. Still packed with tourists but there is a much more laid back feeling to the place.
Would we ever do the Inca Trail again? No. Would we like to see Machu Picchu again - presumably, but there are so many other interesting places to visit. We had a good hike on the Inca Trail but it was too much "cirkus" and too regulated. And the price is now at a level where you should seriously think twice about sponsoring the "Peruvian Dollar Machine" further.
Our last evening in Cusco also included a final visit to Green Point restaurant. We had the chocolate fondue recommended by the Swiss - and they know about chocolate, don't they. It's a bit strange eating in Peru because there are so many great veggies to be found at the markets but you have to look for places that actually serve veggie dishes - like Green Point. Otherwise you are stuck with the stable food of chicken and rice and - maybe - a salad consisting of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber.
Needless to say - the chocolate fondue was AWESOME. Back to the hostel and pack for tomorrow.
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| Waiting for 5 Soles juice at the market |
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| Lunch with a view |
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| Cusco by night |
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| MY chocolate fondue |
