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"The Inca Trail is not for me"

Visiting Peru

Annette
2005-08-29 23:19:47

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The Pisac fortress and its many stone terraces is one of the most beautiful in the Sacred Valley. It is here that one can test one's mettle and endurance before braving more strenuous treks, like the entire Inca Trail. From the plaza in town, there is a footpath up to the ruins. The hike takes about 1 1/2 hours, going steadily upward toward the ruins. Some of the walk will be along a narrow path, often hardly wider than one foot, with steep cliffs dropping off to one side. This is not for the faint of heart, but the sweeping view of the well-maintained terraces makes it well worth it. It is here that I gauged my stamina as "not being up to par", my legs feeling increasingly more like lead, my heart beating a staccato rhythm and my lungs straining for oxygen, not to mention spells of severe vertigo! By the time I reached the ruins, my ambition had decidedly been reduced. But, once there, you simply have to keep climbing. Not that it gets any easier, throughout the ruins, steep stairways have to be navigated. Right around that time, I decided that the "Inca Trail is not for me". My hat is off to the hikers who manage to do the trail, all 20 miles (33 km) of it. I, however, decided that this hike was enough!

"The Inca worshipped "Mother Earth"

by placing large rocks in their fields for altars,

asking "Panchamama" to keep their lands fertile"

Sometimes, "this is enough" is easier said than done. My next excursion was to Machu Picchu, the mysterious mountaintop city, and once more a place for a workout, this time with a total of 3000 stairs! From Cusco, it is a beautiful 3 1/2-hour trainride along the whitewaters of the Urubamba River. For train buffs, navigating the curves out of Cusco is fascinating. The terrain is so steep that the train has to manage through four back-and-forth switchbacks, the city visible below. It is a leisurely, fun voyage through lush, tropical vegetation ...