The alarm went off at 2:15 and I was ready. I got up after a single snooze, put the finishing touches on the day bag then waited in the room till 2:45. I made my way outside and sat in a chair expecting to hear the door bell ring any minute. That is where I sat till 4.00am! I was a little pissed off to say the least. I had made up my mind to go back to bed when the bell rang as I was literally opening the door to my room. So sorry for being late was the first words to be uttered by the guide. I bit my tongue and decided to go with the flow. The bus was full and I managed to get the seat right up the back which aligned with the aisle so I could stretch my legs out fully. This was a bonus as I slept for the next 3 hours, although fitfully, until we rolled up in a small village for breakfast. Fantastic it was, bread and jam with a luke warm coffee, what a surprise. I really want to know what the rest of South America has for breakfast, I bet it is not bread and jam with coffee. If I find out who came up with this they are in big trouble!
The bus then brought us to the start of the walk. The altitude had already increased somewhat and I could feel it in my first few steps. My breathing also became quite laboured. The feeling didn’t dissipate as the trek ensued, rather it increased. My steps became slower and slower, something I did on purpose as I wanted to ensure that I got to my destination. Even with my slow pace I was out pacing those much younger, many of whom began paying for donkeys to carry them to the site of the Rainbow Mountains. Many people were struggling with the distance and the steady uphill climb, one such lad was from Israel. I walked with him till almost the top of the climb. He was an intelligent and pleasant young man, minds were kept from the activity with talk on all sorts of topics. Finally it became a little much for him. He was stopping on a much to regular basis for me, I ended up leaving him to it after he suggested I go on alone. The walk up had been quite interesting as there were views of snow covered peaks, mountains and large rolling hills. Scattered through the hills alongside the trail were small villages or landholdings with Quinoa growing and many herds of Alpacas or Llamas. All the buildings and yards were made from the local stone that was lying everywhere giving quite an ancient look and feel to the area.
The last section to a saddle and the first view point was reasonably hard work due to it’s steepness. Once on the saddle, where a large group of people had formed from other tour companies the views of the mountains opened up. It was spectacular and one wondered how the colours of the mountains were possible and how they were actually formed. Can I find information on this subject, no! The last part of the trek was a short 30-40 metres up to the top of a hill next to the saddle and opposite the main coloured mountain. I was feeling quite good by now as I had rested while taking photographs, so manage the last section quite easily. That last short distance was well worth the effort as the top provided a spectacular 360 degree vista. I was astounded to find that many people weren’t bothered to do the last bit, especially four young girls that had taken the donkeys. They had missed the best part of the the day.
The wind was quite strong on the top and very, very cold. I spent a reasonable amount of time taking photos as well as taking it all in. It had been a very difficult walk and I had been concerned about my Atrial Fibrillation but all was well and it had been worth the effort. The guide asked us all to begin the long walk back to the bus so off I went. I hadn't realised how far we had walked and as the journey back to the bus progressed I started to hear myself wishing for it to end. I was feeling really awful and incredibly tired. I did however make it back to the bus and promptly went to sleep, only to be woken a short time later for the lunch break. I must admit food was the last thing on my mind or my stomachs.
The trip back took such a long time with the bus driver seeming to hit every bump and speed hump (of which there are thousands in Peru) with force throwing us around in the bus. I kept a seat belt on as we were being thrown in to the air on numerous occasions which I found quite dangerous and had seen the results of on occasion in other third world countries. People get flung into the parcel tray or roof then land heavily on the seats or seat edges and being hurt. The dirt road we travelled on was very narrow with many, many hairpin bends and no railings, I couldn’t understand why the driver travelled at such high speed to and from the trek trailhead. Finally we reached Cusco around 7.00pm and I though the worst was over and I would soon be getting off the jumping castle! Not long in to the city we hit a speed hump so hard that all around me people were thrown into the parcel tray and the into their seats. So hard was this last impact that a young lady sitting next to her boyfriend badly hurt her head and back. The screaming emanating from her was horrific, she was obviously in immense pain. The traffic was incredibly heavy and of course this ancient city was not built for 21st century modes of transport. Getting us to our destination and the girl to a hospital was slow and very painful for her as we had to traverse cobblestones and many more speed humps. I never saw the girl and her boyfriend again and I just hope no permanent damage had been done. Very worrying and distressing end to what was a spectacular but hard day out.
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