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Breakfast this morning was omelets and bread. However, Melanie had told the guide that she did not like eggs, so the chef cooked up a quiona pancake just for her. I was impressed by that. The rain we experienced yesterday afternoon and evening was still hanging around in the morning. It was more of a heavy mist and drizzle than actual rainfall. I started out hiking in my rain gear, but that proved to be too warm, so took off my jacket and just used the poncho. We had a shorter distance to hike today because of our long day yesterday. Day 3 hiking was just up and over 3rd pass and then down to our campsite. Valentine gave us another talk when we reached the ruins of Phuyu Pata Marca. He said that the site had once been an Inca astronomical post, that once a tower had stood at the top terrace with a big pool - the Incan scholars would gather around the pool at night and study the reflected stars. Valentine told us that the Egyptians believed that the Nile river was a reflection of the Milky Way, which is the river in the sky; the Inca had the same belief about the Urubamba River being a reflection of the great sky river. He said that the three pyramids built in a row at Giza were a tribute to the 3 stars in the belt of Orion. He also pointed out four carved holes in a huge flat rock - when filled with water, those four holes would reflect the four stars of the Southern Cross on December 21 (there were also two smaller holes which reflect the alpha and beta pointer stars). After Phuyu Pata Marca, there was a long steep descent. This is the famous Inca Staircase. Since it was wet and slippery, I went slowly, trying to use the hiking poles to prevent myself from slipping. It took a while to get all the way down. Our party regrouped where the trail splits - we took the left fork which led to Intipata. Intipata was marvelous to behold. When we climbed down the Inca staircase, we descended from the misty clouds that had enveloped us all day. Now we found ourselves just below the clouds and enjoying warm sunshine and a fantastic view. Intipata is located at a strategic point that gives views all the way up the Urubamba River. We spread out our ponchos and rain gear to dry in the sunshine and took a whole lot of photographs of the Intipata terraces. Although Intipata appears to have a huge number of terraces, there are apparently even more Inca ruins still buried in the jungle. They must have grown a lot of food here, perhaps it was used to help feed the nobles at Machu Picchu (though Machu Picchu has a large number of terraces of its own.) After Intipata, we walked into camp and enjoyed a big lunch. Later in the afternoon, Valentine led us over to another set of impressive ruins - Winay Wayna. This is another important Inca site, with two tiers of temples. The whole site appeared to be focused on the worship of water. There were ceremonial baths down the central spine of the site (the staircase that leads from the upper temple complex to the lower one). The baths were part of a purification rite. Winay Wayna was the last stop for Incas who were making the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. They spent their final day on the Inca Trail preparing themselves for entry into the religiously significant Machu Picchu. Valentine gave us another talk here. Did you know that Peru and Bolivia once went to war with Chile? It was called the War of the Pacific and was fought from 1879 to 1883. Chile won the war, and as a result gained territory which used to belong to Peru and Bolivia. Bolivia once touched the Pacific coast, but after the seizure of land by Chile, Bolivia became a land-locked nation. After Valentine's talk, we explored the ruins of Winay Wayna in the fading light. The sun sets quickly at the equator, so it gets dark in a hurry. By the time we walked back to camp, it was completely dark. Dinner was our final meal with Alpaca Expeditions. Of course, another huge feast was cooked up, and this time it was followed by a celebration cake. We thanked our porters and the chef, and then headed off to bed. The plan was to get up at 3 AM so that we would be first in line at the gate to Machu Picchu. Panorama Photos
MapsThese are the same maps that I showed on the webpage of the previous page, I am reincluding them for convenience.
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Click on any thumbnail to begin the slide show at that photograph Day 7 Photos
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