First Day Treking
Our second day on the trek to Machu Picchu was our first day hiking. We woke up to a home cooked breakfast before boarding the bus to the trail head. The hike started off very steep up through the cloud forest passing maize and coffee and coca growing in the traditional Inca terraced style. After about an hour we passed a little girl selling water and Gatorade in the jungle on the side of the trail. Her chaperon was a little monkey named Lulu. Lulu loved candy and would leap with blinding speed to snatch it from your fingers before devouring it. This would not turn out to be the first encounter with a monkey we would have that day.
Further along the trail we took our first stop at a little cluster of houses clinging to the mountain side surrounded by crops and jungle fruits. There was an assortment of interesting creatures here. Another monkey named Martin, a small tapir native to the area and a weird looking fellow like a small beaver with a tail like a rat (but with fur) and markings almost like a skunk. He was perched on top of a tower of logs that he could apparently not get down from. Martin the monkey took a liking to Jammie, so much so that he began licking her hands and face before begin to bite and nibble. While trying to get him away from her he finally got a good bite in on her finger. We guessed that her orange flavored sun screen made Marin believe she would taste like an orange. His little teeth were sharp enough to break her skin causing the lady who owned him to choke him and threaten him with death. We got some iodine and neosporine on her bite immediately to ward off infection. Reasonably sure the monkey was free of rabies we carried on with minimal worry.
Our hike continued on up the slope and across a sheer cliff that dropped thousands of feet to the raging river below. The views up and down the valley were jaw dropping, steep jungle slopes with snow covered peaks in the distance. After vertigo inducing trails cutting across the cliffs we began to descend down to the river below for our lunch break. After lunch our path took us along the river, through jungle and across landslides.
Two hours later we reached a cable car used to cross the raging torrent below. This system consisted of a steel cable strung across the river. On the cable hung a car big enough for two people to sit in. From each side was strung a rope attached to the cable by steel rings. You would get in the car, push off from one side and then use the rope to pull yourself across. Or in our case you get in and let your guide push propelling you at lightening speed most of the way across before being pulled the rest of the way. After getting across I wanted to do it again immediately!
A few minutes more of hiking through thick jungle abruptly gave way to country club landscaping, rock pools, man made canals and waterfalls. We had reached the hot springs at Santa Teresa! For a few dollars we were able to soak in the natural hot water for hours.
Fully rested and relaxed we rode in a bus to the town of Santa Teresa. Wiped out by a flood only 5 years ago the town is recently rebuilt. Good food, good accommodation and even a disco club for dancing. What kind of trek is this? The answer is obvious, the best friggin trek in Peru!