Macchu Picchu, Peru - Hike Day 3

The Magical Day
Our guide Nilton refers to day three as magical since you get to see many Inca ruins.  I slept considerably better, most likely due to the fact that the tough day two was behind us.  Day three starts with a 2,000 foot climb across Runkurukay pass, from 11,000 feet to 13,000 feet.  As usual, the Ringleader and her three Baltimore sidekicks raced off ahead of everyone and didn't wait for us at the pass.

It's a pretty place, less fierce than Dead Woman's pass.  The Dodo and I paused for a photo.

We then headed down 1,000 feet to Sayamarca, an Inca ruin that many postulate was a fortress.  It has a lookout tower and no planting terraces.

Poor Manny had to race ahead to catch the Ringleader and her three sidekicks so he could give them the history of Sayamarca.  He was waiting for the rest of us there and gave us an overview.  I spoke to him in Spanish and asked if the four speedy ladies were driving him crazy.  He had some choice words for them.

Another hour of flat hiking led us to Phuyupatamarca, which is shaped just like an Incan knife, the kind they used to use for sacrifices.  It hung on the edge of the mountain looking out into the mist.

We'd been walking since 6am and now it was close to 1pm, a long day.  However, seeing all the ruins made the time fly by.  It helped that we were mostly going downhill.

We walked around Phuyupatamarca for about 15 minutes.

About 200 feet below were some planting terraces next to a river.

We continued downwards, heading towards lunch.

The chef baked us a special cake to congratulate us on making it so far.  We had no idea how he made a cake in the mountains.  We later learned that he used steam to bake it.  We also learned that he used the river to make us the jello dessert the previous day.  He mixed the jello, puts it in a plastic bag and lowered it into the icy river - the jello firmed up within 15 minutes.

For a guy who brought so much happiness, he sure had a poker face.  He never smiled in 4 days, not once.  I made up backstory for him in my mind.  Chef graduates from culinary school, borrows money to open a restaurant, the place fails, and here he is in the mountains cooking for Gringos.

After lunch we continued down to another ruin, this one clearly had agricultural purposes - it was made up of many rows of planting terraces.

Dodo was feeling pretty good on day three, or at least it appeared that way to me.  She led a lot of the day.

From the window of one ruin, we could see the outlines of another, called Intipata, many thousands of feet below us.

For the first time, we could also now see the glacier in the distance.  It had been covered by clouds to this point.

Intipata was secondary in impressiveness only to Macchu Picchu.  It is a steeply terraced hill that was used to grow corn.  They know this because only corn grows at this particular altitude.

Standing on a middle terrace looking up, you only see rock.  Looking down, you only see green terraces.  Matt, Leanne, Jean and I walked up a dozen rows of terraces for a better look.

We saw some llama below and went down for a closer look.  They paid us no mind.

They bolted right by me up the stairs.

Emma attempted a selfie and got quite a shock, they found her camera very intriguing.

Our camp was only another twenty minutes away.  When we arrived, we saw the Ringleader and her three sidekicks in the dinner tent playing cards.  They didn't even look up to say hi.  Over dinner Manny explained that we'd have to get up at 3:30am the next day to make it to Macchu Picchu early.  Also, after dinner there'd be a ceremony where two of us would give a speech to the chaskis and to the chef, thanking them for their hard work and handing them their tips.  The Ringleader started complaining - so did some others.  "How long is this going to take?  We have to get up at 3:30am, we need our sleep."  I couldn't imagine how self-absorbed you'd have to be to think this much less say it out loud.  Manny was irked and it showed.  He shut them down and told them it is a tradition and that is that.

After dinner Manny stood up "Ok, we need two people to make a speech.  Josh can speak Spanish so he can do one and you can do the other" he said, pointing to one of the Ringleader's sidekicks.  She immediately panicked "I only know like five words of Spanish, I cannot do it."  Manny kept pushing her but she wouldn't go along.  So, I agreed to do both.  Two bags were passed around, one for the chaskis and one for the chef, each person put in their tips.  The Ringleader then counted the money in each bag.  Based on the math, Dodo and I contributed the lion's share of the tips.  Then Manny called the chaskis and the chef into the dinner tent and I was on center stage.  I gave my two speeches and the tips were handed out.  Everyone then dashed out to their tents.  Matt tapped me on my shoulder and said "Well done, Mate."  None of them ever asked me what I'd said.  I still cannot believe it.

Later in our tent, Dodo asked me what I had said.  To the chaskis I said that to walk the Inca Trail was our dream, but without the chaskis it was a dream unfulfilled.  I told them they were strong and they'd helped us make it to this point.  To the chef I said that his food was delicious and that while we were walking each day we thought about what he might be preparing us for the next meal.  It helped us get through each day.  I also told him that if he were interested he could come back to NY with me and open a restaurant.  The chaskis laughed at that but the chef kept his poker face the entire time.