davidjac

Just returned from Peru, Visited Lima. It was OK. Cusco interesting, Ollantaytambo Very poor city.

Most importnatly I went on the 4 day inca trail hike with my son. Used Llamapth and they were great. It was difficult (I am 65) but I finished the hike before many in our group. Took Diamox and it worked well. This hike is not for everyone. You are dirty, wet tired, sore from the hike. Terrible bathrooms, especially for women.

But the knowledge that I did it will alwqays live with me. Macch Picchu was fantastic as the goal. I would also recomen Percy Salas asa tour guide for the Sacred Valley, knows eveything, easy to work with and very punctual.

If anyone has any detailed questions, fire away.

David J

producerkoof

Congratulations. I did the Inca Trail with Llama Path in April 2008 and thought they were fantastic. Who was your guide? I went with Casiano, who really helped me struggle up those mountains. Glad you had a good trip and wonderful memories.

aristokat

We will be touring with Percy in a couple weeks. Do you pay him each day or upfront? Does he still prefer soles to cash?

Thanks!

Axel2DP

Congratulations on completing the trail. I'm about to do it in a few weeks. I'm so not an outdoor person at all, so it'll be interesting to see how I'll do. I still have time to change my mind, I guess. LOL.

Were the scenes amazing during the hike? The guide books always mention the amazing landscapes but frankly, I haven't been able to find any good pictures of the trail hike on the internet.

Which outfitter did you go with? I know some agencies have their own bathroom tent set up so that you don't have to use the public ones.

Axel2DP

Oh, did you get to see the sunrise over MP on the fourth and last day of your hike and was it worth it?

Thanks.

davidjac

First, we paid Percy at the end of the two days we used him.
Second, we went by Llamptah wchih was great our guide was Alex
Third, yes the secnes are amazing. It is hard to walk and still look at the moutnains.
Fourth, no we did not see MP at sunrise. the final day of our trip we left at 3:30AM. It was dark, cold and raining. By the time we got to the sun gate it was all fog and mist. However, when we reached MP later in the AM it had cleared and was beautiful. I still managed to get a picture of MP for above though someone elses who was with us on the trip and walked back juts to get that view.

While I liked MP, it was the accomplishment of completeing an arduous hike that was the ral success story for me. At my age, 65, it was a test of my physical abilities ans while not the fastest in our group, I was far from the slowest. It was juts great to know what I did.

David J

barefootbeach

Good for you, David! I'm younger than you and I still struggled just walking up and down around the MP site! People I spoke to who did the trail said they froze at night in their tents! Didn't sound like fun to me!

We also used Percy for the Sacred Valley and he was great....knowlegeable, patient and very reliable.

Axel2DP

On the Inca Trail do people get to wash their faces and brush their teeth in the morning before departing camp? I'm just curious since I've never done any sort of outdoor camping before.

tjhome1

Yes, you can wash your face and brush your teeth. We went with Pachamama Exporers and a bowl of hot water and soap was provided each morning. I'd never slept in a tent before and it was fine.

davidjac

Agree. You are given a warm bowl of water and soap every AM. The biggest issue was using the bathrooms when they existed. They are nasty and especially for women it is a big problem.

Just be prepared with your own toilet paper and hand towels, no facilities in Peru, even in the smaller hotesl proivded them. I once had to use my hankie which I then disosed of. Yuch!

David J

denisious

The Inca Trail really is spectacular , I think it's the most strenuous/rewarding thing I've ever done but I'd gladly do it over in a heartbeat (I wouldn't use the same large company again as I am not a fan of the "rah rah super hikers" atmosphere).

Don't worry about sleeping conditions things really are extraordinarily well organized considering you will be at least a day's walking away from modern comforts. Bathrooms really are disgusting but one adapts and has wonderful stories afterwards, a headlamp flashlight greatly helps [both hands free].

I know Percy S. and David C. have a ton of positive feedback [well deserved too I bet] but just in case they are both unavailable we had two day-trips with David Espejo [davidmirror(at)hotmail.com ] and can't praise him enough for his attitude, knowledge flexibility and all around awesomeness, it truly was inspiring to see how well connected to his culture he is. If I could do the sacred valley thingy over again I'd have David take us on an alternate trail as I am confident he would organize the heck out of it and tailor it to our personal needs.

Can you tell we loved David yet?

Go enjoy Peru, it really lives up to it's name... glorioso

D.

Go enjoy Peru, it's a world full of wonders, not

Axel2DP

I highly recommend the headlamp flashlight also. Unfortunately I didn't have one of those for my trek.

I'd love to do it again also but would definitely pack much, much lighter.