The first day of the Inca Trail was relatively easy compared to what was to come.  The only problem was waddling away after chef Alberto´s 3 course, 5 star lunch.   It was obvious that Katie had made the right decision choosing the trekking company Llama Path.

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Our guide Santiago, was a wealth of knowledge about the Inca and the various sites we passed on the trail as well as the flora and fauna.  He made the stories come alive.  ¨The Red Army¨, 9 porters together with the chef all dressed in red, carried our supplies.  Each day when we arrived into camp, we were greeted with applause, even though we should have been applauding them for their effort.  In the morning we were woken up with a cup of coca tea in our tents and hot water for a wash.

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The second day was a slow trudge up and over Dead Woman´s Pass at 4215 metres, no easy feat, followed by 800 metres of descent.  On day 3 we crossed a lower pass at 4000 metres with more Inca sites, walking on original Inca road.  The trail passes through cloud forest and higher up, open grassland.  Many wild flowers and orchids can be seen as well as bromeliads and tillandsias.  The stunning views of the surrounding mountains got better and better.  Although 500 people per day are allowed on the trail (200 trekkers and 300 porters and guides), most of the time we had the path to ourselves.

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On day 4 we passed more Inca sites.  Stone water fountains are still running after 500 years.  Stone terraces rise steeply up the mountainside.  On reaching the Sun Gate, we had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu, the magnificant Inca city beneath the Huayna Picchu mountain.  We had made it!

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