Day 3 Inca trail

This was a day of chillaxing. We walked what they call 'inca flat' which means ups and downs repetitively, but was also very scenic and interspaced by more of Reuben´s history about the Inca's, their religion and way of life. The group stayed together, it was a sunny day and I found myself nodding off in the sun at one of the Inca sites while Reuben drew pyramids in the sand to explain the different Gods...At one point the 5 of us (ie our group minus Reuben and Katrina) were walking along quite happily when we heard a high pitched sound in the bushes off the path. This sound repeated itself until Mackenzie spotted a baby bear on the path. She knew (studying environmental studies) that this is a sound of distress and we soon spotted a second cub also crying. Ruth started feeling all sorry for the lost cubs until Mackenzie spelt out that lost baby bears equals angry mama bear!!! This got us all running back along the path from which we came, Mackenzie Just managing to catch it on film and we waited for our guide or other groups to arrive seeking safety in numbers.

When another group arrived, no one believed us since bears have not been spotted on the inca trail for 3 years and the guides are on the trail 6 days a week. But our photo convinced them and we were soon feeling very chuffed with ourselves. Another inca site, more lazing in the sun and we descended to camp for the afternoon. I thought since we had the afternoon off that we would play cards or football, but Wim and I crashed in our tent, exhausted from the last 2 days and did not emerge until happy hour while the others visited yet another inca site.

This would be our last night together and it was indeed a feast, but what was more delightful was the fact that our chef had baked me a cake!!! (I say baked but I dont know how He did this wth no oven). Reuben had told him that it had been my birthday and so there I was on the mountains of matchu pitchu, dead tired, dirty and hungry, but with a big smile on my face grinning into my birthday cake. We toasted and ate cake and enjoyed happy hour (Javier was also lurking around muttering to himself that their chef never made cakes) and then of course we still had supper. After supper we bade a sad farewell to the red army, thanking them ad handing out the tips. We would be leaving very early the next morning in order to catch the sunrise within Machu Pichu and the red army would be leaving Just as early to get the first train back...

to be continued...