Page 120 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2019 PORTUGAL

Marta from Lima, at the Cicciolina Restaurant
just off the main square. Maddie and I tried
cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca, which have been
part of the Peruvian diet for millenia.
The next morning, we departed the Andean
Wings and met up with Ayul again for our trek to
Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail, which covers
26 miles and ascends to almost 14,000 feet.
We drove from Cusco through Peru’s Sacred
Valley to the village of Piscacucho, not far from
the town of Ollantaytambo, an impressive archae-
ological site.
We began hiking at Kilometer 82 (elevation
8,500 feet) to start our journey, crossing the
Urubamba River to kick off our four-day trek to
Machu Picchu.
The first day, we walked seven miles and
gained a modest 1,500 feet to reach the village of
Huayllabamba, where porters erected our tents on
a grassy pitch. A highlight of the day was the Llac-
tapata ruins. Fortunately, we were well accli-
mated, so the hiking was relatively easy.
Later that afternoon, a large hummingbird
flitted around flowering bushes beside our
camp as we sipped tea. In the background, a
With no cities for miles around, the night sky snow-covered, 18,900-foot peak known as La
was magical, lit up with millions of stars, and we Veronica, jutted into the sky. Its jagged upper
picked out the constellations that we knew. The slopes were cloaked with glaciers, which Ayul
scorpion, we decided, was our favorite. And the said were shrinking because of global warming.
Milky Way? It was literally milky with perhaps "Sadly, they soon may be gone," he said.
400 billion stars. It was good we had brought bug spray be-
The next morning, I kayaked a moderate sec- cause insects Ayul called the “pumahuacachis”
tion of the river and felt solid paddling through were tormenting us. Their name in Quechua
Class III rapids. But when it came to the Class means “nasty little bug that is so horrible that
IV cascades - with names like Tres Condores and it makes pumas jump,” Ayul told us.
La Cueva - I was content to hop back into our “Tomorrow will be the hardest of the hike
raft and paddle with Maddie. After all, we still and we’ll climb nearly 4,000 feet to Dead
had the Inca Trail to do. Woman’s Pass at 4,215 meters, just under
On our last day, we hiked to a waterfall on a 14,000 feet," Ayul warned us. "It will be chal-
side canyon, ran a batch of challenging rapids, lenging and steep in parts, so rest when you
shared more tasty Peruvian food and paddled feel the altitude.”
under several suspended bridges. We were awakened at 5:30 am for tea and a
That evening, after our return to Cusco, we hot washcloth delivered to our tents. (One
dined with Pepe, his wine broker lady friend and could get spoiled trekking in Peru.) After a
our fellow passengers on the river, Geo and light brfeakfast of oatmeal and fruit, we were

120 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2024