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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8 means of entertainment. He has cultivated several acres and now grows most fruits. These are sold to the Lodge or in Puerto Maldonado (a couple of hours downriver). TuESDAY After breakfast I returned (by boat of course) to Puerto Maldonado and my journey to experience the Amazon rainforest was coming to an end. I am delighted as I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip. It's a long way to go for 6 days in the jungle so I'm now looking forward to part 2 of my adventure. This started with a (1 hour delayed) flight to Cusco - the tourist centre of Peru. This town is set in the Andes at around 11,000 feet, so the altitude may take some getting used to. I did have a slight headache at the back of my skull for less than 24 hours but nothing worse. I therefore didn't see much need for their famous coca leaf tea (the basis of cocaine). My hotel room was somewhat disappointing with only 1 tiny window high up in a corner that would have had no view even if the glass had been clear. Julio, my local contact, had shown me where to find a couple of bars and I got to one just before 3.30 pm i.e. just in time for Columbia v Peru kick-off. There were a surprising number of women watching who all got quite excited whenever Peru attacked. I think I might have been on a promise if Columbia had not won 2-0. Peru's chances of qualifying for Brazil next year also disappeared! WEDNESDAY - FRiDAY The next morning I walked the short distance to the main square. I did this slowly as hurrying leaves one breathless and my purpose in being here was to get used to the altitude. The period leading up to their winter solstice is carnival time. The streets round the square were full of old(er) people from the surrounding villages, dressed in their local colours, parading and dancing around the square. On another day all the groups are school children, similarly dressed, walking and dancing along. A spectacular sight to welcome me to Cusco. The next day and a half was spent on a city tour and a visit to the "sacred valley". This involved looking at lots of old (1000 - 1500 AD) Inca sites, all despoilt in some way during the Spanish invasion. The site local to Cusco is the "Sexy Woman" (actually known local as Sacsayhuaman - but how else would you pronounce that so that tourists remembered?). The Incas were clever people in how they moved stone around and in their building techniques. Lots of Spanish buildings were destroyed in a major earthquake in the 16th century but most the Inca buildings withstood it. SATuRDAY Adventure no. 2 here I come; but the day didn't start well. I got up at 5.00 am and was due to be collected in lIz hour. How can any hotel, knowing more than 1 guest needs an early breakfast, serve cold toast? We stopped to pick up 6 people, a French couple in their 20's Olivier and Aurora, 2 American girls also in their 20's Stephanie & Karen and Frank & Caroline, both 56 year old Belgians. Our guide is to be Carlos and we were setting out to spend 4 days walking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This is a 30 mile hike with 3 nights at campsites. I was told we will walk 5 hours the 1st day, 7 hours on day 2 and then 9 hours before our last stop. Day 2 involved going through a 36
T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8 pass at 13,776 feet! No wonder I tried to get used to being at altitude. I was going to carry a light backpack with a few personal items including water and snacks. Tents, sleeping bags, food and all the paraphernalia to cook and serve it are carried by porters - 8 in total, including the chef Only 500 people are allowed to start the trail on anyone day, including porters and guides. Day 1 started at about 8,500 feet and was not too bad as we got to know each other whilst walking. The 1st campsite was much the same height as Cusco at around 11,000 feet. It was my 1st night in a tent since the old king died and I slept badly. SuNDAY We started day 2 after an early breakfast and the path was steep uphill all the way. Much of it was steps which themselves are high and often make you cross the path to ease the legs. It was a silent walk; no-one had enough oxygen to talk as well as walk. Taking it slowly and stopping frequently were absolute necessities. We were due to reach the highest pass before lunch. When I got within sight of it (a couple of hundred yards to go) I started to feel a little light-headed. Not good, I thought. Although I was last in the group I took things even slower. Stopping frequently and breathing deeply. On arrival I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't feel euphoric about the achievement but did feel somewhat emotional. Now there was some downhill at last. Some of this had rocks on either side of the path so that I could use my hands and effectively scramble down. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the whole hike. I'm last at the next campsite too. We all went to bed soon after dinner. The food was OK but nothing special, too much rice and pasta. I had been told that the meals would be based on potato, which would have been interesting as Peru cultivates more than 4,000 varieties. MoNDAY After a much better night's sleep (it had to be) we faced a long day's walking with plenty of up and down. There were 2 more passes to go through; the 1st at 13,000 feet and the 2nd at 12,000. The muscles on my legs weren't aching when I got up, even after all the effort needed for yesterday. Today was hard going, just because it was so long, we must have covered at least 13 miles and by the time I reached camp I was tired. Next morning my muscles did, at last, ache. A feeling that took me back to football training days! TuESDAY Today was utter madness! Aurora understood English but was not very confident to talk in it. Even she was moved later in the day to ask me why it started as it did. I was unable to explain in any language as I simply didn't know. We were woken at 3.30 am and given a "packed" breakfast to eat later, so that we could start walking at 4 am. We walked for 5 minutes and then joined the queue at a departure control point. This was due to open at 5.30 am!! Once we were on our way (having eaten the cheese sandwich) we had a 2 hour walk to "The Sun Gate". This is where you get the 1st view ofthe ruins of Machu Picchu. I wasn't as impressed as I was supposed to be, probably because we were still a bit too far away to appreciate what we were about to experience (and I wasn't wearing my glasses). On the way down I was walking just behind the 2 American girls. Steph suddenly threw her hands into the air and Karen cried out "oh my god". The man walking up towards us went down on one knee and clearly proposed to Steph. As it was her boyfriend, although she had no inkling that he would be there, she accepted. All very romantic, I thought, but how do you top that with the honeymoon? I then saw someone close to my own age for the 1st time for a few days. I realized that they too had walked up from Machu Picchu (having got there by train and bus) and that the Belgian couple, at 56, were probably at least 15 years older than all the other walkers, with one exception! On arrival Machu Picchu was an amazing site/sight. It is a huge ruin of a town built on top of a mountain. The Incas knew how to move huge rocks and how to build with interlocking pieces and sloping walls for strength. The Spanish ruled Peru for 200 years but never found this place, which is why it is so well preserved. Carlos explained a lot about the place but the day was too hot so that, after the start we had had, no-one had the energy to go round taking more photos. However, The Real Peru Co had booked me into a hotel in Aguas Calientes, the tourist town at the bottom of the mountain, with a ticket to return the next day The bus journey up and down must be one of the longest zig-zag roads ever built and took the best part of half an hour. It rained after lunch but the joy of a warm shower and hotel bed were just wonderful! WEDNESDAY The weather was wet again in the morning (the only place it had rained the whole time) but once I had travelled back up (above much of the cloud) I was raring to explore with camera at the ready. I'm a bit of a heathen when it comes to old ruins but this place was fascinating. And my legs feel really good today. Eventually I returned to Aguas Calientes for a leisurely late lunch and then a train journey, along the river valley, back to Cusco. It was a nice slow ride with windows set in the roof as well so that the dramatic Andes scenery can be enjoyed to the full. During the trip I had to "suffer" a couple of name changes and I don't mean my long surname. Peruvians can't cope with the soft "g" in Roger. So I was usually referred to as Roy ..er. The guide on the walk, Carlos, seemed to get it right for a short period and then probably forgot my name completely. So I simply became, to the amusement of the others, "father". This was most defmitely nothing to do with how many times I asked "how much farther Carlos?" - I never had enough breathe to spare! THuRSDAY iFRiDAY The train ride was the start of a very long journey home. I spent another night in Cusco at the same hotel and then caught a morning (1 hour late) flight back to Lima. I was still much too early for my flight back to Amsterdam. This was 12 hours overnight and after a short hop back to Heathrow and a couple of trains I was home early Friday evening. This had been two fantastic adventures in one holiday. My lust to experience the Amazon rainforest slated after more than 50 years and a walk that may stop me from ever again saying that I like walking up! Roger Engledow 37
Page 1 and 2: No 78 /February 2014 The Old Statio
Page 3 and 4: T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o
Page 33 and 34: Snowdon excursion, partly due to th
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Page 41 and 42: A YEAR iN THE LiFE oF THE ViCE PRES
Page 55 and 56: From THE Archives 60 YEARS ago In C

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