This was the first we saw of our porters - all 21 of them - for just the fifteen of us, plus our two guides, Luis and John Richard (named after John Travolta and Richard Gere!)
The Inca Trail is a series of highways that linked the entire empire from Quito to Santiago. We began our hike with some apprehension of what lay ahead, but in general good spirits. From our start point at 2850m, we walked for about 6 hours to our first campsite at just over 3000m, passing the first Incan remains on the way; that of Llactapata.
At the end of this first day, I generally didnt feel too bad, although we'd all been pouring with sweat the entire day - my clothes still hadnt fully dried four days later, back in Cuzco! The food we received throughout the trek was incredible - we arrived in awe at our first lunch spot to find a large tent with folding tables, plastic stools, even tablecloths and napkins! Every meal was three courses, and there was always loads left over despite us all feeling famished every time we sat down.
The accomodation was in shared twin tents, plus one single that I had on the first night, and Richard and Dave had on the other nights respectively. We were supplied with thick foam mattresses too, much more comfortable than I had expected. That first night, nevertheless, I was extremely cold - I underestimated the altitude/overestimated my sleeping bag; and it poured down raining all night - although that was preferable to raining during the day!
The toilets all along the trek were simple squat toilets without loo roll - bring your own! - all part of the experience I suppose!
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