Inca Trail, Day 3

I woke at about 4.30 to the sound of pouring rain, so I stayed in bed until about 6, hoping the rain would eventually stop. It didn´t. As we hiked throught the Cloud Forest, visibility was very low as cloud clung to the hillside. On the plus side, it was a relaxed walk, and only half a day walking as we arrived at the campsite by 2.30. On the way, we stopped at the Phuyupatamarca remains, which is a massive complex, presumed to have been an astronomical observatory, since at night the sky is always clear, despite being completely engulfed in cloud every day. From there, it was only another 30 minutes of "flat" before reaching our campsite, where our tents were pitched barely 2 feet from the edge of a cliff. However, there was also a bar/restaurant at this campsite, with showers and proper toilets (although noone bothered showering and got straight on the beers!)

According to tradition, we were to make tea for the porters that night, as well as singing them a song. After walking an extra ten minutes from the campsite to some substantial Incan remains of an agricultural research centre, it was confirmed that our song would be "California Dreaming" by the Mamas & the Papas, so it was here at the ruins that we first had our rehearsals - I was fairly surprised by the amount of effort everyone put it, making it all the more fun!

At 5, we headed back to the camp to prepare the porters´ tea: popcorn and crispy wontons, plus we surprised them with a beer each which they absolutely loved. Obviously, I was chosen to be "Chef" and was given the Intrepid-brand chef whites, apron and toque.

After we´d eaten dinner, the porters all reintroduced themselves and told us what they had been carrying - the biggest cheer was reserved for the guy carrying the gas tanks for cooking. After that, they all sang to us before we gave them our version of California Dreaming, complete with dance moves. It was a great laugh and the porters thought it brilliant/hilarious too, but we were in bed soon after since we were up at 4am the following day to head to Machu Picchu.