Peru - The Inca Trail - a survival guide

I think the last few entries have been a tad on the long side (what can I say, there´s been a lot to write about) so I´ll keep this one mercifully short.

"How to survive the Inca Trail"

A tribute to Ray Mears

1. Only 500 punters a day are allowed on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, so make sure you get a good group of like-minded people. Try to avoid Americans.

2. It´s 50 hard kilometers of trekking up hill and down valley. So a wee bit of luxury is allowed. Book with a company like SAS travel who wake you up each morning with a gentle rap on your tent door and a cup of tea...nice. Followed by brekkie and then 3 courses at lunch and dinner. Basically its non-stop eating.

3. As i said, its a long way and at times you climb mountain passes of over 4000 mts (with not a donkey in sight to help you), so take on the services of a local porter to carry your kit. No we´re not lazy, these guys regularly shift 25 kilos of kit and the aforementioned SAS travel pay them the best of all the tour operators in Cuzco. Every year the porters have a race along the trail - 4 days for Gringos - the record for a porter is 3 hrs and 40 mins. Superhuman.

4. Pack Imodium

5. The altitude can be a problem - shortness of breathe, head aches, indigestion. Keep all this at bay by chewing delicious coca leaves. Yes, your teeth will turn green but boy it perks you up.

6. The descent from Dead Womans Pass (named after a prominent breast shape in the mountain and not a regular female casualty spot) is vicious on the knees - so make sure you have a least 3 doctors in your group to diagnose a multitude of ailments. Apparently I have ´ITB´...cool.

7. The last night camp site has a bar and ´disco´ - make sure you drink enough to ensure no self-consciousness when dancing the YMCA in front of 40 or so bemused porters

8. Make an offering to the weather gods to ensure good weather and a cloud-free view of Machu Picchu at sunrise on the last day. Our guide Carlos is a believer and his prayers came good. See pics below in the Inca Trail album

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stokes_richard2004/my_photos