Day 6: Trek to Machu Picchu

Our third day on the Inka Trail was rather easy - 4 hours from our camp to Wayllabamba. It was easy in the sense that I didn't feel exhausted; I think that we decided to approximately 3000 meters, and probably walked a total elevation change of 1000 meters. Excited about being less than one day away from Machu Picchu, and really wanting to shave, Sanjay and I jogged the last 20 minutes to the camp. We started shaving without mirrors, and by the time I saw myself in a mirror I was horrified. It looked as if a one-eyed drunken hillbilly had shaved me with a butter knife. I was a disgrace to my family and modern man.

I've mentioned that our meals were extravagant and savory; but our last lunch was beyond what I ever dreamed could be cooked on a portable gas stove. Telivio had 5 different dishes and he had carved various vegetables into flowers. We ate like kings (and a queen), before heading into the bar. Yes - there was a bar at this 'campsite'. As depressed as I was about having to stay in the same campsite as 200 other people, having modern facilities didn't make this feel like the adventure that we had set out on 6 days ago.

After Inka Kola, Cusquena beer, and lots of card games, we crept back to our tents in the dark to get a good night of rest. Unlike our previous campsites where I had to negotiate the terrain without a torch, this environment was far more dangerous. Instead of gently sloping hills, there were steps just waiting to trip me up. When we got back to the tent, the worst part of the trip was upon us. What do we tip Raul, Telivio, and the porters? We debated about it for probably two hours, and countless conversations during the previous days. Our issue wasn't that we wanted to give, the problem was giving a reasonable amount of money that wouldn't be thought of as outrageous. We ended up tipping our group $300USD, Sanjay's water filter, watch, and North Face hat. We wouldn't miss any of the money once we returned to the States. And to Sanjay's point - giving the extra amount will only increase our karma.