The Earliest Pisco Sour

Gratuitous photo of Machu Picchu. Tom forgot to smile.

The classic Inca Trail is a four day hike from kilometre 82 (82 km along the railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes) to Machu Picchu, the glorious ancient city of the Incas. It takes you through the spectacular scenery of the Andes, to breathless heights of over 4000 metres, to atmospheric Inca sites and to some of the coldest showers I have ever experienced. It is perfectly achievable by anyone with a decent level of fitness and some sense of adventure. We chose to go with Wayki Trek who have knowledgable and supportive guides, and superhuman porters who are provided with excellent equipment and are well paid.

On the final day, you are dragged from your tent at 3am to inhale some breakfast before queuing to get through the final checkpoint. You then walk for a final hour and a half to reach the sun gate. From here, you get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu as it is gradually lit by the sunrise. We were extremely lucky with the weather; blue skies, a few picturesque white clouds hanging in the valleys and a cool breeze. It is truly awe-inspiring. 

After some time and many photographs at the sun gate, we dropped down to the main entrance. It is around a 30 minute walk, and by the time you get here, Machu Picchu is full of people who have come by train and bus. I agree that having a train is a fantastic idea, as trekking the Inca Trail is not an option for everyone for various reasons. However, we felt that it was a bit unfair that these people get in first, when it is silent, empty and at its most atmospheric and photogenic, rather than those of us who had been walking for four days to reach it. This childish feeling of injustice may have something to do with how tired and filthy we were. Additionally the Trekkers are the only ones lucky enough to catch the sunrise at the sun gate. Still, we let ourselves feel a bit miffed for a while, and then got on with enjoying the beauty of the place.

At the main entrance there are shops, a cafe, a bar and real toilets (!) and it is here that we had Pisco Sours. No, it wasn't yet 9am, but we had been awake since 3am, we had been walking and camping for four days and we hadn't drunk anything other than water and coca tea since Cusco. And Pisco Sours have fruit in. Completely justified. They came in plastic cups and were very generous servings. Our ability to judge the quality may not have been top-notch at the time, but they looked and tasted amazing. We don't make a habit of drinking alcohol before 9am, but these Pisco Sours were most definitely worth it, and if possible, made exploring Machu Picchu even more enjoyable.