Flashback post: Donkey Herder

The Inca Trail was full of many amusing moments but one I remember distinctly was my 'donkey herding' moment.

At this stage of the trail, heading up to Dead Woman's Pass, generally considered the most challenging stretch of the 3 day hike, it was raining on and off and thick misty clouds billowed by at heads height, often straying onto the path.

Fortunately like many of my fellow tour group members I had bought a plastic poncho the day before in Ollantaytambo, the picturesque final stop before the Inca Trail. My poncho was stunning, with heavy sarcasm implied. When it was on all buttoned up it looked like I was wearing a bright blue tarpaulin, complete with peaked smurf hat. Although long ago I had relinquished my vanity (well most of it) to surviving the elements of Peru, I still felt a little silly.

When viewed from afar our whole tour group looked like a walking packet of brightly coloured jelly beans, making their way determinedly up the trail into the mist. At one point I witnessed a hiker from another group, (one of the snobby poncho-free hikers mind you), point at our group bobbing along the path. 'HA! Look at them!They look so funny!' she giggled. I don't think she realised I was right behind her.

As usual on this particular day I was far behind the group. With lungs that felt like shallow limp balloons that would not inflate and sudden cramps followed occasionally by an attack of the runs I resolved to concentrate on listening to my breathing and to repeating my 'mantra' to 'Put one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other, NO, DON'T LOOK AHEAD TO THE TOP OF THE NEVER-ENDING STAIRS, just put one foot in front of the other...gasp.'

I was obvsiously so immersed in this activity that when I finally caught up to the rest of the group it took me a moment to realise they were laughing and pointing at me. Needless to say I was a little affronted, after all they looked just as ridiculous in their jelly bean outfits as I did. A few of them shouted something at me, but I could not hear due to having multiple woollen and plastic layers covering my head and ears. To my horror, some then pulled out cameras and started taking photos. However when I reached them and turned around I totally understood their amusement.

As I pulled over to the side of the steep stone path a herd of donkeys, babies and mothers decorated with traditional headwear, trotted past us with a spurt of speed that indicated sudden freedom.  They had been walking behind me for a decent amount of time I assume, unable to pass me on the narrow track. As I had appeared huffing and puffing around the corner in the misty rain it looked as if I was deep in some kind of deadly serious determination to lead these dokeys to a new homeland. Despite the rain and cold, I, the poncho-wearing donkey shepherdess would guide them there.

In reality I was panting so hard I hadn't even heard all 25 or so of them. Lucky for them becuse if I had I probably would have launched myself onto the most fit and able and forced it to carry me to the top. A caring shepherdess I would make...