JohnP

I had thought that after all the physical effort that once back in a proper bed I would sleep well. But I woke early. We met Tony and Lindsey over breakfast reflecting on what a fantastic experience we had been through. We had been really lucky with the group of people we had spent four days with, the guides were excellent and the porters amazing. Looking back we agreed that the trail was not got the faint hearted or unfit. Lindsey had run three marathons, the same number as me, and was planning to run another half when she got back. Her husband, Tony, was also fit. Barry and his wife were also seasoned walkers. John from Seattle, had been working hard to get fit and lose weight before coming on the trip. Joe and Audrey ... read more

Day 3... read more

Day 1 A little surprising to both of us, Martin and I were up at 5:00, showered, breakfasted and packed ready to be collected from our hotel at 6:00. The six English visitors from our hotel were joined by three Americans from two different hotels. One of these required the minibus to go up such a narrow street that even at the turning area at the end there was barely anymore width than the length of the minibus, thus requiring a nine point turn. The town was quiet at that time of the morning and we made rapid progress through the suburbs and over the hills on the same route as before to Ollantaytambo. The central square was full of bustle, minibuses manoeuvring and visitor from many countries mingling with locals. We were pointed in the ... read more

Ollantaytambo is a fortress at the confluence of two rivers in the Sacred Valley of the Incas to the northwest of Cusco. It took us about an hour and a half one to travel there by minibus, making our way through the uncontrolled housing development on the outskirts of Cusco and then climbing over a pass with views of the Andes. On the way we stopped and Chinchero, the site of three Inca palaces. This small Andean village is high up on the plain of Anta at 3762 m above sea level. We were given a demonstration of dying wool with local natural materials, spinning it and weaving cloth. Ollantaytambo is the best surviving example of Inca city planning with the modern buildings using the foundations of their Inca predecessors. The site has the most amazing ... read more

We have had an easy time today, not leaving the lodge until 10:30 for our trip up river. While we waited the sun the sun came out and so did the butterflies. We spotted a large iridescent blue one crossing the space outside the lodge. When we arrived at Puerto Maldonado a group of men were swimming in the river manhandling what appeared to be a raft. We worked out that they had floated the heavy large cut timber downstream in the form of a raft and were dismantling it, so it could be raised by crane to the quay and then lifted by hand onto a truck. I suspect from the weight it was 'iron' wood. Martin looked out for Internet cafés to take pictures of as we went through the town and we stopped ... read more