Trip Schedule

It's 5 days until I leave, and I'm starting to get excited now! Just the small matter of exams to get out of the way before I go... I'm pretty much prepared, with all my equipment taking up the spare bedroom at home, and my currency ordered - just want to get going now!

I thought I'd write down a rough schedule here, so that people know where I'll be and when. I have also added a few pictures, just to give an idea of the things that I will be seeing in Peru - hopefully you will also get to see a few of my own photos when I'm actually there - although I guess that is dependent on how fast the computers are!!

10/04 - London->Miami
Fly from London to Miami, and from Miami to Lima. I have a long stop-over in Miami airport - any suggestions of activities to keep me entertained would be much appreciated (bearing in mind that it's the middle of the night!!)

11/04 - Miami->Lima
Arrive in Miraflores, Lima, Peru - this will be at 10.30am British time (4.30am Peru time!) so I think I will spend the best part of the day sleeping in the hotel! I am sure I will need to head out in search of some food at some point though, and to have a wander in the local neighbourhood - apparently there are some pre-Inca ruins to see. In the evening I will meet my group for the first time - there should be 16 of us - I'm slightly worried that they will all be American pensioners...but I'm sure that won't be the case!

12/04 - Lima->Pisco
The morning gives me another opportunity to explore Lima (this time with some company hopefully!) In the afternoon we travel by bus to Pisco - a coastal town that is famous for the 'Pisco Sour' cocktail - one of the national drinks of Peru.

13/04 - Pisco->Nazca
In the morning we will go on a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands. These are known as the 'Peruvian Galapagos', and I should see sea lions, pelicans, penguins and other birds. We then catch a bus to Nazca . On the way we stop at Ica which is a desert town with large sand dunes. There will be a chance to go sandboarding (I don't think I'll be very good at this...), and to visit some wineries.

14/04 - Nazca->Arequipa
Today we visit the Nazca lines - these are patterns and pictures etched in the ground across a wide area of desert. The best way to see them is from the air, but I havn't quite decided if I'm going to brave the small plane yet (I expect I will...). We also visit a Pre-Inca desert cemetery site, and a place making traditional pottery. In the evening we board the night bus for a journey to Arequipa, Peru's second city (cue sleepless night...).

15/04 - Arequipa
Arequipa is pretty high up at 2325m (7626 feet), so this will be where I start to feel the altitude for the first time. It is built from light coloured volcanic rock, and so called 'the White City', and has many old buildings and a cathedral. There is the Convent of Santa Catalina which is supposedly very tranquil. Arequipa is surrounded by mountatins, including the El Misti Volcano, with a snow-capped peak.

16/04-17/04 - Colca Canyon
We travel from Arequipa up to the Colca Canyon, which is one of the deepest canyons in the world. We stay in a village called Chivay for two nights. It has hot springs, and is very traditional, with live Andean music. This could be the best place on the tour to sample some llama meat!! There will be some walks into the canyon to help acclimatise to the altitude, as well as a bus tour around the canyon, stopping at small villages, and at miradors, where hopefully I will see Andean Condors - the birds with the biggest wing span in the world! Apparently there is an opportunity to cycle throught the canyon, but I think I will pass on this - anyone who has ever seen me on a bike will know why!

18/04 - Colca Canyon->Puno
A day mostly spent travelling from the Colca Canyon to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, which is the highest naviagable lake in the world. Puno is at 3830m, and is the highest altitude that I will sleep at on the tour. It could be cold here - a good time to invest in an Alpaca jumper..?! I may visit some more pre-Inca archeological sites.

19/04 - Puno->Lake Titicaca Islands
We take a boat trip to Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca. Here we have lunch in a restaurant (fish!!). We go to the adjacent Amantani island, where we stay overnight with a local family. In the evening they get to dress us up in traditional costume, and teach us local dances - you may want to look out for photos of this - they could be quite amusing! On the islands, there is no modern technology, no cars etc, so it should be quite an experience. The men do all the knitting and the women spin the wool - seems a bit odd!

20/04 - Lake Titicaca Islands->Puno
We leave the island in the morning. On the way back to Puno, we visit the Uros islands. These are made from layers of reeds growing in the shallows of the lakes. Everything on the islands is also made from reed, including houses, furniture, and boats! We arrive back in Puno, and spend the night there.

21/04 - Puno->Cuzco
A bus journey from Puno to Cuzco will take most of the day. The route passes through the Andean mountains, and the scenery should be spectacular. I imagine I will be pretty tired when I arrive in Cuzco, so will leave exploring until the next day!

22/04 - Cuzco
This is a full day in Cuzco. Cuzco is the 'tourist capital' of Peru, and was constructed by the Incas, and is surrounded by Inca ruins. There are plenty of museums and churces, as well as nearby Inca ruins and market towns. I want to take a horse-riding tour of Sachsayhuamen (actually pronounced Sexy Women!) - some Inca ruins, but this may have to wait until after the Inca trail! Roast guinea pig is the local delicacy, but you will be pleased to know I will not be availing myself of this!!!

23/04-26/04 - Inca Trail
The Inca Trail! Not all the group will be doing this, so we will join up with some new people for the duration of the trail. It is four nights long, arriving at Machu Picchu at sunrise on the final day. I anticipate that it will be both exciting and challenging. The highest point is reached on day two, at 4198m (13769 feet). There are lots of smaller Incan ruins to look at along the way, as well as spectacular scenery with the Andean mountains, and the cloud forest which should hopefully have lots of wildlife! We should be well looked after whilst on the trail - porters carry the bulk of our kit, as well as cooking for us and setting up the tents each afternoon! I have high hopes for Machu Picchu - apparently the first view of it is incredible. When we arrive we get a guided tour of the site. In the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, there are some thermal springs for tired feet, and then we take a spectacular train journey back to Cuzco for some well-earned rest!

27/04 - Cuzco
Another day in Cuzco - hopefully I'll get to do some horse-riding as mentioned earlier, and to visit anything I didn't get chance to see previously!

28/04 - Cuzco->Rainforest
We fly from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado in the lowlands of the Amazon jungle. We travel in a motorised canoe to a lodge in the Tambopata rainforest area. It's going to be quite a contrast going from being high up and cold to being low down and very hot!

29/04 - Rainforest
A day spent exploring the jungle. There should be lots of wildlife - birds (parrots!), capybaras, giant otters, cayman (croccodiles..), monkeys, and plenty of nasty creepy-crawlies!! There are boat trips and jungle walks. The lodge is eco-friendly. Rooms are open on one side, just covered by mosquito nets, leaving you to hear all the sounds of the jungle. Hopefully I will get to sample some jungle-style cooking as well, with tropical fruits etc.

30/04 - Rainforest->Lima
Fly back to Lima, for a final evening out with the group.

01/05 - Lima->Miami
My flight out of Lima is at 10.40pm, so hopefully I can find some willing companions to explore central Lima a bit with me - it has some interesting museums, buildings etc. I fly to Miami.

02/05 - Miami->Punta Gorda, Belize
Fly first to Belize City from Miami, and then from Belize City to Punta Gorda in Southern Belize, to arrive at the clinic where I am carrying out my medical placement. The clinic will arrange for me to be collected from the local airstrip(!).

03/05-29/05 - Placement in Punta Gorda, Belize
Placement in Belize - I will write more details about this in a separate posting.

30/05 - Punta Gorda->Miami
Fly from Punta Gorda to Belize City, Belize City to Miami, and board my flight from Miami to London - I imagine British Airways seats will seem like luxury after all this time roughing it!

31/05 - Miami->London
Arrive home - at Heathrow airport at 10.00am!

Hope this has given you a bit more idea of my plans. Like I said above, I will write another posting, giving some more details about my medical placement in Belize!

You are able to write comments at the bottom of my blog entries, and also send me private messages via this site, or via email kat_mahony@hotmail.com.

Now I really should go and do some work...

---

---