Arrival In Ecuador

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Hi folks
im so sorry its been an absolute eternity since i last posted something but i have been just too busy. since i last wrote i have done 2 treks and a project in the andes. the firsat trek was the salkantaay trail which lasted 4 days and we rose up to 4600m above sea level. that trek was really demanding and is supposedly 40% harder than the inca trail. furthermore most people dont carry their equipment and hire donkeys but we managed to carry our rucksacks for the whole 4 days. the change in landscape was incredible. the first day was arid and surrounded by snowcapped mountains but from the second day on we were in the jungle which was just on the other side of the mountain. the weather was very hot and humid although it did and has rained every day since we´ve been in peru (due to it being the rainy season). therefore not much sun. the 5th day we climbed up to macchu picchu. an incredible old incan city which cannot be appreciated unless one´s there. its much bigger than you´d expect as the stereotypical shot of macchu picchu doesn´t do it justice. and of course i took many a photo along with the stereotypical shot with wayna picchu in the background. after this trek we had one days rest in cusco before heading for puno which boasted the highest, largest, deepest natural lake in the world aka lake titikaka. the lake was impressive and we had the chance to circumnavigate most of it stopping off on some islands made of reeds. basically the were floating islands that could be manouevered at will. we also stayned a night on amantani island with the local islanders and then had a traditional fiesta with which we wore the traditional attire. i have many photos of all of this. after puno we went to arequipa a really bneatuful town in the middle of the desert and relaxed for a couple of days. a night bus was then taken to nazca, with the highlight being able to fly on a light aircraft and see the nazca lines from the air. a truely amazing experience. from nazca we went to ica sand dunes and went sand dune boarding. absolutely great fun. we also hired a buggy and went up to 80mph up and over some incredible sand dunes. great experience. we then went from ica pisac which is a local fishing village. there we were to be given a tour of the ballestas islands which are covered in wildlife. many penguins, sealions and shit loads of birds. on touring around them on the speedboat we all got shat upon many a time. it also stank of guano aka shit. soon after we went to lima to take time and look around all the cathedrals and museums. bog standard stuff really but interesting. lima is very smelly and smoggy and very hot and humid. not the nicest place in the world but it had an impressive plaza. after lima we went tu huaraz where we wpould be preparing for the 16 day trek and project. the porject was done in an indigenous village called Isco, found about 10km form la union (another village) and 5 hours drive from huaraz. our project was to reconstruct a communal dining hall, fence off all the area s a camping faciltity could be installed, leveling the grass which was really tough wor, and replanting trees. all in all it was a lot of carrying, and alot of manual labour but was woth it in the end once we saw the results. on the last day the villagers treated us to a pachamanca whcih is basically slow cooked meat buried in the ground. ray mears style. nice. only catch was that we had to kill the meat. as there were only 2 guys in the group we had to kill 4 chickens, a ram and a pig. very surreal experience and quite daunting at first but im glad i did it as i can appreciate how meat arrives on my plate. we also did alot of fishing and had fresh trout many a time for dinner on the project.
the trek was a 5 day hike and nothing compared to the slakantaay trail. most of us, now acclimatised. did it with relevant ease, again reaching highs of 4600m above sea level and camping at 4400m where it snowed over night and we almost couldnt get out of our tnets. after the trek we headed back to huaraz to relax for a day and then headed to huanchaco which was a surfing town. there i discover my new found love of surfing. we all got lessons and now i have bought a board and am surfing up and down the coast whenever i can. its the most amazing adrenalin rush you can get in my opinion and my next holiday will be a surfing one hehe. after huanchaco we went to mancora which was known for its surfing so i had fun there. yesterday we crossed the border to peru and i am now in cuenca in ecuador.
so far thats all ive done and although it may not sound like alot i have only outlined the basics as i just dont have the time to go into detail. i have many photos, almost 1500 if not more by now and i shall describe in moe detail when i get back. tomorrow we are off to quito known for its night life and the group are having a spansih refresher course for a week. so ill just be chilling
once agin sorry its been so long but i shall try and update more often, now that i have the time
speak to you all soon
take care
yury x

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