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Published: October 13th 2009
Machu Picchu
An amazing sight after 4 days of hard trekking!Whilst relaxing in northern Peru, the owner of our hotel invited us to visit her house on the beach in Colan. The journey there was an adventure in itself as the final part involved speeding down the highway at 110kph whilst both squashed in the front seat of the taxi with no seatbelt! However, the house was directly on the beach with only the crashing of the waves to disturb the peace. So much so we both fell asleep on the decking in the sunshine!
We then flew to Lima the capital of Peru and fortunately we stayed in a really nice safe area near the sea. After a month of local cuisine we didnt need any persuading to head to Dunkin Donuts for the luxury of western food (Boston creme donuts never tasted so good)! Our luck did falter a bit though as we both became ill with a stomach bug which required a trip to the pharmacy for some very expensive medicines which did the trick. However, we had just recovered in time to meet our friend Kevin who had flown out from the UK to join us for our 3 week group tour of Peru.
There
Huacachina Oasis
Relaxing in the sunshine with Kevin. were an average of 30 people on the tour - a real mix of nationalities with some interesting characters (or should that be freaks)? As a sample, we have the "orangutan" (don´t ask), the indecisive Irish woman who never stops talking about herself, the loudest South African you have not wanted to meet, and two Kiwis who sound just like Kath & Kim (that´s nice...).
Amongst the places we have visited have been the Ballestas Islands for the wildlife, Pisco for the famous Pisco Sour drink (don´t bother it tastes as bad as it´s name), the Oasis in the desert at Huacachina (after a couple of nights in the middle of nowhere it really was an oasis), and the Colca canyon - the second deepest canyon in the world (was the 7 hours on the bus worth it?).
We enjoyed our turbulent 4 seater Cessna plane trip over the Nasca lines, probably the most airsick we have ever felt with the constant turns to see the lines whilst the pilot navigated the plane with one hand! The lines are huge engravings in the desert of various animal shapes made thousands of years ago which can only really be
The Colca Canyon
Where we saw condors circling overhead. appreciated from the air so you just have to grin and bear the discomfort, but it did feel good to be back on terra firma.
Arequipa is a nice city to relax and wander about in, with wonderful views of the snow capped moutains for its backdrop. We took advantage of the free sauna and jacuzzi provided by the hotel but found to our horror it was full of fat, sweating Germans (a hasty exit was required)!
Fortunately we had several days to relax in Cusco before our trek to Machu Picchu. We were able to indulge in porridge for breakfast and were treated by our friends from the tour, Kelly & Rob, to a cream tea (heaven). Of course, to keep us slim we walked up and down to the statue of ´Christo Blanco´for great views of Cusco and photos with alpaccas!
Sleeping bags, thermals and woolly hats in tow we headed off to the start of the Inca Trail - a 45km trek to Machu Picchu mostly at altitude which takes 4 days, 3 nights (yes camping is required)! However, all our provisions including tents, dining tables & chairs, oven, calor gas bottles etc etc
Plaza de Armas, Arequipa.
Peru's second largest city, which we enjoyed. were carried by porters on their backs! It really was amazing that as we huffed and puffed our way slowly along the trail we were overtaken by the porters who ran by us with their 25kg loads, barely breaking a sweat! The cooks even managed to bake a huge cake for Kevin´s birthday and it tasted fab.
It was an amazing adventure with great weather, only a couple of thunder storms in the evenings and magnificent scenery culminating on our final morning with views of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate. (We are conveniently forgetting to mention the endless trekking uphill then downhill, the horrendous toilets, dusty campsites, exhaustion from very early mornings and relentless hiking!) It was a real sense of achievement getting there and we enjoyed the rest of the day looking around the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu.
From here its Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and beyond but more of that next time...
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claire reed
non-member comment
Fabulous Reading
Hello my lovelies, I have to comment on your brilliantly written blog, so captivating and cannot wait to hear the next chapter. The photos are breathtaking and I am sure it was worth the horrendous 4 day experience, to witness the sight of Machu Picchu, although your fellow travellers sound appalling and how did David refrain from commenting (only joking, kiss kiss). Wayne and I spent a few days walking in North Devon last week, and experienced typical 'blighty' weather. We have not laughed so much in a long time and it was a shame having to return to normality. Speak soon and look forward to reading about Bolivia. Hugs to you both. Claire x