Arequipa to Cusco

---

Hola from Cusco. As we rest our weary muscles after the Inca Trail it gives me a chance to update you on travels so far.

After Puno, we spent a couple of days in Arequipa, a pretty city set in a valley with volcanoes in the distance.

There are two things you need to know about Arequipa. It is the home of Juanita, an Inca Mummy found at the top of a nearby mountain when a neighbouring volcano melted the snow, thus revealing the body. She was a teenage girl chosen as a sacrifice in a time of crisis who walked up to the 6,000m + mountain top to her fate. There were several mummies found in the region and it is a grisly insight in to Inca Culture.

The Santa Catalina Monastery was toted as being very pretty, and it lived up to its reputation with attractive courtyards painted in white, blkue and red, with flowers and trees adding to the tranquility. The monastery was like a miniature town within its walls.

The crepery was fantastice...sorry 3 things, I´ll come in again.

We had a flying visit to Colca canyon, much like the Condors we had gone to see who had got up earlier than us so we only had a fleeting glimpse as they circled overhead. The canyon itself was spectacular and the Inca terracing characterising the valley was as impressive as the natural features.

On to Cusco, the heart of the Inca empire until the Spanish found a gold vault in the guise of South America. To get us in the mood we visited the Inca museum, full of the pottery, metal work and weaving typical of the culture.

The day before we started the Inca trail we took a tour of the sacred valley, taking in the Inca ruins along the way at Sacsayhuaman, huge stones, Pisac amazing terracing and Ollyantaytambo, more terracing.

We set off on the the Inca trail ealry the next morning. With the snowcapped Veronica mnountain behind us we walked along the river valley, surrounded by flowering Cacti and yellow flowered broome (introduced by the Spanish), eventually climbing past some more ruins through cloud forest to the first campsite. This was a long and tiring day and it was so cold we all went to bed early as it was the warmest place to be.

Early the next morning we were woken and brought tea or coffee to our tents. That´s what I call room service. There was a short section to do to get to the top of the highest pass on the walk at 4,300m, where it started to rain and continued to do so for the rest of the day. The steps were steep and wet as we walked in and out of the next valley and round to more Inca ruins, but as we dropped in to the forest again for the last km or so the camp site the sun came out and lit the lush greenery, finished off by a humming bird feeding on a bush with deep purple flowers.

The next day was to take us to the pre Machu Pichu camp. It was a much shorter walking day, but the relentless downhill was hard on the knees. There ws also cloud forest most of the way with orchids and mosses int he trees. We finished the day gazing out over the forested valley from the terraces of Winay Wayna. Very peaceful.

At five thirty the next morning we were first through the check point and hiked at break neck pace to the sun gate, where it was foggy. Half way down the other side we glimpsed Machu Pichu through the mist and it was awesome. The mist came and went for the rest of the day but it added atmosphere to the scene. The views in all directions are incredible and the place is a worthy culmination of all the scenery and ruins explored on the way.

After going out to celebrate we got to bed at around 2.30 am. Not quite the 24 hour challenge but quite respectivle for us.

Viv and Ness

---

Photos

We'll have nun of that
The Santa Catalina monastery in Arequipa.

Colca Canyon
Terraces are slightly different in Peru to London

Walking the Inca Trail
Pretty snow-covered peaks marked the start of the walk

Dead Woman's Pass
Top of the Inca Trail

The future's bright
Unfortunately the weather wasn't

The river valley
You wonder why they wanted to live here.

Winay Winya
Just down the track from Machu Picchu was another ruin that wasn't full of loud americans complaining about the walk from the car park.

Machu Picchu
The photos don't do it justice - go there and see it!

Comments

[anonymous]

Hola from London!
Get a job you slackers :) You're almost tempting me to follow in your esteemed footsteps. Great to see you're having such a fantastic time, superb photos!! I'll endeavour to write you a line or two soon... Take care of yourselves, San