Somebody get me some oxygen!

We left off in Rurrenabaque Bolivia where I booked a flight on a twelve seater plane back to La Paz at the end of the jungle tour. The flight only took an hour but we struggled badly through lack of air. It was alright for some however as I looked forward to the pilots and they had oxygen masks on. At least the guys in command weren't passing out! I was feeling pretty knocked around in flying back to altitude again and my back seized up, but help arrived in the form of a traveller on the plane who practices shiatsu massage and the adventures continue.

I subsequently caught a bus to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca and stayed overnight. I met up again with my Irish mate and also met two Irish girls on the boat to Isla del Sol that I had got to know in Rurrenabaque. So we became a crew of four and for a time I became an honorary Irishman. We did a wonderful walk on the island through magnificent scenery and stayed at a homely hostel where we dined out on superb Lake Titicaca trout at an altitude of over 4000 metres.

It was time to move on and we headed west across the border to Peru. A ten hour bus trip landed us in Cusco which is a famous tourist party town and jump off point for treks to Machu Picchu. We had an excellent weekend clubbing and the whole experience was such a good laugh. Sometimes our dorm room was in a general state of hysterics with "the craic." Night became day and day became night in this party town and it was a very enjoyable time amidst excellent company.

I then booked onto the Salkantay Trek which is a five day Inca trail. Our team comprised three Texans and myself and as such I have to ponder the question as to whether I was still an honorary Irishman, y´all?! We had a great trek and climbed to a maximum altitude of 4600 metres on day two. "Salkantay, Salkantay" as our guide Dante would say. Soaring above us at a majestic and snow capped 6400 metres, considered a god by the Incas, and never having been summitted by man; Salkantay mountain epitomises the monumental scale and beauty of nature. Peru has the most mountains over 6000 metres in the world and the trek had magnificent contrasts from mountain glaciers to jungle tracks to river walks; and as a bonus, the final destination was the legendary Machu Picchu! We arrived at the foot of the world famous ruins that were built on a mountain over 800 years ago by the Incas in order to be closer to god.

Day five was amazing and started with a 5am walk up to Machu Picchu for sunrise. We were then taken on a two hour guided tour of the ruins by the boss of our tour company Epitours. We were then free to climb Huayna Picchu for majestic views over the ruins and the surrounding countryside. The trek was an amazing experience with a very professional guide, cook and horseman. I highly recommend this trek to all who love walking the great outdoors.

In summary, Peru is a beautiful country with so many famous sights to explore, ably supported by an established and professional tourism industry. As a matter of fact,............. basically all of you should be here now!

"We need the tonic of wilderness ... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be infinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never get enough of nature." Henry David Thoreau

Top 3 Hotels/Restaurants
Loki Hostel - Cusco, Peru
Templo Del Sol Hostel - Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Bush camping overlooking the mighty Salkantay mountain

Top 3 Sights/Activities
Salkantay Trek - Epitours, Cusco, Peru
Isla del Sol - Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Mama Africas clubbing - Cusco, Peru

As I continue my travels, until next time it´s signing off for now.

Tom

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