Inca Trail

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Ok so we were no longer illegal immigrants so I informed Danny that we need to do something cultural.....a museum or something....and I found the perfect place...a chocolate museum...to learn all about cocoa and how to make chocolate etc.....awesome!!! And yes I did make Danny spend some money in the gift shop!!!!!

We then met for lunch with our no longer refugee buddies and headed back to our hotel in time for our Inca trail briefing.........only 6kilos was to be carried by our assigned porters...... for a 4 day tour...otherwise we had to carry it ourselves...not good news!!!! I AM A GIRL...I HAVE FASHION NEEDS!

That evening we got an email from our Irish buddies, Nora and Dave, who we did our Africa tour with, they had just come back from Machu Picchu so yes we arranged to meet them somewhere for some Peruvian nightlife – Paddie’s Bar it was! We knew we had a 6.30am start but it was so great to see them that after a bottle of wine or two (and no not boxes like in Africa!) we didn’t head home till gone 12…oooops!! It was so great to see them…..being tired the next day was so worth it!

So our second GAP tour begins…….hung over and sleepy – like Africa all over again! Day 1 was a warm up for the main trail - thank god – so we headed to the Sacred Valley ….we stopped off to see a remote village and learn about making wool and sewing (this was Danny’s favorite part – I think not!), then headed to our first Inca complex and did a practice 1 hour 30 min walk…..it was pretty hard work, especially at altitude. We then headed to a town called Ollantaytambo to our hostel and did a second short walk to see the whole Inca city there and learn about building and farming etc…… we then had an early dinner and got some much needed rest before our real tour began!!!!

The Inca trail was absolutely fantastic….it included 3 days of hiking between 10 – 17km a day – I know this doesn’t sound that hardcore but at 3000+ metres above sea level and walking up and down over the Andes on these huge Inca steps you really did feel it! One day we did 2000 steps downhill – all I can say is my body now looks like Elle (the body) McPherson (I wish!). It is also worth mentioning though that this is nothing compared to what the porters had to do – for or group of 14 and 2 guides there were 22 porters (incuding a 63 year old) and 2 cooks who hiked the trail in sandals carrying up to 27kg on their backs including all our tents, bags and food etc. They overtook us easily and had our tents erected and food on the go by the time we arrived! Just to make us feel even worse, they applauded us when we arrived at camp – must be the coca leaves?Yes….this was my last experience of camping and 3 nights in freezing conditions was quite enough (Nora I totally love you for lending me your long johns (sexy I know!) they saved my life!)

Unfortunately I got a really sore throat and chesty cough so day 3 of the hike was particularly tough but there were some amazing mountain views (especially over our highest point – Dead Woman’s Pass at 4,200m – it is called this as it looks like a woman lying down – ie you can see what appears like a head and boobs – check out the pic – danny is licking the nipple – boys will be boys! ) and we visited a few more amazing Inca complexes (Runkuraqay, Intipata and Winaywayna) and learnt loads about how they lived and worked – I know everyone thinks Danny and I are totally uncultured – but we really did enjoy learning all the history and we had an awesome Peruvian guide called Ozzy who had a cockney accent and spent the whole trip trying to learn Cockney Slang from Danny and another guy called Rob! There were also two really nice girls from Yorkshire (I know – Yorkies! and Danny even liked them despite his Lanc routes!) called Polly and Katie so this made the tour all the more fun! Also like a mad man – when we were given 20mins to relax after lunch before a 2 hour hike for the afternoon , Danny and a few of the boys decided to take on the porters at football at approx 3600m – mental!!

Day 4 and we finally made it to Machu Picchu– Ozzy made us get up at 3 am so that we would be first in the queue at the checkpoint so we could make it to the sun gate for sunrise – well it was too cloudy so that was a waste of time but we had a few hours extra hours to wander around Machu Picchu which really was brilliant – it was a really big complex so loads to see (check out the pics – but they don’t do it justice – it really was breath taking!!) I am probably boring people now – but 1 fact that I just couldn’t believe – was the Inca’s made these thin farming platforms and they carried , up from the valley floor, 1 metre of good top soil to cover all these platforms – amazing!!! (Well I thought so!)
After spending a few hours exploring and contemplating at Machu Picchu we then headed down to a town called Agua Calientes for lunch before heading on a 2 hour panoramic train ride back to the start of our trek (km 82) (where we were picking up a bus back to Cusco). Well both Danny and I fell asleep for half the train ride….ooops…but…..it was a 3 am start to be fair! When we got back to Cusco we had a much needed shower – I hadn’t showered for 3 days (and I sweat like crazy – baby wipes are great but a hot shower was amazing!) We then had an early tea with the 2 English girls and headed to bed early….zzzz

No rest for the wicked, we had an 8 am flight so the alarm started bussing at 5 am and off we flew to Lima and then took a 4 hour bus to Pisco. We had a much needed chill out afternoon, quick walk to the beach and early to bed! Gosh we really are living the dream!
Again, an early start, this time 6.30am and we headed off on an organized boat trip to the Islas de Ballestas. It was very cool, this time I took my sea sickness pills and all was well! We saw sea lions, cute little penguins – which do walk in the cutest ways!, we saw millions of different birds, pelicans, cormorants, turns – and yes Danny’s favorite were the boobies!!!!!!

We have had a chill out afternoon and I am working on my tan as I write this and then tomorrow we head back to Lima to fly via Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls……..cannot believe we only have 2 weeks left……………..the epic journey continues!

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Comments

[Graham and Irene Starkie]

What a relief.
Great to hear you are no longer illegal immigrants. The Inca Trail sounds amazing. I love the traditional dress and the baby being carried on its Mum's back (it's a woman think Danny!). Uncle Graham wants to know what the girls are doing with their pieces of string in photos 1 and 2. How on earth are you going to settle back to the humdrum life of making money again? I suppose needs must. I can hardly believe you are due home in a week, and that in a couple of month's we will be at Kirsty's wedding and your first anniversary. Safe journey. Luv 'n' hugs as always Auntie I and Uncle G xx