The Inca trail was described to us as tough but worthwhile and I´m chuffed to report that both of us were able to complete the trek without too much discomfort. The first day was spent walking along the side of the Ulatambo river getting to know the guides and the 14 other fellow walkers.
Fortunately we were very lucky and the group got on brilliantly with people from Germany, Poland, the US and Australia. Some people even laughed at my jokes which was a real treat! The first night was spent in a small campsite just above the cloud forest. The toilets on the trek left a lot to be desired but we somehow managed to get by.
Day 2 was the really tough day including the walk up to Dead Womens Pass, which at 4200 metres is the highest part of the trek. It was at this point that one girl broke down completely and had to be carried by one of the porters! Maura and I were the first two up as we had the power of the Rocky soundtrack blasting over the Ipods.
Day 2 also saw us spend some time at a couple of Inca sites that were used as messenger homes and sacred sites. the guide gave us a lot of quality info about the fact the Inca´s performed brain surgery and successful blood transfusions. They also invented Penecillin, bad luck Fleming! It´s just a shame that they liked to hump their own sisters and as a result all died of Hemophillia...
Day 3 was relatively easy and was more a chance to get infront of other groups at the campsite near Machu Picchu. We arrived after lunch and were able to take a hot shower, a luxury that we desperately needed. A few beers were then consumed to celebrate arriving so close to our destination.
On Day 4 we got up at 4 in the morning so that we could be ready to see the sun rise over the Machu Picchu site. Unfortunately the weather had other ideas! We raced up to the Sun Gate arriving just before 6 to be confronted with miles and miles of fog. No Inca ruins anywhere! We could either laugh or cry.... we chose the former.
Fortunately the sun decided to burn through the fog and when we had walked down to the ruins they were easy to see and really lived up to our expectations. They whole place is a brilliant example of some seriously perfect engineering. For example at the winter solstice a single sun beam shines through the sun gate (1 mile away on a mountain top) into the top window of the Sun temple. I can bore you with lots more stuff but I´ll save it for the pub when we get back!
We were given a guided tour of the ruins then let loose for an hour. Maura and I decided to run up the hill next to the ruins called Waynapichu to get an aerial view and we weren´t disappointed, the whole scope of the place is spectacular.
We then left Machu Picchu to spend some time in the hot springs of Aguas Calientes. Our bodies have been pushed by constant bug attack, some vomitting and a lot of very large Inca steps. I´m looking forward to a massage a lot!
Next stop is Sorata in Bolivia for Mountain Biking and Jungle trekking, I´ll let you know soon how we get on.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Friday, 16 October 2009
Back to school.....
We´ve now spent a week in Cusco and are very excited about our trek tomorrow when we start the Inca Trail. All our kit has been put together, including a whole shops worth of Coca sweets and Coca leaves. (To help with the altitude of course)!
The week in Cusco has been fun, we have done a lot of walking around the city, including checking out San Cristobal (a rubbish version of Rio´s Christ the Redeemer statue) , some Inca Ruins called "Sexywomen" and a lot of being molested by street sellers offering massages. It is a very beautiful city though and easy to relax in.
We spent one day rafting the Sacred River of the Incas Urubamba which was a lot of fun. The rapids were at class 2 and 3 so not massively scary but enough to get us throughly soaked. It was a great day with some cool people as well.
Another highlight has been the eating of Cuy (Guinea Pig). I must admit it was a lot more fun playing with my food than actually eating it. It tasted a bit like Pepperami (except the brain which was strangely creamy). The squeals of horror from the small child and the vegetarian on the next door table were like music to my carnivourous ears.
School has been interesting from a relationship point of view, I have struggled with a partner significantly better than me at Spanish and unknown to me a bit of a teachers pet as well. The fact I haven´t been able to answer one question all week has made learning tough.
I got what I needed from it though, the exact way to ask for a round of golf and how I can rent clubs once we get to La Paz!
We´ll be back from Machu Picchu next Wednesday so we´ll let you know how we got on!
The week in Cusco has been fun, we have done a lot of walking around the city, including checking out San Cristobal (a rubbish version of Rio´s Christ the Redeemer statue) , some Inca Ruins called "Sexywomen" and a lot of being molested by street sellers offering massages. It is a very beautiful city though and easy to relax in.
We spent one day rafting the Sacred River of the Incas Urubamba which was a lot of fun. The rapids were at class 2 and 3 so not massively scary but enough to get us throughly soaked. It was a great day with some cool people as well.
Another highlight has been the eating of Cuy (Guinea Pig). I must admit it was a lot more fun playing with my food than actually eating it. It tasted a bit like Pepperami (except the brain which was strangely creamy). The squeals of horror from the small child and the vegetarian on the next door table were like music to my carnivourous ears.
School has been interesting from a relationship point of view, I have struggled with a partner significantly better than me at Spanish and unknown to me a bit of a teachers pet as well. The fact I haven´t been able to answer one question all week has made learning tough.
I got what I needed from it though, the exact way to ask for a round of golf and how I can rent clubs once we get to La Paz!
We´ll be back from Machu Picchu next Wednesday so we´ll let you know how we got on!
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Lake Titi & lots of Kaka
After a few great days trekking in the Canyon, we decided to have a couple of days of rest with two friends we'd picked up on the way. Mucho Fiestas followed and we ended up at the south of Peru at Lake Titikaka ready to visit the lake islands.
Lake Titikaka is one of the most commercialised places I have ever been with every corner, mountain top, church, or area of natural beauty covered in little old ladies selling silly hats and Alpaca jumpers. Mark and Cassey our friends were in there element paying over the odds for every bit of tat it was possible to buy - hysterical to watch for us as we turned down old lady after old lady!
Anyway that aside the floating Islands of Uros are one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. Islands 50 metres across made entirely of reeds harvested from the lake and tied together with rope. Surely this must be totally unique? The locals were all so friendly we decided to do a trip to another island to stay with a family (this island wasn't floating though).
The Island of Amantani is 3 hours by boat from Puno and is very rustic and reletively unspoilt by tourists. We stayed with a delightful old lady who looked after us very well. Our first lunch was a bit excentric, 4 different types of potato in a small bowl. But we were eating what the family ate so no complaints from our side. The island was beautiful, with a fantastic view and a couple of fun walks. The highlight for me was watching my beloved dressed up in traditional Andean clothing and spun around a room in a traditional fiesta! (photos to follow I promise!)
Unfortunately my enjoyment of these events was tempered by the fact that every 10-15 minutes I had to rush to a small hole in the garden ..... well you get the picture. The next day we headed over to the Island of Taquile, a slightly larger island in the lake. The fun was seeing it before all the day trippers arrived from Puno, we had the island to ourselves for a little bit which was stunning (although there weren't a lot of Baños around!)
We have now taken a quick detour down to the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka to visit Copacabana and the Isla Del Sol. We have been here two days and this is the longest I have been able to leave the hotel room! Hopefully we will get another shot when we travel past after Machu Picchu....
Next up is Cusco for a back to school experience - lets hope there aren't any tests!
Lake Titikaka is one of the most commercialised places I have ever been with every corner, mountain top, church, or area of natural beauty covered in little old ladies selling silly hats and Alpaca jumpers. Mark and Cassey our friends were in there element paying over the odds for every bit of tat it was possible to buy - hysterical to watch for us as we turned down old lady after old lady!
Anyway that aside the floating Islands of Uros are one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. Islands 50 metres across made entirely of reeds harvested from the lake and tied together with rope. Surely this must be totally unique? The locals were all so friendly we decided to do a trip to another island to stay with a family (this island wasn't floating though).
The Island of Amantani is 3 hours by boat from Puno and is very rustic and reletively unspoilt by tourists. We stayed with a delightful old lady who looked after us very well. Our first lunch was a bit excentric, 4 different types of potato in a small bowl. But we were eating what the family ate so no complaints from our side. The island was beautiful, with a fantastic view and a couple of fun walks. The highlight for me was watching my beloved dressed up in traditional Andean clothing and spun around a room in a traditional fiesta! (photos to follow I promise!)
Unfortunately my enjoyment of these events was tempered by the fact that every 10-15 minutes I had to rush to a small hole in the garden ..... well you get the picture. The next day we headed over to the Island of Taquile, a slightly larger island in the lake. The fun was seeing it before all the day trippers arrived from Puno, we had the island to ourselves for a little bit which was stunning (although there weren't a lot of Baños around!)
We have now taken a quick detour down to the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka to visit Copacabana and the Isla Del Sol. We have been here two days and this is the longest I have been able to leave the hotel room! Hopefully we will get another shot when we travel past after Machu Picchu....
Next up is Cusco for a back to school experience - lets hope there aren't any tests!
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