I am a little outta date on this thing.... been too busy spending time outside when we can, but I will endevour to do a quick catch up!!
The Inca Trail was AWESOME!!! Had 3 Aussie chicks, Tori, Min and Sara, 4 people from the US, 1 Sth African, 1 English, 2 Norweigans and 1 Peruvian in our group, so a real mixed group which made life fun! The Aussie girls get there names mentioned cos we spent quite a bit of time with them afterward the trail...!
Day one was supposed to be flat all the way apparently! Whatever!! The last third was rather uphill but nothing we couldnt handle after our mountain climbing expedition a week before. Towards the end there were scales where we could weigh our bags.... we chose not to hire porters as they are really expensive and we figured we could handle carrying our own bags if we travelled light. Rodney carried 14kg the whole way which is pretty impressive to be honest considering most of the way he was at the front. I carried 8kg (thanks to Rodney who carried my sleeping bag, my bag wasnt too heavy!). But we also found out that Rodney has already lost about 6 ot 7kg!! We were noticing how loose his clothes were getting, but if he is losing weight at that pace, what is he going to weigh when we get to Londontown???? I have lost a kg or two from all the walking, but nothing to write home to grandma about!!
The 2nd day of the trail is the hardest, where you walk what they say is 4 hours uphill to the place called dead womans pass. It would be a pretty hard uphill walk if you werent fit, and it was challenging even for the fit with all the stuff we were carrying.
Day three was easy peasy with only 4 or so hours of walking, and we had our first shower that night (every other day we had a little mini sponge bath), along with a fun night of eating, drinking and card playing with our group! Over the course of the trip we had a great time with our gang, team USA, Team South Pacific, Team Norway, Team GB, Team Sth America and Team Peru!
Day 4 we woke up at 4am to be the first group at the gate to enter Machu Picchu. Then it is a 2 hour walk to Machu Picchu, but it is like a race, because there is an additional mountain you can climb called Waynu Picchu, that only 400 people are allowed to climb per day. But you need to get your tickets in advance, so everyone was literally running! We managed to get these tickets, but then didnt end up climbing it because it was real cloudy. But then it cleared about an hour before we were going to leave so we got to enjoy walking around Machu Picchu and saw the whole thing from the view point that all the classic photos are taken from.
Machu Picchu is an amazing sight. It is incredible to think that they could put together such a structure with so little tools and lifted them with their own strength (no cranes back then!). I was blown away the whole time we were there and couldnt stop staring and took about a million photos (which will be loaded onto facebook!). If you get a chance to do it, then do it!!! You dont have to do the Inca Trail to get there, you can catch a train to the closest town and go on the bus up there for the day. But I figure if you are there why not do the Inca Trail!! (unless you are a bit older and not really into hiking, in which case I would suggest the day trip!)
After we checked out Machu Picchu we had our final team lunch and said goodbye (until the following night in Cusco where we were meeting up again). Rodney and I spent the night in Aguas Caliente which is the small town closest to Machu Picchu, famous for their hot pools. So we had a soak in them with Team USA that arvo.
We cruised back to Cusco the next day where we had a wicked night with half of our team incl Team Australia, where we had dinner at a place called Two nations (owned by an Australian/Peruvian husband and wife) and then went out to a club called Mama Africa. Was the biggest night we have had so far over here, crashed in bed sometime before 4am.
Then caught the most horrible bus ever up to Lima, which was supposed to take 20 hours max and took almost 30 because there was a road block, so we had to stop pretty much for the whole night while we waited for it to clear!! Arrgghhh we felt hideous by the time we arrived in Lima. Stayed in Miraflores which is the beach suburb that all the tourists stay at for 2 night looking around and then headed south to do a wee loop...
I have run outta time so will have to continue this amazing story next time for you all where I will tell you all about giant sand dunes and lagoons in the middle of the desert, along with Poor Mans Galapogas Islands!!
Hope everyone is happy and well. HAPPY EASTER to you all!
We are heading to a place called Huanchaco tonight on a 9 hour overnight bus (little surf town).
Take care,
Love Daile and Rod xxx
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