Lima & Mancora

Arriving in Lima on the overnight bus from Cuzco, we went straight to the Cruz del sur bus terminal, as I have had enough of travelling on cheap, skanky buses to save ten quid, and booked the bus VIP style to leave the following day.  Lima is a huge city and there was nothing there I particularly wanted to see with exception to the National Museum.  Unfortunately Nicola had got much sicker as she has been struggling with a cold and cough for a couple of weeks now and can't stop coughing.  We needed to find a doctor to get her back to good health.  As we checked into the hostel they recommended somewhere nearby we could go tomorrow as it was probably too late now.  We checked into our room, a six bed dorm, not the 4 bed we had booked.  When I saw it I was so glad we were just spending the night!  What a shit pit!  Stuff everywhere!!  The people staying here were working nearby on contracts so were here long term and just made themselves at home.  The beds were so high I was thinking of hiring climbing gear to get up there as there was no ladder, and when we eventually did we found to our disgust they had not been cleaned and were dirty, Nicola even found a map stuffed in the sheets, which just proved they were not changed.  That evening we just had an early dinner at the chinese round the corner, I bought my leftovers back and was going to eat them the next day, but someone else got there first!!  I could not believe it!!  Who does that!!  Hope they choked on it!!  Went to have a shower, no hot water!!  So much for 24 hour hot water as advertised then!!  So pissed off now and complained to the management, only good thing was the tv room and the wifi.  The following day we spent most of the day in the surgery before catching the bus at 3pm.  We did however treat ourselves to a nice lunch where I had the biggest plate of scallops in the shell you have ever seen in your life!!!!  The food here is amazing and one of the things I would have been keen to stay longer to enjoy!  As we checked out of the hostel the manager was very pleasant and very sorry for everything that we had endured and did not charge us….probably worried about the review we would write on hostel bookers, which I was going to, but to be fair he ensured me he was dealing with matters, and it was in their best interest to, so I left it at that.  We said our goodbyes and were looking forward to getting some beach time in Mancora!!!

Our VIP bus!!

The bus to mancora was amazing!  I happily settled into our luxury leather seats for the overnight journey and got ready for the movies to begin…at least they put up english subtitles.  They played a few good movies to include The Tourist which I had not seen so I was content.  Then we had chicken for dinner and more movies and spent some time chatting with the girl across from us called Jazz.  She was going to Loki Hostel too so we agreed to travel together.  When we got there, we had to see if the hostel had room for us as we were only on the waiting list.  We chilled by the pool until the rooms were ready and luckily they could fit us in so the three of us shared a 4 bed room with a guy called Matty from Perth, dejavu!!!  He seemed to spend most of his time there out of it on something or another so we did not see much of him and when we did he was generally unconscious, so it was like we had the room to ourselves which was nice.

It was a nice room with a balcony and view of the beach and pool area.  Staying at Loki del mar was like we had just been transported to the med.  A real surfers place with not really much to do but surf, kite surf, and be a beach bum, which was exactly what we needed.  The night life was not as good as we had anticipated and with Nicola being sick we did not go out much.  I had a few drinks with Jazz on Friday night and was hungover Saturday and just so exhausted from all the tours, trekking and travelling we had been doing lately, I was happy just to chill out and save the partying for my birthday in 10 days!!!  Apart from a brief ride on the most stubborn ponies, chill out really was all we did, until we left on monday to get to Equador, next stop Banos!!!

The Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Peru

It all started on May 1st 2012!  Our great journey to one of the wonders of the world had begun!  We had been counting down this moment for the last year, since we booked our tour of the Inca Trail with Gap Adventures.  It all seemed so long ago.  We could not believe the time was now, and finally we were going to be walking the path millions had taken before us over the centuries!!!

We checked into the Prisma hotel in Cuzco, and made the most of the luxury of cable tv in the room and heating.  We watched a couple of movies and freshened up before joining the welcome meeting that evening.  There were 14 of us altogether doing the Inca trail and a couple of guys who were going off to do the Lares trek but would be with us for part of the journey.  It was a mixed bag with 2 Swedes, 2 Norweigans, 2 Australians, 2 Americans, and 6 of us English.

We listened intently to the briefing, a mixture of nerves and excitement at what lay ahead of us, as the next 5 days was explained step by step.  We ordered our sleeping bags and air mattresses along with our hiking sticks if required.  I had decided to order 2 sticks as recommended to me, to take the pressure off my legs and knees going up and down and help with balance.  I am so glad I did in the end as some parts were quite steep and it was so much easier with them then without them, as others were finding out the hard way!  We then picked up our duffel bags and weighed them with just the 3kg we were allowed as the porters would be carrying these along with our sleeping bags and air mattresses, a total of 6kg.  Then it was off to bed to get our rest for the following day!

Dying of the wool by hand!

Colours achieved with the natural dyes!

Women weavers, spinning the wool by hand!

The next morning we were up bright and early at 6am, packed the rest of our things, had breakfast and left at 7.00am on our minibus to start our tour.  We met Max and Jesus, our guides, who would be looking after us for the next few days, and headed off to our first stop.  This was a local community called Ccaccaccollo, just a little way outside of Cuzco where there is a women's weaving project in place through Planeterra, the Gap Adventures foundation, which through travellers support has enabled them to purchase 8 alpacas for the supply of wool, fund a dental clinic and provide materials for a community building.  As well as this Gap employs some of the men from this community as porters for our hike.  The women here make textiles by hand and sell them direct to tourists, who come to learn how the different colours and patterns are achieved.  It is a skill passed down through generations, and it is all done by hand.  The colours are all natural from plants etc and the alpaca wool is dyed and spun by hand too, until it is ready to be made into a garment.  I made my contribution by buying a pair of socks for bed to keep me warm whilst braving the elements on the trail!

Viewpoint!  River Urubamba!

Our first group picture!

Farming terraces!

We then carried on to a viewpoint and some other Inca remains which we explored.  Farming terraces stepping their way down the steep mountains, so perfectly aligned, and as they gradually dropped down, the temperatures varied to allow different crops to be grown at their preferred climate, the lower down the warmer it got.  Temples and altars, grain storage rooms, homes and resting places for pilgrims also still standing.  Farming and worshipping obviously key features of the Inca lifestyle back then, and even now a big part of everyday life in Peru for many people.

Frog!

Guinea Pigs!

Inka Bar!!

Chicha!

After stopping for a buffet lunch, we visited a drinking house, where we played a game of Frog.  This is where you throw some discs of metal and try and get them into the holes cut into a table, or for top points there is a metal frog sitting in the middle, and you can try and get them into its mouth!  However, it is not that easy and none of us managed it, but we all had a lot of fun trying.  There was a guinea pig breeding house there also, with lots of cute babies, which in about 4 months would be served up for someones dinner as is the local delicacy here!!  After the fun and games were over we were introduced to the owner who sampled us some of the local drink they make here called chicha.  It was quite sour, but drinkable, made from corn, with another variety in a pink colour which was flavoured with strawberries and tasted much better.  We made a toast and carried on with our journey to Ollantaytambo, where we would be staying for our first night.

Original Inca Walls, old meets new!  Ollantaytambo!

Farming terraces and inca ruins, Ollantaytambo!

We checked into our hotel, the last for a while, and Max took us for a quick tour of the town.  This is his hometown, and he proudly showed us around the original Inca buildings and cobbled streets.  We could see where the new meets the old and he pointed out the original Inca walls and where new rooms had been built upon the old to make more room for families.  Because of the increase in tourism, there were also many new restaurants and hotels, providing jobs for the local people.  However the town still managed to retain its original charm and culture.  We made some last minute purchases for snacks and water for the trip and then went to our rooms to relax and sleep before dinner.

Starting point for our trek!

Porters at the start carrying the 30kg backpacks!!!

Start of the Inca Trail!

In the morning I took my last shower for a while, then we re grouped and all reweighed our bags ready for the porters to collect.  They were very strict on this and there was a bit of reshuffling of stuff before everyone was ready to leave.  The trek started at Piskacuchu where the railway also ran through for the people who were getting the train there.  We had our passports stamped here for the first time and watched in amazement as the porters walked by us loaded with all the stuff required for our trip.  We had about 20 porters for our group in addition to a chef, asst chef, and our 2 guides.  The Peruvian government had made a law that only allows the porters to carry a maximum weight of 30kg now, which was still a lot considering the terrain.  Then we were off, crossing the bridge over the River Urubamba and up into the mountains.

The railway to Machu Picchu!

Looking fresh at the start!

Q'entimarka!

First lunch camp!

The first day was fairly easy and we took it all in our stride as we made the 2 hour trek passing through inca ruins along the way to include a great view of Q'entimarka (Patallaqta), which was my favourite as it was a great example of the farming terraces in all their glory leading down to the river.  The views from here really are amazing!!  We eventually reached our lunch destination where a tent had been set up for us by the porters and a feast cooked by the chef, to include soup, trout and dessert, followed by tea to finish.  Refreshed and ready to move on we hiked the next few hours until we reached our camp at Wayllabamba, at an altitude of 3000 metres.  It was all set up and ready for us by the time we arrived which we really appreciated, and we chilled out in our tents for a while, and warm water was brought to us so we could wash before being served tea and popcorn.  I can not express enough how well we were looked after by our guide, chef and porters.  It amazed me and still does how they can produce some of the best food I have eaten in South America in the middle of nowhere with the most basic of facilities!!  After tea we met properly with the porters and learnt a bit about them.  They were so shy and polite, it bought tears to my eyes at how humble they were.  They told us their name, how old they were, if they had kids and how long they had worked doing this and if they were studying etc, just a few words which were translated by our guide Max.  The eldest porter was 62 years old and still able to carry his 30kg the whole way up the Inca trail, whilst the youngest was just 20.  I knew I would be struggling with my small day bag which was about 4/5kg.  It then came our turn to introduce ourselves to them.  Max our guide used to be a porter himself, he studied tourism and worked his way up to guide, still only 29 years old.  His english was near perfect and he has a passion, pride and knowledge of Peru second to none!  Max kept saying that over the next few days we would be like a family, and already I was beginning to feel that as we all bonded and laughed with each other.  You could tell that the porters and all the workers were so glad we were here to do this as it created jobs for them and their families and they made us all feel so welcome, always trying their best to please us.  After another glorious feast for dinner we retired to bed to prepare for the 2nd day of the trek which was to be the toughest.  The walk up to the highest point of 4,215 metres, also known as Dead Woman Pass, due to the fact the mountain looks like a woman lying down.  We wrapped up well against the cold and tried to get some sleep.

After a hearty breakfast of porridge and eggs we set off in good spirits about the tough climb ahead.  I had slept quite well and was in a positive frame of mind.  I had decided to take it slow and steady and at my own pace at Max's recommendation to us all!  It was going to be a long day!  At 6 am ish we left the camp and started on our way.  I dropped behind as others went ahead, enjoying the view and scenery along the way.  I generally prefer to hike alone without someone close behind me as it makes me feel pressured, so I was happy just lost in my own thoughts and enjoying the day.  That was until I was so in the zone and focussed on the path ahead as it got steeper and steeper that I did not notice the tree overhanging the path and walked straight into it, hitting my head and nearly knocking myself out!!!  So embarrassing!!  Luckily only a few people saw my humiliation as I quickly recovered myself..note to self to pay more attention on the path ahead!!!

Nearly at the top!!!

The top, Dead Woman's Pass!

Flowers on the trail!

When my head had stopped spinning, I carried on.  I was now approaching the steepest part of the climb and knew the hardest part of the day was almost over!  It was the altitude more than anything which made this part so hard as it was difficult to catch your breath, and I had to keep stopping just to do so.  I knew most of the others from our group were already at the meeting point at the top so I pushed myself to get there and join them for a snack and a break.  As a group we had made the decision not to stop for lunch today, for 2 reasons, the first being we did not want to walk on a full stomach, and the second that we did not want to give the porters extra work by setting up a camp twice for us.  We expected to make camp by around 2pm anyway and we just wanted to keep the momentum going without stopping.  After we had reached the top of Dead Woman's Pass, to be greeted by cheers and, clapping and high fives by the rest of the group, we took some pictures and started the descent for the next few hours until we reached camp.  It was harder in some ways going down and one lady tripped down the steps, but fortunately was not too hurt.  This was where my sticks came in really handy and with no further incidents we finally made it to camp in good time to be greeted once again by all our tents set up and ready and another delicious 3 course lunch.  I walked down to the river near my tent and soaked my feet in the freezing cold water until they were numb,rubbing them on the pebbles at the bottom to make them all smooth again.  It was absolute bliss!!!  I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in my tent until we were called for tea followed by dinner!  I spent most of my time here in the tent trying to keep warm, as once the sun went down the temperature went down with it to below freezing!!

Our cozy new home for a few days!

Our camp day 2!

Above the cloud forest!

Paqaymayo was our highest camp at an altitude of 3,600 metres.  We were now above the cloud forest and the scenery was spectacular.  Waterfalls flowing down the mountains, bringing rivers rushing past our camp, providing us with all the water we needed for washing and cooking.  There really was not much else to do, and I wish i had bought Uno for us all to play, but most of us were tired at the end of each day and just happy to relax and rest, ready for what the following day would bring.

Breaking through the clouds!

Cloud cover!

The sun breaks through to reveal our campsite with the waterfalls running down into it!

More inca Ruins!

As sunrise broke, we started the third day walking above the cloud forest.  It was surreal to be above the clouds looking down upon them, and at times they drifted all around us and everything just became covered in a thick, white fog.  Today was to be the longest walking day, but also the most beautiful scenery, as we hiked through more Inca ruins, the cloud forest, the rainforest, through caves, past small waterfalls and with the Andes unfolding all around us!  There was so much nature here, and it was nice just walking the path, listening to the sounds of the rainforest, and imagining all those who have walked this path before us, for thousands of years, on their own pilgrimage.

Our guide Max!

More inca ruins!

One of the many bridges on the Inca Trail!

Caves!

Celebrational cake!

We stopped for our last lunch and the chef had made us a surprise!!  We were having a buffet!  They brought through a feast of food which we all gratefully tucked into and then to top it off we were served the most delicious cake, congratulating us Puma's for achieving the Inca trail!  How they managed to make a cake out here with no real facilities still amazes me, in fact how they managed to produce most of the food to the quality they did would put most chef to shame.  We decided by vote, at the start of our trek to be Puma's.  In peru there a 3 levels of spirituality.  The snake, which is the lowest, underground level.  The puma, which is the middle level, and finally the condor which is the higher level.  You will see the symbols everywhere.  Max asked what we would prefer, and we all decided on the puma!

Inca Caves!

Waterfalls!

Inca terraces!

After lunch, we made our way through the jungle and more inca ruins, and as we were trekking on to our final camp my worst fear presented itself!!   We were nowhere near any toilet breaks and it had been about 5 days now, I could not hold it any longer!!  I was trekking with one of the Australian girls who kindly agreed to wait for me and keep guard while I left my stuff with her and ran into the bushes at the side of the path where there was an opening.  I discovered I was not the first to find this spot, but there was nowhere else to go as on the other side of the path was a sheer drop off the mountain!!  I was mortified, but had no choice, and as I was squatting a few porters walked past, I just wanted to die!!!  I was so embarrassed!!  Luckily they did not look my way through the bushes, until one guy came past and glanced up and did a double take!!!  I just looked down as in your mind if you can't see them, then they can't see you!!  Thankfully it was not one of our porters!  Then I heard Emily say the Americans were coming!!  I rushed as much as I could and ran out of there and we laughed about it and discussed more embarrassing moments we had both had for the rest of the way we walked together!

On the edge!!

Go Puma's!!!

Our Asst Guide Jesus!

Nature on the trail!

Our final camp :(

Soaking our feet at the end of a long day!

Eventually we arrived at our final camp for this trip, Winaywayna at 2,650 metres, so we would be a bit warmer tonight thankfully as we needed all the sleep we could get before our 3am start in the morning!!!  Before dinner we all put our money together as a tip for the guides, chefs and porters who had worked so hard for us and looked after us all so well throughout our journey.  They really had made it the fantastic experience it was through all their efforts!  We all left about $40 each which was the recommended amount.  Then Max and Jesus came out and we did a presentation to the porters and chefs for their part and at the same time we all said our goodbyes as they would be leaving us in the morning to get the train back at 5am.  It was quite an emotional time as we shook all of their hands and thanked them one by one for everything they had done to make this one of the best experiences of our lives!!

We then presented Max and Jesus with their tips and we all settled down to our final dinner together!  We retired to bed ready for our early start and Machu Picchu!!

Hidden by cloud!!

Winding road to Machu Picchu!

First View of Machu Picchu as the cloud clears!

Before we knew it a voice was outside our tent telling us it was time to get up!!  The porter had not woken us and we were running late!  We hurried out of our sleeping bags, got dressed grabbed all of our gear and were ready in about 15 minutes!!!  I tried to get a cup of tea and some bread, but I was not really in the mood to eat this early and then at 3.45 am we were all told Backpacks on, let's go!!  We all trudged off in the direction of the entrance which was just a few minutes away as the gates did not open until 5.30am we had quite a long wait!!  We had to arrive early to get a seat otherwise we would have to sit on the floor or stand, and if it was raining only the seats had a shelter over them!  We did not need to worry however as we were the first to arrive by a few minutes.  It was fairly cold sitting there and still pitch black, but the time soon passed and the gates opened and we were off!  It was a fast pace as there would be about 500 people behind us and we had to keep moving.  It was a little bit up and down and we were walking for a while until we heard a scream and all stopped!  Not sure what had happened ahead of us we waited and then were told one of the girls had slipped over the edge, as the path was quite narrow with just a drop off the side of the mountain!  She had managed to hold on and scrambled back up, and we were back on our way!!  Practically running some of the stretch of path and trying to see the way with our torches.  All a bit more cautious now!  Before we knew it we had reached the Sungate!!  We scrambled up the steps on all fours as they were so steep and also known as the "Gringo Killer"!!!  It was a bit disappointing as it was very cloudy and we could not see much but Max assured us that the cloud would clear by 9.30ish, and we would get a great view of Machu Picchu then.

We made it!!!

Our guide Max passionately telling us about the Inca's and Machu Picchu!

Inca walls and buildings, surviving earthquakes and tremors for thousands of years due to their design!

Farming terraces!

We carried on walking to Machu Picchu and about 20 minutes later we arrived!!  Wisps of cloud floated around making it invisible at times, but we took a few pictures and carried on down to the ruins to have our tour and learn more about them, which max was presenting to us and took about an hour and a half.  By the time we had been shown around and learnt a bit more about Machu Picchu and the Inca history an way of life, the sun had come through and we had about 2 hours of free time to take pictures and just soak up the atmosphere.  I climbed back up to the top for the main viewpoint and photo opportunity and then I went off to walk around on my own for a while and just get a real feel for the place.  I wanted to soak it all in, every last detail.  As I sat there relaxing and enjoying the view and the sunshine, I tried to imagine what life would have been like here all those years ago.  I could almost picture people walking around these buildings getting on with their everyday life.  Farming the terraces, cooking, washing, worshipping in the temples, children playing, and alpacas grazing.  This high mountain region, mystical peaks hidden in the clouds, until the sun finally allowed the cloud to burn away and show the full glory of the Andes surrounding us!!  It really is a true wonder of the world in every sense!!!

Interlocking Stonework.  Small stones relieve the pressure when there is a quake!

Temple!

Inca gateway!

This trip really has been the highlight of my South America journey!  I feel a real sense of achievement and have absolutely fallen in love with Peru and it's traditions, history, culture, lifestyle and people.  There is so much left here to be explored, so I guess I will be returning at some time in the future….

Machu Picchu!

At the viewpoint!

Nicola & I at the top!

Enjoying the view!

Machu Picchu!