Post sleep and in an airport

Hi!

So I´m currently in the Jorge Chavez airport in Peru..waiting for my flight to board. Have had more sleep, so I´m ready to deal with a computer. And I just paid $3USD for an iced coffee so I could use the internet...and its just a black coffee with ice blocks. So I´m getting my internets worth, as i´m drinking this nasty coffee (which probably just tastes like coffee should..but yuck), I don´t want to appear rude and not drink it now.

So...the inca trail.

The start of the inca trail...Km 82

DAY 1
We got picked up from the hostels at half past five in the morning...and it turned out over half of our group were staying at the same hostel! We got an awesome group, 2 aussies, two irish girls, a scottish couple, two americans and a Hondurian. We started trekking after breakfast, and it was absolutely beautiful. This was the easiest day of the trek..which was a good way to ease into it. Within the first few hours we saw our first inca ruins, and great views of the sacred valley of the incas.

1st Day in the sacred valley of the incas

That night we camped...feeling really good about the day. You have to see all the photos to believe the places we saw. We heard how great Machu Picchu was...but to be honest it paled in comparison to what we saw walking there.

DAY 2
This was the day we heard was a killer. You climb from 2950 metres to 4200, and all in the morning. It was INSANE. I must admit, the feeling of getting to the top was great. I´m really proud, usually I hate walking to the supermarket, and I walked up a mountain carrying my own pack, which was 12.6 kilos. (we weighed our bags at the porters

2nd Day, I wanted proof that I walked that high up a mountain

station). John though, he is insane! He practicaly RAN up the mountain! He reached the top nearly an hour before me. Which was quite amusing. I had the technique of walk ten steps...then have a rest, then walk another...and rest again, and then walk to the big rock and have some chocolate (very important to keep up your energy you know). We all did it our own way. Mine was the slow way! It was hard, near the top John came down a bit to encourage me, and offered to take my pack...but by that stage I wanted to do it all by myself. I know, hard to imagine me being stubborn! But it was absolutely worth it.

2nd Day, joho and I at the top of the first pass, dead womans pass

That night I got a back spasm...which is hindsight was quite funny, but we had two physios there who told me to get up off my bum and walk around, and by morning it was fine. Ruined the little evening for me a bit, our american ladies (gents...but they walked slower taking heaps of photos and having a chat...they managed to have some amazing pictures we missed!) had brought two bottles of wine as a surprise, as a reward for finishing the hardest day. I ended up piking on my drink. Sad times.

DAY 3
This day was the most beautiful, we walked through cloud forests, and little natural caves...It really was brilliant. We had great weather all three days, and this day was no exception. We saw many ruins, and stopped at each for an explanation and an explore. It was also the day of the two thousand steps down...although dawn counted, and it was in fact more. It´s strange, the incas were so short (and also are most south americans) but they build the BIGGEST stairs! If they are coming up to my knees...how they hell did they get up them! In fact at the last part of the second day...and last few steps were the biggest on the whole mountain. Thats just cruel.

3rd Day at some amazing ruins

So after a hard days work, we had some beers, and then saw my favourite ruins, Winay Waya.

3rd Day, Winay waya

That night we had a bit of a party..Apo the chef made us a cake! In the andes! Amazing. The food was so great, that I put on weight over the trek. I´m now back to about what I left as...but I think a bit more of it is muscle. And I´ll keep telling myself that.

DAY 4
We got up at 4am (only an hour earlier than usual) to try and see Machu Picchu at sunrise and it was PISSING down. So we walked along in the rain, and got soaked. A big thanks

4th Day at about 5am in the pouring rain

to Kath for buying me a pack cover, without her I´d be lost. Or at least have very few clothes. After not seeing a huge amount, Joho headed in climb winay picchu, while the rest of us headed to Aguas Calientas to warm up and dry off. Funniest though, we saw john reach the restaurant...and then turn around and piss bolt off, turns out he forgot he has his large pack, and left it on the bus. Luckily it was still on the bus when he got there.

Later we caught the train back, it was a four hour trip, aided by much beer. Emma and I bought enough with us from Aguas Caliente that it was a good idea to buy some more on the train. A good night overall.

THE DAY AFTER MACHU PICCHU
Hot showers are the absolute business. It felt SO amazing to be clean, not 'had a shower in the rain but i still smell clean' but clean. We ladies decided to treat ourselves, and went for pedicures and waxes. But gosh, that was an experience that took 4 hours! Getting my legs waxed in peru...(they needed it, i was starting to look like joho), the waxist burnt the wax, so I ended up lying there in my undies getting the wax finished with the door wide open (to let out all the smoke) while the girls were watching from reception. Nice, very classy.

So unfortunately we didn´t get to see much, our boots all let in water (except johns) and we ended up wet and unable to see it that well from a distance, but when we got there it was great. This photo is where the traditional photo of machu picchu is taken...usually you can see it in the background.

4th Day, Machu Picchu (behind us somewhere....)

have a look at the rest of the photos...and then get on the inca trail!

Love Sarah

written by

no_fosters_thanks on December 19, 2006 from Lima, Peru

from the travel blog: No Fosters Thanks

Send a Compliment

comment on this...