Well folks it´s been a while since I´ve last written a blog but I´ve definately got the best thing by far to write about! After having a free day in cusco we left at 9.30am for Ollaytambo, the starting point of the Inka Trail. We stayed at a beautiful hostel, and had a nice relaxing day. The next morning at 8am we left for km 82 of the cusco to machu picchu railway line where we began our 4 day hike of pain!! After having our passports stamped and our tickets checked we began. The first day is the easiest by far. We had two guides, Wilbur & Freddie, plus an entourage of 20 porters, a cook and an assisstant cook. After 5 minutes of huffing and puffing from me, we stopped to look at our first inka ruins. I´m not going to name any of them as they are complicated and my spelling is not great at the best of times!! They are excately as you would imagine. Perfectly preserved stone work. After 2 hours uphill but what felt like a lifetime we stopped for lunch. We got our first taste of what the food would be like for the next 3 days and it was amazing. The best food we had had in Peru, Blair was happy!! We had another 2 hours hike uphill after lunch and we got a surprise when the porters went running, yes running, (with all our backpacks, food, and supplies for the next 3 days strapped to their backs) past us. Blair and the other 4 guys in our group were first to arrive at the campsite, while I of course was last. This was to become a theme for the next 3 days! The dinner was just as amazing as the lunch and after a couple of games of poker and cards it was off to bed for an early night.

Day 2: At 6am we had an early morning wake up call, with one of the porters gently tapping on the tent and handing us a cup of coca tea. After a breakfast of omlette and quiñua porridge we started the hardest day. It´s an uphill struggle to the top of the mountain called dead womans pass (4215m) and then downhill by the most giangantic steps know to man kind! Well after 10 minutes of walking from our first nights camp I was ready to pack it all in, but Blair of course as fit as a daisy was already half way the mountain. Blair got to the top of dead womans pass in around 3 hours beaten only by David (2 hours, mental man) and Jesus ( 2hours 45mins). I got to the top in 4 hours and 10 minutes, which I am damn proud of. Considering the average is 4!! I got cheered on from the top of the hill by the rest of the group and collasped in a heap at the top when I finally made it. We got a group photo at the pass, which thoroughly deserves its name, and then began our desent. The steps down are not made for a 5ft 0 woman but a 6ft 5 canidian guy called mike!! After an hour an a half of tourture we made it to the 2nd night camp site. I feeling a bit under the weather went to bed at 2pm while Blair played poker with the guys.

Day 3: Day 3 is the longest hiking day but at the time we didn´t realise just how long it would turn out to be for us. After waking once again at 6am with a steaming cup of coca tea we set off. After deciding to have lunch at around 1pm we set off along the trail to visit some more inka ruins. Well we must have had lightening up our bums as we arrived at our lunch spot at 11.30am!! After lunch we were all on a high knowing we were ahead of time and thinking that we would be at our next camp site 2 hours before schedule. Well the high didn´t last very long as Wilbur told us that our train from Machu Picchu to Ollaytambo was at 10.30am, meaning we would only have 2 hours to explore. Well this went down as well as a lead balloon, so a decision was made to hike on through to Machu Picchu, then down the hill to a campsite at the bottom where it would take less time in the morning to get to the ruins. So after learning this everyone was very annoyed and it kind of over shadowed seeing machu picchu for the first time. After the 2hour hike to regular campsite we had to hike for another 2 and a half hours to the next campsite at the bottom of machu picchu hill, We arrived at the sun gate around 4pm and got our first glimpse of the ruins, They were spectacular. We got to walk through machu picchu and the place was pretty much deserted except for the odd gringo. We finally arrived at our campsite just as the sun was setting and settled in for the night. Tired and sore after 10 hours of hiking!!

Day 4: We awoke at 3.45am so we could get up to the ruins as quickly and as early as possible. After 3 days of hiking I had had enough so decided to get the bus back up to the top of the hill, I know it's cheating but I figured I did a 4 day hike in 3 days so I deserved to sit on my butt for 20 minutes. Blair, on the other hand, decided he hadn't had enough punishment and walked up the very, very steep hill in 40 minutes!! Crazy! We all arrived at the gates in time for opening at 6am and were very nearly the first in until the stupid woman on the gate saw our tickets had been stamped the day before from walking through and wouldn't let us in until we went to the office to get another stamp. After wasting more of our time, we were finally let in. Well they were well worth the wait. They sprawl out across the top of a hill. With cloud forest on one side and snow capped mountains on the other, I definately know why it is classed as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Blair and Mike decided at climb winyu picchu. They climbed it in a very impressive 20 minutes. The views from the top Blair says were amazing. I went for a nice leasurly stroll around the ruins and got some wonderful pictures. At 9.30am we had to meet outside to get the bus back down the hill and to the catch the train back to cusco. It was the most surreal train journey as a man dressed in a white face mask started dancing up and down the isles with a stuffed llama!!

After arriving back in cusco we had another free day before catching our flight to Arequipa. Arequipa is the home town of our new tour leader Fernando. We have just come back from dinner when we tried the local dish of cuy (guinea pig), sorry Ashley!! We're off to the colca canyon tomorrow. Bye for now folks. See you all soon.

Love and missing you all

Sarah & Blair XXX