Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hi guys! We returned yesterday from our 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, and after some celebrations last night we have finally dragged ourselves to a computer to fill you in on our activities so far.
Day 1 of the Great Adventure!
We met at the airport bright and early, and soon made our first friend of the trip in the departure lounge – Tom, 22 from Sussex has been a great addition thus far and will be with us for the whole of South America!
We landed in Lima in the early evening, and went straight out to eat our first local dish (Ceviche – a raw seafood platter), and then on for our first night out of the trip. We discovered that Lima has great nightlife, and a thriving salsa dancing scene!
Day 2 “If I could offer you one piece of advice, sunscreen would be it”
Woke up to a bright sunny day, and in typical English fashion, we decided to opt against suncream. As a result, we were forced to apply after sun regularly for the next 3 days!
2 local girls had offered us a tour of the local area the night before, which we gladly accepted. This was a real stroke of luck; they gave us a great tour, and took us to a fantastic restaurant in local Barraca. Rustica was a buffet restaurant, with a huge variety of traditional Peruvian dishes.
That evening was spent at the hostel sharing a few beers with other travelers, and taking on as much advice as possible!
Day 3 “5 hours, 5 minutes? Get me a beer love!”
Up early to catch a flight to Cuzco; the day started with a stroke of luck – having opted against everyones advice of turning up early, in smart clothes, we decided to roll up late, hungover and scruffy, and still managed to get upgraded to first class. What a touch!
Our tour guide warned that 60% of the group would suffer badly with altitude sickness, he said this would start creeping in after 5 hours. With this in mind he made it clear that alcohol was out of the question. Having had a nice wander around Cuzco centre, after 5 hours and 5 minutes had passed, we decided that we were not amongst that 60% and got on the beer!
Day 4 - 8 The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu trek
We started off in a small group of 5 for the Sacred Valley tour, this worked out well for us as we got a very intimate account of the area from Miguel, our tour guide. We were also in a different hotel from the rest of the GAP group, but definitely had the pick of the two hotels.
The trek itself started the next day, bearing in mind that we had thought this would be a simple stroll, at times we found it quite challenging! The trek was fantastic though, we camped in some idyllic places, and got a chance to mix with our porters the whole time. We met some great people in our group, and were led by 3 guides who made the trek really fun, and a great laugh. Although the weather was in and out throughout the trek, our luck was in on the final day as sunshine poured through the mountains as we reached the final checkpoint – Machu Picchu. The ancient town was unbelievable.
Upon our return to Cuzco, we went out for a final team meal and had the chance to try the local delicacy; guinea pig!
Today we have been nursing our hangovers in a local café, and on a whim have decided to follow Tom along the Amazon river from Iquitos in Northern Peru, to Manaus in Brazil after our next stop in Bolivia.
R and J x
- comments