Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

We arrived in Cusco in the early hours of the morning and liked what we saw - not as impressive as Arequipa but still pretty cool. We checked into our hostel and began touring around the city to see what Machu Picchu trek we would do. We had it in our mind to do a jungle trek - which included hiking and biking but staying in hostels. As we wanted to get the true experience and camp all the way we settled on the Salkantay 5 day trek at a bargain price...we were happy. We met our group of 14 early the next morning and started our trek with our two guides - Miguel 1 and Miguel 2, and our two cooks - Vincente 1 and Vincente 2! Easy enough to remember. The first day was quite easy going...nothing too strenuous and got our muscles stretched out in preparation for day 2...which was slightly more strenuos (in the morning anyway). We rose early in the morning (woken at 6am with a hot cup of sweet coca tea) and began our trek up to the Salkantay glaciar (6271m high). Trekking uphill at 4,500m we quickly found it very hard to breathe and we were euphorious when we reached the top! After lunch we then trekked down into the jungle which was pretty awesome. It was quite an experience trekking next to a glaciar with wooly hats and jackets on all morning to stripping down to shorts and covering ourselves with mosquito repellant a few hours later. That night we camped down in one of the most beautiful surroundings - with little chicks running around our feet, horses neighing in the backround and the sound of gushing rivers below us. We savaged down whatever food was put in front of us, more coca tea and listened (painfully) for an hour to what Miguel 1 & 2 told us we'd be doing the next day. We had another trek through the jungle the next day (getting eaten alive by mosquitos) and finished off in the town of Santa Teresa. After lunch we were packed into a bus to go to the hot springs nearby. We weren't expecting much but boy were we smiling when we arrived. Hidden behind a rock quarry, and literally in the middle of nowhere next to a gushing river, it was a very strange sight. But we weren't complaining! We quickly dived into the roasting water to ease our aching muscles and were served by the side of the pool with ice cold beers at a very cheap price. We were very happy campers. 2 hours later we pulled ourselves out with hazy heads and dragged our asses back to camp for dinner. With pisco sours for 5 soles (£1) it seemed that tonight was the night to party...unfortunately not for me. Not long after arriving back I realised that it was my turn to have the funny tummy on this trek and spent the night bent over in pain in our tent (while Mitch partied the night away!) unable to eat. This carried on the next day but we powered through and with little energy made it to Aguas Calientes (where we found out there was a train strike so would have to hike back after Machu Picchu the next day). We all went out for dinner that evening...excited about the prospect of Machu Picchu the next day, the table was buzzing. Miguel 1 & 2 gave us another excruciating hour long chat about what we'd do the next day and just before we left to hit the hay after a very tiring day, Mitch & I were pulled aside to be told we weren't going to Machu Picchu...because our moronic company never transferred the money for our entry ticket! Well, anyone who knows me can only imagine the screams that errupted after this. Exhausted from 2 days of hiking with no food, I was LIVID. Mitch just stood there with his mouth open, unable to talk and visibly (I kid you not) shaking from head to toe with anger. Seeing as Miguel 1 & 2 were completely useless, Mitch took control of the situation, calmed me down, and found an internet cafe to get the number of our tour agency (yes, that would have been too organised for Miguel 1 & 2 to have!). He then called them, gave out a bit...handed the phone back to Miguel 2 when he couldn't understand what they were saying and an hour later, very stressed out, we were promised we would be going to Machu Picchu the following morning. Too tired to confirm this for sure we slumped back to our beds to get 4 hours of sleep before, we hoped, we would be trekking up to Machu Picchu. Fortunately (for Miguel 1 & 2...for they did not have to bear the full wrath of Sharon) we arrived up the 2 million steps to Machu Picchu at 6am the next morning and boy was it worth every aching muscle! It was the single most rewarding experience of our lives. There are no words to describe it. We suddenly got a burst of energy and after touring around the ruins for a few hours we practically ran up Wayna Picchu (the much steeper mountain towering over Machu Picchu) where another amazing sight greeted us on the top. If we wanted to catch the bus back to CUsco (as the trains were on strike) we would have had to leave pretty early that day to hike back so Mitch decided we were staying another night...we were going to enjoy it while we were here. So after we hiked down from Wayna Picchu, the whole group took a nap amongst the ruins and we lazed about the grounds until closing time - I think we spent 11 hours there altogether...the ticket people couldn't believe it! With smiling faces, we made the last trek down the mountain and made plans to meet everyone for dinner. We arrived back at the hotel to be greeted by a nice surprise - a friendly little man knocked on our door with train tickets for 9am the next day, an official apology from our tour company and an extra free night's stay in the hotel. We were gobsmacked! We couldn't believe it! So we celebrated that evening with a huge pizza, happy hour beers and a big lie in the next morning...until 8am!!
(pic 1: a very exhausted Sharon at the end of the day in Machu Picchu; pic 2: a very happy Mitch & Sharon with our entry stamps for Waynu Picchu)

Beautiful, beautiful Arequipa

From Puno we went straight to Arequipa - one of our favourite cities so far in South America. A stunning city with a beautiful main square in front of a towering cathedral with a great vibe and amazing food! In fact, we loved it so much we stayed a week longer than we should have. With our new found bargaining talents we found a cheap hostel with a great view over the city and spent the week eating cheap Mexican food washed down with cold beers. We also visited the mummy 'Juanita - the ice princess' which was pretty fascinating - she was sacrificed by the Incas on the summit of Ampato (over 6000m) over 500 years ago. The Incas sacrificed young children in order to please the Gods when they thought they were angry - this one was for a volcanic erruption they thought would stop after the sacrifice. She was pretty amazing to see - immaculate and the offerings buried with her were like new as well...awesome! While we were in Arequipa we also visited the Monesterio Santa Catalina - a convent (I dont know why it's called monastary) occupying a whole block on the main street with massively high walls guarding it - it's like another city within a city. We decided to take a night tour of it which was an amazing experience. There are hundreds of tiny cells where the nuns would sleep with little kitchens off each one - because we were there at night every room was lit by lanterns and all the fires were burning. That was definitely an experience to remember. So after lazing around for a week we decided we needed to get off our arses and burn some calories so booked a 3 day hike to the Colca Canyon. We left at 3.30am the next day and a very bumpy four hour journey later we arrived at the Condor Mirador to watch the flight of the condors at 8am into the canyon. Unfortunately when I looked behind me to grab Mitch (who was sitting 3 rows behind) I was greeted by a very green faced man and a bag of puke! Not a good start. So I went in search of Gatorade while Mitch sat with his head between his legs (not impressed at all by the 3 metre wide condors flying above his head). An hour later we were back in the bus heading to the town of Cabanaconde to begin our trek. Unable to eat or keep down even a sip of water, Mitch looked like death warmed up. We really didn't know what to do. But being the little trooper that he his...Mitch powered on. And what a trooper he was! It was a pretty steep downward climb into the canyon with gritty paths that didn't give much in the way of support. But 4 pain-staking hours later Mitch collapsed into our little shack (where we were staying for the night) exhausted! 14 hours of sleep later he was like a different man and managed to wolf down a few pancakes to energise up for the next few hours of trekking. That next day we arrived into an oasis which was pretty awesome...we arrived around midday, sweaty and aching and jumping into the cool waters of the oasis was exactly what we needed! The next day was the strenuous task of hiking back up the canyon which actually turned out to be a lot better than we had anticipated. Phew!! All in all it was an exciting adventure and we were pretty chuffed with our achievement. We stayed one more night in Arequipa and then reluctantly booked our bus to Cusco...to start another trek!
(pic 1: me next to the bell tower in the big cathedral over Arequipa; pic 2: Mitch and I day 2 of the Colca Canyon trip)

Lake Titicaca

After leaving Rurre we ended up back in La Paz for a few hours before heading north to Copacabana - Our last stop in Boliva before heading to Peru. Copacabamba is situatated on Lake Titicaca - a rather large and high lake. From Copacabana we headed to Isla del Sol with our camping gear planning to rough it for a few days. The island itself was a dissapointment. Lots and lots of grey stones dont really do it for me. Several unexpected fees for staying on the island also did little to lift the mood. Nonetheless we enjoyed a night of camping, sharing a field with a rather sombre group of sheep. We felt a sense of accomplishment after creating a pretty decent fire without the compulsory fire lighters/fuel/hairdryer. The island suppossedly contains several inca ruins. These however proved elusive. The highlight of Copacabana was a short walk up the nearby hill. It was used many years ago by the incas for something - i cant remember what. From the sumit you get a fantastic view of the lake, which we enjoyed at sunset. Next stop - Puno (Peru). Puno was our first stop upon entering Peru. Its a smallish town that whilst not blessed with any kind of elegance or beauty does manage to feel warm and welcoming. We quickly oragnized a trip to the floating reed islands. Several people had alerted us the the extremly toursit nature of the islands so we ventured off without expectation. Personally the islands were very interesting. They were formed by an indigenous tribe who were fleeing from the incas. Originally they were boats but they grew in size until eventually they were tied down into the lake. On the islands We were treated to a peruvian chorus of 'Row, row, row your boat' (in english) and for dinner a traditional Peruvian dish called Cerviche, the latter of which was highly enjoyable. And so we started our journey into Peru...love Mitch.
(pic 1: sunset over Copacabana; pic 2: our campsite in Isla del Sol)