Thursday 18th Update

Today we are both fairly stiff but have completed the four day Inca trail finishing at Machu Picchu. The walk only covered a distance of around 32 km but took us over four peaks with the highest being 4200 meters above sea level, so some days you dont cover much territory but mother do you cover some pretty steep treks (Emm and Rob “Four Peaks” came to mind often)… the hike was absolutely beautiful and much of it was walked along original Inca trails which consist of stone walkways which ultimately cover thousands of kilometres around the country.

3am in the rain and not loving life

We had an awesome group of 18 people with 18 porters and three guides. The food selection was absolutely amazing for a hiking experience with spreads that were absolutely delicious, I have been working on my garlic tolerance and think there may be a breakthrough, perhaps the altitude and cocoa leaves are helping…   

Machu Picchu - A pile of tourists rocks

Machu Picchu was pretty cool to see but quite frankly not my cup of tea, the place is one massive pile of rocks and has turned into a tourist “rip off” station, yes there is some pretty cool history around but after walking for four days and seeing a crap load of Inca sights I just couldn’t find the huge attraction with MP. We did however also walk Wayna Picchu, this is a steep hill which is part of MP, and has some seriously steep steps in certain areas.

Wayna Piccho 4 Ammi

Unfortunately Clauds really does not do heights and had a bit of an panic attack at the top and we had a few tears of desperation  (Annmarie your friend is going to kill you for making her head up there, as this is an open blog I will not inform you of the choice words you were called yesterday coming down). The weather was a bit misty but the experience was overwhelming.

Dead Women's Pass - 4200m above sea level

Stunning Chick with a view

We spent a few days in Cusco before the hike and will be spending another few here before we head off on our six day jungle tour, hopefully we will get to see some good wildlife and just be able to chill in the rainforest for a while. Cusco has a few historic attractions but it seems to be a large hub for backpackers, every turn you seem to be presented with another hostel. We spent our first few evenings in a hostel called Loki which accommodates 250 people. It was way too hectic for us old bullies as the bar pumps continually and we unfortunately got the room just behind the bar (sometimes we do need to relax and rest up).

Cusco Market

Today we have moved to a very cool little spot called Eco Packers which allows us for the first time to make a home cooked meal tonight and grab a chilled bottle of wine while lounging in the courtyard… Clauds has had a few stomach pains since yesterday so it is really great to just hang out. 

Cusco Main Plaza