I am alive and well and *way* behind on my updates. I am back in Cusco and in a shitty shitty internet cafe.
I´m going to take the unusual step of skipping a few days ahead so that I can tell you that I conquered the fuck out of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and it was everything I hoped for and then more.
I´ll talk more about it later (when I have a computer that I don´t have to wait for it to show my typing) but the final day we get up at 4am. It´s dark, of course, and it´s lashing rain and I mean lashing rain. I´ve been ill for a couple of days, I´m not keeping down food and I´m starving. So, it´s dark and cold and wet and most people are miserable.
I on the otherhand have already decided that this is going to be one of the best days of my life and nothing can get me down. Repeated abuse from most of the camp about my cheerfulnes and optimism (yeah I know, shocking huh?) just makes me feel better. It is the perfect way to start the day. Maree is the only person who is on the same wavelength (posting on people to follow at some point, more then) and so we set off sneakily calling out “porters” to get the slower folks out of the way so we could overtake.
So we power on non-stop mainly in silence, lost in thought, anticipation, adrenalin and indeed exhaustion. We reach the steps below the Sun Gate. 50 steep steps and let me tell you you ain´t seen steep till you have seen these. We scramble up and the rain stops…but the mist remains. So slightly disapointing that we don´t get a first view down over the city. There are still photos of course and then another fast pace down into the city.
We are there before we realise it and the mist remains but the mist is moving (and actually, cloud is possibly a better term) and thinning and we start to see the city take shape and it´s breathtaking. It is every single thing you could hope for and then more.
So then a good chunk of the day is spent on a tour, exploring and a final climb to Waynapicchu to look down over the city.
The day is amazing and let me tell you that the beers on the train back towards Cusco have never tasted so good.
Lots lots more and of course some photos to follow down the line.
Oh yes. Found Guinness in Peru today :)
I am alive and well and in Cusco/Cuzco/Qusqu in Peru. Tomorrow morning I start a trek from 82km over 4 day trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After spending the past four days at high altitude (3200 - 4900 metres) I’m alot less worried about this as the only side affect has been strange dreams and a small headache but with of course the shortness of breath expected at such altitude.
Net access ain’t the best and I’m way behind. I’m offline for most of the next 10 days, we get back from Machu Picchu and head into the Amazon for a few days.
More down the line.
I’m really not in the mood to be wiriting at the moment, I have no idea why. However things are moving pretty swiftly along here and I’m going to be laptop less for most of the next week and a bit and so I best get it down now.
So the next day in Pisco was an early start and out to the Ballestas Islands. It was better than I was expecting and the sea was nice and calm so there was no sign of a queasy stomach. There were lots of birds and seals and penguins and some rocks and well that was about that. On the way out though we did see the Candelbra which was pretty impressive. Then it was a small bus ride to an Oasis, an actual desert oasis which was kinda fun but only a few hours was more than enough. Then a short drive onto Nazca where we checked into a lovely hotel and had some dinner and an early night. The next morning was a 45 minute flight over the Nazca Lines which was amazing.
The flight itself was interesting. It was a small 6 seat Cessna and the pilot happily banked from left to right so that everyone in the plane could get a good luck. There was a lot of throwing up throughout the plane. While I wasn’t feeling 100%, I was nothing like that bad and I very much enjoyed the flight. The Lines are breathtaking and I think some of the photos came out alright but as I say lots of things going on and I hugely enjoyed the whole thing.
Then we went off to a local post Nazca, Pre Inca cemetery for an afternoon tour. I wasn’t too impressed but I’ll come back to that one sometime down the line. Then it was an overnight bus to Aquaripi where I am right now. A free day where I wandered around the old convent (yawn), berated the local Irish pub which advertises Guinness but doesn’t actaully have any “Corona instead Mister?” and now it’s dinner this evening and then an overnight trip to the Cocala Canyon. Then we fly to Cusco and it’s Inca Trail time.
So yeah really not in the mood for typing but more sometime down the line.
22.20 Nazca, Peru. Wednesday 22 October
I have just flown over the Nazca Lines and fuck me that was beyond awesome. I have some photos to follow but a certain amount of shooting from a plane and a certain amount of just enjoying the moment and a certain amount of glare and I’m not sure how they’ll come out but with luck they’ll be posted shortly.
10.26 Nazca, Peru. Tuesday October 21st
1 Swiss army knife+ 1 roll of electricians tape = 1 working power supply.
It’s a little dodgy so not something I can leave to be charging when I’m not there but I’ve not really been doing that anyway. I’ve a few one hopefully coming to me middle of next week and so it’s all good now really.
Phew! So this means photos and ramblings to follow you lucky lucky people.
19.18 Pisco, Lima Sunday October 19th.
