Inca Trail day 1 17th mar

We got up very early, 4.30, they came to get us and we jumped on the bus. The night before we had a breifing on what to expect and to meet the others in the group. 5 paddy's 3 of which have been living in Aus for 6 years, 3 more Aussies, apart from Jo and I, 1 kiwi, 1 pom and 2 Americans. So we were a big group, the max is 16. We had over 2 hours to travel by bus, broken up by breakfast, so were able to get some sleep before hitting the trail.
As soon as the bus dumped us at km82, the start of the trek, it started to rain. Not heavy though, and that was the way it was for the whole trek, but enough for us to have to use our rain covers and poncho's in anger for the first time. The trek started out easy, but it wasn't long before Jo and I started to fall behind. We had decided to not use an extra ported on the trek. This was through ignorance on our part more than anything else, and if any of you do the trek hire an extra porter, i will even give you the money for one, that's how important it is. So we were satrting to fall a bit behind, on the uphill sections at least. Our first day started so early so that we could get a jump on the other groups doing the trail at the same time as us. We were to do 16km the first day with an overall climb of just over 1000m verticle. That was designed to put us just 400m below the highest point of our trek, dead womans pass, named I'm sure because this is where you will have had enough of everything and just need to vent and if you are travelling with .... lets say a..... woman for instance...... ok no math needed I'm sure.

Looking back down the valley, you can just make out our porters in red. They caught us in about ten minutes from there. I´m sure they took it easy.

We weren't too far behind the others, only about 15- 20mins by the end of the day. Half way through the day we really started to climb, and were joined by Steve, a fellow Australian, guess what, he didn't hire an extra porter either, the rest of the group did. So as we limped into camp near on dark with quivering leg muscles, to the smell of popcorn, we were buoyed by the cheering and clapping of our group, porters included. Jo picked the trekking company because they apparently treat their staff better than other companies. You don't really know until you are out there, but our porters travelled as a group, all had the same colour clothing on and really looked professional. All porters no matter what tour group they work for do an incredable job and deserve a lot more than they get. You see they a limited to 25kg each, who knows what they used to carry. I had about ten with me and it was killing me. They break camp, race pass you on the trail, we also cheer them on as they go past, set up for LUNCH at the next place and then do it all again for end of day camp, while we struggle along as best we can.

A bit further up the hill, I just needed a rest. It must have been still early in the climb, because we are both smiling.

At lunch, 7 or 8 courses at least, I ate way too much and struggled a bit straight after lunch, but at dinner I just didn't feel that hungry, but there was plenty of food for everyone. It was St Pats day, and the Irish had dragged a bottle of Irish Cream up the hill with them, which they shared out, so we played some card games and hit the hay. I say hill, but just keep in mind that our own highest peak is Kosciuszko at 2228m, aparently you don't start to feel altitude sickness until at least 2500m, we were at 3800m and still going up. But I think we faired rather well and all the training that Jo and I did, didn't go to waste at all.

Cuzco

( View form our bed out the window )


We flew into Cuzco on an early morning flight from Lima. The mountains that surround the city seemed a bit close for me. Don´t get me wrong, I am a great flier and thought the view was incredible. A lot of aircraft have speed breaks on them, these are used to wash speed off a plane once it has reached the ground. The speed breaks on this plane were flaps of aircraft skin on top of the wings. I am guessing that because Cuzco is at high altitude, 3300m, and the air being thin, we were coming in at a million miles an hour to stay aloft. The result. The speed breaks needed to be used while still in the air, just as we were ready to touchdown, causing the aircraft to become a bit unstable. I know this.... because I was sitting on the bloody thing, looking out the window saying to myself 'gee that´s a bit funny using speed breaks while in the air' So we made it to Cuzco. It is a pretty little city, plenty of things to do and plenty of things to see.

( A Cusco street near our hostel )

On day 3 when we final had enough courage to venture outside the hostel we saw these things. We were trying to acclimatise to the altitude of the area, so were planning to have ten days before we hit the Inca Trail.
When Jo told me we were going to Sth America, I told here the only thing I wanted to do was walk the Inca Trail, in hindsight i should have been a little bit more specific, like walk the Inca Trail and walk around Macchu Picchu. Yes that would have done, but i am getting ahead of myself. We went on the city tour, I don´t recommend it, too rushed and with a little knowledge you can do all the same things at a better pace on your own. If however you find yourself with one day in Cuzco to spare, I would suggest the sacred valley tour, we visited some great ruins and the market at Pisac for Jo.

( Pisac Market )

For any guys out there, you only spend forty minutes at the market, which is a shame really, it is not nearly enough time to try everything on, believe me. On the bus you get to travel through

the mountains, and can see to glaciers as well, not being used to this was quite novel for us, Jo seemed equally impressed, until she fell asleep 3 minutes into the bus ride home. She couldn't say she was tired from shopping. So Cuzco was great, great food, great shoe shine boys and great people, trying to sell you a massage every couple of meters or finger puppets or postcard or..... you get the picture, a very safe place, well I felt safe, after all I was a good head taller than everyone esle around me.

( ruins at Pisac )

First Taste

We touched down in NZ, it was my first time and I was excited to be able to finally tick the box on that one. Yeah ok, it was just a 2 hour stopover and yes we spent it all at the airport, but we were there.
Jo was expecting us to be robbed the minute we stepped off the plane in Sth America, so it was a pleasant surprise when we made it safely through customs. We were jet lagged so didn´t really appreciate the driving skills of our driver as he weaved his way through, well everything really, cars, people, dogs, so Santiago was a blur for me. We went to bed early to get up even earlier for the plane the next day.
We did the same in Lima, straight to a hostel, and a well deserved kip. However our first meal in Sth America awaited us just down the road from the hostel, at a shopping complex perched on top of a cliff.






We mananged to have our first meal on a new continent, and boy was it worth the wait.














( Jo looking a little bit guilty me thinks )

Where to start.?

Well here I am writing a blog. You will all or at least most of you have been reading Jo´s blog, well this is my slant on things.
It has nearly been a year since we left Australia to travel and it has taken me this long to get my act together with keeping in touch with people. We have travelled to England, France, Bulgaria and Thailand, and now we find ourselves in Sth America. So this is where i am starting, hoping to go back and fill you guys in on whats happened before.