We did it!

We have just got back from the Inca Trail, after the four day trek and I have to say it is one of the best things I have ever done. Even my tired old lungs managed to trek the 49kms without any major trouble. The 1 Jan was spent catching up on a bit of sleep after the NYE celebrations and doing a bit of last minute shopping - like buying some sexy waterproof trousers and a big hat (not a good look). We got to the SAS office at 5.45am on 2nd and had a quick briefing before climbing onto the bus and driving to km 82 which is where the trek starts.

It is pretty nervewracking as you drive there as you can see the mountains rising above you and you know the only way to get to Machu Picchu is to climb up there. As you know I am not the fittest person in the world, so the first day I was waiting to go through `the wall of pain´. We walked for about 10 kms up and down hill, but it was no problem at all. I felt fine as I had 2 walking sticks with me. Sounds lame but they really help when you feel like your legs are about to fall off. We arrived at the camp site and the wonderful porters had already set up our tents and had some hot chocolate waiting for us - bliss! At dinner time we got to meet the rest of our group who were really lovely, and our guide, Ozzie, who was a bit of a nutter. He had lived in the UK for a while, so he kept coming out with lots of phrases like ´cheers big ears´ and ´alright chaps and chapesses`. He also managed to introduce me to the 20 male porters as Titty - so that made everything most entertaining. As you can imagine Ben was really impressed! My inca name is now ´Titty two sticks´.


The second day is a bit of a monster, as you have to climb 1200m to 4215m. We were woken up at 6am with a cuppa and then we packed our stuff for the day. As usual it was a bit tense in our tent as neither of us are any good in the morning but after a bit of a grumpy start we made it for breakfast at 6.30. They really know how to serve up a feast on these tours. We had the most enormous breakfast to prepare us for the day ahead, so we all set off feeling pretty happy. Ben was carrying a massive ruck sack with both our gear in it, but for the second day you can hire a porter to carry the stuff for you, which is a really good idea, as you have no idea how steep the climb is before you set off. The porters are amazing. They are about my height but they carry their own bodyweight in bags and run up the steep trails - complete nutters!

We had to walk for 12 km and climb from 3000m where our campsite was to 4200m, which is the highest point on the trek on Day 2 - so this is the day everyone dreds. It is really high at the top and some people really suffer with altitude sickness so the tour guides have to carry oxygen in case people are ill, but we had no troubles at all. It was totally knackering, and I felt like my lungs were about to explode at the end, but it is worth it when you arrive at the top of the pass. The scenery was really incredible. As you are up really high the air is very clear and you can see for miles around. Here are me and Nic reaching the top of ´Dead womans pass´ the highest point of the trek. After reaching the top and eating a snickers bar to celebrate, we had to climb down 600m which was a bit of a nightmare for your knees. The trail consists of huge granite stone steps which are not the easiest to climb down in you aren´t blessed with long legs. We got to the campsite at about 2.30pm and had a massive lunch and then had the remainder of the day to rest. We went to sleep pretty early but I got woken up by a very strange noise in the night, which I was convinced was a huge tranachula trying to burrow into the tent, so as usual I woke Ben up in a complete panic and turned on the torch to see the outline of a donkey, who was trimming the grass outside our tent. He was a very noisy eater!

Day 3 was definitely my favourite. We walked for 16kms through high jungle and grasslands so terraine was very changable and the wildlife was really amazing. We saw parrots, lamas, pigs, donkeys and loads of indiginous trees and plants. It was a really long day and the only time when I got a bit fed up. But after we had reached the second high pass in the morning we had lunch and then I felt ready to start again. We had a 7km downhill hike in the afternoon which is a real bone crusher, but they give you coca leaves to chew - which are really great. If you were wondering why we look like we have hamster cheeks in all the photos, this is us chewing the coca leaves. They make you forget about your breathing and feel more relaxed, so that you forget about any pain and enjoy the view.
On the evening of the 3rd day it was Dixie´s birthday so we made sure he was suitably embarrassed by singing happy birthday to him and the chef made him a cake.

We had to get up at 4am on the 4th day to get to the Sun Gate to see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu, so we went to bed after a nice game of scrabble and a couple of celebratory beers. Our campsite was perched on the side of a cliff so it was fun trying not to roll down the hill during the night, and even more fun trying to navigate my way down to the loo in the pouring rain, in my poncho.

On day 4 we woke up and packed our stuff before having breakfast at 4.30am. The idea is to leave early so you get to the Sun Gate to see the early sun rise. Tourists who catch the train to Machu Picchu aren´t allowed in to the site until10.30am so the trekkers always arrive earlier to enjoy the view and wander around the site before it gets too busy. We walked for 1 1/2 hours to get to the Sun Gate, but it was raining all the way so we donned our ponchos and tramped through the mud. Very glamerous. When we arrived we were really gutted as it was so misty we couldn´t see anything. We waited there for a while to see if the mist would clear and then we walked to the end of the trail, which was about another 20 mins. This is where all the famous pictures of MP are taken. And guess what..... we couldn´t see a thing. I thought I was going to cry!

We walked down into the site and had our tickets checked and the mist started to clear a bit. We walked round MP which is an amazing place. It is positioned in between 4 moutains and feels like it is sat on top of the world. We did finally manage to get a decent view of the site after a couple of hours but the weather really wasn´t great all day, but the whole trek was brilliant, and now I know that I am not as much of a weed as I thought.

We got back from the trek at about 9 and went out for a belated birthday celebration with the Dixie´s and pottered around Cusco yesterday before they headed off back to Lima this morning :-(

We are off to Bolivia on the nightbus later, which should be entertaining. We are due to arrive in La Paz tomorrow morning and then we have about a week there to visit the salt flats and Lake Titicaca before flying out of La Paz to meet the Robbo snr´s in Buenos Aires in mid January.

Take care of yourselves

Tigs xxxxx