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Ola amigos,
We did it! Yes that´s right we have successfully completed the 4-day 49km Inka trail and it was amazing! We have uploaded all of our photos so you can see what sights we saw along the way and we´ll write a more detailed blog in a few days to let you know how it went...to be continued!
As promised I will attempt to explain just how amazing we found the Inka trail, not sure if I will be able to do it justice though but hey, I´ll give it a go!
After getting a rushed and anxious nights sleep on the Wed night, we were up bright and early (5am) ready to be picked up by our tour operator - SAS Travel. Minibus arrived bang on time, we loaded the rucksacks and before long we were heading off into the Andes to a small town called ´Ollantaytambo´ to begin our trek! I´m sure you will be able to tell from the photos but we were both brimming with excitement, with the weather on our side! After a quick customery photo with the rest of our group (3 x NZ, 1 x Aussie, 4 x US, 1 x Mexican & another Brit) we headed into the hills! On first impressions the relatively flat trail we were pursuing didn´t seem too bad and our confidence was high, that was of course until our guide Isaiac unveiled our first ´surprise´! We were greeted by an almost vertical wall of steps which disappeared into the low cloud, with the top out of sight! After a few moans and groans we set about tackling the steps and soon found that although relatively low, the altitude was still enough to sap all of our strength. At the top of the stairs, and once we had got our breath back, we were rewarded with an impressive view of our first ancient Inkan ruins. After a detailed explanation by our guide we then descended into the valley and arrived at our first lunch campsite, situated next to a small village on the banks of the Urabamba river. Obviously wanting to watch what we ate whilst in Peru, we were both a bit dubious about what to expect. To our delight we were presented with an amazing 4 course meal, all produced on sight by the highly acclaimed ´Superchef´, needless to say there were no leftovers, and we set off re-energised to tackle some more hills. The trail after lunch was very much downhill and before long we arrived at our first campsite for the night. We arrived into camp at around 1630 and just as we had finished sorting out our tents, we were treated to afternoon tea! This comprised of not only tea and coffee, but 2 huge buckets of popcorn!! Needless to say Sarah was very happy. An hour later and we were treated to another fine meal before heading to bed.
Up at around 6ish on day 2, and after being christened "Superhikers" by our crazy Peruvian guide Isaiac we were ready to tackle the rumoured toughest day of the trail, the climb up to Dead Womans Pass! We had already been forewarned by our guides that for 4 hours of the day the trail would be all uphill, and the last 2 downhill. We set off at around 0730 and were faced with what felt like miles of windy stone stairs. Not being able to see the top, combined with the effects of the altitude, made this section of the trail really tough! About an hour and a half into the trail we stopped for a quick water break and were told all about the different wildlife we might see along the way, including bears!! Maryann you were right all along... After our short break we soldiered on and after more puffing and panting up the stone stairway we arrived at our lunch campsite (just as the rain started to pour). After being treated to another great meal, and with the rain still beating against the tent, it was time to head back into the hills, ponchos at the ready! Re-energised after lunch we flew up the remainder of the hill at good speed and before long arrived at the famous Dead Womans Pass (named after the shape of a woman which can be seen in the mountain). A quick photo later and with the wind and rain making everybody feel the cold, we started on our 2 hour descent, which was actually harder than the morning climb (knees and ankles). We arrived into our second nights campsite at around 1630 and after the, now expected popcorn, Sarah thought it would be a good idea to treat herself to a freezing cold shower (in the dark!) before dinner. After dinner, complete with mystical tea, we again headed back to our little tent to try and get some sleep after completing a hard days trek.
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