I'm going to write one big blog for the Inca trail, so grab a coffee and settle down.......

Day 1 - Met our two assistant guides on the way to the starting point today, Kennedy and Robinson. Seem lovely, quite shy, but sure they will be great. Stopped where the porters were gathering everything together, as in Nepal, they carry huge weights (regulated to 25kgs), using the same path we take, obviously putting us to shame along the way! Had a pic taken, passport stamped, then off to start our adventure. After a few mins, Jodie and I got talking to Johan, he is a really nice guy and quite funny, so looking forward to our next 4 days!! He told us about the Inca Trail Marathon record, which is held by a porter who ran it is 3.45 hours. Thats 25 miles, up and down steep inclines, at altitude....unbelievable. More impressive was that it's Kennedys dad!! Kennedy has also done it but took 4.05 hours, so slow!!!?????!!! The walk was uphill straight away, but a steady incline, and majestic views (I am aware I've used amazing, beautiful, magnificant and fantastic many times already on my trip, so going to try some alternatives - bare with me.....is that the right bare?? Kerrie???). Stopped at our first Inca Site Patallagta, quite early on. First one we've looked down on, they form the most amazing shapes from above. This one is surrounded by a curved wall which depicts a snake, one of the Incas sacred animals. The snake representing my old favourite Pacha Mamma (Mother Earth). Robinson took over the history lesson this time, lots of information.....not sure I'm going to take it all in, Amazon, here I come (Online, to buy a book, not the jungle, I know it's in Peru, but can't afford to go). Short walk to lunch (amazing, as expected) and then onto the camp site stopping to buy Inca Cola on the way from the locals, who have shops along the trail with hugely over inflated prices, but must have my fix! The campsite at Wayllabamba was already set up, a welcome site after 7 hours walking 11km and up 350 mtrs. I've also discovered my back pack is really uncomfortable, digs into my shoulder blades, where's my Berghaus when I need it....ah yes, somewhere in South Africa! Our view from the tent front door was the valley below us and a huge mountain in front, what a view to wake up to....Great evening, snacks of pop corn and crackers with coca tea, followed closely by dinner (and an unfortunate return of the evil coriander, what is it with camp food and coriander?). After dinner, finally learnt how to play s***head, not bad after travelling for 10 weeks! For those who have not heard of it, s***head is the default card game that most backpackers (I have come across) play, that, and bulls***.....think they are the only two faeces related card games on the circuit (don't panic mum, they don't actually involve poo). Played with Jodie, Heidi, Ruth, Johan and Kennedy. Very competitive and very funny!! After a couple of rounds, changed to another game which is a bit like snap. Got very violent, Jodie almost breaking a few fingers as we all fought to slam our hands on the deck of cards the fastest! Great end to a great day....

Day 2 - Dreaming again, this time about snakes on motorways??? However, my reptilian escapades were interrupted by a cockerel, which awoke about 3am, then didn't shut up until we got up. That with dogs barking and people arguing meant not much sleep! I swear if they had given me cockerel for breakfast, 22 years of being a veggie would have gone out the window!!! What made everything better was the welcome return of bed tea and washing water!! Hurrah! To put icing on the cake it was coca tea, which is lovely. Breakfast was not so lovely, quinoa porridge, uuurrggghh, although with sugar and hot chocolate mixed in was bearable and provided the protein for our 1200metre, 12km walk to Dead Woman's pass. Aptly named Dead Woman's pass, it nearly bloody killed me!!!! Fine to start, then the altitude kicked in, and my lungs packed up (and my legs, and my will to live!!!). To make it worse, I was over taken by 3 of the infinitely fitter, and younger members of the group, so my ego also took a bashing!! (I do keep telling myself that Maryanne, Benjamin and Natasha are all in their early 20's so have youth on their side, but that just makes me feel old as well as unfit!!!) I swear this walk is liking giving birth (I don't actually know what giving birth is like, obviously, but from what I've been told, you forget the pain soon after the event). Looking back I would say it was great and I would do it again, clinging on to the memory of what it was actually like......NEVER AGAIN!!!!! At times I actually thought my heart was going to explode! At the top though the view made everything worth while, it really was prodigious. Lots of pics, including Julio the llama and Maryanne's Moose, I love that she is travelling with a moose, well with me as well, two mooses!! Trip to our camp at Paqaymayo, was 600 metres downhill, actually not too bad, walked with Jodie and managed to keep up! Getting better at this old downhill lark! Thankfully arrived just before the skies opened.

Another great evening playing cards, bulls*** this time, which Johan and Kennedy weren't so good at, practically ending up with the whole 2 decks between them (there was about 8 of us playing!!). I actually got away with loads without being caught, seems I'm quite good at lying, who knew!!!! Rest of the night Johan spent telling us ghost stories.....mwhahahaha ....,.apparently an old man died in the campsite and his ghost has been see by lots of porters, he is also known to have shaken tents and pulled people out of their tents by their legs! The rumour goes if you talk to him and then walk with him to dead woman's pass, you die....mwahaha, to be honest, I was quite safe, not a chance in hell I was going to walk back up there again!!! The other story was about Andeans worshipping the Mountain Gods, who they deem to be their fathers (Pacha Mamma is their mother). The only human sacrifices they used to make were to the mountain Gods, so they are pretty important! In human form they are an old man, and if you see him alone on the trail you must offer him coca leaves, or failing this, anything else you have. If you don't you will annoy the Gods and then who knows what will happen! They can also tell if you are thinking bad thoughts about the mountains, i.e I hate this bloody mountain, it's too steep........ mwahahaha!!!! Went to bed to the sound of frogs croaking very loudly, and heavy rain.

Day 3 - Well, somebody really pissed the Mountain Gods off......rained all night!!! To make it worse our tent leaked, so some of our stuff got wet, not the end of the world though, just happy that my legs still worked after yesterday!!! Early start for our longest walk - 10hours and 16kms. Johan had promised it would not be as steep or tough as the day before. I'm surprised he was so bad at bulls***, as clearly he was lying!! Ok, that's a bit harsh, but the first hike up to the Runkuraqay Inca site, was horrid. Very steep steps all the way. Great site, plus Johan gave us a talk on how the Incas used to communicate using coloured string and knots which they would send to each other using runners, who would go for miles/hours at a time! Thankfully the rest of the walk, we did have a few more stops and I got my mojo back, so in the front group again, Supergran makes a come back!! The one thing about the walk today, was although long, we were told the views were all worth it. Hmmmm, well, for the first half of the trek the views looked like this (imagine this is my viewfinder)
[ ] To be fair, did give a great perspective of the mist and cloud cover in the Andes!!! Lunch was the best yet, a buffet type affair with enough food to keep a small country going for a month, plus the chef had baked a cake, as I said in Nepal, its unbelievable how they make such great food with the equipment they have. We also had the pleasure of a toilet you could sit on!! As you can imagine (if you are female) all the girls got very excited and formed an orderly queue!! After lunch we were finally greeted with the views we'd been waiting for.......and well worth the wait, wow, just stupendous!!! We also got to walk through the cloud forests, which are unsurpassable!! Rest of the way was pretty much down hill, with varying gradients, quietly impressed with my ever improving downhill ability!! Watch out Jane, I'll be catching you up!! Last great view before camp was of Machu Picchu mountain and Aguas Calientes, the town where the lazy people get the coach to the lost city!! We were also greeted by some llamas, which was nice. So excited to be so close. Evening was a chance to say thanks to the porters, chefs and guides. They all really made this trip memorable, so it was great to be able to show our appreciation. The girls were talking about a 24 hour stay awake after the trek which is a bit of a tradition. Wasn't sure I'd be up to it.……Fell asleep to the sound of rain and crickets this time!!!

Day 4 - Up at 3.15am after not much sleep, so not really awake this morning!!! Quick brekkie then 5 min walk to the checkpoint to wait for an hour before they open the gates!!!! We have to get up so early as the porters have to pack up the camp to get to the train station for the 5.30am train to take them back to the start to go home. If they miss this, the only other train is 3pm, so unfair, after all the work they do they can only use 2 trains at ridiculous hours. Started walk with great excitement, the Mountain Gods clearly appeased, as the skies had cleared revealing the mountains and valleys. Walk was good, even the so called "Gringo Killer", was not too bad! Reached the Sungate really quickly, and well what can I say. Another breathtaking moment. It's not just the site of Maccu Picchu that gets you, it's the whole area surrounding it. Rolling mountains (As Johan would say - like creased paper!) and deep valleys as far as the eye can see.......you really know you are somewhere special, I felt so privileged to be there. I would hike Dead Woman's pass 100 times to see this!!!

A quick walk took us to the site itself. As a comparison to the sites we had visited previously, this is on a whole new level. A real testament to how well the Incas built their cities. Everywhere you look there is something new to see, and it has been preserved beautifully. The photos will do it more justice than anything I can write. Johan gave us his final tour of the trip, I took lots of photos (of the ruins, not Johan), and after a few hours Jodie, Ruth and I decided it was time to go.......and then the rain started. Now, I don't mean a little rain, this was a full on, tsunami creating downpour, that went on forever. Obviously us and the rest of the visitors to the site decided to get out, so a long wait, and huge queues meant by the time we got to the restaurant we were VERY wet, so an Inca Cola, beer and pizza, were a welcome site!!! Also great to catch up with Jane, Nicole and the lovely Julio, who had completed the Lares trek. Got a great pic of the gang and guides from the start of the trek and then boarded the train for Cusco. 3 hours, a great train journey (ignoring the pan pipe soundtrack), and a bus later, we came to the welcome lights of Cusco. Shower, change, then out again for dinner. So, it's seems my earlier concerns about staying up for 24 hours were unfounded. We went from the restaurant to a nightclub, and had one of the best nights I've had in a very very long time. Lots of booze, lots of dancing, lots of singing and lots of laughing. A great mix of locals and tourists, and brilliant tunes. I think Johan and I were the last ones to leave from the group, finally fell into bed at 4.45am. A night I won't forget for a long time, still have a big smile when I think about it, brilliant brilliant fun!!!