Hey lovely people,

Since we last wrote quite a lot has happened (massive understatement!) because we haven´t been able to blog for ages. So we´ll try to remember all the important bits!

We met up with our group on the 10th April - they are all really friendly but there is a huge range of ages! We are the youngest, and the oldest is a 70 year old guy called Robert, who we love! Our tour leader, Pepe, and an Australian girl called Lara are in their 20s, so we´ve been getting on really well with them.

Our first stop was a small town called Pisco, which had been badly hit by the 2007 earthquake. We got shown around the town by a Californian girl who had been volunteering there since the earthquake. After that we had one of our busiest days yet, starting with a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands (nicknamed the Galapagos of the poor!) where we saw penguins, sea lions, and millions of birds. We then took a bus to Huacachina oasis in the middle of the desert, where Jess and Emma went dune buggying, which was crazy! We then drove to Nazca, stopping on the way to climb a tower to look over the Nazca lines.

We stayed in Nazca the next day to go to a pre-incan cemetery, which was quite freaky! We saw lots of dead bodies which were really well preserved, and still had their hair, skin and clothes! That night we had the delight of an overnight bus trip to Arequipa, which took 11 hours but was surprisingly comfortable.

After a day recovering in Arequipa (which naturally involved lots of eating and shopping) we took a trip to Colca Canyon to see the condors. We stayed in a small town called Chivay which was at 3,600m above sea level, so we were told to chew on coca leaves to help with the altitude, an interesting experience. We visited the local hot springs that evening, which were incredible, especially as it was raining whilst the pool we were in was 39·c. The next day after getting up really early and walking along the canyon, we finally saw a condor right at the last minute, which caused a great deal of excitement amongst the group! We then headed back to Arequipa for some Peruvian clubbing with Lara, Pepe, and our Colca Canyon guide, Henry!

The next day was intensely fun, consisting only of a 13 hour bus ride to Cusco. Not much to say about that, really! Once in Cusco, Pepe gave us a tour of the city which is really pretty, and then we were let loose on the markets! We also discovered the most amazing chocolate cafe in the world, where we sat for hours and drank hot chocolate. (There was also a poster of Johnny Depp from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which made Emma very excited!) That evening we had our first meeting about the Inca Trail, which only increased our sense of doom. However, to distract us from the fear, Pepe took us to an awesome restaurant which supports a local school, where we got to wear silly hats and play jenga while we ate!

The following day, we took a local bus into the Sacred Valley and stopped at yet another amazing market in a town called Pisaq, where Jess bought a wooden flute and some panpipes, and has since been delighting us with her music. We then had a really cool ride in a motorized tuk-tuk with no doors to visit a small village where we learnt how the local families make pottery and chocolate. We finally arrived in Ollantaytambo, the town from which we would start the Inca Trail! This put panic into our hearts.

At 7:30 in the morning we were picked up by our Inca Trail leader, Oli, and set off on the four day hike to Machu Picchu. We were assigned 18 porters, 2 cooks and 2 guides for our group of 13, which we thought was ridiculous! However we soon realised that it was necessary for the luxury of our camping! Our tents were set up for us by the time we arrived at the campsite each day, and the meals were the best we´ve had on the gap year so far.

We were actually surprised with how well we managed the trek, although the second day was definitely the most challenging walk - a 10 hour day with lots of steep steps and treacherous terrain! We were constantly amazed by the porters who ran past us carrying about 25kg each on their backs, while we struggled on with less than 5kg. The third day brought hours of torrential rain, which turned parts of the paths into streams, and meant we had to cross the top of a waterfall at one point. Unfortunately, Hatti and Jess discovered that their waterproofs were not in fact waterproof at all, and we were all very glad to reach the campsite, luckily after only a few hours walking.

Yesterday we reached Machu Picchu, having got up at 4am. Our first glimpse of it was from the Sun Gate, and made it all worthwhile. From there it only took us half an hour to reach the last city of the Incas, where we were reunited with Pepe and Lara who had been doing another trek. Oli showed us around, and it was amazing to finally have reached our destination! After the tour was over, we were given some free time to explore, but given how hungry and tired we were, we decided instead to explore the cafe, where we bought delicious but extortionately priced snacks, and played cards! We then caught the train back to Cusco, and are now spending the day here recovering, before heading off to Puno tomorrow.

Sorry there are no photos again, we still can´t upload them! But will try again next time we blog. We only have a week left in Peru before flying to Argentina, and we´re still having a great time.

Lots of love,

Emma, Hatti and Jess xxx