So this is my inca trail and Machu Picchu entry!!!! Before we started the inca trail we had one night in (owascaliente) on this day we went for a walk up to an inca site which was so much harder than I expected not so much the walking but with the altitude it was very difficult to breath. The view from the top was amazing though - I could see down both ends of the valley with the town just under us! Then the next day was day 1 of the inca trail. We got the bus to the start at kilometre 82. This was where we saw the porters and met our guide (keykay). There were only 14 of us doing the treck but we had 22 porters each carrying 25kg. They were actually amazing they were all really short and the bags were as big as them but they would set off after us and still over take and get to the site before us!! So the start of the walk was fairly flat and it was sunny so the views were amazing :) then we had a bit of a hill to the top of a view where we could see an inca site that linked 3 valleys. From here had a bit more of a walk to get to lunch. It was fab! They had a tent set up for us to eat in with a table and table cloth and a 3 course meal. Before they had us each an individual bowl of hot water to wash our hands and then we all had a boiling hot drink after as well. Then we had a bit more of a hike and I had been really slow at the start but then started walking with one of our group katlyn who had a good pace and we just chatted the whole way and seemed to go a lot faster!! Then we arrived in camp where I had a tent with Katy which they had already set up! Then we met all of the porters and cooks as they introduced themselves by saying their names and how long they were with the company and what they were carrying. The evening meal was great again another 3 courses and hot water!! Then we had a few games of killer and went off to bed. The only issue was the toilets there was one and no flush so it was cleaner to just go in the bus and it was really obvious that everyone had been using the bus as there were sections just covered in loo roll. Then the next problem came.... The guide had told us that there were (tranchulars) so then I was sooo scared that I slept right in the middle of the tent pushing Katy to the other side so I wasn't near the edge and the spiders couldn't get me!!!! She was not impressed :) day 1 was 11k. Day 2 8k up hill and then 4k down hill. This was the day of dead woman's pass!! We were woken up by the porters at 5am with a bowl each of hot water and then a cup of coco tea which people drink here to help with altitude. Then we got up for breakfast where we had a hot drink and hot food before setting off for the day. It was steep for the first section and it was really hard work because of breathing in the altitude but I sorted that by breathing in time with when I was placing my poles and it helped loads!!! Then we had sone really slow people in our group so the guide said he would walk with them and we could go ahead. I did lose some of the group because I really struggled with breathing but I just tagged along the back of another group who had a better pace for me and then I did manage to catch up with the rest of the group. Then with katelyn I managed to lave even better and we were going quite quickly up through the jungle to the second stop point. It was all uphill and up steps and just was hard work. Then at this stop point it started to rain.... I had to zip the bottoms on to my trousers and then wore all of my layers plus my coat. It was soooo cold the guide just told us not to wait for the others and just go straight to the camp. Then we carried on to the dead woman's pass which is the highest part of the trail 4215m. It rained the whole way and everyone was just getting down because it was so cold we just kept passing the same people over and over. And then it hailed and it was not pleasant and then it started to snow like an actual blizzard!!!!! It was the worst I even had a little cry I was so cold everything was soaked and it just seemed to take so long to get to the top and we had just seen no views it was rubbish. Then the last 10m to the top was just bad we didn't seem to be getting anywhere but we eventually made it to the top and it was so bad that we couldn't see a thing and it was just miserable so we hardly stopped and then just carried on down the other side. It was all down hill but even though it really hurt we didn't stop once because we were so cold!! At least it stopped snowing though down the other side so it did warm up a bit! Then when we reached the bottom we found the porters hadn't even set up camp as we were 2 hours early we had gone so fast! I think it was just the fact we were trying to stay warm because if we stopped we would have got hyperthermia!! So we just chilled then at the camp and it actually got a tiny bit sunny so we just took everything off and put them out to dry then put on all of our thermals which was the only dry clothes i had left and just laid in the tent chatting for ages. By the time dinner was ready our stuff was almost dry which was great so we had again another 3 course meal and then tonight the porters filled up my water bottle for me so I had a hot water bottle in my sleeping bag which was amazing. The next day - day 3 16k!!! Again we were woken up by hot water and coco tea before having breakfast of pancakes and more warm stuff as again it was raining! The clouds were low as well so it was really foggy and again we couldn't see any of the view. My stuff was almost dry so I just put it back on being damp and hoped that when I walked it would dry. The day started off uphill up loads of steps and again the group was split due to speed. This was the day which was suspposed to be the most beautiful but we just couldn't see a thing for the rain and fog. We did stop at an inca site where our guide explained to us what it was and then he told us to follow the chef to the top. (We has lost our second guide on day1 as one woman had really bad gastro and had to go to hospital). It was really cold again at the top so waiting around was a bit of a nightmare. But then we just kept on going and it was a lot of downhill which was really starting to hurt my knees so I slowed up and Katy who had been quite fast the whole way had slowed too so we lost the people at the front as I was taking pics and joined the group at the back. So It was still awful but we walked up an extra load of steep steps to get to this inca town ruin which was all in the clouds but we couldn't see a thing and were just getting soaked so we just had to imagine what would have been the backdrop of our view. Then we carried on along the part of the treck that was supposed to be beautiful rolling hills and jungle with amazing views. We didn't see anything until we were almost at the lunch stop and there was like a slight view of the valley which was actually making me carry on because it was amazing. Then at lunch we were all soooo cold that they gave us hot drinks, French toast, pizza, a chicken dish and cake!!! And they made it all in a small tent! Then setting off again we could take a few more pics as it did start to clear which was great!! The views were amazing of the valleys in the Andes and then we had a few pics if is all in our different coloured rain coats all together which looked good. Then by the end of the day we got to this huge inca ruin at the back of Machu Picchu mountain. It was soooo many layers of tiers and it was at the end of the valley so we could see right down the other way it was just amazing!! We took sooo many pics I have a really good jumping one of me. And then we just carried on walking until we got to camp. The view again was amazing which was great but it also did just remind me if what we had been missing out on for the last few days. We had our final meal and gave the porters their tip and a speech which was lovely as they all stoop round us all in the dining tent. Then we went to sleep in the tents for the last time I has my hot water bottle on my sore knees so everything was fine. Day 4 the day of Machu Picchu!!! We were woken up at 3 in the morning by the porters and they were in such a rush to leave that even as we were still in the tent tieing up our shoes they were taking down the tents! We then just had bread for breakfast as it was so early before walking down to our final check point. Here we waited in a line and watched the sun rise until 5 when they opened the gate to let us all walk along. The pace was a lot faster as everyone was desperate to get to the sun gate. And even though it was just a 2 hour walk I felt so ill I think it was the early morning. Anyhow we had great weather today!!!! On the one day we needed it so I was sooo pleased when we reached the sun gate that we had a clear view of all the mountains and Machu Picchu to take photos. I even cried a little! We stopped here for ages and are snacks while we had loads of photos. We then had about another hour to walk to get to Machu Picchu and when we did it was amazing! The view was just incredible it was massive and then surrounded by loads of mountains which were just as impressive. We all had a go then at the postcard picture that everyone has before walking down to the entrance to drop off our walking sticks and eat some food. Then we re entered Machu Picchu and our tour guide have us a tour around which was really interesting. When he left us we then had around an hour and a half to explore and so we walked around most of the more town sections of it and then me and Louise went and walked all the way back up to the top to get a last overview of the whole site before we had to leave. It is one of the best sites I have ever seen and a great reward after the dreadful inca trail we had. The guide said this was only the second time it had snowed there in over 6 years!! We then got a bus down to the town at the bottom where we ate before then getting the train that all the non walkers get back to the town where we first stopped. From here we took a bus back to cusco and then went and had a huge burger for dinner. The only issue was when we got back the showers were cold!!!! The next day I just chilled and had a massage we was ok but nothing special. For dinner we went to an alpaca restaurant where I had a fab lamb dish. Before going back for an early night before a bus the next morning xx