Zip Line and Train Track Trek...not easy to say

5 zip lines straight after each other crossing over a huge valley from top of huge hill to bottom! I was petrified on the 1st one cos it was so long...but slower i'm told. They got progressively faster. Everyone else was going in different positions, superman, upside down etc. But I took until the last one to realise I didn't actually need my hands to keep me alive so I forced myself to go no hands while I videoed! And obviously loved it and wanted to go again. Too late tho Pauline you doofus!

Scary suspension bridge next. We were hooked up and walked about 500m way above the tree tops across a VERY wobbly step ladder type bridge.

Now those of you who don't know, up until I was 40 I was terrified of heights. I would climb up to the 3rd rung of a ladder then freeze, terrified I would fall. I decided as I was turning 40 to force myself to face my fear. So I went to one of these similar tree top things. I was petrified but took each step slowly with adrenaline pumping through me like I don't know what, crying the whole time.....but I made it to the end!

Now I'm up and down ladders all the time with no probs and even climbed to the top of one of these climbing walls. However I's not completely gone, as I discovered on this bridge! The Germans were in front messing around making it twist and bounce and I hated it! I think that's karma after me doing the same to the others on the old bridge the other day!

Stand By Me

There are 2 mountains at Machu Picchu: Huaya Picchu and Macchu Pichu. We spent the rest of the day trekking round the base of these two mountains along a train track. The scenery was beautiful but it was pretty non eventful except from the 400m long bridge across the river. Marco (our guide) said we could either walk along the track or along the path at the side of it...telling us that he did not know when the next train was so on our own heads be it. I don't need to tell you which choice I made. It started off fine. The sleepers were pretty evenly spaced with approx a foot between them. Then as we got closer to the middle there were some missing. This meant stepping over a 2 or sometimes 3 foot gap...with no protective gear this time and no net under us. If I slipped I would be a gonner. If I knew this when I started I would have gone for the path option. Too late now. The fear crept back. I asked Dianna (one half of the lovers who I had a good laugh with) if I could hold her hand for psychological protection. It was working fine. We took each step very carefully. And then. We heard the distinctive horn of a train approaching from behind! We looked at each other with wide eyes and started walking faster. We still had about 200m to go and the gaps between the sleepers were still horribly wide. I turned back. No sigh of train yet. All ok. We moved quicker. 100m left. I turned again and saw it! We looked at each other and screamed! We started running. Dianna slipped, but caught herself. "IT'S GETTING CLOSER!" I shout. 50m. 20m to go. Sprinting over the huge gaps! The train is right behind us! The train is shouting at us! Marco is shouting at us from the path to get a move on. We dived off to the right falling on the stony verge just in the nick of time panting and gasping for breath!
Ok so everything from just before the train sounded it's horn is a lie. There actually was no train. We continued with fear and trepidation to the other side with nothing but a slight raise in adrenaline. But it COULD have happened right?

Machu Picchu tomorrow xx