Today was my favourite day of the trek so far! Another 530 wake up and we were off after breakfast. The day began with an uphill climb which I was dreading but today I managed to get in a much better rhythm and the altitude didn't seem to be affecting me as much! Browny was flying up to the top but the rest of us stuck pretty much together in order to reach the first pass of the day. On the way up there was an inca site which Herber talked to us about and said it was probably similar to some of the other sites used as a resting site for those who needed it. The views from the top were incredible and we took lots of cool pictures!
The next section was downhill - yay! It wasn't quite as steep as yesterday but we both enjoyed running down the steps and kept getting called 'speedy Gonzalez' as we passed group after group! We waited for the rest of our group at the second archaeological site which we were told was thought to be more of a religious site. This was high up on a hill and it was incredible how the Incas managed to build it! From this site we could see our lunch spot and Browny and I rushed ahead to be first to lunch! The best part of lunch was the fact Browny and I washed our hair! The water was freezing but well worth it and we both felt refreshed after :)
After lunch we came to the second pass of the day. On the way we caught a brief glimpse of Aguas Calientes, the town we would be going to after Machu Picchu, as well as seeing Machu Picchu mountain. We were definitely getting the feeling we were almost there! At the pass there were llamas and yet again brilliant views! We were now in the high jungle and so the landscape had changed. We sat here for a while taking in the views and having a snack before Browny and I ran downhill to the last site of the day. This part of the trek on average takes 3 hours but we arrived in 1! I expect our knees and ankles will be paying for it tomorrow! The final site was amazing and so big! It must have taken the Incas so long to build these places by hand!
A further 5 minutes we were at the campsite and we relaxed whilst waiting for the rest of our group to get down the steep descent. It was our final night and after dinner we thanked the porters and chef with their tips as we would not be seeing them tomorrow. Another day in bed around 8 as we were up at 330 tomorrow in order to try and get to the sun gate and see sunrise over Machu Picchu!