Magnificently Muddy Machu Picchu

Well … only 2 weeks since my last blog and in that time we´ve been on a bit of a boot camp over here, having done heaps of trekking (and in very testing weather – in no way am I doubting that this is the rainy season!!) and also a spot of white water rafting. 

I am now travelling with my sister Elizabeth, and after not seeing each other for over 12 months, hiking and camping along the Inca trail for 4 days is a great way to catch up on all the stories we’ve missed, think we’ve almost caught up on everything now!  So a short run down on what we’ve been up to:

Pisco Sours in Lima!
Lizzy and I had a successful reunion in Lima airport and then we spent a couple of days in Lima, where we were treated to a night out with my friends in Lima, Stephanie, Jennelly and Bernard. They took us to a great local restaurant and then to have a few pisco sours at a bar in Barranco. All in all, was a very fun night and we wish we could have stayed in Lima a little longer … however cold Cuzco was calling! Cuzco is seriously cold at night and we’re realising that as we’re heading south, it’s not going to be getting warmer for a while! 

White Water Rafting on the Urubamba River!
Upon arriving in the Inca capital of Cuzco, we quickly signed up for all the available activities, including rafting grade 4 rapids on the Urubamba River, which is even higher at the moment with all the rain we’ve been enduring. We had amazing fun and I’ve never screamed so loud in my life but by the end we were so cold that our feet were turning blue! However, there was an amazing sauna waiting for us at the end. After returning to a normal colour and temperature again, we enjoyed a delightful lunch by the banks of the river and returned to Cuzco truly exhausted! 

Sacred Valley
We also signed up for a tour of the Sacred Valley and the local markets. This allowed me to make a very important purchase, a Peruvian poncho in aqua!! It is the perfect addition to my backpacking wardrobe and great in the cold weather. The Sacred Valley is, as the name indicates, a series of sacred Inca sites that gave us a great taste of what was to come in Machu Picchu. We saw some truly inspiring works of art of the Incas, including stone carvings, constructions and, my favourite, a water fountain that magically stopped and started with the press of a finger on the stone!! Why are we using taps again? 

Magnificent but Muddy Machu Picchu
Well, in line with everything I´d heard before, Machu Picchu was truly the highlight thus far! An awe-inspiring sanctuary that challenged me to compare and consider all aspects of my life and the society we live in, to that of the Incas … our priorities, what we need to live, our goals, what drives us and our dedication to family and community. However, I must admit that as I was returning to Cuzco by train and heading straight for the electrically powered hot shower, I was thankful that we’ve made some key developments since Inca time! 

The view of Machu Picchu was definitely an incredible reward after 4 days of hiking in the rapidly changeable weather. It was raining one minute, roaring sun the next (this was rare!), sleeting the next … we became experts in having the right piece of clothing to pull on at any minute of the day or night. We were both sporting very sexy ponchos and rain proof trousers. As we were carrying everything, clothing was definitely kept to a minimum and so my available combinations of dry clothing at the campsites in the evening were interesting. One day my only dry clothing was a pair of long johns under my aqua board shorts, a woollen hat, a purple rain jacket to boot, with muddy hiking boots, I was looking a treat! There was seriously mud everywhere and our boots got a great work out (they are definitely water-proof which is good!). Our campsite on the second night was a sea of mud which was not what we were hoping for after hauling ourselves up 4,215m and over “Dead Woman’s Pass”and we almost were dead women I tell you! But we bounced back and were skipping along the path again on Day 3. 

The porters on the trip were truly amazing. They were literally running up and down the mountains, with 25kg on their backs, putting us to shame as we only carried our clothes and sleeping gear around. Although we could have had an additional porter to carry this, we decided to rough it and we have lived to tell the tale, so I recommend it! However the porters carry anything and everything from a gas bottle to 20 plastic chairs, from pancake mix to a fine silver bowl for the sugar in tea break … it was truly incredible to witness the service and meals we received on this remote trail and we were all so grateful to see camp and the smiling porters when we were wet and tired at the end of each day. 

Hot Springs in Aguas Calientes
The most amazing ending to our 4 day hike was relaxing in the natural thermal hot springs in the town of Aguas Calientes, at the bottom of Machu Picchu (literally means ‘hot water’). These baths were amazing and were the perfect ending to a perfect trek. Actually we did then indulge a little further as upon returning to Cusco, we took a day of R&R and had a full body massage, definitely was what the aching muscles were crying out for! 

However, Lizzy and I are clearly gluttons for punishment as we’re now about to embark on a 3 day trek in the Colca Canyon, just out of Arequipa in the South of Peru, then we’re off to Bolivia.