Snow-capped Salkantay

Spectacular!

Picked up at 05:30 to meet the other three people we´d be walking, eating and sleeping in close proximity with/to - not the best time to make a good impression! A two hour drive up into the mountains, we stop for breakfast at a little house in Mollepata. Another three hour drive past the poor trekkers who had to start back there before being served up lunch... good start for the trek! Unfortunately the walking then started - uphill to our first campsite at 4000m - but with snow-capped mountains in sight, the thought of skiing next year kept me going...
With our mountain tents and extra-thick down sleeping bags, it appeared we´d got the cold night covered - until the sun went down and the temperature dropped like a stone. The cooking-come-dining tent was lovely and warm, and as our own Tommy Cooper look-a-like chef cooked up some delicious dinner with his little chef´s hat and apron, we drank our coca tea and prepared for the deep-freeze. Luckily our water bottles cope with hot water - toasty warm as we crawl into our sleeping bags and wrap ourselves up...

As the hot water bottle got cold, so did the night, so did we... next morning (6am wake-up call with a cup of tea in the tent) the river was frozen and our guide´s night-time temperature estimate of -15oC. Brrrh! A nippy breakfast and off up to the high pass of the trek, to 4600m. Luckily the sun came out before we started, but it made it tough work to the top, but we all managed without casualty. A brief history lesson at the high pass and straight down the other side for lunch. Down, down, and down some more to our next camp site at 3000m - where they be mossies about! oh, and lots of other people doing the same trek...

Third day, "short day", down to the river and a quick dip in the natural hot spring - mmmm a proper thaw out! Feeling almost clean we start our "flat" walk (I assume that meant "on average") to the next camp site "La Playa" (not that we could see the beach in the middle of the mountains). A noisy night with the bar just outside the tent, cockerels warning the dawn, and drunks breaking the toilet door...

Fourth day, a little coffee process lesson (with kitten sleeping on the drying beans - look out for that variety in a shop near you soon) and up, up, up to the other side of the mountain to our first introduction to Inca housing, and our first, rather distant, glimpse of Machu Picchu. Then down, down, down to the Urumbamba river, across a rather dodge bridge, and a spot of lunch at the train station for Agua Calientes. Unfortunately, we´re not taking the train - just an 11km walk down the track... the tunnels were interesting - pitch black, it felt like walking but not moving... very odd sensation! Finally made it to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), and after a short walk through town, the hostel - hot showers and a comfy bed - bliss...

Another early start, packed breakfast and on the bus (hurrah) up to Machu Picchu (at 5:45 boo). Wow, a huge site, and as the sun popped it´s head over the nearby mountains the cameras came out in force... the number of tourists however surpassed by the number of rooms to wander through. After our guide walked us around the main points of interest we were left to wander around ourselves... after a little sit down, a spot of food and some chocolate and sugar intake, we gathered our spirits to try to get around the whole site - quite a challenge with breathtaking views, hundreds of rooms and plenty of stairs! Absolutely shattered, off for a quick kip and a soak in the thermal baths - a good way to ease out those aching muscles... and a great way to wind down the evening... with a little beer inside me, it was the best sleep I´ve had in ages - with a well deserved lie-in.

Cusco, the City life

Back into civilisation as we land in Cusco, the temperature drops, the humidity disappears and the altitude hits you, wham! At 3350m it´s difficult to walk up stairs, to walk downstairs, to walk on flats; the city really takes your breath away... what on earth are we thinking by going on the 5 day Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu! Well, when we return on 24th July, I´ll let you know!

Deep into the Jungle

After a lovely full nights sleep (the first so far), off we went into the Jungle; Emma and I, Guide and Cook... fully equipped with hammocks, mosquito nets and welly boots! A two hour canoe ride down the river with a continued lesson on how to interpret the guide´s point to the middle of a load of trees saying "look", and after a couple of minutes of more specific location questioning we ask "what´s that"... replies ranged from "a kingfisher", "a fly-catcher"...

We pulled into a tiny "river", really just a mud bank with a little water at the bottom, through we went (cue disembarking of guide and cook to push the little canoe across the mud), and pulled into a little secluded lake - "okay, this is the camp". Off we pop to a 4mx5m patch of flat leaf-free ground with a fire smouldering (fishermen apparently) with a few trees ready for hammock and net apparal, in the woods. And now we meet the mosquitos, flies, wasps, ants (who are all huge by the way). Hammocks tested, lunch cooked and off we go for a quick canoe ride and walk through the jungle... swamped in mosquito repellant, welly booted up, following our two machete-happy friends: Ray Mears eat your heart out! During the afternoon the heavens opened - while Em and I hid under the plastic sheet, off went our two friends to play in the river to fish (apparently) - in their pants.

Night canoe ride for animal spotting, saw a few sleeping birds, the tiniest sleeping bat that looked like a leaf on the end of a branch (about the size of my thumb) and a sleeping frog which would later keep us awake by making a ridiculous amount of noise trying to attract friends... Couldn´t get the canoe back across the mud bank, so left it on the other side and had to wallow through the mud, in the dark...

Morning arrived too early, breakfast, packed up camp and off into the canoe for our next camp-site(!) After some machete slashing to create some space, up went the hammocks, nets - and into them when Rachel and Emma to escape from those pesky mosquitos, who had happily feasted on us both during the previous day and night. Insect repellant doesn´t work as well as I´d like! Off into the canoe for a proper jungle walk, with thick leaf floor, no trace of human existance at all... only the footprints of a jaguar. A few caterpillars later we exited.

Next day, off to monkey spot. A final night in the lodge (what luxury, a shower!). And a long boat journey back to the boat, via pink dolphin spotting.... baby-pink colour ... photos to follow!

Mosquito City

Arrived in Iquitos to a waft of warm humid air, and only 8am... and a hoard of motor-bike-buggie drivers desperate to take us to the Centre (and sell us jungle tours, accommodation etc). Found our first choice hostel, clean rooms with mosquito protection windows - cold water showers are a shock to the system! Quick nap, lunch (sound familiar?!) and a long slog around tour companies all offering the same animal viewing options with varying prices, accommodation luxury... after long debate whether to spend money on a good lodge with fully organised day visits or save money on a fully individual package with just the two of us, guide and cook with two nights in a lodge sandwiching two nights camping in the jungle... was this the beginning of the end?

Left the next day with our 23 year old guide who´d never left the Iquitos/jungle... bus ride, boat ride across the Amazon river (grey dolphins spotted from a distance), walk, canoe ride to arrive at a lovely wooden lodge (with mosquito netted windows), double beds with mosquito nets, private bathroom (luxury). Quick nap, lunch in the lodge (the only tourists there) and off to a canoe ride down the little river for the beginning of our animal spotting training.

Lima at last!

Arrived in Lima to a smiley faced man holding a "Racher Cartshow" placard, ready to take me to the hostel, via the scenic route, of course. Arrived at the hostel at 7am to a sleeping Emma, who, remarkably, looked really pleased to see me (I think she was more pleased that I was going to take a shower and a nap, which meant she could continue to sleep and recover from her night out!)

After napping, off we went on a little tour around Miraflores, coffee and breakfast, wandered around, for a while then back to the hostel to watch the world cup final... then back for another nap, through the horns and cheers of the Italian supporters, out for dinner and back for an early night in preparation for our early wake-up call at 3am for a flight to Iquito (jungle city).