This was our first time in South America. After arriving at our hotel from the airport we immediately went out and explored the local area looking for water and a meal before we hit the sack. We had one day before we met with our tour group and so we went out to see the catacombs. Later that evening we joined with our tour group and went for a large Pisco Sour as an introductory get to know each other meeting. These consisted of Peruvian Pisco as the base liquor, lemon juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Needless to say they were strong.
The next day we rushed to the airport in order to get a flight. Unfortunately this flight has been brought forward by 2 hours and was due to take off in 20 minutes of us arriving at the airport. This meant that we had to run through an entire airport in a few minutes. Once we arrived in the amazon we were transported via bus and boat to our lodge in the amazon. We were served with delicious rice wrapped in a banana leaf during our journey. In the amazon the temperatures soared to over 35 celsius and the humidity was over 95%; sweating was merely a pointless necessity and mosquito bites were unavoidable. Needless to say all we wanted to do was shower. This was our first time of many to come on the mighty amazon river. This was literally located in the middle of rainforest. Once we had had our welcome meeting we were allocated our rooms. The room we had could of have been described as open plan. There was nothing to stop any animal coming or going as they wished. This was a little unnerving at first since the toilet and shower was also open plan, however you soon get used to this and begin to enjoy being at one with nature. When it rained at night it was so refreshing. Early the next day we departed before the sun had risen. This was very eerie as we had howler monkeys screaming at us on the way to the boat. We then reached the oxbow lake for a spot of wildlife watching and piranha fishing. On the way back we had to dodge the army ants. That evening we went on a night walk and managed to find a Tarantula. We totally misunderstood what the guide was saying and almost stood on the Tarantula. I think the several beers and bottle of wine we had consumed did not help. On the way back Kat slipped on a step and hit her arm really hard. It's still debateable whether a fracture occurred or not. Nonetheless with the Inca Trail taking place within a few days Kat had no choice but to soldier on. On the last day in the amazon we went to the 180ft tall tower which wasn't exactly secure and climbed it to witness a beautiful sunrise over the entire amazon rain forest. This was beautiful albeit very cramped at the top. We then proceeded to fly to cusco which was an increase in altitude to 3350 metres above sea level.
Upon arriving in cusco you are immediately hit by the reduced oxygen available to your lungs. We spent that evening and the next day in cusco acclimatising. We were advised against drinking since it took much longer for the human body to break down the alcohol. This was because of the reduced oxygen available. We were also advised to eat smaller meals for the same reason. Needless to say we followed this advice. We also went to see the Incan's 14 angled stone which were earthquake proof. After the Inca Trail we also returned to cusco and learnt how to make a Pisco Sour. There was also a massive festival while we were in cusco to celebrate the longest day of the year. We also travelled to Ollantaytambo. On route we stopped at a guinea pig farm where they bred them for food. Later when we were back in cusco we tried some guinea pig. It was more a pain and not really worth the effort to get the meat off the bone than an enjoyable experience. Needless to say we didn't eat it again. On the way to Ollantaytambo we enjoyed some local food, games and corn beer. We didn't drink all of this since we had the inca trail the next day and the crop used to make it is foreign to our bowels. We then departed Ollantaytambo in the early morning to the starting point of our Inca Trail.
Next on our itinerary was the Inca Trail. We were doing the Classic Inca Trail which we knew involved ascending to over 4250 metres above sea level. We had been ensuring that we were fit and well and so were hoping that we didn't encounter any difficulties. On the first day we trekked up from Ollantaytambo which was from 2250 metres above sea level to our campsite at 3350 metres above sea level where we spent the night. This was by far our best campsite for toilet and shower facilities. That night we played uno with our group since no one was going to be drinking and the only alternative was to sleep. Uno became our evening's entertainment over the next few days. The next day we knew that we had to ascend to 4250 metres above sea level. The highest point on our trip and the highest point we had ever been before. Thankfully we had brought plenty of Coca Sweets with us to help with the affects of altitude. The next day quite a few people had begun to suffer with altitude issues. Luckily both I and Kat were ok, however once we reached 3850 metres above sea level Kat started to experience severe headaches. Luckily these passed after a short amount of time and never re-emerged. After we had completed the Dead Pass we proceeded downhill to our lunch location. From here we could see our after lunch ascent back to 3900 metres above sea level for the second pass. I think all of us found even the thought of this too much, however after lunch we all soldiered on and completed the second pass. The views on and to this pass were more spectacular than those of the morning. We eventually reached camp that night as the sun was setting and were fortunate enough to have the tent next to where the llama's had been urinating. The next day held an easier flat for us before reaching camp that evening. Several people had now begun to suffer with bowel issues etc due to the altitude. Once we reached camp we went on to explore Winay Wayna. This was possibly more spectacular than Machu Picchu due to there being no other tourists around. After dinner we were treated to a cake from our porters. We still have no idea how this got to us since the only way to where we were was either from Machu Picchu or 2 days of trekking.
The next day we started queuing at the trail to the sun gate at 4.30am. This was required in order to get to the sun gate for sunrise. We also witnessed Venus while waiting. This meant that we would miss the sunrise in Machu Picchu, but being at the sun gate for sun rise was definitely worth it. We were also blessed to be on the trail during the winter solstice. This happened entirely by fluke. After having watched the sun rise over Machu Picchu we trekked down to Machu Picchu. On the way down we passed many clean tourists who had simply cheated and got the bus to Machu Picchu. Their tour guides had to explain why we all had beards and smelt so bad. We then arrived at Machu Picchu which was absolutely heaving with tourists. We then had a few hours to be shown around and enjoy it. Then we got lunch and the train back to cusco with all the clean and lazy tourists.
Our next stop was Puno and Lake Titicaca. This was our last stop before crossing the border into Bolivia. We watched some traditional dancing and had a beautiful meal in a local restaurant. The next day we were due to depart via tri-cycle to the port. We then borded what must've been the slowest boat in the world to go and see the river gypsies who had built floating houses out of reeds. Once we arrived there we were given a description, shown around and allowed to dress up like the locals. After this we proceeded via gypsy boat made from reeds to have a trip on the lake. From hear we headed to the other side of the lake were we were due to spend our night as part of a homestay. This was made all the more interesting by our relative lack of spoken spanish and the fact our family spoken no english, little spanish and mostly Quechua. That afternoon we planted some fishing nets and played volleyball and football with the families. That evening we proceeded to dress up as the locals do. Their clothes must've been made of lead because they weighed a ton. We then made dinner with everyone. The next day we said goodbye to our families and returned to Puno for another night. We then departed Puno on Route to La Paz. Unfortunately the locals didn't argee with our plans and decided to start burning cars, tyres, throwing stones and bottles. This was part of a teachers protest we were told. Pesky teachers. A couple of hours later we continued with our journey arriving in La Paz later than previously anticipated.
From here we left on route to Bolivia to continue our South America trip.
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