Arriving in Lima, Peru after 20 hours in the air, we jumped into what was our first South American taxi…
On first impression, the place was dusty, edgy and chaotic. The driver proceeded to nip in and out of traffic, pipping the horn every few seconds avoiding collision by the skin of our teeth.
We finally arrived at our first lodging in the Miraflores neighbourhood. It was basic but boy were we pleased to get a shower. We took a walk along the Pacific coast, where people were hang-gliding off the cliffs then headed back via Park Kennedy where we were met by more cats than Claire knew what to do with. I had my first taste of Peru, ordering the ‘Ceviche’ which was a spicy raw fish dish.
The next day we took the overnight bus to Cuzco which despite being comfortable was a test as the driver hurled us round hairpin mountain bends in the darkness.
Immediately after arriving in Cuzco, we felt safer and taken back by the charm of the place, its typically Peruvian set around various lovely cobbled plazas, lined with beautiful Cathedral’s and Inca relics. Little Peruvian girls holding baby llamas conned Claire into parting with a few coins.
We checked into Eco-packers which is a fantastic hostel with a proper relaxed vibe complete with hammocks, sun loungers and ping-pong. The beds are comfy and clean and we spent the next few days preparing for our Inca trail and went white water rafting. An awesome day which also included a rather dubious sauna and a zip wire across the river.
The day finally came and we were picked up at 5.30am and headed for the mountains. We met a bunch of girls from London who were ace. We got our backpacks on and embarked on what was a spectacular couple of days.
Day 1 – The ‘easy’ day – we trekked up a few climbs and saw several inca ruins which was good. Our guide David was a legend.
We got to camp 6 hours later, where our porters had set up tents and had dinner ready for us.
The food was surprisingly good throughout the trip – lots of soup, quinoa, chicken and rice, not forgetting the coca tea. The porters were all small guys but incredibly strong and ran up the mountains with mammoth 25kg bags on their backs.
The camping was rough and was Claire’s first taste of sleeping in the great outdoors. The first 2 nights were cold & we didn’t get much sleep but by the end we were getting used to it…just.
Day 2 – the challenge day, after 6 hours we reached the summit of Dead Woman’s Pass at 4200m. Views were amazing and it was satisfying to know we had reached the highest section of the trail.
Day 3 – more ruins and lots of beautiful scenery, trekking above the clouds and Claire got a superb llama selfie. David spoke of the gringo killer, which meant descending 2500 stone steps through mountain jungles and before reaching camp. The porters made us a cake which was brilliant, then we got to bed early.
Day 4 – woke up at 3.30am and marched to our destination, Machu Picchu City. We reached the Sun Gate just after sunrise. The views over the Inca city were awe inspiring as the sun’s rays painted the ruins in a golden light. We spent a few hours in the ruins, learning about the Inca’s way of life and taking lots of postcard photos of the site.
We then jumped on a bus to Aguas Calientes and spent an hour or two in the hot springs soaking our tired legs. We loved the place and reminded Claire of her Thailand trip, with its many restaurants & bars set against a backdrop of steep lush green mountains. We had a few celebratory drinks with the gang and a lovely ice cream in the town square, before getting the train back to Cuzco.
Next stop desert oasis for sand, sunbathing and cerveza!
If you like Piña Coladas... 