We've finished trekking around deepest, darkest Peru now so have a chance to update you on a few of our adventures:-
Lake Titicaca - we headed out across this huge lake in bright sunshine and after a brief stop on a floating island arrived for our homestay on Amantani island. We joined a local wedding - although the dress and the location may vary a little, the behaviour of the drunken guests was pretty familiar. Then in the evening we were dressed traditinally to go for a dance with our adopted families (the men had it easy in ponchos and beanies while us girls were tied into the skirts - very warm though). It was pretty cool to dance round a fire in the main square (while desperately trying not to set the skirts on fire) with the stars clearly visible above us.
Amazon Bason - for a brief respite from altitude we headed out to the jungle and a few days of pure heat. It was beautifully lush and green and full of creatures. Dave found a new friend in a spider monkey who even started grooming him after a few minutes wrapped around his head. Though Dave was pretty far back in the group when we found the tarantula in the path. We nearly made better friends with an anaconda in the swamp as our boat was just a little leaky (it's amazing what a few plastic bags and alittle bailing can do!) but the worst thing in my opinion was the tree crawling with fire ants - yuck.
Inca Trail - we managed it! 3 ish days of walking and we made it to the Puerto del Solto see Machu Picchu as the sun rose. The place is beautiful and definetly worth it. And the trail; stunning scenery, warm sunshine; amazing peace and quiet; and an awful lot of steps... Day 1 was deceptively easy, the guides are just checking you're OK at altitude before unleashing day 2 - 9kms uphill till the first pass, and they are hardwork with over an hour's worth of pure Inca stairs. Reaching he top of the pass felt like an amazing achievement, then you look around at the porters jogging up with 50kg packs and feel a real gringo! Day 3 was full of different Inca sites, walking above the clouds and the amazing descent (2 hours down Inca stairs is pretty hard on the legs) but the campsite at the end has showers... Then the final day, the queue of gringos who race out along the path to be at the sun gate for dawn and the first glimpse of the site... It's an unforgettable trip and great fun.
Nazca lines - the flight over these is not for the faint of stomach. The cesna pilots are determined to give you the best possible view and roll and turn as much as possible - even if it does cost you your breakfast!
And that's about it for the well known highlights. We've also been round a convent more like a plush town than a place of worship, seen condors in flight and seen far more dead bodies than is advisable and we've nearly finished our time in Peru. It's been great and will be strange to move continents but it's all part of the adventure!
Sarah
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