We arrived in Cuzco, Peru, after an overnight bus from Bolivia and checked in to Kokopelli hostel, where we clearly didn't fit in without dreadlocks and hippie pants! Nevertheless it was super cute, in a 200 year old house with wooden floor boards and an open air courtyard in the centre. We explored the gorgeous city centre on a free walking tour- tasting alpaca, fine chocolate, sushi and fresh juice along the way. The next morning I got up at the crack of dawn to attend a church service in the beautiful cathedral only to find I was an hour too early! So I jogged up to this lovely lookout and did some yoga and exercises blending in with the locals doing their morning workout overlooking the vibrant city.
Then I ducked into mass to pray for good weather and to keep us all safe on the trek, before sussing the buzzing San Pedro markets and stocking up on fresh fruit, veggies, dried fruit and nuts. Back in time for the free bread with jam and eggs for breakfast... which has now become a running joke, because budget traveller Kish likes to take/steal bread from breaky and have it for lunch or a snack later... Even better when it's filled with scrambled eggs and then I can add capsicum lettuce and tomato (bought super cheap at the market) and bam that's a great and economic lunch... The girls thought it was disgusting of course :) We met up with a lovely girl from England, Lauren, and had a fully multicultural evening - dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Peru, with 3 Aussies, 2 scots, an Irish and a Brit!! Determined to go to bed after dinner (coz I'm a nanna) I was reluctantly persuaded to check out the savvy San Blas area to hear some live Peruvian music at a little bar called KM.0. Well, after the best mojito I have ever tasted and finishing off Alisa and Mairead's potent rum with a dash of coke, I was in fine form, and the awesome band of 4 on guitar, drums and vocals kept us entertained for the next few hours!! They created such a great vibe with a contagious energy creating groovy South America beats that vibrated throughout the crowded room!!
Salkantay Trek
And that brings us to the big trek. 6 girls. 6 duffel bags. 6 day backpacks. 6 sleeping bags (well, mine had a broken zip but I got a replacement AND my money back!). 6 tired bodies after a 430am wake up for a 530am pick up... And we were off!!
Two additional poor souls joined our group - 56 yr old entrepreneurial Charles (teaches the UK MBA in London and Vancouver, and travels the world on business a lot of the time- was working in Brazil before the trek, has lived in PNG counting coffee plantations, owns a boat and a house on an island and has his pilot licence), and 37 yr old Adam from near Manchester, buff rugby player looking lad who was good company throughout the trip. Our lovely guide, Roger had a super handle of the English language, was funny, witty, caring and all round a good bloke!
The Salkantay Trek has been named amongst the top 25 treks in the world - an ancient and remote footpath located in the same region as the Inca Trail, where massive snowcapped mountains collide with lush tropical rain forests. Rising to 6271m, Mt. Salkantay (savage mountain) has an outstanding glacier-capped summit worshipped for thousands of years by locals.
Food wise we were treated like absolute kings and queens!! Delicious flavours with crumbed chicken, beef stew, quinoa, fresh salads, pancakes with banana and caramel sauce etc. oh not to mention the 'snacks' we'd get with tea every day before dinner - popcorn, fried sweet potato or baked apple pastries! And of course all of this was prepared in makeshift kitchens in the mountains. It was actually quite difficult to restrain ourselves with so much good food being served all the time (well me especially) given that you're not supposed to eat too much at high altitudes because your body can't digest things as well! In keeping with being treated like royalty, the horsemen not only took care of the horses who carried our duffel bags (up to 7kg each), they also set up our tents for us before we arrived at the campsites every day so we could have our scheduled daily siesta in a timely fashion post hike!
Day 1 - 12km/5.5 hrs hiking. Afternoon hike to Hullantay Lake, at 4270m. Walking along, just taking one step after another, I would often stop and look around, take in my surroundings and realise that I am so bloody lucky. I had this overwhelming sense of gratitude from the start and it just grew bigger and bigger each day. Just like I was pinching myself in the salt flats, here too I was completely dumbfounded by the sights I was experiencing... For starters, the Peruvian Andes are huge, just one after another painting a backdrop of valley after valley, mountain after mountain. The domineering snow capped Humantay mountain loomed above the stunning Humantay Lake with its bright aqua colour spreading to the bottom of the Humantay Glacier - which we actually heard crack! Surprise surprise, I ate too much for lunch and afternoon tea so went to bed without dinner and was out like a light at 6pm!!
Day 2 - the big hiking day - 22km/8 hrs hiking. First 3 hours were super steep through the Salkantay Pass, up to the highest hiking point- 4650m, where it was snowing and I was in shorts!! Changed into leggings, rain jackets and ponchos were donned and we began the crappiest part of the trek - 5 hours downhill in constant rain and masses of sludgy mud. Our shoes were absolutely filthy and the 'waterproof' nature lasted for about 3 or 4 hours :) I don't think they were designed for incessant rain and huge mud puddles!! It was a shame that the rain clouds covered all of the surrounding mountains, but my list of positives for the shit weather included - at least we brought all of our wet weather gear for good reason, it makes us appreciate good weather more, and yeah ok that's my list completed, and I prayed for the rain to stop the whole way down! A cup of hot chocolate half way down seriously hit the spot!
Day 3 - 15km/5hrs hiking. My prayers were answered overnight and we were greeted with a morning sun that shone through a beautiful green rainforest filled with millions of little black and red butterflies. We came across lots of waterfalls and precarious bridges to cross. In the afternoon we bathed (and showered, yay!!) in some deliciously warm thermal springs, soaking and rejuvenating our hard working bodies. In the evening, we stumbled across a local traditional children's dance competition and watched these cute little Peruvian kids jumping around full of energy in brightly coloured costumes.
Day 4 - 15km, 6hrs hiking. Most of the walk was along a railroad with rainforest like flora and a river beside us. And finally we reached real luxury - our hotel in Aguas Calientes (the closest town to Machu Picchu). The first thing we did was jump on the beds and watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Ahhh home comforts :) :)
Magnificent Machu Picchu
Day 5 - final day - up at 4am, waited in light rain for the bus to Machu Picchu, which I finally saw for the first time at about 630am.... I'm not sure how I thought I'd feel or exactly what I thought it would be like there- I mean, I'd seen pictures and tonnes of postcards, but all of a sudden, I was actually there. I was standing at the top of the famous ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, on a mountain ridge in the Sacred Valley, flanked by the overwhelming peaks of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains.
Below me were rows and rows of green terraces with the spectacular addition of misty rain and droopy clouds sliding past the mountains overhead. The eeriness complemented this spectacular and magical moment when I actually got a bit teary...the culmination of a gruelling but satisfying trek and the anticipation of reaching this sacred site.
Again, I got that massive feeling of gratitude. I looked to the skies and thanked God for letting me be there in that moment. Roger gave us a fascinating tour of the ruins and we took tonnes of snaps in between learning about the ancient city. I can't remember most things haha, but here's a few details I seem to have retained... It was built around 1450, took about 40 years to build and was only inhabited for 70 years before the Spaniards came to conquer, but the Incas evacuated and abandoned the city so no one ever found it!!... That is, until it was rediscovered by North America professor, Hiram Bingham in 1911. The 'sacred plaza' next to the main temples sits at 2453m. The iconic multiple terraces aid downward rainfall flow. Ecologically, the area is semi-tropical and highland jungle, and geologically, it is part of igneous rock- 250 million yrs old. The most common type of stone there is greyish-white granite with high quantities of quartz and mica (super shiny silver stuff). In December 1983, UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a "cultural and natural patrimony of humankind" ... It is the highlight of imperial Incan culture and a great example of the Incan's architectural genius. Often referred to as "the lost city of the Incas", in 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.
Because we hadn't hiked enough the past 4 days, we opted to climb the almost vertical Machu Picchu Mountain to get some fabulous views of the city from above. By 9 or 10am the clouds had shifted, the sun was shining and we had been blessed with an absolutely stunning day! I then enjoyed a more pleasant, slightly uphill hike to the Sungate, where I sat and admired more views of the ruins from a different angle. It was so peaceful and soul lifting just staring at this famous arrangement of stone encircled by endless mountain ranges. I couldn't get enough of it and adrenalin must have been keeping me going, so did one more trek to the Inca Bridge, before a final solo sit, contemplating the meaning of life overlooking the eastern slope of the Andes mountains and the alpine source of the Amazon river.
At the end of the hour long climb down stairs back to Aguas Calientes I had finally reached the point of delirium. My feet were killing me, I was hot, bothered and tired, and was craving water and coke so badly it was the only thing keeping me going!! Naturally, sleep that night was amazing!!
Back in Cusco we relaxed, pampered with a delicious massage, and had a super fun saturday night out, dancing the night away! Unfortunately I was struck by a series of weird health issues as I neared the end of my time with the lovely physio girls. Firstly I got this rash on the back of my neck and chest and had hyper-sentive skin down my left arm (not sure if they were related?) then got a sore throat, swollen glands and flu like symptoms, and felt immensely tired and achey all day :( Nevertheless I had to make the most of being in ... the Amazon!! ...
Amazeballs Amazon
I still think it's so cool... I was in the Amazon!!! Ok, I'll be honest, I did fantasise that I was an explorer discovering the amazing luscious rainforest and species of exotic wildlife for the first time!! Trekking through the wet, muddy flora in wellies fit my explorer notion perfectly, especially when we needed to walk slowly and quietly in order to be patient and spot the animals. See, real hard core explorers!!
We came across some gorgeous red, blue and yellow coloured macaws (beautiful, big, long-tailed parrots), a few super cute turtles, millions of different coloured large butterflies, a few other strange and interesting looking birds, and this weird snake/bird head thing that kept popping up out of the water as we silently floated on a lake in search of camouflaged wildlife.
On a night boat ride, we spotted a few caimans (a type of alligator) lurking in the muddy water edges, and on a night walk I saw a few weird looking stick insects and a tarantula!!! It was big hairy and gross!
For the thrill factor, we did a canopy walk, which was essentially walking across a rickety narrow wobbly bridge amongst the tree tops, followed by zip lining above the rainforest - a beautiful and exciting experience, whipping past hundreds of huge green trees!!
I also met an Amazonian family living the jungle lifestyle and it was quite interesting to learn about their simple way of life. They all wear tunics made from tree sap. The 68 yr old head of the family has 5 wives - this is normal. Daily life includes collecting fruit, plant seeds etc and killing animals with a bow an arrow (yep for real!) ... including Macaws which I was horrified about when I questioned where the feathers from the old man's headpiece came from! They speak a completely different dialect, eat very fresh foods and only cook things like meat on a fire without adding any condiments.
Sadly, I said goodbye to Alisa, Amy, Emma, Leanne and Mairead in the Amazon, as they are headed to the scrumptious Galapagos Islands ... Somewhere my budget didn't have the scope for :) Our sensational sixsome had a truly awesome, unforgettable time together!!
** stupid traveller mistake no.4 - lack of sleep**
So, sleep is actually really important and I highly recommend not going 4 days without it... 1) The overnight bus from the amazon to cusco was horrifically windy and in order to remain in the chair at each turn, that meant being awake all night; 2) the overnight bus to la Paz was mildly better but the temperature was all over the place, so again, no sleep; 3) the night before my early flight out of la Paz I went to bed at 11pm with the alarm set for 3am, but checked my phone every half hour because I was nervous about not waking, and then was in the toilet for the last hour because I seemed to have food poisoning (vomited in the taxi and in the airport checkin line and was treated by an airport doctor - given tablets and wore an oxygen mask slumped next to the bin I found to vomit in :( ugh ; 4) The night in between the bus rides, I participated in a Full moon Ayahuasca ceremony ... one of the craziest things I've ever done! ...
Ayahuasca - full moon ceremony
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic brew made from plant mixture. Taken straight from wikipedia - "People who have consumed ayahuasca report having spiritual revelations regarding their purpose on earth, the true nature of the universe as well as deep insight into how to be the best person they possibly can. This is viewed by many as a spiritual awakening and what's often described as a rebirth. In addition it is often reported that individuals can gain access to higher spiritual dimensions and make contact with various spiritual or extra dimensional beings who can act as guides or healers. It's nearly always said that people experience profound positive changes in their life subsequent to consuming ayahuasca and it is often viewed as one of the most effective tools of enlightenment. However, during an ayahuasca experience, people sometimes report nausea, diarrhea, and cold flashes. Additionally, vomiting can follow ayahuasca ingestion; this purging is considered by many shamans and experienced users of ayahuasca to be an essential part of the experience as it represents the release of negative energy and emotions built up over the course of one's life. Further, the ingestion of ayahuasca can cause significant, but temporary emotional and psychological distress. There are many reports of miraculous physical as well as emotional and spiritual healing resulting from the use of ayahuasca. Long-term negative effects are not known."
After meeting a few boys who had taken the drink and loved the experience, Lauren, the English girl, and I were too curious. We ventured together on a local bus to Pisaq, a strange little town in the middle of nowhere, where the Sacred Valley Tribe have a circular temple in the mountains. We were about to participate in a full moon ceremony, where over 50 people joined together and created a wonderful energy. There were a lot of weird hippy people with ponchos and shawls and all in white, but there were probably about half of us first timers. The incense-filled, peaceful room was quite a sight- each person with a mat, blanket and bucket for purging!! I was told it was a good idea to have thought about a motivation/intention and to ask the ayahuasca spirit to help with that intention as you drink. Lauren had an amazing experience, soared for hours and went on a real spiritual journey, leant a lot about herself, faced her fears and had a beautiful, enlightening experience. I on the other hand had a few issues going on... firstly, as most of you know I'm often very flighty and all over the place, so I had thought of some intentions but there were so many, I tried to cut it back to one important one... Help me to be more in tune with my inner instinct/intuition so I can make decisions more easily. But suddenly when I got the the front of the line to take the drink I got all flustered and nervous and forgot what to ask and my head was in a million different places! The drink itself was revolting. It took a while to feel any effects and I was getting a bit impatient and had too high expectations to gain something from the experience, despite trying to tell myself to have no expectations... that was also hard, because after about 5 or 10 minutes people around me started vomiting. I had anticipated that a few people might vomit, but in fact almost the entire room did, some much louder and more violently than others. Diego, the spiritual leader, a beautiful man with such a calming presence who gave us pre-ceremony instructions and advice had said that vomiting was a sign of getting rid of the bad inside and to embrace the noises around us and feel happy hearing others purge, as this was them ridding themselves of the negative within. But of course, I couldn't vomit, it just wasn't happening for me. The feeling was so strange, tingling in my whole body and everything was spinning ... somewhat similar to a massive night out when you say you'll never ever drink again, lying in bed with the world turning behind your eyes. But then I would get glimpses of bright colours, dolphins and whales gliding through the water and it was so beautiful. Butterflies, more bright colours and flowers swept past me. I kept getting flashes of the words LOVE, COMPASSION and JOY, and LOVE kept being more prominent. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but of course on reflection, as days pass after this experience I'm interpreting things in different ways. For me, I think my reflection will be the enlightening part of my experience rather than the stereotypical one that Lauren and the boys had. The music was glorious - guitar, bassoon, clarinet, drums, a gong, and the regulars singing with beautiful harmonies. The words were meaningful, the melodies peaceful, happy and surreal, enhancing the experience. But then all of a sudden I couldn't handle it again. I realised I was relying on the music to keep me anchored and a tiny bit stable, because when it stopped I got all stressed out and felt out of control. I kept trying to tell myself to just relax and go with the flow and let the spirits take me where they wanted, but they wouldn't...I think because I was too present and conscious - partly because I was yawning so much, I kept breaking any hallucinations and coming back to reality and also because my bloody prickly heat rash was burning up, so I couldn't seem to maintain any decent hallucinogenic journey or thought process. So I started feeling that actually this experience has shown me that I already have a beautiful life and perhaps I don't need to be whisked away by demons or crocodiles or spirits to realise that 😊 Diego called for a second drink session after a few hours and since I hadn't purged yet I forced myself up, but that just made matters worse. Now I had this 'evil' inside my body, in my stomach really, and it wouldn't come out! It seemed that everyone had vomited except me. 😞 I got a bit teary lying there, spinning inside, thinking, right, that's it! I'm a terrible person and destined to be evil forever. I started seeing stick figures and waves of bright white light and then horrible worms crawling out of bags and I so desperately wanted the spirits to come and take away the evil. When the music and singing got louder I felt more nauseas. And then FINALLY about 4 hours after I drank, I had a massive vomit, was all shaky and weak, but felt tonnes better. Then I was able to just lie down and listen to the beautiful music. And suddenly it was 430am and the ceremony was coming to an end. Diego gave a lovely final speech, with some great advice for life, being a better person, finding your path and finding your bliss. Every day since the ceremony I am discovering new interpretations and reflections on what I learnt and experienced, but essentially now I just feel a bit more appreciative of life, reality and everything I have already been blessed with. Even though I didn't get to experience the beautiful awakening others have, I think my experience taught me lots of other things, such as not to have too high expectations about things, and not to be so impatient! All in all, I'm so glad I did it and feel very brave for having endured it all!!!
And that leads us to right now, where I am on flight no 3 out of 4 to get me to Tunisia, where someone called Mahdi will pick me up from the airport in Tunis!
