Galopping around the world

Apologies for the long silence but I really didnt get a chance to write beforehand because  we were trekking in the wilderness for 5 days and then off on the road again with either no or crap internet access. .. but here it comes !!! From Cusco we left on a 5 day trek to Machu Pichu which was probably the most tiring and physically challenging experience I have ever had... like most of the others. We didnt do the classic Inca trail which leads directly to Machu Pichu but instead did a community one which was beautiful in terms of scenary and interesting as we camped in local communities. These people really dont have anything. They only got electricity about 5 years ago and still don't have toilets. They live in houses made out of clay and stone, the roof being made water proof with lama greace.. The floor is earth and animals come in and go out as they please.. quite funny we were in somebodys house and the chicken was wondering around us and suddenly a sheep tried to get in through the open door... quite funny... The locals tend to wear traditional clothes> women with skirts a little vest and a hat and men often with ponchos.... their shoes are made out of old car wheels cost about 1 pound and last for 10 years... I have no idea why their feet arent cold (it got freeeezing at night(and how they manage to climb up the steep hills...

The trek itself was very tiring due to the altitude... you need to catch your breath like crazy and after all we climbed up to 4800m trust me that was a looooooooong and very steep climb.. we had to cross over little rivers and most of the stones were loose so you had to look in front of your feet all the time in order not to loose your balance... besides the rocks the trail is covered in lama, alpaca and donkey poo which is why I suggested to rename it to Rocky Poo Trail rather than Community trail.. We also had a landslide on our track which forced us to walk quite a bit through the jungly forrest and then cross the river over some pieces of wood ... unfortunately it is rain season so it was pouring down!! thank god we had bought some rain pans and rain ponchos before the trek.... it was pretty damn wet and cold though.. one day we hiked for 8 hours and pretty much fell into bed The other days tended to be around 5 hours of trekking.

On the first days we visted some INca ruins... a fascinating culture! They had an amazing arregation system as well as communication system. for example they used runners to communicate messages. so every 8km there would be a person who would run to the next to pass on the message. Through this mechanism they managed to get fish from the coast to Cusco within 24h  which is pretty impressive... Many of the ruins are badly destroyed most of this happened when the spanish arrive.. its sad to see how much of the cultural heritage got lost on this way and you can certainly sense a tension towards the spanish...They seemed to live very much as equals for example they didnt use slaves but every Inca had to do work for the government for about 1 to 3 months in his life like for instance for building temples etc.

The last day of the track I sensed a bit of a stomach ache which in the evening turned into a fever and the first stomach cramps and poops in my life.. !! In the morning I thought that I would not be able to do the highlight Machu Pichu... so at 6.30 am we went off to the doctor... who wasnt there but only this guy in a track suit who wrote down whatever the doctore said over the phone... in short it was> for fever this pill for cramps this one.. haha my first consultancy over the phone.. but hey drugged up I made it up there... Beautiful and speechless is probably the best to describe it as the ruins are surrounded by stunning mountain ranges!!!! Definateky worth a visit!!!
Back in Cusco I went to see a real doctor who ran some test on me and turns out that I managed to get a Parasite, Bacteria and a Fungus... What an experience!!! it is quite funny how Poo has become a key topic of conversation in our group as it seems that every day at least one of us has it.. another guy and me are comparing which pills we are taking haha he had 2 parasites.. Its all part of the adventure and I just had my last pill today!! Toilets in Peru and Bolivia are a real pain though.. trust me anybody would prefer to pee in a bush once you see and smell them.. one guy from the group suggested a charity  toilets for Peru....

From Cusco which is very nice but veeeeery touristy we left for Puno which is on the famous Lake Titikaka... and yeeees it was raining again... it was an over 7 hour drive with a flat tire on the way!!! The next day we took an excursion to the Uros islands which are floating islands in the lake. They are entirely build out of reeds... they add layers and layers and eventually have this entirely island. there are about 50 of them with about 5 families living on each.. its really weired as you sort of sink in a little when you are walking on the island.. its also really damp and wet there. The locals live from selling fish and crafts ....

From Puno we crossed the border to Bolivia and continued our journey along Lake Titikaka. We stayed in a little town called Copacabana from where we took and excursion to Isla del Sol the biggest island in Lake Titikaka.. we visited some Inka ruins there and enjoyed the nice view of the lake.... Quite funny , for some reason people take their new cars to this town and get it blessed.. it is then covered in flowers....

This morning we arrived in La Paz.... and overwhelming city.. SOOOOOOOO many people the streets are simply crowded and dirty smelling of diesel fuels ... the city looks like a big market as literally everyhwere are little stands with people selling stuff ranging from staplers to chickens.. The local market veyr much seems like the one we visited in Cusco... people sitting on the floor selling unwrapped cheese and mushrooms... chickens and meat lying out in the open... NO I did not get my parasites there.... Another interesting fact about La Paz is the witch market... They sell dried baby alpacas and lamas to keep you safe on your journey and all sorts of different potions and funky looking things... Most of the group will be finishing their tour here in La Paz including my friend Marieke... For the next leg of the journey which goes until Santiago in Chile we will only be 10 and for instance visit the salt flats in Bolivia and spend 3 days horse riding on an Argentinian ranch. so plenty of things to look forward to.

until then I hope you are all fit and well

Stef