Hi there,
Just a quick note to say that we are back now in Cuzco after doing the 4 day Lares trek and 2 day visit to Machu Picchu.
We had a great time and did not see any other Westerners the whole time during the trekking part of the trip.
The trek was quite hard and we got up to 4,700m (15,000 ft) at the highest pass.
We were camping for two nights but it was warm and cozy in our sleeping bags and thermals so was OK. We were woken with a cup
of tea every morning so that was quite pleasant. The food provided on the trek was amazing, very tasty and healthy and it is incredible what can be
cooked in a tent with just a few utensils. We even had a dining tent which had the kitchen tent next to it and we had a toilet tent which was interesting!
On the trek we had porters, a chef and a horsewoman. Horses carried all the equipment needed for the trek. There was
even a foal "in training" too! The porters and chef went on ahead of us each day to set up the lunch dining tent and then the camp including the tents we used for sleeping in at night.
We had a guide who had a good sense of humour and was knowledgeable about the local areas and Inca history. He was our guide around Machu Picchu too.
There were seven of us all together in the trekking group. It was the two of us and five Americans and they were all very nice, we all got on well.
One of the group got altitude sickness on the second day and had to go slowly. He was being sick and feeling very tired but we were OK thankfully.
The first day was the hardest as we were going up most of the time and you feel breathless at that altitude when exerting yourself.
There were great views from the highest pass at 4,700m and then it was downhill towards valleys, villages and farmland with lots of sheep and llamas in the fields. We met quite a few local people and children too.
We ended up at some thermal hot springs at Lares at the end of the trek and a soak in the hot mineral pools was good for our sore legs.
We even had some excitement with the bus taking us to the starting point. It got one wheel stuck down a huge hole in the middle of the road (not sure what the hole was doing there!) so we had to get out and walk and extra part of the trek at the start. Also the bus taking us away from the end point of the trek broke down in the middle of nowhere on a mountain road with smoke filling the front of the bus and we had to help push the bus out of the middle of the road as it was blocking it! Our guide was very good and quickly arranged for a replacement bus to get us to the train to MP on time. It gave us time to meet some local school children who were very perplexed and interested to see us on the side of the road miles from anywhere. Dave gave one boy his Sydney FC cap so there is a 6 year old Peruvian boy doing his bit advertising the A-League (the Australian football league - not that he would have any idea what that was!)
The highlight of the trip was going to Machu Picchu and we were there for two days.
That classic view you always see of MP is amazing and it is hard to believe you are actually there! You can see that view in the pics I have sent the link to at the end of this email.
We did lots of walks around the area getting different views of MP. A highlight was climbing Wayna Picchu which is the incredibly steep mountain you see behind the ruins in the picture you usually see of MP.
At times we had to climb backwards on our hands and knees down very steep and narrow stone stairs with a massive drop of a few hundred metres at the side below us! I had to hold my hand up to my face to shield the view of the drop below as it gave me vertigo at times, even Dave found it scary! There were no railings or anything to prevent you falling off the mountain or ropes to hold on to at the most scary times so it was difficult.
We also walked an hour back along the actual Inca Trail to the Sun Gate which is the first view that people who are doing the trail get over MP from higher up and it was amazing too.
It was interesting to walk around the ruins and they are like a maze, we kept on getting lost inside them! There are even llamas wandering round inside eating the grass on the terraces! The various temples are interesting and it is amazing to think it was built about 600 years ago on that site high up on a ledge in the mountains. It was not "discovered" by the west till 1911 and was there all the time getting overgrown with foliage. Only a few local farmers knew about it and used some of the terraces to grow things.
We are off by bus to Puno tomorrow and the town is on Lake Titicaca. We will stay there for a few days visiting various islands on the lake and the make our way to Bolivia and La Paz.
Dave managed to find the time after a day at Machu Picchu to see the Champions League Final and we have just been in a pub watching the England v Mexico friendly as it was on this afternoon so we are keeping up to date with things! The pub was full of English people and we were surprised there were that many here as it seems to be mainly Americans travelling here.
Here is a link to some pics from the trek that we have shared with the others on the trip.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DavidEllem/2010LaresTrekPeru#
Anyway I have to go now to dinner so all the best to everyone.
We hope you are all keeping well.
Love from Diana and Dave
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
--
Diana Ellem
http://www.ellem.com/
+61410584296
Just a quick note to say that we are back now in Cuzco after doing the 4 day Lares trek and 2 day visit to Machu Picchu.
We had a great time and did not see any other Westerners the whole time during the trekking part of the trip.
The trek was quite hard and we got up to 4,700m (15,000 ft) at the highest pass.
We were camping for two nights but it was warm and cozy in our sleeping bags and thermals so was OK. We were woken with a cup
of tea every morning so that was quite pleasant. The food provided on the trek was amazing, very tasty and healthy and it is incredible what can be
cooked in a tent with just a few utensils. We even had a dining tent which had the kitchen tent next to it and we had a toilet tent which was interesting!
On the trek we had porters, a chef and a horsewoman. Horses carried all the equipment needed for the trek. There was
even a foal "in training" too! The porters and chef went on ahead of us each day to set up the lunch dining tent and then the camp including the tents we used for sleeping in at night.
We had a guide who had a good sense of humour and was knowledgeable about the local areas and Inca history. He was our guide around Machu Picchu too.
There were seven of us all together in the trekking group. It was the two of us and five Americans and they were all very nice, we all got on well.
One of the group got altitude sickness on the second day and had to go slowly. He was being sick and feeling very tired but we were OK thankfully.
The first day was the hardest as we were going up most of the time and you feel breathless at that altitude when exerting yourself.
There were great views from the highest pass at 4,700m and then it was downhill towards valleys, villages and farmland with lots of sheep and llamas in the fields. We met quite a few local people and children too.
We ended up at some thermal hot springs at Lares at the end of the trek and a soak in the hot mineral pools was good for our sore legs.
We even had some excitement with the bus taking us to the starting point. It got one wheel stuck down a huge hole in the middle of the road (not sure what the hole was doing there!) so we had to get out and walk and extra part of the trek at the start. Also the bus taking us away from the end point of the trek broke down in the middle of nowhere on a mountain road with smoke filling the front of the bus and we had to help push the bus out of the middle of the road as it was blocking it! Our guide was very good and quickly arranged for a replacement bus to get us to the train to MP on time. It gave us time to meet some local school children who were very perplexed and interested to see us on the side of the road miles from anywhere. Dave gave one boy his Sydney FC cap so there is a 6 year old Peruvian boy doing his bit advertising the A-League (the Australian football league - not that he would have any idea what that was!)
The highlight of the trip was going to Machu Picchu and we were there for two days.
That classic view you always see of MP is amazing and it is hard to believe you are actually there! You can see that view in the pics I have sent the link to at the end of this email.
We did lots of walks around the area getting different views of MP. A highlight was climbing Wayna Picchu which is the incredibly steep mountain you see behind the ruins in the picture you usually see of MP.
At times we had to climb backwards on our hands and knees down very steep and narrow stone stairs with a massive drop of a few hundred metres at the side below us! I had to hold my hand up to my face to shield the view of the drop below as it gave me vertigo at times, even Dave found it scary! There were no railings or anything to prevent you falling off the mountain or ropes to hold on to at the most scary times so it was difficult.
We also walked an hour back along the actual Inca Trail to the Sun Gate which is the first view that people who are doing the trail get over MP from higher up and it was amazing too.
It was interesting to walk around the ruins and they are like a maze, we kept on getting lost inside them! There are even llamas wandering round inside eating the grass on the terraces! The various temples are interesting and it is amazing to think it was built about 600 years ago on that site high up on a ledge in the mountains. It was not "discovered" by the west till 1911 and was there all the time getting overgrown with foliage. Only a few local farmers knew about it and used some of the terraces to grow things.
We are off by bus to Puno tomorrow and the town is on Lake Titicaca. We will stay there for a few days visiting various islands on the lake and the make our way to Bolivia and La Paz.
Dave managed to find the time after a day at Machu Picchu to see the Champions League Final and we have just been in a pub watching the England v Mexico friendly as it was on this afternoon so we are keeping up to date with things! The pub was full of English people and we were surprised there were that many here as it seems to be mainly Americans travelling here.
Here is a link to some pics from the trek that we have shared with the others on the trip.
http://picasaweb.google.com/DavidEllem/2010LaresTrekPeru#
Anyway I have to go now to dinner so all the best to everyone.
We hope you are all keeping well.
Love from Diana and Dave
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
--
Diana Ellem
http://www.ellem.com/
+61410584296
