Days 9/10 - Return to the UK

This morning we all had a bit of a lie-in, in that we didn't have to get up at stupid-o'clock. We went down to breakfast about 09:00 and then Naomi and a few others went to look around the shops in Cusco. Annette joined them initially and then wasn't feeling 100% so went back to the hotel courtyard to chill and get this blog up to date. 

This is a drawing that José did for us to show a summary of the treks we did.

He also drew this explanation of the meaning of the Incan Cross.

Some of our group hired their own coach and guide to take them to some ruins on the outskirts of Cusco. They returned with stories of a rather unconventional guide who behaved very bizarrely!

At about 13:00 some of us met up for lunch at the restaurant that we visited on our first evening in Cusco. We chose this one because it has guinea pig on the menu. We ordered our meals plus one cuy (guinea pig) to share between 7 of us. Naomi was quite upset to see it on the plate because it is served whole. Annette tried it and it had quite a gamey taste. It was ok but the taste is quite strong so it'd be difficult to eat much of it at a time.

We returned to the hotel about 14:00 and Efrain was there selling 2015 calendars that he had printed to raise money for a local school. Lots of us had snacks left over so we gave them to him to pass on to the children.

At 14:50 we got on a coach which took us to the airport. All our flights left on time so our journey Cusco - Lima - Madrid - Heathrow was very smooth. We even managed to get some sleep.

The only hiccup came when we collected our luggage at Heathrow. Neither Naomi nor Stu's bags appeared on the luggage carousel. On checking, we discovered they were still sitting at Madrid airport and would have to be forwarded to them as soon as they arrive at Heathrow.

We all said our goodbyes to Dean, our excellent expedition leader, and boarded a minibus about 18:20 bound for Cornwall. We were hoping to have a big coach so we could have plenty of space to stretch out but we had a 19 seater minibus instead. We made good time and stopped at Gordano services en route for food.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored us and helped us make the trip possible, and thank you for reading our blog. We had an amazing experience with a fantastic group of people. It was an unforgettable trip.

Naomi and Annette over and out... until the next time.

Day 8 - Machu Picchu

We left our hotel at Aguas Calientes about 07:00 after a good breakfast. We caught a bus back up to Machu Picchu and even though it was early, it was already really busy with visitors. 

José and Efrain split us into two groups to give us a guided tour of the site as it was just too busy with visitors to walk around in a group of 21 people. This was our half:

It's impossible to describe how we felt as we walked around; the sights and smells, the way we felt just being there. It was Charmazing!! (This is a word we made up this week.) This is us with José.

It was a really hot day but at least the altitude at MP is only about 2,500m so, although we felt hot, we weren't struggling too much. 4 of our group walked up the mountain next to MP, Huayna Picchu. Naomi and I were glad that we didn't do it when we heard the stories of vertical steps and a really tough walk up.

Sadly we only had a short time to explore the site as we had to meet back up with the group at 12:00 in time for the half hour bus ride back down the hill to Aguas Calientes.

We had an hour to ourselves to look around the town so went souvenir hunting around the stalls and small shops. We met up with the rest of the group in a restaurant beside the train tracks. They showed us photos that they had taken from the top of the mountain; scary stuff. Naomi had chicken and Annette had ham pizza, which she struggled to eat as the cheese had such a strong taste. We then bought icecreams and walked to the train station.

We caught the 15:45 train back to Ollantaytambo, which was a 1.5 hour journey. After the trolley dollies had brought us complimentary drinks and snacks, another member of train staff dressed up as the Sacre (a colourful Peruvian character with a rat's face representing a playful devil) and got first Dawn and then Georgie up out of their seats to dance with him. 

The two trolley dollies then put on a selection of Peruvian jumpers and paraded up and down the carriage. It was very bizarre! They then brought a trolley out in the hope of selling some of the jumpers they had been wearing. It was all very strange! 

Annette was sitting quite near the front of the train (behind the driver's little area which only took up half of the front bit of the train, so there were two seats beside the driver's bit with fantastic views of the track and scenery ahead) so as we approached the station and she stood in the aisle she had a fantastic view, something you don't get on a train in the UK.

At Ollantaytambo we boarded a coach that took us back to the hotel at Cusco, which took 3 hours, sitting in our usual seats on the back seat with Mike, and Sarah in the row just in front. We wrote this blog on the way while Sarah sang us songs like 'Sister Josephine' and then we had a sing-along to 'Bohemium Rhapsody', 'Summer Nights' and a selection of Cornish songs. How boring coach trips will seem in future without this entertainment!

Once back at the hotel, we had half an hour to shower and change before we headed off to a restaurant for dinner. However, before we left the hotel we said our official goodbyes to José and Efrain. We also each received a certificate and medal from Cornwall Air Ambulance for the fundraising that we all did. And Dean was presented with a fabulous new brolly to replace the one that he had left as an offering to the God of the mountains.

About 21:00 we went to a restaurant for dinner.

The waiters were very good and happily catered for Stu and Annette's special diets. Naomi had steak and Annette had chicken. It was our last meal with José and Efrain. When it was time for them to leave Efrain gave a moving speech.

We all left the restaurant about 10:30 and some of us went into a bar down the hill from the restaurant, called Paddy's Bar. It was really busy and had a good atmosphere although their non-alcoholic cocktails left something to be desired!

What a beautiful place Cusco is. The view on the walk back to the hotel was just stunning.

Day 7 - Inca trail to Machu Picchu

We woke at 05:00 and had to quickly pack our stuff and eat breakfast before leaving the camp at 06:30, singing to Aha on the minibus bound for the train station!

There were lots of locals at the station plying their wares of hats, insect repellent and sun cream. We boarded the train and it set off at 07:05. 

There was a recorded message explaining about the facilities on the train and information about the Urubamba valley that we were travelling through. During the bit describing the train's facilities, Sarah happened to be standing in the aisle and so did her best Air Hostess impression along to the description. It was brilliant!!

The train had lots of glass so we were treated to stunning views as we travelled through the valley. As we were travelling First Class(!) we were given complimentary tea/coffee/water, Danish pastries and fresh fruit by the train's trolley dollies. They even came along with a trolley of souvenirs!

We were on the train for about an hour and got off at the start of the Inca Trail, at train stop KM104. There was no station, in fact there was no platform!

We had to jump down from the train onto the track and as we did this other passengers on the train took photos of us on the track. This was a little worrying!

We had to cross the Urubamba River via a wobbly bridge which Paul bounced up and down on to scare Naomi! Georgie however decided to lay astride the bridge. Until she remembered her sunglasses balancing on her hat!

We needed a ticket in order to join the Inca Trail so we had to show our passports at the gate. Before we went through we all sprayed ourselves with insect repellent because this part of the Trail is through cloud forest (on the outskirts of the rainforest, so it was hot and humid).

We then spent the next 7 hours walking the 12km to the Sun Gate. It was a much easier walk than we had been used to but it was really hot and sticky so we needed just as many stops as usual. It wasn't without event! Georgie found a big brown cricket which we weren't sure if it was alive or dead. 

And someone else found this big beetle. As José says, everything is bigger in Peru!

Roller-skating Tango-tastic Amber stumbled on the path and lost one of her walking poles over the side, never to be seen again. We decided that this should be considered an offering to the Gods! And, ahem, just don't mention Orchids to Holly!

We took many snack breaks in little shelters that have been built along the way, just like this one. They provided welcome shade.

We took a snack break at a fab waterfall where Stu got his kit off and had a dip...

... and Gemma slipped over and got a very soggy bottom! (Thanks to sharp-shooting Amber for getting a pic as it happened!)

There were some pretty hairy bits of the path with steep steps and sheer drops.

Annette found that having in-depth conversations about politics, relationships and poo with Dean and Georgie at the back of the group was the perfect way to cope with her fear of heights. She had to take a deep breath before walking up these steps!

Along the path we came across Winay Wayna, another Incan settlement (in the distance in this photo).

And we eventually got there.

But we had to climb up loads of steps to get to it!

When we got to the top, Annette challenged her considerable fears and allowed Georgie and Dean to persuade her to sit on one of the terraces. 

To sit down was one thing but then (with further encouragement) she edged forward and actually dangled her legs. Even though it was only for a short time, this was a huge achievement for her. She took this photo to prove she did it!

And this is what it looked like from round the valley.

The approach to the Sun Gate was a further challenge with a flight of almost vertical stone steps.

This was one of the most difficult aspects of the trip for Annette. She had to just keep going, focusing on the next couple of steps ahead of her. If she had stopped to think about it she would have struggled to get going again. 

Once at the gate (2,700m) Efrain explained that there are two ways to see MP: the tourist way or the special way. We chose the special way. We were all told to close our eyes and Efrain placed us on some steps. He then gave a very moving speech about MP and, at the end, told us to open our eyes. I don't think any of us will forget what we saw when we opened our eyes. Ahead of us in the distance was Machu Picchu in all its glory. Everyone shed a tear or two as it was such an emotional experience, followed by lots of hugging! I don't think any of us could believe that we were actually there.

We paused here to take photos and a (very quick!) group pic with the Cornwall Air Ambulance banner that Susie had brought with her. 

These are the boys who looked after us every step of the way: our fabulous Expedition Leader and local Guides who were simply THE BEST!

Once we were all done with our photos we continued on the Trail and there were again a few very scary bits of path, well Annette considered them scary anyway!

After a walk of about 30 minutes we reached Machu Picchu. It's not possible to put into words how we felt while here, so we won't even try.

Fascinating facts: The Incan way of life is 'Don't lie, don't be lazy and don't steal.' Machu Picchu means Old Mountain in Quechua, which is the official Incan language.

The guides all sat on the back of the bus like naughty boys!

We took a few photos and then had to go to catch a bus down into Aguas Calientes, the closest town to MP.

We checked into our hotel and got changed to go to dinner at a local restaurant. 

Today we decided to set Dean a challenge, so during the day we all wrote down a random fact about ourselves and at the restaurant in the evening he had to try and match the person to the fact. It was hilarious! (Well, for us anyway!) It can't be that hard surely, you'd think. To give you an idea of what Dean was up against, the facts included "When I was a child I used to pickle spiders", "I used to give electrolysis to transexuals", "I've seen Edward Woodward's willy", "I went on holiday to Nova Scotia and stayed with my partner's ex-wife", "I've had a poo at No. 10 Downing Street", "My very good friend is Princess Beatrice of York" and "I've seen Robert Plant in just a pair of red boxer shorts".

He went through all 20 facts (José and Efrain were included in the game) and he didn't correctly match a single one. He was therefore given a forfeit of 10 seconds planking per incorrect fact match. However,  he managed to cancel the forfeit by correctly matching a bonus random fact that Amber can dance the Tango on rollerskates! 

It was SO much fun, mainly for us and not Dean, but we all had a brilliant night. Sorry Dean!