Aguas Calientes, Peru 🇵🇪 

Yesterday was a long day and with the forecast of low fog in the early morning, the group had collectively decided to join the bus queue at 7.30am.  I woke up at 5am with the chatter of people on the street outside and realised that the early birds had the bus queue snaking a good 700yards right past our hotel.  By the time we showered, had breakfast and checked out the queue was a reasonable 50yards long. The bus winds up to the main entrance point and it isn’t too busy, we are taken on a tour by Rosa, who explains the key structures of the site.

The Inca king, Patcacutac commissioned the royal palace of Machu Picchu in the 15th century and it took 30years to build.  The site sits under the Southern Cross on the day of the summer solstice, with the Urubamba river far below weaving around the mountain mirroring the Milky Way galaxy up above.  The most impressive part of the location is its perch on the high granite mountain which is surrounded by several other dramatic peaks.  There are clear parts of the site constructed for worshiping, the Sun Temple which miraculously channels the rising sun beam on the 21st June perfectly through its tiny window, but itself being a perfectly engineered interlocking granite brick structure with no mortar.  The Earth Temple to worship the Mother Earth sits beneath it with cavities where they believe Patchacutec’s remains would have sat for a period before being moved to rest in Cusco.

The Condor temple is a construction built up on either side of a rock to resemble a Condor’s wings, whilst its head is carved on a rock on the ground.  Mummies would have been put into the foetal position and placed inside to be carried to the afterlife.  

We visit the royal chambers that have a primitive ensuite for bathing, as the toilet would have been done in nature.  There are a number of ceremonial plazas, the largest used to have a monolith until the King of Spain asked for it to be removed so he could land his helicopter in the 70s.   Our guided tour is for 2 hours and then we say goodbye to Rosa.  Natalie and Eduardo are feeling unwell, so Justin and I strike out on our own to the Inka Bridge.

We clamber back up the terraces, taking a few more pictures despite the crowds, before finding the guard station.  Everyone has to sign in and out as the path along the cliff is quite narrow in places.  We walk for about 20minutes whilst talking to Jenny, an English girl who is walking on her own, until we arrive at the bridge.  It is a little underwhelming but neat at the same time as the wooden bridge would have been smashed if the Inkas had seen enemies approaching and they would have been unable to cross due to the pit carved out of the rock.

We took our final trip through the site before exiting and catching the bus back down with Natalie and Eduardo.  In the few hours before the train we sat in a craft brewery eating Alpaca and drinking beer, marvelling at our Inka experience.  The train back seemed longer and the bus went on forever, until finally we were back in Cusco. We managed the last breathless walk up to the hotel where we checked in and crashed, it’s another early start tomorrow.

Aguas Calientes, Peru 🇵🇪 

We meet our tour guide at 4am outside the cathedral, and discover there are only two others on our trip, an American couple – Natalie and Ed.  Our bus trip is almost 2hours before getting on the train at Ollantaytambo. Despite the early time you can feel the excitement as people chatter about their adventure ahead.  We are part of a group of about thirty people who disembark as the train stops at the 104km mark.  The rest of the people continue on the train to Aguas Calientes, about 15minutes further on, whilst we set off on our 6hr hike on the Inka trail.

A slightly overcast day makes the hike easier and the low mist adds to the atmosphere.  We stop briefly at a set of ruins called Chachabamba just over the river that are being restored.  The route then begins it’s assent through lush vegetation that includes Orchids and other flowering shrubs.  The single file path winds its way around the hills, with great views of the Urabamba river below.  

We round a section to spot Inka terraces clinging to a slope on the other side.  Peaking out through the mist is Wiñayhuana.  This would have been farming terraces to support the noble population of Machu Picchu, but they have a great location in the valley with a Sun Temple sat on top. There is also a stepped system of fountains that people would have used to wash in prio to worshiping in the temple.  It’s quite magnificent.

Our lunch spot is just past these ruins, where we can consume Some of the weight in our bags.  Rosa has been really good explaining the flora and Inka history to us, although she clearly has knee problems from all her hiking treks.  We all manage the ‘gringo killer’ steps before our final climb up and through the Sun Gate.  This is the way into Machu Picchu any Inka pilgrimage would have taken and it’s great to have this as our first view of the site.

We clamber down to the main terraces, stopping to reflect on how Hiram Bingham would have felt seeing the vegetation covered site as part of his 1911 expedition.  We find it relatively uncrowded as we pose for the classic pictures on a terrace above the main buildings.  Today is not our exploration day, so we climb down and exit through the main gates to catch the bus down to Aguas Calientes.  We are all tuckered out and opt for a early dinner before a hot shower and bed.

Cusco, Peru 🇵🇪 

Steve leaves today and is up early to bid us farewell.  We are booked on a cheap tour again, this time to see the Inka site of Moray and the Salt mines.  The tour does its usual thing of stopping at tourist traps, might be a requirement of the government or just extra commission.

Moray is stunning, with circular terraces descending into the ground, all watered by a irrigation system to keep crops watered and to divert rain.  The temperature varies by 15 degrees from top to bottom, half a degree difference for each step.  It is widely agreed that this site was used to test different crops for farming.

The Salt mines are crazy, we walk down into a valley where a natural spring brings salted water up.  They build small pools on the side of the valley to catch and evaporated the water until they can harvest the salt.  Looks like back breaking work, but the different coloured pools make for good photos.

I booked a sports massage for this afternoon as my back feels pretty tense.  The masseuse, Dan was from Somerset and did a great job in getting more movement in my body.  Tonight we go out to a bistro that specialises in fish.  Justin has a combo of ceviche, fried calamari and a local dish of seafood risotto.  I went for the beer battered fish and chips.  It's been ages since I've had it and this was very tasty, shame we weren't on a seafront.

Moray site

Mining for salt

Cusco, Peru 🇵🇪 

We meet at the agreed travel agency and then get amalgamated with other agencies onto one bus.  Our first stop is a site about an hour from Cusco, Pisac.  Pisac is an Inkan town around 2000yrs old, that would have been home to 10,000 people.

There are mud buildings at the entrance built for more common people, and granite constructions at the top for nobles.  All leading up to Amaru, door of serpent to the Temple of the Sun.  

Pisac has 96 farming terraces, at different temperatures with warmer at bottom.  Coco leaf would be grown at the base, maize in middle and potatoes at the top.  All crops would be watered via a irrigation system from the glacier.

We had a university student trying to sell a book and another selling local liquor, neither seemed to make much profit from our bus.  Next was lunch, which despite being buffet style wasn’t bad.  Finally we visited the most anticipated ruins at Ollantaytambo.  

This place was rammed with tourist buses, but was still amazing.  The two sets of terraces went up from the entrance, so they were like concrete waterfalls with just a few steps up the side.  It wasn’t as bad as it looked going up as we stopped regularly on our way to the sun temple.  Obviously the Spanish conquistadors had destroyed the main structure as they overran the Inka empire but it was cool to see the size of granite bricks with their lego style interlocking carved parts.  

From here we could see the quarry the granite would have been transported from over 7km away.  We could also see structures on the hill opposite the terraces that would have been used for crop storage, it seemed a long way away to me.  The Inkas had also carved two huge faces into the hill, one of the sun god and the other to the side that aligned perfectly to the summer solstice rising sun. 

We stopped briefly on the way back to see local weaving traditions and also the xxxx church which is just stunning inside.  I managed to nap the rest of the way back to Cusco so I was ready for dinner tonight.

Cusco, Peru 🇵🇪

Sacsayhuaman was a Inka fortress that gringos call 'sexy woman'. Steve has the day in Machu Picchu via the Hiram Bingham train today, so Justin and I decide to scramble up the hill behind our hotel to explore the site.

We have to buy a tourist ticket at the gate that is valid for several sites over the next week. On entering we turn left to walk under shrubbery and enjoy the vista view of Cusco laid out below. There is music and a parade of sorts we can see in the main Plaza far below.

Continuing on we find that the site is quite extensive with evidence of lots of buildings and the base of what would have been a main tower. We find a photogenic group of Alpaca clambering down towards us before heading to graze, taking a few tourists along with them. The main ceremonial area is overlooked by the door to the sun temple and huge high walls.

These walls have been created in a zig zag shape, said to either represent the teeth of a puma or bolts of lightening. What you can't overlook is how big the stones are, precision carved and stacked slightly leaning without mortar. Apparently they are the largest stones used in a structure in South America.

On a hill across the way is the cemetery and a slide formed of stone that people are trying to slide down. We sneak through a cave before heading out of the site and down the hill to the city. We visit a museum that is part of the tourist ticket, but it doesn't hold our attention.

We spend the rest of the afternoon walking in the sunshine and trying to set up a tour of the Sacred Valley tomorrow. All tour operators seem to close on a Sunday and we finally get a message response confirming us on a cheap tour. I hope it is okay.

Steve is back too late for us and we crash early hoping he has had a good day.

Cusco, Peru 🇵🇪

Saturday morning airport run is quicker as we check in for our flight with LCPeru to Lima with time to spare. Flight went smoothly and despite being ripped off for a taxi, we arrive safely at our hotel. The hotel is beautifully decorated and is my favourite hotel yet. It is up a hill but a short walk from the Plaza de Armas. We eat a fabulous healthy lunch at Organika before taking a tour of the town.

Cusco was the centre of the Inka empire and whilst the Spanish destroyed their significant structures, they replaced them to create a pretty colonial town. In one street Inka stone foundations still exist, showing off their precision building. One section would have been part of the 'house of the chosen virgins' groomed for sacrifice and the wall miraculously has a 12 sided brick crafted to ensure a perfect fit.

We walk to San Blas and through the narrow streets to a ice cream parlour for a stop. Continuing on we take a peek in the central market that is full of groceries, juice stands and souvenir stalls. We continue through a couple of other plazas before trudging back up the cobbled streets to our hotel for a siesta. Dinner back down the hill is tasty lomo Alpaca for me before a early night.

Lima, Peru 🇵🇪

Big day today, we booked months ago to secure lunch at the bar of Central Restaurant.  This is the number one restaurant in South America and 5th in the world so I have high expectations, I have even got Justin to bring out smarter trousers for me to wear.

First we take Justin down to Larcomar to see the Paddington bear statue and I buy a lovely new fleece.  We all stroll along the promenade watching the surfers down below before doubling back to the hotel to smarten up for lunch.  It is only a short walk away but the entrance is so inconspicuous we walk past it at first.

We have a lovely cosy table with a great waiter, and of course we select the tasting menu with alcohol pairing.  Our waiter painstaking explains the thinking behind each dish and what is just decoration versus can be eaten.  I will let the photos show the culinary journey through Peru that we enjoyed, all nicely satisfied and merry come the end.  They surprised us with a book of ingredient drawings and presses, then we got a tour of the kitchen and back of house.  It is phenomenal to see and enjoy the effort that goes into maintaining a restaurant of this standard.  It's only mid afternoon when we finish and get over the shock of the bill. 

We walk down to show Justin the Barranco district and sample an ice cream.  This evening we return to the aqua park to see the fountain show at night.  The colourful lights really add to the park, really pleased we made the effort to come.  On the way back we drop into the girl's hostel to have a few beers and bid farewell.

Huacachina, Peru 🇵🇪

I really feel like I have visited every corner of tiny Paracas, thankfully today we continue on our trail south to Huacachina.  Last time I visited I didn’t go into the sand dunes, partly because I had rolled my ankle and partly as I knew we would as part of this visit.

Huacachina (as you know) is an oasis near Ica, but until you climb out on the dunes you don’t really appreciate how vast the desert behind it is.  We took a 12 seater dune buggy up with possibly the craziest driver.  He took us up and down huge dunes at crazy speeds, I think Steve might think I am trying to get him killed.

We stop briefly to photograph the landscape before zooming to our sand boarding location.  There are 7 runs in total, increasing in height and all to be attempted whilst lying on the board.  Having seen this kit, there is no way you could stand up on these boards without breaking something.  First couple are easy but there are a few in the group that stop at this point.  The penultimate one was steep and as the first guy went down I knew I would have to get on with it.  The dune line was steep and then bumpy, I bruised knees and scraped my arms before deciding to roll off to stop.  This stopped my pain but put sand everywhere!  I motioned to the group to take another line which looked softer but Steve still came racing down like a bullet.

On the last and highest run it was only Steve and I that zoomed down. Steve was concerned that the driver would drive us over the edge if we didn’t go down on the boards and as we heard the revving of the engine the crazy guy did just that with the others screaming all the way.  We climbed back in and raced to see sunset before heading back to town. It felt good to be alive as we clambered out of our roll cage.