Wine cheaper than water

After umming and arhhing about how much time to spend in Argentina, due to hearing about how expensive it is, we decided to do away with our worries of our budget and head in to enjoy one of our most anticipate countries of the trip. The boarder crossing was quite simple yet slow on the Bolivian side, as expected, and after a quick taxi to the bus station we had our overnight bus tickets to Salta, which were much cheaper then we anticipated. We had a few hours to kill before leaving, so we headed up to the bus terminal cafe to wait, after pursing the menu we couldn't believe it when a 1/4 L wine cost less then a small bottle of water (probably not the best wine but still hard to resist). The bus ride was cold, long and extremely irritating as we were marched off the bus for a superficial bag search while standing on the side of the road. However, after finally arriving in Salta at 5am and getting a few hours sleep (on Ryan's part) we were pleasantly surprised when we went out in the daylight. Salta is a beautiful Spanish influenced city, with 18th century streets, friendly people, fine foods and wines and definitely very different from everywhere we have been in South America so far.

As Argentina is famous for steaks and red wine we felt that we better get stuck into the culture quickly and after some research we headed straight to La Candelaria Parilla, one of the highest rates steak houses in Salta. We felt a little backpackerish when we arrived at this clearly upmarket restaurant (considering the price and time of day we assumed it would be casual) in thongs, but hiking boots wouldn't have fit in either. We quickly dismissed any doubts we had as we looked at the menu and were serve a huge complementary basket of fresh bread, dips and plate of pickles. With long months of eating smallish meals we felt that tackling the all you can eat BBQ might be a little too much so we selected off the al a carte menu. We settled with beef ribs, a mixed plate (feeling adventurous) containing sweet breads, intestines, blood sausage and chorizo and a litre of the local 'Salta' beer as it seemed a little too early for a bottle of red wine (no by the glass options). The service was very friendly and we happily relaxed while tucking into our complimentary snacks waiting for the main event.

The waiter then brought out our meats and presented us with our wooden boards to eat from, and it was amazing. The ribs were perfectly cooked with delicious flavor and our mixed grill was surprisingly tasty too, with crispy sweetbreads and intestines and flavorsome sausages served with lemon. The beer was a perfect way to wash down the meal and we left feeling content, all for $34.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, admiring beautiful cathedrals and stopping in at the MAAM museum as everything was close 1 - 4:30pm for siesta. The MAAM museum while small, was probably the most interesting museum we have been to so far as it house three frozen Inca children (sacrifices) that were extremely well preserved (far better then those in Arequipa) as well as some beautiful artifacts that were buried with the children. We also were very happy when we saw that here in Argentina the offer significant student discounts, so we were able to get in for $2 instead of the usual $8!

After a great day in Salta we heading to the local supermarket too pick up something for dinner. After selecting ingredients for tortellini and fresh fruit we thought it was high time to try the local wines, so we selected a nice looking Malbec. Back at our hostel we prepared a lovely dinner and relaxed with our wine while chatting to a friendly Australian couple heading up to Bolivia from Patagonia. Their stories made us a little jealous about not having enough time to make it there but we keep telling ourselves - next time.

Overall we are loving Argentina so far, the food and wine is amazing and reasonably priced and Salta as a city is beautiful, we can only hope that our next stop in Cafayate full of nice surprises like Salta.

- Louise -

A bit of time in La Paz

Over the last three months Ryan and I have visited a lot of places in a short time, therefore when we arrived back in La Paz originally planning to stay for 2 nights, we decided that we might actually stay for three. This number kept expanding and we ended up in La Paz for 6 nights of just enjoying what the city has to offer, while enduring the bitter 'summer' cold (it was -3C one morning when we woke up). La Paz was by no means our favorite city/town, nor did we find all that much to do, but it did offer us the best chance to relax and feel a little less like long term travelers. We were able to shop at a 'real' supermarket, cook our own meals at our hostel, order a take away pizza, get 'real' coffees (surprisingly difficult in South American) and catch up with old friends. While this all seems relatively frivolous when you can be climbing a glacier, hiking a canyon, surfing at sunrise or dune buggy rides at an oasis we have found it quite important to come back to reality and remind you of what we love about home (wherever that is).

During our time in La Paz we have done a large amount of wandering around and just exploring the streets, which has been very enjoyable. We have seen some impressive street art, enjoyed the beautiful old building and their colorful painted walls. While some may look a little derelict and long neglected, there was a definite beauty to be found on the streets of La Paz.

Another quirk of La Paz in the Zebras, which is a select group (apparently very hard to get in) of people dressed up in Zebra outfits and who help direct traffic and pedestrians. They are a very enthusiastic bunch and when Ryan asked if he could have a quick picture with one, about 5 jumped into the shot all posing for the camera.

Another thing we take for granted when at home is picking up take away and curling up on the couch with a bottle of wine and a movie. We were very happy when we noticed that there was a little take away pizza place just near our hostel, so we wandered down one night and picked up a pizza with the lot and rushed it back to the hostel to beat the cold. Back at the hostel we selected a movie from the extensive collection (all pirated) and bought a bottle of bolivian wine from the small selection they had there at the hostel. We had a great night sitting up and I even managed to sneak back the largest (and richest) piece of chocolate cake we have on the trip, which we couldn't even managed to finish!

After do some research on trip advisor we found a place called Sabor Cubano, or in English Cuban flavor, which we went to with some friends from Uni who happened to be in La Paz at the same time as us (hi Katie and Munz). While there are cheaper places to eat, two large meals still only set us back $9. We ended up back a Sabor Cubano multiply times as the Cuban sandwiches and shredded beef were out of this world. We also managed to try the Cuban lamb stew, steak sandwich and a cocktail or two! On our last afternoon in La Paz we decided to have one last meal at our favorite restaurant only to be disappointed that it didn't open on Sundays, oh well, we will have to go back next time we are in La Paz.

One reason we decided to stay a little longer in La Paz was a craft brewery tour run by the adventure brew hostel, so we changed hostels and book onto their tour before catching our bus to Tupiza. The tour started with us piling onto an old bus with 12 other people and driving 45 mins from the city to a small town in a beautiful valley. Then we all jumped out and walked into what seemed like a large backyard attached to a small building, the owner of the brewery meet us and took us straight inside to give us the brewery 'tour.' The 'tour' would more realistically described as the owner pointing at pieces of equipment and naming them until we got to the beer keg, when he started to pour the beers (with way too much head considering he should be an expert pour). He then passed around a beer to each person and pointed back at the keg and told us to help ourselves as he wanted the keg empty. Despite the foam, the beer was a rather good pilsner style beer and as a group we quickly finished up the keg, only for him to attach a new beer which was another tasty amber wheat beer. The beer keep flowing until the beer boiled sausages and onion hot dogs were ready, which we then moved out to the back yard to enjoy with more jugs of the remaining types of beers made at the brewery.

Another thing we wanted to make time for in La Paz was a little exercise, however at +4000m running was out of the question - we certianly aren't that fit! While we were lucky enough to escape altitude sickness we have found that even walking up the slightest hill has sped up our heart rates, turning a brisk walk into exercise. So early in the morning we managed a couple of powerwalks through the city to this board walk we found with excellent views out over the city. Not sure if our efforts combat all the beer and Cuban food but it was a good start.

- Louise -

Colca Canyon

A stop in Arequipa most certainly isn't complete without a trek to the Colca Canyon. Rated as the 2nd deepest canyon in the world, it can be explored numerous ways, 2/3/4 day trekking with a tour or by yourself. Having more time we than anticipated but not much trekking experience we opted for a 3 day tour with Pablo Tours. Whilst they were slightly higher in price than most of the budget agencies in town, the tour only takes a maximum of 6 people and goes a different route to the other companies, which sounded very appealing. So very early on the first day we were picked up from our hostel and driven out to the canyon.

Along the way we had a brief stop at Cruz del Condor, a lookout point high above the canyon floor which is good for condor spotting due to thermal drafts. Unlike our previous condor spotting expedition, this location was very well known and packed full of tourists. But of course where there is a lot of people, usually there is something to see, and this was most certainly be case with Cruz del Condor. Initially there was only 3-4 condors flying around searching for a rock to perch on, which is still pretty good as they are a rare bird to spot. But within only 10 minutes of snapping away at the same birds as everyone else more than 20 condors came flying over head showing us their magnificate 3m wing span. It was a truly amazing site to see these giant birds majestically flying through the valley and come soaring over us within only a few meters.

After the condors we stopped in the small town of Cabanaconde for brief break to have a look around the town and work a little more on my photography skills, and have some lunch. With our bellies full we did some final bag arrangements and last minute toilet breaks before heading off for the trek. As I mentioned before, the tour we went on was different to the normal canyon tours as we took a different trail to the usual groups. This was definately noticeable whilst we hiked along the unbeaten track with not another soul to see.

As we struggled with our footing on the loose gravelly track, our guide Marcos explained to us some of the interesting facts about the canyon and surrounding area. One of the most interesting facts was the actual name of the canyon itself Colca, or in its true native language of Quechuan 'Qollqa'. Like most of the names in moden day Peru they have been slightly altered from their original Quechuan lauanguage to suit the Spanish language when they invaded. Colca or Qollqa actually means storage pot, because in pre inca and inca times food was stored in the special type of materials only found in the bottom of the canyon. This was used as a preservation method between seasons. Another interesting fact about the area is the difference between the two major towns that border the canyon, Cabanaconde and Chivay. Whilst now days these two cities have embraced the modern culture such as the Internet, they have also begun to accept each others culture. Previously these two towns were almost rivals to a point where citizens of each community were banned from marriage to each other. It was once said that the people of Chivay had long and narrow shaped heads where as the Cabanaconden's had short stout head both representing volcanos within the surrounding area. The women in each area also dressed differently, most noticeably with different styles of hats. With one community donning a multi colored finely embroidered hat, whilst the other stuck to a plain white wide brim fedora. Nowadays though, the two cultures have embraced each other almost to a point where you can't tell a long head from a short.

After a 6 hour, toe blistering hike down to the bottom of the canyon we arrived at our first rest stop. Set just above the chilly waters of the Colca river we stayed with one of the two families that live in the Llahuar region. More of a out back bed and breakfast than a home stay, which was advertised, we ren't fazed as we were just glad to take our shoes off and have a nice warm shower. Feeling clean and revived we asked the family if we could help them prepare dinner, as we hadn't cooked in ages and thought we might get some inside tips on Perurivan food. Luckily for us they were more than pleased and happily informed us that their kitchen was a family kitchen and anyone who stays is family. The only problem was that the dinner menu for the night was not Perurivan. Never the less we were still just happy to help out with some vegetable chopping and watch the mother and daughter fuss around the typical tradition Peru kitchen.

The next day we said goodbye to our host family and started off on our grueling 4 hour uphill climb. Leaving earlish in the moring was definately a big bonus as the sun cast a nice shadow over our section of the trail, making it nice and cool for the up hill battle. The sceanery along the way was much the same as the first day, lots of small shrubs, cactus and towering cliff edges. The bonus though on day two was passing though numerous small villages and receiving smiles from all the locals. At about midday we reached one of the larger communities in the canyon and stopped for a short break in the shade of the local church. Having never tried cactus fruit before we kindly asked our guide if he could buy some for us to try. Happily he hurried off to one of the local shops and brought us back some, freshly peeled. The fruit has a similar consistency as a kiwi fruit, but not as sweet. After we finished our light snack we left the small town and started another knee jarring 2 hour walk down to the oasis at the bottom of the canyon floor.

The walk down to the oasis was made even more painful, as we could see our destination the whole time. Every step we took, you would look down hoping that our rest stop grew larger as we closer, but it just seemed to tease us off in the distance. Finally though we made the last push down to the bottom of the canyon again, crossing a bridge and entered the paradise that was to the the end of our day 2. OK, so whilst some may not call it paradise, with small rooms and cold showers, this place was at the bottom of the worlds 2nd largest canyon and had a pool filled by the natural spring. Arriving mid afternoon was a big bonus, as the sun was shining over head, we were still pretty warm from our days hike and the place was still fairly empty, as most hikers arrive late in the afternoon. So dressing down into our togs we headed straight to the pool. Whilst the water was fairly cold at first, this was a blessing in disguise as it helped sooth our tired muscles. The rest of the time was spent relaxing in the sun by the pool and eating the delicious local food prepared by our guide for lunch and dinner. We were even treated to a nice, yet slightly warm, bottle of Peruvian white wine, which the guide surprised us with at dinner.

The last day we had another early start, again to beat the sun. The final leg of the hike consisted of approximately 4 hours walking, however those 4 hours were all to be up hill, with almost 1km vertical. Having complete the inca trail and a few other treks in the area, I have to say that this one was the hardest. Possibly it was due to too much over indulging over my birthday but that last day was a killer. Fortunately enough we both had the energy to complete the painstaking ascent to the top of the canyon and were proud to say we completed the hike. This was not the case with some other tourists who sheepishly passed us along the trail riding their mules. After reaching the top and having some much deserved breakfast, we hopped back into the minivan for the long ride back to Arequipa. Along the way however there was plenty of pit stops to check out the sights, which included some pre inca terraces, heaps of llamas and alpacas, active volcanos, we tried a different variety of Pisco sour made with the local fruit and even had a swim in another hot spring. Overall the canyon was a beautiful place with many interesting things to see and do along the way. Having trekked so much we a now looking forward to relaxing a little in La Paz.

- Ryan -

We went into the desert . . . And we found an oasis

We have repetitively said to each other on this trip how disappointed we are with the lonely planet in South America and our visit to Huacachina was a good example of this. It only gave this place a small section with limited information and little to capture our interest. However, after running into a number of travelers who had stayed here we thought it was a place to definitely add onto the itinerary, especially since neither of us had seen an Oasis. In the desert of Peru (which is a lot of the coastal area) in the region where they make Pisco is the city called Ica. Ica is completely surrounded by sand and just on the edge of the city is a secluded Oasis called Huacachina which seems to exist simply for tourist as bit is idyllic and beautiful and feels like it is a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Peruvian cities.

It is said that there is a mermaid that takes a Peruvian man down into the oasis every year, inspiring this amazing mural we saw on the side of the road and many other sculptures and monuments around the town. However, its more likely that the mermaid 'taking' a man can be to deduced to drowning as many locals in Peru can't swim or that the get servere cramps due to the icy waters under the warm top layer. Never the less whilst we are quite good swimmers and not too afraid of bikini clad half woman half fish we were still quite content staying out of the water.

We picked to stay in a small hostel called Bananas (again based on travelers advise) and booked a room which included the obligatory dune buggy ride. The place served great cheap burgers, had a hammock in every corner and a nice pool which was a perfect solution to the desert heat. We had been told that this place was a backpacker paradise and it did not disappoint. After wandering around we also realised that as it was 4 hour from Lima it also appeared to be a getaway for Peruvians too who certianly didn't refrain from expressing their affections for each other - we are in South America! Seeing a bit too much PDA (or for the oldies Public Display of Affection) we thought it was definately time to cash in on our dune buggy ride and sand boarding.

Sounding much like a Harley Davidson with a bad chest infection our sand chariot arrived, so we buckled ourselves in and headed for the dunes. Whilst our seat belts were a one size fits all they seemed sturdy enough to hold us down, even though there was plenty of wiggle room. Initially it was a slow start from leaving the checkpoint and driving up the sand road into the dunes. But once up the top the driver gave it everything, hurtling us down the 100m sand dune. Unfortunately this was almost to be our demise as once we reached the bottom he failed to naviget through a bumpy patch, causing the front to nose dive spraying sand throughout the whole car. Luckily we survived and with scratchy eyes and gritty teeth we powered on with the sandy rollercoaster. Having our stomachs nicely churned up for a good 45mins we then parked up at a reasonably sized dune slop for a spot of sand boarding. Having never snowboarded before we thought it was best to take the first slope on our stomachs, head first of course. Laying on our poor mans snowboards with our head over the edge it really didn't look that high, but once the driver gave that final push and you were hurtling down the dune you realised how silly this was and what's going to happen at the bottom? Same as the buggy? Nose first? No, luckily the bottom was fairly smooth and you just coasted to a slightly bumpy yet hip bruising finish. Considering the first one went so well and our undies weren't completely full of sand yet we decided to keep going. Having mastered the art of face first, I decided to give standing up ago, much to Lou's disapproval. Opting for a small dune to begin with I strapped my feet in and took off down the slope. Fortunately, I did have the good sense to pick the small slope, because the ride was only short lived as I lost balance seconds after taking off tumbling the rest of the way down the hill. With only my pride damaged and hair full of sand I dusted myself off to the laughter of the others at the top of the dune. Considering I didn't hurt myself too badly on the first attempt I kept trying the sand boarding and even managed a couple of successful rides. With nearly our entire bodies covered in sand we hopped back into the buggy for one final and yet terrifying ride though the dunes before catching the last remnants of sunset over the oasis. Check out the video below of some of the action.

We enjoyed our first day in Huacachina so much (and were still recovering from the 24hr bus ride to get there) that over breakfast we decided to extend our stay by another night and do a wine/Pisco tour in the surrounding area before heading to Arequipa. After another morning of getting our lobster on by the pool we got ready and headed off back into the desert for our winery tour. Yes that's correct I did say 'back into the desert for the winery tour' because apparently you an grow grapes in the middle of a dry sandy desert. At the first winery we joined another group of tourists and headed off for a tour around the place. Luckily we didn't have high expectations as the 'winery tour' was more of a tourist place where in March you can join in the process to make the wine/Pisco using the old methods and the other times of the year you just look at the equipment. Whilst the tour itself wasn't anything special, it was a great place to continue working on my photography skills.

After the tour it was time for the fun part, tasting! Each with a shot glass in hand our guide took us through numerous bottles of Pisco beginning with what they call 'young wine', which comes from the botijas before it goes to the distillation stage. Next we tried a premixed Pisco sour, which wasn't as good as the real thing but nice subsitute. As well as this we tried the 3 main varieties of Pisco, puro ..., finally finishing with Crema de Pisco, which is a sort of Baileys style liqueur made with Pisco, herbs, cream and figs. Feeling nicely liquored up we had a quick bite to eat at the restaurant and then jumped back into our taxi for the next winery. But before leaving we of course had to grab some road trip desserts, pecans and caramel covered in chocolate, a local delicacy.

Driving again down the dusty streets and having left a fairly touristy place we weren't to sure what to expect next. We pulled into a small parking area covered in dried grape skins just out front of an old run down shed. Upon leaving the car our driver immediately started winding up the windows and informing us to do the same and to lock the doors. Feeling a bit worried at this point, as we have always been a little on edge when travelling in taxis, we did as we were told and walked cautiously into the building dark and dingy building. Once inside it took a few seconds for our eyes to adjust but to our amazement we were standing inside one of the most incredible wineries we have ever been to. Covering over 80% of the floor were 1000's of botijas in different fermentation phases and in the little space left on the floor and on every wall, shelf, nook and cranny were antiques of all varieties. There was paintings, sculptures, guns and pots, gramma phones, fabrics, mummies and clocks, cash machines, coins, saddles and a horse shoe, they even had a deer head too! Sorry having a Dr Seuss moment... For those of you who don't know us, we love antiques and this place was our Disneyland. After we grounded ourselves, from the vintage high, we got straight into the tasting, which was just as funky as the surroundings. The owner of the fine establishment, after giving us a friendly greeting, grabbed his bamboo pole, dipped it in and out of the first botijas, let the liquid trickle into some small plastic cups and handed them to us with a friendly 'salute!' This contined on through a wide variety of different liquids, most of which we are pretty sure was Pisco, we were a little tipsy by this stage. After the tasting we continued exploring the never ending treasures that filled every room and again practiced more photography.

On the way back to our hostel the driver made a short detour through a small town just outside of Ica to pick up his family. We weren't to sure exactly why, our broken drunken Spanish sort of worked out something about the doctor, we think... But never the less we did not mind the detour as we were feeling pretty merry by this stage. His house was actually quite nice, a large white washed place with a really large yard out the front, down the end of a small cul de sac. Initially his oldest daughter, roughly 8-9, came out and gave us a friendly smile before her dad told her to go grab her mother and other siblings. After running back to the door way and yelling out, her mother emerged with a young baby in arms and younger daughter 3-4. Whilst the mother was very quiet, it was the youngest daughter who made the biggest reaction. Within seconds of approaching the car and seeing me with my large hair in the back seat the poor child burst into tears and had to be carried by her older sister. After a slight struggle they got her into the front seat with her mum where she continued to scream and cry. Whilst Lou thought this was hilarious, I felt pretty bad thinking I have ruined clowns for this poor girl. Thinking of ways to settle her down I tied my hair back, took my glasses off and gave my friendliest smile, to show her I was a real, normal person. This didn't fix the problem straight away, although she did settle down, but never seemed to take her eyes off me in case I changed back to the mop-head monster. With Louise giggling to herself the rest of the trip I just settled back and enjoyed the view from the car window.

Overall our time in Huacachina was really relaxing. We enjoyed the pool, ate good food, downed good drinks, survived the dunes and scared a little girl. The oasis was a first for us and is definately high on our recommendation list for Peru.

dune buggy from Ryan messer on Vimeo.

- Ryan & Louise -

The birthday dinner

We have been a little quite on the blog front for a few days now, which I could say was from rushing around and being exhausted from doing too much. To tell you the truth - we have been at a very layed back beach in the north of Peru called Mancora. Known for its party scene and as one of the best surfing spots in Peru we weren't sure what to expect. Overall, we found it very relaxing and spent our 5 days there by the pool, eating ceviche and indulging in the odd happy hour beer. Unfortunately Ryan didn't manage to get a surf in as the break was quite large but directly over a rocky area, sending a lot of people back to the shore with large cuts and damaged boards.

Another reason we decided to stay in Mancora was that Ryan was due to catch up to me in age and turn 27. After getting some recommendations on a great restaurant in the area we ended up at the local steakhouse, which seemed a little strange considering we were at the beach, but as you can see the steaks were quite impressive. For the steak we decided on a local specialty which was a loin of beef served with potato chips, egg and stewed banana, the sides tasted great and the steak was extremely tender and cooked to perfection. We also tried a nachos burger and washed it all down with two for one mojitos.

As it was a birthday celebration the meal wouldn't have been complete without a birthday cake. Unfortunately, finding an actual cake is next to impossible in small towns of Peru, so we settled for a recommended desert bar. Again we opted to try something local and thought that a desert called a Lima girl sigh would be nice. It seems that most of the desserts here are extremely sugary and this one certainly fit that description with a bottom layer of dulce de leche (similar to caramal) enriched with egg yolks and a sweet, stiff meringue made with port wine. However, it was delicious, so much so, we made a repeat visit to the desert bar to try their lemon delight later in the week.

We had a great stay in Mancora and seemed to avoid any raging parties to make it a very relaxing stay, and (I think) Ryan had a great birthday. It would have been nice to stay longer but we had a 24hr bus ride booked to Ica, in the south of Peru, and plenty more places we are looking forward to see.

- Louise -

Inca trail

Sunshine, rain, freezing temperatures, joy, pain, blisters and relief, these are just some of the sensations and conditions we experienced on the Inca Trail. The 4 day hike took us through one of the most busiest yet incredibly isolate trails in the world. With up to 500 people setting out each day, it's hard to believe that there are times you can find yourself completely alone, taking in the breathtaking sceanery wondering where your group is. The final destination, Machu Picchu, on the other hand is quite the opposite, but more on that later.

So early, and I mean really early, on the first day we left the warmth of our hostel beds and headed out to start the trail, with 6 other equally enthused tourist. Having very restless sleep the night before, the 1.5 hour bus ride to our starting point was spent mostly with our eyes closed. Still feeling slightly weary we all trudged off the bus for a group photo in front of the famous KM82 sign before starting our 42km trek. Not long into the journey our guide conveniently pointed out the rail line which goes to Anguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, which is only a short 2 hour ride on the train or 6 hour hike. A little confused as to why we chose the 4 day over the 6 hour, we quickly shook off our confusion realizing it was too late and set in for our long walk.

The first days trekking was fairly easy, consisting of approximately 8 hours walking along what the guide like to call Inca Flat terrain, basically a lot of up and down walking. There was much to see along the way as we passed through small villages with friendly locals, viewed different forms of flora and explored just a few Inca ruins that are along the trail. The most impressive ruin on the first day was Llactapata, an ancient city which is believed to be an important rest stop of the inca en route to Machu Picchu. After a surprisingly good 3 course lunch awaiting for us in the dining tent, we set off for our first nights camp another 500m verticle. Fortunately the weather held out for most of the first day and we only required our jackets for a few small sun showers in the late afternoon. Upon reaching the camp we were pleasently surprised with the view of the surrounding mountains and the fact that the porters had already set up the camp site, had dinner underway and supplied us hot water and towels for a a very brief camp shower.

Having read a little about the trail before hand, we were well aware of what laid ahead of us on day two but not sure if we were prepared. Day 2 which was not only to be the longest of our 4 day trek, but also the most draining as we had to pass 2 mountain peaks. Setting off early again we left our porters to cleanup breakfast and pack the site whilst we started to attack Dead Woman's Pass, the highest of the 2 peaks at 4200m. Taking our time we took each step very cautiously keeping in mind the serious possibility of altitude sickness, which neither of us wanted to experience. Nearing the top we weren't really surprised to see our porters - the red army - closing in behind us, although we were a bit shocked to see them jogging up the trail. After reaching the top and catching our breath, we did the touristy thing again and got our photo with another sign before starting the 700m knee jarring decent down to Papaymayu camp site for lunch. Again the porters were already set up and ready to serve us lunch as well as congratulating us with a slightly embarrassing clap into the lunch site. After lunch we all set out again to conquer the second pass, this time slightly smaller at only 3950m, and get to our camp site for the night. Whilst the climb was slightly easier on the second pass, this was only to be short lived as the heavens decided to open up and show us the fun side of the trail. So donning on our rain jackets and recently purchased (which I must say best decision ever) ponchos we continued to trudge through the mud and rain in anticipation of reaching our camp site before nightfall. Along the way we stopped at more Inca ruins to catch our breathe and learn a little about the local history, but we didn't loiter long as the temperature was uncomfortably cold. After reaching the second camp site, we were both quick to change out of our wet clothes, have another brief warm towel shower and sit down for an impressive dinner. As before with the previous meals we were amazed yet again to be provided with a 3 course meal with more than enough food to feed us (our entire group except for us were experiencing altitude sickness). Feeling very content with our warm full bellies we made for our tent to get some well deserved sleep and along the way we were pleasently supprised to find the clouds had parted and basking in the moon light off on the horizon was the snow capped Andes. A great end to a very long day.

Day 3 was a breeze after day 2, we started out with a nice sleep in till 7am and a slow and relaxing breakfast before heading off on the trail. Because of the mammoth effort the day before, day 3 was planned as the fun day with a short 5 hour stroll along another Inca flat section filled with some of the most impressive ruins of the whole trail. Initially we were greeted by rain in the morning but as we cruised along, so to did the clouds, which made for a great day of exploring. The first ruin and smallest of the 3 that day was Phuyupatamarca, which means city in the clouds. The next was Intipata which comprised of numerous terraces and was a major agricultural site along the trail. Finally the last ruin Winay Wayna, which was only a short stroll past our day 3 camp site, was the largest and easily most impressive of all the sites along the trail. Again comprising of numerous terraces, which historians believe helped supply Machu Picchu with food. However it wasn't just its size and terraces that made this ruin so impressive, it was the fact that a majority of the buildings and structures were still intact and working today. An example of this was the hand carved natural spring fountains, that not only were constructed for ceremonial and purification purposes but also supplied water to the entire city via carefully constructed aqua ducts, which still worked today.

After exploring the ruins and learning a little more about their construction and purpose we headed back to camp for our final dinner and goodbye ceremony with the porters. Having been impressed every day with the quality of food and sure that they must be running out of fresh ingredients, we all weren't too sure what to expect for this final meal. However we were all to be awed yet again, as we were not only delivered another delicious 3 course meal which contained a pizza but for desert the chef some how managed to cook, ice and decorate a goodbye/congratulation cake for us. We are still a little unsure how he managed to prepare it on his small 2 burner gas portable stove.

The last day had finally arrived and we greeted it very early, at 3am, to be one of the first groups at the gate. Unfortunately that wasn't early enough and we arrived fourth, just missing out on the last seats, meaning we had to sit on the cold wet ground and wait until 5:30am. This wasn't that bad though as it did give us a bit of time to catch up on lost sleep and we were already dirty anyway. So as 5:30am came around we gathered our backpacks and started off for the final 2hr leg of the trail to reach the Sun Gate, for the perfect sunrise view of Machu Picchu. With adrenaline kicking in, the weary feeling from the last 3 days of early starts and tiresome climbs started to fade and we grew more and more excited with ever footstep. Approaching the final climb, and possibly steepest, to the top of the Sun Gate you could see in the other hikers faces the look of anger and dispare as they thought, 'not a nother bloody set of steps', or maybe that was just me. But slowly and steadily we took each step until we reached the top and be greeted with this glorious view infront of us...

Yes that slightly mountainous shaped thing poking out of the dense cloud is Huayna Picchu (the mountain behind Machu Picchu city) and yes the city is down there somewhere. Feeling very mixed feelings at this point, mostly relief and anger, we made for the final knee jarring experience down to the not so anymore lost city of the Incas.

Whilst we were all tired, dirty, smelly but certainly not hungry this didn't matter as we had reach Machu Picchu and it was amazing. Walking around the city with our guide, learning about the past and present history of this ancient city, was such an incredible experience none of us cared we had blisters the size of Peru on our feet. As we continued to explore the city a feeling of great accomplishment passed over us all, especially when you passed another hiker from a different group and shared the silent head nod signifying that 'whilst I have no idea who you are I know what you have been through and we made it.' As the day continued on we were treated to some better weather and with the clouds parting we were finally able to get the famous postcard shot of Machu Picchu that we walked 4 days to get.

Obviously a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu wouldn't be complete without also exploring the ruins around the surrounding areas and Sacred Valley. Having already seen numerous ruins this did not matter as the architecture of the buildings and ingenious design of the terraces was amazing to see time and time again.

- Ryan -

My South American doppelgänger

So we have been traveling around South America for nearly 3 months now and there has been one thing that has been puzzling me for a while now. I have noticed that on occasions random South Americans have been yelling at me on the streets calling out Valderrama! Initially I took little notice as I just presumed they were trying to sell me something. However as it continued throughout our travels from country to country I began to become intrigued, so I set out in finding out what it meant. Initially I was a little worried thinking it was some swear word or abuse, but to my surprise it was actually a complement, well I think... As it so happens Valderrama is actually the name of a famous Colombian football player from the 90's, and apparently with my long hair and fashionable moustache we look very similar, but I'll let you be the judge of that...

- Ryan -