Oh my goodness gracious me, and I thought it couldn't get much better than Bolivia! I am still in Cusco (leaving tonight though) and have been having the most wonderful time. I am feeling really lucky actually as I have found myself some fab people to travel with and will be with an assortment of them for the rest of my time in South America...which, incidentally, is about three weeks now - crazy!
Cusco has been similar to La Paz in some ways but I have enjoyed it so much more. The 'party hostels' I have been staying in have been a lot of fun, and I have done a lot of laughing, dancing and generally enjoying myself. However unlike La Paz I have been a lot more successful at doing things other than nighttime activities here, mainly because Cusco is just a much nicer city in my opinion. There are quite a few squares surrounded by beautiful buildings and dotted with benches and trees which make for a lovely atmosphere. The main plaza in particular is stunning and such a nice place to spend a bit of down time. It has a gorgeous cathedral on one side of it, a lovely church on another, countless restaurants and cafes, a statue in the middle and is back-dropped by soaring mountain scenery. I had a lovely day on Sunday there actually; although it is amazing to be travelling with a group, I am used to being alone for most of my time so I was starting to find the dynamic a tad suffocating and thus decided it was time for a little break. I took my book and walked down and chose a restaurant where I could sit on a balcony overlooking the plaza in the sunshine, and I treated myself to a delicious soup (soup is huge here), an avocado sandwich (avocado is even huger) and a freshly squeezed orange juice. I sat there for over an hour, just enjoying my lunch, reading my book and watching the world go by...blissful! After that I felt a lot more prepared to go back to the group at the bar at the hostel for more social butterflying.
Yesterday I escaped the hostel again (it's hard to leave when all your friends are there, they sell decent food, have a movie room and your bed is calling) to go to a chocolate factory and museum. The museum was disappointing - not much information or many things to look at, although there were some interesting pictures of the 'discovery' of Machu Picchu that showed what it looked like before being restored to what it is now. The chocolate factory on the other hand was amazing! There was lots of information all about chocolate and its significance to different cultures as well as several rooms where you could watch them making chocolate bars/truffles from scratch and also try a little bit. It was mouth watering to see and smell the chocolate go from these bitter little beans to smooth and creamy (and extraordinarily unhealthy) chocolate bars, and of course, we ended up sampling the products at extra cost! I had a Mayan hot chocolate where they brought a dish of liquid chocolate, hot milk, chilli flakes and honey and you could choose how you wanted to mix it all up. It was one of the most yummy things I have ever had and I will be attempting to recreate it when I finally return to the UK!
Definitely the best and most exciting thing I have done since arriving in Cusco however, was Machu Picchu itself. One of the modern wonders of the world (my fourth!), it was the one thing I was most looking forward to about South America and it certainly did not disappoint. In fact I have to keep pinching myself to remind myself that I have actually been there! I hadn't decided how I was going to get there before leaving the UK, apart from knowing that I wasn't going to do the classic Inca trail, partly because it is so expensive and partly because it was full by the time I even looked at it! I met lots of people along the way who had gotten there via a 'Jungle Trek' and had absolutely loved it and the people I was travelling with fancied that so I decided to tag along. However, I hadn't quite realised what I was letting myself in for and while sitting in the briefing the night before we left I started to have serious misgivings. It sounded fun in parts but Kenny, our guide, bandied about the word 'uphill' a scary amount, and kept skimming over essential details like just how long those uphills would be. Don't get me wrong, carrying my backpack has definitely improved my fitness levels, but I hadn't yet done a single proper trek since going travelling and was going with a group of almost all ridiculously fit and healthy people (including three lads from Loughborough whose idea of enjoyment is actually to do exercise until it hurts - alien concept to me). I was anticipating a sweaty and panting Camilla at the back of the group holding everyone else back and having a horrible time, so funnily enough I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect. Oh, but how wrong I was. It was absolutely amazing...four of the best days of my travels so far! It was incredibly hard work and at times I wanted so very badly to give up and go home, but overall I found it so satisfying and gratifying that I could do it, and that improved my enjoyment levels beyond belief.
The first day was probably the worst. The morning was spent biking and while it was not physically challenging at all (all downhill) it started to chuck it down after about twenty minutes, resulting in us all being soaked and frozen and my contact lenses literally swimming about in my eyes so I was struggling to see where the road was going, let alone any potholes or rivers we had to cross. Somewhat dangerous considering the fact that it was a road very much in use and with some pretty severe drops down to the bottom. Luckily a kind Australian man stopped and cycled with me for a while pointing out hazards and turns in the road but at the next possible stop I gave up and got in to the van...0% enjoyment and 100% danger factor was enough for me, even though it led to a lot of comments and jokes aimed my way! After a soggy lunch Kenny dropped the next bombshell - to get to our hostel we had to walk for what he said would be twenty minutes uphill through the jungle in the pouring rain. This was the first point however at which we realised that Kenny's time keeping abilities were at about the same level as the majority of his fellow country men, and that twenty minutes meant more like forty five, and uphill meant practically flippin' vertical! Well, I exaggerate (slightly) but it was very hard work, and caused me to panic about what lay ahead. I was determined not to embarrass myself though and so I powered through and managed to keep up, even if the phrase 'Darth Vader' did get thrown about. The hostel was cute, more like a family home really where we were the only guests and the owners killed the duck for the meat eaters' dinner in front of them! Unfortunately in the evening the rain obscured our views but at breakfast we could see that it may just have been worth the walk as we were the only civilisation you could see, and in front of us sprawled incredible mountain/valley/river scenery, the scenery we were soon to be trekking through.
Day two was the day I dreaded the most...seven hours of trekking, mainly uphill, and no 'fun' activities to break it up. We set off relatively early in glorious sunshine which was ideal as it gave me the little boost of positivity I needed. The whole day was brilliant! I was towards the front of the group for most of the time and although at times it was a struggle, I managed to keep going and actually really enjoyed myself. Part of the walk was on original Inca trail which was unbelievable - such amazing scenery and a feeling of association with this rich cultural heritage, and apart from anything else it was exciting as the path was not the widest and the drop not the shallowest! Climbing up and down the path with mountains as far as you could see amongst a group of great people was a pretty brilliant experience though, so much better than anticipated! The afternoon's walking was along a river or two which was mainly uneventful apart from a few climbs over mudslides and one particularly hairy moment where we had to cross a raging river on trees that our guides had just cut down with machetes and 'secured' over the rapids! How none of us fell in I will never know...I for one was clinging on for dear life! The final stop on day 2 was a hot springs and this was the perfect conclusion to our day's activities - a soak in wonderfully warm water was lovely and soothing for feet that definitely didn't like being battered in trekking shoes and muscles that have probably never worked so hard!
Day three then was the one I was most looking forward to (minus Machu Picchu itself of course) because it included zip lining. I'd never tried this before but was very excited to give it a go...mainly because it wasn't walking uphill for once! I'd forgotten though that we would have to get up to the first one somehow and so that involved some serious uphilling, but I didn't mind so much because I knew what was coming and I was at the back with Grace anyway (one of my newfound besties) who was struggling with a chest infection. Zip lining wasn't as fast as I had hoped for but it was a lot of fun and had the unexpected bonus of beautiful views from the lines. There were two out of four lines where you could let go of the line and dangle down and they were definitely my favourite as you ended up going the fastest and felt the most adrenaline - brilliant :)
Our walking that afternoon was fine. It wasn't challenging because we were walking along train tracks so it was all flat but it was a bit boring and drizzling so we were all a little miserable. Had a lovely chat with one of the lads though which passed the time admirably and cheered me up no end! It was a little demoralising also as where we were waling we could see the mountain that Machu Picchu wis hidden behind, ie the mountain we would be climbing the next day, and it was very big and threatening, or at least as threatening as an inanimate natural object can be. We got to our destination, Aguas Calientes, for the night and everybody went pretty much straight to bed, anticipating a long and arduous day the next day, starting at 4am. There were two options for getting to Machu Picchu; the first was a cozy bus that drove you right to the top and the second was a climb up 2000 stairs over which you climbed over 1000 feet. As tempting as the bus option was I decided (in a moment of pure insanity) that seeing as I had surprised myself by my ability to keep up thus far I might as well give the steps a go. Well my goodness me, it was honestly the hardest physical thing I have ever done. It was pitch dark when we started and the steps were not gentle - for the majority of them I had to raise my knee to almost 90 degrees, and for some you had to actually climb hoisting yourself up with your hands as well. I started off with the boys but after about 2 sets of stairs was almost vomitting with the exertion and was really finding it hard to breathe so I sent them ahead so that I could tackle it at my own pace. And tackle it I did. It was horrible and by the end I was a mess, well by three minutes in I was a mess, but I got there and I did it in quite a good time. Our guide had said to leave one and a half hours for the climb but I made it to the top in under fifty minutes which I was absolutely thrilled about! Of course some of our lads did it in thirty five, but that is just silly so I'm not worried about that at all. The buzz it gave me, to know that I had achieved that, completely dispelled my tiredness and I was on an endorphin high for most of our time at Machu Picchu - ideal considering the fact that everyone else was shattered from the exertion and early start.
The benefit of being with these super fit lads was that they were right at the front of the queue so we were the first people in and got to see Machu Picchu at its most atmospheric - empty of people and hazy with sunrise light; it was one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen and literally took my breath away (or that might have been the 2000 steps). It is an incredible place; a mix of natural splendour with the mountains all around and historical/cultural/spiritual wonder with the buildings and terraces abandoned by the Incas to preserve the secret of this sacred sight from the Spanish invaders. We had an excellent tour by Kenny where he explained so much about the history of the place and the Inca people and where he showed us some of their most amazing and mind boggling achievements, such as a Sun temple where on the two equinoxes of the year at a certain time the sun shines through a certain window onto a certain point, and this has been happening for centuries like clockwork - fascinating! The atmosphere was so mystical for me and so laden with a past that was almost palpable, even once it got a bit later and the tourists began to swarm.
We had paid a bit extra to climb up to Machu Picchu mountain, which apparently has superb views over the whole site. However, everyone (including the fit lads) was exhausted and had shaky legs syndrome so we decided to leave that. Instead I suggested a walk up to the Sun Gate, the original entrance to the site from the Inca trail, which as really the only part of the Inca trail I was sad to miss. Not everyone came but a group of us went and I am so glad I was one of them. I purposefully didn't turn around for the whole walk until we got to the gate and when I finally looked the view was so spectacular. There was the amazing sight of Machu Picchu bathed in sunlight, towered over by Huayna Picchu, the sacred mountain where Incas used to carry out important rituals and sacrifices, surrounded by lush green forested mountains, with snowcapped peaks in the distance - one of those mental pictures that you know you will never forget, and which makes you realise what an incredibly lucky girl you are.
The walk back down was difficult - my knees were in agony and every time I placed a foot down my whole leg shook as if I was Bambi. I got there though, and having completed all of that exertion made me feel very proud of myself. I was happy that it was over however, and getting onto a train to go back to Cusco, civilisation and no more walking was a very welcome prospect! The only trouble is I have got a bit of a taste for it now and so tonight am catching a bus to Arequipa with one of the lads to do the Colca Canyon trek for a few days. I am looking forward to it but also a tad nervous as several people now have told me that it is harder than Machu Picchu...will report back when I return! Well not return, continue, as after Arequipa it's to an oasis in Huacachina for some sand boarding and then to Mancora for a week or so on the beach before Lima for a couple of days and then my flight to Uganda! Can't believe my time in South America is coming to an end...thank goodness I have Africa to look forward to :)
That's all for now folks, lots of love as always,
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Cusco has been similar to La Paz in some ways but I have enjoyed it so much more. The 'party hostels' I have been staying in have been a lot of fun, and I have done a lot of laughing, dancing and generally enjoying myself. However unlike La Paz I have been a lot more successful at doing things other than nighttime activities here, mainly because Cusco is just a much nicer city in my opinion. There are quite a few squares surrounded by beautiful buildings and dotted with benches and trees which make for a lovely atmosphere. The main plaza in particular is stunning and such a nice place to spend a bit of down time. It has a gorgeous cathedral on one side of it, a lovely church on another, countless restaurants and cafes, a statue in the middle and is back-dropped by soaring mountain scenery. I had a lovely day on Sunday there actually; although it is amazing to be travelling with a group, I am used to being alone for most of my time so I was starting to find the dynamic a tad suffocating and thus decided it was time for a little break. I took my book and walked down and chose a restaurant where I could sit on a balcony overlooking the plaza in the sunshine, and I treated myself to a delicious soup (soup is huge here), an avocado sandwich (avocado is even huger) and a freshly squeezed orange juice. I sat there for over an hour, just enjoying my lunch, reading my book and watching the world go by...blissful! After that I felt a lot more prepared to go back to the group at the bar at the hostel for more social butterflying.
Yesterday I escaped the hostel again (it's hard to leave when all your friends are there, they sell decent food, have a movie room and your bed is calling) to go to a chocolate factory and museum. The museum was disappointing - not much information or many things to look at, although there were some interesting pictures of the 'discovery' of Machu Picchu that showed what it looked like before being restored to what it is now. The chocolate factory on the other hand was amazing! There was lots of information all about chocolate and its significance to different cultures as well as several rooms where you could watch them making chocolate bars/truffles from scratch and also try a little bit. It was mouth watering to see and smell the chocolate go from these bitter little beans to smooth and creamy (and extraordinarily unhealthy) chocolate bars, and of course, we ended up sampling the products at extra cost! I had a Mayan hot chocolate where they brought a dish of liquid chocolate, hot milk, chilli flakes and honey and you could choose how you wanted to mix it all up. It was one of the most yummy things I have ever had and I will be attempting to recreate it when I finally return to the UK!
The first day was probably the worst. The morning was spent biking and while it was not physically challenging at all (all downhill) it started to chuck it down after about twenty minutes, resulting in us all being soaked and frozen and my contact lenses literally swimming about in my eyes so I was struggling to see where the road was going, let alone any potholes or rivers we had to cross. Somewhat dangerous considering the fact that it was a road very much in use and with some pretty severe drops down to the bottom. Luckily a kind Australian man stopped and cycled with me for a while pointing out hazards and turns in the road but at the next possible stop I gave up and got in to the van...0% enjoyment and 100% danger factor was enough for me, even though it led to a lot of comments and jokes aimed my way! After a soggy lunch Kenny dropped the next bombshell - to get to our hostel we had to walk for what he said would be twenty minutes uphill through the jungle in the pouring rain. This was the first point however at which we realised that Kenny's time keeping abilities were at about the same level as the majority of his fellow country men, and that twenty minutes meant more like forty five, and uphill meant practically flippin' vertical! Well, I exaggerate (slightly) but it was very hard work, and caused me to panic about what lay ahead. I was determined not to embarrass myself though and so I powered through and managed to keep up, even if the phrase 'Darth Vader' did get thrown about. The hostel was cute, more like a family home really where we were the only guests and the owners killed the duck for the meat eaters' dinner in front of them! Unfortunately in the evening the rain obscured our views but at breakfast we could see that it may just have been worth the walk as we were the only civilisation you could see, and in front of us sprawled incredible mountain/valley/river scenery, the scenery we were soon to be trekking through.
Day two was the day I dreaded the most...seven hours of trekking, mainly uphill, and no 'fun' activities to break it up. We set off relatively early in glorious sunshine which was ideal as it gave me the little boost of positivity I needed. The whole day was brilliant! I was towards the front of the group for most of the time and although at times it was a struggle, I managed to keep going and actually really enjoyed myself. Part of the walk was on original Inca trail which was unbelievable - such amazing scenery and a feeling of association with this rich cultural heritage, and apart from anything else it was exciting as the path was not the widest and the drop not the shallowest! Climbing up and down the path with mountains as far as you could see amongst a group of great people was a pretty brilliant experience though, so much better than anticipated! The afternoon's walking was along a river or two which was mainly uneventful apart from a few climbs over mudslides and one particularly hairy moment where we had to cross a raging river on trees that our guides had just cut down with machetes and 'secured' over the rapids! How none of us fell in I will never know...I for one was clinging on for dear life! The final stop on day 2 was a hot springs and this was the perfect conclusion to our day's activities - a soak in wonderfully warm water was lovely and soothing for feet that definitely didn't like being battered in trekking shoes and muscles that have probably never worked so hard!
Day three then was the one I was most looking forward to (minus Machu Picchu itself of course) because it included zip lining. I'd never tried this before but was very excited to give it a go...mainly because it wasn't walking uphill for once! I'd forgotten though that we would have to get up to the first one somehow and so that involved some serious uphilling, but I didn't mind so much because I knew what was coming and I was at the back with Grace anyway (one of my newfound besties) who was struggling with a chest infection. Zip lining wasn't as fast as I had hoped for but it was a lot of fun and had the unexpected bonus of beautiful views from the lines. There were two out of four lines where you could let go of the line and dangle down and they were definitely my favourite as you ended up going the fastest and felt the most adrenaline - brilliant :)
Our walking that afternoon was fine. It wasn't challenging because we were walking along train tracks so it was all flat but it was a bit boring and drizzling so we were all a little miserable. Had a lovely chat with one of the lads though which passed the time admirably and cheered me up no end! It was a little demoralising also as where we were waling we could see the mountain that Machu Picchu wis hidden behind, ie the mountain we would be climbing the next day, and it was very big and threatening, or at least as threatening as an inanimate natural object can be. We got to our destination, Aguas Calientes, for the night and everybody went pretty much straight to bed, anticipating a long and arduous day the next day, starting at 4am. There were two options for getting to Machu Picchu; the first was a cozy bus that drove you right to the top and the second was a climb up 2000 stairs over which you climbed over 1000 feet. As tempting as the bus option was I decided (in a moment of pure insanity) that seeing as I had surprised myself by my ability to keep up thus far I might as well give the steps a go. Well my goodness me, it was honestly the hardest physical thing I have ever done. It was pitch dark when we started and the steps were not gentle - for the majority of them I had to raise my knee to almost 90 degrees, and for some you had to actually climb hoisting yourself up with your hands as well. I started off with the boys but after about 2 sets of stairs was almost vomitting with the exertion and was really finding it hard to breathe so I sent them ahead so that I could tackle it at my own pace. And tackle it I did. It was horrible and by the end I was a mess, well by three minutes in I was a mess, but I got there and I did it in quite a good time. Our guide had said to leave one and a half hours for the climb but I made it to the top in under fifty minutes which I was absolutely thrilled about! Of course some of our lads did it in thirty five, but that is just silly so I'm not worried about that at all. The buzz it gave me, to know that I had achieved that, completely dispelled my tiredness and I was on an endorphin high for most of our time at Machu Picchu - ideal considering the fact that everyone else was shattered from the exertion and early start.
The benefit of being with these super fit lads was that they were right at the front of the queue so we were the first people in and got to see Machu Picchu at its most atmospheric - empty of people and hazy with sunrise light; it was one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever seen and literally took my breath away (or that might have been the 2000 steps). It is an incredible place; a mix of natural splendour with the mountains all around and historical/cultural/spiritual wonder with the buildings and terraces abandoned by the Incas to preserve the secret of this sacred sight from the Spanish invaders. We had an excellent tour by Kenny where he explained so much about the history of the place and the Inca people and where he showed us some of their most amazing and mind boggling achievements, such as a Sun temple where on the two equinoxes of the year at a certain time the sun shines through a certain window onto a certain point, and this has been happening for centuries like clockwork - fascinating! The atmosphere was so mystical for me and so laden with a past that was almost palpable, even once it got a bit later and the tourists began to swarm.
We had paid a bit extra to climb up to Machu Picchu mountain, which apparently has superb views over the whole site. However, everyone (including the fit lads) was exhausted and had shaky legs syndrome so we decided to leave that. Instead I suggested a walk up to the Sun Gate, the original entrance to the site from the Inca trail, which as really the only part of the Inca trail I was sad to miss. Not everyone came but a group of us went and I am so glad I was one of them. I purposefully didn't turn around for the whole walk until we got to the gate and when I finally looked the view was so spectacular. There was the amazing sight of Machu Picchu bathed in sunlight, towered over by Huayna Picchu, the sacred mountain where Incas used to carry out important rituals and sacrifices, surrounded by lush green forested mountains, with snowcapped peaks in the distance - one of those mental pictures that you know you will never forget, and which makes you realise what an incredibly lucky girl you are.
The walk back down was difficult - my knees were in agony and every time I placed a foot down my whole leg shook as if I was Bambi. I got there though, and having completed all of that exertion made me feel very proud of myself. I was happy that it was over however, and getting onto a train to go back to Cusco, civilisation and no more walking was a very welcome prospect! The only trouble is I have got a bit of a taste for it now and so tonight am catching a bus to Arequipa with one of the lads to do the Colca Canyon trek for a few days. I am looking forward to it but also a tad nervous as several people now have told me that it is harder than Machu Picchu...will report back when I return! Well not return, continue, as after Arequipa it's to an oasis in Huacachina for some sand boarding and then to Mancora for a week or so on the beach before Lima for a couple of days and then my flight to Uganda! Can't believe my time in South America is coming to an end...thank goodness I have Africa to look forward to :)
That's all for now folks, lots of love as always,
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