Albergue Kapuly Ollantaytambo

... well-rested day-trippers who were also on the bus! <br><br>After meeting us with everyone in Aguas Caliente and having a quick lunch, we headed to the train station for our train back to Ollantaytambo. I wouldn&#8217;t have given you a description of our train journey, but it was the most interesting and strangest train journey we&#8217;ve ever had! First off we were given a snack (very nice) and then some music started and we were given a fashion show by the stewards ...

... and trout and a local drink made from barley. The Sacred Valley is a prime agriculture site where they grow barley (for Cusquena beer!) and many varieties of corn and potatoes. In Pisaq they also have a large handicrafts market where Dave and I bought some presents for family (you&#8217;ll have to wait to find out!)&#8230;.<br><br>From Pisaq we visited a local cuy (guinea pig) breeder, who breeds them for eating. Cuy is a local delicacy. We picked up a couple of guinea pigs to ...

... wir brauchten nicht einmal eine, weshalb wir bis 6 uhr warten mussten, bis die tore aufgingen. doch es lohnte sich so früh oben zu sein denn nur 400 personen bekommen täglich die möglichkeit auch noch den wyana picchu (neuer berg) zu besteigen, von welchem man eine super aussicht auf den machu picchu hat. <br><br>die ersten zwei stunden auf dem machu picchu hatten wir eine tour mit einem guide, der, so schien es, alles auswendig gelernt hat. denn ...

... mainly a religious and astronomical site. From Runkuracay, we also had a clear view of Dead Woman´s Pass; from that angle, we were able to see the profile of a woman in the rocks that gives the pass its name. Continuing our ascent, we climbed past Runkuracay for another hour or so of steady uphill hiking to reach the first pass of the day. On the way, the trail was flanked by a couple of placid lagoons. After enjoying yet another magnificent panorama at the pass for awhile, we began to ...

... tea and popcorn... beautiful! By now it was about 6pm, so we stayed in the tent waiting for dinner - it was too cold to go outside and most of us were layered up in as many clothes as we could get on (we were still at an altitude of 3900m!). Henry started to teach us a card game, oohh an authentic peruvian game we thought, until we realised it was actually the old travellers classic, '********'! Glad to see these card games are worldwide! Dinner again was delicious ...

... ruins were spectacular, they did not look like they had been vacated for hundreds of years, some of them appeared only need a little repair work (such as having a roof) and they would then be habitable. We wandered around fountains that had been channelled through hard rocks creating bathing areas, obviously there was a level of etiquette in Inca times as there were separate areas for men and women, these areas were clearly marked with symbolic rock shapes, for women there ...

I survived the inca trek and I have a certificate to prove it! LOL! We did it!<br><br>Well, it was the most amazing experience, one of the best things I have ever done, and also one of the most challenging, both mentally and physically... I kept thinking I couldnt do it, and then I would make it... was exhausting too though, partly because of the altitude but also the uphill trekking and the pace!<br> <br>We were collected by Peru Treks at 5.30am on weds morning... got the bus ...

... Gebiet hinein. Die Vegetation war ähnlich wie bei uns im Unt**land, eigentlich komisch da wir uns b**eits auf ca. 2500 Met**n Höhe befanden. <br><br>Für mich war d** **ste, dreistündige Teil bis zum Rastplatz am Mittag eh** ein Spazi**gang. Leid** nicht für alle meine Gruppenmitglied**. Ob gut traini**t od** nicht, spielt in dies** Höhenlage keine Rolle. Lex, Anouk und ich waren gut aklimatisi**t, dank dem zweiwöchigen Aufenthalt in Cusco ...

... and every angle. <br><br> Once our check-in was completed, off we went exploring our beautiful room, the retreat itself, the lounge, the restaurant, the grounds, the vistas, everything and everywhere. It was absolutely beautiful. Here I was, breathing and walking on the grounds in the Sacred Valley! Wow! After so many months of preparation for this trip and ...