Hostal El Santuario Aguas Calientes

... soup followed by main course (trout) and dessert. AFter lunch it was more 'Inca flat' ie slightly up and down to our first campsite, arrving about 4.00 - all tents set up, bags deposited and wash bowls ready. After afternoon tea of coca tea and popcorn we had a ´meet the porters´ session. Most of them were in their 30s and early 40s but have to admit they looked a lot older. We also introduced ourselves.....saying our name ...

... place to play tag or hide and go seek. They´re a maze of connecting rooms and walls and terraces. Many many times we came up against dead ends, and had to go back to find the way onwards. But even when we were trying to follow the path, we ended up in an archealogical dig. I don´t understand quite how we do it.
By about 4, we were ready to head back to the town. We decided to walk back, and were immmediately very glad we hadn´t ...

... amendments (the 6kg is strict and, well, we were a bit over meaning I had to carry the surplus) and made purchases for the next 4 days. I don`t need to tell you that Renee`s ankle and treks don`t normally cooperate, so she wisely purchased a long trekking pole - something most people in our group did.

The path on the first day was a dirt path, meandering along the valley. The Incans threw the stones paving the first section of the road down to the river below to ensure the ...

... when we got into the town of Abancay (pop around 30,000), situated in the mountains and with hilly mountains, the Buell started to act up again. It seems to ...

... avec la frontale et lespoir que ns ne ns tromperons pas de chemin
on croise qq pelos comme ns mais sans plus
la montee est rude, des centaines et des centaines descaliers et ns entendons ts les bus montes, et la on se dit qon y sera jms ( c vraiment dommage cette competition quils instaurent)
puis finalement ns y sommes et apres une heure et demi de marche ns enchainons a nveau sur 1h ...

... gate entrance in the east, past the actual mountain called Machu Picchu, the city of Machu Picchu itself and finally thesteep mountain called Wayna Picchu. Simply breathtaking. We knew that the following day we would have to get up at 3am in the morning to be there for sunrise and the view from Potocusi certainly provided enough of an incentive to make the early start almost a delight!

One final note is we left the summit of Potocusi quite late in the ...

... turistas italianos!!! Mas que bom que foi em Italiano ; ) !!!!!!)As entradas para as ruínas de Machu Picchu compramos ao custo de 31 euros no dia anterior! Nela devem ser registrados o nosso nome e numero de passaporte, que serão controladas duas vezes na entrada. Depois de tudo isto, entramos finalmente!!! As ruínas de Machu Picchu são tao incrivelmente fascinantes que somente de uma parte das montanhas, onde tínhamos uma vista perfeita das ruínas, ficamos duas horas ...

... bottom. We enjoyed the springs for several hours - it was bliss! Before we knew it, it was dark so we showered and took the bus to Santa Teresa where we spent our second night. The hostel here was… interesting! It was a box room with plastic sheets on the ceiling and cold stone floor and as it was a Saturday night we could hear the local disco until 4am.

This is a journey of new horizons.

I love going where I haven't been before. The experience invites me to see with new eyes, be open to new ideas, and inspires my curiosity. Our small group of 10 guests all shared an enthusiasm for nature, exercise, cultures, history and camaraderie. We represented a broad age range, from the 20's, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and also a couple who were ...

... and assured me that it wasn’t Machu Picchu. It didn’t matter, because all of a sudden I had a renewed sense of energy, and went storming ahead and started to overtake everyone in front. After following the main dirt road, I reached a more tropical area and went past little homesteads.

After being the first in my group to reach the hydroelectric station, I slowed down. Marcel and Daniela met up with me at the bridge just after the station ...