La Pequena Casita Aguas Calientes

... up to nice clear weather at 5am, had a quick (but delicious) breakfast and started the hike. For today’s hike our two guides would walk with us as a group for the first hour and then let us take our own speed while they stuck at the back helping the slowest people in our group and we would meet at the campsite for a late lunch. At one of the rest points along the way we came across a few fields (as well as a squat toilet) and some llamas who were ...

... free. The pools were by no way hot enough for us, we had been spoilt by our visit to Banos in Ecuador but it was still nice to soak. I was pleasantly surprised when they started to play in the background Pink Floyds "the Dark side of the Moon" which seemed to be very apt since it was the very first music album I had ever bought as a youth and it drew me back to my schooldays, and they followed that with “Wish you were here”. I couldn’t have been more ...

... is exactly what we got, returning all too soon to a mosquito-infested campsite, which did, however feature a vibrant little monkey and a nosy macaw that ate up all our table scraps. We went right to bed after watching local children dance "traditional folkloric" dances, which consisted of lots of hopping and arm-flapping. The tall lanky Frenchman joined in, which was a funny sight to say the least.<br>

... the extensively positive reviews of the food. Although I had high expectations, our cook Apu far exceeded them. I'm not sure how he managed to create such elaborately delicious meals after running from campsite to campsite with only the equipment and ingredients strapped to a few porters' backs. Every lunch and dinner started with a soup, and our lunches with an additional appetizer like sliced avocado drizzled with Russian dressing or a small slice of homemade pizza. For our main course ...

... stones up to build this place was a feat in itself. The Incas apparently never used the wheel in any practical manner, they didn't have strong draft animals so it must have been man power. There are 140 buildings many of which were made without the use of mortar to make them more earthquake resistant. The Incas were apparently some of the best stone masons the world has ever seen and on many of the buildings the stonework is that good that not even a blade of grass ...

... that we forget it is there. It's hard to believe that on the 22nd October 2009 these people would be switching on for the first time. Like many things on this trip this was another reminder of how different we all are and how great life is when you strip down all the materialism we are so sadly accustomed to.<br><br>We moved on from the village and headed towards the woodland, for a short while we followed the fringe of some woods, it was a strange environment ...

... took over and took part in the race. This mountain is not one for the fainthearted, and believe me "health and saftety" would have have had a field day if they hadnt fallen off the hill. Adrenaline kicked in as we held on precarious ropes, and our new Tshirts quickly became imitations of the wet ones in our back packs from earlier. Passing moves were difficult and some of us slightly perturbed by heights prayed for new pants. New ...

... flat then took on another meaning. We troop on and sweat out our body weight whilst trying to replenish it with warm water, suddenly the cleanliness we felt when we awoke feels a long way away. We march up to a shop (disguised as a shed in someones garden) and buy as much cold fanta as we can, make use of the toilet (squating down behind a bush is starting to wear a bit thin for everybody) and set off again.<br><br>We reach the hydroelectrica pit stop and take a few ...

... were invited to join in the fun and games. Now, I am neither a footballer or a fitness fanatic, so the combination of the two at altitude was pretty painful. I essentially roamed the centre midfield position as I didn´t have the energy to make it up the pitch for an attack or chase back for defense. As a result I refined my game to the very basics: if the ball came to me and I had drifted into my half I would welly it up ...

... climb as we spent 2 hours jarring our knees and hips on deep stones steps. When we reached camp at 4pm that afternoon all we could do was collapse exhausted but we still felt amazing!!!<br><br>We were told day 3 would be fairly flat, however the advice that greated us at breakfast that morning seemed to contradict this, "Day 3 will be your hardest day so far". Yeah, it was, whether is was the last two days catching up with us but this 12km day ...