Jan 1st and 2nd: Schadenfreude/Sucks to be you!

We head back up to Machu Picchu at 5am after some crazy drama where I leave my ipad in the hostel and run all the way through town (I didn't know I could walk properly) to get it back before the bus leaves!

It's a beautiful day... For those that love schadenfreude aka taking pleasure in other people's misfortune. You can't see anything as the clouds/mist cover EVERYTHING and it's raining to boot. We get the guided tour of the various ruins and reach the bottom where we join up with the other tour groups we'd been chatting to the past few days... They are so upset their trek ends in disappointment so we exchange empty condolences while secretly high-giving each other at our decision to push on. Bernadine 1 - unlucky sods 0.

We get an awesome train back to cusco and move into a new hotel... Nadine's choices of hotels works out amazing and we end up in a really cool place with nice bars called San Blas just behind the main square... The next day, the weather's great so we walk around until we find a really quaint little place run by a German guy who seems to be loving life in cusco. I'm inspired and think I'd like to do something like this until I remember the steak and wine are better in Argentina so will reserve judgement til later! Had my first beer in.. Oh wait one day but that was a post trek celebratory one so it doesn't count :p they have some really nice craft beers from Peru and they went down a treat.

Dec 31st: Walking on sunshine...

Legs still aching but getting better as the trek is less steep (except in points) and really enjoying myself again after keeping my head down for most of day 2. The weather is beautiful and it's amazing when you can see how far up and down or around a mountain you're going.

We reach the stopping point for the day around 1ish but decide that it's such a beautiful day that we should continue on and finish the four day trek a whole day early to give us a chance to see Machu Picchu twice and have great weather and snaps. The final steps up to the sun gate are taxing but we're rewarded with a perfect day and incredible views. By this point Nadine has to think about every step downwards and while we're walking through the ruins we see groups looking at us funny before their guides tell them we're "inca trail survivors" :)

So glad to get down into the town and book ourselves into a hostel for the night - ironically for a town called Aguas Calientes (hot waters) the hostel has no hot water. Who cares, first shower in ages and it feels great despite Nadine complaining that I make stupid noises throughout whenever the water touches me.

An hour to chill then it's New Year's Eve pisco time!! Lots of piscos later (including one straight which I do not recommend for the faint of heart or to anyone whoever says no to shots with me) and a heartfelt goodbye to our porters (who somehow bake a cake using camping gear) and it's time to celebrate the new year! In bed, sleeping :p

Dec 30th: What's my age again?...

Day two of the trek. The hardest day. The longest day. Judgement day. (I love terminator 2) all I can say is thank you Infected Mushroom, Justice, Deadmau5, Glitch Mob,  Plump DJs for getting me through.

Actually wasn't too bad towards the end - using a slower pace I think my muscles were stretching out but about halfway there are some ridiculously steep sections that were pure pain. I just thank my lucky stars Nadine brings up the rear so has to chat to the guide the whole way while I walk on my own a little ahead of her and a lot behind the Swiss girl.

We make it and celebrate with some rum we bought on the way up! Hurrah. Much colder up here but I decide I'm hard so sleep in a sheet and boxers. Feels great until 1am when I need the bathroom and it's freezing outside! Anyway, who cares day three is easy it's almost all downhill from here!

Dec 29th: I would walk 500 miles...

The morning is hectic - we meet our guide and our companion and begin our way to the start of the Inca trail. Once we get there, buy a cap, get the poles, meet the porters we begin! It is so amazing.. Surrounded by mountains, greenery everywhere, beautiful sunshine. It's amazing and I'm in high spirits - the trek is easy and it's smiles all around. Looking forward to the next four days!

Until about 4pm when both of my legs above the knee are cramped up and every step is painful. Important lesson: do not walk with some fit and healthy 23 year old Swiss girl who is used to running in the mountains and skiing all at comparable altitudes. Nadine makes a joke about getting someone to carry her up for $100. I pray she isn't joking... Stopped at a weigh station for the porters - I think it would cost me significantly more..

Anyway, finally made it to the camp and so glad. The food is amazing and so are the stars, the tent, not walking..... Everything! We have an early night and I try doing some stretches to sort my legs out.

Hakuna Matata

December 31st, January 1st, Aguas Calientes Peru

Jhonathan took the 3 of us to a hostel and we were so excited to shower. Unfortunately for a town called Aguas Calientes, there was no hot water and so 2 degree temperatures had to do. We had our last meal and thanked our wonderful porters (I almost cried) who are just some of the happiest, jolliest, hard working people I've ever met.

And then we drank. Pisco sours and more and more, chatting laughing and enjoying each other's stories. Great way to bring in the new year, except of course we were in bed by 10:30, beyond exhausted.

The next morning we were up at 5 am once again (6th day in a row) to go up to Machu Picchu and have Jhonathan explain the history and take us around. And what do you know, surrounded by mist! It was gorgeous, looked so mysterious. We were thrilled we got there yesterday and took all our pictures and saw the view from the Sun Gate which is the best part of the trail. We saw people we had chatted with on our trail who got there today and they were so disappointed to not be able to see anything clearly.

The history is fascinating, contact me if there's anything you want to know about Machu Picchu or the Inkas, I am now a pro! We said goodbye to Jhonathan (I almost cried) and wandered around till our train back to Cusco.

We also had to part ways with our Swiss friend and I felt so sad to see her go. She was great fun and I can't wait to catch up on her life when I'm back in England. We then took a super posh fancy train back to Ollayantaytambo, it had windows on the roof so we could look at the beautiful mountains all the way back. We then took a bus back to Cusco, and then picked up our bags and moved to the second hotel called Amaru. I finally had a hot shower and washed my hair with conditioner!

We did it. Neither of us can walk, especially me, I have to hold on to the wall for dear life to get down one step. I look ridiculous. Never in my life have I been so thankful for flat ground. If I never see steps or steep mountain slopes in front of me, it won't be soon enough!

What an amazing start to 2014!

Some interesting trivia: the Inkas could do the entire trail + the 4 hour bus journey in 3 hours. In 2010, the Peruvian government had a competition to see the fastest the trail could be done, starting from km 82 (where we started). The winner's time was around 4 hours. Jhonathan has done the entire trail in 4.5 hours. We took 3 days.

Looking out at Machu Picchu wearing our special tshirts from Iti

'Quit your job, buy a ticket, get a tan, fall in love, never return.'

Hike or die

December 31st, somewhere high high up in the mountains

We began day 3 of the trail. Today was much easier than yesterday, however the steep steps down caught up with us, and walking began to hurt! We were supposed to walk half a day and then camp, only going to Machu Picchu on January 1st. However, we made good time and Jhonathan suggested continuing on to see Machu Picchu that afternoon itself, and staying in a hostel in the town of Aquas Calientes. We could celebrate NYE with some pisco sours and then visit Machu Picchu again on the 1st.

We readily agreed, seeing Machu Picchu twice? No question there. Additionally, because of the mist, there was a chance that we'd reach the Sun Gate on the 1st and not see a thing. Since today was lovely weather, we'd definitely get a good view.

So we continued on. Lots of up and down until the final climb to the sun gate. Once I finally made it to the top, I was in awe. There are certain scenes that take your breath away, and after literally not having any breath left in me, looking out over Machu Picchu was just one of the best things I've seen.
Sitting at the Sun Gate looking at this most magnificent piece of history, I thought to myself, I would never believe that I would ever spend my New Year's Eve looking out at the Lost City.

Many pictures later, we walked downhill for another hour and a half before finally reaching the site. I looked at the tourists there with their fancy cameras and clothes and make up and thought, you don't know the half of it. I completed the Inka trail to get here, and that means so much more.

We passed an American family and they were wearing "Hike or die" tshirts that inspired the post title.

Don't look up

December 30th, somewhere high up in the mountains

Dreaded day 2 began at 5 am. Our Swiss mountain goat mate disappeared way ahead of us within the first ten minutes. Bernie and I slowly began the first two hours of the uphill climb until the rest stop. We made it in an hour and a half, and were feeling pretty darn proud of ourselves. At that rest stop was the last village and signs of humanity until the end of the trail. The previous night, the 3 of us and Jonathan talked about buying some alcohol if possible. So we bought a bottle of rum to celebrate if and when we made it to camp 2. Of course we made Jhonathan carry it because our 2 kg backpacks felt like 20 kgs.

Thus began the second leg of the two hour climb to the highest point of the trek. Once again we started off okay, until we weren't okay. The slope began to get steeper and steeper and we finally reached a curve in the mountain where we realised what we thought was the top of the mountain wasn't. It was much much higher and the slope looked like a vertical climb. At this point, I had to stop to catch my breath every 5 steps. Jhonathan walked close behind me and Bernie encouraging us as we slowly made our way up, as the porters with their 28 kg bags ran by us.

The last 15 minutes of the climb was ridiculous. I had to stop every 2 steps. I literally couldn't walk or breathe or see or think or anything. At this point I offered Jhonathan and random porters $100 to carry me the last ten minutes. They declined. Inch by inch we continued on. I saw Bernie reach the top and I genuinely didn't know if I could make the last 20 steps.

I finally did after stopping every 1 step, and when I reach the pass, I collapsed in agony and happiness. We were so high up, that all of a sudden there was a hail storm and we had to rush to put on our jackets and ponchos and gloves etc. Like I said, the weather and scenery changes by the minute, from tshirt and shorts to gloves and scarves!

After a couple of pictures, we began walking down the mountain. Those crazy Inkas, they could've found a way around the mountains, but no, up one and then down and up another! If I have painted a vivid enough picture of how steep the climb up was, you can imagine how steep it was going down. Luckily we rented trekking sticks and that's the reason why we survived.

At the bottom of the mountain, we stopped for lunch and began the next two hours of uphill climb. At this point, I began enjoying the walking and even the difficulty of it all. And the views, spectacular. No words. At the top of the second pass, after seeing some interesting Inka sites, we began the last bit of downhill. Once again extremely steep and hard, but we played 20 questions and it was much more fun than concentrating on not falling of the cliffs and dying, as the porters ran by us.

That night at the camp, Jhonathan made us "Te Machu"... Rum tea to celebrate us surviving the hardest day. Honestly, I was so tired I didn't even want the rum. Me!

But we survived and chilling at the camp surrounded by very mystical mist, I thought to myself, I'm on the Inka trail in Peru. Who would've thunk it?

One of my many breaks