Chat on WhatsAppI was so nervous at the beginning of this journey, having been to Machu Picchu before by train and bus and being exhausted just from climbing Machu Picchu itself.
I knew it was going to be so physically tough for me. I tried to train and prepare myself a bit but knew I was totally still in for a HUGE, physically demanding 4 days.
Day 1 started well. Everyone was so nice and the walking on day one was great - hard but good. When we got to our lunch tent, I was so impressed with how beautifully everything was presented and how good the food was. The food throughout was spectacularly cooked, traditional Peruvian goodness.
Day 2. I don't even have words how incredibly difficult this day was. Hours and hours and hours of stairs going up and up and up - all the way up to 4200 meters above sea level. I wanted to give up and for someone to come and rescue me so many times but my amazing guide Jorge, wow he just got me through it - distracting me from the pain by chatting and telling me many stories about the people and culture in these beautiful Andes mountains.
Day 3, while still pretty tough, was wonderful. Yes, we got drenched in the rain but the scenery was just spectacular. This night we shared some time with the porters and the little family we'd built through the days. We knew that everything was coming to and end after a 3am start.
Morning 4. A crazy quick rush down in the dark and then after a stunning 3 hours hiking, with a constant view of the prize we'd been so hard working for, we arrived. No words here - just very happy tears and a huge feeling of self pride.
Thank you so much Jorge. I'm so happy to have met you. I couldn't have done it without you. Also thank you to Santiago and our wonderful cook and porters.
Best experience ever!!!!
