Good morning Bolivia!

Right after coming back from my Inca Trail mission I jumped on the night-bus to Copacapana - a cute town at Lake Titicaca. There I have spent a nice day with an even nicer couple from Switzerland (Alexandra and Leo). Even though I was lacking energy as I struggled to sleep on the bus we managed to walk up Calvario Mountain to see the sunset - very romantic. I really wished I could have shared this experience with James...

The next day we went to Isla del Sol for a lovely hike from the north of the island down to the south. Unfortunately Alexandra and Leo wanted to go back to Copacapana in the afternoon and so I was on my own again as I had decided to spend the night on the island. But that did not last for long as I then met a nice couple from South Africa with whom I enjoyed the sunset by sharing a bottle of red wine. So far I have really been lucky with the people that I have met!  :-)

Now I am in La Paz and I will sort out my next steps. As I really like the jungle I consider going to the Bolivian one and I also want to do another trek - hopefully in the sunshine this time ;-)  ... Stay tuned  :-)

The hard way to Machu Picchu!

That was the toughest trek I have ever done in my whole life! Not that the Inca Trail itself was so demanding, it was because of the circumstances... I was told to be prepared for hot weather during the day and therefore I brought lots of suncream, a sunhat, sunglasses and shorts. But I did not expect to end up hiking in endless rain and even snow and hail!

The first day was an easy hike with just a little bit of rain. I was highly impressed by our porters who carried everything that we needed on the 4 days trek on their back, which means kitchen tent, our tents, cooking equipment, food, chairs, table and even some of our stuff. They prepared our food (which really was delicious) and when we started walking, they packed everything and started running all the way in just sandals, overtaking us and when we got to the next campsite everything was already set up. (hmmm, I wonder whether the Coca leaves did the trick?!)

On the second day we walked up the pass to 4200m. First I was all optimistic as the rain had stopped, but as soon as we got closer to the pass it started again and was heavier than ever. On the pass we even had to fight with snow, hail and sort of a blizzard. I was soaked from top to toe! I can tell you I really did not enjoy this. Some actually turned around as they could not handle the weather. That would not have been an option for me and therefore I just walked and walked and tried to reach the next campsite as quickly as possible. I ended up needing 4,5 hours even though it is said that the second day takes 7 hours. I have to say I am a little bit proud...

Unfortunately the rain did not stop at all. So we ended up drinking hot chocolate and playing 'Shithead' all evening long in the tent (yes, I am now on a mission to spread 'Shithead' all over the world ;-). In an attempt to dry our shoes we held it over the open propane fire that the porters use to cook our food. I was not really successful and rather burned some bits of my shoes instead of drying them. Hmmm...

(Please pay special attention to my shoes... ;-)

(My small and nice group - thanks for the fun guys!)

(Our porters - still smiling regardless the terrible weather)

On that night we decided that we will combine day 3 and day 4 and will walk all 22 km in one go to reach Machu Picchu in the afternoon of the third day and then go down to Aqua Calientes (village close to Machu Picchu) in order to get dry again. Even though it was a though and long hike and my knees were hurting by the end of the day it was the best decision ever to do the whole way in one go!

My first view of Machu Picchu:

But it got better and better:

On the forth and last day we got the big reward as Machu Picchu was waiting for us in the sunshine. WOW!

God knows how, but because of the amazing view I somehow got so much energy that I walked up the mountain behind the ruins (Wayna Picchu) and also walked up half way Machu Picchu Mountain.

Looking back at this adventure I have a big smile on my face as I somehow feel like an Inca on a mission to reach Machu Picchu - no matter what... and I succeded! :-)

Monkeys, Tarantulas, Jaguar & Shithead :-)

I am far behind... so just a quick update on the last few weeks...

I was deep in the jungle (Manu National Park) for 8 days from 22.-29.08. Being back to civilization I realize how nice it is to not bath in Deet every morning and still get over 100 sunfly and moscito bites. I am not joking - I used 50% Deet several times a day and still got eaten alive!

The tour into the Reserved Zone of a primary rainforst was an unforgetable experience. Even though it took us ages to go there and I have spent countless hours in bus and boat I got a big reward by seeing lots of wildlife.

Some memorable moments:
- Leaves falling on my head because monkeys playing up in the trees right on top of me
- Being close to a massive tarantula
- Sharing my room with a big hairy spider and not minding it (think I got used to insects by now)
- Getting introduced to a fun card game called 'Shithead' (thanks again guys - really love it)
- ... and seeing a jaguar!

Local community:

Nightwalks:

And here a quick quiz - have a guess what this is...  ;-)

Sacred Valley and Sexy Woman

Another great day out to hike around Incan ruins in Pisac, which is a town in the "Sacred Valley" close to Cusco.

Even though I actually did not want to buy anything in the beginning of my trip I could not resist to buy a colorful scarf and a little handbag. I justified my first purchase with the cold temperatures here at night, but could not find any excuses for my second purchase apart from the fact that a woman can never have enough handbags! ;-)

On my last day together with Camilla and Soren we went to a place on a hill close to Cusco that it impossible to pronounce: Saqsaywaman. Therefore everyone says "sexy woman"... It is a walled complex near the old city of Cusco. Even though it is supposed to be very impressive, we decided that we had seen enough ruins and rather enjoyed the amazing view over Cusco and watched the locals flying their kites.

Finally, here is one for my friends in Munich :-) Thanks again for the lovely shirt! It reminds me of my Munich "Heimat" - even as there is a Maracuja Sour and not an Aperol Sour in my hand...  :-)

Sun, Incan Ruins and Guinea Pig

Sorry! Long time no update, but I did not have a chance to spend time in front of a computer. The lovely couple from Denmark (Camilla and Soren) kept me busy with great hikes around Cusco and afterwards I was in the jungle for 8 days and only came back to Cusco today.

Ok, lets go back to 19th August...

Camilla, Soren and I went to a day trip to amazing Incan ruins in Tipon. I was highly impressed by the water system they had in place at that time. But see for yourself...

Some signs were a bit confusing though  ;-)

Nevertheless, the real highlight of the trip was our dinner afterwards: Cuy al horno (roasted guinea pig). Even though this is already the second time I had it (first time in Ecuador some years ago - Patty you might remember :-) I do not think I can ever get hooked on it. Firstly it is weird to have a whole little pig on your plate, secondly the taste is only ok-ish (according to my taste buds at least) and lastly there is not really much meat on it.

Here is a little photo story of a cute little guinea pig called "Freddy" (sorry, no happy end though...).

Yammy...  ;-)