Soryapampa Lodge to Wayra Lodge (Day 5)

El gran día 

Today we cracked the Salkantay Pass, at 15,200 feet (4,600meters) today is the highest day of the trek. We said goodbye to the Soryapampa Lodge, which had been very kind to us, with a little bit of trepidation - not least the stories and pictures from the day before with the guide covered in snow. The weather prediction for us was cold, windy and possible snow. Off we set in a similar direction to the Humantay Lake, but instead of heading left we continued up the hill. 

Nicola soon starting flagging behind the rest of the group...... The prediction I had the day before about lungs and aerobic capacity was proven all too true. My legs felt strong, but I just couldn’t breathe or at least get enough breath in to pound it out. My mental strength was a bit challenged too..... Trek, trek, trek..... with Jon a wee way in front of me, Yarik checking in on me and the muleteer with a mule carrying the water and medical supplies and a spare horse. There was many a step when I asked myself (Nicola) why am I doing this, Shorty loves this kind of stuff and is fit and up for the challenge, but me, why...... So keep counting .... Uno.... Dos.... Uno.... Dos...... It then became count to 60 and then start again and see how many batches of 60 I could do before stopping. Manuel the muleteer was having a seriously easy day of it following me. But the trek was stunning, challenging and amazing - what we could see of it - but still here I was pushing myself to my limits and taking on the challenge. 

The previous days snow/rain was all snow above 12,000 feet, so the ground under foot was very wet and slippery. The trip over the pass was split into three steep uphill sections with two flat sections in the pampas. 

After the first up hill section Nicola decided it would be better and safer for her to do the remaining two section on the back of a horse, a very brave decision considering the terrain and to be honest the equipment (namely the saddle) - that was Shorty’s account of the situation.... Nicola’s account - I was made to get on the horse - I hate horses and am scared of the buggers!!!! But I listened to Jon (not a normal state of affairs) and got on that horse as in the weather conditions I was walking far too slowly and was making it difficult for Jon and the rest of the group.

At one point when I (Nicola) was flagging behind we were crossing the pampa covered in snow, there was a little building selling the usual gatorade, water etc..., so bizarre to see in what felt like the absolute middle of nowhere - we were shrouded in clouds and snow. At this point I (Nicola) was a little concerned as to where Jon was..... Yarik (the second guide) very helpfully told me he may well have become lost - at this point I was quite worried, but had committed to Jon to take the horse so take the horse I did. It was rather scary getting on the horses back and then trying not to worry about it slipping on stones/boulders or falling off the cliff..... Especially when the cliff side was sheer on one side or the other depending on the switch back. 

Unfortunately I (Jon) had to continue the trip up the mountain unaided, with only two guides one having to take care of the main group while the second had control of Nicola. 

It of course goes with out saying that our intrepid singleton (Jon) managed admirably, including choosing the right track by the freshness of the horse/mule shit on the ground - and there was a lot of it - he has pictures to compare the fresh and the not so fresh stuff - my hero :).  Nicola and Jon were reunited temporarily part way up the second steep section (Seven Serpents). 

Yarik then took over with Jon and took him the vertical short cut!!!!!! Yarik I think was quite pleased with himself describing it as a short cut, but looking back down on it from the horse it was just an sheer uphill battle and Shorty braved it with his sensible 15 mins then drink, 30 mins eat...... 

Back to Nicola’s horse riding - at the top of the Seven Serpents I was faced with the option of heading down a very steep pitch on the horse- not on my nelly - or on my own two feet, but without walking poles as Yarik had those and he was somewhere else on the pass with Jon. 

Again Jon and I were reunited after his vertical short cut and we started together on the final steep pitch. I was eventually relegated to the horse once again, overtaking all and sundry. The scariest moment was meeting a mule train coming the other way - these trails are not very wide to say the least and all the mules in front and those coming down were all rather frisky!!!!!!!  But made it up to the summit - for me, Nicola, it was a little lonely, but I said a mountain prayer especially for my Mum, Dad and Jon and of course all our family and friends.

Once all were at the summit the customary photo’s were taken and the descent to the lodge began. There was even a snow man at the summit!!!! Sadly due to the low cloud base the views of the mountain were few and far between but we could tell from the snippets we saw it was spectacular. 

The trek down was a long trek, welcome in some respects after the long haul up the mountain, but downhill on slippery trails, avoiding mule trains is still quite a challenge. As the clouds started to scatter we got glimpses of the mountain ranges and passes that we had just trekked through. The Andes are amazing.....  We must have trekked through at least 3 different eco systems today. The bottom half of the trek was kind of through boulder fields - could have been a scene from Lord of the Rings. Especially with the eerie cloud cover. Not sure the photos will do it justice, but it really was an amazing experience.

The Wayra lodge greeted 12 weary souls and could not have been more welcoming.  Constructed of locally sourced river stones and 5,000 mule trains of other material - it was definitely the best lodge on the trek so far. And another hot tub!!!

Food was as ever delicious, the Peruvians know how to cook! Lunch at 3pm was Chicken stir fry, 5pm was Pizza, popcorn, beer and wine, then 7:30pm was steak and potatoes and NY style cheesecake. You would have thought we could not have fit that much food in - but after almost 7 hours of trekking, food was a really good idea. 

Another early night to bed..........

Soryapampa Lodge to Soryapampa Lodge via Lake Humantay (Day 4)

This was the main bum sniffing exercise but interestingly enough it was optional. It was a three and a half hour round trip to lake with a 1,420 foot (Nicola is sure it was more....) change in altitude. 

Nicola and I were the tail gunners again but this time it paid a dividend, namely the sighting of a Condor!  Yarik spotted it screeching down the valley and alerted me; the female local muleteer almost busted a gut making sure Nicola saw it too. I have seen many birds in my time but none so big or majestic, would love to see more. 

The trek up proved to me (Nicola) that my lungs and general aerobic capacity was going to be challenged during the trip..... Pepe encouraged me to try out a new style of walking.... Uno... pause... Dos.... pause.. the pause was not really a pause, but more of a hesitation in the foot step to relax the foot that was not walking. 

Arrived at a rickety bridge (health and safety would have something to say...) where Jon waited for me amongst the cows. I kind of got the impression that Jon was communing with the cows when I reached him. Yarik then created the lamest, but funniest joke of the trip. Hard to recreate in words, but I will try. Yarik asked “where does the expression Holy Cow come from?” Good question one could ask. Then he pointed high, high up the mountain to a white cow and my natural response was “Holy Cow how did he get up there”....... expression derivation proven :)

Once we arrived at the lake my breath was stolen not just by the beauty of the moraine lake but by the numbers of people who had made the day trek form Cusco (300+)! Yarik told me that they get up at four to drive there and then hike up an hour before heading back! 

The trek back to the lodge was challenging if only for the crowds of trekkers (in all sorts of outfits), horse carried tourists and adorable puppy’s. Ok there was only one puppy but it did almost get slipped into Nicola’s pack, negotiations did slow our forward momentum but sense won out and the dog population on the Short house hold remained at two. 

At the top of the pass we both laid a stone as an offering to the mountain and prayed initially for my Mum’s recovery but then also for all of our family and friends. 

Oh did I mention it started to snow an hour or so into the trek? 

Summer holiday! 

Back to the amazing lodge and Nicola got a massage - nice - legs and feet felt miraculous after that. Then a quick pop into the jacuzzi and steam room before dinner. And at dinner a lovely cake to celebrate Jeremy’s birthday - oh to be 38 again :)

Also we heard from Nicola’s Dad that all had gone well with the colonoscopy and nothing untoward presented itself in the results.

Cuzco to Soryapampa Lodge (Day 3)

Picked up early by Pepe and the rest of them in a Mercedes Sprinter van (definitely a contender for our big trip). First stop was Quillarumiyoc (Temple to the Moon Rock) - this was an old ruin and probably the first test of Nicola’s uphill skills (or lack off). Yarik (the second guide) told me (Nicola) at that point that it was quite likely that him and I were going to become good friends.

After that we headed to Mollepata and did a little tour of the Sunday market which was kind of cool. On the way stopped at an overpass with rocks growing out of trees and an amazing vista of the avocado farms below.

 Then off to the Mountain Lodges of Peru project - in here they are spearheading a project to become fully self sufficient in vegetables and cooking etc. They are also involved in a number of ‘outreach’ programs with the locals population, mostly around their products I.e all things alpaca.  After that we headed off to lunch at the Mountain Lodge farm where they are farming European pets.... We had our first and hopefully last Guinea pig farm..... With lunch they allowed us to taste the local produce - my god the avocado is excellent. Beats anything you can get in NY hands down!!

Lunch and shopping over we piled back into the Sprinter for the trip up the valley to the drop off point. The road is amazing, narrow, rutted, bisected in areas by rivers and on one side a cliff! So both the guides promptly feel asleep. Those of our group on the right side of the bus not so much.

The drop off area was a mule train depot, we donned our back packs and started the trek for real. During the four mile trek to the lodge we gained only 690 odd feet but when you start at 12,400 odd every feet of that is fought for, especially as this was really our first outing. We got the impression that this was the first of the bum sniffing and sadly Nicola and I didn’t fare so well, we were both slow and I was being naughty and rushing and then stopping to catch my breath. Eventually Nicola gave in and swallowed her pride and for a while allowed the muleteer to carry her backpack - apparently was far too heavy - Yarik told me to drop at least 2.5kg for the next day. First part of the trek was uphill - puff, puff, puff, stop, puff, puff, puff, stop. Then we walked along, the mainly flat, route of the Inca canals - some original, some restored, but quite amazing to experience.

Perfect right angle

Inca aqueduct

Dinner was lovely and after dinner we marveled at the frat boy (+30 years) getting stuck into the Pisco. They had a very early start to the Salkantay pass trek in the morning (and we were later to find out a trek and a half with snow on the pass).

Arriving at the lodge was breath taking. Both the Humantay and Salkantay peaks were free of clouds and bathed in the late afternoon sunlight which was a killer back drop for post trek hot tub (and as we have come to notice hot tubs in Peru are HOT 110+).

Cusco City Tour (Day 2)

 Work in progress to update ;)

Cusco Day 1

Left NY Thursday night to Lima, seamless transfer to flight to Cusco. Arrived Friday August 3 mid morning and after what was a surprisingly easy transfer to the Hotel we (or at least I was since I had done precious little research) were stunned by the beauty of the JW Marriott. The hotel was built in an old  Franciscan monastery about 100 meters from the main square and cathedral. 

After a quick and delicious lunch (Peruvian beef skewers and a trio of empanadas) we headed into Cusco in search of some gifts for Nicola and MIL. There is quite obviously a central store somewhere in Cusco from where all of the other smaller shops get all of their merchandise. Whether this is by decree or by some mad economic force that I will never understand, the upshot of it is 90 percent of the shops sell the same damn thing. As a result the only way to shops for tourists trinkets is to go into as many shops as you can and find a vendor you like then buy the thing you first found. It was a good couple of hours walking which helped us to acclimatize to the altitude. 

Dinner that night was exceptional at Chicha, delicious ceviche and a beef stir fry in an amazing setting.  Thankfully reservation at 6 so bed by 9 after the obligatory Pisco Sour in the stunning hotel bar........ Room piped with oxygen to making sleeping at that altitude easier.

Peru here we come

With some trepidation we have set off to Peru. Trepidation leaving my parents behind with all that is going on and also the fact that the altitude might kick our butts.

Latam treated us pretty well in business class - well Shorty’s seat initially would not budge, but some brut force from the steward got it flat, then it was flat or upright nothing in between. Thankfully was an overnight flight and just what was needed anyway.

Landed in Lima where we had been told to allow 3-4 hours to clear customs, get our bags and recheck in - I think it took us about a half hour. Was quite a smooth system to be perfectly honest.

Desayuno with eggs, bacon and toast and a double espresso for Shorty. Then off to clear domestic security - or so we thought....... One line everyone in it, then suddenly pandemonium..... The one line everyone was in was both international and domestic security. Became every man and woman for their dog to get into the domestic line, I think we managed to skip past 30-40 people. But the Peruvian women are pushy wee things. I feel like a giant at the moment.

Here we are now sitting at the gate waiting for our flight to Cusco, will it take off on time, will our bags arrive, only time will tell.

It did take off on time (pretty much). Total chaos at Cusco airport, but that kind of "we are now on an adventure chaos" which is always good fun. Bags arrived no trouble. Transport - kind of no trouble...... Pan music in the van already.

Boy you can feel the altitude.

Mumbai..... first trip to India

Finally I get to come to India, not for pleasure but for business, even better in some ways. Opportunity to try it out and see if I want to come and spend more time here exploring. Been just over 24 hours and it is definitely somewhere I would like to come back to.

Everyone gave me warnings, it’s a culture shock, you won’t expect much of what you see etc.etc. Now granted I have only been here 24 hours and seen airport to hotel, hotel to office, office to hotel, but I am loving the experience.

On my journey in from the airport yesterday (after a good 20 hours of flying) I was struck by the chaos of the city, cars, auto rickshaws and motorbikes everywhere. But, there is also a certain order to it all - cars get right of way (through a lot of horn honking...) and then the auto rickshaws and it is left for the motorcycles to wind their way through them all. Pedestrians..... well they just have to step off the pavement (such that it is) and hope for the best when crossing the street. But what little I have seen they just seem to know when the best time is to step of the pavement.

In my 20 min trip from the airport to hotel (am told this was pretty quick), I witnessed my first Indian transvestite in a Sari - very elegant. A man driving a motorbike with a shockingly orange beard (peeking out from his helmet) and an elegant female passenger in a Sari (no helmet). It seems as though the law is helmet for driver of motorbike but bugger the passenger - crazy (but got it confirmed by one of my colleagues today in the office that there is no law for the passenger and so no helmet is worn). Even grown ups traveling with their kids - grown up driver has helmet, kid has none.

My hotel overlooks Powai Lake - quite an oasis in a busy city - as the dusk was starting to arrive I realized that on the lake edges were numerous people out for their evening swim, plunge, wash, who knows, but was fascinating to watch.

So far Mumbai is somewhat enchanting me. It helps that today in the office I met some really lovely people, that I have been in touch with over video conferences and telephone calls, but meeting in person has been great and very welcoming.

Last night I was warned by my driver that the 2km drive this morning from hotel to office  would take at least 20 mins if not half an hour - it took 10 mins.....

Today has been more about work and getting to know the team than really seeing the city. I ate again in the hotel, but this time in their signature Indian restaurant and (maybe because I am a female on my own) I was treated like a queen.

More to follow of my experiences in this city and in this country.