This morning we left Cusco city early, and the comfort of our hotel, flushing toilets and civilisation! After a windy, hilly drive, we stopped at a stunning lookout, looking down into the Sacred Valley from a very different direction than that of yesterday. The first thing we all noticed was the significant drop in temperature, with snow capped mountains in the distance, wondering just what we’d signed ourselves up for! Our ne...xt stop was one we were not anticipating on the morning we were to commence The Inca Trail, for the next stop was at a pub!
It was a traditional Peruvian pub, where we learned the ways of a very traditional game. We broke into two teams, and whilst we were nowhere near as good as our guides, Jaime and Jose, it certainly was a laugh! Following this, we learned the ways of and sampled a locally brewed and traditional corn beer! Beer, made from corn! Unusual, but delicious! Next was off to the Inca Living City, which has been world heritage listed by UNESCO since 1983... the entire city! Just to get to visit was a privilege, and the walk we did with our our guides Jaime and Jose amongst the ruins left us rather speechless, again. Onto a fantastic lunch, and a last opportunity to check over our luggage, refill water bottles, layer up and layer down our clothing before we were off... the start of The Inca Trail! Today was our shortest distance day, also the ‘flattest’ day, but certainly had all our heartbeats rising! Upon arriving into our campsite, just on dusk, set in a breathtaking location, surrounded by mountains and by a running river, we took the time to introduce ourselves and be introduced to our team of porters and chefs. Many more laughs were had before another amazing dinner, a reflection of the day we’ve enjoyed together, topped off by some stargazing before we all crawled into our tents. An even earlier start tomorrow, for a longer, steeper day ahead!