PARAHHHHH!!!!!

Hey,
Long time no speak....really long time actually!!

So since we last blogged we have done A LOT....but we are just going to update you on Peru for now...keep you on the edges of your seats!!
We got to Peru on the 21st Feb and decided to head straight over to Arequipa which is about 6-7 hours I think from Puno on Lake Titicaca (Bolivia-Peru Border). Arequipa is the second biggest city in Peru and is probably the richest place we have seen in South America so far.....the houses there are unbelievable and our Hostel was in this really posh gated community and the hostel was ridiculously amazing. We pulled up to it in the dark and thought the taxi driver had taken us to the wrong place....it turned out it was right and we were extremely lucky.
We stayed in Arequipa about 6 days just to chill out...we sunbathed, watched loads of movies and went into the old town to look at the famous Monastery which was really beautiful. We met an English guy there...Fran from Halifax who was in our dorm with us....he travelled with us for the next ten days and nicknamed me squarepants (because of my square head) and therefore Han had to be Spongebob.

After Arequipa we headed back to Puno for a couple of days where we did a tour of the floating reed islands and Taquile...this really pretty island in the middle of Lake Titicaca. Puno is an absolute hole....we stayed there for one night two nights...the first of which turned out to be this festival where the locals spray everyone with shaving foam....nae ideal. The floating island were really cool....but me and Han being as gullible as anything got duped into buying these reed mobiles...havent seen anyone use a mobile except a baby......they were pretty expensive as well...regretted the decision ever since...what fools.

We escaped out of Puno pretty quickly and headed on the Inca Express up to Cusco to chill out for a few days before the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!!! Cusco is an amazing city...definitely our favourite so far!! It is beautiful and there are lovely places to visit and lots to do there! We were also staying in a sweet hostel with delish breakfasts! Unfortunately a couple of days before the trail started I had to pay a visit to the hospital....as I got a stomach infection....what a mission....blood tests....other tests we dont want to go into and leaving Fran feeling like he was stood up in this English restaurant!! I was given a load of pills and was soon as right as rain...ready to check into the hotel the night before the epic Inca Trail started.

On the first day of the trip we went on a sacred valley tour which was basically just jumping on an off a coach and going to these ruins....it was a nice day but I wasnt really interested in the ruins as I was just excited to see the big MP at the end of the trail!!! We stayed the night in Ollyantaytambo which was about 45 minutes drive from km82 where we would start the actual Inca Trail the next day! An early night was in order and it was absolutely pissing it down....we hoped this wouldnt continue on the trail.....

We woke up bright and early on the first day of the trail...pretty nervous because everyone had told us how tough the trail was....the first day was just rolling hills of walking! We met our porters in the morning who were amazing...they carried our packs with 6kg of our stuff in and in total they carried 25kg each and RAN each section of the trail!! They were literally amazing!! We hiked 6km before lunch and had lunch in this beautiful sunny spot by a river! Lunch was like 3 courses and we felt like such fatties trying to walk after lunch! We arrived at camp in the afternoon and the porters had already set up our tents and were preparing afternoon tea!! It is literally ridiculous they constantly feed you!! Not really complaining though! haha I already had a favourite porter...the one that carried my bag...he looked like a really old man and was called Mario so I nicknamed him Super Mario for the rest of the trip! We went to bed pretty anxious on the 1st night as the second day was 6km uphill before lunch...really steep and the hardest day of the trek.

Me and Han were beaut on the second day!! We got into a rhythm and powered up the hill!!! We were the first girls up all the stages and were so proud of ourselves when we reached the top of the uphill section before lunch!! It was a tough ascent but we took it in our stride and impressed the guides with our speed! I think we did it in half the time it should have taken us! We did a steep downhill bit straight after which my legs were protesting about and then to conclude the day we had lunch!! It was chill out time after that tough day...after dinner and a pretty scary ghost story off our guide Fernando we headed to bed bricking it...haha

The third day was mostly downhill....nothing much happened apart from me eating garlic and becoming intimately acquainted with the local flora and fauna.....oh dear.....We didnt really have very long to sleep on the last night of  the trail as we were woken at 3.30am to do the final hike to the sun gate to see the big MP at sunrise!!! We practically ran the last 4km and arrived at the sun gate to see MP clear as day in the sunlight...hardly a cloud in the sky!! It was amazing to finally get there and we were so proud that we did the trek and didnt just get the train up like the other lazy buggers!! We got to MP at about 7.30am and had the whole morning to explore the huge ruins!! MP is amazing and we are SO glad we went to see it!! We were laughing at the all the pristine looking people that had come on the train as we were walking round looking rough as anything and having not showered in 3 days....nice!! It was back to Cusco after the trek where we pretty much passed out in the hotel!!

We stayed a couple more days in Cusco to recover and then it was straight to Lima on a 20hour bus journey with pipe music blaring to catch our flight to El Salvador!!!!!