Very lost city

Kipping on the job
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Choquequirao is an alternative to the famous Inca Trail which ends up at Machu Picchu. It is a much larger site, estimated to be 4x that of Machu Picchu. However, it is remote and can only be reached by mules and trekkers. There are no trains/buses/roads and therefore very few tourists visit, in fact while we were there we were the only tourists on the ruins.

We embarked on the trek with a German Herr called Marcus, our musician/guide Richard, a cook, a horsewhisperer, 3 mules and a horse called Poncho.

"and we paid for this shit!"

Mankey cat in Cachora
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We spent the Thursday morning travelling by bus to Cachora (2875m) a remote village that was to be the starting point of our trek. We picked up the beasts of labour here and were entertained by the menagerie of animals that the mules owner had running around the place. Especially the kittens!

After breakfast we set off on the first leg of the journey, which Richard told us  was flat, we found out he meant Peruvian flat, so not flat at all! This was to be a running joke for the next few days!

Friendly cat that wanted our lunch, still a bit mankey
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The trek basically was along a narrow donkey trail up and down a mountain to cross the Apurimac river (1550m) this is where we camped on the first night at the 22km marker.

The distance doesn´t sound like much, and it wouldn´t be on the flat but we were climbing and descending enormous mountains in the blazing sunshine. On the first descent of 7 hours down steep, steep zig zags, Claire hurt her left knee and had to have it bandaged for the rest of the trip. However, she never once gave in and used the support vehicle, Poncho!

Mother hen, part of the menagerie
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Richard turned out to be an interesting character who would play music and sing whenever he felt like it. He carried a Peruvian instrument similar to a recorder with him and created the most beautiful music echoing off the mountains around us. We couldn´t work out where he got the strength from as we gasped for breath in the thin air.

The biting insects were relentless and a favourite target was the hands. Marcus discovered that they preferred the left hand to the right hand with a score of 18:17 bites! The changes in altitude were challenging though the only ill effects we had were swollen limbs and breathlessness, reducing walking to a snails pace at points!

Cachora, the start of our journey
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On the second day we got up at 6am to cover a distance of 10km before nightfall, ending up at Choquequirao on top of a mountain at 3033m. We managed it but only just and after Marcus had snapped, shouting "and we paid for this shit!" it made us laugh and became our mantra for the following climbs.

It was well worth the effort, we arrived at Choquequirao in the late afternoon with enough time to explore the city and watch the spectacular sunset from the priests house on the highest point. Richard also took the opportunity to play us a melody on his Peruvian whistle which really fitted the mood of this ancient place, perfect!

Follow the arrows for 32k, easy!
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We camped on the terraces of Choquequirao and in the pitch black we stared at the bright stars in the sky, snacking on popcorn and biscuits as our meal was skilfully prepared by candlelight. Again Richard provided the soundtrack!

The next day we got up early to explore the terraces which we had seen on our approach carved into the steep mountainside. But nothing prepared us for how steep and on edge of a precipice they really were. We actually visited some terraces that were being aggressively cleared by a band of 30 Peruvians. They told our guide that we were the first tourists to visit the recently cleared terraces. We were all so chuffed that Richard played everyone a tune and there was much rejoycing!

Follow me I know the way
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Unfortunately we knew that the route back to Cachora was exactly the way we had travelled. There were no surprises, we knew what challenges lay ahead.

We won´t bore you with a step by step account but the return journey was challenging. We all felt the pain and to make matters worse we had our worst shower in South America experience. Lets just say, dignity covered by plastic sheet flapping in the wind, balancing on a plank over filth all for a freezing cold wash.

We arrived back in Cachora on time to be greeted by a Census taker on what was a most unusual day in Peru. All over the country there was a curfew from 6am to 6pm, enforced by Army and Police to ensure that the census was carried out without a hitch. That included tourists, so we had to do our bit and fill out a questionnaire. All the Peruvians involved in our trek had to have special permits, which they did.

Prickly Pear
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The drive back to Cusco was on empty roads at high speed as all citizens were indoors. We got back to Cusco and Richard was fantastic and negotiated our first stage of the next journey to Machu Picchu. (we don´t hang about!)