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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“Obviously brake problems is not something we wanted to hear about on a steep, windy country road” |
Day 1 - This is too Easy´
Well we can´t really believe it. The day that we have been looking forward to for so long has finally arrived. All those hours of hard training on Mount Lofty will finally pay off (we hoped). Our day started at 5am after a sleepless night of anticipation, anxiety and excitment. Our bus picked us up at 5:45am for a 3 hour drive to the start of the Inca Trail.
After an hour of solid progress, our rickety old bus came to a sudden halt in the middle of nowhere. Our guide explained to us that we were having brake problems and that we would be delayed for a few moments (50 minutes). Obviously brake problems is not something we wanted to hear about on a steep, windy country road. This gave us time however to get to know who we´ll be spending the next 4 days with.
Our group consisted of 3 Aussies (including us), 2 Kiwis, 2 Irish, 4 Brits, 3 Swedes and 2 Danes. Our guides for the trek were Isacc (our Super Leader) and his sidekick Rodney (or Ronni). The guides would prove to be very entertaining, knowledgable and friendly, and made the trip all the more special.
So after stopping for breakfast en route, after several attempts the bus finally made its final ascent up a very steep driveway to the cheers and amusement of the trekkers and our porters. It was then a quick check of our passports at the control point, and off we went on our biggest adventure yet.
The trek started by crossing a suspension bridge, followed by a quick briefing from Isacc including a few of his ´recommendations´. From the very get go, the views were absolutley breathtaking, and it was hard not to stop every 30 seconds to take another photo. The terrain on the first day was mildly undulating, which made for some very pleasant trekking. The scenery was majestic with white clouds crossing the tops of steep craggy mountains. We had several ´family Von Trapp´ moments.
After a relatively easy 6 hours of walking we got to the campsite in high spirits. The campsite was quite small, perched on the side of a mountain, and had spectacular views. We arrived to our tents having already been set up and our bags waiting for us. It was just a joy to be able to sit in our tent and look out across such amazing vistas. Such joy could only last so long, and after such a long day, we were pleased to hear the call of dinner from our gracious guides.
Speaking of food, it was absolutely delicious, every day, every meal. Lunch consisted of a three course meal which included a local soup, an array of local dishes (mostly carbs) and followed up with a small dessert and tea. Dinner was similar however every meal was different, each having its unique local ingredients and flavours.
We bedded down early as tomorrow promised to be the toughest day of the trail.
previous travel blog entry
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