Sandboarding, pisco tasting and a wine tour

Huacachina: Image courtesy of wikipedia 

We took a bumpy and not so comfortable overnight bus ride to Ica from Cusco, and after an argument with the driver about our bags, grabbed a little taxi to the tiny desert oasis town of Huacachina. The town is based around a blue and occasionally smelly lagoon in the middle of the desert, flanked by high dunes and sand mountains.

We stayed at a cute little place with a pool, hammocks and pretty lax security, made up for by its bar and delicious guacamole (the guac is becoming a firm favourite on this trip). Despite being knackered we decided to dive into Huacachina life headfirst, and booked ourselves on a sand boarding trip, and a wine and pisco tour the next day too.

Now sand boarding is a sport I could get used to, mostly as you have the option of taking your sand board for a  ride down a seemingly huge sand dune on your tummy, bum or even, if you really want, standing up, surfer style. I tried all three, and loved it so much we did it again the next day, this time on our own, without the jeeps to take us far out. For 5soles (just over a pound) we grabbed a board and a chunk of board wax (in actual fact, a candle broken into chunks...no lies), and practised our sand boarding style for a few hours while the sun went down over the dunes.

The second day we moved to a nearby hotel as the hostel was full (we had only booked one night). It might have been several times the cost of our hostel but it felt like paradise. Towels, more than one pillow, a mattress where you cant feel the slats underneath...not to mention a powerful, hot shower, and the mecca of hotel accessories, a TV with cable TV. So happy.

We set off for a pisco and wine tour with a Aussie- Swiss girl named Steffi, who was great fun. We learnt about the traditional way of making pisco, the local grape brandy, the methods and timings involved, and the yearly grape stomping festival. Naturally, we also sampled a few pisco liqueurs. The wine tour was all together more modern and industrial, but still interesting. Peruvian wine, like its Bolivian counterpart, is much sweeter than you expect.

Our last adventure in the Pisco making region was to the Islas Ballestas, which is also known as the poor man`s Galapagos. We had a short boat trip around the Islas, which I`m not sure was worth it. We saw black footed boobies (that`s a bird, by the way), sea lions, penguins, commodores and lots of other birds. The penguins were tiny and super cute, but the most interesting sight of all was a huge trident or candelabra that has been carved into the rocks, visible to see from far away at sea. Theories abound, but who created it and its meaning are still unknown.

On the way back the boat ran out of fuel (not like that's something you might wan to check before you set sail into the ocean), so we spent a while bobbing about waiting to be rescued.

Next, we're off to Mancora, a beach town near the Ecuadorian border for some rest and relaxation. Here comes the sun!

Trek to Machu Pichcu

It's been almost a week since we trekked to Machu Picchu but we're still riding on a high from the experience.

While we had some initial issues with the company we went with (I probably wouldn't recommend mountain biking with Reserv Cusco to friends) the trekking and our guide were really excellent.

Jules and myself, plus the two couples we've been with since Copacabana (we seem to attract lovely couples, so no complaints there), began with a day mountain biking, mostly downhill, and then followed this by three days trekking to reach the site of the Inca Ruins at Machu Picchu, as above. I look tired, I know. 4am starts do that to me.

Our first day trekking was by far the most challenging. We've done quite a lot of active stuff on the trip, but vertically climbing what seems like the world's most steep mountain was definitely up there in the strenuous stakes. Throw in some foothold paths half way down a sheer cliff face and some ridiculously jaw-dropping views and you've got yourself a pretty stupendous, if exhausting, way to spend the day.

We stopped intermittently for offerings to the Pachamama (Mother Earth, and a very important ritual for Quechans) and at various huts along the way for water and respite. Lots of them have monkeys tied up for the tourists, and at one we had traditional local designs painted on our faces.

Lunchtime came and we fell on it like gannets, devouring some of the most delicious and most welcome food I think we've had this trip. Freshly made, perfectly ripe guacamole with just the right amount of garlic and red onion, hearty soups and a delicious chicken curry, all washed down by lip-smackingly good homemade lemonade. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Having demolished lunch with such vigour, we were given a welcome break for an hour, collapsing into hammocks for a little siesta snooze. 

The afternoon included some hairy moments, the best of which has to be a canyon crossing from two peaks. To cross the daunting abyss three people must sit in what looks like a metal milk crate. The crate hangs from a pulley system, and you are pushed then manually pulled across the valley, with nothing between you and a certain death fall but a small iron bar. Health and Safety would have a field day.

The temperatures began to drop and the end of day 2 included a welcome sight - three hot spring baths at the end of our route. These outdoor pools vary in temperature, and were paradise to sore muscles. The best one is that wonderful perfect bath temperature, where you sink in and don't intend to leave until your fingers are all wrinkly. Paradise.

That evening we wolfed down another yummy meal and headed out for Happy Hour drinks and a quick jaunt to the local 'Incateca', purely based on how much we liked the name. Easily pleased!

The next day's walking was a little more tedious, following railroad tracks and tailed by a matted dog who decided to befriend us along the way. Machu Picchu was now in sight, and as it towered above us I think we were all a little daunted by the prospect of climbing such a huge summit. A relaxed dinner in Aguas Calientes and a quick shop at the market for provisions for our final day, we climbed the four storeys (four sets of stairs...my legs were not happy) to our hotel beds and promptly fell asleep.

 Our last day began with the aforementioned 4am start and a quick breakfast before walking in the pitch dark to the entry gates for what, for most of us, would be our final challenge. The walk up to the ruins at Machu Picchu consists of a very steep hike up big stone steps set into the mountain. Much of it you do in darkness, which I think helped, as all you could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other and not falling.

Getting to the Inca city ruins was an exhilarating feeling, and such an adrenaline rush. You feel really smug to have climbed up as the buses of tourists begin to arrive (yes, there's a bus option. It takes 20 minutes of comfort. But it doesn't deliver quite the same feeling of pride.) We had a 2.5 hour tour of the ruins, which are a fair size (see above) and really quite ingenious in their layout, accounting for sun, agricultural benefit and positioning. 

A quick picnic lunch and Steve, Nicole and I decided to climb one of the two summits that overlook the ruins (team extreme, pictured below. My money belt is round my back and makes me look a little misshapen...promise I haven't ballooned in the past few months).

 

I'm not quite sure what we were thinking, as the sun was pretty intense and the walk up to the top of Machu Picchu summit is much, much higher than the more popular Wayna Picchu. However, once we got going it was a case of 'well we've come so far now...' and we soldiered on. I'm so glad we did!

Jules had kindly lent me her iphone so the melodious voices of Prince and Billy Joel got me to the top (you can take the girl out of Fingers Piano Bar...), and I managed to snap some photos as well.

The views made the effort so worthwhile, and we were three of just 15 or so people who climbed both to the ruins and the summit, so we felt a real sense of achievement. 

I'm not sure I'll be ready for another hike for at least a few weeks but this really has been a massive highlight of our trip, and definitely something none of us will forget in a hurry!