Where to next?

A few years ago I did an 18 month coaching programme with my previous company. I didn’t quite know what coaching entailed prior to that, but loved the concept and found it very useful to incorporate into my management style. As part of the programme we had to set some coaching goals upfront to demonstrate some sort of a return on investment. Most of these goals were work related, but there were some personal goals as well.

The other day I stumbled across these goals and one of them was ‘ Travelling to a new destination at least once a year’. What a great goal! Not sure what it had to do with coaching, but it was there, and I had to do something about it!

So, I have done a bit of a goals assessment (guess what I have been doing a lot at work recently??)…

Firstly, the rules… The trips cannot include work trips, unless I have purposefully taken leave and extended the work trip into a bit of a holiday. Fair is fair and a zip in and out of a country, mostly only seeing hotels and factories cannot qualify as a proper trip for purposes of the goals? Kapeesh?

Actually, that’s the only rule, but if I can add a second rule then it would be that the trip should be a memory builder, i.e. I should take pictures, do new things, and experience new cultures. So a long weekend to Magaliesburg doesn’t count either…

So, let us start at the very beginning, which is a very good place to start…

2010

I actually did 2 trips in this year….In June, I took a trip to Perth, Australia, to visit my long time friend, Coleen. I blogged about this trip a couple of years ago. I enjoyed catching up with my friend, but also managed to find the wizardly get together spot in Fremantle, managed to get lost, run out of petrol and see some Kangaroos! I would love to go back to Australia one day, but this time visit the East Coast where I have several friends.

A day trip to Cold Spring, New York

In December of that year, I went to the city that never sleeps, New York! What a fantastic trip. We stayed walking distance from Central Park, did all the touristy things such as Staten Island, the Empire State building but also went to see a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Gardens, saw Jersey Boys on Broadway and the Rockettes in a annual Radio City Hall Christmas Spectacular. We even made a trip up north to a little town called Cold Spring. And managed to get caught up in a snow storm on the eve before coming back home. I still think seeing New York City coming to a standstill and Central Park covered in a snow blanket will be etched into my memories forever.

Central Park covered in fresh show…magical!

2011

In July I made a trip to Dublin, Ireland. My boyfriend at the time was working in Dublin and I had to go to London for a business trip so decided to make a bit of a trip of it. Dublin is a beautiful, friendly city with so much history.

At the mounds at Newgrange

I managed to make a trip out to Newgrange to visit the 5000 year old Neolithic mounds and even did a day trip to Belfast, winding my way back through the beautiful countryside.

The road less travelled en route from Belfast to Dublin

Of course a trip to Dublin would not be complete without a visit to the Guinness brewery and a traditional pub. Johnny Fox’ pub is famed to be the highest pub in Ireland and provided live music and lots of laughter.

2012

In December 2012, I did a trip to London and spent a week in Edinburgh and Scotland. I did an amazing tour through the Scottish Highlands, visited the site where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed and spend an amazing few days getting lost in Edinburgh, exploring Scotch Whisky and exploring the underground city. I blogged about the the Highlands tour here.

Afterwards, I spent a few days with a very good friend in London, catching up, having a traditional English Christmas lunch and even making it to Winter Wonderland!

The ruins of Urquhart Castle with Loch Ness in the background

2013

This was the year of my epic trip to Peru. I joined up in Lima with my friend Ingrid and her husband, and we visited the Amazon, Cuzco and hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu…all in one amazing holiday. I wrote several blog post about the trip, with my favourite being the final post. It was truly an unforgettable trip and I will definitely make my way back to South America again one day…hopefully Ecuador!

A group picture with Machu Picchu in the background. A dream come true!

2014

Last year, I took the girls on a trip to Italy and we spent some wonderful mother-daughter bonding time together. We crammed 3 days in Rome, 1 day in Venice and 3 days in Florence into a week, and had a wonderful time! I managed to get lost in the Vatican this time (or lose my tour group at any rate), lost my wallet in Florence (thanks to a pick pocketer) and walked until my ankles looked like balloons.

The girls and I with Florence in the background

And then of course, Bianca and I went to London in December last year, where she visited her best friend, CJ. We did all the London touristy things, and I made her year by taking her to the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios! I have not posted pictures of this trip, but here is a favourite!

Bianca and I at St James’ park, London

2015

So, I guess the question is, where to next?? I have been tobbing to an fro over the last few months about this same question. Bianca is going on a European tour with her school and I wanted to do something with Anya. We have a full week again and after much deliberation, I decided on the perfect mix of Europe and Asia. And soon we will be traipsing the ancient streets of the largest city in Turkey! That is correct, we will be visiting the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and exploring the Byzantine footprint!

Istanbul, here we come!

Lots of love, G

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

 

In the footsteps of the Incas – part 1

There is one word that is universally understood and that expresses the same intensity of feeling in all languages.

Wow!

What started out as a tick on my bucket list, ended off as a personal pilgrimage for me. But in the end, I completed the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I don’t want to run ahead of myself, but when I (finally) entered the Sun Gate and had the first view of Machu Picchu, I cried. Amidst all the congratulatory hugs and high fives, I had to swallow back the tears that welled up in my eyes. I made it. I could not remember the last time (if ever), I was in so much physical pain, but I did not regret a moment of it. As we posed for a group picture and the designated guy to take the picture said ‘Say Never Again’, I thought I probably would never do it again, but I am so glad I did. For me, to prove to myself that I can do it.

But, let’s start at the very beginning, which is always a very good place to start.

After our trip to the Amazon Rainforest, we set off for Cuzco, which is the historical capital of the Inca Empire. We arrived quite late in the afternoon, after some flight delays, but had a couple of hours spare to explore the beautiful mountainous city. We managed to fit in the ‘best hot chocolate in the world'(according to Manuel, our guide) and had an excellent dinner, which was coupled with a hands on practical lesson on how to make the local cocktail, Pisco Sour. Actually, we made the passion fruit version, which was delicious, but at an altitude of around 3 400m, it went straight to my head…:-).

The city of Cuzco, the historical capital of the Inca Empire

A Llama being carried around like a baby in Cuzco

The next morning, I got up early to pack for the trip. We were given duffel bags that we had to use, and each hiker had an allowance of only 6kg. That may sound like quite a bit, but once you deduct the sleeping bag and inflatable thermarest mattress (anything to make the sleeping bit more comfortable, I thought), it basically meant we had 2.5kg to 3kg maximum for 4 days of clothes. No easy feat, I tell you. After my first attempt, I went to borrow a hand scale from the front desk, and the bag was over 5kg… What to take and what to leave…? Of course, you can carry extra in your day pack, but THAT you have to carry for 43kms…so better think carefully about it. Eventually, I took out my takkies (sneakers) and some extra clothes, and stuffed some of the other essentials in my day pack. This would mean that I would have to wear my hiking boots ALL the time, but I had blister plasters and an extra pairs of socks, so that should be okay, right?

At around 7:30, we set off for Ollantaytambo, with a visit to the local community of Ccaccaccollo, funded by the Planeterra fund, where we were shown how the local people still make Llama and Al Pacu wool and woollen products by hand.

Local women demonstrating how they weave Llama and Al Pacu wool

A fine art…

Little kids playing around

We took a drive through the sacred valley and soaked in the awesome views.

The Sacred Valley

After a lunch stop, we headed for our first Inca site visit on the trip, Pisaq. This was also my first realisation that I may have some troubles with my digestion on this trip. I generally don’t eat a lot of carbs, as it aggravates my IBS, so I try and stick to lean meat and lots of fruit and veggies. I overindulged at lunch and felt bloated and uncomfortable all afternoon. The guide told me that the altitude generally slows down your digestive system. Great stuff… After a light dinner at our hotel in Urumbamba, I went to bed early, to get my last night’s sleep in a proper bed for a few days.

A window on the Sacred Valley, from the top of the ruins of Pisaq

Day 1

We set off for Ollantaytambo, and made a quick stop in the town for some last minute supplies, and then made our way to Km 82 (Kilometre 82), which is the start of the 4 day Inca trail. Passports in hands, eager to get a stamp on entering the trail, we set off after the first of many group pictures. Our guides for the trail was Vladimir (yes, that was his name…), Nellie and Jesus. The porters made a head start and we were amazed at the speed at which they almost ran up the mountain with 25kg each on their backs, so that they can set up lunch for us…

The group at the start of the trail

The porters getting a head start…

The first day was not too hectic and we did about 11km, which took us roughly six hours to complete. The most  difficult bit was an hour stretch of steep uphill stairs after lunch, climbing about 300m in elevation, which scared me sufficiently for the next day! But one of the high points of the day was the fantastic three course lunch, served in a tent with tables and chairs. Our trek guide, Vladimir, informed us that we would not be camping for the three days, but rather, we would be GLAMping.

Lunch in style!

Upon arrival at our camp site, our tents were all set up, and each hiker was brought a bowl of hot water to clean up a bit, before we gathered in the tent for a card game or two (‘Shithead’), with tea and biscuits. Dinner was another two course meal, after which we all went to bed early, as we had a 6:00am start again the next morning.

Day 2

After a fitful night of sleep in an unfamiliar small tent, where I could barely sit up, we were woken up in the morning at 6:00am by the porters with another bowl of hot water, and a cup of coca tea. Now, coca tea (mate de coca), is made by dipping leaves from the coca plant into hot water, and is said to lessen the effects of altitude sickness and according to Vladimir is effective for any kind of illness you can think of including ‘a broken heart’. However, coca leaves also contains about 4.2g of alkaloids which, when extracted chemically, is the stuff cocaine is made from. I said, bring it on!

On top of this, we were treated with a breakfast fit for a king, with pancakes stuffed with roasted apple, each one personalised with caramel syrup. It was delicious and exactly what we needed to get us in the right frame of mind for what can only be described as a gruelling day ahead.

Breakfast fit for a king!!

The second day of the Inca trail is also the toughest, and although the distance covered is only 12km, this includes the notorious Warmiwañusca pass or ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’, which takes you to a maximum elevation of 4200m, from a starting point of 3200m for the day.

The Inca trail elevation map showing the linear distance covered. Including terrain geography it is about 43km

Honestly, after the steep climb the previous day, I have to admit that I was shit scared very nervous for day 2. I noticed on the previous day that I was quite out of breath and that the stairs are very tough on my legs. I started suspecting that maybe I was not fit enough…But there was no way out now, and there was only one way to go!

And it was tough. I was very happy and relieved when we finally reached the summit of Dead Woman’s Pass. Towards the end, I could barely climb 15 stairs before I had to take a break, but the beautiful views made up for it!

Navigating the stairs on day 2…

The view looking ahead on Dead Woman’s Pass…spot the trail winding up

A group picture on top of the pass. I am the one with the blue shirt and HUGE smile in the middle

After reaching the top of Dead Woman’s Pass; which incidentally has nothing to do with a real dead woman or anything sinister, but rather, the shape of the mountain from a distance looks like a woman lying on her back; we still needed to do another couple of hours before we reached our camp site. This time downhill. I celebrated too soon.

The trail winding downwards towards our camp

By the time we reached our camp, my legs felt like jelly. I could barely stand, and spent an entire five minutes debating which way to go to the toilets. Uphill, which meant I had to return downhill. Or downhill, which meant that I had to return uphill. Eventually I decided to go downhill.

The views from the camp site were magnificent though, and it was with a sigh of relief that I finally settled in my tent and surveyed the view ahead of me. I was silently wondering how I was going to be able to carry on walking the next day, as my legs did not feel like I had any more miles left in them, but it was time to relax.

My last snapshot on day 2, the view from my tent!!

The next and final post…the ups and downs of day 3, and finally…Machu Picchu!

Click here to read this post.

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction. ~ E.O. Wilson

 

In the jungle

It has always been a dream of mine to see the Amazon jungle, so I was very happy that our tour included a couple of days in the Amazon rainforest.

On the first official day of our tour, we got together at 7:00 at our hotel in Lima for the trip to the airport. From there, we took a flight to Puerto Maldonada, our entry point into the Amazon jungle, with a stopover in Cuszo. Our flight was delayed, so when we finally arrived in Puerto Maldonada, everyone was tired and hungry! We were to pack duffel bags for a couple of days in the G Adventures Eco Lodge in the Tambopata forest and we were on our way. Another 30 minutes of a bumpy ride to the river and we boarded the boat to take us to the lodge. And finally devoured had our lunch!

Boarding our boat to the river lodge

Local kids playing on the river

A Capybura spotted on the way to the lodge. The largest rodent in the Amazon

The sun setting over the Tambopata river

Beautiful sunset!

The views on the river was amazing, and our lodge was magnificent. The rooms had no electricity, but electricity was being generated at the main lodge until 22:00 every night. After a bit of time to settle in, we assembled for a  night walk. with long sleeve shirts and lathered with insect repellent!

G-lodge, Tambopata river

The night life in the forest is really amazing, and we saw quite a few stick insects, spiders, butterflies, ants and other creepy crawlies!

A butterfly on our evening walk

A lizard in camouflage gear…

Some more creepy spiders…

The next morning, we left the lodge for a walk in the woods, and a boat ride. Our G Adventures guides, Edwin and Elvis (yes, we found Elvis – he lives in the Amazon…) were excellent and we had an awesome time sharing in their knowledge of the forest and especially local customs and beliefs!

The trees are so high you can only hear the birds!

A walking tree…not visible, but this tree moves about 10cm or more a year!

And a fertility tree…

We saw several insects, a huge tarantula, killer size ants, frogs, and a whole group of wild boar (new word learnt today, it is a sounder wild boar…). On a leisurely cruise on Lake Condenado (Lake of Condemnation or Condemned lake), we even spotted some wild Macaws and killer piranhas. The way they went for our breadcrumbs…! Unfortunately they did not opt to pose for photographs so you will just have to take my word for it.

Tarantula, the size of a man’s hand!

Spot the frog!!

Group picture in front of large elephant tree

Spectacular views from Lake Condenado

After a bit of a rest in the afternoon (or an attempt at shut eye, with 100% plus humidity!), we went on an expedition to spot some Caimans in the evening on the river. The guides had powerful spotlights and of course the Caimans (the Amazon equivalent of the crocodile) came out in their hundreds to see the spectacle on the river…

Caiman spotting!

Up close and personal…we were so close we could almost touch this one!

The next morning, we had to pack and after the final breakfast at the lodge, and an opportunity to tip the guides and cook who all did amazing jobs.

With excitement, but also sadness, we finally set sail (okay, got on a boat) headed for Puerto Maldonado again.

What an amazing adventure! And even after the insect bites finally stopped itching 2 weeks later, I have to admit that it was a priceless experience and I would love to have spent some more time exploring!

Last views of the Tambopata river on our way back to Puerto Maldonada

Next stop – Cuzco!

 

48 hours in Lima

Friday, 26 May 2013

I finally arrived at the hotel just after 11pm, after a 23 hour journey from home, across different time zones, 7 hours back in time. My arrival at Aeroporte Internacional Jorge Chàves coincided with the anticipated arrival of some sort of teenage celebrity. If I wasn’t so tired and my Spanish so non-existent poor, then I may have tried to make an effort to find out who. But there were teenagers with balloons everywhere in the arrivals area, on the galleries singing very excitedly. Unfortunately, this made spotting the guy with the G Adventures sign a bit difficult… So after walking up and down through the throng of teenagers chanting and singing, I decided to phone the hotel, whom claimed not to have any knowledge of a pick-up, but after the second phone call offered me the number of the emergency contact for G Adventures, which number did not work. Thank goodness, after some time I finally spotted an equally nervous young man with a G Adventures sign, desperately trying to find me.

After finding a taxi and starting our journey to the hotel, with two other G Adventures travellers, who had to be dropped off at another hotel, I started relaxing and the first thing I thought is, that this could be Africa! The traffic at 11pm at night, with cars hooting and people stopping anywhere on the road, made me think of Africa and in particular of Egypt. The taxi driver had to negotiate his way around traffic circles, past cars that stopped in the middle of a busy road to talk to a pedestrians, and it was clear why so many of the cars looked dented and old!

After a while, the road started meandering along the coast, and I had my first spotting of the Pacific Ocean, or like the taxi driver exclaimed, ‘Pacifico’, like it was a sweetheart that he was introducing to us. It was dark and I couldn’t see much, but the dark expanse of water with lights from ships in the distance fascinated me. Finally, we reached the hotel, and I checked into my room with a sigh of relief. This was going to be a great trip!

Saturday, 27 May 2013

After a fitful night of sleep, I woke up early with a rumbling tummy. Travelling over time zones, eating breakfast at lunch time, a light lunch in early afternoon and an early dinner, it took me a while to work out that I had last eaten around 17:00 local time, so no wonder I was hungry…! I also regretted not listening properly to what time breakfast was being served, and decided that 8:00 was a safe time. So, I sort of twiddled my thumbs, read a bit and assured everyone back home that I was safe and sound, until I could finally head off to the breakfast room. Which, unfortunately was a bit of a disappointment. Yes, maybe I should not have been so adventurous and shouldn’t have ordered the Peruvian breakfast and laid low on the (strong) coffee, but nevertheless, I got something in the stomach.

By 9:00am I was ready to hit the streets of Lima, or the Miraflores district in any event. For starters, I needed to go and buy a converter plug, because my googling clearly let me down and the plugs were all American and Japanese in the hotel, as opposed to the European plugs I was expecting. And I wanted to buy a data card for my iPad, so save on roaming charges (even though the hotel had excellent wi-fi).

Parque Kennedy, Miraflores district, Lima

Wary of the fact that I often get lost, I had a quick squiz at the map and hit off in the general direction on the major streets on the map…which I assumed led to the shopping area. Which it did….except that the only shops   open at 9:00am in the morning were pharmacies. It appears that the other shops in Miraflores district only opens at 10:00am on a Saturday morning. So, I did a walk around, discovered the John F Kennedy park, which had free wi-fi (free wi-fi is a strange phenomena for someone from South Africa, I would have you know), and was transported back to the 80’s after hearing Modern Talking’s Brother Lois being played super loud from a passing car.

I found the converter plug fairly easy, but the data card appeared to be a bit more of a challenge, especially if you cannot speak Spanish. I headed back to the hotel, not sure what time my friend Ingrid and her husband were arriving from Quito. They arrived just after 11:00am and we decided to head towards the beach area for a spot of lunch and a bit of sightseeing.

Miraflores is the touristy area of Lima, and quite pretty, with a beautiful promenade and touristy shops with a view over the beach, or rather, the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant we chose for lunch, specialised in chicken, but I was like a local version of the Spur restaurant chain back in South Africa, which basically is a cheap Mexican steakhouse joint. My chicken salad consisted of a large heap of chopped up lettuce, with a side portion of chicken. The lemonade was good though…. After lunch, we headed back for a little siesta and only then did I suddenly realise how tired I was!

Miraflores promenade, Lima, with the ever present cloud of mist over the Pacific

For dinner, Ingrid and Rob scouted the Tripadvisor and we visited a local Italian restaurant with delicious pasta on the menu. The hostess was a charming Spanish lady who went out of her way to make us feel welcome. We were the only patrons in the restaurant (either because it was early or because Lima residents don’t really eat dinner…), so we got special treatment! The pasta was delicious, the portions very generous and the prices very reasonable. All and all a very good day!

Sunday, 28 April 2013

I went to bed with a nagging thought of going for a run in the morning. We booked a tour which started at 9:00am, so whichever way, I had agreed to meet Ingrid and Rob for breakfast (take 2) at 8:00am.  I woke up just after 6:00am, and decided that I would go for a short run. The previous day, we were talking about the route to the beach, as the promenade is quite high up along a cliff and I decided to take the road to the beach and then take the first road up towards the promenade that I could find. What I didn’t realise, was that the first road up towards the promenade was at the end of the the route, on the border of Miraflores, quite a bit further than I had intended to run. So, my 30 minute run, ended up as a 40 minute run, and in the humid climate, I was literally dripping with sweat by the time I got back to the hotel. It was a fantastic way to see the local area, so I was glad that I did it!

After a quick (equally disappointing) breakfast, we met our local tour guide for our day tour to Lima and Pachacamac. We booked two tours of three hours each with the same tour company, Haku Tours. The guide, Edwin, quickly suggested that we would be better off doing Pachacamac in the morning and the old city tour in the afternoon. Something to do with the mist/sand cloud and direction of the sun. And who are we to argue! He suggested that he then takes us to a local place for lunch and continue with the city tour in the afternoon.

Edwin turned out to be an excellent guide, with a degree in Sustainable Tourism. His company supports the local communities and ploughs money back into some of the poor communities. And his endless energy and enthusiasm was contagious.

En route to Pachacamac, a pre-Inca site build in the desert of Peru, south-east of Lima, we drove through a Shantytown, on the outskirts of the glamorous Chorrillos district. Despite the poor state of affairs, I loved the colourful houses and it is clear, that even here, tourism is a very important aspect of the economy.

Shantytown, north of Chorrillos, Lima

Pachacamac was pretty awesome. Most of the buildings were built between 800-1450 BC, and there are several pyramids. Not quite the size of the Egyptian pyramids, but otherwise, the sand dunes, nearby residential areas reminded me a lot of Cairo. In fact, there seem to be a lot in common between the Inca culture and the ancient Egyptian cultures.

After our visit to Pachacamac, Edwin took us to one of the local areas for a quick lunch, which ended up being one of the best lunches we had on the trip, and exceptionally cheap.

The first pyramid at Pachacamac, Lima

The temple of the Sun, Pachacamac, Lima

The Acllahuasi temple, or the house of chosen women. Until early 20th century, buried under the sand…

After lunch, we went for our City of King’s tour, which did not disappoint. A highlight was certainly the Catacombs of the Monastery of St Francis, where there are large and deep holes, filled with bones and skulls arranged in circular formations and sorted by type of bones. It is quite creepy and our guide indicated that this was done by a Spanish priest post the Spanish conquest. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures in the catacombs, but it was certainly a memorable visit.

The Spanish colonial style buildings in Lima are very impressive and you can imagine being in the centre of a Spanish Plaza in the old city centre of Lima. Several buildings still feature the original wooden balconies and Spanish baroque, and colonial style buildings

Typical Spanish colonial architecture in the historical Lima city centre

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Plaza Mayor, Lima

Time for a snooze…old lady, Lima, Peru

Or a local drink, Pisco Sours…it is happy hour after all! Lima, Peru

Our tour eventually ended around 16:30 in the afternoon, which essentially meant we had a seven and a half hour private guided tour, as opposed to the six hours tour we booked and paid for. Fantastic value.

It was time to head back to our hotel for a shower and a meet up with the rest of the G Adventures crew for our tour to the Amazon, Cuzco and the Inca trail!

Lima certainly did not disappoint and the city is certainly more than just a stopover on the way to Machu Picchu!

 

Counting the sleeps…

It is finally here!

In just a bit more than a week, I am leaving for Peru and my Inca Trail adventure. I am so excited that I can barely contain myself, so if you’re prone to jealousy, then I would suggest you stop reading round about now..:-)

I haven’t written much about this fabulous trip, except for the fact that I will be hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which I have been exercising for. So, I thought I would share a bit more about the details of the trip.

We are doing the trip through G Adventures, and the official name of the tour is In the Shadow of Machu Picchu. It is a 10-day tour and starts off in Lima, the capital of Peru. Lima is knows as the City of Kings and was ‘founded’ by the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro in 1535. Lima is also known as the Culinary capital of Latin America, and apparently a seafood lover’s paradise. I definitely want to try out some yummy food and maybe do a culinary tour, which is an add-on activity. On day two we take a flight to Puerto Maldonado, on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest. We travel by motorised canoe and take a walk to our lodge in the Tambopata Rainforest Area, an area which apparently holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area. We will be doing plenty of walking and will be spending the night in a rainforest lodge, with no electricity, so pretty rustic. (Note to self – don’t forget to take lots of elastics and bands for my hair, because the combination of heat, humidity and no electricity is sure to create havoc with my hair!)

On day three we take a flight over the Andes into the heart of Inca territory, Cuzco. Cuzco is the site of the historical Inca Empire and the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. The elevation is about 3 400m (11 200ft) above sea level. Now, for someone who lives in a city which is about 1 750m (5 700ft) above sea level, the adjustment may be slightly easier but this is still pretty damn high, so I am stocked with altitude sickness tablets that I will start popping round about this time! At the height of the Inca Empire, the Inca occupied territory stretched from Ecuador in the north to Peru and Chile in the south. In 1525 Huayna Cápac, the ruler at the time, died of the smallpox, introduced to the area by the Spaniards, after he set of to investigate the unfamiliar men. His death was followed by a Civil war between his two sons, Huáscar and Atahualpa. The combination of the war and the effect of the smallpox epidemic weakened the empire, and eventually the Spaniards captured Atahualpa (who had by then defeated his brother).

The Inca Empire

Legend goes that the Incas collected and paid a handsome ransom of silver and gold for the release of Atahualpa, but they reneged on this once the ransom was delivered. Eventually, Pizarro executed Atahualpa, and instituted the puppet Inca Túpac Huallpa in his place. He died shortly after and was succeeded by another puppet ruler, Manco Inca Yupanqui. But Manco Inca turned on his captors and recaptured Cuzco in 1536. Eventually he was driven out of the city and he retreated into the mountains of Vilcabamba, where he and his successors ruled for another 36 years until the last ruler, Túpac Amaru, Manco’s son, was eventually tracked down and executed in 1572. It is believed that Manco Inca built a magnificent city in the mountains which was filled with all the remaining riches of the Inca empire. For years treasure hunters and grave diggers were searching for the lost treasures and the lost city, until eventually, the American historian Hiram Bingham ‘found’ Machu Picchu in 1911. He believed that it was the lost city and final retreat of the Inca’s, but no evidence has ever been found to conclusively prove this. But before I bore you to death, the purpose of this little history background is to highlight just how special this area and in particular, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is. Or maybe to highlight what a geek I am!

View from the top of the Westcliff stairs

The Inca trail is a 43km hike and stretches over a four days, with the final day spent mainly at Machu Picchu. I have been exercising and am hoping that I am sufficiently ‘moderately’ fit to tackle this trail without passing out halfway amongst the 2 000 steps on the trail. To prepare myself for all these steps I have, on a few occasions, done the Westcliff stairs (two flights of stairs of 400m, consisting of 210 stairs nestled in between the beautiful residential area behind the Westcliff hotel in Johannesburg). The stairs are very popular amongst runners, and in particular Comrades runners. For those of you who don’t know, the Comrades is a 89km ultramarathon and any runner’s dream to complete.  Bruce Fordyce is a legend in South Africa, and won the Comrades a total of nine times, eight of which were consecutive. And, apparently Bruce used to train at the Westcliff stairs. The difference, of course, is that I tend to huff and puff walking up the stairs on my second lap, whilst the runners actually run up and down the stairs. But, I am not running the Inca trail (which you can do, if you like…), so that is okay with me!

In addition to training for the Inca trail, I also had to do a fair amount of shopping. Since this is the first multi day hike I am attempting doing, I had no idea what to expect in terms of the actual conditions of the hike. It is autumn in Peru, and as I understand the daily temperatures in the mountains are fairly similar to Joburg this time of the year, but it gets pretty cold up in the Andes mountains at night. And layers are highly recommended for the hike. Luckily, porters will be carrying most of our gear and clothes, so we only need to carry a day pack with water, jackets, camera, snacks etc. Basically, everything that we would need during the day. We are sleeping in tents along the route, so I am stocking up on warm clothes, thermal underwear, a silk sleeping bag liner (who says you cannot sleep in luxury in a tent??). And of course, I could not resist buying all sorts of hiking gadgets and stuff, like a small towel that folds up to the size of a matchbox and a multi purpose buff, that can serve as a hat, arm band, hair band, balaclava and (if you can figure out the complex drawing) even a pirate hat! Harr, harr!

Finally, I want to take some awesome pictures to remember this trip by, and on the few hikes we have gone on, I have quickly realised it is not the best idea to have to stop a whole line of hikers in an effort to take a DSLR out of a back pack to take a quick snap, so I had to find an alternative solution. I finally found a bag that I can carry on a shoulder harness in front of me, so I ordered the bag and the harness and am just hoping it is not too big, so that I can still walk fairly comfortably!

Now, the only thing to do is to count off the sleeps until I finally leave for Peru, via South America, on the 26th of April. And make sure that I pack everything… I am notoriously bad at this part and always forget something, so I am going to do a packing list to make sure that I am not stranded in Peru without a water bottle, or medical insurance card, or hiking socks, or blister plasters, or travel vouchers, or hat, or sunscreen, or gloves….oh my goodness, I think I must start to pack!!

Adios Amigos!

 

Operation getting fit – day 1 (take 2)

Yes, I know I published a post with a similar title a while ago…I am not having an Alzheimer’s streak, I promise.

It wasn’t an entirely wasted resolution either. For a while there, the girls and I went on fairly regular walks in the morning of at least 20 minutes at a time and generally at a fairly fast pace. Except on the occasions that we took the dogs with, and ended up having to drag the one by her collar uphill for the last 100 meters towards the house. We have two daschunds and even though they are sisters, the one is far more enthusiastic and energetic (and thinner) than the other. Going downhill is normally not a problem, but you have to choose the halfway turnaround mark carefully. Once Bianca had to carry Isabella home for 50 meters.

Of course, the enthusiasm of the two human sisters in our house also started to wane a bit after a little while, but most of the time I could drag one of them out of bed to accompany me, and – mark this as an important moment in my history – on a few occasions I went out by myself and even did a bit of a run. It felt great, and even when I had a bad night’s sleep, the exercise in the morning made me feel more awake and energetic for the rest of the day.

And then…the silly season struck. Firstly, the most avid participant of my two fellow walkers started writing exams and was constantly too tired to go out or wanted to look over her work for a last time. Priorities? And then all the lunches, and a few late evenings and other indulgences started and I struggled to drag myself out of bed on a few mornings. Next thing I was snoozing the alarm every morning at 5h15 and sleeping for an extra half an hour. Note…the alarm was still set for 5h15 every morning. With the best intentions! (Coincidentally, this was around the time that I tripped over the energetic dog on our morning walk and ended up sprawled on the tar road, as she decided to challenge a huge Rottweiler along the way!)

But, ladies and gentlemen and peeps all around, it is the new year, and I have to get fit, (or at least a bit fitter) and we are embarking on a new routine from tomorrow. It was going to be Monday, but my eldest complained that she didn’t sleep much the night before, due to annoying mosquitoes, so last night I was ready for the pre bedtime war against the mozzies to eliminate any excuses. To combat my own fatigue, due to lack of sleep and general insomnia, I took two Melatonin’s instead of the recommended one, with the end result that I was unable to get out of bed this morning. But tomorrow morning, there will be no excuses!

The first and most important thing with any new routine, however, is to set yourself some goals…

My first goal is, of course, to get rid of all the after effects of the silly season which seems to have snuck up on me and stubbornly accumulated all around my hips, and stomach and boobs, so that I am spending an extra 15 minutes every morning trying on all my ‘bigger’ pants. Which in itself, is almost as depressing as dodging the bathroom scale in the mornings.

But another, probably more important reason for the new exercise routine is that I booked a trip to Machu Picchu at the end of April and I have been to-ing and fro-ing about doing the hike, as opposed to the train trip up to Machu Picchu from Cuzco. And there is no way that I would be able to do that in my current state of fitness.

Early morning in view of Machu Picchu

Can you believe how I snuck that little titbit of information in?? I am going to Machu Picchu!! When I published my bucket list last year, a friend of mine in the UK send me a message saying that she and her husband is going to Machu Picchu this year and would I like to join in. After doing a couple of mental back flips in 50 shades style, I replied that I would love to, obviously depending on the time and my leave availability and of course the cost involved!

In addition, it is quite uncanny that this happened, because a couple of years ago, I researched trips to Machu Picchu because my then-boyfriend had it on his bucket list. I was mesmerised and decided there and then that when he turns 40 (which would have been this year) I would take him on a trip to Machu Picchu for his birthday. Of course, we broke up and I sort of moved it down lower on my bucket list, until I got that message from Ingrid!

And I have never been one to tempt fate so I am grabbing the opportunity with both hands and giving my credit card the evil eye back. I even bought proper hiking boots before my trip to Edinburgh, to give me the chance to walk them in a bit. They need quite a LOT more walking in, or I need to stock up on a LOT more blister plasters. I think a few hikes will do the trick. Or I hope so!

So, if that is not enough motivation to get me going, then I don’t know what will do it, honestly!

To love, health, fitness and all that jazz!