I slept ok but woke up a few times in the night. At 4am I got up as we were going to start trekking at 5am before it gets too hot. I packed up my things, ate a banana and took a couple of photos before we left the campsite. It was still pretty dark.

We started walking with our headlamps on but after around half an hour the sun came out and we didn’t need them anymore.

It was pretty cloudy as we were quite high up but the trek was all uphill and really steep zig zags. It was tough going.

At around 730am we reached our campsite Marampata, the gatekeeper to the archaeological ruins at Choquequirao. Marampata is at 2,913m and consists of a small settlement of around 100 people.

We stopped here for breakfast and I met this little family of cats, who were still pretty much asleep.

Around 9am we set off for the last leg of the trek to the site of Choquequirao. It was still quite cloudy but very warm. Again the trek was quite hard, the first bit was downhill but the second part was uphill. These are some of the views along the way.

It took around 2 hours to reach Choquequirao, at just over 3,000m so we arrived around 11am. I had a little panic attack as I went to take the photo below but couldn’t find my phone, it wasn’t in my pocket where I always kept it. Luckily one of the guys behind us had found it on the floor where I must have dropped it after taking a previous photo – and he was only a couple of minutes behind us.

Choquequirao, meaning ‘cradle of gold’ is an amazing site to visit. There are hardly any other people around and you get loads of time to really look around and explore. These are from the main area. The large houses were most likely factories and the smaller places used for the storage of the products.

We relaxed here for a bit and then walked down to the llama wall. Llamas were sacred animals used for wool, meat, sacrifice and to transport things.

We walked across to a viewpoint and the views were pretty amazing.

Obviously if you walk down you then have to walk up – this time we took the Inca steps. It was actually quite scary walking up the steps as they were small in width and very steep. The trick was to not look down.

The steps led up to the wall of mountains, also of significant importance to the Incas.

Once back in the main area we took a short walk up the hill to the left to take some photos.

We walked back down to the main area and relaxed for a while before lunch. Eating lunch in such a historical place with the amazing views of the mountains was really special.

After lunch we walked to the Sharmen’s house. The Sharman was a very important person to the Incas and therefore he had a large and nice house with an area in the middle where rituals could be held.

We walked up another hill to get some more photos and Edwin explained the history of the site. Choquequirao is situated in the spur of the mountain range of the Salkantay mountains. It is thought that Choquequirao was founded in 1536 and it was initially discovered in 1710 and was linked to Machu Picchu by a variety of trails. The ruins of Choquequirao are a mixture of buildings and terraces either above or below the truncated hilltop. The hilltop has been levelled and ringed with stones to create a platform 30 x 50m where ceremonies and sacrifices took place.

The top part of Choquequirao is the remains of several houses where maybe around ten families used to live.

Choquequirao is around 18km squared but only 30-40% of the ruins have currently been uncovered. The first excavations of the site began in the 1970s.

Around 4pm we headed back to the campsite at Marampata which was initially down hill but then a steep uphill towards the end. It took around an hour and a half.

As we ate our tea and dinner the sun was setting over the mountains.

It was a really long day, we walked 22km over around 12 hours, but it was definitely worth it. I’m really pleased that I’ve seen this Inca site and also that I’ve seen it before it becomes crowded with tourists.

I was awake at 4am and Edwin came and picked me up from the hotel at 5am. He bought a duffle bag for all my things that don’t need to go in the day pack and some trekking poles. We walked to the main square where there was a minibus waiting for us. I was introduced to our cook, Eder, and the driver whose name I can’t remember.

We then set off on a 4-5 hour journey to the start of the trek. I kind of dozed on and off for a couple of hours in the bus.

Around 730am we stopped in a small village for breakfast – which cost about £1 and was huge and filling.

As we left the village we came across a young lady and an older guy walking along the path. We stopped to see where they were going and offered them a lift seeming as we pretty much had an empty minibus. At the town of Chacora we dropped off our passengers- it was a pretty long way from where we had picked them up, I’m not sure the oldr guy would’ve made it.

We arrived in Capuliyoc, at 3,100m, around 10am where we said goodbye to our driver and met our horseman Hugo. All the baggage, apart from our daypacks, were dropped off for the horses and mules to carry and we set off on the first day of hiking.

The first part of the hike was mainly downhill to Chiquisca and it took around two hours. The scenery was gorgeous and it was pretty hot and humid. We had some great views of the Padreyoq mountain.

At Chiquisca we stopped for our lunch. Hugo and Eder had gone ahead with the horses and prepared a delicious hot lunch for us. I also found a cat to play with, he was a gorgeous silver colour.

Around 2pm we set off again, for a shortish walk downhill to the bridge over the river Apurimac. We were now at around 1,500m so had descended around 1,600m.

After this it was all uphill! And pretty steep too. We walked uphill for around 2 hours to reach our campsite Santa Rosa Bajo. It was a difficult hike as it’s hot and humid and there are a lot of mosquitos around. Santa Rosa is at around 2,115m.

At the campsite the tents were already up and ready for us and after a quick change of clothes into something dry and warm we had some coffee and popcorn.

About an hour later we had dinner, around 630pm, and as it was already getting cold once the sun had gone in, we went to bed shortly after dinner, probably around 8pm.

My sleeping bag was lovely and warm and pretty comfortable too.

Over the whole day we walked around 13km, descended 1,500m and then ascended 600m. I found the uphill part pretty tough as it was very humid and so steep.

I slept really well last night for about 3 hours and then I kept waking up and reflecting on what had happened. I think some of the plant was still inside me as I felt so calm and relaxed the whole day, like nothing could bother me or upset me.

I got up around 7am and had a leisurely breakfast with the cat curled up on my lap. It was a bit of a cloudy view of the mountains.

I hung around the lodge for a bit playing with the dogs and laying in the hammock.

But after an hour or so I decided to make my way back to Cusco. From the lodge it was just a short walk to the main square in Ollantaytambo, which is where all the minibuses leave from.

After around 15 minutes I found a minibus to Cusco which took around an hour and a half. The minibus stopped just by the main square in Cusco so it was just a short walk to my hotel. Back in my room I just sorted out my things for the trek starting tomorrow and chilled for a bit.

I then decided to go and visit San Domingo church which has been built ontop of what was an Inca Temple. You can still see some of the remains of the Inca Temple and it is believed it was a temple to the sun.

This building combines the Inca and Spanish influences. It used to be lined with sheets of gold but was ransacked and destroyed by the Spanish before they built the church on top of the ruins. It’s really interesting to see the contrast between the church and the temple foundations. This used to be the Inca religions holiest site.

At around 4pm I met with Johan who has organised all the Cusco tours and ceremony for me and Elvin who is going to be my guide for the Choquequirao trek.

After this I met up with Katrin, who I met in Rurrenabaque in the jungle, for dinner. We went to a vegetarian restaurant and I had some delicious pasta.

And then it was back to the hotel for an early night as I’ll be getting up at 430am tomorrow.

Today I had one of the best experiences of my life. I’m not going to share all the details of what I saw as they are very personal but I will try to describe the experience.

Katy, a guide, came and picked me up from the hotel around 10am and we took a bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo which is an old Inca site in the Sacred Valley.

Once there we relaxed in the garden of the lodge we were staying in, which is very beautiful and peaceful, and played with the dogs whilst the Elder made the preparations for the ceremony.

San Pedro Ceremony

The ceremony started with myself, Katy and the Elder sitting around a fire which had a mixture of plants, condor feathers and other things in it. We inhaled the aroma as the Elder spoke to us and used his drum. He then called to the four corners of the earth to grant permission to do the San Pedro and to centre it.

He then poured me a cup of one juice which I drank, followed by a cup of another one. They were both pretty bitter tasting. Katy just had half a cup of each and the Elder had some too. San Pedro is a plant that goes straight to the heart and bypasses the mind’s defences and ego resistance. It gives you the power to make the changes you need to make.

We then relaxed for a bit allowing the plant to come into our bodies and opening up our heart to it, letting it know our intentions. We chewed some coca leaves for a bit and stuck them in our cheeks. The Elder played some beautiful music and sung – he has a great voice.

It was then time to walk to the Inca ruins which were only around 15 minutes away. As we were walking I felt all sorts of emotions. At the Inca site we sat around and the Elder mixed up some tobacco in a pipe which we smoked. He also called on the water gods.

After this I went and found a spot to myself, laying on the wall of the ruins, looking up at the sky and all the amazing surrounding mountains. At first I felt a deep sadness and I cried, I think I was letting go of the sadness within me which I had to do before I could move on. I lay watching the sky and the clouds told my story. This bit was very personal so I’m not going to say what they said but it made me realise a few things and it let me know what I have to do to move forwards in my life.

I don’t know how long I lay there for – it seemed like a very long time. During this time the Elder continued to play music and sung- one song about his grandfather was particularly moving. With San Pedro you don’t have an out of body experience – you are still you but your senses are heightened.

At some point I moved back down to the place where we had started and Katy was lying there so we chatted for a while. The colours of the sky and the shapes of the rocks on the mountains were intensified, as were the sounds of the animals.

I found another spot near Katy to lie down and we both watched the sky. She was facing one way looking at the stormy side and I faced the other way looking at the blue sky and white clouds. I felt calm and peaceful.

After a while we got up and walked around the Inca ruins and looked at the alter noticing the duality of the big arches and the three layers – snake, puma, condor. Everything felt really good and we were both smiling and chatting to each other.

It started to get a bit colder so I put on my jacket and laid down on the stones near the ceremony spot. After a while the Elder said it was time to go and he led us back to the lodge. On the way he stopped to pick some fresh eucalyptus for the temazcal. As we were walking the colours of the plants and grass were so sharp and you could see the plants breathing.

Back at the lodge I just sat on the grass and played with one of the cute little dogs.

Temazcal

After a while I went to my room and got changed into my bikini and a pair of shorts – this took a while as my movements were quite slow. Katy then took me to the Temazcal tent where the Elder told me to go inside and to the left. The floor of the tent round the outside was covered in the Eucalyptus branches he had bought earlier and there were also some hanging from the ceiling. Hot stones that had been burning in the fire were then placed in the pit in the middle of the tent and water was thrown over them – like a sauna. Once the flap was shut the tent was pitch black. The Elder sang and added water to the stones to keep the temperature rising. At first I was a bit cold as I decided to lay down on the ground but not for long. In the Temazcal tent I had some more emotional experiences but they ended with a strong resolve of what to do next.

At some point the Elder went out and got more hot stones to add to the pit. I sweated a lot and the feelings were pretty indescribable. Being in the dark, being so hot and listening to the Elder sing just all came together into an amazing feeling.

After a long while I felt it was time I left. Leaving the tent is like a rebirth.

I got changed into some warmer clothes and Katy bought me a delicious hot soup and chamomile tea. The soup was just what I needed as I hadn’t eaten all day – the San Pedro can make you feel a bit nauseous.

After I’d eaten we went outside and I found the little cat that lives at the lodge so I cuddled it as we stood by the fire watching the stars. We sat by the fire for a bit before heading to bed.

I was really glad Katy took the San Pedro too as I had someone to share the experience with. We hugged goodnight and I went to bed. I felt tired but very relaxed and calm.

Yesterday was mainly spent on a bus journey from Arequipa to Cuzco which took around 12 hours including a viewpoint stop and a stop for lunch. This was the view from the viewpoint.

When we arrived in Cuzco the bus couldn’t go into the centre as it’s a protected area so Peruhop provided us all with taxis to our accommodation. My taxi went the wrong way and ended up having to drive backwards down a very narrow street. In the end I just got out and walked as it seemed quicker and safer.

In the evening I just had a stroll around the main square which looks really pretty at night as they light up all the buildings.

Today I got up and just wandered around the city. My hotel is right next to the main square so I went there first. There was some sort of parade and ceremony going on, including the raising of the Peruvian flag.

The rainbow coloured flag to the right of the Peruvian flag is not about gay rights. It represents the four quarters of the Inca empire.

After watching the parade for a bit I went into the Cathedral. You’re not allowed to take photos inside but almost all the wall space is covered in paintings. One of the paintings is a replica of Da Vinci’s Last supper and it has a guinea pig on one of the plates.

I then walked up to the San Blas district, this is a very arty area and also has a church.

There is also a great viewpoint here where you can get some nice views of the city.

On the way down I stopped off at Plaza de Nazarenes where they have some really nice alpaca wool shops.

I also saw the infamous 12 sided stone in the wall and managed to spot the puma and the snake as well. These stones are all part of a wall known as Hatun Rumiyoc, which makes up the outside of the current Archbishop’s Palace.

I walked up to another area and this place had some great views of the city and main square – although you had to climb up on the wall to take the photos.

Then it was time for lunch so I stopped in a little side street and had some vegetable quiona risotto.

After lunch I walked to San Francisco square where there is another church and a really old archway.

It was then back to the main square where I visited Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus. This church has the highest alter in Peru at 21m high and 12m wide. It is made of wood and covered entirely in gold leaf. Again though, no photos allowed.

You could climb up to the top of the church, which I did, and the views across the square were really nice.

As I finished in the church and went outside it was pouring with rain so I walked around the main square and looked at the shops until the rain stopped.

In the evening I met up with Alice for some dinner – we went to a great restaurant called Rucula and the food was really fresh and delicious.

I didn’t set the alarm this morning but I still woke up fairly early. After calling Nicola to wish her a happy birthday I had a leisurely breakfast.

I then went to Mundo Alpaca where I had a private tour as there were no other visitors when I arrived. The guide explained about the alpacas and llamas and also the wild versions- the guanacos and the vicunas. I felt the different types of wool and the guide explained how often the alpacas and llamas were sheared and also how they would catch and shear the vicunas whilst still protecting the species. The baby alpaca wool was so soft.

I also got to feed the alpacas and llamas that they had at the small farm. The larger farm where they get all the wool from is in Puno.

I then bought some items in the shop, you could feel the quality if the wool and they had a sale on. I headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit on their sun terrace.

I then met up with Mara for a late lunch at a great restaurant called Zig Zag. The food was delicious.

After lunch we had a wander round some of tbe handicraft shops. Mara was leaving later in that afternoon to go to Cusco so we said goodbye.

I wanted to visit the cathedral but you can’t go in with shorts so I went back to the hotel to put longer trousers on.

I visited the chocolate factory on the way home and bought some of their dark chocolate- I haven’t tried it yet but it looks good.

My clean laundry arrived around 7pm so I packed my case ready to go to Cusco tomorrow.

After goung to bed early yesterday I slept really well until about 1am and then kept tossing and turning. The alarm went off at 4am, we packed our bags, ate some snacks and set off on the uphill climb around 5am. The first 30 minutes of the trek was a shortcut, basically quite a steep uphill climb. After that we joined the main trekking route which was actually still pretty steep.

We all had headtorches on and it was quite surreal walking up in the dark. Around 6am the sun rose and it began to get light and easier to see.

Here are some photos I took in the early part of the morning. Stopping to take photos was a good excuse to stop and get my breath back!

As we walked along the main path we all started to go at our own pace. At one point I was completely on my own which was a great feeling, with some of the group up ahead and some behind. It felt like I was the only person on the mountain.

Unfortunately after around 45mins of climbing Marlene felt really sick and couldn’t catch her breath. Luckily Mina was with her and helped her until they found Raquel. She then sorted out a donkey to take Marlene to the top. As we climbed up we had to stop a few times to let the donkeys past.

These are some of the views of the canyon as we climbed up. The paths were rocky, and stoney like yesterday. I preferred it when there were no steps as it was easier to climb then.

The climb is 6km straight up but as you zig zag up the path you actually walk around 8-10km. It took me around 3 hours to get to the top and I really felt it – more the lack of oxygen but my legs were also pretty tired. Probably the hardest climb I’ve done on this trip.

But I made it to the top and it was a fantastic view.

Once we were at the top we then had to walk around another 2km to the town of Cabanaconde where we had a well deserved breakfast.

At Cabanaconde we caught the bus for the drive back home but on the way we stopped at several places.

The first stop was a viewpoint so you could look out over the pre-inca terraces which are used for agricultural purposes. They look a bit like rice fields.

At this stop thete was a little house / shop and a pet llama who was very friendly and also posed for a photo.

After this we continued driving towards Chivay, stopping off at La Calera hot springs. The temperature of some of the springs was almost too hot and you couldn’t stay in some of them for too long – I think one was around 40 degrees. Apart from Marlene, who wasn’t feeling great, and Mina, who had a wound on her foot, we all got in.

It was a good way to relax after all that walking.

Then it was a short bus ride into the town of Chivay where we stopped for a lovely buffet lunch, I ate loads of vegetables and tried 3 different deserts.

The next stop was at around 4,900m to get a view of the volcanos in the area. You could definitely feel the lack of oxygen here, and it was also pretty chilly. There were a lot of offerings to Pachamama in this area as the mountains and volcanos are regarded as sacred places where the mountain gods live.

The very last stop on the way down was at the national reserve of Pampa Cañahuas where you can see vicuña (wild llama), llama and alpacas.

It was then a 2 hour journey back to Arequipa. On the way though some of the scenery was stunning – we missed it on the way up as it was too dark. This photo I took below looks like someone just painted the mountains.

After saying our goodbyes I went back to the hostel and had a lovely shower.

In the evening I met up with Mara and we went to Las Gringas for some delicious pizza!

This morning my alarm was set for 230am but I was awake from around 130am anyway. I got up, got dressed and waited for the pick up bus to come. It arrived around 330am and we set off to the Colca Canyon. There were around 12 of us on the bus but two couples were doing different tours. The rest of us were all doing the 2 day trek into and out of the canyon.

We drove for around 3 hours, during which everyone tried to sleep but the minibus wasn’t that comfy, to a place called Chivay where we had to pay our entrance fee to the park. We then drove a little bit further to a place just outside of Achoma where we stopped for breakfast. It was a nice place with a baby pet llama and a cute white kitten.

After breakfast we drove a short distance to the Cruz del Condor, basically the lookout point to see the famous condor birds which can have a wingspan of around 3m. We were not disappointed and we saw quite a few of the condors flying around including the younger brown ones as well as the black and white adults. We were really lucky as a couple of them actually flew over our heads so you could see them up close. They are very majestic birds. I have quite a few photos of them, mainly at a distance, but here are just a few.

It was then back on the bus for a short trip to the start of the hike. Here I rented some bamboo walking sticks as recommended by our guide, Raquel. There were 7 of us doing the trek; Karsten and Jahn from Germany, Mara from Holland, Alex from USA, Marlene from Peru, Mina from Swizterland originally but now living in Indonesia and me.

This was our first view of the part of the canyon we would be trekking.

The Colca Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world, it has a depth of 4,160m. It is not as long or wide as the Grand Canyon. But it is impressive all the same and the views are beautiful.

So we started trekking. The trek was mainly downhill but there were some uphill bits and occasionally a nice flat bit too. The terrain was mainly rocky, stoney and sandy which actually made it quite easy to slip. We trekked down from 3,300m to around 2,100m to a small place called San Juan de Chuccho where we stopped for lunch.

The lunch was good home made food. The tree in the picture is very poisonous and some people have taken it as a drug but it makes people do crazy things like kill themselves or kill other people. The puppy was at the lunch venue and he was so cute. He had grass burs all over his fur so I spent some time trying to pull them out.

After lunch we had been told it was downhill all the way but that wasn’t quite true. We walked uphill for about an hour before we started the trek downhill to Sangalle where we would be spending the night.

On the way down we stopped off at a guinea pig farm to buy some extra water. It was quite sad to see all the guinea pigs, but as I’ve eaten one before I can’t really say anything.

Sangalle Oasis is at around 1,900m and has a range of rooms and swimming pools. We did try the pool and although it wasn’t freezing it was pretty cold. But as the shower was roughly the same temperature it was ok.

After the sun went down it got pretty cold. All us girls just stayed in the room chatting and chilling until it was time for dinner which was soup and spaghetti bolognese. It was filling as there was plenty of it. After dinner we were so tired and after buying water for the next day, we all went to bed. The rooms were very basic but at least the beds were warm and pretty comfortable.

Today was a more productive day. After a delicious breakfast I headed to the supermarket to buy my water and snacks for the 2 day canyon trek I’ll be starting tomorrow.

I then went to the Museo Santuarios Andinos. This is a museum which tells the story of the offerings the Incas made to the mountain gods. The offerings were young children between the ages of 6 to 15 who had been chosen to be sacrificed. For them and their families it was seen as an honour as the child, once dead, would be living with God’s and almost be like a deity themselves.

The visit began with a 20 minute film in English which talks about how some of the bodies on Ampato volcano were discovered. At the time of the sacrifices the mountains were not covered in snow but not long after the sacrifices the snow came and covered and preserved the bodies. As nearby volcanos erupted the snow melted and the bodies were discovered. The bodies that have been found are not mummies and they have not gone through a mummification process – they are basically frozen in time. One body of a young girl is the best preserved body in the world. Her name is ‘Juanita’ and she is known as the ice maiden. The body is over 500 years old and was discovered at over 6,000m in 1995. Her body is normally on display in the museum but it’s currently in the laboratory for preservation work so we saw the body of another young girl, Sarita, who was found on Sara Sara mountain.

The museum also has displays of many of the artefacts found with the buried children. Some of them are also really well preserved.

The ceremony was performed every 4-7 years in response to.problems such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought etc. The children would be chosen from across the Inca empire and they would walk to the chosen mountain with the priests who would perform the ceremony, the walk could sometimes take months. They were given a drink of fermented corn laced with hallucinogenic drugs, wrapped in blankets and then killed by being struck on the head with a mace with spikes on it. Pretty brutal.

In total 18 bodies of children have been found across the mountains in South America. No photos I’m afraid as no cameras were allowed.

After the museum visit I went and bought a suitcase and took it back to the hotel before heading out to look at Iglesia de la Compañía, which is a beautiful church just near the main square.

I then walked on to San Camilo market which is a huge market that sells absolutely everything. The range of different potatoes they have for sale was huge.

I then walked onto another church, Santa Domingo, but unfortunately it was shut but the outside was pretty impressive.

Back at the main square I tried some cheese ice cream, it actually was really nice, mainly vanilla flavour with some cinnamon sprinkled on top. It’s made with cheese and milk but doesn’t actually taste of cheese.

I then decided it was obviously a church day so I went to see the Santa Catalina Covent. This is a huge Covent also constructed from the volcanic rock sillar. Some serious earthquakes have caused damage to the structure but it has mainly been restored and you can walk around and see the rooms the nuns used to live in. They led very isolated lives and had little or no contact with the outside world. A handful of nuns still live in the convent but in a more modern building. The Covent has it’s own city inside it – it’s pretty amazing to see.

The photos below are of the novice chapel, the profundis room where the nuns were laid out before burial, a kitchen in one of the rooms, the laundry system, the main church and the fountain in one of the squares.

The original convent was built in 1578, 40 years after the Spanish arrived in the city. One of the most ‘famous’ nuns from the Covent is Blessed Sister Ana who was beatified in 1985 by Pope John Paul II.

The views from the top of the cathedral with the volcanos in the background were pretty good too.

On the way out their is an art gallery where they had a lot of paintings but also some other artefacts.

After the convent I headed home and packed my new suitcase and also my rucksack for the two day trek. I ate at the hotel restaurant and am going to have an early night as I will be picked up at 3am tomorrow!

We arrived into Arequipa at around five in the morning. I hadn’t slept hardly at all on the bus so I was completely shattered. The bus stopped right outside my hostel and luckily I could go straight to my room, unpack a little bit and then go to sleep.

I woke up just in time for the end of breakfast, which was a lovely buffet style breakfast, one of the best ones I have had in a long while.

I arranged to meet Alice in the main square around midday and we walked around the town for a couple of hours, browsing the shops and looking at some of the sights.

Arequipa is only at 2,380m so you can actually walk around without getting out of breath which is really nice. It’s called the ‘white city’of Peru because many of the buildings are built from sillar which is a white stone. This stone is quarried from the many volcanos that surround the city – there are three main ones, Misti, Chachani and PichuPichu.

After we wandered around for a bit and bought a couple of things, we went back to the main square and had lunch in one of the upstairs restaurants. From here you could see the Misti volcano in the background and also look down on the government buildings.

We decided it was a nice spot so we had a couple of Pisco Sours, chatted and watched the world go by. We then wandered to the supermarket so Alice could get some snacks for her trip tomorrow, which I’m actually doing the day after.

So it was a very relaxing day for me. Tomorrow I think I am going to buy a suitcase so I can start to buy some things to take home with me.