Machu Pichu Day 3

We are woken shortly after 5 and when i wake this morning i feel terrible, but im greeted with the most amazing view. The sun is rising over the Andes , but my heart is filled with sadness as i really wish i could spend these moments with Mark, but before i get myself too upset i give myself a slap , i need to save my energy for the trekking we have today. Our first accent is about 30 minutes and takes us to a point where we overlook the valley, they are views like ive never seen before, and its at this moment i feel most grateful at how blessed i am to be doin this. We are given an explanation here of how the Incas worshipped mamma pacha and how young children were sacrificed to try and make her happy. As we continue along the trail the porters have already packed up camp and are quite literally running past us along the narrow path to go and set up camp for the final time. We trek through a cave cut into the rock and continue along the path. I must say im really enjoying the trekking today, the weather is good the scenery is phenominal and the family are all together. We reach our first Mirador where as we look down we can see Machu ichu town (aguas calientes) and here we take a break having a few more grou shots taken. Its now downhill for 10 minutes where we reach our first Inka site of the day. Efry gives us an explanation of the inka symbol and we have a spectacular view of the valley. Across the way we see the farming land and this will be our next stop. The steps down are treachorous and after 45 minutes of sheer step decent the path flattens out for a short time before we are faced with even more steps going down. This continues for yet another hour or so and when we arrive we all sit and take a break eating the snacks of Oreo biscuits and the apple we were given this morning. The craftsmanship of this place is stunning and down in the valley below you can see the train. On site there are 3 llamas and after various photos we make our way to camp for lunch. Once gin there is an amazing display of food and a couple of hours to just relax and chill out. We are offered the option of a hot shower and Chris Ally and I jump at the chance. However I go last and by the time its my turn there is no hot water left, so a cold shower it is. It really refreshes me and the sun is still out so that helps. After an hours chillax we are taken to another Inca site which is just 10 mins away from camp. We all take a group photo and walk down to the bottom of the site. This is the most impressive site yet and Efry sits us all down giving an explanation here of the Inca leadership. It starts getting really cold as the sun starts to set so after outr talk we are issued our t shirts and its a short walk back for 'happy hour'. As we eat our snacks we all have a discussion about tipping. We have been given brief guidelines but all agree they have earnt the top recommendation as the work these guys have done is beyond human. Dinner is served really quickly and once again its a la carte. Everyone puts their money in and Simone makes lovely envelopes from all our knapkins. After dinner we meet outside with all the staff to show our appreciation to the guys that have made this journey the experience it has been. We hand out the envelopes and were all given the opportunity to say something. I find it quite emotional and one by one the porters and chefs come around the group and we get to say thank you individually. An early night is in order as we have a 3am start tomorrow so we bid each other goodnight and retire to bed ready for the big day.Read more