Peru Trip

Back from my trip for a week now. Back in the work force for a week. Have been kept very busy with work and church and last night was the beginning of ultimate season.

Trip was great. Definitely recommand to anyone who are interested. But if u ask me if I would go again, the answer is quite definitely "No". It's something that you would do once in ur lifetime but never again. Frankly, it was quite a bit of suffering to walk up and down those mountains. Legs were so sore after all those walking. But if anyone's interested in doing that, let me know and I can give you a ton of tips to help you make it thru.

I still couldn't believe that I walked 4 days with my huge backpack on my back. There're other tour company out there that they carry ur stuff for you everyday so you only need to carry your little day pack. But I was glad that we went with a company where we carried our stuff sleeping bags and stuff. Besides being a vacation, it was also a personal physical challenge. Now, I can proudly tell people that I've done the Scared Inca trail and I carried my own stuff. (but really, carrying my own stuff does not include tent and food cos the porters of the company carries them. But still, I did carry all my personal stuff and my backpack was quite full.)

I think that the trail itself was difficult enough even at sea level with lots of stairs. It was even harder when the altitude was AT LEAST 3km most of the time (highest point was 4.2km above sea level), the air was so thin that it was hard to get enough oxygen. Walking a few stairs and we were already huffing and panting. Adding the huge pack on our backs, it was very tough, especially bcos I have also decided to haul my camera with extra lens and making sure that I have enough battery power, my pack was at least 8-10lb heavier than what it should be. But it wasn't even a question whether I should bring my camera or not cos I'm going to Machu Picchu man. How can I not bring my camera??

The trek was tough but it was worth it. Met some fun ppl in our group. Got to see the Inca ruins along the way that lazy ppl who took the train directly to Macchu Picchu won't be able to see. It was awesome.

Our tour guy was great. And he's funny, too. I'm glad that he was our guide. :)

Almost all the people in our group is from US. 有時候，真的難免覺得那些美國人真的很低能．其中一個人話全界的城市之中，美國的城市是最好的．真係想嘔．自大狂．
跟住有人又成日開飯既時候 complain ｄ野食，佢話想食 pizza 同漢堡包，係咪低能架？我地食既野都係 d porter 煮既，都不知幾地道，我就覺得好好食．佢呀，食都未食，一見到就話好掛住 pizza，其他有ｄ人就成日話想飲 starbucks, short short 哋架，出去旅遊唔食當地野都有既？揀飲擇食！人哋 porter 煮埋你食都咁多投訴，五行欠打．

我都有掛住 city 既野，就係我張床，四日三晚，係露營，it gets really cold at night up in the mountains. My sleeping bag is a little too short for me. In order to cover myself up, I had to sleep in the form of a 蝦米．But in order to do that, I had to sleep on my side and sleeping on my side wasn't the best way to sleep in a tent cos the ground was too hard. So I didn't sleep too comfortably but still... it wasn't too bad. I didn't complain about it.

Even though our tour company let us carry our own stuff. We do have an option to hire an extra porter to carry things for us, either the whole time or just on the 2nd day (the most physically challenged day where we had to walk 5 hours of stairs to go up to the highest point of the trek). I was honestly quite tempted to get a porter on the 2nd day. Glad I didn't and glad that I survived.

So two of the people in our group hired a porter for the whole trip (while a few hired only on the 2nd day) and we learned at the end of the trip that the porter is a 62 yr old man. And they were laughing at themselves and said that it was really shameful that they paid a 62 yr old man to carry their things (the two of them are about 26, 27 years old). That was so true and so funny.

It was also really funny that we spent more time getting drunk in a village near Machu Picchu than in Machu Picchu. We had to wait for our 6pm train to go back to where we started in the little village. Nobody had enough energy to leave the little restaurant and walk around the little village. Not that much to see there anyway cos it's all souvenir shops. Well... 詹占 and I went out for a quick look cos we were hunting souvenir for 詹占's mom.

Remembering that last day's morning was crazy. In order to see the sun rise at Machu, we had to wake up at 4am to pack our stuff and had breakfast and wait at the gate (the government does not allow anyone to start walking on the trail before 5:30am) in order to be one of the first ones to arrive at Machu. My first time to hike in the dark. And we were all going rather quick despite the fact that we were mostly broken and sore everywhere. And the annoying UK ppl who were walking ultra slowing and blocking everybody. And the virtually vertical stairs near the end while everybody had to get down to "climb" with both legs and hands. (probably can do without hands if u don't have a huge backpack on u so that u don't feel like u are falling backwards but I won't try anyway. It's some serious stairs.)

And then finally reaching Machu. Took a lot of pictures of the same thing. Just to make sure that I do at least get a few gd ones. (I suspect that they all looks the same though! haha... haven't got time to _really_ look at them yet. Quick scan told me that they look ok. Post-sible. Just have to get them organized) Machu Picchu was great. Very 壯觀, especially u look from afar up from the "sun gate". It was awesome. I was so glad that I did hike the trail in order to see Machu Picchu from that distance. Our tour guide said that we totally lucked out on the weather cos it was very clear (got really hot in the afternoon though). He said that the area is normally very very foggy. His group last week didn't get the see Machu Picchu at all from the distance cos the whole thing was just covered by fog. Thanks God for the nice weather!!

And then by the time we actually got there, there were a ton of tourist already. Well... it wasn't too bad cos Machu Picchu is such a big site that you don't really feel _that_ cramped compared to the Ocean Park in HK.

Also did some little tours in Cusco. Pictures will tell the rest of the tale (when I eventually got them all uploaded :P).

Great trek, combination of physical challenge and tourism. Loving it!