I haven´t been eating the best, with tours here only giving the Carbo trio... Pasta, Rice and Bread, and also my own resolve of late because I feel like I deserve it after the Trek, seems I have lost another dress size, but stepping on the scale Today didnt make me the happy chappy I thought I´d be... I´m requesting an extention on my 100day challenge! I have officially lost 11kilos, but thats not even close to enough. I will kick myself back in gear again now... Rules back on!!
Wish me Luck!!
Thursday, 9 June 2011
I CAN DO FRIGGEN ANYTHING!!
Well I´m back... the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu has been ticked right off!
I have a few little things to add though... One being I tried to cancel when I found out how hard it was going to be, and because my Mum told me too as well. Her words exactly ¨you may think you´re fit Jessica, but you´re not that fit... You´ll die up there, and thats for certain!¨ Well thanks Mum for the vote of confidence. So anyways, trying my hardest to cancel at 9.45pm the night before the minibus would pick me up at 4am, I plea with the girl who is inturn pleaing my case over the phone... Fine I can cancel, but for the FULL price of my tour. What the?? So I sit for a minute, thinking of whether I risk all for the cash, when the girl gets a call and says the only option out, is I buy a horse! Buy a horse... What a great idea!! For 100Soles, about $40 i will get a horse and a little dude to pull the horse for whenever I cant go on... BEST BLOODY THING I EVER BOUGHT!! I´m proud to say, except for the last hour of the first ridiculously crazy long and directly climbing upwards day, I didnt actually need the horse, which was actually a Mule! The only other time I sat on it was when my horse-puller guy wanted to get to the peak of the Salkantay viewing Mountain quicker than my little chubby legs were prepared for, and 5 minutes on my last day with the horse because I just wanted my moneys worth and was sick at looking at the road when the surroundings were so darned beautiful... Either way, I got that gorgeous creature for the first 2 & 1/2 days, and the best part was the bag holding my buy included. It may have gone a little noticed that whenever I strayed too far infront of my horse, and the way started to incline in the upwards direction, I may have said on more than one occasion ¨where the hell is my horse?¨ I do apologise to my co-trekkers if my voice saying that line is a little hard to get rid of!!
The part that makes up for me having a cute little mule, is the fact that the elections here in Peru and all the political unrest, forced our trip into 4 days instead of 5... sounds easier doesnt it?? Well it wasn´t!! We had to cram all of the walking into the 4 days, without the 3rd day afternoon off, or the 4th day relaxing hot springs adventure... No stops!! On average everyday we walked 10-11 hours, the first 2 days directly upwards!! Needless to say, we were exhausted by the BIG day.
I had already booked my bus ticket up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes before the trip, because I had heard that if I wasn´t one of the first 400 I would miss out on Waynapicchu. The only catch is to get the bus that leaves at 5.40am, you have to que early!! So 2.55am I was in that there que... by 3.30am the que was massive. I hoped on the first bus, and as the rich get whatever they want, our not quite full bus for some reason pulls upto a fancy hotel and picks up 10 people. Totally not cool you rich fuckwits!! (sorry mind my language, but people are gonna miss out because of these guys not bothering to do what the rest of us little folk had to do). Anyways, we get to the top and the que is huge, not only are the climbers there, but theres an expensive hotel up on the top aswell. All my friends that chose to walk up, but were warned they may not make it in time, were first in que. Geezs I was proud to know that my peeps had made it... and to my luck I had, as well as the girls from our group that bused it too. We all chose the 10am session because the clouds are gone by then, and entered for our guided 2 hour tour, being amongst the first to enter the great grounds of Machu Picchu!
At first, I wont lie... I wasn´t as impressed as I had thought I would be. I don´t know if I was tired, or if with these 68 or something Countries I´ve visited if I´d seen too much, or maybe it was because I hadn´t heard a single non-glowing word about it... BUT that was until I got the chance to climb the BIG BOY!! Waynapicchu, the mountain that is in the background of every Machu Picchu postcard or photo... It was the toughes 35minutes of my life... We were told it takes over an hour, but together, with my little Israeli pose surrounding me, all egging each other on, we killed that picchu in half the time! WELL, WOW WOW WOW... Its all I can say, that was the best view and topped off the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life before, in a big perfect nutshell!! What a view, and what a triumph!! We were and always will be proud to be one of the only 400 that day, and proud of ourselves that we worked so hard to get there. We derserved that moment! ... But then what goes up, must come down! As we were desending, we saw a man getting stretchered off the Mountain, those that saw it (some from my group) say he had a major heartattack, and that he was only 35-40years old. Poor bastard, didnt even make it to the top, I really do hope he got good treatment and is alright.
So back onto the climb down, it was tough after so many days of pushing myself, but I did that too. And lastly as some of the group boarded buses to go back to town I decided to run down... And as God as my witness (and Edouard, my lovely queer french amigo too) I ran down all 1700+ steps like a school girl excited by being asked on her first date... All my years of being a cross-country runner when I was a kid came back to me, I know it was only going down, but it was thrilling, in ways I cant explain. This fat girl felt young and healthy for a good while... Thats my story about my 4 days of body hell, I hope to be able to write plenty more on things I don´t think I´ll be able to do, but conquer in the future!!
I´m the King of the World!!
I have a few little things to add though... One being I tried to cancel when I found out how hard it was going to be, and because my Mum told me too as well. Her words exactly ¨you may think you´re fit Jessica, but you´re not that fit... You´ll die up there, and thats for certain!¨ Well thanks Mum for the vote of confidence. So anyways, trying my hardest to cancel at 9.45pm the night before the minibus would pick me up at 4am, I plea with the girl who is inturn pleaing my case over the phone... Fine I can cancel, but for the FULL price of my tour. What the?? So I sit for a minute, thinking of whether I risk all for the cash, when the girl gets a call and says the only option out, is I buy a horse! Buy a horse... What a great idea!! For 100Soles, about $40 i will get a horse and a little dude to pull the horse for whenever I cant go on... BEST BLOODY THING I EVER BOUGHT!! I´m proud to say, except for the last hour of the first ridiculously crazy long and directly climbing upwards day, I didnt actually need the horse, which was actually a Mule! The only other time I sat on it was when my horse-puller guy wanted to get to the peak of the Salkantay viewing Mountain quicker than my little chubby legs were prepared for, and 5 minutes on my last day with the horse because I just wanted my moneys worth and was sick at looking at the road when the surroundings were so darned beautiful... Either way, I got that gorgeous creature for the first 2 & 1/2 days, and the best part was the bag holding my buy included. It may have gone a little noticed that whenever I strayed too far infront of my horse, and the way started to incline in the upwards direction, I may have said on more than one occasion ¨where the hell is my horse?¨ I do apologise to my co-trekkers if my voice saying that line is a little hard to get rid of!!
The part that makes up for me having a cute little mule, is the fact that the elections here in Peru and all the political unrest, forced our trip into 4 days instead of 5... sounds easier doesnt it?? Well it wasn´t!! We had to cram all of the walking into the 4 days, without the 3rd day afternoon off, or the 4th day relaxing hot springs adventure... No stops!! On average everyday we walked 10-11 hours, the first 2 days directly upwards!! Needless to say, we were exhausted by the BIG day.
I had already booked my bus ticket up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes before the trip, because I had heard that if I wasn´t one of the first 400 I would miss out on Waynapicchu. The only catch is to get the bus that leaves at 5.40am, you have to que early!! So 2.55am I was in that there que... by 3.30am the que was massive. I hoped on the first bus, and as the rich get whatever they want, our not quite full bus for some reason pulls upto a fancy hotel and picks up 10 people. Totally not cool you rich fuckwits!! (sorry mind my language, but people are gonna miss out because of these guys not bothering to do what the rest of us little folk had to do). Anyways, we get to the top and the que is huge, not only are the climbers there, but theres an expensive hotel up on the top aswell. All my friends that chose to walk up, but were warned they may not make it in time, were first in que. Geezs I was proud to know that my peeps had made it... and to my luck I had, as well as the girls from our group that bused it too. We all chose the 10am session because the clouds are gone by then, and entered for our guided 2 hour tour, being amongst the first to enter the great grounds of Machu Picchu!
At first, I wont lie... I wasn´t as impressed as I had thought I would be. I don´t know if I was tired, or if with these 68 or something Countries I´ve visited if I´d seen too much, or maybe it was because I hadn´t heard a single non-glowing word about it... BUT that was until I got the chance to climb the BIG BOY!! Waynapicchu, the mountain that is in the background of every Machu Picchu postcard or photo... It was the toughes 35minutes of my life... We were told it takes over an hour, but together, with my little Israeli pose surrounding me, all egging each other on, we killed that picchu in half the time! WELL, WOW WOW WOW... Its all I can say, that was the best view and topped off the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life before, in a big perfect nutshell!! What a view, and what a triumph!! We were and always will be proud to be one of the only 400 that day, and proud of ourselves that we worked so hard to get there. We derserved that moment! ... But then what goes up, must come down! As we were desending, we saw a man getting stretchered off the Mountain, those that saw it (some from my group) say he had a major heartattack, and that he was only 35-40years old. Poor bastard, didnt even make it to the top, I really do hope he got good treatment and is alright.
So back onto the climb down, it was tough after so many days of pushing myself, but I did that too. And lastly as some of the group boarded buses to go back to town I decided to run down... And as God as my witness (and Edouard, my lovely queer french amigo too) I ran down all 1700+ steps like a school girl excited by being asked on her first date... All my years of being a cross-country runner when I was a kid came back to me, I know it was only going down, but it was thrilling, in ways I cant explain. This fat girl felt young and healthy for a good while... Thats my story about my 4 days of body hell, I hope to be able to write plenty more on things I don´t think I´ll be able to do, but conquer in the future!!
I´m the King of the World!!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
FINALLY MADE IT TO PERU!!!
The heading is pretty much all that I think is needed... Though I already miss my beloved Bolivia!
AND... I do start my 5 day, 4 nights trek to Machu Picchu at 4am tomorrow morning!! Seriously gonna be testing my new faith in this arthritic old body, hopefully the weight lose and a full week without a ciggie will help me through!!
Wish me Luck!!!
AND... I do start my 5 day, 4 nights trek to Machu Picchu at 4am tomorrow morning!! Seriously gonna be testing my new faith in this arthritic old body, hopefully the weight lose and a full week without a ciggie will help me through!!
Wish me Luck!!!
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