Last stop, they took credit cards luckily
Llamas have the right of way on this highway. 
Jono sniffing the altitude sickness away, good sport even with all colour drained from him.
Alberto, champion at charades, we knew it was Shrek all along. 
mountain goat
Claire Emily and yo
Me and my mate at Machu Picchu
Christmas market
Antigua. Motorbike volcano mission unsuccessful, donkey mission complete!
Christmas feast Peru style, I was not game for fried rodent
Christmas Eve
Travel rule numero 1: Check the dates of your international flights. One week of Spanish lessons had turned my brain to mash. Thinking l had a day up my sleeve to explore Antigua before my flight to Peru I checked my ticket, I asked my home stay mother Maria what the date was. Panic. Flight left in two hours, and Antigua is two hours from the international airport. Throwing my clothes from the floor into my pack, Alberto Jnr agrees to literally fly me in his red pick up to the airport, no seat belt required. Luckily, the airport runs on Guatemala time, and I scrapped through by a whisker. Tranquilla gringa. A mad dash was the only way to leave this place behind.
Peru. I had become accustomed to traveling alone but decided to swallow my independence and embrace group life for our Inca Journey over the next eight days. A mixed bunch, all quiet and meek to begin with, 'are we alive?' our guide asked us on the first day. Group dynamics took hold and the peeps were soon mingling and learning of one anothers journeys, physical, emotional, metaphysical or otherwise. All on a clean slate, no preconceived notions of one another’s past, present or future but moving closer to one another and Machu Picchu galvanised the group. The meeting of strangers is a wonderful thing. No expectations, but with time and amazing vistas, one man islands dissolved leading to the development of some very pure friendships. It is the life of a traveler, you meet people, some you stay with, and some you move on from, learning things about people and yourself along the way, in the hope of becoming a better person, whatever that means.
The trail, 42kms with altitudes of 4200m lead some to suffer. Five days of rain and sometimes hail did not dampen our spirits. Energised by the exploration of mountains, new friendships, ruins and of course our amazing guides Alberto and Cesar elevated us to new levels. Photos nor words will not do the last five days justice. These Peruvian mountains breathed new life on us all, and gave us a new way of seeing the world, sparking new ways of pondering the world we live in, ways to appreciate, conserve and respect this beautiful planet we live in.
Christmas in Cusco, con vinos muchos, amigos especiales y explosiones in La Plaza. Good one Tim!
Next stop Jungle boogie take two.
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