The final stretch to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu 

Today was the day. When we initially thought about going to Peru, Machu Picchu was the main reason, however, we'd come to adore the country itself and everything so far had been incredible. The Amazon was Michael's favourite part by a long stretch, he got to adventure through the wilderness and spot wild animals. For me, it was all just perfect. But day four was absolutely my favourite day of the trip.

We woke before sunrise to climb to the top of the hill at our campsite. A few porters carried up a table and hot water with cups and coca leaves so we could have hot drinks whilst we waited for the rays of sunlight to descend upon us and our surroundings. I've never watched a sunrise from start to finish before and whilst it was a very cold moment, it was also an incredibly peaceful one too. 

We watched on as the light first caught Salcantay mountain in the distance and brought down beautiful colours across the rest of the Andes mountain range. Our campsite was surrounded by it and the view was spectacular whichever way you looked. For this, I'll leave the photos to do the talking...

After we had warmed up in front of the rising sun we headed down to pack up the last few things and then to have an al fresco style breakfast. On the previous days we had sat inside the dining tent but today the tent had been stripped away and we were having breakfast with the surrounding mountains in full view. 

Following on from breakfast Bobby gathered all the porters who had been with us since day one of the Inca Trail and made a speech. It was all in Spanish so being a useless monologuist like I happen be, I didn't understand a word, but neither did any of my fellow campers (some of whom did speak fluent German and other languages though!). We stood around as Bobby undoubtedly said some kind words and Michael handed out tips to individuals such as the cook, the sous chef, the head porter who was given the tips to pass on to the rest of his team, the man who had the awful job of managing the toilet tent and Augustine, our waiter. Many of them would head back home from here but a few we would see again at lunch, but regardless of whether we would see them again we all went around each individual man and personally thanked him for making our trip much easier on our backs, feeding us fantastic food and in general, being very lovely despite the language barrier. 

It was a humbling moment and they had genuinely made the trip amazing for us, clapping each time we arrived at camp despite our bags being 1/4 the weight of theirs and always greeting us with a smile.  

From there, our final hike began. Today was mostly about descending and exploring more Inca sites. From our campsite we had a view of two sites called Phuyupatamarca and Intipata. 

We had two kilometres of Inca Steps to hike down today and after a fair few we stopped at Phuyupatamarca to explore this unfinished site. From the campsite it had looked relatively small but when we reached it there was a lot more than the almost aerial view had shown. 

We again stayed together for this final day. It felt right to enter the Sun Gate as one group, however, at one point we did lose Martin who was moving at great pace with the constant downhill steps really helping him pick up speed. We stopped at a very small Inca Site, again one that was incomplete, but Martin had unknowingly gone on ahead. One of his daughters had too but upon hearing our voices, she made the climb back up and arrived mid-tale. 

Bobby sat us down for a rest and a snack and told us all about a local farmer who had, a few years ago, discovered an Inca site. Before discovering the site the man had quite a history and an on going quarrel with the local authorities. He was asked to leave Machu Picchu Park, as many farmers supposedly had been when it was opened, but refused on the grounds he had no where else to go. Suspicions surrounded the individual regarding him having 'no where else to go' as he had been spotted frequently in Cusco. One day, all his farm animals were let loose when he was in the city and upon arriving home he hastily went about his business gathering the animals. Whilst searching for one of his cows he supposedly stumbled upon an Inca Site. It's not uncommon for this to happen in the Park and many suspect some sites remain undiscovered or left to the hands of Mother Nature when the money is not there to clear them after being discovered. 

The Inca Site, being undiscovered, had treasures still within it. He made the decision not to tell anyone for two years. After those two years, he travelled to Machu Picchu where archeologists were constantly at work. He found a man who willingly followed him to the Inca Site he had discovered. The archaeologist applied for sponsorship in order to fund the clearance of the site and after being turned down a few times, finally found a sponsor, however, this fell through and to this day the site still remains closed off to the public and overgrown. The farmer also didn't find the future he was looking for - the suspicions surrounding him turned out to be true and he was found to own two hotels in Cusco and had a family living in the city. It transpired that in order to afford the hotels he had stolen treasures from the Inca site and sold them on the black market. Most, if not all, of the treasure from this site remains in unknown hands. 

After hearing the story we continued on our path with our minds on the Inca treasures that were likely spread around the globe and the overgrown sites, no money to fund the care they needed. The sun was shining on this fairly open area of the trail with a few shaded spots thrown in. We managed to finally catch up with Martin who really had got quite far ahead of us and then came to a fork in the road. Bobby offered us a choice here - one way led directly to our lunch spot and the other, to the Inca site we had also seen from our campsite the previous night, Intipata. Surely it's obvious which one we took? 

Intipata is an absolutely huge agricultural site built into the mountainside. From the angle above you wouldn't have thought it sits the way it does, slotted so neatly into the mountain. It wasn't circular like Moray, the site we had visited on the Sacred Valley tour, but the terraces we're built the same way with each layer having it's own microclimate. We strolled around the site for a while and saw burnt out embers that had blown this way from the fire. 

More steps took us down to the bottom of Intipata where we exited the site and headed for lunch. Upon arriving to the smiling faces of our hard working porters we were told lunch wasn't quite ready, a first for our trip, but this was planned it would seem, as Bobby invited us to follow him for a visit to another site. 

Winay Wayna was just a short walk from our launch spot. It held similarities to Intipata but had many more houses of varying sizes, for more important people in the cases of the larger ones. This name is Quechua for 'Forever Young' and there was a beautiful view down to the Ollantaytambo River.

We headed back for our last trek supper, said our final goodbyes to the remaining porters and began the last two hours of our hike to the Sun Gate. At the bottom of this campsite we stopped to make some friends:

Unlike earlier in the day when Martin had broken free of the pack and Michael, Stansa and I had wondered ahead sometimes, we all stayed completely together for this final two hour stretch. The walk was a pleasant one, in and out of the beautiful sunshine, through another Inca tunnel carved into the rock face and not long before the Sun Gate we approached a set of steps which some call the 'Gringo Killers'. These were some very uneven, very steep steps that we had to scramble up using our hands. Bobby took our poles for safe keeping whilst we scrambled our way up. It was a good bit of fun and Bobby waited until the end to show off by running up the steps laden with 16 walking poles under his arms with ease. 

The steepness continued with slopes and steps but after more deep breaths, we'd done it. Bobby stood at the top, a high five to congratulate us and we rounded the corner to our first real life view of Machu Picchu. 

It was incredibly beautiful and breath taking and I stood gawping for a few moments. I actually felt quite overwhelmed and a little emotional, it was just hard to believe a dream had come true and we'd really spent 4 days hiking and achieved the goal of climbing to Machu Picchu. It just felt so very surreal. 

We spent around half an hour here taking pictures and absorbing the view before it began to get busy. Whilst in our heads we thought the trek was done we still had to get down from the Sun Gate to the exit of Machu Picchu. The walk took another 40 minutes or so and we were the only people geared up for a hike, so we assumed many had either come for a day visit or completed the hike on the previous day, because they all looked very clean and stayed away from us if they could. It's not like we hadn't showered in 4 days or anything...

The view as we headed down to the bottom was stunning. We didn't stop much as crowds were descending and we'd have a tour of the site the next day, but we couldn't help pulling over for a few photos.
We joined the big queue at the exit to hop on the only buses allowed to travel on the road to Machu Picchu and made our way into Aguas Calientes. Here we stayed in a lovely hotel called Inki Puntu which was rather basic but we didn't need much after four days of hiking! Our dinner that evening was a little disappointing but it didn't matter much. We'd just come down from the hike to Machu Picchu and would be waking early the next day to make our return...

MissIsGoode

It might shock you to visit my blog and find I'm taking a moments breath to talk about something other than Peru (fear not, there's still more posts to come on that!), but it's true. Once again I've had the absolute pleasure of supporting a brand I've come to love over the years. Sudio kindly sent me a pair of their Regent Headphones and after experiencing the exemplary sound quality of their Sudio Tre earphones I was desperate to try out the headphone version from their wireless selection. 

I wasn't home when my parcel arrived but my partner collected it from the neighbours and by the time I had finished work, the box lay open on the sofa and my boyfriend was eerily silent and there I found him, relaxing in his desk chair, with the Regent headphones royally placed upon his head. In that moment, he looked like the happiest man on the planet, and since that moment, I've had to battle him for an opportunity to share the glory of these headphones. 

I was apprehensive at first because I'm a loyalist to earphones and I've always found them somewhat more comfortable, but anything wireless immediately suits me better and once I finally had the chance to give them a test run (my boyfriend fortunately hadn't taken them to work with him!), I was so pleased with the quality and surprised by how light they were!

I've never claimed to be all knowing in regards to the specs of headphones and earphones, but you can view a shortened version of the detail below or on Sudio's website, all I know is that my music plays clearer than any headphones I've used so the sound quality is fantastic and, they just look so good. 

Specs:
Weight: 177g
Range: 10 metres
Battery time: 24+ hours (active), 20 days (standby)
Charging time: 10 minutes quick charge, 120 minutes full charge

Drive:
Type: 50mm Dynamic Speaker
Sensitivity: 105 db SPL @ 1kHz
Impedance: 47 Ohm @ 1kHz
Frequency Response: 18 Hz - 22 kHz

Published by Sudio. 

If you want to find out more about the above, maybe check out this website as it explains all of this in more detail!

Personally for me, the headphones begin to become uncomfortable after an hours use but my partner begs to differ, having worn them for much longer gym sessions and whilst watching the TV at times too. I suspect my discomfort may relate to the fact my ears genuinely stick out quite far and the compression causes some sensitivity, but despite that, it certainly doesn't put me off using them. I carry my Tre earphones with me for daily use as they are compact, but, alongside use at the gym, the Regent headphones have become an essential part of my evening yoga sessions. Whilst my Tre earphones stand the test of weights and cardio, going upside down often throws them off balance, but comparatively the Regent headphones stay put no matter my angle.
When I first tried out the Regent headphones I was a little put off by the output of the noise - one of the things I always wish to avoid when choosing my head/ear phones is being that person on public transport with earphones that do not reverse the noise cancellation they provide i.e they don't force my music onto others around me whilst leaving me blissfully unaware. Before I put the Regent headphones on, the sound booming from them seemed as though once it would be upon my head it wouldn't cease to blare out music into the world around me, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how well these hold in the music for your ears only.
The headphone caps are also interchangeable and you can buy different covers on Sudio's website - the above are a set of caps I was sent with a marble affect - you can view these here. A sample of other versions can be viewed in the below or found by following the link above:

Screenshot from Sudio

Whilst the caps do retail a little higher than I expected, the designs are beautiful.

In general, as with all their products I've reviewed, I love the quality and design of Sudio's collection and highly recommend their product. I use my earphones on a daily basis and my partner now also takes whatever chance he can get to use the Regent Headphones. Personally, he finds these perfect for the gym as he doesn't have to worry about wires when weight lifting or doing cardio. The convenience of bluetooth headphones and earphones is absolutely why I'll never go back to anything with wires!

If you love the look of Sudio's collection and are seeking out a new pair of headphones, why not treat yourself - there's also a cheeky 15% off if you use code MISSISGOODE15. Enjoy! 

MissIsGoode

We were allowed a cheeky little lie on day three right up to the wonderful hour of 5:30am...what a treat! 

Our trek was to start at 7am today but of course, it was still a very cold morning. I'd had a much warmer night after choosing to wear the entirety of my kit bag. Of course, it made taking layers off quite unpleasant but at least the cold hadn't kept me up as much. Michael on the other hand slept terribly. He woke feeling quite unwell likely from tiredness and the excessive amount of coco leaves he had consumed to get him up to the pass in such good time! 

We had semolina and peaches for breakfast which was one of the more disappointing meals of the trip, but still lovely and warm. 

After delayering I was really feeling the chill in the air. My fingers were numb as we started the trek and I kept leggings on underneath my hiking trousers. It wasn't long before that became a terrible mistake - the sun came out and it was boiling. 

Today was about site seeing. On route to Dead Woman's Pass the scenery had been incredible but as it was located more among the hills and mountains, the actual Inca sites had been scarce. The first site we stopped at was Runcuracay which was a look out post for the Incas. We were told it would have also been a stopover on the route to Machu Picchu. The slope up to this was still a little tiring and I could feel the hike from the previous day having an affect on my now wobbly legs, but we had a nice time to explore the relatively small site and select a rock to take onto the next peak to make a wish.

A serious rock slide that ran through our path and continued down the other side. Apparently this had happened a few years earlier but the damage remained.

The view from Runcuracay

The view from Runcuracay below including an additional look out spot

Our highest peak today was 3,900m. On the way up we stopped beside a lake and rested for a short while. People passed by but no one else stopped in this area. We all had a snack and chatted for a short while and the day in general felt much less challenging. Bobby stayed with us for the whole day as everyone just wanted to take in the scenery and off we went up the next steep climb. We reached the lower level of the peak which was a lovely seated area surrounded by trees. We ditched our bags to hike up a little further and take some photos from a lovely high spot that only two other tourists had ventured up to. The Black family decided to take the opportunity to spell out Peru with their bodies which turned out to be quite hilarious for us onlookers. 

People carried small rocks from Runcuracay to the peak and made a wish. Stones were piled high around the area from years of the tradition

Don't mind me - just enjoying the view

The view from our high point for the day - it really made you realise how far the apparently unstoppable fire had spread

The views were just so perfect. 

After going over the pass we came to another site, Sayaqmarka, which we really got to explore. The site was built in a perfect position to catch the sunrise. In the early hours from a certain campsite you could see the site spectacularly lit up by the morning sun. Unfortunately, it wasn't the campsite we were staying at but Bobby showed us his photos of said campsite and the view he had. It was spectacular. An aqueduct was built to this site from a local spring and running fountains were built within. Bobby told us that the closer the site is to Machu Picchu the more fountains there are. This is thought to be to do with cleansing oneself for the sacred site of Machu Picchu. 

We were shown around the site in real detail. Bobby showed us how the Incas built curtain hooks which they hung cow hides from the same way we would curtains. They also carved indents into the walls alongside steps to act as handrails. It was incredible to think what they had achieved. 

Michael and I started to feel a bit worse for wear at this point. We were right beneath a blazing sun and our bags, and therefore our camel packs, had been left at the bottom steps of the site believing we wouldn't be there for long. The dehydration began to hit us quickly and Michael still wasn't feeling great from the morning. We carried on exploring for a little but the group all headed down to begin the final stretch to our lunch spot 35 minutes away.

Unfortunately, due to how we both had been feeling we didn't capture many photos in this area, which is a real shame because if you follow this link, you can see how amazing it is! 

We were in a beautiful spot for lunch with incredible surrounding views and llamas. They were sat at the entrance to our pitch and I never realised how huge they could be until this point!

For lunch we had chicken noodle soup followed by shredded beef, rice and homemade chips. Let's remember for a moment we are 1 day away from Machu Picchu and miles and miles away from a shop or civilisation besides hikers, porters and guides! The chef and his team really did incredible things! 

Our campsite was a further two hours from lunch and our porters packed up and as always, sped on ahead running most of the way. The beauty continued as we walked to our campsite mostly descending. We walked through the most incredible scenery that it seemed more like you were in a beautiful garden in Asia. The rock faces had been cut away and the vines wrapped around the path with beautiful orchids springing out of the rocks and walls along the walk. We passed through a tunnel that had been carved through the rock which was astounding. The area we were walking through was called the Cloud Forrest. Most of this reminded me more of The Amazon than the Inca Trail I had experienced so far. The walk was leisurely rather than challenging like it had been the day before. I could see why Bobby thought it would be tough because of how much you descend and the pressure this puts on your knees and toes, but personally Dead Woman's Pass was the toughest for me. 

We hadn't descended an incredible amount, with our beautiful deserted campsite being 3,700m up. The fire had continued to spread but the smoke was heading in the opposite direction so we were told our route to Machu Picchu was clear. There was no one at this campsite, many had carried on to the next one as they were on a 3 day hike rather than a 4 - I'm very grateful we did a 4 day one because that would have meant Dead Woman's Pass and a steep descent all in one day! 

Phuyupatamarca from above - day four gave us the opportunity to explore this one!

Intipata from afar - on the other side of that mountain is close to where Machu Picchu lies! Intipata was once a massive agricultural site and it looks pretty big from afar but even bigger up close. Come back soon for day four!

Michael felt unwell still so he went for a good sleep whilst I watched the sunset with the rest of the group. It still blazed on us whilst it set but the moment it had gone you could feel an instant chill in the air. I woke Michael who reluctantly came and nibbled at a bit of his dinner before we all headed for another early night.

The smoke added for an eerie scene as the sun set over The Andes

A view from the other side where the last of the sun's rays glistened over Salcantay Mountain

I remember feeling a pang of sadness on this night. It felt as though our time in Peru was going so quickly already but the anticipation ahead of the next day was beyond exciting. In less than 24 hours we'd be setting foot in Machu Picchu, a place Michael and I had always talked about visiting but believed we wouldn't until our late 20s. In that moment, I felt so grateful and so happy about the decision we had made to splurge away a bit of our savings on the trip of a lifetime. 

MissIsGoode

Day two is quoted by Exodus as the hardest day of the entire trip. We started our second day walking at around 2,800m and needed to work our way up to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200m. The only real practice we had done was Mount Snowdon in Wales which is 1,085m above sea level. We had already been sleeping well above that and boy didn't my cold body know it!

It was 5am when we woke to Bobby making bird noises and torch lights shining through the lining of our tents in the hamlet of Huayllabamba. The porters poured us a cup of boiling hot coco tea which was so lovely and warming. At this point, the hardest part of the day was mentally preparing myself to get out of my sleeping bag. Getting changed into my hiking gear was a despairingly daunting idea. The coco tea was the only thing stopping me from crawling back into my sleeping bag and burrowing down there for the rest of the trip. I'm well known for being very prone to the cold so this was one of the hardest things for me.

Once I had pushed myself into dressing and squealed in my tent a little whilst doing so, we were served porridge followed by an omelette and more tea if we wanted it, which I did merely for warmth! I couldn't wait to get started on the hike just to get my blood flowing more than anything. We set off around 6:30am and stayed together as a group before the first check point. Here, Bobby stayed at the back of the group to ensure no one was left behind and we were left to make our own pace throughout, all Bobby asked was that we waited at certain points along the trail. Michael and I started off fairly quickly, but not so fast we missed out on the views.

We passed many animals on our trip wandering quite freely. Whilst these donkeys were saddled up ready they weren't carrying anything at the time and apparently they were never heavily loaded, which was lovely to know. They looked very healthy and well looked after and travelled in huge groups around the park.

The photo probably makes you wonder what the hell I'm on about when I talk about the beautiful scenery, but this is part of the Cloud Forest. It was an area of woods along the path that's very sheltered from sunlight with thick moss covering all of the trees. Very little lives in this part of the trail and it was fascinatingly creepy!

It wasn't long before I started to drop back. My sinuses were hurting from the pressure due to the altitude and whilst I hadn't any comparable experiences I felt confident my acetazolamide, a drug for altitude sickness, was working it's magic as I wasn't feeling nearly as bad as others had back in Cusco. 

Michael carried on ahead taking loads of photos and videos along the way whilst I stayed with the sisters and chatted with them, if a little breathlessly at times. I'm not much of a cardio bunny and I openly admit we didn't practice as much as we planned to, but I don't think you could ever prepare for that many steps! We were all so grateful for the walking poles we'd taken with us as they saved our knees so much torture.

Getting close!

As we climbed higher I could really feel the pressure on my lungs. A breath began to feel short and sharp and at some points it felt like deep breaths were becoming less effective. We had stops here and there along the way including a wait for all of the group to catch up, including Bobby who had stopped to chat with other guides and porters. Michael stopped with us for a while and I picked up the pace when we began to walk again but it wasn't long before I abandoned my post by his side in favour of going a bit slower. We powered through to the 4,000m mark where we could see what we thought was the peak of Dead Woman's Pass, however it turned out to be about 50m before the peak, and whilst the view was beautiful we desperately wanted to have it in our sights to encourage us. It was a lot tougher than I expected.

Most of the photos I have are from the open area heading directly towards the summit, but a lot of day two was also spent  walking through the Cloud Forest and the meadows of Llulluchapampa. Most of our memories there are captured on video so I'm really going to have to pull something together!

I believe this is Salcantay mountain in the background...

Up ahead we met back up with the fastest members of the group so far; Michael, Mirran and Megan. Stansa also had the pace but stuck back with myself and Annette chatting. We waited in a beautiful spot for everyone else to catch up as it was nice and sheltered compared to how the peak would be. Bobby came around the corner and then led the group up to Dead Woman's Pass, which was of course up many, many more steps.

Just off from the centre of this photo is where our hike began - from this scale it doesn't look so far but you just try and spot the people on the path!

Not satisfied with the peak of Dead Woman's Pass Michael chose to climb up higher onto the rocks for an even more scenic view. Here is a few of our group, other hikers and also porters taking a well deserved break at the peak

The view on the other side of Dead Woman's Pass. What looks like a thick fog on the other side of the mountains is actually the smoke!

It was the most amazing feeling when we reached the summit. Dead Woman's Pass is an intimidating name but the view is just incredible. I could have stayed there all day and taken it in had it not been for the wind! From the peak we could also see the spreading fire mentioned in my previous post. We could see it's path of destruction and that it was still burning its way across the mountains. The smoke was thick in the air deep into the valley. We stayed in the area a short while taking as many photos as we could to remember the moment before approaching the dreaded descent to our next camp.

Feeling like champions!

I look like a giant in comparison to my surroundings here - I promise I hiked 4,200m above sea level and I'm not just 4,200m tall!

My handsome man Michael looking somewhat less mighty than me in the above photo due to his love of low angled shots. Everyone was really impressed with how easy Michael found the hike and thinking back on our training I was flabbergasted at how much easier he found it compared to me! Hats off to him though, he could have done it in 6 hours or less if we hadn't held him back!

It took us around two hours to reach the valley of Pakaymayu and the lower we went the more smoke we could smell and see in the air around us. Whilst walking, Bobby told us that if the smoke continued to blow in the direction it was we may be stopped from entering Machu Picchu and asked to turn back, to which we all gasped. None of us could face going back down all the steps we had come up to reach Dead Woman's Pass. With little in the way of signal all we could do was wait to hear more from the Park Rangers.

We arrived at our camp by the Pakaymayu River around 14:30pm meaning the ascent and descent took us around 8 hours in total, and boy didn't my legs feel it. I was glad to have descended from the height of Dead Woman's Pass and be able to take a deep breath again, but it was so worth it.

We had a late lunch upon arrival at camp of vegetable and quinoa soup for starters and chicken with rice and vegetables alongside a slice of cauliflower pizza for main. As always, it was delicious. Post lunch we were treated to a nap in our tents. Most of the group were exhausted and Michael and I had a short nap before playing a game of cards.

For dinner we had chicken and tagliatelle with sweet and sour sauce. After watching the stars again for a short while, we headed for an early night.

And guess what? I was absolutely freezing cold again!

But we'd done it. We'd climbed to Dead Woman's Pass and it had felt like we were on top of the world. Whether the fire was going to stop us or not, we'd already had an incredible journey.

MissIsGoode