Getting ready to hit The Inca Trail!

Greetings from our base just outside of the entry point into The Inca Trail!

We are staying at a FAB hotel with lots of coziness all about it. It´s a good thing, too, as this is our last night of comfort for four days! Let me catch you up briefly on what we´ve been doing...

Yesterday was an official guided tour of ´Sexy Woman¨with our guide, Eddie. It was good to get all the background on the history of the site and the Incas. It took up over 30 Hectares of land, and that was only 20% of what the full site used to be. Amazing! In the afternoon we had a tour of some key, city highlights. We were very behind, like herding kittens to be truthful. But we all had a good time and I guess that´s what counts. Well, unless you´re Eddie and you´re trying to keep us all organized.

Today we did white water rafting in wet suits. Now, to be truthful, I was kinda excited about putting on a wet suit, as I thought it was going to be so tight it would hold in my jiggly bits. Actually, I think it emphasized them. Or perhaps that was my imagination. It didn´t help that Willie, captain of the captains of our boats, said ´OK, we have the big suits´...´for you´. And I was the first one he gave it to...oie! I said, ¨story of my life¨and was met with a barrage of supportive comments by my fellow Inca Chicks who reminded me of how far I´d come. Good on them, really! I must admit that my brother had the schwankiest of the suits, with cool colours and sleeveless. We were all jealous!

We had a BLAST on the rapids. It was a great combination of slow and relaxed vs. level 3 rapids, which are kinda aggressive. Well, at least they seemed that way to me, as I got splashed in the face with several waves! It was alot of fun, and we even managed to have a few water fights! I learned a little about myself after the days´events...

- it´s a good thing to give up control to someone who actually knows how to white water raft. This was not something that was easy for some of my boat colleagues, so I found myself reminding them that ¨Jorge really knows what he´s doing.¨ I was hapy to see that I wasn´t a control freak...at least not in the boat!

- guinea pig is a delicacy in Peru. We went to see a Peruvian home in which they were breading guinea pigs for consumption. I learned that I can NEVER EVER eat one of those cute, furry little creatures...did I say ¨EVER¨?!?

- After the stress of trying to reduce the weight of my Inca Trail bag from 20 lbs. to 12 lbs., I learned that I can really live minimally when I don´t have to shower for 4 days. God help my walking partners! BTW, my brother ALMOST sacrificed his deodarant until I guilted him into taking it and using it. It´s a good thing he likes the rest of the people on the tour with us!

It is SUCH a good group of people and we are all bonding beautifully. We are going to have a great time. Eddie, our guide, described the four day hike as follows:

Day 1 - a long day of walking(turns out we will walk 14 KM)
Day 2 - our ´sacrifice´to the Inca Gods...this would be the stairs and the high altitude
Day 3 - Meditation - easier walk, and lots of beautful sights for enjoyment
Day 4 - Inspiration - our arrival into Machu Picchu!

I know this is going to be a good trip. I can just feel it in my entire being. I can´t wait to wear the shirt that says, I SURVIVED MACHU PICCHU !!

Well poppits, it´s been a long day and I need to get my beauty rest. Tomorrow begins the adventure for which I´ve been preparing for 10 months. I can not begin to express my excitement.

Take care and next time I type at ´cha I´ll be telling you of my success!!
(a)yt xox