Buenos Aires to Vegas - The Trek

Catching the 3pm bus from Mancora was fine. Going through the Peruvian exit in Tumbes was fine. Problems arose when going through Ecuadorian immigration. So we reach Migracion into Ecuador and are told to leave the bus. I step off and quickly realise that my main pack has been unloaded too. I turn to the girl who is directing the passengers and try to explain in my best Spanish that I have a bag still on the bus. Her insistent replies of " Todos bien " (meaning "All is good") sort of placated me for a while but I wasn ´t convinced. I had been told that this bus was a direct one from Mancora to Quitos so expected us to be boarding the same bus again. The bus then starts up and leaves. Only after another 30minutes of me asking does she get what I am saying and stares at me in horror. Now I get pretty pissed off as my bag contained 2 pairs of shoes, my towel , belt and fishing rod. We jump in taxi and go to the central bus terminal but are told that the bus is h...

Another day and another early start. Cuzco is left behind and replaced by Lima. We had 6 hours before our flight to Piura in the north and so decided to check out the city centre. It was very hot and the city was unimpressive. Apparently the place to visit is the Miraflores area which we skipped. We arrive in the central square and wandered around a bit, watching the changing of the guard and having a really good lunch. We managed to get into the Catacombs nearby and got to see an impressive old Spanish Cathedral along with an intact ancient library along with the bones of lots of people. The main Plaza de Armas Changing of the guards. They had to change themselves whilst playing in an orchestra The Cathedral de Catacombs Bones! There were bones in the cell behind me from some naughty blasphemers We moved back to the airport with relief and caught our plane to Piura . Upon arrival we were hustled by a million taxi drivers for a lift to Mancora . We got together with an America...

Without trying to sound too dramatic, my trip thus far had pretty much been a build up to this moment. I say this because the Inca Trail was the only thing I booked before embarking on my travels. After this the pressures and timelines disappear and I can afford to take a more flexible approach to my last few months (only 3 left!!!!). So.... after a night spent micro-managing my backpack to ensure minimal weight, Britters and I were set to go. I had set my pack to around 11.5kg whilst Britters was upset that he had to carry 5kg. We met up with our group near the SAS offices at 6am and boarded a big tour bus headed into the Sacred Valley. We had a brief stopover for breakfast and bought a few essential supplies (walking stick, chocolate and a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label... all essential) before moving to the start of the trail. It was here that we saw our porters. These chaps maxed out at about 5ft and carried packs that dwarfed them totally. When the Inca trail was still a re...