Day 24 - Shotover Canyon

This was our second day in Queenstown and we thought we’d keep going on the adrenalin buzz that seems to be the natural state of the town. We had booked up a combo deal of a ride in a boat and a go on a swing.

The boat was the first event. Now being Queenstown this wasn’t a normal boat trip but the Shootover Jet boat. This is an 80Kph jet boat that skims very very close to the side of the canyon and the shallow river bed. The ride was a great as it really got the adrenalin going as you passed the rocks by at very close range. It was also quite a wet trip as the boat would do a 180 degree spin spraying cold water all over us. We both ended up with very numb faces from the wet and cold winds but was a really good laugh.



Our second event was a swing in a canyon. Now this isn’t what you’d picture as a normal swing. It’s a 109m drop to the canyon floor and the swing has a 200m arc after a 60m free fall! (As expected from this part of the world!) We where both fairly nervous about doing this as it is the biggest swing in the world and defiantly the biggest drop either of us has ever done.



As we where harnessed up and walked out on the platform the staff where extremely helpful about settling our nerves with comments like ‘It’s the fastest way to die.’, ‘The other people have a much better safety record’ and ‘Hope cord isn’t too frayed!’ and the best of all ‘You’ll jump how we want you to jump!’. This swing has a list of different styles that you can jump with pant ratings to give you an idea of how scary they are. Bev was first up (still not sure if that was completely of her choice!) and was trying to go the easy way by being suspended and let loose by the jump master. He had a different idea and convinced her that if she stepped out over the ledge she would hang in the harness until ready to go. So she stepped out over 109m and fell with the shock of her life. This is the forward style although I’m sure that it’s normally supposed to be done voluntarily!




After the rest of the 4 people in our group had gone and my nerves where starting to show it was finally my turn. Having seen everyone else go in a normal style I thought that the look of the garden chair was a curious alternative. This involved me sat with my back to the 109m drop secured to a garden chair and all I needed to do was rock backwards. I’ll admit that, for some reason, I thought this would be an easy way to go but proved to be a bit more mentally challenging then thought. Having plucked up the courage to push back beyond the point of return the helpful jump master decided to catch me mid tilt and pull me back in for no more reason than to see me go through that again. The Git!! The second push was a little less interrupted and I plummeted down sat on a garden chair and had an amazing buzz.




We both enjoyed our first drops so much (or we were still high on adrenalin from the first go) that we went for a second jump! Bev was first up and after a bit of indecision she opted to jump/fall backwards off the ledge. She had to stand with her heels on the ledge and her hands behind her head and fall backwards constantly looking at the people on the ledge as she fell 60m. Without hesitation (and no pushing involved) she fell straight off on que and loved every minute of it.




As all the others had chickened out from doing a second jump it was my turn up. Being a little unsure of what style to do the jump master made the decision for me. For this jump I was to be Gimp Boy. This involved hanging upside down above the 109m drop with my legs wrapped around the rope above me and then let loose. This was an amazing way to go looking face first down the canyon. Look out for the gimp teddy bear in the video, strapped to my bum which was very amusing to watch according to Bev!




The canyon swing is probably one of the best things we’ve done so far it was such a rush it would be easy to get hooked to it. I think it’s also helped my confidence in doing the Nevis bungee as what’s another 30m when jumping off a ledge!

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Day 23 - Welcome to Queenstown

Today was our first day in Queenstown, New Zealand. We awoke to a bright sunny day with a fabulous view of the snow topped mountains and the lake below the town.



We decided to get up and have a wander into town so we could grab some breakfast and sample the New Zealand cooking (not that foods always the first things on our minds!) We went to a cafe that over looked the lake and ordered a fry-up which was entitled ‘The Big Daddy’. We were both really hungry, which was a good job as the ‘large’ plate was completely stuffed with food.
After breakfast we decided to catch the gondola/cable cart up to the top of the mountain it was situated on. The views from the top were spectacular and over looked the whole of Queenstown. We went and had a look around and stopped off at the various viewing points to take some pictures of the scenery.



On the way to the top whilst in the gondola we passed a bungee platform called ‘The Ledge’. Out of curiosity we went and had a look at a few people jumping. There was also a bungee swing available to do which looked very fun. On investigation we found out that this is a 47 metre drop/swing overlooking Queenstown 400 metres below. It looked strangely appealing and Adrian needed to get some practice in before doing the Nevis* bungee (And for Bev doing the Canyon Swing). After debating and putting it off for a good few hours and a G&T, we decided to go for the plunge.



These were great fun but the best way to describe them is by watching the video’s for your selves.


Bev doing the swing.


Adrian stumbling off the Bungee platform. (Listen out for extra humiliation!)

*The Nevis bungee is a 134 metre drop being the biggest in New Zealand. Gulp!

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Day 20 to 22 - Travel to New Zeland

This was the part of our travels that we neither of us had been looking forward to. In the diary the three flights that we had to do covered a three day period. Our actual travel time was around 38 hours and crossing three different time zones.

After a 2am get up we caught our first flight from Lima to Santiago were we had to wait ten hours until our next flight. The flight had some good scenery of the Andes.



The flight from Santiago to Auckland passed by quicker than we thought but was still long and tiring. The final flight was from Auckland to Queenstown. Once again we saw some really good scenery of the southern alps. The landing into Queenstown was pretty interesting as the approach comes through a valley with mountain ranges on either side of the wings.



Our apartment in Queenstown was better than expected with fabulous views of the surroundings and a five minute walk into town. We fell asleep at 3pm that day which was supposed to be for only an hour but turned into a solid 15 hour sleep! We awoke the following day at 6am.




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Day 19 - Arrive Back in Lima

The day was mostly spent traveling back to Lima. We had a flight from Cuzco in the morning which went over some interesting mountain ranges. The rest of the day has been spent catching up on some blog writing and preparing for our long trip tomorrow.




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Day 18 - Tour of Machu Pitchu

Today we got up extremely early yet again so that we could be on an early bus up to the Machu Picchu site. The bus is about a 20 minute journey up a very windy road that goes up the side of one of the mountains. The ride was a bit exciting as the bus drivers didn't quite seem to know when the other buses where coming in the opposite direction and it was a bit close to fit two at the same time.



We had to wait around at the entry gate for a while so that we could get our tickets when rest of our group that where walking came in. Whilst sat around we made a new friend in the form of one of the local stray dogs who took a liking to us and followed us around.



When the walkers from the group made it though they all looked very shattered and in need of rest. We found out that they had all been ill during the tip and that it was a very tough 4 days. (think we chose the better way of getting up there).




We then went up to the ruins as a group and had a guided tour of the site. The tour was very interesting especially meeting the local resident lama's! The views from this site are spectacular. The mountain top where the Inca town is situated is lower then the surrounding jungle covered mountain ridges, giving a panoramic view well worth the trip.





During the afternoon we traveled back to Cuzco via train and bus ready for another reasonably early start in the morning to get back to normal altitude in Lima.

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Day 17 - Train to Machu Picchu

We had an early start this morning as we had to catch the train for a 4 hour journey to the village of Machu Picchu at 7am. The train ride was very scenic and we passed through valleys of high peaks and snow capped mountains.

We stopped after 2 hours for five minutes at Ollantaytambo station and whilst waiting some of the local women came on board the train with trays of cooked sweetcorn fresh from the fields. We decided to try some as we were hungry as usual, it was very nice and sweet, and had melted cheese over the top.

We arrived at Machu Picchu village at 11am and went and had an explore. Machu Picchu was a small pretty village surrounded by mountains with lots of markets, bars and restaurants. It was packed with backpackers and groups of hikers who had come down to Machu Picchu village from the ruins or who had just completed the Inca Trail and wanted to have a soak in the hot springs before setting off home. The hot springs were a 5 minute walk away from the village and was a set of concrete baths all of varying temperatures.

There was lots of pretty looking flowers and plants in the village, here's one example:

We have another early start tomorrow as we are catching the 5:45am bus up to see the ruins of Machu Picchu, so until then...!

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Day 16 - Sacred Valley Tour

This morning we got picked up by coach early and set off to visit the sacred valley of the Inca's. This valley was used by the Incas mainly for agriculture and the reason it is sacred is because it follows the directions of the stars. The Incas were very good astronomers.



On the journey into the sacred valley we stopped off at some viewing points which had spectacular views.



We then travelled down into the valley into a small village for an hour stop at the local market (much to Adrian's joy !). The market was very busy with local people trying to sell you stuff for about three times the amount it was worth. We both got pretty good at bartering the price down.



Once back on the coach, we were attempting to take more sneaky pictures of the local people but obviously not very discreetly as we got seen and bombarded by three local kids and their scary parents for money again.



We then stopped off for some lunch at a restaurant in the sacred valley. We were both pleased to see that it was an all you can eat buffet so we got to it! The price for our three course lunch was 35 soles each, in English £7 each.



After lunch we went to view the fortress in Ollantayambo, this is a large Inca ruin set in the side of a large mountain, with a traditional Inca village at its base. The village is still in full use mainly serving the large quantities of tourists that pass through each day. We had a guided tour around the fortress which was very interesting. The views from the top were pretty good as you can see...




The way back was via an alternative route were we stopped once again at another market village. The terrain around this area was rolling hills with snow capped peaks in the background which were very impressive to see. We where treated by a clear sky in the evening, for the first time in Peru, which made for a perfect sun set over the mountains. It had got very cold by now and dark so we all got back on the coach and headed back to Cuzco.






WARNING: PICTURES OF COOKED GUINEA PIG BELOW !!!

Once we arrived back in Cuzco we headed out for some dinner. So we made it our mission to find a restaurant that served up Guinea pig whole and we thought that we had succeeded !! Adrian's guinea pig was bought out much to his disappointment with no head and crispy ears :( (unlike the picture displayed on the menu!) it also looked as if it had been boiled for a little to long and barely had any meat on it (it had obviously belonged to one of the more under-privileged kids in the area) Strangely enough it tasted like chicken with very chewy skin, unlike crackling. The rest of the meal was just as disappointing when my pizza was bought out with raw bacon on the top and barely cooked. Considering we were the only two people in the restaurant we thought this was pretty poor!


Fig 1: My Dinner


Fig 2: What my dinner should have been like :(

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