The Hiram Bingham

The Hiram Bingham Belmond Train (Picture courtesy of Newsworld247.com)

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of Hiram Bingham until I went to trek up Machu Picchu....Ignorant? perhaps...actually yes, bloody ignorant...but one can't know EVERYTHING! So thats why I sometimes (yes sometimes, OK not really...often) rely on Wikipedia to fill in the culture gaps or lack there of...
So who is Mr. Hiram Bingham and why on earth is there an amazing train that goes from Machu Picchu to Cusco named after him??? Hiram Bingham is actually an American academic explorer who discovered Machu Picchu in 1911 (or brought Machu Picchu to the worlds attention). Once again, I'd like to thank Wikipedia for this tidbit.

So what does Hiram Bingham have to do with me? Well after a 4 day trek up to Machu Picchu, sleeping in tents and not showering, we were eager to get our dirty little hands on any form luxury....hence, The Belmond Hiram Bingham train (formerly part of the Orient Express group). As soon as we set eyes on what would be our transportation for the next 4 hours, we new something special was going to come our way....we just had no clue how special it would be!

We boarded this 1920's style, beautifully retro train with shiny wood and brass accents everywhere. White cotton tablecloths and flowers on every table....it looked like a lovely cosy french style restaurant, except we were on a train. The drinks started flowing (mainly pisco sours, all free since the train ticket is all inclusive, around $400 a ticket) and then we were all asked to move in to the bar cart to see a musical performance. I was expecting some classical music, a little something Peruvian....but instead the band started playing some rock tunes and all of a sudden I found myself dancing in the middle of the cart to "I cant get no satisfaction" while the rest of the guests either looked on, or joined in on our little party.
After our dance off we headed back to our dinner cart for a lovely 3 course meal before our arrival into Cusco.

The trip on the Hiram Bingham was a highlight I would say...who would have known that The Hiram Bingham was a party train??? Which was also exactly what we needed to celebrate our decent from Machu Picchu and to shake up our muscles after what they had been through.

So Hiram, we thank you for spreading the word about Machu Picchu and we thank you for the amazing ride you gave us on your party train. Hiram Rocks!!!

Inca Trail Me

So I've recently gotten back from my AMAZING trip to Peru. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to see all the beauty I saw....This whole trip was quite unexpected actually....

So we started our 4 days and 3 nights on The Inca Trail from The Sacred Valley. I was expecting to see groups of tourists walking the same trail, bumping into people from every country you can imagine...But instead we saw NO ONE! That was probably one of the best parts of the whole trail, since it actually makes you feel like you're alone, on a spiritual journey discovering an untouched part of the planet.
Looking up at The Andes and not seeing a single soul, not hearing a single voice, except the gentle blowing of the breeze and the humming and chirping of the birds....priceless.

The start of our 4 day trek

 Upon starting the trail, our guide told us that we would be  following one of the hundreds of trails that the Incas built in order to get to the sacred city of Machu Picchu. We were on a Pilgrimage to the sacred city.... Believing that you are on a pilgrimage not only helps you get through the 4 days with a spiritual outlook, but it really makes you understand what the Incas went through to get there as well.

Bear in mind that the Incas like Cusconians and all the people who live or who have grown up around The Andes have a bigger lung capacity, therefore allowing them to breathe more easily in high altitudes and have the stamina of an athlete!! The rest of us with a normal lung capacity, can't breathe as easily and start panting after a few steps....which is extremely exhausting!

For me the trail was definitely an enriching experience. It allowed me to get away from my daily life, switch off the telephone, empty my head and not think about anything except the amazing experience I was living in that moment. We lived in the moment. All we thought about was our trek, what we needed on that days trek, did we have enough water and food? and when the next bathroom stop was going to be, but more importantly where was the next bathroom stop going to be?? sometimes we did have to go in the wilderness (I've yet to perfect that and am open to suggestions)
Was the camping tough? HELL YEAH (and for those who know me, they no I ain't no camping girl!!) Was the trek demanding? OOOOH YEAH!! (by day 3 none of us could walk but we had to push through the pain and deal with it.  Would I recommend it to anyone? HELL YEAH!!

Taking the train to Machu Picchu and just visiting the sacred city doesn't fulfil you nor give you the same experience at all. The beauty of the trek is reaching your destination after days of walking and just sitting there staring at what you came for. Its a deep experience. You build strong attachments to the people you spent your days on the mountain with.
It touches you. Its fulfilling. Its emotional. Its life changing.

The Sunset and the clouds....so close you can touch them

A part of the trail (one of the most terrible parts...never knew downhill would feel worse than uphill)

 

Our amazing guide Wilfredo playing the flute at sunrise....Magical

The 3rd campsite

Machu Picchu....

I came, I saw......It conquered

Lima Been

MATE Museo Mario Testino, Lima-Barranco, Peru

Lima is not one of the places I've heard great things about in the past. Most say its dirty, can be dangerous and almost always misty and overcast. All these things are in fact true (to be honest I'm not sure about the dangerous part, since I was lucky enough to have skipped that). What no one ever said to me about Lima, is that the food is AMAZING, the history and the architecture is to die for and there's quite a happening night scene when one is in need of digesting the "causa" one had for dinner. Need we also mention that Mario Testino is a Liman?? or that Matsuhisa Nobu lived in Lima for a few years and that's where he started experimenting with Peruvian/Japanese fusion and then went on to open his first restaurant?

I'm sure there is much more that has come out of Lima and Peru that we just don't know about yet...but the things we should be grateful for are also: Quinoa, Pisco (yeah Piscoooooooooo!) and Ponchos (which were first worn by the Paracas (Peruvian pre-Incas)).
Enough of my rambling...Basically what I'm trying to say is that I was very pleasantly surprised by Lima and what it had to offer. Great restaurants (Malabar-Pedro Miguel Schiaffino’s restaurant which uses produce sourced from the Amazon). For a more chilled lunch try Cala on the beach in Barranco....the Ceviche was up there, the view of the crashing waves and the surfers isn't to hard on the eyes and the Pisco sours hit the spot.

Cala, Lima-Barranco, Peru

Had we stopped in Lima for more than two nights, I'm sure I would have eaten my way through the city....or maybe thats just an excuse to go back!

Malabar, Lima

Malabar, Lima