Approaching Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca Trail
Clients and porter on the Inca Trail This is some feedback from clients recently returned from our Walk and Beach, Peru Brazil combination holiday. I put it up here because I really like the sentiment, it simply tallies with the thinking behind Pura Aventura holidays.
“Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time.How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea. We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.”The photo above was taken by clients a few years back but shows the tough approach to Dead Woman’s Pass. It also shows one of our porters in the background looking disconcertingly untroubled by the climb.If you see the full remarks below, more light is shed on the work our porters do. I also thought it was worth dropping in a photo of the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate (that’s where you get your first views when coming in on the Inca Trail).It is a quite extraordinary moment and an emotional one for most.
Your first views of Machu Picchu
What can I say about the holiday then…..It was the most amazing holiday experience we have ever had. It was certainly the most adventurous challenge we have given ourselves on a holiday.
Peru was wonderful…..everything was so well organised, our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable, and as for the Inca Trail itself….an experience that I will never forget.
The four days of camping and trekking almost had Mai-Britt giving up (Dead Womans’ Pass almost living up to it’s name) but when we finally reached the Sun Gate we were both nearly in tears. It was a wonderful, emotional moment as you see Machu Pichhu for the first time. How people can just take the train and bus up I have no idea.
We did it the right way in my mind, the hard and sweaty way but the right way. We earned it ! We all know what Machu Pichhu looks like, it’s an iconic image, but to see it for real was breathtaking.
We have some amazing memories. Listening to the porters laughing was one of the simpler things we appreciated. Given the hard lives they lead in the mountain villages we appreciated their hard work, the help they gave us and they always had a smile on their faces. Priceless !
Rio was a nice stop-off before we headed to Buzios to re-charge our batteries. We wish we’d extended the holiday and had an extra couple of days in Rio, but we can’t complain.
It’s always nice to have a couple of unexpected things happen or things go slightly wrong, it’s adds to the experience, but the local guides and Pura Aventura were quick to fix things and deal with it. There was a strike in Peru that meant we were forced to walk to the airport, as they blocked all the roads. We were always kept informed by our guide and with the help of the hotel we got to the airport with no problem. Another guide was even sent to the hotel to escort us there. Luckily we were picked up by a hotel mini-bus that picked his was past all the rocks and rubble dumped in the roads. Also, we were told we would be transferred by bus to Buzios with other people, which was not what was in our package. Not really an issue but we were meant to have a private transfer. Anyway a couple of phone calls later all was resolved. A small things, but you remember these things.
So a big thank you to Pura Aventura.
We have certainly recommended you to our friends and colleagues, so I hope you benefit in the future with some more bookings.I know it’s a tough financial environment at the moment, but word of mouth counts for a lot when it comes to holiday experiences.We will certainly be back.Like to walk to Machu Picchu? Interested in Pura Aventura’s Peru holidays? Find out more about our Peru and Brazil holiday.
Guided through the wine tasting process by an expert.
I’ve just been updating itineraries for our walking holidays to la Rioja.
As part of this our guide in the region, Xabi, wrote with a few clarifications. Including this one. Which tickled me as it’s a bit much to put in a holiday description. It is, however, very interesting if you like to know about wines so thanks Xabi.
“French oak is much slower growing than American, and for this reason French oak´s grain is much tighter, as you well say. There is, however, no relationship between this and oak flavour (and when you speak about wine you must say oak aroma, not flavour; there are just five flavours: bitter, acid, salty, sweet and umami).
The grain that you mention is strongly linked with the pore size; because the slow growing French oak pore size is smaller than American one; for this reason the exchanges between the environment and the wine (and between the wood and the wine) are slower in French oak barrels; that gives more elegance to the wine (the fast exchange of American oak wood gives more “aggressivesness” to the wine…).
Small pore size (French oak) gives less aromatic intensity but great complexity.
Medium/Big pore size (American oak) gives great aromatic intensity but less complexity.
Oak aroma basically depends on “Metil Octo Lactona” (chemical molecule that transfer coconut and oak aromas to the wine), and American oak wood has almost double quantity of “M.O.L.” than French oak; for this reason French oak barrels transfer less oak aroma to the wine.
So now you know.
If you would like to join us on a walking holiday to La Rioja, we still have space on our 18th September holiday and on our Rioja wine weekends on the 10th September and the 15th October, 2010.
The beautiful Soraypampa Lodge looking down at Mt Salkantay
The Lodges
There are four lodges built along the trek and it took over 10,000 mule journeys to complete them. The first lodge has 12 room and the others just 6.
Each one was designed by a local architect using local stone, wood and straw in the traditional adobe Inca style. Construction was supervised and approved by the National Insitute of Natural Resources.
Electicity is provided using state-of-the art gas generators. Water is from local sources and there are ‘filling stations’ at each lodge. Water from plastic bottles is charged at a premium and profits are donated to the community.
The company has also set up an eco-team to maintain the trail, clean up any litter and advise and assist with wildlife conservation.