Hauri to Yanahuanca

Very very shortly after posting my last blog (10 minutes) I saw a group of gringoes/ white people strolling through the town. Never to miss an oppertunity, I went right over and started chatting. It turned out they were an American family of missionarys living in Peru for a couple of years, and they had also for that week, other missionary friends staying with them. With out a blink they invited me to a game of basketball and netball they were just heading to, not before they had offered to wash my clothes and drop my bad off at their house.... The game of basketball turned in to a week with the 5 of them and their 5 frinds, doing sight seeing, teaching at a local school, playing many many games and chatting wonderfully (in English), cooking and baking and just being as entertained and cared for as I could possibly be! Even when I spent the night being sick... Refreshed to my soul and loaded with yummy food they kindly dropped my at Hauchis, to start on the Inca Trail propper!

This is my 10th day since leaving the Bredbenner family and I have crossed an amazing amount of valleys and rivers and towns and people and experiences allready. I have spent 3 nights with local familys (and of course being fed their wonderful food), had milk straight from cow 3 times, been asked for money by a man with a gun, been asked for money by a man wiht out a gun, had my hand shaken and had beautiful smiles more times than I can count. I have met with extrodinary kindness at every turn, and everything seems to be working out beutifully.

Right now I am an hours walk or so from Yanhuanca at a school where they invited me in to use their brand new second hand computer sweet and internet... And was also given food here... Food is very graciously and easly given.

About ah hour back I crossed a pass (4500m exact) where I had views to the north and south for AT LEAST 200km in each direction. Those are my favourite moments on the trail. I just LOVE topping out on a hill or a pass or rounding a bend, for me they are magical and aweinspiring and breath taking. I alwasy take the last few steps to the top with anticipation, where the new view inevitable pops in to sight, and I can say goodbye and many thanks to valley I have just walked through, from one area and set of experiences to another welcome unknown one. Often i can trace my trail for the next few hours untill I loose it round a bend, the two rows of stones that mark the Carmino De La Inca, what remains of the cobbled and steped 1000km + route.

Another little point to wonder over is that every bit of water i cross, every lake or river or stream is flowing just 6,500 km East to the mouth of the Amazon, how can water possible run down hill for that long? That is a 1:1625 average gradient... wow, beat that river Dart.

As for where my thoughts lie, they are still very scattered, I am more in the moment and enjoying whats around (like sunrise this morning wiht a heavy frost and light low fog, next to a peaceful river on my own was breathtaking as the orange glow crept down the hill to my tent) but I am still dreaming of England, Devon, walking there, being with family and frinds, but it isnt taking me away too much from the now.

I am trying to obtain the WWOOF list for Peru at the moment incase there is somwhere near I could rest at for a week, but otherwise I head to Cerro De Pasco! Love for now x