Holy Moly.... Did I do that?!

After our final dinner and night in La Paz Eliza and I jumped on a flight to Santiago, but not before watching the world cup final in the airport with our fellow supporters!! We managed to see most of the game until it was time to board the plane. The pilot announced that Germany had won and one guy with a German flag painted on his cheek got cheers as he had the biggest smile on his face and walked down the isle of the plane to find his seat. What a good day for him!! 

We spent a night in Santiago at the airport hotel before flying back to and landing on good ol' Aussie soil. The flight home was thankfully so much better than the flight over! 

  I am home sweet home in Adelaide and already feel like I must've dreamed the past two weeks!! 

Out of my 500 odd photos I have narrowed my favorites down to 84 :/ 

Oh dear! 

Don't worry folks, I wont put you through looking through THAT many!

 (that excludes you both Mum, John, Dad and Julie... I will put together a slide show, project it onto you living room walls and make you sit through all 500!!) 

SO hard to pick just a few. But here goes. 

The top photo I took when Piero took us to the temple of the hummingbird. Its maybe not the photo I love so much, but the memory of being there. It was super early in the morning and pretty misty, but absolutely beautiful. 

One of my favorite moments of the trip. 

Below is Eliza struggling up the hill (as we all were)... telling herself just one foot in front of the other... then breathe! Such a trooper! 

 Her face says it all...

I took this one really quickly while we were traveling in the truck.

 And I like this one just because I look happy! 

(that is not shit on the ground next to me by the way... 

they are potatoes. I think.)

 Just chillin' at the Machu Picchu ruins...

 And on a boat on Lake Titicaca

 I met some amazing people... In and out of our tour group. 

Shout out to Carly in particular. Mostly for being honest and telling me that ''it's not good''

 the morning I woke up with a puffy face!!

And as many of you might know I love a good 'old person' pic. 

This is my favorite. 

Machu Picchu was everything that I had hoped for and so much more. 

I'm thrilled I had the time and support to do it, and was so lucky to be able to do it with my sisters! What a trip!! 

Day 12

Today we jumped back on the truck for the final time and made our way to La Paz.
The ride was pretty smooth going, although we did hit some crazy traffic at one point...
We also had to make a 'ferry' crossing.
I couldn't believe that our truck was going to board one of these wooden structures and attempt to cross!
We all jumped on a boat and made our way over while we watched our truck (and our passports!) make the daring journey!!

Upon arriving to la paz the view was amazing! So many buildings!!
We took a few snaps and then made our way into the city to our hotel.
After watching the football and enjoying a beer we were treated to a buffet dinner and some delicious wine before I piked out and went to bed!

Day 11

Today we took another boat on lake titicaca out to the isle del sol. 
The boat ride which was supposed to be 45 minutes, took an hour and a half. 
I could have doggy paddled faster!! 

We finally reached the island and our tour guide for the day Leo, took us to some ruins. 
After lunch we got the option of a 3 hour hike or an hour hike back to the boat. I opted for the shorter one which took us along a beach. It was beautiful :)

After another hour and a half on the boat back the Copacabana, everyone looking a little frazzled, we all went for dinner and then crashed out pretty early. 
The boat ride took it out of us! 

Day 10...

This morning we started our day by taking 'taxis' to the shore, where we caught a boat that took us to the floating islands of lake titicaca. 

The lake is the tallest in the world and has depths of 150 meters. 

The floating islands were crazy! People living on them build them with reeds and have to rebuild on existing reeds every two weeks to keep everything afloat! 
We were invited onto an island and into their houses and it was certainly interesting. Such a different way of life.

We made our way back to shore for lunch and then after we jumped on the truck again, bound for the boarder between Peru and Bolivia. 

Our tour guide Neil promised us a surprise on the way! 
He took us to one of his favorite rock formations. Devils gate. 
It is said that when the Spanish invaded the Incas gave all of their valuables to a shaman who then crossed through the stone gate, never to be seen again. 
Later, a man living in the area and studying the ruins, was visiting the rock with his wife and is said to have disappeared through the gate for several minutes, but what he said felt like hours (leaving his wife on the outside).

There are particular sounds and positions to get through the gate, and although I only sat in it, the way Neil talked about it does make it feel a little eerie!

Weird.

After the ruins we crossed the boarder and made our way into Copacabana. 
We had burgers and a couple very strong cocktails for dinner and then had another relatively early night. 
Copacabana is a sweet little place with a beautiful view of lake titicaca. Tomorrow we will take another boat ride to the isle del sol and hopefully catch some sunshine :) 

Day 8...

Today I did almost nothing due to deathly hang over!!

After returning to Cusco after machu picchu we all went out for a drink, which turned into everyone dancing in a nearby bar until 3am! 

What happens in the bar stays in the bar, but lets just say it was a very fun night for all!!

Waking up the next morning wasn't as fun! Eliza, Mel, our new friend Carly and I found our way to a massage parlour and paid about 10 Aussie dollars for an hour massage each!! The girls weren't very experienced in massage and there was a lot of giggling about their 'techniques' but it was so cheap I thought it was worth it!

After the massage we bumped to our new friend Jose on the street. 

Jose accompanied us on our trek and is also the owner of Andina travels. 
We have developed a soft spot for Jose and he for us, so he invited us to join him for dinner that evening. 

Hoping that our stomachs would be more than recovered from the night before, we accepted his invitation. 

Along the trek we had spent a lot of time chatting (when we could muster the breath) and I had mentioned to Jose that I love to cook. He insisted that I try out for masterchef and also that I try a particular restaurant in cusco. 

Masterchef is not on the cards, but seeing an opportunity, he treated us girls dinner at what seemed to be the finest restaurant in Cusco... He said I could not leave with out eating there!

Boy were we spoiled! I ordered Lomo Saltado which is a beef and vegetable dish with rice and it was amazing. I don't know what they are feeding their cows over here but it was probably the most delicious beef I've ever eaten.
Coupled with Pisco cocktails and 3 desserts (chocolate brownie, raspberry mousse atop of a chocolate sponge and a deconstructed pineapple and toffee pie) the meal was up there in the best I've had. Even with a hang over ;)

A special mention to Jose and his company Andina travel. They organized everything to do with the trek, they are so attentive to everyone along the way...
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. (And not just because he bought us an amazing dinner!!) 

Day 9...

Today we had an early start as we all jumped on the truck for our 9 hour drive to Puno.

The drive was a little rough and we passed through some interesting little places. Carly and I sat up the back of the bus and along the way Nick our driver hit a massive pothole, sending us so high in our seats that we nearly hit pur heads on the roof! Everyone got such a shock they screamed and I did jar my back a little bit so Carly and I have decided tomorrow we won't sit up the very back!

We did stop at some hot springs along the way for a quick dip.

The springs were like big pools that smelt like bad eggs and upon walking in we spotted a very old Peruvian woman, naked and washing herself. 

About half of the group just went for it whilst the other half (including us girls) discussed how unhygenic it would be and what weird diseases we might walk away with! After a bit I decided we were there, we must do it!!

The pools were hot and if you didn't think of the scum you were standing on they werent that bad. 

Definitely a one time thing!...never again!

Arriving in Puno we were starving so went out for a pizza and a cocktail and then jumped into bed early ready for another day of driving in the morning. 

Peru... One week in, Machu Picchu

Today I finally ticked Machu Picchu off my bucket list!
After a tour of the ruins we hiked up to sungate for the spectacular view.
Photos might say all my words on this one...
(Although they are only photos off my phone... Camera photos will have to wait!)

Peru... Day 6

Last night I was much warmer! My makeshift hot water bottle worked a treat and I stuffed my coat around my feet to keep me toasty!
As always we were woken up with hot coca tea at out tents and bowls of hot water for our faces. Amazing.
Strangely, Eliza and I both woke up with puffy eyes... One of elizas eye lids had turned purple over night and I looked like I had a face reconstruction!! Luckily it all went down through the day!
After bacon, eggs and fried banana for breakfast we were off again for another 5 hour hike.
Before leaving we got to meet a pack of Alpacas that have been introduced into the near by township. When I booked our tour I had the option of choosing to do a 'community trek' or 'classic trek'. I chose the community trek for a few reasons. One reason being that part of the money we spend on our tour goes towards helping to rebuild and help the small villages around the trek. Over the past couple of years the company have gifted around 400 alpacas, have helped with reforestation and have recently rebuilt bridges that we crossed over today.
Although the tour took a quite a chunk of our savings, seeing that my money is going towards something that is so vital for someone else makes it all worth it.

Todays walk was just beautiful. We made our way through what felt like rainforests, with beautiful flowers, birds, streams and of course the mountains in the background.
It took us about 5 hours, ending with us putting our disgusting feet in the stream and sitting in almost disbelief and pride that we had actually made it!
A bus was waiting for us to take us to a nearby town called Ollantaytambo where we have checked in to a hotel for the night.
Tomorrow.... Machu picchu!

Peru... Day 5

Today I woke up miserable! The over night low definitely hit at least minus 8 and I froze!! I managed maybe 3 or 4 hours sleep, despite the fact that I was so exhausted the day before!

It is Elizas birthday though and after waking her up with lots of 'happy birthdays' we ate porridge and pancakes for breakfast.
The chef then surprised her with a birthday cake!!! How he managed to make a cake at 4000 m above sea level... I'll never know! It was brilliant!

After breakfast and 15 minutes 'business time' we started our hike for the tallest point of our trek. Today was more of a gradual incline but it was SO difficult. Running on barely any sleep and sore muscles from the day before we all questioned whether we could actually do it.
Reaching the summit of 4,700 m and taking in the spectacular view of mount Veronica made it all worth it.
Truly amazing.
Today was another 9 hours of hiking with an amazing lunch in between, pop corn and hot chocolate when we reached the camp site, quinoa soup and Elizas favorite, spaghetti for dinner!
Tonight we are camping next to a glacier!
The crew are amazing. They set up camp, cook for us so it's ready for when we arrive for lunch, and then hike ahead of us to set up to cook for dinner and set up our tents for the evening.
We all played a dice game called ambitious after dinner which was a lot of fun!
I am layering up a bit more and I have filled my drink bottle with hot water to put at my feet... Hopefully I'll be warmer!

Peru... day 3

Today we began our adventure trekking  into the Andes!
We awoke at 5 am, scoffed a quick brekky in the hotel and then jumped on a bus headed for the ancient ruins of Saqsayhuaman (or as we like to call it, 'sexy woman')
Piero is our guide and he is fantastic! A wealth of knowledge, and is one of those people you could never feel sad around!
He showed us around the amazing ruins before we jumped back on the bus for about 2 hours.
Our next stop was at a women's centre in Chinchero. They have a weaving project and make beautiful things out of alpaca wool. I couldnt help but buy a few things!!
5 minutes down the road we stopped for lunch of soup and fish and potatoes, before heading to Ancahuasi, where the temple of the moon stands, and this is where we officially start our trek!
We hiked three hours to our first stop for the night in Zurite. After dinner we sipped coca tea to keep us warm and had an early night as many of us were exhausted, with the altitude starting to take it's toll.
Little do we know what is in store for us the next morning!!

Peru... Day 4

This morning was a 5 am start! A few of the cooks woke us up by bringing us hot coca tea in bed! It was amazing!!!
We had porridge and fruit for breakfast and then set out for a big, hard day of hiking.
Starting in Zurite we hiked 1050 meters up hill to reach a summit of 4500 meters.
I can't even begin to describe how difficult it was. I'm pretty unfit anyway, but the altitude was crazy and made it so hard to breathe. We would take 50 steps, stop for a break, another 50, another break, and so on.
We all had headaches and a little nausea at some point along the way.
Getting to the top was unbelievable! The view was spectacular... And with the exhaustion of the hike behind us, we were all a little emotional! (I may have shed a tear when I finally got to the top!)

After descending for about 2 hours more we found our lunch site where our crew had hot water for washing our face and hands, hot coca tea and purple corn tea to warm us and help with the altitude and an amazing lunch of cream corn soup and pasta!
After lunch the altitude got the better of Eliza and she vomited. She drank the corn tea earlier and her puke was bright purple! Our guides hoisted her into the ambulance (which was a horse!) and she spent some time wearing a ridiculous helmet and resting.
After lunch we had another two hours of pretty flat terrain to reach our camp site.
Temperatures are supposed to drop to minus 8 tonight... After more soup and chicken and vegetables for dinner, we are all straight off to bed!
What a day!

Peru trip... Day 2

Today we met the rest of our group in the morning, had a run down of movements over the next two weeks and then we were set free to discover Cuzco.
Mel, Eliza and I did a little shopping, hit up a delicious chocolate shop and then ate massive bowls of pasta (still loading up on carbs!!) And sampled the local cocktail- a pisco sour.
We are meeting up with our guides this evening to go over our trek and hash out some details.

Obviously I wont have WiFi on the trail so updates of the next four days will be posted when we arrive back in cuzco.

Can't wait for the trek!

Peru day 1... The longest day. Ever.

Blogging from my phone could be a challenge but I'll see how I go!

Eliza and I started in Melbourne and made our way to Auckland where we had a 5 hour lay over. We then jumped on a LAN flight to Santiago.
LAN were pretty good to fly with but the actual flight itself was probably up there with the worst I've ever experienced. We battled through over an hour of turbulence and I thought I was going to vomit!
Wasn't a nice experience.
After 11 hours we arrived at Santiago and hung out in the airport for 10 hours. Luckily I slept for about 7 of the 10 and Eliza managed about the same but we woke up looking like we'd been though the wars!!
We shared the biggest plate of guacamole I've ever seen and made our way to our flight from Santiago to Lima.

This flight was pretty cruisy, although we were delayed a little in taking off when the lady sitting behind me suddenly produced a beagle out of no where!! One of the air hostess' realised and from what I can gather, told her that she could not bring the dog on the flight and that she would have to get off the plane!
The lady clutching her beagle started arguing back in Spanish which then led to about 5 flight attendants all gathered around our seats arguing back!
The lady was becoming quite distressed so I popped my head over, gave her a tissue and she explained to me that she didn't understand why the pilot wouldn't allow it and 'where was his human kindness?!'
I wasn't about to start debating with her about humans and dogs so just gave her a sympathetic smile.
Anyway, after a lot of back and forth discussion the pilot must have given in because the beagle was allowed to stay!

God knows how she got the pooch onto the plane in the first place!

Later, after another four hour stop off in lima, we jump on another flight and landed safely in Cuzco.
Flying in was simply spectacular. Unlike any landscape I have seen before.
All of the sudden I didn't feel as exhausted... And then realised Eliza and I had another 5 hour wait in the airport for Mel!
By the time she arrived we ushered her out as quickly as possible and checked in at our 'colonial' hotel where we will meet our tour group tomorrow. We managed to explore the local streets a little, grab some pizza (apparently loading up on carbs and water helps deal with altitude sickness) and finally managed some much needed rest.

All in all probably the longest 40 hours of travel I've ever had.
All worth it to be here on an adventure with Mel and Eliza though :)

Where's all the bloody fruit??

Work at Rosemount Winery kicked off with a little less than a bang! Mother nature has decided to work against us and the grapes have taken a beating from harsh heat, rain and wind.

Aaaaaaanyway, we have crushed about half the estimated amount of fruit so far, (which is bugger all) and I might have a couple more weeks of work, if I'm lucky! 

                                                   Here are a few snaps of vintage so far...

Open ferments

 Filling tankers

 Lindsey racking a tank

 Running the Fuge!

 The Centrifuge

 

 3 months on night shift

Work aside, I moved house, and now instead of vines on my door step, I have this....

 

On a more serious note

It has been approximately 6 years since I 'flew the coop', jumping on a plane with high expectations, bound for bigger things.

Things seem to have come full circle and after a crazy couple of years I'm at a point again wondering 'What do I do next?' 

The general consensus from people when I tell them this is that I'm in a position they envy. 

"You're young, you could go anywhere, do anything"

If only it were that simple! 

I've made a pretty firm decision that I love it here in South Australia. The city doesn't really feel like a city (I guess I'm a country girl at heart), the hills are beautiful and the beach is on my door step. 

Work is a dilemma at the moment though. What to do what to do... 

I've decided that after my trip to Peru in July I will stop moving around, try and get a 9 to 5 job and get a little stability. Sounds boring doesn't it?! 

I can say for sure, working 7 pm til 7am, 6 nights a week is starting to weigh heavily on me. 

Boring stability will be just what the doctor ordered!