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After a bumpy transatlantic flight from Glasgow, a further 8 hours flying saw us arrive in Lima. Two days later, after a short flight to Cusco, the two teams went their separate ways as planned. The expedition was split into four main phases: jungle, trek, project and Machu Picchu with the main emphasis being that the itinerary and day to day running of the expedition (accommodation, travel, food etc.) would be organised by the team members rather than the adults. Needless to say, there was lots of experiential learning to be had! After arriving in Cusco, the all-Merchiston team headed straight for the jungle anda 2 day journey descending from 3400m to 800m. A long bus journey saw us back in Cusco. After two further days we travelled into the Sacred Valley to begin the trek. The Lares trek takes about 4 days and involves crossing two passes of about 4600m altitude. We were to be supported by horses carrying our gear and food, and camp near small villages.
After a further brief stopover in Cusco we headed south for the project to lake Titicaca and Puno. Amantani island was the base for our project: a 4 hour boat ride from Puno. The project involved redecorating and building furniture for a community library and nursery classroom. After being fed almost solely on potatoes and rice for 5 days it was nice to get back to the mainland and some protein. The final few days of the trip were spent in Arequipa, Peru’s second city, before a long bus ride up the Pan-American highway back to Lima.
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At the beginning of the Summer holiday two groups of Fifth and Sixth Formers set off for a month long adventure travel expedition; destination Peru. One group was a joint venture with St Georges, the other a Merchiston only team of 12 boys. Each group was accompanied by an expedition leader from ‘Freewill’ the organising company, and a teacher.
We then travelled by train to experience Machu Picchu, further down the Sacred Valley in cloud forest, and it was certainly an unforgettable day. Lots of other tourists do little to distract you from the impressive architecture and its precipitous location.
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