The last part of my journey takes me very briefly into Bolivia.

This is a country that I would definitely like to come back and visit more fully!

The big hikes are done and it's time to enjoy the spectacular Lake Titicaca - the world's highest navigable lake. 

Spending time with the indigenous people was such a rewarding experience and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. 

Originally there were 15 people interested in hiking Rainbow Mountain but everyone who did the 4 day Inca Trail dropped out. I was the only one of the Inca Trail hikers to also tackle Rainbow Mountain.

I did come to realise that I’d taken on too much! But I felt incredibly proud of myself that I was the only one to tackle both of them!

The day I finally completed the Inca Trail, went through the Sun Gate and arrived at Machu Picchu.

So - YES!! A (formerly) fat old bird with high (now normal) blood pressure, a (minor) heart condition and a (former) fear of heights CAN indeed hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!

The third day on the Inca Trail was the longest. So although not the highest, it was still a long and tough day.

It involved another climb up Runkuraqay Pass - an elevation gain of about 600m and then later a descent of 1,000m.

The second day on the Inca Trail had been fixed in my mind as the hardest and most scary!

It involved the massive climb up Dead Woman's Pass - an elevation gain of 1200m to a point at 4,215 metres above sea level. 

After years of it being on the bucket list and 8 months of planning and preparation, the day finally arrived!

I could barely believe it was happening and felt a massive range of emotions - nervousness, excitement, gratitude and the realisation that I was actually all set to actually do it!  

The sixth leg of my journey takes in my initial adventures in Peru - Lima, the Amazon Jungle, Cusco and the Sacred Valley - right up to the start of the Inca Trail.

As the week progressed, I got more and more excited and more and more nervous!

The fifth leg of my journey takes me to the Galapagos Islands, some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and straddling the Equator! Another paradise on Earth!

These islands are very special indeed and have captured a very large piece of my heart! 

The fourth leg of my journey takes me to Quito in Ecuador! Paradise on Earth!

This is where I will see for the first time how the altitude may or may not affect me.

The third leg of my journey takes me from Kent to Miami - finally arriving on Sunday night in Quito, Ecuador.

The second leg of my journey takes me from Plymouth to Tenterden in Kent.

Some time to recover from my crazy week last week, spend time with more family and catch up with some work. 

This is it! My big journey starts this week!

First leg is to Plymouth to visit family and friends and to participate in an all weekend Latin Dance Congress.

I can't wait!

OMG!  Just over a week to go before I leave!     

I start my journey next week!    

And I STILL have SO much to do!  But I'm getting VERY excited! 

It's July!!!!!

I leave for the UK part of my trip in just 2 weeks!! :-O

And I have SO much to do! And I made a BAD mistake!

Oh My Goodness! I can't believe that it's now 6 months since I first booked my trip to Machu Picchu! And I leave for the UK in just over 2 weeks - and then leave for my trip in just over a month! Where has the time gone?!

Lots of catch up on work this week. A productive week, so all good.

I also had to wait in for the delivery of my new SIM card so unable to get out walking.

However, I did my first circuits since before Jebel Musa! 

Yikes! I only have a month left before I leave - so this week I thought it was time to finally sort out my jabs!

I had got my act together a couple of weeks ago to make the appointment and have to confess, jabs are something I'm a bit of a wimp about so wasn't looking forward to them.

I also realised I have to start focusing on work, which I've let slide a bit lately.

I've been struggling with my motivation again this week, so didn't do any circuits and didn't even bother recording my steps again. But my eating was back on track and my weight dropped by 3 lbs! 

This was a really horrible week!

It was one of those weeks where everything seemed to go wrong!

And I confess I let it get to me! 

A good week activity wise with lots of walking! AND including a Sunny Walkers Hike!

Then topped the week of with a weekend dance event, so loads of activity this week - although giving the circuits a rest. 

This was another BIG week!

The Caminito Del Rey is a trail that is perched along the side of a cliff, with massive drops beneath it - a sure test for how I'm doing with my fear of heights!

Otherwise, in terms of hiking, it was a fairly quiet week as I rested after my trip up Jebel Musa on Saturday.

This was the BIG ONE! The hike up Jebel Musa - the mountain on the opposite side of the Gibraltar Straits. I've been working towards this milestone for the last 7 weeks and thinking about it both excited and terrified me!

I also conquered the Med Steps 3 times in one day. And went sailing - not related to fitness but was fun.

It was my birthday this week so it was a wonderful week!

What a great week! I had visitors again, so it was out of my routine, but I got lots of walking in and I felt great.

After a weekend of pretty much complete rest, I was feeling much better at the start of this week. My determination came back and I recognised that, while I may not be where I hoped to be by now, I've still actually come a long way.

The Jebel Musa hike is starting to loom, which is both exciting me and terrifying me at the same time!

Aaargh! I recognised that I started to go downhill while I was out Sunday evening and during the night, I started showing the symptoms of a cold! Blocked nose and couldn't breathe, coughing and didn't get much sleep.

So I felt pretty rubbish. Massively frustrating, when I am trying so hard to keep on improving my fitness levels. 

I was on a high after the great previous week and especially since my hike up Valdevaqueros on Saturday and my great time up Alcaidesa hill on Sunday.

Then life got in the way!! But I recovered by the end of the week for some more great hiking. 

A GREAT WEEK!

The hike in Chefchaouen has finally got my head into where it needs to do and determined to do this.  

This weekend featured a trip to Chefchaouen and a hike to the Akchour falls - this really made me realise that I've been playing with my preparation so far and not taking it as seriously as I needed.  

  

However - I'm pretty pleased overall with the way the week panned out.