Well, with literally only days to go in catching our plane (my eldest son Scott) are checking, double & triple checking our itinerary & packing list. No matter how much I think .. there is always something that comes to mind but it will always get down to:

1. Do I really need it & how often?
2. Will this add too much unneeded weight? Some airline limits are 7kg hand luggage & 20kg checked plus why add weight to your backpacks.
3. Which pack will it fit into plus can it be placed in hand luggage or in checked baggage?

The photo shows you most of what I’m packing. Of course, toiletries are not shown & there are limits what you can take on as hand & checked luggage. The cubes are for different clothing like thermals, underwear, t shirts, shorts & the like.  My micro packing checklist is already up to 103 items just for my initial flight. Trust me, female travellers take a lot more.

I’m taking my trusty Black Wolf Grand Teton 65L backpack setup which never let me down in Cambodia & Vietnam last year. Scott has the same as well. I managed to get his backpack/ daypack through Wild Earth on a great discount. These backpacks have their own built in raincoats & can be very versatile in use. We will both have European SIM cards as well to keep us fully contactable along with our laptops. Got a great deal from GoSIM. Our travel insurance is well covered with 1 Cover. Last year they offered me a frequent 12-month travel coverage that was exceptional for the price as well.

With our first treks in Peru there are quite a few items we need to purchase at the location (first stop Peru – Lima Peru where we venture to Cusco, Rainbow Mountain, Ollyantambo & ultimately Machu Picchu). All high-altitude areas. Items needed, mainly, high-altitude supplements (tea/ leaves) walking poles (collapsible type), gloves, scarf, water/ windproof jacket, etc so we must allow the ‘spare’ space within our backpacks leaving Brisbane Australia. These items will come with us to Ecuador & Chile too. Even got a phone sized solar charger for my phone & laptop when hiking for around $35AUD.

Our itinerary involves Peru as above, Ecuador (Guayaquil, Cuenca, Quito, Volcanoes Cotopaxi & Quilotoa) & Chile (Santiago, Valparaiso & Vina Del Mar).  Due to being a tourist from Australia we are granted 90 days free visa for each country. A simple process at the counter. For Ecuador, you must show the required accredited Yellow Fever vaccination to gain entry plus to allow to return to Australia through their Bio-Metrics. This vaccination can only be done by an Accredited GP & usually costs around $140AUD. There are other vaccinations needed but Yellow Fever is mandatory but you don’t need everyone that is listed. The Amazon is certainly a different agenda.

Today, I possibly did my last trek training at 10.1 klms @ 5.2klms/ hr on average including the steep intense quarry ‘road’ with elevation of 257.5m over 1.5klms & down again. High humidity as well which is also expected in Peru, etc so I hope I can handle what will be dished out to me. For the Rainbow Mtn trek there is an option recommended for the over 55yrs to take the horse option for around 9 Soles or so. It’s been around 30+ years since I sat on a horse. Might have to get an apple or carrot to gain/ ensure its care. Elevation is around 4,700m or 15,420ft.  The highest I have been is at Fansipan near Sapa Nth Vietnam at 3,143m or 10,312ft. The air is thin at that height.

Travelling is always difficult in these countries. The weather is reactive & so flights are altered frequently. Buses take the worst roads & many, many hours. For example, Guayaquil to Quito in Ecuador is a 55min flight @ $70 or the bus for a pittance at 22hrs. Love the plane!!!

Flying out of Brisbane (Qantas) we stopover in Auckland for about 3hrs then the 10+hr flight to Santiago Chile. Stopover for 1.5hrs then onto Lima Peru. All up 23.5hrs. In Lima we indulge on a day cruise & swim with the playful sea lions or kayak with them. After that it will all be walking & hiking for a few weeks.

Until then, I’ll manage to keep my blogs going with the insight to operate my new camera & faux Go Pro Action Camera.

Bye for now & keep safe & well.

Brian & Scott

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