Read February's The Edge as a PDF - The Edge Magazine

WHAT THIS PICTURE SAYS TO THE EDGE...Freshly made sandwiches, jacket potatoes, salad boxes,homemade soups, cakes & much much more!Duke Street. Tel: 01245 499114EDGEthe supports the right for womento be allowed to let their hair down too!‘EQUALITY’ IS NOT A DIRTY WORDDOORS - DOORS - DOORS‘Cheerful Bob’ & Bros. inc. ‘Serious Chris’& ‘Forgetful Dave’ - ‘all Alive & Fitting!”Family Business Est. 1979“HOLY COW....fancy my mag getting there before me!”When I opened up an email from Jill & JohnBarratt and saw this photo, my mouth prettymuch dropped open.‘Touched’ is not the word.For them to take a copy of The Edge all theway to Peru with them. Yep, I definitely felthonoured by that.Here’s what they have to say about theirexperience, one I believe I would absolutelylove....“We have been reading your excellent magazineever since it was on photocopy paper(which goes back a fair few years). I think Ipicked up my first ever edition from theGolden Fleece when I worked in centralChelmsford (although I'm not really sure as Ihave been retired for seven years and I can'tseem to remember my name these days withouta long think!).Anyways up, as I have never written to youbefore, we recently decided to do our ‘silversurfer’ bit and see if we could get your organpictured in a bit more of an exotic and excitinglocation than usual.I know from your own holiday snaps just howmuch you are into old buildings and cultures,castles and magnificent views etc., so here’sjust ONE of the 800 pics we took in Peru,which was the most amazing, exciting andvisually stunning place we have ever visited inour lives. I was honestly left speechless somany times the wife thought I was ill!We went there to celebrate our silver weddinganniversary and boy, did we! The food wassurprisingly good (alpaca meat nice, guineapig bad), the local beer excellent and Peru'snative cocktail, Pisco Sour, an absoluteknockout......literally!Mrs Edge’s sister’s been, but we are still togo, yet when you look at this photo, doesn’t itmake you simply want to kick yourself for notas yet sorting out such a trip?6 ‘unusual’ facts aboutMachu Picchu1. The first Westerner credited with discoveringMachu Picchu for the outside world (AmericanHiram Bingham) was said to be looking for anentirely different lost Inca site called Vilcabambawhen he was finally led up the slope tothe then totally overgrown ruins of MachuPicchu.2. The most popular way to approach the siteis via the Inca Trail trek. This three-day hikereaches a lung-squeezing height of 4,214m atits highest point and there are several sectionsof Inca stone paths along the way. Due to fearsof erosion, the government now limits the numberof people embarking on the trek to 500,which includes the compulsory, locally-hiredporters.3. Each year there is a race along the IncaTrail, which at 26 miles is pretty much amarathon. The current record stands at3hrs 26mins.4. Many of the porters sleep with a shiny metalobject, or a mirror, beneath them when on thetrail. They believe it deflects spirits coming upthrough the earth and whisking them away. Askany guide or porter and most will tell you theyhave experienced the feeling of being pulledout of their tents by ‘spirits of the past’.5. A popular aim on each trek is to arrive at thefabled Sun Gate in time for sunrise. However,you might wish to have a lay-in instead as highmountains block the majority of the view.Page 6Internal/External, Hardwood/Softwood,Stairs & Spindles a speciality.Visit our door stall on Saturday’s at Chelmsford Market01245 361201 0777 893 8920Machu Picchu and having a condor flying overour heads in the Colca Canyon were definitelythe highlights, but all in all it was the mostincredible adventure we have ever had andwill live in our memories forever. Give it a gosometime - it comes highly recommended!”6. The most expensive Bollywood film evermade (‘Endhiran’, released in 2010) was partlyshot on location at Machu Picchu and featuresan ex-Miss World as the leading actress. It isone of only a very few movies to be givenpermission to film within the ruins.shaun@theedgemag.co.uk