After seeing plenty of ruins by foot already, we decided to go and see some parts of the Sacred Valley that we hadn't seen yet, by horse. A car took us to the departure point, 15min from Cusco center and we set off with two quite old horses... and a teenager guide who followed us by foot... so you can imagine the speed we advanced... The tour was nice, we went through eucalyptus forest and stopped at the Temple of the Moon and couple other ruins before the rain started. Once the thunder came closer we decided to cut the tour short and head back to the stables. And so we spent the afternoon hanging out in Cusco.
The next day Steph wanted to go to do some river rafting, but Jo's back is not in good enough shape for it (yet). So at 9am Steph took off with an all day excursion, two hours of bus, three hours in the river, lunch and back in the late afternoon. In the meanwhile Jo continued on shopping (hei, gotta use those last soles!!) and visiting a couple of inka-museums that were included in the tourist ticket that we had bought for the Sacred Valley. Cusco really is a nice city with plenty of cafes and little court yard shops selling anything and everything. In the evening we went for a dinner and drink in the San Blas neighbourhood, before heading to bed for an early rise for a flight to Lima.
Flight to Lima left at 8am, so we got there early in the morning. The airport of Lima is quite far outside of the city, but we managed to negociate a taxi (because we waited a third person to go to the same destination)for 35 soles to Miraflores. A trip that takes easily an hour... The weather was very cloudy when we arrived but it cleared up for the afternoon, so we decided to go explore Lima a bit. The traffic is horrible, anywhere you want to go, you need to take a taxi and be ready to get stuck on the roads. We started off from Barranco, a neighbourhood well known and not so far from Miraflores. In the guide book they talked about "Excotic Garden" in the central park... either we were not in the right place (which we are 99% sure that we were) or the "Excotic Garden" is made of three different cactus... Anycase we continued for lunch in a nice restaurant with a sea view and very cheap Sangria... and from there to the beach. The beach was nice, not many people, water temperature was ok for swimming (according to Steph) but there were too many rocks that the waves threw around that it was too dangerous to get in the water. In the evening we went for dinner in a very chic restaurant in Lima (we put on our last clean clothes ;)) enjoyed good steaks and wine, since it was our last night in Lima and continued in a german owned bar to play billiards.
Last day in Lima was short, walked around, packed all our stuff, got the same taxi to the airport, although the price was negociated in advance at the airport he tried to ask some more, but no chance, since we didn't have anymore soles than what was the deal! Plane to Amsterdam was KLM, very nice, even in the economic class everyone had their own entertainment center, TV screen with plenty of movies to choose from and plenty of music channels. The flight was long, but as usual we slept most of it... Finally the next day in the evening we made it to Nice. Big thank you for our friends who came to pick us up from the airport, although Jo's friend was in a wrong terminal and without cell phones it took awhile to find each other and Steph's friend showed up like 45 min late... Good to be home!!!! :)
30.03.2008 Pisaq (more ruins)
The breakfast was served until 10am, so we had to get up at a reasonable time... It had rained during the night, but the morning looked good so we decided to go see some more ruins in a near by city called Pisaq... The original plan was to take a collectivo, but on the way to the bus stop a taxi proposed to take us there with a good price, so we went for the comfort! It took the taxi 50min to get to the ruins and there we hired a guide and toured around the site for about 1h30. The Pisaq ruins are the second largest complex after MP. It was not as holy site as MP, but still quite impressive.
At the end of the tour our taxi was waiting for us to take us back to the village (8km) where we went for lunch and visited the market. Once at lunch it really started raining and hailing and of course we were in shorts and without rainjackets... While waiting for the rain to stop we just had to go to the near by cafe for a cake and tea... The market was very interesting, one half was handcrafts, filled with alpaca sweaters, jewellery, musical instruments, pottery, hats, gloves, and socks... and the other half was agricultural products, some that we didn´t recognise, all kinds of vegetables, different coloured corn, several varieties of potatoes (in Peru there are about 800 varieties), fruits, spices, coca leaves... and of course it was filled with Peruvians! In their traditional colourful dresses and little hats... In the late afternoon we took a too full collectivo back to Cusco.
At the end of the tour our taxi was waiting for us to take us back to the village (8km) where we went for lunch and visited the market. Once at lunch it really started raining and hailing and of course we were in shorts and without rainjackets... While waiting for the rain to stop we just had to go to the near by cafe for a cake and tea... The market was very interesting, one half was handcrafts, filled with alpaca sweaters, jewellery, musical instruments, pottery, hats, gloves, and socks... and the other half was agricultural products, some that we didn´t recognise, all kinds of vegetables, different coloured corn, several varieties of potatoes (in Peru there are about 800 varieties), fruits, spices, coca leaves... and of course it was filled with Peruvians! In their traditional colourful dresses and little hats... In the late afternoon we took a too full collectivo back to Cusco.
29.03.2008 Inka Trail - Day 4 - MACHU PICCHU
The day we had been waiting for!! Knowing that we are a little bit slow in the mornings, Erick woke us up the first, 03h55... but still we were the last ones at breakfast... At 04h50 we left the camp to go to the last check point (less than 10min walk), which opens up at 05h30, but if you don´t want to stand in line with the other 300 people, you got to get there early. Finally we were the second group in line, and we hang out at the gate in the dark until it opened. Once everybody was cleared, we walked with our headlights on for the first half an hour on a quite narrow path. About 07h00 we got to Inti Punku (Sun Gate) under a clear sky, this is the point that we saw the MP and Wayna Picchu mountain the very first time! And of course we took photos!! We were very lucky, because as soon as we continued towards MP, the clouds came and the people who arrived after us to the Inti Punku didn´t get their photos...
After another 30min of walking we arrived to the check point at the entrance of the MP site. Short toilet break and we started the tour with Erick. Since MP covers a very large area, Erick had chosen the most important buildings to show us, the tour with him lasted about two hours. We started off from the Temple of Water, continued to the Sun Temple via the Temple of Pachamama (Mother Earth). These three temples represent the three levels of Inka mythology, which are also represented by three holy animals: condor for the highest level (gods), puma for the middle level (our world) and snake for the underground (mother earth). We also visited the Temple of Three Windows, the Temple of the Condor and the Temple of the Rainbow. The highest point of the complex is the Sun Calendar, which was used as the agricultural calendar and as well as a religious calendar to know when different ceremonies should take place. Inside the MP we saw some llamas who were there to cut the grass... The tour was very interesting (as usual) and added up to everything we had learned during the hike. At this point the weather was no longer on our side. It started to rain and during the rest of the morning it just got heavier. After the tour we had free time, but because of the weather we just went to see a couple other constructions that were mentionned in our guide book. Around 11h30 we took a bus back to Aguas Calientes, the bus ride took about 30min on a very muddy, unpaved road. We met up with the rest of the group for lunch, in a restaurant called Pachamama (Mother Earth).
After lunch the weather cleared up a bit, so Jo went to walk around the city and to see the market with Rick while Steph stayed in the restaurant drinking Pisco sour (a Peruvian drink made of pisco liquor+lime+egg white), with Mike and Erick... The train back to Cusco left at 17h, it was called the Backpackers train and filled with tourists. It was impossible to rest, except for Steph who slept throught the noise with the help of a few Piscos... but for Jo it was the worst trip of her life!! The seats couldn´t be declined, there were no leg room, horrible loud tourists around... even the ear plugs didn´t help... We made it to Cusco about 21h30, took our stuff from the old hotel and moved to the new one. With a heating, TV and breakfast included in the price of 40$ / night!! We had a plan to go and meet up with some people of the group in a bar later on, but we were simply too tired and crashed in our beds. Sorry guys.
After another 30min of walking we arrived to the check point at the entrance of the MP site. Short toilet break and we started the tour with Erick. Since MP covers a very large area, Erick had chosen the most important buildings to show us, the tour with him lasted about two hours. We started off from the Temple of Water, continued to the Sun Temple via the Temple of Pachamama (Mother Earth). These three temples represent the three levels of Inka mythology, which are also represented by three holy animals: condor for the highest level (gods), puma for the middle level (our world) and snake for the underground (mother earth). We also visited the Temple of Three Windows, the Temple of the Condor and the Temple of the Rainbow. The highest point of the complex is the Sun Calendar, which was used as the agricultural calendar and as well as a religious calendar to know when different ceremonies should take place. Inside the MP we saw some llamas who were there to cut the grass... The tour was very interesting (as usual) and added up to everything we had learned during the hike. At this point the weather was no longer on our side. It started to rain and during the rest of the morning it just got heavier. After the tour we had free time, but because of the weather we just went to see a couple other constructions that were mentionned in our guide book. Around 11h30 we took a bus back to Aguas Calientes, the bus ride took about 30min on a very muddy, unpaved road. We met up with the rest of the group for lunch, in a restaurant called Pachamama (Mother Earth).
After lunch the weather cleared up a bit, so Jo went to walk around the city and to see the market with Rick while Steph stayed in the restaurant drinking Pisco sour (a Peruvian drink made of pisco liquor+lime+egg white), with Mike and Erick... The train back to Cusco left at 17h, it was called the Backpackers train and filled with tourists. It was impossible to rest, except for Steph who slept throught the noise with the help of a few Piscos... but for Jo it was the worst trip of her life!! The seats couldn´t be declined, there were no leg room, horrible loud tourists around... even the ear plugs didn´t help... We made it to Cusco about 21h30, took our stuff from the old hotel and moved to the new one. With a heating, TV and breakfast included in the price of 40$ / night!! We had a plan to go and meet up with some people of the group in a bar later on, but we were simply too tired and crashed in our beds. Sorry guys.
28.03.2008 Inka Trail - Day 3
The moment we got our eyes open at 05h45 we saw amazingly beautiful mountains in the horizon. Snowy tops in the sunrise. Straight after packing we climbed up about 1h30 and got to the third pass (3670m), where the breakfast was served. Fantastic view of 360 degrees, clouds below us and snowy mountains around us. The sun was up and no other people in sight. After breakfast we headed for the jungle. Time to get dirty!! This was a fun part where we got mud all over our legs (and shorts for those who slipped...). This was a short day, the third camp site was waiting for us 1000m below. This meant very long stairs, more than 3000 steps down... We were very happy to have the walking sticks with us to keep the balance. The Inka stairs are very irregular, they are made of rocks, and sometimes they go down very steeply. On the way we stopped to see Phuyupatamarca (The Town Near the Clouds), a Temple for the Mountains. For the Inkas the mountains mean protection, Apu. Along the trail we saw a giant humming bird, orchids and many other interesting plants. We arrived to the camp site, Wiñaywayna (Forever Young) around 13h and headed straight to the bar for a well deserved beer! This was the largest of the camp sites, where most of the Tour companies are sleeping before going to MP. According to the new rules only 500 people per day are allowed to access the Inka Trail, this includes hikers, guides and the porters. Because of the number of people, the toilets were disgusting, there were a lot of noise, and we realized that it was a very good choice not to have stayed at the regular camp sites along the trail.
After some free time (siesta) we went for "History Time" to Wiñaywayna archeological site which was situated about 5min walk from the camp (most hikers miss it while being too busy drinking beer at the bar). It was a very big agricultural site, comprised of around 60 terraces and archeologists think (based on the number of houses and rooms) that about 40-50 people lived and worked there. We enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the place around a wine glass (from Erick´s magic bag ;) ).
After dinner we had a little ceremony with the porters and chefs to thank them for all their hard work during the hike. They had prepared a little song for us in quechua, and Jo got to danse with the head chef Xsixto! Suddenly we realized that our bed time had passed and went quickly to the tents at 20h45... ;)
After some free time (siesta) we went for "History Time" to Wiñaywayna archeological site which was situated about 5min walk from the camp (most hikers miss it while being too busy drinking beer at the bar). It was a very big agricultural site, comprised of around 60 terraces and archeologists think (based on the number of houses and rooms) that about 40-50 people lived and worked there. We enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the place around a wine glass (from Erick´s magic bag ;) ).
After dinner we had a little ceremony with the porters and chefs to thank them for all their hard work during the hike. They had prepared a little song for us in quechua, and Jo got to danse with the head chef Xsixto! Suddenly we realized that our bed time had passed and went quickly to the tents at 20h45... ;)
27.03.2008 Inka Trail - Day 2
We were woken up by tent service, served by Erick and the porters at late hour of 05h45... We had 40min to get our stuff together and to be at breakfast, of course we were late... We started the day by going up 500m to the first pass "The Dead Woman´s Pass" in 4200m. This took us a bit over an hour. From there we headed down about 600m to our lunch spot Pacaymayo, which was a very crowded camp site. In the afternoon it rained a few drops, but we climbed another 200m to get to Runkurakay (Circular Shape) which was an Inka messengers resting place (Tambo) and there it was "history time". After another 200m of going up, we got to the second pass, 4000m. And after another 500m down we reached our camp site for the night. Along the down part we stopped at Sayacmarca (Inaccessible Place), which was a site that was used to either to store agricultural products for MP or it was a military base. Unfortunately there is no confirmation of the fuction of this site, but different theories exist.
Our camp Chaquicocha (Dry Lake) was situated at the beginning of the Cloud Forest (the high altitude jungle, rainforest being the low altitude jungle). In the camp as usual, Tea Time and after some rhum our guide tought us how to smoke coca leaves. The dinner was excellent again and we learned that the chefs that work for Enigma go through a training that costs the company about 6000$, that explains!! Since the camp was situated at the limit of the Cloud Forest, we didn´t really see the sunset, just some fast moving clouds. Once the night came the frogs woke up. And they partied all night!!! Thanks again to "Boulquies"
Our camp Chaquicocha (Dry Lake) was situated at the beginning of the Cloud Forest (the high altitude jungle, rainforest being the low altitude jungle). In the camp as usual, Tea Time and after some rhum our guide tought us how to smoke coca leaves. The dinner was excellent again and we learned that the chefs that work for Enigma go through a training that costs the company about 6000$, that explains!! Since the camp was situated at the limit of the Cloud Forest, we didn´t really see the sunset, just some fast moving clouds. Once the night came the frogs woke up. And they partied all night!!! Thanks again to "Boulquies"
26.03.2008 Inka Trail - Day 1
I guess you all know how we hate mornings... Well, no mercy on the departure day, our Tour Operator Enigma picked us up from our hotel at 03h58!!! Once everybody was in the bus, we headed to Km 82, a departure point for the Inka Trail. There we had breakfast along the Urubamba River about 7am. And this is where the porters took our stuff and we were left with our day bags. Before accessing the path and the national park, there was a control of the passports and the tickets, and there we got a nice Machu Picchu (MP) stamp on our passports. During the four days of hiking, we stopped several times for "History Time". This is when our excellent guide Erick tought us about the history of the Inka Empire, it´s rise and fall, the civil war, the spaniards and details of the Inka Culture. The names of the sites we visited are in Quechua (the local language), but of course they are names that archeologists have given after discovering them.
The first day hike was the toughest. 15km, about 4h of walking, and 1100m going up (from 2600m to 3700m). The first part was "Peruvian flat" as our guide said... Before lunch we visited a historical site Wilkarakay (translated to english means Uptown). This was an Inka Trading point, the Inkas didn´t use money, but they traded the products from the jungle against the ones from the mountains. We also stopped to learn about the coca leaves, their effects and how to chew them. And of course we all tried it... After an excellent lunch in Wayllabamba, the trail really started to go up. This is where most of the tour companies spent the first night, but we continued to Llulluchapampa. Along the trail we saw many flowers and plants that we didn´t recognise and also some parrots.
During the afternoon a British couple had to turn back, because the husband was too sick to continue the hike. We were by far in the best physical shape compared to the rest of the group. After us there were a couple from Denmark, who walked good, but liked to take their time to look around. In the group there were also Rick and his son Mike from New York, Kim and her daughter Louisa (17 yrs, the "baby" of the group) from Denver, Colorado, and Valeria and Diego Martin, a couple from Buanos Aires, Argentina.
Once we arrived to the first camp Llulluchapampa, the porters were waiting for us with a bowl of hot water and soap so that we could clean up after the day. Our tents were already up, we could settle in right away and change something warm and dry. Before dinner we had a Tea Time (popcorn!!) and after dinner Erick told us spooky stories about the evil Andian spirits who live in the mountains (beware of the Ñaka). Because of the early morning and the fresh mountain air, at 20h30 we were in the tents ready to sleep. At midnight it rained very heavily and at 04h00 the birds started to sing... Thank you to our "Boulquies"!! (ear plugs...)
The first day hike was the toughest. 15km, about 4h of walking, and 1100m going up (from 2600m to 3700m). The first part was "Peruvian flat" as our guide said... Before lunch we visited a historical site Wilkarakay (translated to english means Uptown). This was an Inka Trading point, the Inkas didn´t use money, but they traded the products from the jungle against the ones from the mountains. We also stopped to learn about the coca leaves, their effects and how to chew them. And of course we all tried it... After an excellent lunch in Wayllabamba, the trail really started to go up. This is where most of the tour companies spent the first night, but we continued to Llulluchapampa. Along the trail we saw many flowers and plants that we didn´t recognise and also some parrots.
During the afternoon a British couple had to turn back, because the husband was too sick to continue the hike. We were by far in the best physical shape compared to the rest of the group. After us there were a couple from Denmark, who walked good, but liked to take their time to look around. In the group there were also Rick and his son Mike from New York, Kim and her daughter Louisa (17 yrs, the "baby" of the group) from Denver, Colorado, and Valeria and Diego Martin, a couple from Buanos Aires, Argentina.
Once we arrived to the first camp Llulluchapampa, the porters were waiting for us with a bowl of hot water and soap so that we could clean up after the day. Our tents were already up, we could settle in right away and change something warm and dry. Before dinner we had a Tea Time (popcorn!!) and after dinner Erick told us spooky stories about the evil Andian spirits who live in the mountains (beware of the Ñaka). Because of the early morning and the fresh mountain air, at 20h30 we were in the tents ready to sleep. At midnight it rained very heavily and at 04h00 the birds started to sing... Thank you to our "Boulquies"!! (ear plugs...)
Machu Picchu (info from Wikipedia)
"Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Picchu, "Old Peak") is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,400 meters (7,875 ft) above sea level[1]. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco. Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire. It was built around the year 1450, but abandoned a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Forgotten for centuries, the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. It was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. "
Full article of Wikipedia
Full article of Wikipedia
25.03.2008 Cusco (Preparation day)
The Original plan was to go to visit the city of Pisaq (interesting ruins again), but since we passed last night by Enigma Tour, the tour operator for our excursion to Machu Picchu, we realized that we had some things to take care of... Not mentioning the panic last night when we wanted to verify our reservation and we realized that we should have paid the remaining balance before 11am yesterday morning... Of course we couldn´t get through to them on the phone, so we jumped into a taxi and rushed over... Finally everything turned out to be ok (they are better organized than us!), and we got the equipment list, so today became a Preparation Day.
One of the most important and most difficult missions of the day was to find a super market. Minimarkets and street vendors are all over the city, but a real super market... Especially since the one mentioned in our guide book had been closed down... So we asked around and got plenty of directions and walked for few hours... so we combined the second mission of the day; to find a hotel for return from Machu. And we saw some interesting ones... When we finally found the super market and got all we needed it was lunch time. And just after the lunch we found a hotel too, right in the main square, with an elevator! (the first one we have seen in Peru...)
Other difficult mission of the day was to get the required rubber tips for our walking poles. Steph was ok, the first pair fit just fine, but Jo´s poles were too thin. So we had to go back to the shop with the poles and finally the only solution was good old scotch tape... So, at this moment we thought that we had everything that was needed. Time for group briefing.
The group is going to be 12 people with 2 guides. In our briefing were 1*mother and daughter and 1*father and son and us (this group had all hired a porter). All the info was basic hiking info until we got to the point of sleeping bags and mattresses. We of course thought that the price included the hiring, but apparently not... So for a moment we looked like real blonds when they said that we didn´t have bags or mattresses... (another little panic moment) but it´s all arranged, the power of dollar!! So, now we think that we have everything that is required for tommorrow morning! Ready to go to see the magical Machu Picchu, the next news will posted when we get back, around the 30.03.2008. Wish us luck hiking through the Inka Trail, where the highest point is 4200m, the daily distances are between 9-15km, and the temperature goes below 0C during the night in some camps.
One of the most important and most difficult missions of the day was to find a super market. Minimarkets and street vendors are all over the city, but a real super market... Especially since the one mentioned in our guide book had been closed down... So we asked around and got plenty of directions and walked for few hours... so we combined the second mission of the day; to find a hotel for return from Machu. And we saw some interesting ones... When we finally found the super market and got all we needed it was lunch time. And just after the lunch we found a hotel too, right in the main square, with an elevator! (the first one we have seen in Peru...)
Other difficult mission of the day was to get the required rubber tips for our walking poles. Steph was ok, the first pair fit just fine, but Jo´s poles were too thin. So we had to go back to the shop with the poles and finally the only solution was good old scotch tape... So, at this moment we thought that we had everything that was needed. Time for group briefing.
The group is going to be 12 people with 2 guides. In our briefing were 1*mother and daughter and 1*father and son and us (this group had all hired a porter). All the info was basic hiking info until we got to the point of sleeping bags and mattresses. We of course thought that the price included the hiring, but apparently not... So for a moment we looked like real blonds when they said that we didn´t have bags or mattresses... (another little panic moment) but it´s all arranged, the power of dollar!! So, now we think that we have everything that is required for tommorrow morning! Ready to go to see the magical Machu Picchu, the next news will posted when we get back, around the 30.03.2008. Wish us luck hiking through the Inka Trail, where the highest point is 4200m, the daily distances are between 9-15km, and the temperature goes below 0C during the night in some camps.
24.03.08 Walk through some inka ruins
Cusco being the capital of the ancient inka empire, some of the famous inka ruins are situated in a walking distance of the city. We decided to visit a little part of the Sacred Valley, the walk to the first site, Sacsayhuaman, took about 40min and it went up!! It is famous for the three massive zig zag walls, aligned one in front of the other, in three different levels. Some of the stones weigh more than 100 tones, and again the stones are arranged in such a way that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. The second site is called Q´enko, this was a ceremonial site, where they have found two mommies and it is also known for sacrificial rites. We hired a local student as a guide and he was very excited to explain to us everything he knew about the site and the inka culture. And we listened to all that in spanish!!
After getting lost on the hills we finally arrived to the third site, Puca Pucara, a good hour later. Not much to see there, but since we were up in 3800m the view towards Cusco was amazing. Just next to it, there is the Tambomachay (Temple of Water), our last visit of the day. Here again we hired a guide, this time an official one (the price was the same, 2.5€) and again in spanish! She was very good, we learned a lot about inkas and washed our faces in the "Fountain of Youth" (wait till you see us!!)
For the return to Cusco we took a Collectivo, the famous little local bus, got standing places and almost fell in every turn. Once in Cusco, a little rest and we went to pay our excursion to Machu Picchu and headed for dinner. The dinner was one of the most expensive one, but definetely not the best one! (Resto Parilla Andina)
After getting lost on the hills we finally arrived to the third site, Puca Pucara, a good hour later. Not much to see there, but since we were up in 3800m the view towards Cusco was amazing. Just next to it, there is the Tambomachay (Temple of Water), our last visit of the day. Here again we hired a guide, this time an official one (the price was the same, 2.5€) and again in spanish! She was very good, we learned a lot about inkas and washed our faces in the "Fountain of Youth" (wait till you see us!!)
For the return to Cusco we took a Collectivo, the famous little local bus, got standing places and almost fell in every turn. Once in Cusco, a little rest and we went to pay our excursion to Machu Picchu and headed for dinner. The dinner was one of the most expensive one, but definetely not the best one! (Resto Parilla Andina)
23.03.2008 Cusco 3400m (city tour on our own)
A new day, a new city!
This time our hotel is called Hostal Pascana, situated 10min walk from the center, 28€ / night, including breakfast and heating, but without a TV. It is correct, but not exceptionnal. After eating our breakfast alone (since we were the last ones), we decided to go for a tour around the city. Equipped by a guide book and a map we started to walk the streets of the capital of the ancient inka Empire. We headed to the Plaza de Armas, which is the main square in most of the Peruvian cities. Like always, it is very impressive, this one surrounded by a jesuites church, the main Cathedral and colonial buildings. And behind you could see green mountains, we decided to call the colour "the peruvian green" since it has it´s special shade. We found a nice little cafe on the second floor of a colonnial building with a beautiful view over Plaza de Armas, and a real cappuccino!!! From there we continued to the San Blas neighbourhood, which is known to be one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is situated a little bit up hill (we lost our breath while going up the stairs), and it is filled with narrow allies and roads, buildings mostly white with blue shutters and doors. From some parts of San Blas you can see the red roofs of the city of Cusco below you.
After a lunch in a little cafe we continued to visit the Santo Domingo convent. Yes, we went to the convent, ok it is situated on the ancient inka ruins of Koricancha. The way the inkas have built the walls is very impressive! All the stones have been formed the way that they stay perfectly together, it is not possible to push a needle between two stones. In the Santo Domingo we saw a interesting painting that explained how the sacred sites of inkas are situated around Cusco. Cusco is the center and form there 42 lines are drawn as sunrays and along the sunrays there are more than 300 sites, one for each day of the inka calendar.
In the evening we took it easy, just passed by a shop that makes shoes by measure (25€), you can choose the color, the model, and the figure you want on your shoes. So of course we ordered inka shoes!! And headed for dinner in a very nice little (trendy) bar in San Blas. We came to a conclusion, that the bar was run by a local basket ball team, since all the staff measured at least 190cm! The food was excellent and cost us less than the drinks (no, we didn´t have that many drinks!!).
This time our hotel is called Hostal Pascana, situated 10min walk from the center, 28€ / night, including breakfast and heating, but without a TV. It is correct, but not exceptionnal. After eating our breakfast alone (since we were the last ones), we decided to go for a tour around the city. Equipped by a guide book and a map we started to walk the streets of the capital of the ancient inka Empire. We headed to the Plaza de Armas, which is the main square in most of the Peruvian cities. Like always, it is very impressive, this one surrounded by a jesuites church, the main Cathedral and colonial buildings. And behind you could see green mountains, we decided to call the colour "the peruvian green" since it has it´s special shade. We found a nice little cafe on the second floor of a colonnial building with a beautiful view over Plaza de Armas, and a real cappuccino!!! From there we continued to the San Blas neighbourhood, which is known to be one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is situated a little bit up hill (we lost our breath while going up the stairs), and it is filled with narrow allies and roads, buildings mostly white with blue shutters and doors. From some parts of San Blas you can see the red roofs of the city of Cusco below you.
After a lunch in a little cafe we continued to visit the Santo Domingo convent. Yes, we went to the convent, ok it is situated on the ancient inka ruins of Koricancha. The way the inkas have built the walls is very impressive! All the stones have been formed the way that they stay perfectly together, it is not possible to push a needle between two stones. In the Santo Domingo we saw a interesting painting that explained how the sacred sites of inkas are situated around Cusco. Cusco is the center and form there 42 lines are drawn as sunrays and along the sunrays there are more than 300 sites, one for each day of the inka calendar.
In the evening we took it easy, just passed by a shop that makes shoes by measure (25€), you can choose the color, the model, and the figure you want on your shoes. So of course we ordered inka shoes!! And headed for dinner in a very nice little (trendy) bar in San Blas. We came to a conclusion, that the bar was run by a local basket ball team, since all the staff measured at least 190cm! The food was excellent and cost us less than the drinks (no, we didn´t have that many drinks!!).
21.03.2008 Los Uros / Lago Titicaca
"Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. The origin of the name Titicaca is unknown. It has been translated as "Rock Puma", allegedly because of its resemblance to the shape of a puma hunting a rabbit, combining words from the local languages Quechua and Aymara, and as well as translated as "Crag of Lead." Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros, a group of 42 or so artificial islands made of floating reeds (totora, a reed that abounds in the shallows of the lake). "
Full article of Wikipedia
Our excurcion to these islands started in the afternoon. We took a boat with a guide to visit two of the islands, the boat ride from Puno took about 30min. On the boat the guide explained about the every day life on the islands and on the islands he explained how they were made. We arrived in the late afternoon sunlight, the view was absolutely stunning, combination of the colorful traditional inka costumes and the dry reed color against the blue sky. To go to the second island we used a boat made of totora, that of course we volunteered to row. Not as easy as it looks like, especially at 3850m... On the second island we looked around the handcrafts they sell and finally took a boat to the island, Khantati, where we were going to stay for the night.
Once on our island we met Julian and Melina and their daughter Natalia (4 years), one of the six families living on this island. They showed us our hut, large one room made of totora (like all the buildings on the islands) filled with inka covers. In the evening we had a delicious dinner prepared by Melina, rice, potatoes, trout and of course mate (tea) with coca leaves. We had a good intention to offer a bottle of wine to share at the dinner, but unfortunately Julian had ulcer and Melina´s christian sisterhood forbid her from alcohol... That´s ok, we drunk the bottle anyway. There were practically no lights on the island, we had our frontals with us, but as soon as the sun was gone everybody went to bed. As we had planned, it was a full moon surrounded by plenty of stars and giving us light. We did our max to stay awake as late as possible, but the wine and the calm atmosphere were stronger, we were in bed by 21h... The night went fine, except the mattress was a lot higher at the sides, so we kept rolling in the middle, also the wild birds don´t sleep during the night...
The family woke up around 4h00 am, we managed to sleep until 6h30... Surprise of the day was that Jo got to wear the traditional inka dress (wait till you get the photos!!). After a delicious and huge breakfast the tourist circus started! The Uros mostly live from tourism, they sell their handcraft and row the tourists from one island to the other. On Khantati there was a tourist boat every hour. While the adults took care of the tourists, we made friends with Natalia and Janina, the two little girls of the island. They loved throwing reed balls... and wanted us to make them non stop... At midday we took a boat back to Puno, bringing back with us excellent memories and hundreds of photos. Now we are waiting for the bus to Cusco, where we are going to spent four days before taking off to Machu Picchu.
Full article of Wikipedia
Our excurcion to these islands started in the afternoon. We took a boat with a guide to visit two of the islands, the boat ride from Puno took about 30min. On the boat the guide explained about the every day life on the islands and on the islands he explained how they were made. We arrived in the late afternoon sunlight, the view was absolutely stunning, combination of the colorful traditional inka costumes and the dry reed color against the blue sky. To go to the second island we used a boat made of totora, that of course we volunteered to row. Not as easy as it looks like, especially at 3850m... On the second island we looked around the handcrafts they sell and finally took a boat to the island, Khantati, where we were going to stay for the night.
Once on our island we met Julian and Melina and their daughter Natalia (4 years), one of the six families living on this island. They showed us our hut, large one room made of totora (like all the buildings on the islands) filled with inka covers. In the evening we had a delicious dinner prepared by Melina, rice, potatoes, trout and of course mate (tea) with coca leaves. We had a good intention to offer a bottle of wine to share at the dinner, but unfortunately Julian had ulcer and Melina´s christian sisterhood forbid her from alcohol... That´s ok, we drunk the bottle anyway. There were practically no lights on the island, we had our frontals with us, but as soon as the sun was gone everybody went to bed. As we had planned, it was a full moon surrounded by plenty of stars and giving us light. We did our max to stay awake as late as possible, but the wine and the calm atmosphere were stronger, we were in bed by 21h... The night went fine, except the mattress was a lot higher at the sides, so we kept rolling in the middle, also the wild birds don´t sleep during the night...
The family woke up around 4h00 am, we managed to sleep until 6h30... Surprise of the day was that Jo got to wear the traditional inka dress (wait till you get the photos!!). After a delicious and huge breakfast the tourist circus started! The Uros mostly live from tourism, they sell their handcraft and row the tourists from one island to the other. On Khantati there was a tourist boat every hour. While the adults took care of the tourists, we made friends with Natalia and Janina, the two little girls of the island. They loved throwing reed balls... and wanted us to make them non stop... At midday we took a boat back to Puno, bringing back with us excellent memories and hundreds of photos. Now we are waiting for the bus to Cusco, where we are going to spent four days before taking off to Machu Picchu.
20.03.2008 Puno, Lake Titicaca
Early morning departure, the same hassle as usual at the Terminal terrestre (bus terminal) after queueing to pay the departure tax, we got outside to register our bags and to wait for the bus. This time we had chosen company San Cristobal, the trip lasted about 5h30 and cost 25 soles (6.25€). We were expecting to be the only tourists in the bus, but we were completely wrong! The moment of the departure about 25 norwegians showed up and got into the bus! It was a school class visiting Peru for three weeks... During the trip the bus stopped once and all the girls run to the nature for pipi and the guys used the "toilets" (disgusting hole on the ground). Once we got a bit higher we started to see llamas and alpacas, some wild and some in a herd with a shepherd. The norwegians left the bus in Juliaca, about an hour before Puno, and after that it was only us and 3 peruvians in the bus.
Arriving in Puno (3850m) early afternoon, this time in the city center(!), we got a taxi to our hotel Manco Capac Inn, got a nice very large room with three beds for 92 soles / night, including heating, which was very much needed and breakfast (23€ for the two of us). We started to feel the altitude while carrying our bags up the stairs to our room... In the afternoon we booked a excursion to the floating islands, including one night sleeping with some local Uros family for the next day. After that we continued to the colorful handcraft market to buy some peruvian hats (9 soles = 2€ instead of the 100 $ in Lima!!!) and had a wondeful lunch by the lake Titicaca.
For once we were in a city with a lot of people in the streets in the evening and plenty of bars, but unfortunately Steph had a little stomach problem and Jo had a horrible flu, so at 23h we were asleep... Hoping to feel better for next day´s excursion!
Arriving in Puno (3850m) early afternoon, this time in the city center(!), we got a taxi to our hotel Manco Capac Inn, got a nice very large room with three beds for 92 soles / night, including heating, which was very much needed and breakfast (23€ for the two of us). We started to feel the altitude while carrying our bags up the stairs to our room... In the afternoon we booked a excursion to the floating islands, including one night sleeping with some local Uros family for the next day. After that we continued to the colorful handcraft market to buy some peruvian hats (9 soles = 2€ instead of the 100 $ in Lima!!!) and had a wondeful lunch by the lake Titicaca.
For once we were in a city with a lot of people in the streets in the evening and plenty of bars, but unfortunately Steph had a little stomach problem and Jo had a horrible flu, so at 23h we were asleep... Hoping to feel better for next day´s excursion!
19.03.2008 Mollendo (beach experience)
Mollendo is a beach resort situated at the Pacific coast, that attracts mainly national tourists. And us. After all, during the whole time we were there, we did see about 3 other occidental tourists... The first evening was a little bit disappointing, our hotel was nice, VERY calm, abuela (grandmother) welcoming us to El Hostelito, 3 min walking from the town center and the beach. And the price was correct, 60 soles / night (15€ for the two of us). According some guide books Mollendo is a lively town with an active night life... We never found any of that... In the evening we wanted to go for a dinner and a drink, the drink we never found and at the dinner we felt a bit lonely... But we did see the Virgin Mary and the Christ procession again... With the leader of the group singing in a megaphone in the streets... So we decided to modify our plan and stay only for one night.
The following morning we went to the beach. We rented a parasol and two beach chairs for less than 2€, the beach was beautiful with huge waves and very cold water. It is true that our geography knowledge on cold currents is a bit lacking.. we actually thought that we could swim in the Pacific down here... The day on the beach was relaxing, sunbathing and drinking some local beer, Arequipeña. It was a better integrating day, all kinds of locals came to talk to us... Let´s say that they were a bit surprised to see "white" tourists...
In the evening we took the lovely local bus back to Arequipa and went directly for an excellent meal, meat for two, including ostrich, alpaca, lamb and beef, with four delicious sauces and a bottle of Argentinian wine. The resaurant is called Zig Zag and the owner is swiss, all this cost us 20€. For the night we went back to the Casa Tintin and in the early morning we took the bus to Puno.
The following morning we went to the beach. We rented a parasol and two beach chairs for less than 2€, the beach was beautiful with huge waves and very cold water. It is true that our geography knowledge on cold currents is a bit lacking.. we actually thought that we could swim in the Pacific down here... The day on the beach was relaxing, sunbathing and drinking some local beer, Arequipeña. It was a better integrating day, all kinds of locals came to talk to us... Let´s say that they were a bit surprised to see "white" tourists...
In the evening we took the lovely local bus back to Arequipa and went directly for an excellent meal, meat for two, including ostrich, alpaca, lamb and beef, with four delicious sauces and a bottle of Argentinian wine. The resaurant is called Zig Zag and the owner is swiss, all this cost us 20€. For the night we went back to the Casa Tintin and in the early morning we took the bus to Puno.
18.03.2008 Yura (Integration day)
Today we really tried to integrate and mix with the local people. But the success of the day.... We started off with a local bus "collectivo" a large minivan that smokes, makes a lot of noise, max speed 30km /h, and doesn´t smell very pleasant... A trip of 45min (read 1h20) to the Thermal center of Yura.. What an idea!! The bus filled up and we even got a guy singing and playing banjo and a pan flute during a part of the trip. After passing many shack villages (bidonville) we made it to the Thermal center... or in the middle of nowhere... One of the two buildings was the Thermal, with four mini pools (1.2m * 1.4m) filled with therapeutical water from the volcanoes. We tried three of the four pools and we are still waiting for the healing effects.... While waiting for the bus for return we had lunch with mosquitoes, we were wearing shorts so our ankles are filled with huge itching red bites... Once in Arequipa we picked up our bags and took a bus to Mollendo, again hot, stinky and full of people, but bigger than the first bus. Our bags were very well accompanied by huge bags of potatoes and other agricultural products. During the bus ride we had the pleasure to enjoy Peru-Pop music videos from the early 90´s with a broken sound. And a really bad movie in very loud spanish... After 2h30 travelling through the deserted mountains we finally arrived, as usual, in the middle of nowhere... But right next to the Pacific Ocean!!!
16.03.2008 Arequipa
We landed in Arequipa, in the middle of nowhere! Just next to the famous volcanoes, that rise up around 6000m and have snowy tops. A taxi to our Hostal Casa de Tintin with a driver who thinks that M. Sarkozy is a bling bling president...The hostal was situated in a very nice and quiet neighbourhood, next to a river and gardens for 12.5€ / night with breakfast.. We left our bags and went to see the city center. At the main square Plaza del Armas there were plenty of people so we sticked around just to see what was going on. Since it is the Semana Santa (Holy Easter Week) they were all waiting for the Christ and the Virgin Mary procession. And maybe because of the Semana Santa, there were no people in the 2 bars we found and the restaurants were pretty empty too. We tasted the "Rocotto Relleno" a spicy speciality of the area made of stuffed hot peppers and potatoes with cheese and found it very good.
The next day we woke up (again!) way too early. Went to walk around and did even a tour in a museum with a guide! Ok, it was a museum about high altitude archeology including some Inka traditions and a mommy, Juanita. Found frozen above 5500m on the top of the Misti volcano after being sacrificed, skull crached. There we also learned that the DUCKS are the connecting force between humans and gods... they fly, they swim, they walk, air, water, earth... We continued our city tour, Jo got a alpaca sweater for 11€.. and we also visited Mundo Alpaca, to see the different types of cameloids and the process of turning their hair into yarn. We entered half of the travel agencies of the city trying to decide what we would like to do the following days.. and in one of them we got a flier for an Irish bar for St Patricks Day celebration! And of course we went there to drink Pisco sour, the local alcohol (2 for 8 soles = 2€) before tasting alpaca meat for dinner. We both agree, that we prefer the normal cow steak!
The next day we woke up (again!) way too early. Went to walk around and did even a tour in a museum with a guide! Ok, it was a museum about high altitude archeology including some Inka traditions and a mommy, Juanita. Found frozen above 5500m on the top of the Misti volcano after being sacrificed, skull crached. There we also learned that the DUCKS are the connecting force between humans and gods... they fly, they swim, they walk, air, water, earth... We continued our city tour, Jo got a alpaca sweater for 11€.. and we also visited Mundo Alpaca, to see the different types of cameloids and the process of turning their hair into yarn. We entered half of the travel agencies of the city trying to decide what we would like to do the following days.. and in one of them we got a flier for an Irish bar for St Patricks Day celebration! And of course we went there to drink Pisco sour, the local alcohol (2 for 8 soles = 2€) before tasting alpaca meat for dinner. We both agree, that we prefer the normal cow steak!
15.03.2008 Take off
After 3 hours of sleep, the taxi picked us up in Cannes at 6am to go to the airport to start our little trip of 20h. According to the plan original we had a bit over an hour to change in Paris, but since we left a bit late it got reduced to 20min... so running through Charles de Gaulle. Made it to the plane, which was again delayed... 9h30 min flight to Caracas and a little "deja vu", running through the airport again and again for nothing... Luckily after all this we made it to Lima with all our luggage. (= 2 back bags 12 kilos each.) . We found our airport pick up easily and he had the right password, so off we got to Lima Miraflores to our 10$ / night hotel (incl breakfast!).
Kusillus Hostal was very nice, hot and noisy, but safe. They showed us a restaurant for dinner and a supermarket for the first money exchange. The server was extremely helpful, he gave us little books about Peru, talked a lot and gave Jo even a rose in the middle of the meal! The following morning we woke up too early, had the breakfast and went for a walk. Money exchange is very easy, you just have to look for a person with a green jacket with the $ or € sign on his back in the street. He has a little calculator and the business is done right there. After we continued to see a tourist shopping center on the beach side, where a peruvian hat costs 100$!!! And then it was time to get back to the airport for a take off to Arequipa. The check in was without problems, we managed to get to the plane without showing our passports or Id´s. The only thing was when we tried to pay for the departure tax, Steph apparently had a fake coin for it.
Kusillus Hostal was very nice, hot and noisy, but safe. They showed us a restaurant for dinner and a supermarket for the first money exchange. The server was extremely helpful, he gave us little books about Peru, talked a lot and gave Jo even a rose in the middle of the meal! The following morning we woke up too early, had the breakfast and went for a walk. Money exchange is very easy, you just have to look for a person with a green jacket with the $ or € sign on his back in the street. He has a little calculator and the business is done right there. After we continued to see a tourist shopping center on the beach side, where a peruvian hat costs 100$!!! And then it was time to get back to the airport for a take off to Arequipa. The check in was without problems, we managed to get to the plane without showing our passports or Id´s. The only thing was when we tried to pay for the departure tax, Steph apparently had a fake coin for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
