I went rafting down the river Chili today, absolutely loved it! Brilliant, excellent, fantastic experience. I went with two other volunteers from the house, and there was a Peruvian couple with us too. We got kitted out, wetsuits, river boots, helmets and very unattractive red track suits, we had out "training" on land then got onto the river. Its classed as a 3/4 river, 6 being the most extreme kind of rapids that you can raft on. It was so much fun, going over rocks and down mini waterfalls. I sat at the back with the guide, who kept grabbing onto me so I didn't fall in. Nice man. The water was cold and we got soaked. The scenery was beautiful too, we were in a valley with mountains on either side, and at the back, as always, there was the stunning snow capped volcanoes. I've decided everything looks prettier when there's a snow capped volcano in the background.
As well as todays little adventure I'm really enjoying living here, and living in the house with all the other volunteers. I missed out on the living in halls at uni so it's kinda new for me and I really like that there's always people around to hang out with and do stuff with. And we've been doing lots as a group too, for example on Tuesday we had our weekly volunteers meeting, and we all had a meal together then sat around chatting. Then yesterday we all went out to a restaurant in the plaza for tea. 22 of us! It was a gringo invasion! We had a nice meal then went out for drinks at Wild Rover, I think that place is going to become my local, it's a hostel that has a cool bar and drinks offers (cocktails 2 x 12soles - thats £2.50!) So I'm really getting on with everyone and its a really nice atmosphere. I think it's going to be a fun month!
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Arequipa
So yesterday I arrived in Arequipa, in the south of Peru, where I shall be spending a month. My nightbus from cusco arrived at 6 in the morning and I had to wake up my new landlady to let me in, she wasn't too impressed and just showed me to my room then left me to my own devices. I'm living in a house shared by 13 other volunteers, nationalities include Dutch, Belgian, South African, Australia and American. Disappointingly there are only 2 males in the house, and 1 of them is here with his girlfriend, unlucky! The house is great though, really big and funkily designed with staircases all over the place. It's in a seemingly good neighborhood too, all the surrounding houses are fancy and have big secure gates around then, it's the Worsley of Arequipa. Theres a big garden too with a HAMMOCK! It's a total suntrap, what more could a girl want? I'm sharing a room with a girl from Belgium, it's a decent sized room and I have half a wardrobe! I actually got to unpack for the first time in ages! There is a downside however, the place is infected with bed bugs which have already bitten me to shreds! And my bed is rock hard, not at all comfortable, but ah well, at least there's hot water, I'd choose a month of warm showers over comfy beds any day.
I went for a walk into the city center, which is about 15-20 minutes away. The central square is lovely, the cathedral over looks a big green square with a huge fountain in the middle, and behind it you can see the snow cappedd peaks of the three giant active volcanoes, it's impressive looking!
I sunbathed, got to know my new housemates and did some shopping during the day, and in the evening, my first evening in the house, all the girls wanted to watch a film. The house has quite a big collection of films, amongst which we found one labled "PORN". Ultimately we ended up watching it, out of mere curiousity of course, and we were crying with laughter at how bad it was. It was a good ice breaker at least.
Today (Monday) was my first day at the orphanage. It's called Casa Hogar Luz and its about half an hour away on the bus from where I live. It's ran by 5 amazing ladies who live there in a tiny room and care for the 17 children 24 hours a day, they literally dedicate their lives to the children. The orphans are really young, the youngest is only 4 months and the majority are under 5, they're so loving, I guess they're used to seeing new faces all the time and so they form attachments to new people really easily. I already want to adopt most of them. My work there involves playing, teaching, feeding, cleaning, washing, changing nappies and putting babies to bed. And anything else they ask me to do. I'll be working 5 days a week, with wednesdays and thursdays off, and its 5 hours a day, either 8am - 1pm or 1pm - 6pm. It's hard work, I have so much respect for the women that work there.
So to sum up, so far so good in Arequipa, I think i'm going to enjoy my time here.
I went for a walk into the city center, which is about 15-20 minutes away. The central square is lovely, the cathedral over looks a big green square with a huge fountain in the middle, and behind it you can see the snow cappedd peaks of the three giant active volcanoes, it's impressive looking!
I sunbathed, got to know my new housemates and did some shopping during the day, and in the evening, my first evening in the house, all the girls wanted to watch a film. The house has quite a big collection of films, amongst which we found one labled "PORN". Ultimately we ended up watching it, out of mere curiousity of course, and we were crying with laughter at how bad it was. It was a good ice breaker at least.
Today (Monday) was my first day at the orphanage. It's called Casa Hogar Luz and its about half an hour away on the bus from where I live. It's ran by 5 amazing ladies who live there in a tiny room and care for the 17 children 24 hours a day, they literally dedicate their lives to the children. The orphans are really young, the youngest is only 4 months and the majority are under 5, they're so loving, I guess they're used to seeing new faces all the time and so they form attachments to new people really easily. I already want to adopt most of them. My work there involves playing, teaching, feeding, cleaning, washing, changing nappies and putting babies to bed. And anything else they ask me to do. I'll be working 5 days a week, with wednesdays and thursdays off, and its 5 hours a day, either 8am - 1pm or 1pm - 6pm. It's hard work, I have so much respect for the women that work there.
So to sum up, so far so good in Arequipa, I think i'm going to enjoy my time here.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Random things in Cuzco
The Peruvian Massage: I treated myself to a massage the other day. Needed it after my trek. A full body, one hour massage cost a whole £4! It was pretty awesome! It wasn't exactly the most professional establishment - all the masseures looked as if they'd be happy to give me a happy ending and the rooms were seperated by a transparent curtain, I was worried I lift my head up to see a hairy fat guy getting his back massaged. Luckily that didnt happen. Although my masseure did keep climbing up on the massage table with me, which I found strange, but then again Peruvian women are small and I am pretty long! It was a really good massage and the girl (her name was Matilde) recommended some cream for my mosquito bites, nice of her.
I also visited some stuff in Cuzco, the cathedral and a convent - seriously the catholic church makes me sick, this is the third world, people here are poor, and their churches are covered in 22carret gold and diamonds. Its so hypocritical. I went to the Qorikancha too, which is an Inca palace where the Incas kept their princesses until the Spanish came and destroyed half of it and built a church on top of it! I went to the Inca museum and they had Inca mummies! Gross!! They werent even skeletons, they still had some kinda skin covering. Interesting fact: The Incas mummified theyre bodies in foetal position because they believed in life after death and that in order to be reborn you must enter the afterlife in the same position you start life in. Seriously, the Incas were some crazy bastards. I've really enjoyed learning about them.
Ive been couchsurfing again, left my crappy hostel of cold showers and am staying with a fella called Pavel and his family. They're super friendly. We went out on Thurday to a grungy club decorated like a grotto, and then to a touristy club called Le Lek, which was alright. On Friday we all went out to watch a local Beatles cover band. So funny. First of all there were 5 of them, the drummer looked like Freddy Mercury, they were all from Cuzco, and they were reading the lyrics as they went along. And the drummers symbols were all cracked. They got better as the night went on, but thats probably more to do with my consumption of mojitos than their musical talent. It was surreal. I looked around at the girls I was with, Pavel's sisters and friends, and they were all 5ft tall, dark haired, darked eyed latino beauties (I didnt quite fit in with the group!), to my left there was a group of Ukranian tourists in mini skirts and leather jackets looking like cheap whores, and to my right were some drunk Germans falling into everyone and being generally annoying. All the while dancing and singing along to mumbled Beatles lyrics. Good times.
Something really nice that happened when I was walking into town, I stopped at a street vendor stall to buy lunch (chicken and chips, very tasty), and I sat and ate at the stall and spoke to the woman who owned it and her little girl who must have been about 6 or 7. The kid was so cute, she was asking me loads of questions like "is England in the North Pole?" and "where are your mummy and daddy" and "how were you born?". And I taught her some words in English and when I left she said goodbye to me in English :) Its a big advantage speaking Spanish.
Something I like about Cuzco, you can get a taxi anywhere around the city centre for 3 soles, thats about 60p. Encouraging for my laziness!
I'm leaving Cuzco today, on another horrifically long overnight bus ride to Arequipa. I'm actually quite sad to go, I've been here a week and a half and I really like it.
I also visited some stuff in Cuzco, the cathedral and a convent - seriously the catholic church makes me sick, this is the third world, people here are poor, and their churches are covered in 22carret gold and diamonds. Its so hypocritical. I went to the Qorikancha too, which is an Inca palace where the Incas kept their princesses until the Spanish came and destroyed half of it and built a church on top of it! I went to the Inca museum and they had Inca mummies! Gross!! They werent even skeletons, they still had some kinda skin covering. Interesting fact: The Incas mummified theyre bodies in foetal position because they believed in life after death and that in order to be reborn you must enter the afterlife in the same position you start life in. Seriously, the Incas were some crazy bastards. I've really enjoyed learning about them.
Ive been couchsurfing again, left my crappy hostel of cold showers and am staying with a fella called Pavel and his family. They're super friendly. We went out on Thurday to a grungy club decorated like a grotto, and then to a touristy club called Le Lek, which was alright. On Friday we all went out to watch a local Beatles cover band. So funny. First of all there were 5 of them, the drummer looked like Freddy Mercury, they were all from Cuzco, and they were reading the lyrics as they went along. And the drummers symbols were all cracked. They got better as the night went on, but thats probably more to do with my consumption of mojitos than their musical talent. It was surreal. I looked around at the girls I was with, Pavel's sisters and friends, and they were all 5ft tall, dark haired, darked eyed latino beauties (I didnt quite fit in with the group!), to my left there was a group of Ukranian tourists in mini skirts and leather jackets looking like cheap whores, and to my right were some drunk Germans falling into everyone and being generally annoying. All the while dancing and singing along to mumbled Beatles lyrics. Good times.
Something really nice that happened when I was walking into town, I stopped at a street vendor stall to buy lunch (chicken and chips, very tasty), and I sat and ate at the stall and spoke to the woman who owned it and her little girl who must have been about 6 or 7. The kid was so cute, she was asking me loads of questions like "is England in the North Pole?" and "where are your mummy and daddy" and "how were you born?". And I taught her some words in English and when I left she said goodbye to me in English :) Its a big advantage speaking Spanish.
Something I like about Cuzco, you can get a taxi anywhere around the city centre for 3 soles, thats about 60p. Encouraging for my laziness!
I'm leaving Cuzco today, on another horrifically long overnight bus ride to Arequipa. I'm actually quite sad to go, I've been here a week and a half and I really like it.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
My Trek & Machu Picchu
Day 1. Sunday 24th April
My day started at 3.30am. I hadn´t gotten any sleep because I was too excited so at 2am I decided to cut my losses and get up. I went and met the group and we waited for the bus, which was 45 minutes late. When it finally arrived it was the bus from hell, small, cramped and old, and winding up through the mountains on unpaved roads was horrible, I had to stop the bus and throw up in some small rural town.
At 9am we finally arrived at Lares hot springs (altitude 3200m). After almost 2 weeks of cold showers I was so excited for the hotsprings, however it wasn´t what I imagined. Instead of crystal clear water bubbling from natural springs, it was more like a municipal swimming pool, browny/orange water and full of Peruvians. We had breakfast and I ventured into the water. It was actually lovely, really hot, and only orange because of the sulphur which made it hot.
At 12.30 we started our trek, uphill, in the scorching sun, towards Cunkani (altitude 3800m). We went up and down mountains, walked through and along rivers, passed llamas, horses, sheep, cows, farmers, children... the heat made it difficult but the scenery was beautiful. The Andes are really stunning. We walked for about 4 hours before arriving at our camp. We ate tea and were in bed by 8pm, long long day!
Day 2. Monday 25th April
The hardest day of my life. Today we had to trek 20km horizontally and 1km vertically, going from 3800m to 4800m altitude, and I wasn´t nearly prepared for as hard as it was going to be.
We set off at 7.30am. First we followed the river along the valley, steadily climbing upwards along a mountain path. Soon the path disappeared and we found ourselves climbing over rocks. Our route getting steeper and steeper and harder and harder the further we went. The weather was also getting worse; first rain, then snow, then hail. It felt as though we´d be climbing forever. As we got higher into the mountains we passed lakes and glaciers, but it was hard to appreciate their beauty because I was in so much pain. The altitude was really affecting me, by the time we´d reach 4000m I felt as though someone had wound tight elastic around my chest, my lungs were burning and my heart was thumping so hard I thought it would burst out of my throat. It was really a struggle to breath, every step was an effort. The cold and the hail against my face didnt do much to boost my moral either. At 4700m I was gasping for breath and wheezing so badly that I collapsed onto a rock and broke down. It was torture, I was dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I felt sick and my head was pounding due to the altitude and I was freezing cold and wet. It was such a horrible feeling, I didn´t know if I could carry on and I cried my eyes out. After some encouragement from our guide, Marco, I got back on my feet and started back up the mountain, still carrying my backpack even after the guide had offered to acrry it for me. The turning point came when Marco played Eye Of The Tiger on his ipod, it made me laugh and gave me that extra boost to get to the top. At 1.30 I made it to the highest point of the trek, Sicllakasa Pass, 4800m. I cried again at the sommet because I was so relieved and happy to have made it. Unfortunately that wasn´t the end of the trek, we had to go down again down the other side of the mountain! We went down another 700m to our camp, and both my mood and the weather brightened up. At almost 5pm we arrived at camp, Puvoc, a lucious secluded bit of land next to a river, it was really beautiful, and at night the sky was full of more stars than I have ever seen. It was a very challenging day, but I was so proud of myself for doing it.
Day 3. Tuesday 26th April
Sleeping at 4000m is COLD! I slept in 2 pairs of pants, wooly socks, a hat, a t-shirt, 2 jumpers, a sleeping bag and liner and a hot water bottle, and I still wasn´t warm! But fortunately the sun came out as we set off down the mountain at 8am. It was much more pleasent going down than it was going up, and the view was stunning. Tropical plants, wildlife, rivers, streams and water falls, and on both sides huge towering mountains. After a pleasent 4 hour walk we had lunch and got the bus to the town of Ollantaytambo, one of the last cities where the Spanish defeated the Incas. The town is really small, but unfortunately has been turned into quite a tourist spot. After a look around the group headed to a bar for a well deserved drink! There were 8 of us in total, 3 Spanish men, 2 girls from London, an Australian lad and a girl from Canada. We got on really well and they were a great source of encouragement during the harder times of the trek, I´m sure we´ll keep in touch. At 7pm we made out way to Aguas Calientes, where we slept for a couple of hours before the highlight of the trip: Machu Picchu!
Day 4. Wednesday 27th April
At 3.30 we got up, had breakfast and joined the long queue of people waiting to get the bus to Machu Picchu. It was raining hard, and I almost fell asleep in my poncho at the side of the road. We queued for two hours, which was necessary if we wanted to be one of the first to get there and to get a pass to Huayna Picchu, the highest point of Machu Picchu which only 400 people per day are allowed to climb. At 6am we where there, but we couldn´t see anything! The entire mountain was covered in a thick blanket of tropical mist. Looking down it felt as if we were floating in the sky, looking down on clouds. We were given a tour of the ruins, it is really incredible what the Inca´s knew and did, for example they used astronomy to work out north east south and west, and their construction techniques are amazing, they crafted their rocks to slot together like lego, they never used clay or cement to hold the rocks together. Incas invented lego... who knew!! At 8.30 we started our climb up Huayna Picchu, only 400m of steep slippery steps carved out of the mountain side over 600 years ago!! At the top there was nothing but big rocks which you had to cling to and balance on precariously to avoid falling to your death, but the view was absolutely breath taking. The mist miraculously cleared by the time we reached the top and you could see all of Machu Picchu, all of the ruins, the surrounding mountains and the river Urubamba. I felt like I was on top on the world, looking down on clouds. It was a hard and tiring hike up but well worth it. The way down was almost as difficult as the way up, my knees turned to jelly and by now the sun was burning down on me. Machu Picchu really is a wonder of the world, it´s beautiful, amazing and incredible. I´m so glad I went there. Our trek had now come to an end, and we faced a long journey home. Two hours on the train, followed by two hours on a bus. But first we had a celebratory meal and some nice cold beers!
Absolutely fantastic experience. Met some brilliant people, saw some stunning places and pushed myself beyond my limits. And I want to do it again!!!!
My day started at 3.30am. I hadn´t gotten any sleep because I was too excited so at 2am I decided to cut my losses and get up. I went and met the group and we waited for the bus, which was 45 minutes late. When it finally arrived it was the bus from hell, small, cramped and old, and winding up through the mountains on unpaved roads was horrible, I had to stop the bus and throw up in some small rural town.
At 9am we finally arrived at Lares hot springs (altitude 3200m). After almost 2 weeks of cold showers I was so excited for the hotsprings, however it wasn´t what I imagined. Instead of crystal clear water bubbling from natural springs, it was more like a municipal swimming pool, browny/orange water and full of Peruvians. We had breakfast and I ventured into the water. It was actually lovely, really hot, and only orange because of the sulphur which made it hot.
At 12.30 we started our trek, uphill, in the scorching sun, towards Cunkani (altitude 3800m). We went up and down mountains, walked through and along rivers, passed llamas, horses, sheep, cows, farmers, children... the heat made it difficult but the scenery was beautiful. The Andes are really stunning. We walked for about 4 hours before arriving at our camp. We ate tea and were in bed by 8pm, long long day!
Day 2. Monday 25th April
The hardest day of my life. Today we had to trek 20km horizontally and 1km vertically, going from 3800m to 4800m altitude, and I wasn´t nearly prepared for as hard as it was going to be.
We set off at 7.30am. First we followed the river along the valley, steadily climbing upwards along a mountain path. Soon the path disappeared and we found ourselves climbing over rocks. Our route getting steeper and steeper and harder and harder the further we went. The weather was also getting worse; first rain, then snow, then hail. It felt as though we´d be climbing forever. As we got higher into the mountains we passed lakes and glaciers, but it was hard to appreciate their beauty because I was in so much pain. The altitude was really affecting me, by the time we´d reach 4000m I felt as though someone had wound tight elastic around my chest, my lungs were burning and my heart was thumping so hard I thought it would burst out of my throat. It was really a struggle to breath, every step was an effort. The cold and the hail against my face didnt do much to boost my moral either. At 4700m I was gasping for breath and wheezing so badly that I collapsed onto a rock and broke down. It was torture, I was dizzy from the lack of oxygen, I felt sick and my head was pounding due to the altitude and I was freezing cold and wet. It was such a horrible feeling, I didn´t know if I could carry on and I cried my eyes out. After some encouragement from our guide, Marco, I got back on my feet and started back up the mountain, still carrying my backpack even after the guide had offered to acrry it for me. The turning point came when Marco played Eye Of The Tiger on his ipod, it made me laugh and gave me that extra boost to get to the top. At 1.30 I made it to the highest point of the trek, Sicllakasa Pass, 4800m. I cried again at the sommet because I was so relieved and happy to have made it. Unfortunately that wasn´t the end of the trek, we had to go down again down the other side of the mountain! We went down another 700m to our camp, and both my mood and the weather brightened up. At almost 5pm we arrived at camp, Puvoc, a lucious secluded bit of land next to a river, it was really beautiful, and at night the sky was full of more stars than I have ever seen. It was a very challenging day, but I was so proud of myself for doing it.
Day 3. Tuesday 26th April
Sleeping at 4000m is COLD! I slept in 2 pairs of pants, wooly socks, a hat, a t-shirt, 2 jumpers, a sleeping bag and liner and a hot water bottle, and I still wasn´t warm! But fortunately the sun came out as we set off down the mountain at 8am. It was much more pleasent going down than it was going up, and the view was stunning. Tropical plants, wildlife, rivers, streams and water falls, and on both sides huge towering mountains. After a pleasent 4 hour walk we had lunch and got the bus to the town of Ollantaytambo, one of the last cities where the Spanish defeated the Incas. The town is really small, but unfortunately has been turned into quite a tourist spot. After a look around the group headed to a bar for a well deserved drink! There were 8 of us in total, 3 Spanish men, 2 girls from London, an Australian lad and a girl from Canada. We got on really well and they were a great source of encouragement during the harder times of the trek, I´m sure we´ll keep in touch. At 7pm we made out way to Aguas Calientes, where we slept for a couple of hours before the highlight of the trip: Machu Picchu!
Day 4. Wednesday 27th April
At 3.30 we got up, had breakfast and joined the long queue of people waiting to get the bus to Machu Picchu. It was raining hard, and I almost fell asleep in my poncho at the side of the road. We queued for two hours, which was necessary if we wanted to be one of the first to get there and to get a pass to Huayna Picchu, the highest point of Machu Picchu which only 400 people per day are allowed to climb. At 6am we where there, but we couldn´t see anything! The entire mountain was covered in a thick blanket of tropical mist. Looking down it felt as if we were floating in the sky, looking down on clouds. We were given a tour of the ruins, it is really incredible what the Inca´s knew and did, for example they used astronomy to work out north east south and west, and their construction techniques are amazing, they crafted their rocks to slot together like lego, they never used clay or cement to hold the rocks together. Incas invented lego... who knew!! At 8.30 we started our climb up Huayna Picchu, only 400m of steep slippery steps carved out of the mountain side over 600 years ago!! At the top there was nothing but big rocks which you had to cling to and balance on precariously to avoid falling to your death, but the view was absolutely breath taking. The mist miraculously cleared by the time we reached the top and you could see all of Machu Picchu, all of the ruins, the surrounding mountains and the river Urubamba. I felt like I was on top on the world, looking down on clouds. It was a hard and tiring hike up but well worth it. The way down was almost as difficult as the way up, my knees turned to jelly and by now the sun was burning down on me. Machu Picchu really is a wonder of the world, it´s beautiful, amazing and incredible. I´m so glad I went there. Our trek had now come to an end, and we faced a long journey home. Two hours on the train, followed by two hours on a bus. But first we had a celebratory meal and some nice cold beers!
Absolutely fantastic experience. Met some brilliant people, saw some stunning places and pushed myself beyond my limits. And I want to do it again!!!!
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Cusco; rocks and cheap booze
Cuzco nightlife is amazing. Thursday night me and Fagner went out and had a lovely meal, went to a cocktail bar with buy one get one free all night, then went to a club called Mama Africa. Was a brilliant night out, Mama Africa was full of tourists, indie music and cheap booze, danced all night before throwing in the towel at about half 4 and collapsing into bed. Poor Fagner was going on his Macchu Picchu trek at half 6, I think I may have ruined his life. (Whirlwind)
Did the city tour on Friday with an English guy called John. For £3 we got a 4 hour guided tour around all the main Inca sites. First was the Koricancha, a temple-come-fort, then Sacsayhuamáno (pronounced 'sexywoman') its an Inca temple shaped like a snake on top of a mountain over looking Cuzco. We also visited the temples of Tambomachay, a temple fot important religious ceremonies, Pucapucará, and finally Q'enqo which is a labrynth made of rocks where the Incas mummified their bodies. If was a brilliant tour, very interesting learning about Inca traditions and what happened during and after the Spanish colonisation. BUT... after 4 hours looking at rocks I began to think the Incas simply had nothing better to do rather than lug rocks into the middle of nowhere and arrange them in nice patterns, I guess thats what people did before playstations and tellies were invented!
Friday night we ate in a little cafe that was full of local people and no tourists, had lomo saltado in epic portions followed by a Pisco Sours then bed.
On Saturday we went to San Pedro market, a traditional indoor market selling everything from handbags to live frogs. We had fresh fruit smoothies, mine, strangely enough, had beetroot in it, and was actually suprisingly delicious.
For lunch I ATE GUINEA PIG!! It's a speciality here but I can't understand why! Was pretty nasty. It came with its teeth, eyes, feet, toenails - everything - attached, and it was really hard to actually find any meat. It was all fiddling with bones and gross stuff. The actualy taste wasn't great either, really strong tasting chewy red meat. I'm glad I tried it though.
After lunch I went to San Blas in the afternoon for a coffee, it's the oldest neighborhood in Cuzco and is up a very steep hill. There's (yet another) temple and lots of handicraft artsy stalls.
In the afternoon in the main square there was a parade of typical dancers, all in traditional dress. It was very interesting to watch. Some of the costumes were quite even scary - creepy masks and feathers!
Next stop: my trek to Machu Picchu! Wish me luck, I'm gona need it!
Did the city tour on Friday with an English guy called John. For £3 we got a 4 hour guided tour around all the main Inca sites. First was the Koricancha, a temple-come-fort, then Sacsayhuamáno (pronounced 'sexywoman') its an Inca temple shaped like a snake on top of a mountain over looking Cuzco. We also visited the temples of Tambomachay, a temple fot important religious ceremonies, Pucapucará, and finally Q'enqo which is a labrynth made of rocks where the Incas mummified their bodies. If was a brilliant tour, very interesting learning about Inca traditions and what happened during and after the Spanish colonisation. BUT... after 4 hours looking at rocks I began to think the Incas simply had nothing better to do rather than lug rocks into the middle of nowhere and arrange them in nice patterns, I guess thats what people did before playstations and tellies were invented!
Friday night we ate in a little cafe that was full of local people and no tourists, had lomo saltado in epic portions followed by a Pisco Sours then bed.
On Saturday we went to San Pedro market, a traditional indoor market selling everything from handbags to live frogs. We had fresh fruit smoothies, mine, strangely enough, had beetroot in it, and was actually suprisingly delicious.
For lunch I ATE GUINEA PIG!! It's a speciality here but I can't understand why! Was pretty nasty. It came with its teeth, eyes, feet, toenails - everything - attached, and it was really hard to actually find any meat. It was all fiddling with bones and gross stuff. The actualy taste wasn't great either, really strong tasting chewy red meat. I'm glad I tried it though.
After lunch I went to San Blas in the afternoon for a coffee, it's the oldest neighborhood in Cuzco and is up a very steep hill. There's (yet another) temple and lots of handicraft artsy stalls.
In the afternoon in the main square there was a parade of typical dancers, all in traditional dress. It was very interesting to watch. Some of the costumes were quite even scary - creepy masks and feathers!
Next stop: my trek to Machu Picchu! Wish me luck, I'm gona need it!
Friday, 22 April 2011
Cuzco: Templo de la Luna a caballo
At breakfast I set about making myself a friend, Fagner, from Brazil, also travelling alone. And we decided we'd go explore together. We did some shopping, I bought a bumbag, yay! And we visited Cuzco a little before going up a mountain on horse back. The horses took us to Templo de la Luna, an Inca temple on top of a mountain. Was a nice trek, past rivers and saw carniverous human eating birds... erm...! Got to know Jenny and Jonathan from Lima (typical peruvian names?!) They'd come to Cuzco alone and had met up through couchsurfing! We all had lunch together in what I can only describe as some old ladies back garden, the food took hours to arrive, and when it did she only brought us 3 meals instead of 4! Disaster but at least the portions are big so we could share!
I love Cuzco, its smaller, prettier and safer then Lima. More touristy too. The Plaza de Armas (the main square) is fantastic, fountains, flowers and beautiful buildings.
I'm sufferung pretty badly from altitude sickness, nausia has gotten better today but getting really bad head aches and I get short of breath really easily. 30% less oxygen. Damnit!
I love Cuzco, its smaller, prettier and safer then Lima. More touristy too. The Plaza de Armas (the main square) is fantastic, fountains, flowers and beautiful buildings.
I'm sufferung pretty badly from altitude sickness, nausia has gotten better today but getting really bad head aches and I get short of breath really easily. 30% less oxygen. Damnit!
Thursday, 21 April 2011
The Day After the 24 Hour Bus!
Horrid horrid bus! I didnt get any sleep because we were whizzing through the mountains so fast that everytime we turned a corner I got thrown from one side of my seat to another. I wished I was fatter so I would have wedged myself in!
I felt really ill too for the second half of the journey, I don't know whether it was travel sickness or altitude sickness or the strain of not going to the toilet but I was rough as hell.
At about 6 am we had to pull over because rocks were falling from the mountain side and it was too dangerous to cross, we waited there for nearly 3 hours and then when it was safe to go there was a back log of coaches. It took ages, and I STILL couldn't pee because the entire roadside was full of Peruvian men relieving theirselves, I wasn't exactly goin squat down in the middle of them all.
Sleepless and nausious, I was bombarded with yet more films, on full blast and dubbed in Spanish. The only redeeming factor being they played a Jason Statham marathon and his muscles lifted my moral.
I got to my hostel at about 4pm, a whole 26 hours after leaving Enzo's house yesterday. And all I wanted was a nice hot shower and bed. No such luck, the shower was so cold I could see my breath. But at least my sleeping bag is nice and toasty. My room mate is an Argentine lady called Julia, she's nice and gave me coca sweets and anti altitude sickness pills.
Sleep. Now. Over and out.
I felt really ill too for the second half of the journey, I don't know whether it was travel sickness or altitude sickness or the strain of not going to the toilet but I was rough as hell.
At about 6 am we had to pull over because rocks were falling from the mountain side and it was too dangerous to cross, we waited there for nearly 3 hours and then when it was safe to go there was a back log of coaches. It took ages, and I STILL couldn't pee because the entire roadside was full of Peruvian men relieving theirselves, I wasn't exactly goin squat down in the middle of them all.
Sleepless and nausious, I was bombarded with yet more films, on full blast and dubbed in Spanish. The only redeeming factor being they played a Jason Statham marathon and his muscles lifted my moral.
I got to my hostel at about 4pm, a whole 26 hours after leaving Enzo's house yesterday. And all I wanted was a nice hot shower and bed. No such luck, the shower was so cold I could see my breath. But at least my sleeping bag is nice and toasty. My room mate is an Argentine lady called Julia, she's nice and gave me coca sweets and anti altitude sickness pills.
Sleep. Now. Over and out.
The 24 Hour Bus Ride
I have currently been on a bus for 9 hours. And have another 12 to look forward to... At least.
I've left my little friend Enzo and am on my way to Cuzco. I could have flown, but in the end I chose to go by bus for the following reasons: it's cheaper, it's one night I dont have to look for accomodation, dinner and breakfast are included in the price, and its an opportunidad to see the country.
And I must say, so far I'm not regretting my decision. For the first 6 hours we headed south along the coast, down the "Pan Americana", is a motorway which runs the entire length of South America, all the way down the west coast. It was lovely watch the sunset over the ocean on the right, whilst on the left we passed moutains and cattle farms and shanty towns.
We then headed inland to cross the Andes. It's pretty amazing. Total darkess apart from the light from the full moon which highlights the grey rock, it actually looks quite moon-like.
The bus is impressive too, by far the most comfortable means of transport I have ever been on. Great big leather seats which recline to about 160 degrees, and air conditioned, thank God. They had films on too, a Steven Seagal marathon, of all things! Then a couple of comedies followed by Nightmare on Elma Street. An odd selection to say the least! My friend for the journey is a man from Cuzco, and guess what, his name is Elvis!! I have a friend named Elvis! We chatted for ages, he told me all about Cuzco, Peru, Bolivia, and I told him about England and Europe and my previous adventures closer to home. Lovely man. He's written me a list of things to do and see in Cuzco, who needs guide books eh?!
So it's midnight and I dont much fancy my chances of getting to sleep to be honest with you, we're zig zagging around bends in the roads and its not exactly smooth going. Everybody else seems to be asleep though. Oh and more good news: the attendant explained at the beginning that the toilet was for number ones only, which is bad enough considering my stomach has been somewhat off the past few days! But then around 10 o'clock he came on the intercom, rather pissed off, and announced that due to some disobediant little so and so having a forbidden poo, the toilet will be closed until we arrive in Cuzco!!! And I'd been holding on because I didnt want to break the seal! Nightmare! If only I'd have bought myself a shewee!!!
I've left my little friend Enzo and am on my way to Cuzco. I could have flown, but in the end I chose to go by bus for the following reasons: it's cheaper, it's one night I dont have to look for accomodation, dinner and breakfast are included in the price, and its an opportunidad to see the country.
And I must say, so far I'm not regretting my decision. For the first 6 hours we headed south along the coast, down the "Pan Americana", is a motorway which runs the entire length of South America, all the way down the west coast. It was lovely watch the sunset over the ocean on the right, whilst on the left we passed moutains and cattle farms and shanty towns.
We then headed inland to cross the Andes. It's pretty amazing. Total darkess apart from the light from the full moon which highlights the grey rock, it actually looks quite moon-like.
The bus is impressive too, by far the most comfortable means of transport I have ever been on. Great big leather seats which recline to about 160 degrees, and air conditioned, thank God. They had films on too, a Steven Seagal marathon, of all things! Then a couple of comedies followed by Nightmare on Elma Street. An odd selection to say the least! My friend for the journey is a man from Cuzco, and guess what, his name is Elvis!! I have a friend named Elvis! We chatted for ages, he told me all about Cuzco, Peru, Bolivia, and I told him about England and Europe and my previous adventures closer to home. Lovely man. He's written me a list of things to do and see in Cuzco, who needs guide books eh?!
So it's midnight and I dont much fancy my chances of getting to sleep to be honest with you, we're zig zagging around bends in the roads and its not exactly smooth going. Everybody else seems to be asleep though. Oh and more good news: the attendant explained at the beginning that the toilet was for number ones only, which is bad enough considering my stomach has been somewhat off the past few days! But then around 10 o'clock he came on the intercom, rather pissed off, and announced that due to some disobediant little so and so having a forbidden poo, the toilet will be closed until we arrive in Cuzco!!! And I'd been holding on because I didnt want to break the seal! Nightmare! If only I'd have bought myself a shewee!!!
Callao
Monday 18th April. Enzo and I visited the town of Callao, north of Lima. And I had my first experience on a "combi" the smallest type of crazy bus you find here. Small, cramped and reckless.
Callao is home to a big colonial fortress by the sea, which we entered briefly. It's still used by the army and also has guided tours for visitors.
We saw the port, then walked along the coast to "La Punta", a bit of land that juts out where you can walk to the most westerly point. It's a nice place, much quieter and calmer than Lima, with brightly coloured wooden houses and a pebbly beach. We stopped at a very up market restaurant for a drink, we sat on the terrace over looking the ocean and a military school and watched pelicans driving into the sea for fish. We arrived at the western point just in time to watch the sun setting. It was a very peaceful and serene way to spend an afternoon.
In the evening we went into the center for tea and I had "lomo saltado" for the first time. It translates to 'tossed steak' and is delicious. Steak is 'tossed' in a huge wok with peppers and onions and other yummy bits. It's the ultimate stir fry and is a very tradicional dish here. On the subject of food, the portions here are HUGE! Enough for two, maybe three people! And there was me hoping to lose a few pounds here!
Callao is home to a big colonial fortress by the sea, which we entered briefly. It's still used by the army and also has guided tours for visitors.
We saw the port, then walked along the coast to "La Punta", a bit of land that juts out where you can walk to the most westerly point. It's a nice place, much quieter and calmer than Lima, with brightly coloured wooden houses and a pebbly beach. We stopped at a very up market restaurant for a drink, we sat on the terrace over looking the ocean and a military school and watched pelicans driving into the sea for fish. We arrived at the western point just in time to watch the sun setting. It was a very peaceful and serene way to spend an afternoon.
In the evening we went into the center for tea and I had "lomo saltado" for the first time. It translates to 'tossed steak' and is delicious. Steak is 'tossed' in a huge wok with peppers and onions and other yummy bits. It's the ultimate stir fry and is a very tradicional dish here. On the subject of food, the portions here are HUGE! Enough for two, maybe three people! And there was me hoping to lose a few pounds here!
Monday, 18 April 2011
Lima at night
Yesterday I had lunch with Enzo and his family, home cooked Peruvian food, mmmm. Then we went into the center and did a spot of shopping/haggling with market vendors.
Semana Santa (Easter) started yesterday and there were literally millions of people out to go to Mass at the main catedral. It was a really big deal, there were choirs and processions and brass bands playing. Everybody was carrying these things called Palmas, which are fancy bouquets of palm leaves. I've never seen anything like it.
Just as the sun was setting we got on a tour bus which took us to Santo Cristobal, a cross on top of a mountain which had panoramic views of Lima. Going up we went through tiny winding streets, through a quite undesirable neighborhood where our guide advised us to shut the windows! From the top the sunset was amazing (i'll add some photo's when possible), you could see the sea and the mountains, brilliant. All for £1.
Back in the center I had my first taste of Pisco Sour, Peru's national drink. It tasted vaguely like rum, but it comes from grapes, is very strong and bitter and is made with eggs?! It wasn't delicious but was drinkable, very strong, after 2 or 3 I'd be hammered.
We also ended up ordering roast chicken and chips for supper at about half 10 at night. Leaving to go home Enzo started taking off his watch and hiding money in his socks, obviously I'm quite a trouble magnet, so I persuaded him to get a taxi instead of the bus. The taxi ride was quite hilarious, the guy beeped his horn about 25 times a minute and zoomed in and out of traffic like a mad man. Enzo didn't understand why I was laughing and gripping onto my seat, but then again I suppose he's use to risking his life on a daily basis.
Semana Santa (Easter) started yesterday and there were literally millions of people out to go to Mass at the main catedral. It was a really big deal, there were choirs and processions and brass bands playing. Everybody was carrying these things called Palmas, which are fancy bouquets of palm leaves. I've never seen anything like it.
Just as the sun was setting we got on a tour bus which took us to Santo Cristobal, a cross on top of a mountain which had panoramic views of Lima. Going up we went through tiny winding streets, through a quite undesirable neighborhood where our guide advised us to shut the windows! From the top the sunset was amazing (i'll add some photo's when possible), you could see the sea and the mountains, brilliant. All for £1.
Back in the center I had my first taste of Pisco Sour, Peru's national drink. It tasted vaguely like rum, but it comes from grapes, is very strong and bitter and is made with eggs?! It wasn't delicious but was drinkable, very strong, after 2 or 3 I'd be hammered.
We also ended up ordering roast chicken and chips for supper at about half 10 at night. Leaving to go home Enzo started taking off his watch and hiding money in his socks, obviously I'm quite a trouble magnet, so I persuaded him to get a taxi instead of the bus. The taxi ride was quite hilarious, the guy beeped his horn about 25 times a minute and zoomed in and out of traffic like a mad man. Enzo didn't understand why I was laughing and gripping onto my seat, but then again I suppose he's use to risking his life on a daily basis.
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