This entry covers 21 - 24 November
Day 1:
The entry into the city of La Paz is seriously impressive...located at the foot of a mountainous area the view from the 2nd level of the bus looking down on the city is something else...sadly there isn´t much more to write about this place other than it stinks to high heaven and is quite ugly. We had an absolute ripper of an evening with an Irish girl called Elbe who I met on the bus...celebrating her birthday with some friends in La Paz, the evening started in Loki Hostel and moved around the corner to their hostel which was hosting a pool evening. Some of Elbe´s guy friends negotiated a couple of free drinks for a rendition of the Full Monte on the bar counter. The joll got to a gallop in no time and after a pit stop in Ramjam, we made our way to this steamy underground pub called Route 34...I couldn`t help thinking I was in the cast of Human Traffic...a striking resemblance between the famous quote from this great movie....I got 70 quid in the back burner and I`m going to blow the lot...The bouncer kindly unlocked the door to a bustling street and very bright sunshine...needless to say the 22nd of November was a non-event for most who were on the joll.
Day 2: N/A
Day 3:
Theresa and I hit the walking tour of La Paz around midday which proved tougher than anticipated. At 3500m above sea level and certainly not flat, the walk was more of a trek through dirty streets with stray dogs sniffing each other for clues to where their next meal was coming from? We decided to buy some steamy matching sunnies in one of the local markets to hide our bloodshot eyes. The highlight of the tour was the witches market which sold everything from llama feuteses to potionts claiming to make you rich. We also decided to sign our lives away and booked onto the infamous `most dangerous road´ bicycle ride for the following day. This meant only a couple of drinks in the hostel before an somewhat early and nerve racking start in the morning.
Day 4:
The time had come to tackle the widely spoken about dangerous road...the bus picked us up around 7.30am for the 1 hour climb into the altiplano mountain range. After a couple of simple instructions we were set to go...the guide`s basic advise was that you`ll know everything you need to know after about 10 minutes on the bike...assuming you survive the first 10 minutes!
Some stats on the ride:
- drop in altitude: 4700m to 1100m
- distance: 60 km
- estimated time: 4 hours
- terrain: gravel roads wide enough for one vehicle at a time, 400 to 600m cliff faces
A slow and uncertain start quickly turned to aggressive angles and clenched teeth as the team flew down the gorge. We did stop every now and then where the road is considered really dodgy to prevent some adrenalin junkie from ramping into the abyss and on the whole it was a day filled with epic sights and tight corners. The only mishaps on route included a German girl careering into the gutter (on the non-dangerous side) and my chain snapped (luckily not on a corner as the wheels locked for an instant just before giving way). It was all over too quickly and we spent the afternoon taking it easy by the pool and in some place in the middle of nowhere. before an arduous 3 hour bus ride back to ¨reality¨. Without any interest in spending another day in La Paz, Theresa and I decided to try our luck in landing a bus ride to Uyuni which only heads that way 3 times a week and was fully booked that evening. We hung around in the reception until after the official departure time before being informed that there were 2 no-showers and we could jump on board....SUCCESS but only partial relief as the bus was making one pit stop to pick up some more passengers half way where we´d have to go through the same painful wait and see game for no-showers...fingers crossed at 2.30am hoping nobody takes `our` seats was almost as nerve racking as the most dangerous road...success...another bunch of no-showers. High 5`s all round (just Theresa and I) and we were safely secured on a 1st class bus ride to Uyuni. Being the poorest ecnonmy in South America means the country doesn´t exude the luxuries of asphalt highways and trying to sleep while being tossed around in your seat is near impossible...but we were on the bus and thats all that counted.
Lesson for the day: never dispair...it will always somehow work out!
The Amazon
This entry covers 18, 19, 20 November
Day 1:
A short 30 minute flight (almost inaccessible by road) and we stepped off the plane into a thick curtain of humdity. The warm air (reminiscent of Mozam) left most GAPpers pitting from every nook and cranny within minutes. We made a short bus ride to a tributary of the majestic Amazon River...as we boarded a propelled canoe, I felt a childhood dream coming to fruition. Just like the pictures in National Geographic, the forrest piles in tight with the swollen river bank which plans hundreds of metres wide despite being relatively close to its Andean source. It was great to sit back and soak it all up...while steaming hot, the wind in my face made left a smile across the Dog´s face as I took in all the beauty this forrest had to offer....the canopies of 40m trees draped with creepers and vines in the continual struggle for light. From Capybarras (largest rodent in the world) to cayman, gigantic blue butterflies to scarlet red parrots (amongst many other birds found nowhere else on the planet...this was it...definitely a highlight of my tour so far.
I still don´t think the GAP operators make a profit when they serve buffet dinners for backpackers...not sure if I´m just a pig but I find it very difficult to hold back especially with the lean times ahead in Bolivia and the following 2 months! Packing on a couple extra kilos becomes a priority at these feeding frenzies.
After dinner we were off on a night walk in search of small animals and insects of the forrest. The guides had no chance in requesting a total silence rule as a bunch of 10 years old GAP tourists headed into the unknown...I quite enjoyed taking a photo of Blair taking a photo of a spider (with his custom made Spidy Light clipped onto his telescope of a camera)! Other than that, the most memorable creatures was a cricket sitting on a walking palm tree....yes people, this tree has numerous roots that start about 2 metres above the ground and enter the topsoil in various locations...the tree searches for the best position to intercept light by steadily growing roots in the direction it wants to go with the trail runners dying off to allow the tree to ¨walk¨ across the forrest floor...top speed of only 15cm per annum but still pretty damn impressive!
Day 2:
I was up at 4.45am to catch the sunrise over the Amazon River which was not a spectacular as anticipated as the canopy trees stops the early morning sun from reaching the river bank...this didn´t stop the mist from climbing over the wall of trees and diving into the cool river below (which I dutifully captured on camera). We went for another walk through the forrest. We were advised to were long sleeves and long pants. My multi-purpose zip off longs would have gone down a treat out here but were so nastily dirty, I couldn`t bear pull them on so had my trusty jeans as a backup...they do not breath very well in 98 percent humidity! Observations in the woods:
- Pregnant palm tree: stores water in its trunk
- Fishtail tree: leaves used as cool roof covering for local huts
- Ironwood: 300 year old hardwood, 2nd biggest in South America at 45m
- Climber plant: used for snake bites
- Wild fig: hitting the base of the tree with a paddle makes one helluva racket and is therefore used to tell lumberjacks to pack it in or identify the location of lost individuals
- Killer/Strangler fig: stretching to its next victim from the canopy it squeezes its host of all nutrients until it dies leaving a hollow 40-50m skeleton behind
- Sumnipanga: rubbing its red leaves between your fingers stains a deep red, used by locals for face paints and dying clothes
- Spiky tree: thorns used by locals to make darts for hunting
- Tecada flies: make a similar noise to our Xmas beetles to attract mates...the difference being that the hissing drone comes in waves as the sound makes its way through the forrest as millions of these flies jump on the bandwagon
- Screaming Piha: bird that whistles like a human calling to a pretty girl
- Taranchula: seeing this puppy in real life is something else, coaxed out by the guide using the stem of a leaf this spider crept out of its hole (too heavy to have its own nest) to see whether anything was edible (apparently can whoof down a small bird!)
- Ray snake: didn´t get to check it out properly as it dissappeared into the bush
- Colony of leaf cutter ants: pretty harmless but incredibly efficient
A raft awaited us at a 300 year old oxbow lake. A mecca for animals and birds on vacation...dead still and superbly hot. The following beasts were ticked off the list:
- Greater Anis, American Swallow Tailed Kite, Amazon Kingfisher, Blue Morofr Butterfly, Longnose Bats, Hoatzin, Yellow Rumped Cacique, Cabec Tree (Mother of the forrest between 50-60m, used for plywood, cotton, Harpy Eagle nests, 50 people holding hands to circumvent the base).
We headed to a typical local farm in the afternoon where the local practice polyculture (numerous crops on one piece of land rotated over 3-5 year to allow the thin layer of topsoil to recover). They grow almost every imaginable fruit (avos, papaya, grapes, melons, bananas, pineapples, lemongrass, mangos, starfruit etc).
We had a pretty uneventful night excursion on the motorised canoe spotting more cayman, a paca and a coati (racoon) although the breeze while riding along the river was welcomed with open arms as respite from the sticky heat and mosquitoes.
Day 3:
An early start was required to make the trip on the boat back to Maldinado in time for our connecting flight back to Cusco and then Lima. I wanted to jump off in Cusco and head south into Bolivia although instructing the airline to put my bags in the Cusco hull was going to cost me no less than US50! I decided to give them the finger and sidestep this ridicuous ruling although required rounding up support from the fellow GAPpers to take on some of my stuff as hand luggage so I could take all my kit off the plane in Cusco. Dressed for Alaska to reduce my own hand luggage weight, I boarded the plane and made a successfull exit at the half way point. Following some emotional goodbyes from some of the GAPpers I was officially on my own on a continent of foreign speakers....
I made my way to the bus station and booked a direct ticket to La Paz, Bolivia. This trip was not without its highlights/lowlights and lived up to Peru/Bolivia`s reputation as one of the most dangerous countries to bus around in the world. Cutting across from the wrong lane, our legend of a bus driver decided to stop to investigate a blowout we took on some hours earlier...needless to say the bus trailing thought we were doing the usual hang wide on a corner take it at pace vibe and proceeded to plough into the back right of our bus...thankfully a glancing blow but almost sent the bus behind us down a 5 metre bank off the road. While the drivers fought over who was at falt, I took my gap and made for a nearby stone wall to do the necessaries as number 2´s are not only prohibitted on the buses but also a health risk to all who attempt anything while locked in the cabin of horrors!
Most travellers jumped off just before the border leaving only a handful to face the Bolivian military. Thankfully I had latched onto a couple from Cusco who told me where to get the stamps in what seemed more like a vegetable market than a border crossing. A couple of stamps on the Peruvian side and everything seemed to be going to plan until we were waved into a room by some serious loking dudes in camo. One by one we were called into the leutenant´s office for questioning (in Spanish I might add!) and body checks...they made some joke as I was released leaving me with a weird sensation of relieve. The rest was pretty much stock standard and it was onyl 2 more hours before we reached La Paz..the major city of Bolivia.
Day 1:
A short 30 minute flight (almost inaccessible by road) and we stepped off the plane into a thick curtain of humdity. The warm air (reminiscent of Mozam) left most GAPpers pitting from every nook and cranny within minutes. We made a short bus ride to a tributary of the majestic Amazon River...as we boarded a propelled canoe, I felt a childhood dream coming to fruition. Just like the pictures in National Geographic, the forrest piles in tight with the swollen river bank which plans hundreds of metres wide despite being relatively close to its Andean source. It was great to sit back and soak it all up...while steaming hot, the wind in my face made left a smile across the Dog´s face as I took in all the beauty this forrest had to offer....the canopies of 40m trees draped with creepers and vines in the continual struggle for light. From Capybarras (largest rodent in the world) to cayman, gigantic blue butterflies to scarlet red parrots (amongst many other birds found nowhere else on the planet...this was it...definitely a highlight of my tour so far.
I still don´t think the GAP operators make a profit when they serve buffet dinners for backpackers...not sure if I´m just a pig but I find it very difficult to hold back especially with the lean times ahead in Bolivia and the following 2 months! Packing on a couple extra kilos becomes a priority at these feeding frenzies.
After dinner we were off on a night walk in search of small animals and insects of the forrest. The guides had no chance in requesting a total silence rule as a bunch of 10 years old GAP tourists headed into the unknown...I quite enjoyed taking a photo of Blair taking a photo of a spider (with his custom made Spidy Light clipped onto his telescope of a camera)! Other than that, the most memorable creatures was a cricket sitting on a walking palm tree....yes people, this tree has numerous roots that start about 2 metres above the ground and enter the topsoil in various locations...the tree searches for the best position to intercept light by steadily growing roots in the direction it wants to go with the trail runners dying off to allow the tree to ¨walk¨ across the forrest floor...top speed of only 15cm per annum but still pretty damn impressive!
Day 2:
I was up at 4.45am to catch the sunrise over the Amazon River which was not a spectacular as anticipated as the canopy trees stops the early morning sun from reaching the river bank...this didn´t stop the mist from climbing over the wall of trees and diving into the cool river below (which I dutifully captured on camera). We went for another walk through the forrest. We were advised to were long sleeves and long pants. My multi-purpose zip off longs would have gone down a treat out here but were so nastily dirty, I couldn`t bear pull them on so had my trusty jeans as a backup...they do not breath very well in 98 percent humidity! Observations in the woods:
- Pregnant palm tree: stores water in its trunk
- Fishtail tree: leaves used as cool roof covering for local huts
- Ironwood: 300 year old hardwood, 2nd biggest in South America at 45m
- Climber plant: used for snake bites
- Wild fig: hitting the base of the tree with a paddle makes one helluva racket and is therefore used to tell lumberjacks to pack it in or identify the location of lost individuals
- Killer/Strangler fig: stretching to its next victim from the canopy it squeezes its host of all nutrients until it dies leaving a hollow 40-50m skeleton behind
- Sumnipanga: rubbing its red leaves between your fingers stains a deep red, used by locals for face paints and dying clothes
- Spiky tree: thorns used by locals to make darts for hunting
- Tecada flies: make a similar noise to our Xmas beetles to attract mates...the difference being that the hissing drone comes in waves as the sound makes its way through the forrest as millions of these flies jump on the bandwagon
- Screaming Piha: bird that whistles like a human calling to a pretty girl
- Taranchula: seeing this puppy in real life is something else, coaxed out by the guide using the stem of a leaf this spider crept out of its hole (too heavy to have its own nest) to see whether anything was edible (apparently can whoof down a small bird!)
- Ray snake: didn´t get to check it out properly as it dissappeared into the bush
- Colony of leaf cutter ants: pretty harmless but incredibly efficient
A raft awaited us at a 300 year old oxbow lake. A mecca for animals and birds on vacation...dead still and superbly hot. The following beasts were ticked off the list:
- Greater Anis, American Swallow Tailed Kite, Amazon Kingfisher, Blue Morofr Butterfly, Longnose Bats, Hoatzin, Yellow Rumped Cacique, Cabec Tree (Mother of the forrest between 50-60m, used for plywood, cotton, Harpy Eagle nests, 50 people holding hands to circumvent the base).
We headed to a typical local farm in the afternoon where the local practice polyculture (numerous crops on one piece of land rotated over 3-5 year to allow the thin layer of topsoil to recover). They grow almost every imaginable fruit (avos, papaya, grapes, melons, bananas, pineapples, lemongrass, mangos, starfruit etc).
We had a pretty uneventful night excursion on the motorised canoe spotting more cayman, a paca and a coati (racoon) although the breeze while riding along the river was welcomed with open arms as respite from the sticky heat and mosquitoes.
Day 3:
An early start was required to make the trip on the boat back to Maldinado in time for our connecting flight back to Cusco and then Lima. I wanted to jump off in Cusco and head south into Bolivia although instructing the airline to put my bags in the Cusco hull was going to cost me no less than US50! I decided to give them the finger and sidestep this ridicuous ruling although required rounding up support from the fellow GAPpers to take on some of my stuff as hand luggage so I could take all my kit off the plane in Cusco. Dressed for Alaska to reduce my own hand luggage weight, I boarded the plane and made a successfull exit at the half way point. Following some emotional goodbyes from some of the GAPpers I was officially on my own on a continent of foreign speakers....
I made my way to the bus station and booked a direct ticket to La Paz, Bolivia. This trip was not without its highlights/lowlights and lived up to Peru/Bolivia`s reputation as one of the most dangerous countries to bus around in the world. Cutting across from the wrong lane, our legend of a bus driver decided to stop to investigate a blowout we took on some hours earlier...needless to say the bus trailing thought we were doing the usual hang wide on a corner take it at pace vibe and proceeded to plough into the back right of our bus...thankfully a glancing blow but almost sent the bus behind us down a 5 metre bank off the road. While the drivers fought over who was at falt, I took my gap and made for a nearby stone wall to do the necessaries as number 2´s are not only prohibitted on the buses but also a health risk to all who attempt anything while locked in the cabin of horrors!
Most travellers jumped off just before the border leaving only a handful to face the Bolivian military. Thankfully I had latched onto a couple from Cusco who told me where to get the stamps in what seemed more like a vegetable market than a border crossing. A couple of stamps on the Peruvian side and everything seemed to be going to plan until we were waved into a room by some serious loking dudes in camo. One by one we were called into the leutenant´s office for questioning (in Spanish I might add!) and body checks...they made some joke as I was released leaving me with a weird sensation of relieve. The rest was pretty much stock standard and it was onyl 2 more hours before we reached La Paz..the major city of Bolivia.
Cusco and beyond...
This entry covers 18 November
A free day at last to organise the next phase of my travels. Spent the day speaking to travels agents in Cusco and tour operators over the phone to find out whether heading to Bolivia would result in a blown up tourist bus or not. Most seemed to feel that the strikes had abated (although numerous websites site strikes as a way of life for Bolivians) and advised that the martial law declared in the Pando area was nothing to be concerned about. So without further adew, I decided to stick to my original itinerary and head to the land of corruption....over 200 presidents sinces its independence 189 years ago!
But first I have to inform you of the biggest coincidence since Harry met Sally...while doing all the Bolivian cross checks I bumped into Mark, Mitch and Mike (mates from Rhodes days)!!! With high fives all rounds we decided to celebrate fate by dining the the most non-exclusive of restaurants...word on the street had it that a 25 minutes taxi ride to the small village of Tapong is where the best guinea pig in town could be found. Cooked ¨the traditional way¨ in an oven as opposed to fried in the restaurants in Cusco we were presented with what looked like a skinless cane rat on steroids. The frog game (tossing coins onto a table on holes with the ultimate shot being into the frog´s mouth) made for a super vibe compnsating for the most horrific meal we forced our way through. Thankfully we had a 2 litre coke to wash it all down.
A drink at Rats Bar in Cusco seemed to be a fitting place to wave my fellow South African adios as the GAP Tour must go on...a flight to the Amazonian town of Puorto Maldinado awaited us in the morning.
Inca Trail
This entry covers 13 - 16 November
Day 1:
In my excitement, I accidentally added hot milk to my cereal this morning…its not as bad as you may think! The 1st few songs on my ipod when departing Cusco for Ollaytantambo could not have been more polar:
1. Chariots of Fire
2. Children (Robert Miles)
3. Chop Suey (System of a Down)!
I picked up a simple walking stick (otherwise referred to by the others as ¨the wand¨) in Ollaytantambo and accordingly completed my hiking attire with no less than 5 colour coded items…shoes, shirt, cap, stick and of course my doondies all a brilliant green. We met up with Wilbert (the main guide), Oubert (Wilbert´s sidekick) and the 17 porters just outside Ollaytantambo and before we knew it we had started the infamous Inca Trail. Day 1 was a gentle affair affording the guides the opportunity to gauge the group´s ability. 3 hours later and we had reached our 1st campsite (already set up by the porters)…to applause from the porters and bowls of warm water at the base of our tents and stuffed trout for lunch…camping 1st class! The afternoon was spent hanging around and taking photos of our 1st Inca ruin…I tried to teach Jim the art of flicking stones to which a local gave us such a death stare we were left hands behind our backs in typical naughty schoolboy fashion. I didn´t realize how universal the game of shithead was…even Wilbert declined an explanation of the rules and so our inaugural Inca card game was played.
Nicknames so far for the trek:John - Phoenix / LP / Bomber
Alison - NaughtySylvia - PolishLynda - Pooh FootMe - Randolf / GrinchPeter - Peter Selles / the Meditator
Day 2:This was certainly the toughest day of the trek. While not the longest day on foot (5 hours), we climbed all day to the highest point of the trail at 4215m. Switch backs were the order of the day to help regulate potential runaway heart rates… mine peaked at 168 beats per minute and made numerous attempts to make the leap of faith into my mouth. The vibe at the peak was awesome with a crowd of hikers clapping each ¨finisher¨of the climb. Captain Pisco made a memorable appearance in a photo with Jim, Tracey and John before we turned to decend down the other side. Topics of conversation ranged from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter to Germany post WW2. John claimed to have been born in the wrong era and assured us that he would have made a great bomber pilot given the astute accuracy required when hovering over the ablutions...We also introduced the song game while traipsing through the wilderness: dudes have to come up with a song with the word called by the winner of the previous round, hence John´s nickname of LP as he continued to amaze us with songs from that era.
Day 3:
We got our firs taste of Amazonian territories spending the majority of the day walking through what can be best described as a wet bathroom feel. The vegetation was dense and light drizzle allowed me to proudly whip out my 15 year old poncho (handed down from my boet…it still had the price tag on the package written in ink…R15.39!)
Some arbitrary story about South Africa caught the attention of an innocent Irish lass called Laura…a teacher who managed to take the world chatting contest in 2004 and made a serious challenge to the Shait Talking Inca Trail contest. Her super company made the hours fly by and after stopping to soak up the vibe…600m drops into Jurassic Park like terrain, before long we had reached our tents which clung to the mountain slope like a plastic bags scragged to a bush. Finding our campsite proved to me more challenging than the day´s hike…abaho / arriva being the options to choose from. We managed to locate our homes and made a dash for the showers (3 days of hiking tends to make one somewhat shvitzy!). Wilbert held an ntroductory ceremony for the porters and Captain Sapo made yet another fantastic appearance with the current Inca Trail Marathon Champion….a 35 year old porter in our group holds the record for the fastest Traditional Inca Trail (42kms) in around 5 hours…Bruce Fordyce would be proud of this on the road and this guy did it on rough terrain at altitudes ranging between 3500m and 4200m and certainly not flat!!!
Day 4:
Up at 4am so that we could get to the front of the queue for the Machupicchu National Park…I thought we´d done well to down our breakfasts and pack up to reach the gates by 5am only to find at least 100 other mofo´s standing in line. Jim and I couldn´t contain our energy and proceeded to invent one of the greatest games ever to be invented with limited tools and lots of time on the Inca Trail…derived from the sport of sumo wrestling, the involved drawing a circle in the sand and trying to hit our own stones (using our walking stick) into the opposition´s stone and out of the ring in the sand. Before long, this simple game had drawn a substantial crowd who were obviously bored out of there skulls knowing what awaited then just 2 hours away. Bets were being tallied and fellow contenders made their challenges…clearly experience was the winner as Jim and I tended to hold our own against ¨wrestlers¨ from all corners of the globe.
We finally got through the park gates at a gentle sprint…the Sun Gate being the target…we were certainly not disappointed. Yet another cracker of a day and mist clearing the travel guide shot of Machupicchu (it wouldn´t be the same without the mist!). It has been estimated that the site was built over a 70 year period by the Inca´s from around 1380 by 250k workers. They occupied this mystical place until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1624 who ransacked as much as they could in an attempt to eliminate all non-Catholic beliefs only to be rediscovered by H. Bingham in 1911. Wilbert took us on a guided tour of the ruins which included the rock mines (where the Inca´s sourced their building material), the sacred plaza (priests abode, sun dial, sacrifice table, 3 temple windows and the diamond rock compass). Legend has it that the priests used all the above to predict the seasons and moon solstices although had to sacrifices and drink the blood of a llama for an accurate forecast…
We met up with the rest of the GAP group in Machupicchu and some had kindly organized tickets to climb Waynapicchu (the new mountain)…the one you see as the backdrop to the famous photo of Machupicchu. We had to be swift as the train was leaving Machupicchu in 2 hours so we hot footed it up the mountain. I would have to say that steep is an understatement and were only too relived to find out AFTERWWARDS that a French dude slipped off the narrow stairs and his body was only found a couple of months later! The view from the tops was simply breathtaking. Perched on top of the highest rock, Alain, Bair, Katrin and I took it all in for a good 20 minutes before making the cariest descent known to man. I knew those Inca´s were small people but making those stairs only a couple inches wide on an adrenalin pumping vertical cliff was a joke! Did I mention that they built a house (also made of stone) about 90% of the way to the top! Some would say they were inspired...I reckon the Inca Kings were nuts!
The return trip took longer than the way up (in aid of saving our lives) and we ended up sprinting through the Machupicchu Ruins which had turned into a giant maze trapping us at every tunr in our attempts to make the last bus to the train station...out of breath and sweaty we clambered onto the bus as it was pulling away...for some the train ride (in 1st class nog al) is a highlight with windows allowing close on 360 degrees viewing, but for me it was respite from 4 days of hiking and a gallop up and down a 500m cliff. Some crazy dude dressed in Inca kit jumped out of the ¨banos¨ and made a helleva racket while we tried to catch some shut eye.
Day 1:
In my excitement, I accidentally added hot milk to my cereal this morning…its not as bad as you may think! The 1st few songs on my ipod when departing Cusco for Ollaytantambo could not have been more polar:
1. Chariots of Fire
2. Children (Robert Miles)
3. Chop Suey (System of a Down)!
I picked up a simple walking stick (otherwise referred to by the others as ¨the wand¨) in Ollaytantambo and accordingly completed my hiking attire with no less than 5 colour coded items…shoes, shirt, cap, stick and of course my doondies all a brilliant green. We met up with Wilbert (the main guide), Oubert (Wilbert´s sidekick) and the 17 porters just outside Ollaytantambo and before we knew it we had started the infamous Inca Trail. Day 1 was a gentle affair affording the guides the opportunity to gauge the group´s ability. 3 hours later and we had reached our 1st campsite (already set up by the porters)…to applause from the porters and bowls of warm water at the base of our tents and stuffed trout for lunch…camping 1st class! The afternoon was spent hanging around and taking photos of our 1st Inca ruin…I tried to teach Jim the art of flicking stones to which a local gave us such a death stare we were left hands behind our backs in typical naughty schoolboy fashion. I didn´t realize how universal the game of shithead was…even Wilbert declined an explanation of the rules and so our inaugural Inca card game was played.
Nicknames so far for the trek:John - Phoenix / LP / Bomber
Alison - NaughtySylvia - PolishLynda - Pooh FootMe - Randolf / GrinchPeter - Peter Selles / the Meditator
Day 2:This was certainly the toughest day of the trek. While not the longest day on foot (5 hours), we climbed all day to the highest point of the trail at 4215m. Switch backs were the order of the day to help regulate potential runaway heart rates… mine peaked at 168 beats per minute and made numerous attempts to make the leap of faith into my mouth. The vibe at the peak was awesome with a crowd of hikers clapping each ¨finisher¨of the climb. Captain Pisco made a memorable appearance in a photo with Jim, Tracey and John before we turned to decend down the other side. Topics of conversation ranged from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter to Germany post WW2. John claimed to have been born in the wrong era and assured us that he would have made a great bomber pilot given the astute accuracy required when hovering over the ablutions...We also introduced the song game while traipsing through the wilderness: dudes have to come up with a song with the word called by the winner of the previous round, hence John´s nickname of LP as he continued to amaze us with songs from that era.
Day 3:
We got our firs taste of Amazonian territories spending the majority of the day walking through what can be best described as a wet bathroom feel. The vegetation was dense and light drizzle allowed me to proudly whip out my 15 year old poncho (handed down from my boet…it still had the price tag on the package written in ink…R15.39!)
Some arbitrary story about South Africa caught the attention of an innocent Irish lass called Laura…a teacher who managed to take the world chatting contest in 2004 and made a serious challenge to the Shait Talking Inca Trail contest. Her super company made the hours fly by and after stopping to soak up the vibe…600m drops into Jurassic Park like terrain, before long we had reached our tents which clung to the mountain slope like a plastic bags scragged to a bush. Finding our campsite proved to me more challenging than the day´s hike…abaho / arriva being the options to choose from. We managed to locate our homes and made a dash for the showers (3 days of hiking tends to make one somewhat shvitzy!). Wilbert held an ntroductory ceremony for the porters and Captain Sapo made yet another fantastic appearance with the current Inca Trail Marathon Champion….a 35 year old porter in our group holds the record for the fastest Traditional Inca Trail (42kms) in around 5 hours…Bruce Fordyce would be proud of this on the road and this guy did it on rough terrain at altitudes ranging between 3500m and 4200m and certainly not flat!!!
Day 4:
Up at 4am so that we could get to the front of the queue for the Machupicchu National Park…I thought we´d done well to down our breakfasts and pack up to reach the gates by 5am only to find at least 100 other mofo´s standing in line. Jim and I couldn´t contain our energy and proceeded to invent one of the greatest games ever to be invented with limited tools and lots of time on the Inca Trail…derived from the sport of sumo wrestling, the involved drawing a circle in the sand and trying to hit our own stones (using our walking stick) into the opposition´s stone and out of the ring in the sand. Before long, this simple game had drawn a substantial crowd who were obviously bored out of there skulls knowing what awaited then just 2 hours away. Bets were being tallied and fellow contenders made their challenges…clearly experience was the winner as Jim and I tended to hold our own against ¨wrestlers¨ from all corners of the globe.
We finally got through the park gates at a gentle sprint…the Sun Gate being the target…we were certainly not disappointed. Yet another cracker of a day and mist clearing the travel guide shot of Machupicchu (it wouldn´t be the same without the mist!). It has been estimated that the site was built over a 70 year period by the Inca´s from around 1380 by 250k workers. They occupied this mystical place until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1624 who ransacked as much as they could in an attempt to eliminate all non-Catholic beliefs only to be rediscovered by H. Bingham in 1911. Wilbert took us on a guided tour of the ruins which included the rock mines (where the Inca´s sourced their building material), the sacred plaza (priests abode, sun dial, sacrifice table, 3 temple windows and the diamond rock compass). Legend has it that the priests used all the above to predict the seasons and moon solstices although had to sacrifices and drink the blood of a llama for an accurate forecast…
We met up with the rest of the GAP group in Machupicchu and some had kindly organized tickets to climb Waynapicchu (the new mountain)…the one you see as the backdrop to the famous photo of Machupicchu. We had to be swift as the train was leaving Machupicchu in 2 hours so we hot footed it up the mountain. I would have to say that steep is an understatement and were only too relived to find out AFTERWWARDS that a French dude slipped off the narrow stairs and his body was only found a couple of months later! The view from the tops was simply breathtaking. Perched on top of the highest rock, Alain, Bair, Katrin and I took it all in for a good 20 minutes before making the cariest descent known to man. I knew those Inca´s were small people but making those stairs only a couple inches wide on an adrenalin pumping vertical cliff was a joke! Did I mention that they built a house (also made of stone) about 90% of the way to the top! Some would say they were inspired...I reckon the Inca Kings were nuts!
The return trip took longer than the way up (in aid of saving our lives) and we ended up sprinting through the Machupicchu Ruins which had turned into a giant maze trapping us at every tunr in our attempts to make the last bus to the train station...out of breath and sweaty we clambered onto the bus as it was pulling away...for some the train ride (in 1st class nog al) is a highlight with windows allowing close on 360 degrees viewing, but for me it was respite from 4 days of hiking and a gallop up and down a 500m cliff. Some crazy dude dressed in Inca kit jumped out of the ¨banos¨ and made a helleva racket while we tried to catch some shut eye.
Cusco
This entry covers 11 & 12 November
Our last night in Puno proved to be the final test in preparation for the Inca Trail…this hotel could not have been built on more than 50 square metres of ground but towered 6 floors into the sky, making it one of the tallest buildings in Puno! Rooming on the 1st floor was incorrectly taken as a blessing as meals where served on the roof level…a lift could not be squeezed into the architect’s plans. Fro some reason, the kitchen severely under catered for breakfast which made for an interesting meal of ham, cheese and jam on stale cake. Just the carbs I needed for the 7 hour bus ride to Cusco.
We settled into our new hotel (note the 12th unpack of the tour!) and met Wilbert who gave us a breakdown of the Inca Trail…what to bring and what to expect although no words could possibly describe what we experienced a couple days later. Once again, the 3 amigos were made roomies. I was awoken to what sounded like TV´s being thrown around the room…Peter (Selles) had made an attempted loo break around 1.30am and proceeded to knock over everything from water vases to cell phones to tripping over his hiking boots…needless to say he invested in a head torch in the morning! Carolina took us on a walk through Cusco which included the 12 sided stone known as Hatunrumiyac, Plaza San Blas (a plaza dedicated to Peruvian and Inca art), the Hemp Café, Soleta Saraninas (Pre-colonial museum), the Inca Museum, the Plaza de Armas. Iglasia La Merced (which houses the 2nd largest gym in the world…the grooming of many gold medal Peruvian weightlifters?, and Mercado Central (the local food market). For the 1st time in my life, I felt obliged to turn sideways to let people pass in the streets…a combination of broad shoulders and 3 foot wide pavements!
Feels like Xmas is tomorrow with the Inca Trail looming. Nothing like passing time with a smut session between the 3 amigos…
Our last night in Puno proved to be the final test in preparation for the Inca Trail…this hotel could not have been built on more than 50 square metres of ground but towered 6 floors into the sky, making it one of the tallest buildings in Puno! Rooming on the 1st floor was incorrectly taken as a blessing as meals where served on the roof level…a lift could not be squeezed into the architect’s plans. Fro some reason, the kitchen severely under catered for breakfast which made for an interesting meal of ham, cheese and jam on stale cake. Just the carbs I needed for the 7 hour bus ride to Cusco.
We settled into our new hotel (note the 12th unpack of the tour!) and met Wilbert who gave us a breakdown of the Inca Trail…what to bring and what to expect although no words could possibly describe what we experienced a couple days later. Once again, the 3 amigos were made roomies. I was awoken to what sounded like TV´s being thrown around the room…Peter (Selles) had made an attempted loo break around 1.30am and proceeded to knock over everything from water vases to cell phones to tripping over his hiking boots…needless to say he invested in a head torch in the morning! Carolina took us on a walk through Cusco which included the 12 sided stone known as Hatunrumiyac, Plaza San Blas (a plaza dedicated to Peruvian and Inca art), the Hemp Café, Soleta Saraninas (Pre-colonial museum), the Inca Museum, the Plaza de Armas. Iglasia La Merced (which houses the 2nd largest gym in the world…the grooming of many gold medal Peruvian weightlifters?, and Mercado Central (the local food market). For the 1st time in my life, I felt obliged to turn sideways to let people pass in the streets…a combination of broad shoulders and 3 foot wide pavements!
Feels like Xmas is tomorrow with the Inca Trail looming. Nothing like passing time with a smut session between the 3 amigos…
Puno (Lake Titicaca)
This entry covers 8 - 10 November
8 November
I spent the afternoon strolling the streets of Puno with Blair and Maurene and bought fruit as gifts for our home stay on the island tomorrow. I also bumped into a panting John (suffering from water on the lungs from the altitude) and decided to take some time out over a coffee on a tiny balcony overlooking Puno’s Plaza de Armas (Moysa Café).
9 November
Lake Titicaca (Taquile & Amantani home stay):
Today we took a 35km barge ride onto Lake Titicaca.
Some stats...
- titi: puma, caca: grey, puma of grey colour)
- 3810m above sea level, 165km long, 60km wide, deepest point: 275m, 50/50 between Peru & Bolivia, 5 native and 2 exotic fish (trout, kingfish), the local monster of the water is a 45cm frog discovered by Jacque Custo.
Our 1st stop was Taquile Island. We scaled hillside to a tiny little restaurant with a magnifiscent view of the lake below. I mowed through trout for lunch (so much for loss of appetite at altitude!) and Manuel (the local tour guide) gave us a brief history of the island and its traditions. I decided that our group also needed a bit of culture and managed to convince the men that Movember is the way forward with the ultimate achievement being a handful of smiling moustaches at the peak of the Inca Trail!
We had a crash course on Quechua on our way to Amantani Island where we were greeted by our families. Lukresha took us up to her humble abode to drop off our bits and pieces where we met the rest of the family. We kept climbing to the island’s concrete sports ground where we took on the local lighties in a game of soccer. A coke was agreed to be the winners’ prize and provided the necessary incentive to take the heart rate up to 180…only to discover that this was a basic appearance fee for the locals after a memorable 2-1 victory to the Gringo’s!
Peter, John and I crammed into our family’s tiny kitchen come dining room for dinner…I couldn’t help smiling at the absurd conversations torn between Quechua, Spanish, English and Swedish…One times tired Peter was our saviour with some Spanish to draw on but kept translating into Swedish instead of Spanish. Peter is really coming into his own and is pure entertainment…the striking resemblance with Peter Selles from the Pink Panther is remarkable…the foreign accent overpowering his English translations all the while his mind ticking over as if from another planet!
Peter expressions: “Goods heaven!”
and following me questioning his dancing skills he replied with
“Its funny” instead of “Its fun”…
even better is the fact that he laughs out loud at his mispronunciations which relieves us holding back our laughter. We handed over our gifts of fruit, myre and gold (felt like the 3 kings from the Bible!) and cashed in on the Borat greeting of kisses on both cheeks. The highlight of the home stay was definitely the evening in the town hall where we were treated to both local and mixed (local & Gringo) dancing to tunes passed down though the centuries.
10 November
I spent the next morning on a nearby hilltop lying in the morning sun before returning for breakfast at 7am. As I rounded the corner to the house I was confronted with a rather awekward situation…whether to treat the half naked Lukresha cleaning herself over a bowl of water as the norm, or make a right turn and heading for the hills...I decided to go with the former seeing as I was too committed to the moment by the time she realized I was there.
Uros Floating Islands
On our way back to Puno we stopped off at Lake Titicaca´s floating islands which had its roots 600 years ago when the Uros people decided to use 1000´s of reed boats to hide from the all conquering Inca´s. Over time, the Uros decided to join forces out on the lake by connecting their reed boats together creating 60 islands which currently boasts electricity, a junior school and Viking looking reed boats for the tourists to be paddled about by stout oresmen with the thickest fingers I´ve ever come across.
I seem to be coming up with pearler quotes. the most recent directed at Suzanne (my surrogate mother from Canada) thanking her for breaking wind given the chilly wind that was sweeping across the lake!
Once back on land, the majority of the group decided to make tracks for the Yuvari Steamboat. The Captain of this 146 year old gunboat (Carlos Saavedra) was an absolute beauty who not only gave us insightful stories about the history of this legendary vessel but also threw in his views on the how the industrial revolution formed the basis of everything we discover today, the plight of the Peruvians and the country´s blunders in South American politics, the overdone Incas, and even threw in his thoughts on life...¨one can´t change the past, only manipulate the future¨ and ¨never stop travelling¨... The Yavari was 1 of 5 ships ordered by the Peruvian government to look after the country´s important waters (the coastline, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon Basin). The ship arrived at Lake Tititica in 2766 pieces. Aside from the fact that this boat needed to be assembled on sight, it also needed to be hauled by mules over the Andes taking 6 years from the UK to Lake Titicaca. After 15 years of service on the Yuvuri, Captain Saavedra had decided not to be held down by the routine of society and is heading north in December to skipper a ship from the Carribean to the Bulge of Africa where he intends to make a new life for himself...what a passionate man!
8 November
I spent the afternoon strolling the streets of Puno with Blair and Maurene and bought fruit as gifts for our home stay on the island tomorrow. I also bumped into a panting John (suffering from water on the lungs from the altitude) and decided to take some time out over a coffee on a tiny balcony overlooking Puno’s Plaza de Armas (Moysa Café).
9 November
Lake Titicaca (Taquile & Amantani home stay):
Today we took a 35km barge ride onto Lake Titicaca.
Some stats...
- titi: puma, caca: grey, puma of grey colour)
- 3810m above sea level, 165km long, 60km wide, deepest point: 275m, 50/50 between Peru & Bolivia, 5 native and 2 exotic fish (trout, kingfish), the local monster of the water is a 45cm frog discovered by Jacque Custo.
Our 1st stop was Taquile Island. We scaled hillside to a tiny little restaurant with a magnifiscent view of the lake below. I mowed through trout for lunch (so much for loss of appetite at altitude!) and Manuel (the local tour guide) gave us a brief history of the island and its traditions. I decided that our group also needed a bit of culture and managed to convince the men that Movember is the way forward with the ultimate achievement being a handful of smiling moustaches at the peak of the Inca Trail!
We had a crash course on Quechua on our way to Amantani Island where we were greeted by our families. Lukresha took us up to her humble abode to drop off our bits and pieces where we met the rest of the family. We kept climbing to the island’s concrete sports ground where we took on the local lighties in a game of soccer. A coke was agreed to be the winners’ prize and provided the necessary incentive to take the heart rate up to 180…only to discover that this was a basic appearance fee for the locals after a memorable 2-1 victory to the Gringo’s!
Peter, John and I crammed into our family’s tiny kitchen come dining room for dinner…I couldn’t help smiling at the absurd conversations torn between Quechua, Spanish, English and Swedish…One times tired Peter was our saviour with some Spanish to draw on but kept translating into Swedish instead of Spanish. Peter is really coming into his own and is pure entertainment…the striking resemblance with Peter Selles from the Pink Panther is remarkable…the foreign accent overpowering his English translations all the while his mind ticking over as if from another planet!
Peter expressions: “Goods heaven!”
and following me questioning his dancing skills he replied with
“Its funny” instead of “Its fun”…
even better is the fact that he laughs out loud at his mispronunciations which relieves us holding back our laughter. We handed over our gifts of fruit, myre and gold (felt like the 3 kings from the Bible!) and cashed in on the Borat greeting of kisses on both cheeks. The highlight of the home stay was definitely the evening in the town hall where we were treated to both local and mixed (local & Gringo) dancing to tunes passed down though the centuries.
10 November
I spent the next morning on a nearby hilltop lying in the morning sun before returning for breakfast at 7am. As I rounded the corner to the house I was confronted with a rather awekward situation…whether to treat the half naked Lukresha cleaning herself over a bowl of water as the norm, or make a right turn and heading for the hills...I decided to go with the former seeing as I was too committed to the moment by the time she realized I was there.
Uros Floating Islands
On our way back to Puno we stopped off at Lake Titicaca´s floating islands which had its roots 600 years ago when the Uros people decided to use 1000´s of reed boats to hide from the all conquering Inca´s. Over time, the Uros decided to join forces out on the lake by connecting their reed boats together creating 60 islands which currently boasts electricity, a junior school and Viking looking reed boats for the tourists to be paddled about by stout oresmen with the thickest fingers I´ve ever come across.
I seem to be coming up with pearler quotes. the most recent directed at Suzanne (my surrogate mother from Canada) thanking her for breaking wind given the chilly wind that was sweeping across the lake!
Once back on land, the majority of the group decided to make tracks for the Yuvari Steamboat. The Captain of this 146 year old gunboat (Carlos Saavedra) was an absolute beauty who not only gave us insightful stories about the history of this legendary vessel but also threw in his views on the how the industrial revolution formed the basis of everything we discover today, the plight of the Peruvians and the country´s blunders in South American politics, the overdone Incas, and even threw in his thoughts on life...¨one can´t change the past, only manipulate the future¨ and ¨never stop travelling¨... The Yavari was 1 of 5 ships ordered by the Peruvian government to look after the country´s important waters (the coastline, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon Basin). The ship arrived at Lake Tititica in 2766 pieces. Aside from the fact that this boat needed to be assembled on sight, it also needed to be hauled by mules over the Andes taking 6 years from the UK to Lake Titicaca. After 15 years of service on the Yuvuri, Captain Saavedra had decided not to be held down by the routine of society and is heading north in December to skipper a ship from the Carribean to the Bulge of Africa where he intends to make a new life for himself...what a passionate man!
Colca Canyons
This entry covers 6 - 7 November
6 November
The team woke up to its 1st full breakfast on toer which required no 2nd invitation in anticipation of the 4 hour bus ride to Colca. The Aquaflorida was dished out by the tour guide at around 4000m above sea level. This fumes from this local remedy is inhaled and rubbed onto the forehead. We stopped for pictures of Vicuna (one of the local camels of the Andes) and a mixed tea drink called mune (coca leaves, chachacama). It was here that I found the ultimate daypack…handmade and super steamy...officially in the vibe!
We stopped for a herd of Llamas at around 4300m and agrred with myself that I was feeling very chilled and spaced out on this alien landscape. Surprisingly, a shirt and shorts provided more than enough protection from the elements. Logical thought processes deserted me at 4500m and by the time we reached Patapampa (the pinnacle of our bus ride at 4900m) making a trip to the loo had become a seriously arduous task! We arrived in Chivay (3570m) and enjoyed a typical (local) brunch followed buy a walk around the Plaza de Armas (all Peruvian towns have these). Local women and children paraded the square with Llamas on leads in the hope of picking up a photo for a couple Soles to which Peter (the eccentric Swedish ballie) obliged.
The 2 hour walk through the myriad of highland terraces, stone walls and aqueducts made truly spectacular photographing. Even novices like me managed to capture some awesome shots. From cows mowing the pastures to tiny cacti protecting the brilliant green pastures from hungry beasts, we were rewarded with a diamond in the rough of a hotel…Mama Yachi. Feeling a little svitzy I jumped into the shower and the musty smelling water brought flooding memories of Carrach Lake in Underberg.
7 November
A 2 hour bus ride to the popular Cruz del Condor included sights of cavernous glacial fissures and a photo session of the 121 terraces that climbs the impressive mountain side. While the condor viewing point was littered with stacks of tourists, the Andean Condors didn’t disappoint, taking to the thermals as we arrived (90cm tall, 3m wingspan, 70km/h). Digi had his work cut out alongside hundreds of telescopic lenses that fired away at 3 shots a second! Our tour group decided to get away from all the action with another 1½ hike into the wilderness. The scenery and complete silence was quite breathtaking (aside from the altitude!). The day was rounded off with Cuscena beers in the hot springs, live bands and local dancing over dinner.
Thought for the day: these are the happiest poor people I have ever come across...
6 November
The team woke up to its 1st full breakfast on toer which required no 2nd invitation in anticipation of the 4 hour bus ride to Colca. The Aquaflorida was dished out by the tour guide at around 4000m above sea level. This fumes from this local remedy is inhaled and rubbed onto the forehead. We stopped for pictures of Vicuna (one of the local camels of the Andes) and a mixed tea drink called mune (coca leaves, chachacama). It was here that I found the ultimate daypack…handmade and super steamy...officially in the vibe!
We stopped for a herd of Llamas at around 4300m and agrred with myself that I was feeling very chilled and spaced out on this alien landscape. Surprisingly, a shirt and shorts provided more than enough protection from the elements. Logical thought processes deserted me at 4500m and by the time we reached Patapampa (the pinnacle of our bus ride at 4900m) making a trip to the loo had become a seriously arduous task! We arrived in Chivay (3570m) and enjoyed a typical (local) brunch followed buy a walk around the Plaza de Armas (all Peruvian towns have these). Local women and children paraded the square with Llamas on leads in the hope of picking up a photo for a couple Soles to which Peter (the eccentric Swedish ballie) obliged.
The 2 hour walk through the myriad of highland terraces, stone walls and aqueducts made truly spectacular photographing. Even novices like me managed to capture some awesome shots. From cows mowing the pastures to tiny cacti protecting the brilliant green pastures from hungry beasts, we were rewarded with a diamond in the rough of a hotel…Mama Yachi. Feeling a little svitzy I jumped into the shower and the musty smelling water brought flooding memories of Carrach Lake in Underberg.
7 November
A 2 hour bus ride to the popular Cruz del Condor included sights of cavernous glacial fissures and a photo session of the 121 terraces that climbs the impressive mountain side. While the condor viewing point was littered with stacks of tourists, the Andean Condors didn’t disappoint, taking to the thermals as we arrived (90cm tall, 3m wingspan, 70km/h). Digi had his work cut out alongside hundreds of telescopic lenses that fired away at 3 shots a second! Our tour group decided to get away from all the action with another 1½ hike into the wilderness. The scenery and complete silence was quite breathtaking (aside from the altitude!). The day was rounded off with Cuscena beers in the hot springs, live bands and local dancing over dinner.
Thought for the day: these are the happiest poor people I have ever come across...
Arequipa
This entry covers 5 November
We arrived in the 2nd largest city of Peru to bright sunshine and friendly faces. My shoebox of a single room overlooked the next door neighbour’s porch which saw more action than the Coon Carnival.
After a sneaky cup of coca tea to help acclimatize, Katrin and I decided to take on this quaint little town with our first pit stop being the Santa Theresa Monestary. The 21 nuns are insulated from the world around them and spend their days praying, painting, sowing and making puppets for public display. The only contact permissable with the outside world include attending the doctor or dentist or via spinning doors sunken into the 2 metre thick walls where gifts can be exchanged with family and friends.The pretty guide made an attempt at convincing us that one of the Baby Jesus puppets escapes his cabinet when its time to change his clothes only to return later leaving his toys (gifts from the local community) strewn across the floor. We also bumped into the archangels: Raphael (the fisherman who cures blindness), Gabriel (donning a flower and looks after children) and Michael (the warrior who always has a sword). The central quad had a beautiful garden and a 298 year old Olive Tree in the middle.
With stomach’s aching we followed our noses to the nearest food deli called La Canasta with an awesome outside terrace.
After lunch we headed for the world renowned Juanita Mummy Museum…a human sacrifice to the Pachamama Gods (local God of the earth). Laden with pottery, ceramics and sandals on their feet, this 12 year old girl together with a couple of priests scaled the 6312m Ampato Volcano to make their divine offering for the next life. Juanita was chosen at birth for this role and was considered the ultimate sacrifice given her purity and innocence. The ceremony required that Juanita consume some drugged liquid followed by a blow to the head only to be found between 1000 and 1400 years later.
The rest of the afternoon was spent hunting for a steamy Inca headband which proved more difficult than anticipated given the vastness of the many stores selling local souvenirs, arts and crafts. I was lead into the back of one of these stores by one of the traders and introduced to an ancient lady who was minding her own business behind piles of Alpaca jackets and t-shirts. She pulled out a black plastic bag from behind the stand and presented the headband of all headbands.
Other observations of this superb city where the one product per street rule which I can only assume was enforced by the mayor to stimulate diversification and competitive pricing…from stationary equipment to house cleaning products to clothing…yet neither variety nor unique pricing has been achieved as each trader has agreed to sell exactly the same product for the same price!
I had my 1st stab at Alpaca steak for dinner which was a dry yet tasty beef and back bacon flavour. Carolina (the tour guide) assured us of the buzzing nightlife so we made our way to De Ja Vu for some Machupichu Sours and a live band which played mostly western commercial stuff…it was a lekker vibe which left Katrin and I staggering back to the hotel (alcohol gives one a solid skop at altitude!).
We arrived in the 2nd largest city of Peru to bright sunshine and friendly faces. My shoebox of a single room overlooked the next door neighbour’s porch which saw more action than the Coon Carnival.
After a sneaky cup of coca tea to help acclimatize, Katrin and I decided to take on this quaint little town with our first pit stop being the Santa Theresa Monestary. The 21 nuns are insulated from the world around them and spend their days praying, painting, sowing and making puppets for public display. The only contact permissable with the outside world include attending the doctor or dentist or via spinning doors sunken into the 2 metre thick walls where gifts can be exchanged with family and friends.The pretty guide made an attempt at convincing us that one of the Baby Jesus puppets escapes his cabinet when its time to change his clothes only to return later leaving his toys (gifts from the local community) strewn across the floor. We also bumped into the archangels: Raphael (the fisherman who cures blindness), Gabriel (donning a flower and looks after children) and Michael (the warrior who always has a sword). The central quad had a beautiful garden and a 298 year old Olive Tree in the middle.
With stomach’s aching we followed our noses to the nearest food deli called La Canasta with an awesome outside terrace.
After lunch we headed for the world renowned Juanita Mummy Museum…a human sacrifice to the Pachamama Gods (local God of the earth). Laden with pottery, ceramics and sandals on their feet, this 12 year old girl together with a couple of priests scaled the 6312m Ampato Volcano to make their divine offering for the next life. Juanita was chosen at birth for this role and was considered the ultimate sacrifice given her purity and innocence. The ceremony required that Juanita consume some drugged liquid followed by a blow to the head only to be found between 1000 and 1400 years later.
The rest of the afternoon was spent hunting for a steamy Inca headband which proved more difficult than anticipated given the vastness of the many stores selling local souvenirs, arts and crafts. I was lead into the back of one of these stores by one of the traders and introduced to an ancient lady who was minding her own business behind piles of Alpaca jackets and t-shirts. She pulled out a black plastic bag from behind the stand and presented the headband of all headbands.
Other observations of this superb city where the one product per street rule which I can only assume was enforced by the mayor to stimulate diversification and competitive pricing…from stationary equipment to house cleaning products to clothing…yet neither variety nor unique pricing has been achieved as each trader has agreed to sell exactly the same product for the same price!
I had my 1st stab at Alpaca steak for dinner which was a dry yet tasty beef and back bacon flavour. Carolina (the tour guide) assured us of the buzzing nightlife so we made our way to De Ja Vu for some Machupichu Sours and a live band which played mostly western commercial stuff…it was a lekker vibe which left Katrin and I staggering back to the hotel (alcohol gives one a solid skop at altitude!).
Nasca Lines --> Arequipa
This entry covers 4 to 5 November
A short bus ride to the airport and we where boarding a tiny cessna. Capitan Vaso secured front seat in the plane and the propellors began to spin. Within seconds we were hovering like a dragonfly over the Nasca Lines lurching from left to right to give everyone an opportunity to see these odd geoglyphs´that were etched into the rock between 300BC and 600AD. Catching these on camera required a steady hand and super human levels of concentration noit to let rip into the papewr bags provided just in case. I must admit it was rather éery trying to place these lines...how, why, who?
From the airport, we made our way to the Icachincha cemetaries of Nasca from the 1000 to 1476 AD era. Buried clse to the aqueducts / dry river beds (representing the afterlife) individuals and families were buried in sitting positions facing the rising sun in the east clad with jewelry and ceramics for the afterlife. Each burial site was simply covered with wooden logs for easy access when another family member needed to be added. Unfortunately robbers raided the offerings for the afterlife and left the tombs exposed to the elements only to be covered in sand by the prevailing dry winds to be discovered by archeologists in 1996. What was left folowing the raids has been really well preserved given the super dry climate and protection from the sand. While ít was tradition at the time to grow one´s hair, many of the mummies´ hair continued to grow after death...their hair is currently 2m long!
The rest of the afternoon was for us (at last) so i decided to park easy by the hotel pool réading my book and dozing in the late afternoon sun. We had dinner in the town of Nasca and psyched ourseloves up for an 8 hours nightbus which departed at 10.30pm. They had reclinable seats which was a treat although the number of twists and turns in the road gave some indication of the mountainous terrain we were traversing (in the dark)! Daytlight welcomed the caverness conyons of the Colca area and the bustling town of Arequipa. The contract between the caverness arid mountains and the green pastures in their shadow could be put on a postcard.
This was the start of day 5 of the tour which I will update you on in due course.
A short bus ride to the airport and we where boarding a tiny cessna. Capitan Vaso secured front seat in the plane and the propellors began to spin. Within seconds we were hovering like a dragonfly over the Nasca Lines lurching from left to right to give everyone an opportunity to see these odd geoglyphs´that were etched into the rock between 300BC and 600AD. Catching these on camera required a steady hand and super human levels of concentration noit to let rip into the papewr bags provided just in case. I must admit it was rather éery trying to place these lines...how, why, who?
From the airport, we made our way to the Icachincha cemetaries of Nasca from the 1000 to 1476 AD era. Buried clse to the aqueducts / dry river beds (representing the afterlife) individuals and families were buried in sitting positions facing the rising sun in the east clad with jewelry and ceramics for the afterlife. Each burial site was simply covered with wooden logs for easy access when another family member needed to be added. Unfortunately robbers raided the offerings for the afterlife and left the tombs exposed to the elements only to be covered in sand by the prevailing dry winds to be discovered by archeologists in 1996. What was left folowing the raids has been really well preserved given the super dry climate and protection from the sand. While ít was tradition at the time to grow one´s hair, many of the mummies´ hair continued to grow after death...their hair is currently 2m long!
The rest of the afternoon was for us (at last) so i decided to park easy by the hotel pool réading my book and dozing in the late afternoon sun. We had dinner in the town of Nasca and psyched ourseloves up for an 8 hours nightbus which departed at 10.30pm. They had reclinable seats which was a treat although the number of twists and turns in the road gave some indication of the mountainous terrain we were traversing (in the dark)! Daytlight welcomed the caverness conyons of the Colca area and the bustling town of Arequipa. The contract between the caverness arid mountains and the green pastures in their shadow could be put on a postcard.
This was the start of day 5 of the tour which I will update you on in due course.
Lima --> Pisco --> Nasca
This entry covers 2 to 3 November
Well the toer through Peru has finally begun. A 5 hour bus ride to Pisco gave us all enough time to become well acquainted and the team is as follows:
Carolina: the Peruvian tour guide, John: a supèr friendly Englishman, Jim & Tracey: young couple from UK and Tazmania respectively, Blair & Morene, Linda and Silvia: English speaking Canadians, Danielle, Susanne & Alain: French speaking Canadians, Barbara: a mouse of a lady from New Zealand (recently retired), Chrstina: young German lass and good old Peter from Sweden.
The bus ride confirmed the deserted state of affairs in Peru....dry like a bone with shale cliff`s diving into the ocean below. The random oasis along the way drew comparisons with what I would imagine Egypt to look like. We arrived at Posaso Hispana Hotel in Lima at dusk and had a quick stroll through the quaint little town which was ravaged by an earthquake just last year. I´m guessing the majority of the local's daylight hours are spent rebuilding the town as many buildings are still half complete with gaping holes and missing walls. Sadly, around 300 people were killed in the earthquake when the main town cathedral collapsed during a Sunday prayer session. Weaving between these tiny 3 wheeler taxis, we made our way back to the hotel to be entertained at dinner by a father and son combo playing the guitar, drum and cross between harmonica's and flutes...multitasking was the clearly the winner of the day and I think I showed these 2 up in gorging myself with seabass, pisco sours and good company.
The morning of the 3rd was spent taking an organised Pisco Sours tour thru one of the local distillaries. The process is still pretty primitive with the crushing stage being performed by 10 barefeet for 8 hours a day! The 2 ton Huaranco press sorts out the men from the women afterwhich the liquid is heated in an oven. The process is completed by distillation where 3 concentrations of sours is produced...60 to 80% (discarded), 20 to 60% and 0 to 20% alcohol concentrations are seperated and bottled. We got to sample the sweet (8%), semi sweet (22%) and pisco (42%). It was flippen hot so everyone held fire on getting stuck in especially seeing as we still had an afternoon of sandboarding in the desert to come...the dune buggies looked fit for Mars with engines the size of tractors and steel frames to givce some sort of idea what we were in for. The driving skills of the guides was incredible attacking these 50 foot wave like dunes at high speed only to drop over the other side held back only by our seatbelts. Before long we had made our way into the depths of nothingness...majestic dunes all around and a mountain range on the horizon. While I was quite relieved when the 1st duneboarding demonstration meant we only had to head down these small sand mountains on our bellies, being tipped over the edge by the guide with your chin a mere inches from eternal beardlessness...the ride was truely exhilirating. 3 more rides later with sand in every orifice we treated ourselves to a well deserved swim in the hotel pool (in the middle of the desert)!
Nasca was our next destination (thankfully not far from Pisco). On entry, we stopped briefly to climb the viewing tower just 10m off the Panamerican Highway to check out the hand and tree geoglyphs of the world reknowned Nasca Lines. We checked into our hotel and got stuck into some dinner and idle banter with the group. Carolina organised an impressive cake to celebrate John's bday which got him so excited he proceeded to start downing everything within reach at the table. That spurred Peter on who's quircky nature and incomprehensible speech under the influence an absolute pleasure to watch! Hermy was given a new name/s: Capitan Pisco / Vaso...no one really knows which name was settled upon. After an actions packed day, the bed was welcomed with open arms by all.
Well the toer through Peru has finally begun. A 5 hour bus ride to Pisco gave us all enough time to become well acquainted and the team is as follows:
Carolina: the Peruvian tour guide, John: a supèr friendly Englishman, Jim & Tracey: young couple from UK and Tazmania respectively, Blair & Morene, Linda and Silvia: English speaking Canadians, Danielle, Susanne & Alain: French speaking Canadians, Barbara: a mouse of a lady from New Zealand (recently retired), Chrstina: young German lass and good old Peter from Sweden.
The bus ride confirmed the deserted state of affairs in Peru....dry like a bone with shale cliff`s diving into the ocean below. The random oasis along the way drew comparisons with what I would imagine Egypt to look like. We arrived at Posaso Hispana Hotel in Lima at dusk and had a quick stroll through the quaint little town which was ravaged by an earthquake just last year. I´m guessing the majority of the local's daylight hours are spent rebuilding the town as many buildings are still half complete with gaping holes and missing walls. Sadly, around 300 people were killed in the earthquake when the main town cathedral collapsed during a Sunday prayer session. Weaving between these tiny 3 wheeler taxis, we made our way back to the hotel to be entertained at dinner by a father and son combo playing the guitar, drum and cross between harmonica's and flutes...multitasking was the clearly the winner of the day and I think I showed these 2 up in gorging myself with seabass, pisco sours and good company.
The morning of the 3rd was spent taking an organised Pisco Sours tour thru one of the local distillaries. The process is still pretty primitive with the crushing stage being performed by 10 barefeet for 8 hours a day! The 2 ton Huaranco press sorts out the men from the women afterwhich the liquid is heated in an oven. The process is completed by distillation where 3 concentrations of sours is produced...60 to 80% (discarded), 20 to 60% and 0 to 20% alcohol concentrations are seperated and bottled. We got to sample the sweet (8%), semi sweet (22%) and pisco (42%). It was flippen hot so everyone held fire on getting stuck in especially seeing as we still had an afternoon of sandboarding in the desert to come...the dune buggies looked fit for Mars with engines the size of tractors and steel frames to givce some sort of idea what we were in for. The driving skills of the guides was incredible attacking these 50 foot wave like dunes at high speed only to drop over the other side held back only by our seatbelts. Before long we had made our way into the depths of nothingness...majestic dunes all around and a mountain range on the horizon. While I was quite relieved when the 1st duneboarding demonstration meant we only had to head down these small sand mountains on our bellies, being tipped over the edge by the guide with your chin a mere inches from eternal beardlessness...the ride was truely exhilirating. 3 more rides later with sand in every orifice we treated ourselves to a well deserved swim in the hotel pool (in the middle of the desert)!
Nasca was our next destination (thankfully not far from Pisco). On entry, we stopped briefly to climb the viewing tower just 10m off the Panamerican Highway to check out the hand and tree geoglyphs of the world reknowned Nasca Lines. We checked into our hotel and got stuck into some dinner and idle banter with the group. Carolina organised an impressive cake to celebrate John's bday which got him so excited he proceeded to start downing everything within reach at the table. That spurred Peter on who's quircky nature and incomprehensible speech under the influence an absolute pleasure to watch! Hermy was given a new name/s: Capitan Pisco / Vaso...no one really knows which name was settled upon. After an actions packed day, the bed was welcomed with open arms by all.
Halloween in Lima
The end of 31 October to 1 November
Huaca Puellama was interesting seeing as it was my first encounter with the legendary and somewhat rat like Peruvian hairless dogs who are considered endangered. Not sure why the locals seek to preserve such an ugly looking being although they are an odd bunch. Hermy was introduced to Angelica (a local student from Lima) before we made our way to Mercado del Indies (a local market). Each stall is packed to the rafters with some (most) of Peru´s finest merchandise...alpaca jerseys with steamy tassels / beanies that cover the ears and some / and bags (purses, handbags, manbags etc). Needless to say, each stall was exactly like the previous one and just when I thought I´d discovered a unique item, I was thrown "no para ventar"...not for sale. I ended up parting with 10 soles for a manbag as a solution to my ever present shoestring book (400 pages nog al!) and other bits and pieces that I´ve been lugging around buses, ruins and cathedrals for the last couple of days.
Popped back to the Lion to psych myself up for the arvie session of heading thru to Explore Bicycle Rentals and bumped into a new recruit, Beau from Florida. A freindly looking chap (compared to Mik the Psycho and Chad the tattoo man) and he was keen to get out and about and decided to join me for the afternoon excursion. We got talking about our past lives which seemed remarkably similar despite coming from different continents. We walked around in circles for about an hour and finally decided that my 2007 shoestring was outdated and the Bicycle Rental place must have moved. Popped into a trendy retro bar and sunk a couple while getting to know the ins and outs of what we´re both about. Beau had decided to head to Lima to learn Spanish for 5 weeks to obtain a certification as a final step in completing his Political Science degree. A very open minded chap with strong opinions on the world and where he fits in...certainly not in an office! On our way home, we couldn´t help noticing how serious the Limans take Halloween so made an entry into the nearest store stocking kit and came away with an elephant and monkey hat. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing 100 club with Beau in anticipation of the big night on the town and we were certainly not disappointed. The Tasca Bar was 5m long by 1m wide and had an awesome vibe. A great mix of people both local and foreign. I ended up jamming with Jason from the US and before long we were in the Flying Dog Backpacker Bar which was going some. After an hour´s idle banter with some South African dude and his bird we headed off to some nightclub. The evening / morning´s last memory included cocktails, local mixes and green inflourescent lights.
The 1st of November was a complete non event given the festivities of Halloween. I was shaken from my slumbers by a tremor which rocked the city of Lima around 3pm (I subsequently discovered this measured in at 4.3 on the Richter Scale)! I decided this was a sign to move on from the Lion and checked into La Castalene Hotel for the start of the Gap Tour thru the rest of Peru.
Adios amigos
Huaca Puellama was interesting seeing as it was my first encounter with the legendary and somewhat rat like Peruvian hairless dogs who are considered endangered. Not sure why the locals seek to preserve such an ugly looking being although they are an odd bunch. Hermy was introduced to Angelica (a local student from Lima) before we made our way to Mercado del Indies (a local market). Each stall is packed to the rafters with some (most) of Peru´s finest merchandise...alpaca jerseys with steamy tassels / beanies that cover the ears and some / and bags (purses, handbags, manbags etc). Needless to say, each stall was exactly like the previous one and just when I thought I´d discovered a unique item, I was thrown "no para ventar"...not for sale. I ended up parting with 10 soles for a manbag as a solution to my ever present shoestring book (400 pages nog al!) and other bits and pieces that I´ve been lugging around buses, ruins and cathedrals for the last couple of days.
Popped back to the Lion to psych myself up for the arvie session of heading thru to Explore Bicycle Rentals and bumped into a new recruit, Beau from Florida. A freindly looking chap (compared to Mik the Psycho and Chad the tattoo man) and he was keen to get out and about and decided to join me for the afternoon excursion. We got talking about our past lives which seemed remarkably similar despite coming from different continents. We walked around in circles for about an hour and finally decided that my 2007 shoestring was outdated and the Bicycle Rental place must have moved. Popped into a trendy retro bar and sunk a couple while getting to know the ins and outs of what we´re both about. Beau had decided to head to Lima to learn Spanish for 5 weeks to obtain a certification as a final step in completing his Political Science degree. A very open minded chap with strong opinions on the world and where he fits in...certainly not in an office! On our way home, we couldn´t help noticing how serious the Limans take Halloween so made an entry into the nearest store stocking kit and came away with an elephant and monkey hat. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing 100 club with Beau in anticipation of the big night on the town and we were certainly not disappointed. The Tasca Bar was 5m long by 1m wide and had an awesome vibe. A great mix of people both local and foreign. I ended up jamming with Jason from the US and before long we were in the Flying Dog Backpacker Bar which was going some. After an hour´s idle banter with some South African dude and his bird we headed off to some nightclub. The evening / morning´s last memory included cocktails, local mixes and green inflourescent lights.
The 1st of November was a complete non event given the festivities of Halloween. I was shaken from my slumbers by a tremor which rocked the city of Lima around 3pm (I subsequently discovered this measured in at 4.3 on the Richter Scale)! I decided this was a sign to move on from the Lion and checked into La Castalene Hotel for the start of the Gap Tour thru the rest of Peru.
Adios amigos
Peru, Lima
This entry covers 30 to 31 October
Well i left you all a couple of quarts down the hatch and on the verge of taking on whatever nightlife Miraflores had to offer. Headed into the darkness with Chad (tatoo man) and the 2 Irish mofos. It was late already as we had to finish watching 8 Mile (in Spanish!). The 1st spot was closing although had serious potensh (memory bank for another night). Chad then took us to Tasca's where the handshake and hug was the order of the evening in order to pass the bouncers. The place was raging inside...99% locals jamming to local tracks made me think we were somewhat outsiders in this place so decided to restrain and observe their moves while sipping on a seriously potent mix of something and coke. The walk home was interesting to say the least...half pint hookers followed us like a pack of hyenas for at least 200m until they realised that Chad wasn't willing to cheat on one of his many local girlfriends and the Irish lads couldn't converse...try getting a spanish peruvian to understand galic!
I had a marathon breakfast (breadrolls, strawb jam, a banana and tea) with Steve and Isabelle (also from Aus). Was lekker to meet some dudes from a similar background. Mick (the boozer/other) awoke up after a solid 20 hour hibernation and looked worse than before! His claim to fame...4 days without sleep...whatever rocks your boat buddy!
Jumped onto the bus (I'm guessing manufactured in the early 60's) bound for Central Lima. The gearstick bobbed around a couple feet below the busdriver's right knee which certainly didn't help the poor man's hunched posture. I was intrigued by the little doorman's antics, hanging out the door (irrespective of whether it was stationary) shouting directions to all and sundry. The trip took about 45 minutes only because we stopped every 30 yards to pick up people, exhaust fumes, beggars and entrepreneurs trying to sell everything from ince creams to chocolates to sweets.
Finally reached Plaza de Armes and was blown away by the monstrocity of the buildings. La Cathedral de Lima was magnificent and Hermy (my frog mascot) made some awesome appearances. I hit numerous innocent bystanders with "Puedo sacar uno foto" (please can I take a foto) handing them my little plastic frog to pose with! I met Sergio in front of Monestario de San Francisco. He was an artist from Cusco and an interesting little man with such a friendly disposition. I've realised that while the locals are oober hospitable, they're also entrepreneurs looking for an angle out of most situations. Peter (also from Cusco) introduced himself in Plaza de San Martin. He took me to Amull's Sports Bar where we sunk a couple of quarts and chatting about our experiences to date (mostly lost in translation) only to find out that the beers were on me! I decided it was worth it in the end as I met Steve from Canada who was having coffee at the table next to ours and Milos (the owner of the restaurant)...an ex Yugoslavian soccer international who had decorated the place with shirts and photo's from his haydays (including one of Maradonna's original shirts!). I asked both these men what their interested in Peru were and it turned out that both had married lcoal Peruvian lasses! You're probably thinking, what on earth could draw a Canadian and an international soccer legend to such women and both concluded that they have great hearts, respect their men and are loyal. While not breaking any record books on the height department (around 4ft 5 inches), they're also surprisingly good looking. I ended up chatting to Flor (one of the waitresses) and took her number with the intention of hooking up later that evening assuming someone in the backpackers would have a cell phone to lend for a couple sms'...no such luck...Chad lent his to someone and forgot to get it back and Mick's was stolen a week ago.
A moment of humour on the bus drive back to Miraflores included a little Peruvian boy (ok, they're all pretty small human beings!) falling asleep in my lap!
Back at the backpackers, I ended up introducing the legendary cardgame, Shithead, to Maria and Thea (from Denmark). I was so buggered from a long day in the city that decided to calkl it a day and save myself for Halloween. Edken (the dude who runs the backpackers) flipped thru the local newspaper and found some hotspots to explore in Barancas this evening...nice.
I'm off to chack out the pyramid ruins called Huaca Puellama and Mercado del Indies (a local market) to test my Spanish bargaining skills. Also going to pop into Explore Bicycle Rentals to see if it's possible to ride to Pachacamas and the Southern Beaches (Punte Hermora, San Bartola and Punte Recas).
Wish me luck
Raffa
Other words for the day..."Eres muy bonitas" (you are very beautiful)
Well i left you all a couple of quarts down the hatch and on the verge of taking on whatever nightlife Miraflores had to offer. Headed into the darkness with Chad (tatoo man) and the 2 Irish mofos. It was late already as we had to finish watching 8 Mile (in Spanish!). The 1st spot was closing although had serious potensh (memory bank for another night). Chad then took us to Tasca's where the handshake and hug was the order of the evening in order to pass the bouncers. The place was raging inside...99% locals jamming to local tracks made me think we were somewhat outsiders in this place so decided to restrain and observe their moves while sipping on a seriously potent mix of something and coke. The walk home was interesting to say the least...half pint hookers followed us like a pack of hyenas for at least 200m until they realised that Chad wasn't willing to cheat on one of his many local girlfriends and the Irish lads couldn't converse...try getting a spanish peruvian to understand galic!
I had a marathon breakfast (breadrolls, strawb jam, a banana and tea) with Steve and Isabelle (also from Aus). Was lekker to meet some dudes from a similar background. Mick (the boozer/other) awoke up after a solid 20 hour hibernation and looked worse than before! His claim to fame...4 days without sleep...whatever rocks your boat buddy!
Jumped onto the bus (I'm guessing manufactured in the early 60's) bound for Central Lima. The gearstick bobbed around a couple feet below the busdriver's right knee which certainly didn't help the poor man's hunched posture. I was intrigued by the little doorman's antics, hanging out the door (irrespective of whether it was stationary) shouting directions to all and sundry. The trip took about 45 minutes only because we stopped every 30 yards to pick up people, exhaust fumes, beggars and entrepreneurs trying to sell everything from ince creams to chocolates to sweets.
Finally reached Plaza de Armes and was blown away by the monstrocity of the buildings. La Cathedral de Lima was magnificent and Hermy (my frog mascot) made some awesome appearances. I hit numerous innocent bystanders with "Puedo sacar uno foto" (please can I take a foto) handing them my little plastic frog to pose with! I met Sergio in front of Monestario de San Francisco. He was an artist from Cusco and an interesting little man with such a friendly disposition. I've realised that while the locals are oober hospitable, they're also entrepreneurs looking for an angle out of most situations. Peter (also from Cusco) introduced himself in Plaza de San Martin. He took me to Amull's Sports Bar where we sunk a couple of quarts and chatting about our experiences to date (mostly lost in translation) only to find out that the beers were on me! I decided it was worth it in the end as I met Steve from Canada who was having coffee at the table next to ours and Milos (the owner of the restaurant)...an ex Yugoslavian soccer international who had decorated the place with shirts and photo's from his haydays (including one of Maradonna's original shirts!). I asked both these men what their interested in Peru were and it turned out that both had married lcoal Peruvian lasses! You're probably thinking, what on earth could draw a Canadian and an international soccer legend to such women and both concluded that they have great hearts, respect their men and are loyal. While not breaking any record books on the height department (around 4ft 5 inches), they're also surprisingly good looking. I ended up chatting to Flor (one of the waitresses) and took her number with the intention of hooking up later that evening assuming someone in the backpackers would have a cell phone to lend for a couple sms'...no such luck...Chad lent his to someone and forgot to get it back and Mick's was stolen a week ago.
A moment of humour on the bus drive back to Miraflores included a little Peruvian boy (ok, they're all pretty small human beings!) falling asleep in my lap!
Back at the backpackers, I ended up introducing the legendary cardgame, Shithead, to Maria and Thea (from Denmark). I was so buggered from a long day in the city that decided to calkl it a day and save myself for Halloween. Edken (the dude who runs the backpackers) flipped thru the local newspaper and found some hotspots to explore in Barancas this evening...nice.
I'm off to chack out the pyramid ruins called Huaca Puellama and Mercado del Indies (a local market) to test my Spanish bargaining skills. Also going to pop into Explore Bicycle Rentals to see if it's possible to ride to Pachacamas and the Southern Beaches (Punte Hermora, San Bartola and Punte Recas).
Wish me luck
Raffa
Other words for the day..."Eres muy bonitas" (you are very beautiful)
Brazil, Sao Paulo --> Peru, Lima
Ola a gente
This entry covers 28 to 29 October although it feels like I've been out here for days already.
Joburg >> Sao Paulo
Jumped onto flight SAA 222 with more foreigners than anticipated...a brazillain 3 year old behind me, a midget 2 down from my right and an oober experienced traveller in front of me. With the sounds of Toto Africa ringing thru the ipod and cruising at 750km/hr @ 11,000m above sea level I felt ready to "chase the sun". I was so excited that my Lynis blanket was downgraded to a oversized bib to accomodate the lamb and rice debris I was casting like seeds in a field across not only my lap, but also the hobbit's.
Memorable moments from the flight include the astonishing confidence shown by the experienced traveller who proceeded to order absolutely nothing from the "set" menu, a "big" cup of tea and extra fries!. I also enjoyed the onboard yoga instructer who flashed onto the screen every couple of minutes to remind all and sundry to keep stretching. This cartoon character has all the moves...with eyes bulging and hands clenching the arm rests he proceeded to demonstrate an amazing range of recommended exercises...I kept trying to imagine how absurd it would have been if everyone had signed up for his classes!
I must admit that as we neared the end of the 10 hour plus flight that the breathing, eating, sleeping and blinking patterns became decided more rapid in anticipation not having any idea of where I was going to sleep in one of the top 5 largest cities in the world...Sao Paulo. Of course, my exceptionally broken Spanish lead me to the tourist desk where I was introduced to Eduado who helped me to an overnight stay in Hotel Panaby (Guarulhas). When they say the world is a small place, you'd better believe it as I ended up jamming with 2 South Africans on the bus ride to the hotel who has spent the last 2 weeks representing the green and gold spearfishing in Venezuella.
The lights were out at 9pm after a tank of a day chasing the sun (19,5 hours in total) . The brief stay in the hotel was just what I needed...easing into the world of chilledness with Hermy (my toer mascott) in the other single. An interesting quirk of the Brazillion world include the 1st floor being #2 in the lift. I was in 2 minds whether to hit the buffet breakfast this morning although decided that carbo loading was a better option than avoiding stretching the stomach (in anticipation of the lean days ahead)! Mom, you'll be oober proud that I decided to hit the vacuum packed backpack for the 2nd flight in a row to avoid the dodgy mofos trying to get me into something similar to the 2nd series of Prison Break. The flight to Lima was pretty harmless barring the (once again) stale breadrolls and a pie looking thing that resembled a mix between a quish and tasteless jelly. I'm up for most things but pushed this puppy aside and was quite relieved when the dude next to me did the same!
Landed in somewhat dusty and dry Lima. Confirmed my theory that humans are like sheep. As soon as those seat buckle lights go out, everybody stands to attention and WAITS.....and waits....most hunched under the overhead cabin above their heads...making small talk with some random punter on his/her left/right...thighs shaking under the somewhat paranormal disposition for at least 5 minutes until the doors finally open.
ANYWAYS!, ended up wandering around the airport looking for a place toexchange money and while scrounging through my backpack, Christof from France tapped me on the shoulder asking whether I'd like to share a cab into Lima....he forgot to inform me that Carlos did not possess an official taxi licence and huis driving skills certainly backed this up. South African taxis have nothing on Carlos. Review mirrors are considered bling, stop street: yields and blind spots a challenge! The unofficial route to Miraflores via the shale cliffs overlooking the coastline was incredible. We ended up taking every back route under the Lima sun to get the Lonely Planet's recommended backpacker...needles to say, we got within 3 kms of our target before hitting a dead end outside the Lion Backpackers which seemed pretty decent, so decided to sign in (I think there may be an informal arrangement going on between Carlos and Edken, the dude who runs the Lion Backpacker). This spot is pretty mean...hot showers, good location, cheap and it has internet!
Met some interesting charcters already:
Edken: the Peruvian manager who serves free Pisco Sours at 8 pm sharp
Psycho Miko: surfer/boozer from the Gold Coast....he's been passed out since 2pm this arvie! His story: waiting for money/his Belgian girlfriend (with loads of money) to arrive.
Chad: tattoos strewn across his arms and neck...American come European with $20 dollars in his account. He gave me a lesson on how to avoid getting electrocuted in the showers so a good dude! Jorges and Thommy are both out from Ecuador on a chef's conferenceBryan (the machanic) and some other punter (the labourer) have made their way from Mexico and are into Galic Football. They're also getting their teeth fixed tomorrow as its cheaper than getting it done in Ireland! Greg and Layla have been living the dream since July and are heading south tomorrow.
Spent the afternoon exploring the shoreline (Larco) with Maclain, Mary Bruce and Lara (recent graduates from the US).
Thats all for now folks
Until next time
Rafers
This entry covers 28 to 29 October although it feels like I've been out here for days already.
Joburg >> Sao Paulo
Jumped onto flight SAA 222 with more foreigners than anticipated...a brazillain 3 year old behind me, a midget 2 down from my right and an oober experienced traveller in front of me. With the sounds of Toto Africa ringing thru the ipod and cruising at 750km/hr @ 11,000m above sea level I felt ready to "chase the sun". I was so excited that my Lynis blanket was downgraded to a oversized bib to accomodate the lamb and rice debris I was casting like seeds in a field across not only my lap, but also the hobbit's.
Memorable moments from the flight include the astonishing confidence shown by the experienced traveller who proceeded to order absolutely nothing from the "set" menu, a "big" cup of tea and extra fries!. I also enjoyed the onboard yoga instructer who flashed onto the screen every couple of minutes to remind all and sundry to keep stretching. This cartoon character has all the moves...with eyes bulging and hands clenching the arm rests he proceeded to demonstrate an amazing range of recommended exercises...I kept trying to imagine how absurd it would have been if everyone had signed up for his classes!
I must admit that as we neared the end of the 10 hour plus flight that the breathing, eating, sleeping and blinking patterns became decided more rapid in anticipation not having any idea of where I was going to sleep in one of the top 5 largest cities in the world...Sao Paulo. Of course, my exceptionally broken Spanish lead me to the tourist desk where I was introduced to Eduado who helped me to an overnight stay in Hotel Panaby (Guarulhas). When they say the world is a small place, you'd better believe it as I ended up jamming with 2 South Africans on the bus ride to the hotel who has spent the last 2 weeks representing the green and gold spearfishing in Venezuella.
The lights were out at 9pm after a tank of a day chasing the sun (19,5 hours in total) . The brief stay in the hotel was just what I needed...easing into the world of chilledness with Hermy (my toer mascott) in the other single. An interesting quirk of the Brazillion world include the 1st floor being #2 in the lift. I was in 2 minds whether to hit the buffet breakfast this morning although decided that carbo loading was a better option than avoiding stretching the stomach (in anticipation of the lean days ahead)! Mom, you'll be oober proud that I decided to hit the vacuum packed backpack for the 2nd flight in a row to avoid the dodgy mofos trying to get me into something similar to the 2nd series of Prison Break. The flight to Lima was pretty harmless barring the (once again) stale breadrolls and a pie looking thing that resembled a mix between a quish and tasteless jelly. I'm up for most things but pushed this puppy aside and was quite relieved when the dude next to me did the same!
Landed in somewhat dusty and dry Lima. Confirmed my theory that humans are like sheep. As soon as those seat buckle lights go out, everybody stands to attention and WAITS.....and waits....most hunched under the overhead cabin above their heads...making small talk with some random punter on his/her left/right...thighs shaking under the somewhat paranormal disposition for at least 5 minutes until the doors finally open.
ANYWAYS!, ended up wandering around the airport looking for a place toexchange money and while scrounging through my backpack, Christof from France tapped me on the shoulder asking whether I'd like to share a cab into Lima....he forgot to inform me that Carlos did not possess an official taxi licence and huis driving skills certainly backed this up. South African taxis have nothing on Carlos. Review mirrors are considered bling, stop street: yields and blind spots a challenge! The unofficial route to Miraflores via the shale cliffs overlooking the coastline was incredible. We ended up taking every back route under the Lima sun to get the Lonely Planet's recommended backpacker...needles to say, we got within 3 kms of our target before hitting a dead end outside the Lion Backpackers which seemed pretty decent, so decided to sign in (I think there may be an informal arrangement going on between Carlos and Edken, the dude who runs the Lion Backpacker). This spot is pretty mean...hot showers, good location, cheap and it has internet!
Met some interesting charcters already:
Edken: the Peruvian manager who serves free Pisco Sours at 8 pm sharp
Psycho Miko: surfer/boozer from the Gold Coast....he's been passed out since 2pm this arvie! His story: waiting for money/his Belgian girlfriend (with loads of money) to arrive.
Chad: tattoos strewn across his arms and neck...American come European with $20 dollars in his account. He gave me a lesson on how to avoid getting electrocuted in the showers so a good dude! Jorges and Thommy are both out from Ecuador on a chef's conferenceBryan (the machanic) and some other punter (the labourer) have made their way from Mexico and are into Galic Football. They're also getting their teeth fixed tomorrow as its cheaper than getting it done in Ireland! Greg and Layla have been living the dream since July and are heading south tomorrow.
Spent the afternoon exploring the shoreline (Larco) with Maclain, Mary Bruce and Lara (recent graduates from the US).
Thats all for now folks
Until next time
Rafers
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