Buenos tardes
I have just crossed the border into Bolivia and am in Copacabana. So much has happened since the last major post including Lima, Nazca, Puerta Inca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, a couple nights stay with a local family on Lake Titicaca and a visit to the floating reed islands, the 4 day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Christmas Eve, Christmas and boxing day in Cusco. We are now making our way to La Paz for New Years.
Most Peruvian cities all have a smiliar layout. The city centers around a main plaza or square and generally includes a walking street and a general market area from which you can always figure out where you are or need to go. The tree-lined plazas have all been beautiful, surrounded by ornamental and colourful buildings, often gouvernment buildings and a church or museum. In Lima we watched the changing of teh guards one afternoon while a band played a variety of tunes ranging to Star Wars-like themes. In Lima we went bowling with the group and it felt very homely. So far most of the cities have felt very familiar and modern. The language barrier is often the only thing that reminds me I´m somewhere foreign. Its not until we start driving through the country or the mountains to more remote, smaller towns that the development of the country, subsistence living and traditional culture becomes apparent. From there we continued to Nascar where I flew over the Nazca lines. They are massive symbols created by removing the red pebbles and rocks. They are supposedly made by the Nazca people around 500AD. Its incredible because the geometric shapes can only be seen clearly from above which means these people must of figured a way to essentially fly themselves.
Puerta Inca was a lovely beach side campsite surrounded by old ruins. We were only there for one night before heading off to Arequipa and we had a massive barbeque before sleeping on the beach. In Arequipa we settled in to our hotel then went off for a group dinner at a fancy steak restaurant called ZigZag, where you could have Alpaca or Ostrich in addition to your traditional meats. They also do amazing cheese fondue. Its not a cheap restaurant but its delicious. The next day we were off to Colca Canyon and we had to say goodbye to our tour leader in training, Cade, who was joining the other truck. We would see him again in Cusco in a week but its still sad to lose a member of the truck when you get so close to everyone. Luckily we had a full day with no time to sit and dwell. We were off on a reality tour of the city and then to Colca Canyon to see the condors, the second largest bird in the world. Whilst there we visited some hot springs and relaxed our muscles before the excursion the next day. It wasn´t much of a trek in the end but it was a beautiful walk and view. Its the deepest canyon in the world. The drive was spectacular though the canyon itself wasnt as instantly breathtaking as the Grand Canyon or Fish River Canyon. We did see a condor from afar and I tried chewing on the coca leaves as the locals do to help deal with the altitude. They taste like you would imagine a leaf to taste but they have spiritual meaning among the locals as well and you can make a wish if you blow three times towards the volcanoes.
The next main activity to follow was an overnight stay with a local family on lake Titicaca. The lake is teh largest in South America, crossing into both Peru and Bolivia and is over 3800m above sea level. On the way to our island we visited the reed islands where the entire surface is literally made out of reeds. They have to keep recovering the floor every few weeks. Even their boats are made out of reeds and they only last 15 weeks before the reeds have taken in to much water and begin to sink. It is quite incredible that communities still live there. Once we reached the island we were staying at we were introduced to our families and treated like royalty for 2 days. They cooked for us and dressed us in traditional clothes. We played soccer with the kids and then spent the night dancing at the community hall. We looked ridiculous but it was a lot of fun. We thanked the families with gifts we had bought earlier, toothbrushes, washing products, fresh fruit and then had proper beds to sleep in.
From Puno, the town where we boarded the boat, we left for Cusco, my favourite Peruvian city so far. It is big, beautiful and offers everything. We met up with Cade again for 2 nights, had a massive first night out on the town and then an early rest the next as we had to get up at 4am to be ready for the Inca trail by 5. Again we said goodbye to Cade, this time most likely until Rio, once the trip was over. The next few days though had been highlighted in my mind since day one so I was thrilled we finally got to start. The first day was a nice varied walk, it took the wind out of you at parts but was definitely managable. It rained occasionally but were welcomed around 5pm to pre-setup tents, a dinner tent, our bags ready and waiting and a round of applause from all the porters who had raced by us carrying 20 kilos on their back in sandals. We had been warned of the trecherous second day and though the first 4 hours did knock you down and challenged your legs, the walk was enchanting and the views were spectacular. It rained a lot more that day and was quite cold at the tallest peak, Dead Woman´s Pass, over 4000m high, but we were down at at camp before noon and had the whole day to recover. The Pachamama team prepared tea and snacks for us and once again, we didnt need to lift a finger. The third day was a mid range between day one and two. It took us about 6 hours and I was the second girl back so the hot showers were ready and waiting. This campsite had beers and cold drinks on offer as well but I decided to celebrate with a drink once I was back in Cusco. The morning of Machu Picchu we woke at 3:30am to trek about 2 hours into the checkpoint. We left the site around 5am and arrived to the sun gates in terrential rain. We couldn´t see anything but cloud. It was a disappointing enterance but it still felt like an accomplishment and I had completed the same path as the Incas so I was proud and beaming. We walked down to Machu Picchu where the postcard shot is taken and luckily the clouds parted for a spectacular, yet quick view of the ruins. It truly is an epic sight. We walked around the ruins with our guide and the craftsmandhip and precise cutting of the stones is incredible. I definitely want to go back again outside of the rainy season but the clouds did mask the other tourists and we often felt like the only group there. It was worth every slip, sore muscle and soaking wet item of clothing. Just, as a word of advice, bring a proper poncho and do not buy one of the 3 soles ponchos available at the site, they don´t close at the sides, and definitely pay extra for a porter. They complete the trek in record time whilst carrying packs larger than their own bodies, set up everything for you and clap you into the campsite...just nuts. We took the train back and successfully completed the 24 hour challenge of not going to bed until the hour you awoke. Most of our group managed this great feat by partying at Sky Bar and buying fireworks in the city square to celebrate Christmas Eve. The night was alive with deafening sounds and sparklers, even inside the club. The streets were lined with locals selling their goods from neighbouring towns so when we walked home, the streets were blocked with hundreds of sleeping families in chullos (the knitted hat with ear flaps and a pointed head). It was an awesome night and Charlie and I have stocked up on exploding things for New Years in La Paz.
Christmas will have to wait for the next blog!
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