14 Feb Left Arequipa today at 6.30am bound for Nazca. The 11hr bus ride passed easy enough and without incident. We booked our scenic flight over the Nazca lines. Nazca is a touristy town and has a population of about 50,000.
15 Feb Got collected at 8am for our Nazca lines flight. We had to hang around the airport for over 2 hours waiting for our plane. Eventually got up there (in the sky) to see what the lines were all about. They are mysterious lines in the desert, estimated to be about 3000 years old, that form either geometrical line formations or animal shapes including a monkey, spider, a whale and an alien....all at least the size of a football pitch. The amazing thing is that they are perfectly formed and are only visible from the air. On the ground they seem to be nothing unusual and even the monkey (unfortunately) has the Pan American highway running through its tail. It was good craic flying around in the single engine Cessna airplane, tilting way over one way and back over to the side to allow all passengers the best view. Inside it was smaller than an old mini, but comfortable none the less. Eventually got back to Nazca town and got the bus to the next major town called Ica. On the way we came across a car accident between a bus and a Daewoo Matiz, a tiny bean can of a car. It apparently had a head on collision with a bus of the same company we were travelling with. The driver of our bus stopped to check it out. We saw the car driver dead in a pool of blood and his passenger lying on the ground nearby screaming at him in shock, pain or horror or perhaps all three.
We arrived in Ica a few hours later and got a connecting bus bound for the capital, Lima. Arriving late that night we met up again with Ben, Liz and Caroline. They had gone on ahead of us as they dd not want to hang around while we climbed the mountain.
16 Feb Had a look around Lima city centre today including the Palace, the Catacombs and had a Pisco sour (famous Peruvian alcoholic drink) at the Royal Bolivia Hotel. A posh hotel reknowned in these parts for the best Pisco Sour in the world. It wasnt bad either. There wasnt a huge amount else to do in Lima and we booked our bus tickets north to a town called Trujillo.
17 Feb Hung around Miraflores (our district in Lima) and had the rare treat of a Starbucks coffee. I checked out the beach too but a strange sea mist covers Lima at times during the day so didnt see much in the way of views. That night we got our night bus to Trujillo.
18 Feb After a mildly uncomfortable nights sleep we arrived in Trujillo at 8am. From there we got a taxi to a coastal village 12km away called Huanchaco. Had a walk around town and a spot of lunch when I realised that if you are not sunbathing, surfing or swimming there is nothing else much to do.
19 Feb Went back into the main town, Trujillo to book our onward bus to Mancora. After that we went into the town to check it out. In the main square their were a whole load of local models trying out at some audition or something so we watched them and had a bit of craic with them, taking their picture etc. They were loving the attention. After a look around town and a bite to eat we went to the nearby ancient ruins called Chan Chan. The Chan Chan was the largest pre - Colombian city in the Americas but was taken over by the Incans and plundered by the Spanish.
20 Feb Arrived in Mancora and got a Tuk Tuk to the Point hostel. It was miles from the town and although it was right on the beach, it was a bit of a dump. Back into town on another Tuk Tuk where we were overtaken on the inside by a huge American pick up truck. It had been raining the night before and the truck went through a huge puddle to overtake us. We were drowned. He would have lived his last day today if I had caught a hold of him. We got to another better hostel (Loki) in the town & on the beach and with ensuite rooms overlooking the pool at E9 per night including breakfast, satillite TV and playstation.
21,22 & 23 Feb Just hanging around these 3 days and leaving for Equador on the 24th.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Peruvian towns, canyons ´n mountains
07 Feb Left Cuzco at 6am on board our 11 hour bus bound for Arequipa. Although the scenery outside the bus was nice, not so much could be said for the inside. We were on the local bus with little or no ventilation. The locals must have a private agreement encouraging them not to shower for a least a week prior to departure and to keep the windows closed at all times (No a/c). The passengers that are picked up on the road along the way (drivers put the fare into their pockets) are required to stand as there are no available seats. These same people are quiet happy to put their big unwashed behinds on your armrest forcing you to sit in a tilted position. Farting by these same endearing individuals is not unheard (or ensmelt) of.
We arrived in Arequipa and checked into our hostel. We inquired about trips to Colca Canyon (The worlds deepest at 3km deep and twice as deep as the Grand canyon in the USA)
08 Feb Had a look around Arequipa and went to a museum to see a frozen child of sacrifice. Sacrificed to the Gods 500 years ago on top of a nearby mountain, the Incans believed that the sacrifice of this 12 year old girl would be the ultimate sacrifice and save them from extinction. The body was not as well preserved as the one we saw in Argentina and was more like a wig on a skeleton.
09 Feb Got collected at 3.30am for our trip to Colca canyon. The trip is a 2 day hike to the floor of the canyon where we spend the night and climb out the following day (on the back of a mule optional). The bus journey from Arequipa to the canyon was broken up with a stop off at a lookout to see the Condors (big black birds with up to 3m wingspan) that ride on the thermal updrafts from the canyon. However they turned out not to be the item of greatest interest. At the lookout we were greeted by swarms of huge bumblebee size flies, hundreds of thousands of them. They looked like beetles but thankfully were not aggressive. A while later we stopped and all the 2 days trekkers (5 Irish lads and Caroline) were told to get off. After a 30 min walk we got to the edge of the canyon and started our descent. I was walking with Caroline along a downward zig zag path at the back of the group, she wasnt feeling the best anyway and said she needed to go to the toilet urgently. There was nowhere to go so she grabbed her raincoat , covered herself, and down she squatted. In the meantime, in the interests of Carolines dignity, I had to run back up the hill and stop anyone coming around the corner. Coming down the hill toward me was a fully laden donkey and 6 local women whom I had to explain what was happening and stop them. Actions not Spanish was my language of choice, which they found hilarious. Trying to explain that my freind has Diorrhea and is in mid splat round the corner, and would you mind grabbing that feckin speeding donkey would had got first prize in any game of charades.
After 4 hours we got to the canyon floor and we stopped for lunch. This was followed by another 4 hours along the riverside to our overnight stop. I had to laugh at our accommodation (Articulately described as riverside cabins) which were cowsheds. It came complete with mud brick walls, mud floor and one would have been forgiven for thinking we were back in the famine times as the only natural light came from the open door. The beds were OK other than the diligent shaking I gave the sheets and the drip from the roof onto my covers.
10 Feb Up at 5.15am and hit the trail at 5.30. Todays hike was all uphill, Frog, the other lads and I walked it but Caroline (Dubbed by us as ´The Virgin Mary´ but later and more suitably shortened to Mary) went up on a rented donkey. Going up was tough and took me 2 hrs 10 mins but Frog did it in 1hr 30mins. After that we walked into the local town called ´Cobana Conde´ for breakfast. There was a 4 day festival in progress. Locals were putting beer in our hands and this woman in traditional dress pulled me from the crowd and started dancing with me much to the delight of the present TV crew and photographers.
Local kids were filling up balloons with water from the fountain and throwing them at each other. One of the Irish lads, Brendan, bought a filled balloon off one of them and threw it at me and went all over my t-shirt. I told him that an asssault on my person came with revenge served 10 fold. He was 6´4´´ and didnt seem worried. A few minutes later I snook over to the kids and said that there was a Soles (25c) for each kid that hit him with a least 2 balloons. Word spread and within 2 minutes there were gangs of kids pelting him and chasing him around town. We were sick with the laughter and he was drowned. It cost me about E4 but was worth every penny. Later on the craic was so good the kids started throwing them at any tourist they could find. One hit Frog, and so himself and Brendan grabbed 2 young lads (obvious ringleaders) and threw them in the fountain headfirst with their clothes on. The locals thought all this was hilarious as did we. We were glad though when our bus arived as WW3 was developing.
We stopped off at the local hot springs later on to ease our aching muscles, followed by lunch before getting back to Arequipa that evening.
11 Feb Recovery day today and we booked to go on a 2 day / 1 night guided climb to Mt Cochina.
12 Feb Got collected at at 8am to go on our hike to Mt Cochina (6075 meters above sea level). We went with Brendan from the canyon hike and there were 3 of us in total plus the guide. The trip involved driving by 4WD to a height of 4500m and hiking the rest. After a very challenging drive along terrible roads we got to the start at midday. We had 15kgs of all the neccessary food and gear on our backs. Its hard enough to climb with this weight but above 4500m even more so. The air gets thin and Altitude sickness can strike. We had a slow 2 hour hike to base camp (5200m) where we were to acclimatise and then attempt the summit at 1am to be in time for sunrise. At base camp it started to snow and we quickly put up the tents and got inside. There is nothing to do but rest until 1am the next day. We soon realised at that altitude there is less oxegen in the air and that sleep is a rare luxury. This was not helped by that fact that our sleeping bags were damp, our tent was drafty, cold and condensation within hampered any hopes of drying anything. I was in my sleeping bag and had a T shirt, 2 fleeces, 2 hats, 2 trousers and 3 pairs of socks on and still was shivering. The ground was hard and bumpy (despite having a thin foam mattress) and the constant shifting to get comfortable was as useful as a chocolate fireguard. In our refridgerated state we discussed the nice things we would do when we got back like hot showers and the great chicken kebabs in the turkish restaurant back in Arequipa.
Altitude sickness hit Frog first with a desire to vomit and severe headache, I followed soon after although unlike Frog didnt vomit. The snow was falling hard and having to leave the tent into the pitch blackness, not before putting on coat and boots on, with a ball vomit on the way up wasnt a pleasant sight.
13 Feb Needless to say, neither Frog nor I partook in the 1am departure for the summit. Frog was gutted, I was delighted. That said, being confined in the tent for 20 hrs was hell. Due to weight restrictions we had no book, Ipod or any other entertainment. Nature denied us sleep too. It was snowing, so it was too wet to venture out, too cold to open the tent door. Frog started to hallucenate and I was having annoyingly wierd dreams, even when I wasnt asleep. All Altitude induced. I counted the 184 condensation drops on the tent ceiling. Before the other lads came back from the summit attempt, the sun came out and it all warmed up a little. I opened the door and there was a little mouse sniffing around which I watched and threw him some crumbs. The highlight of the day so far.
Brendan and the guide came back at 10am after a failed attempt at the summit due to heavy snowfall. They had a 30 min rest and we dismantled the tents. We headed down the mountain and got our 4wd back to Arequipa about 12 midday. At the hostel we paid a little extra for the deserving luxury of an ensuite room with a TV. I was never so happy to be back in civilisation. Man dont belong in dem mountains.
We arrived in Arequipa and checked into our hostel. We inquired about trips to Colca Canyon (The worlds deepest at 3km deep and twice as deep as the Grand canyon in the USA)
08 Feb Had a look around Arequipa and went to a museum to see a frozen child of sacrifice. Sacrificed to the Gods 500 years ago on top of a nearby mountain, the Incans believed that the sacrifice of this 12 year old girl would be the ultimate sacrifice and save them from extinction. The body was not as well preserved as the one we saw in Argentina and was more like a wig on a skeleton.
09 Feb Got collected at 3.30am for our trip to Colca canyon. The trip is a 2 day hike to the floor of the canyon where we spend the night and climb out the following day (on the back of a mule optional). The bus journey from Arequipa to the canyon was broken up with a stop off at a lookout to see the Condors (big black birds with up to 3m wingspan) that ride on the thermal updrafts from the canyon. However they turned out not to be the item of greatest interest. At the lookout we were greeted by swarms of huge bumblebee size flies, hundreds of thousands of them. They looked like beetles but thankfully were not aggressive. A while later we stopped and all the 2 days trekkers (5 Irish lads and Caroline) were told to get off. After a 30 min walk we got to the edge of the canyon and started our descent. I was walking with Caroline along a downward zig zag path at the back of the group, she wasnt feeling the best anyway and said she needed to go to the toilet urgently. There was nowhere to go so she grabbed her raincoat , covered herself, and down she squatted. In the meantime, in the interests of Carolines dignity, I had to run back up the hill and stop anyone coming around the corner. Coming down the hill toward me was a fully laden donkey and 6 local women whom I had to explain what was happening and stop them. Actions not Spanish was my language of choice, which they found hilarious. Trying to explain that my freind has Diorrhea and is in mid splat round the corner, and would you mind grabbing that feckin speeding donkey would had got first prize in any game of charades.
After 4 hours we got to the canyon floor and we stopped for lunch. This was followed by another 4 hours along the riverside to our overnight stop. I had to laugh at our accommodation (Articulately described as riverside cabins) which were cowsheds. It came complete with mud brick walls, mud floor and one would have been forgiven for thinking we were back in the famine times as the only natural light came from the open door. The beds were OK other than the diligent shaking I gave the sheets and the drip from the roof onto my covers.
10 Feb Up at 5.15am and hit the trail at 5.30. Todays hike was all uphill, Frog, the other lads and I walked it but Caroline (Dubbed by us as ´The Virgin Mary´ but later and more suitably shortened to Mary) went up on a rented donkey. Going up was tough and took me 2 hrs 10 mins but Frog did it in 1hr 30mins. After that we walked into the local town called ´Cobana Conde´ for breakfast. There was a 4 day festival in progress. Locals were putting beer in our hands and this woman in traditional dress pulled me from the crowd and started dancing with me much to the delight of the present TV crew and photographers.
Local kids were filling up balloons with water from the fountain and throwing them at each other. One of the Irish lads, Brendan, bought a filled balloon off one of them and threw it at me and went all over my t-shirt. I told him that an asssault on my person came with revenge served 10 fold. He was 6´4´´ and didnt seem worried. A few minutes later I snook over to the kids and said that there was a Soles (25c) for each kid that hit him with a least 2 balloons. Word spread and within 2 minutes there were gangs of kids pelting him and chasing him around town. We were sick with the laughter and he was drowned. It cost me about E4 but was worth every penny. Later on the craic was so good the kids started throwing them at any tourist they could find. One hit Frog, and so himself and Brendan grabbed 2 young lads (obvious ringleaders) and threw them in the fountain headfirst with their clothes on. The locals thought all this was hilarious as did we. We were glad though when our bus arived as WW3 was developing.
We stopped off at the local hot springs later on to ease our aching muscles, followed by lunch before getting back to Arequipa that evening.
11 Feb Recovery day today and we booked to go on a 2 day / 1 night guided climb to Mt Cochina.
12 Feb Got collected at at 8am to go on our hike to Mt Cochina (6075 meters above sea level). We went with Brendan from the canyon hike and there were 3 of us in total plus the guide. The trip involved driving by 4WD to a height of 4500m and hiking the rest. After a very challenging drive along terrible roads we got to the start at midday. We had 15kgs of all the neccessary food and gear on our backs. Its hard enough to climb with this weight but above 4500m even more so. The air gets thin and Altitude sickness can strike. We had a slow 2 hour hike to base camp (5200m) where we were to acclimatise and then attempt the summit at 1am to be in time for sunrise. At base camp it started to snow and we quickly put up the tents and got inside. There is nothing to do but rest until 1am the next day. We soon realised at that altitude there is less oxegen in the air and that sleep is a rare luxury. This was not helped by that fact that our sleeping bags were damp, our tent was drafty, cold and condensation within hampered any hopes of drying anything. I was in my sleeping bag and had a T shirt, 2 fleeces, 2 hats, 2 trousers and 3 pairs of socks on and still was shivering. The ground was hard and bumpy (despite having a thin foam mattress) and the constant shifting to get comfortable was as useful as a chocolate fireguard. In our refridgerated state we discussed the nice things we would do when we got back like hot showers and the great chicken kebabs in the turkish restaurant back in Arequipa.
Altitude sickness hit Frog first with a desire to vomit and severe headache, I followed soon after although unlike Frog didnt vomit. The snow was falling hard and having to leave the tent into the pitch blackness, not before putting on coat and boots on, with a ball vomit on the way up wasnt a pleasant sight.
13 Feb Needless to say, neither Frog nor I partook in the 1am departure for the summit. Frog was gutted, I was delighted. That said, being confined in the tent for 20 hrs was hell. Due to weight restrictions we had no book, Ipod or any other entertainment. Nature denied us sleep too. It was snowing, so it was too wet to venture out, too cold to open the tent door. Frog started to hallucenate and I was having annoyingly wierd dreams, even when I wasnt asleep. All Altitude induced. I counted the 184 condensation drops on the tent ceiling. Before the other lads came back from the summit attempt, the sun came out and it all warmed up a little. I opened the door and there was a little mouse sniffing around which I watched and threw him some crumbs. The highlight of the day so far.
Brendan and the guide came back at 10am after a failed attempt at the summit due to heavy snowfall. They had a 30 min rest and we dismantled the tents. We headed down the mountain and got our 4wd back to Arequipa about 12 midday. At the hostel we paid a little extra for the deserving luxury of an ensuite room with a TV. I was never so happy to be back in civilisation. Man dont belong in dem mountains.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Bye Bye Bolivia, Hello Peru
30 Jan I didnt get to go to Isla Del Sol, the island in Lake Titicaca, as I was feeling under the weather. I was afraid of getting sick out there, delaying the others and wanting off the island. Didnt do much otherwise other than watch videos, read my book, do internet and change my Bolivianos into Peruvian Soles.
31 Jan Up and out at 8am to catch our bus to Cuzco in Peru. We crossed through the border with great ease and efficiency (what a surprise). An Italian couple on our bus had overstayed their visa by a few days and had to pay a E50 fine in Bolivianos, which they didnt have. The driver started taking their bags off the bus and told them they would have to get a taxi back to Copacabana in Bolivia to get cash out and take the bus the following morning. The girl was upset and started asking if anybody could help her, and I said I would. In exchange for her passport as security I gave them the money. We stopped at the next town and they got the cash for me. We arrived in Cuzco that night and were glad to get to bed and have a nice meal.
01 Feb Went into town today for a brief look around and book our tours to Mattchu Pitchu. Frog booked his 4 day trek there and we got the neccessary details to take the train there.
02 Feb Frog left at 4am for his trek and we did a bit of sightseeing. We went to the Cathedral, which had an amazing art collection from as far back as 1650. In the building there is a black Jesus on the cross, but the guide insisted that it wasnt always black, apparently this particular Jesus had candels lighting underneath it for years and the candels blackened it. We reckoned that that was a load of codswallop as the Jesus had an unblemished shiny black skin, probably carved from a nice piece of mahogany. The guide wasnt impressed with our laughter.
After that we went to this place that housed Incan ruins, not all that impressive but apparently the Spanish conquisadores had knocked down loads of Incan buildings and monuments as they were considered pagan and used the beautiful hand carved blocks to build their churches and houses.
03 Feb Caroline joined us this morning from Lima after a 2 week absence. I guess she missed us. We showed her around town and had a relaxing day generally. That night there was a quiz in the hostel in aid of Cuzcos homeless kids, which we won. We donated our prize of a bottle of champagne to charity on the condition that the organisers auctioned it there and then. It made about 3 times its value. They were delighted.
04 Feb Headed off this morning from Cuzco on our journey to Mattchu Pitchu (M.P). We were told by our booking office to be at their offices by 10am. We were there at 9.45 and were told the bus had gone and we had to get a taxi at our expense (4 times the price) , the theiving shits. We had no choice and got our cab to a town called Ollaytaytambo to catch the train. Travelling at breakneck speed to board the train on time we were subsequently told that due to track work we were going to be delayed another hour or so. Eventually after a very nice train journey we reached Agua Calientes, a thermal springs town at the foothills of Macchu Pitchu. Our train station pick up person never met us and we had to find the hotel ourselves. Not that we minded that much but another false promise by our, soon to be bad mouthed, tour agent. We hoped to meet Frog that night and trek with him up to MP the following morning but didnt work out.
05 Feb Up at 3.30am for our 90 minute trek to MP. We walked in the pitch dark up old Incan steps and mucky paths and eventually arrived for the 5.30am opening. We met Frog there and had a walk around the place. Its an amazing feat of human achievement to build a town on top of an isolated mountain. Its not known for sure why the Incans built it, but its believed that is was done to escaped the Spanish invaders and preserve their culture. The Spanish never knew about it. That evening we got the train back and arrived in Cuzco at 10.30pm and exhausted.
06 Feb Didnt do a whole lot today except go to the local Irish owned Irish pub, which is the highest Irish pub in the world, and have a customary pint of Guinness. It is the highest commercially available pint of the creamy black in the world. Went out to dinner and had the local speciality... Guinea pig. Hmmmmm. The night was kindly paid for by Carolines mother who gave Caroline 40 pounds sterling for me and frog for looking after her while she was sick. Great!
31 Jan Up and out at 8am to catch our bus to Cuzco in Peru. We crossed through the border with great ease and efficiency (what a surprise). An Italian couple on our bus had overstayed their visa by a few days and had to pay a E50 fine in Bolivianos, which they didnt have. The driver started taking their bags off the bus and told them they would have to get a taxi back to Copacabana in Bolivia to get cash out and take the bus the following morning. The girl was upset and started asking if anybody could help her, and I said I would. In exchange for her passport as security I gave them the money. We stopped at the next town and they got the cash for me. We arrived in Cuzco that night and were glad to get to bed and have a nice meal.
01 Feb Went into town today for a brief look around and book our tours to Mattchu Pitchu. Frog booked his 4 day trek there and we got the neccessary details to take the train there.
02 Feb Frog left at 4am for his trek and we did a bit of sightseeing. We went to the Cathedral, which had an amazing art collection from as far back as 1650. In the building there is a black Jesus on the cross, but the guide insisted that it wasnt always black, apparently this particular Jesus had candels lighting underneath it for years and the candels blackened it. We reckoned that that was a load of codswallop as the Jesus had an unblemished shiny black skin, probably carved from a nice piece of mahogany. The guide wasnt impressed with our laughter.
After that we went to this place that housed Incan ruins, not all that impressive but apparently the Spanish conquisadores had knocked down loads of Incan buildings and monuments as they were considered pagan and used the beautiful hand carved blocks to build their churches and houses.
03 Feb Caroline joined us this morning from Lima after a 2 week absence. I guess she missed us. We showed her around town and had a relaxing day generally. That night there was a quiz in the hostel in aid of Cuzcos homeless kids, which we won. We donated our prize of a bottle of champagne to charity on the condition that the organisers auctioned it there and then. It made about 3 times its value. They were delighted.
04 Feb Headed off this morning from Cuzco on our journey to Mattchu Pitchu (M.P). We were told by our booking office to be at their offices by 10am. We were there at 9.45 and were told the bus had gone and we had to get a taxi at our expense (4 times the price) , the theiving shits. We had no choice and got our cab to a town called Ollaytaytambo to catch the train. Travelling at breakneck speed to board the train on time we were subsequently told that due to track work we were going to be delayed another hour or so. Eventually after a very nice train journey we reached Agua Calientes, a thermal springs town at the foothills of Macchu Pitchu. Our train station pick up person never met us and we had to find the hotel ourselves. Not that we minded that much but another false promise by our, soon to be bad mouthed, tour agent. We hoped to meet Frog that night and trek with him up to MP the following morning but didnt work out.
05 Feb Up at 3.30am for our 90 minute trek to MP. We walked in the pitch dark up old Incan steps and mucky paths and eventually arrived for the 5.30am opening. We met Frog there and had a walk around the place. Its an amazing feat of human achievement to build a town on top of an isolated mountain. Its not known for sure why the Incans built it, but its believed that is was done to escaped the Spanish invaders and preserve their culture. The Spanish never knew about it. That evening we got the train back and arrived in Cuzco at 10.30pm and exhausted.
06 Feb Didnt do a whole lot today except go to the local Irish owned Irish pub, which is the highest Irish pub in the world, and have a customary pint of Guinness. It is the highest commercially available pint of the creamy black in the world. Went out to dinner and had the local speciality... Guinea pig. Hmmmmm. The night was kindly paid for by Carolines mother who gave Caroline 40 pounds sterling for me and frog for looking after her while she was sick. Great!
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