Britgirl heads South of the Equator to "Deepest Darkest" Peru

Saturday March 14th. 2009
Ok...Superstitious or not, I will think very carefully before flying on Friday the thirteenth again !!!
Our flight was delayed leaving Dallas; meaning a domino effect would cause us to miss all the connections after that.
After a call to the ever useless AA customer service they informed us that in missing the Miami connection we would not be able to fly to Lima until the 16th (three days later!!) WTF ???
To say i was pissed was an understatement but no matter how much begging and pleading we got the same response "sorry its spring break..no more flights til 16th"
I even spoke to the pilots (ok...as Karl said...I accosted the pilots at the gate) and asked them if they could fly as fast as possible to make up the hour and a half we needed to make our connection...Well it was worth a try :) They did at least say they would radio ahead and see if the plane could be held but they didnñt hold much hope as it was so late already and most airports had a curfew :(

We got on the delayed dfw-Miami flight just hoping for a delay that end too. It was a nerve wracking few hours until the pilots came on the intercom as we were decending to say the Miami to Lima fight was going to wait for us.... I need to add it was now AFTER midnight and no longer Friday the 13th :)

I was so happy

We made it to Lima and then had a short wait for our internal flight,Lima-Cusco.
From Cusco we had a car from the bed and breakfast pick us up and take us the two hour drive through the Sacred Valley (stunning) to the small mountain village of OLLENTAYTAMBO
Ollenta is beautiful...very small and nestled in the Andes mountains. No one here speaks English and only a few speak spanish as the native Language is different (Quecha I think)

The locals all wear the traditional clothing with the bright coloured slings/babies on backs etc. There Are tourists that come through but mainly on day trips from Cusco-so whilst we see people on vacation by day its locals after all the tourist buses leave

Our hostal (Hostal Sauce) is great...the room has wood floors and huge french windows opening onto a view of massive Inka ruins here.

So far the food has also been great. Cheaper than home but not as cheap as Central America

For dinner we found a pretty restaurant by the river and Karl ate Alpaca steak while I had river trout and of course my first PISCO sour-Pisco brandy, bitters and raw egg (surprisingly yummy)

Karl is already feeling the altitude (just a headache and short breath) but I can´t tell any difference as yet, except I have been way more winded on the cobbled hills...but I could just be unfit :)
He told me not to write that he has been tryting to combat the sickness with Cocoa tea but Im writing it anyway (sorry Karl but it is legal here so don´t worry)
I had cocoa tea too even though Im not feeling it just to try it. Certianly is a bit of a pick up...who needs red bull ???
Im writing this Sunday (nor Saturday) as this has been my first time at a computer at all. My typing is not the best normally but here this keyboard has ALL the letters worn off so its hard going !!!

SUNDAY March 15th. 2009
They say the altitude can cause insomnia but i think that comes more from the cocoa leaf tea ;)
Despite that it was a good nigths sleep and this morning we tackled the Inka sights that are here in Ollentaytambo.
I am so pissed I can´t add photos but I will only be able to do so if I find a computer with the slot for my card as I didnñt bring the cable with me (its probable that photos will be added after the trip as often happens when Im traveling in these countries with SLOW internet)
So for now you will have to take my word for it that the area is absolutly beautiful. With mountains all around and Ollenta being a very small town rights between them all.
We climbed the Ollenta Inka ruins and had a brill view of the whole town are surrounding valley.
Its still Sunday morning here but I have to head out now. We leave Ollenta tomorrow via train for Aquas Caliente. Im so excited about travel by train and Aquas Calliente has no roads into it...just the train track.
Hopefull I can find internet there to keep you updated but...............so far so good :)

Tuesday March 17th ;)
Sorry its been a while since I blogged but finding intertnet with any speed at all has been interesting. I finally found one with a card reader so I can add photos but...dammmmmm...its slow. Im trying though :)
Anyway we left Ollenta via backpacker train and two hours later of spectacular scenery we were in Aquas Caliente. Everything I had ever read about this stopping point town for Machu Piccu was bad-Ugly, ramshackled, exploitive !! You know what? It is all those things but I quite like it. The Town itself looks like its just recovered an earthquake and all the building are half finished but at the same time is has a "fugly" appeal.

Our hostal was not quite expecting us so after some confusion and polite "prove it" email showing we got rewarded with a top floor room (delux suite)



It really is very nice...huge with wooden floors and a giant balcony overlooking the town square.


On arrival we were told that the gorgeous weather was rare so we decided to head straight to Machu Picchu rather than wait until the origional plan of waiting until the following day !






....And what a day it was. The sky was blue and we could see all the peaks of the surrounding mountains as well as crystal clear shots of Machu Piccu.
We hiked up WaynuPiccu which was unbelievably tough with the thin air. The whole hike is steep enough that you need to pull yourselves up the steps and rocks in places with your hands. One hour each way but we did it..through cave, up ladders, through undergrowth but what a view from the top down onto MachuPiccu.

In the distance is Wanya Picchu which we climbed to the top of...quite an accomplishment

The whole day the sky stayed cloudless which was wild considering this is peak rain season. I saw Lllamas and took some amazing photos which I cannot believe will show the sheer beauty of the site. It really did leave us both in awe.

By the days end Karl was hurting bad (Ok I was too a bit)
What better way to celebrate St Patricks day than to be SURROUNDED by green Andes mountains !!

Back down in Aquas Caliente we ate a great dinner (more trout for me..the river Urabamba runs right through this town) and made the decision that despite the leg pain (and the cost...going to machupiccu is not cheap) we would return the following day and hike up to the Sungate (part of the inca trail)
That was today !!!
It was so worth returning the second day for more hiking and today the weather was still nice but a few storms blew through whilst we were there adding a definate magical twist to the scenery with white mist envoloping the scenery from time to time and then just as quicky clearing away

The hike to the Sungate was also arduos but very rewarding with a total different view of Machu Picchu and of WaynaPiccu which we had hiked the previous day !

I can´t quite believe how much we have pushed our bodies the past two days....Well I can when I feel the painful burn running through my legs :) But so very worth it !!!

Magical with the clouds !!!

Tonight we eat good and rest up. Tomorrow back on the train and next stop Cusco .

WEDNESDAY 18th March 2009

Few more random thoughts.......I think the Inka Gods were smiling down on us these last two days. We are here in low season-in fact the inka trail was closed all through february from the rain season- and yet its been perfect. Everything I had wanted from the Machu Picchu experience came our way. I knew the weather potential was grim...come people come here during this time of year and barely see a thingOur first day was clear skies and even thr locals remarked on it being unusual. Our second day had the clouds and mist that give Machu Picchu its mystique...and all the time we got llamas llamas and more llamas wandering around us :)

We didn´t do any tour or group and being low season we found we could wander into parts of Machu Picchu and feel like we were the only ones there

They do a great job of keeping it pristine...so much so infact that you can´t take any food or drink in with you (thats tough !!!) There are no rubbish bins and no vendors selling food so the overall effect leaves it remarkably untouched.

Now...coming in peak season perhaps my thoughts would change,,but this was perfect. The Inka god were also on our side with the hiking to Waynu Picchu. In an effort to keep that mountain pristine there are limtes to how many can climb it per day. We started late on the Monday and still got to climb yet on the Tuesday even when we first arrived we saw the max number had already been reached by 9am and it was closed. Lucky Lucky Lucky.Last night in Aquas Caliente the heavens opened and it poured all night (it seemed the break in the storms had been for us alone) It rained so hard I feared the river would burst its banks. You could hear it roaring outside in the dark night.

You would understand my fear more if you saw this town. Its tiny and built along the river Urubamba which (at least this time of year) is no dainty river but a massive roaring beast bigger width wise than the town itself. Infact we noticed all over town there were RECENT flash flood warnings posted all over...gulpIm curious infact how many times this town does get washed away or buried under mud with each wet season. Its certainly seems a very disposable town and with the amount of buildings missing parts of their roofs or sides tells me its more common than I dare think.

Anyway...this morning Aquas Caliente was still standing and we took the Vista dome train (glass roofs and nicer than the prior backpacker train) back to Ollentaytambo to pick up our bags- you can´t take luggage on the train past a certain weight so we left most behind

The Vista Train was fun and very bizarre with the Peru rail employees putting on a fashion show mid run and one running round with t stuffed toy llama ???!!!! I didn´t understand ...but it passed the two hours nicely So now here we are back "home" in Ollentaytambo with an hour to kill before our lift to Cusco where we will spend the next 3 nights. Im proud to say my Spanish in coming along pretty well. Not bad considering I can´t practice it too much with the ancient language being more prevelant in these small villages

Thursday 19th March 2009

Back into civilization now in the city of Cusco. Its really a small city but after the villiages we have been staying in it feels like culture shock now. Along with the civilization comes the typical tourist traps and scams....Not really scams but it gets tiring turing away old people selling postcards and kids selling everything from condor finger puppets to cigarettes.

"No gracias" " No gracias" "luego" "manyana" Anyone you happen to take a photo of they come up saying "one Soles. one Soles" Ok...its only 30 cents but it gets annoying. I will be taking a photo of Karl and suddenly a woman in traditional dress will force her way into the photo them demand a Soles after the photo has been taken

Also, every corner we turn here in Cusco we run into someone we met in Aquas Caliente or Machu Picchu. Its funny we act like old friends re untited after months apart yet our only meeting was for a few hours here or there to exchange travel stories

There are many more tourists here compared to the other places but with that comes lots restaurant choices, pastry shops, food vendors etc
I ate Trout way too much in the other places...now I have more choices. Today I had this local dish called Aji Gallina (chicken stew in bright yellow sauce with a boiled egg on top and cheese !!)
I hope my niece Doesn´t read this because tomorrow Karl is having another local speciality called CUY (guini pig)... and yes I will take photos but right now Im back to having no way to download them againAnother funny food (well drink) custom is the Chicha..local beer made from corn. You find it in establishments marked with a red flag. It tastes like poo but sometimes they add fruit flavour too and then its drinkable. Karl summed it up great by saying it tastes like a mixture of egg and spit...to my knowledge it contains neither :0

My favourite non alcohol drink (ok..Im addicted to that as well as the cocoa tea!! ) is INKA Kola. Its made by Coca cola company but is nuclear yellow and tastes like bubblegunj. Pure sugar !
Hey...the amount I have hiked and walked this trip (Cusco is also ALL steep cobbled hills) I deserve Mucho sugar

Friday March 20th 2009

Last night was our first real night of proper drinking. I had read about this place called Fallen Angel which was totally different from anywhere else we have eaten in Peru. It would have been more at home in South Beach with its beautiful gay bartenders/waiters Kitsch design and nuevo cuisine. Different rooms made up different themes and we were in the sex shop room with local paintings of x rated designs. many of the tables were bath tubs with glass over the top and fish swimming inside. The lighting was subtle and the overall effect was gorgeous. The dj was playing trance music and whilst it was more for lounging then dancing it was a nice change of pace.

Luckily no hangover today as it was an early start. We weren´t able to arrange the rafting trip as that would have taken two days so we took another hike. This time up to Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexywoman). Its nice that we haven´t had to do any arranged tours or trips this time and had all the time in the world to loiter or go off track a little. On this trek up to Saqsaywaman we had great views down onto Cusco as well as passing women heading to the fields with their bundles on their back and llamas in tow. From there we hiked over to the Blano Christa (like the white jesus above Rio) for more fantactic views of the city. This will just be a quick addition as we are about to head to lunch at a place called La Chomba which is not really a restaurant but more of a local kitchen where a family makes the food and you sit in their garden/courtyard/home to eat it.

I have to add real quick that the weather has been amazing. Considering this is rainy season we had a brief downpour at Machu Picchu and again whilst on the train. A couple of times in the night it has rained but for the most part its been warm and sunny by day and chilly enough for a jumper by night. Perfect.

Saturday March 20th 2009

New day...new City. We woke early to catch our flight to Lima which wasnt easy considering a bad night on Karls part. Perhaps it was the bottle of cheap Peruvian wine last night or the strenuous hike yesterday in high altitute sun, or the spirit of the Guinea pig he ate at dinner came back to haunt him but to spare you the details he wasnt a happy camper mid-night.Our early rise didnt help but now we are in Lima on the final leg of this Peruvian adventure. We actually are not staying downtown but in the seaside suburb of Miraflores. It doesnt feel very ethnic with its seaside malls, tony Romas and even a Hooters (ugh..shoot me now) but it is by the Ocean and that was reason number one for staying here. The Hotel is an old Colonial mansion filled with antiques and justa few streets away is the Parque d amour with cliffs looking out over the Pacific.Now this is no white sand beach...but big grey pebbles and more surfers than sunbathers but its nice and a pleasent way to end the trip.Im sticking with local food but the seaside change is refreshing. For Lunch I had Cerviche (popular here) and a prawn "choup" (spicy chowder) and both were fabulous...all accompanied with the view of the cliff top location.

Other than walking across the cliff tops, enjoying the sea breeze and buying some last minute gifts today has been the most laid back of them all. Karl really doesnt have the energy for much more given his night last night and Im just enjoying this last day in Peru. Tomorrow the day starts at 4am and we will arrive back in Dallas around 7pm (depending on the voucher situation....what ???....I have to try ; )