Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon, Nazca

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Zum vo Puno nach Cuzco ds cho, hei mir der sogenannti Inka Express Bus gnoh. Dae het es paar Mau unterwaegs ghautet und me het choenne go Inka Ruine und chlini Staedtli ahluege. Mit daem Bus het me zwar es Bitzeli laenger gha aus mit em ne diraekte Bus, derfuer isch aer sicher gsi und mir hei no chli oepis gseh unterwaegs. In Cuzco ahcho si mir de gmuetlech go aesse und hei no grad ere riesige Prozession duer d'Stadt choenne zueluege. Es isch ja grad churz vor Ostere gsi und da hei si scho mau chli guebt.

Nach em ne Tag usspanne in Cuzco isch es de los gange uf uese alternativi Inka Trail uebere Salkantay Pass, duere Cloud Forest bis am Schluss ufe Machu Picchu. Der erschti Tag isch relativ locker gsi. Mir si zersch mau oepe 4 Stund im ne Minibuessli ghocket und si ueber Stock und Stei a Usgangspunkt vo uesem Trekking gfahre. Woeus ziemlech vieu graegnet gha het, isch das Buessli es paar Mau blibe stecke und aui hei muesse usstiege und haeufe stosse. Ds versprochene Z'morge hets de oepe am 11i gaeh und denn si d'Roesser mit uesne Sache bepackt worde und mir si losmarschiert. Nach 4 Stund si mir de i uesem erschte Camping uf oepe 3800 m.ue.M. ahcho. Bis uf das es es bitzeli graegnet het unterwaegs isch aues guet gange. Mir hei de Z'nacht gaesse und si aui relativ frueh go schlafe. Ig bi de leider oepe am 4i ufgwachet mit mega Buuchweh. Ab denn isch es nume no abwaerts gange fuer mi. Die naechschte 2 Stund hani mit uf ds WC springe verbracht. Woeu das nid wuerklech besser worde isch, bis mir am 6:30 abmarschiert si, han ig de "doerfe" mit em Ross uebere Salkantay Pass gah. Wenns eim guet geit, isch das ja viellicht no schoen. Ig has uf jede Fau nid wuerklech gnosse, woues mir so wahnsinnig schlaecht isch gsi. Der Salkantay Gletscher waeri uf jede Fau wunderschoen gsi und ou d'Route zum loufe. Nach em Gletscherpass isch es i Cloud Forest (Raegewald) gange und dert hets de nume no graegnet. Drum gits vo daem Teil vom Trekking kei Phoeteli;-) Ig bi de uf jede Fau heil froh gsi, wo mir im naechschte Camping ahcho si und bi schnuerstracks is Zaeut go schlafe. Am naechschte Tag ischs mir zum Glueck wieder guet gange und ig ha wie die andere ou choenne loufe! A daem Tag si mir vor allem duere Dschungel gloffe und zwuesche Kaffeeplantagene und andere Faeuder duere. Der Waeg isch ziemlech ufgweicht gsi und me het immer guet muesse luege, wo me louft, zum nid ae Schue vou Schlamm usedszieh.

Fuere letschti Tag Trekking hei mer de erfahre, dass d'Buure im Tal streike (woeu d'Regierig wott d'Wasserversorgig privatisiere) und drum der Zug vo Santa Theresa nach Aguas Caliente nid fahrt. Uese Guide der Huber het ues de zwe Alternative gaeh. Entweder ae Tag relaxe, id Hotsprings gah und denn dae letschti Teil wo der Zug nid fahrt loufe, oder ds Trekking wie vorgseh mache und zuesaetzlech die Strecki vom Zug no loufe. Mir hei ues de fuer d'Hardcore Variante entschiede und hei no einisch oepe 10 Stund Trekking gha. D'Strecki isch wunderschoen gsi und es het sech definitiv glohnt gha. Allerdings isch dae letschti Bitz zwuesche de Zuggleis nid wuerklech schoen gsi zum loufe und es isch de ou scho dunkel gsi, wo mir in Aguas Caliente ahcho si. Aber mir heis gschafft und si aui mega stolz gsi :-))

Nach ere relativ churze Nacht si mir de am naechschte Tag mit em erschte Bus ufe Machu Picchu ufe. Das isch extrem ihdruecklech gsi. Mir si de no ds 3te vo dere 8er Gruppe ufe Wainapicchu ufe...mir si ja no nid gnue gloffe i dene 4 Taeg (70!! km) ;-) Aber ou die Strapaze hei sech glohnt und mir hei ae super Ussicht gha ufe Machu Picchu abe.

Wieder zrugg in Cuzco hei sech de d'Waege vo uesere Trekkinggruppe trennt. Der Thomas und ig hei no einisch ae Tag in Cuzco verbracht und hei usgrueht. Ae Tag spaeter si mir uf Urubamba gfahre im ne Turbotaxi. Ae Strecki wo me normalerwiis 1.5 Stund het, het dae Typ i 55 Min. gschafft. Das isch eher abentuerlech gsi! In Urubamba si mir de der Dieter Wetter und sini Frou d'Filia go bsueche. Der Dieter isch ae Projektleiter Usbilder bi der IBM gsi und isch jetz uf d'Pension nach Peru usgwanderet. Die beide hei sich aes super schoens Huus mit em ne troumhafte Garte bout. Dert pflanze si so ziemlech aues ah, was me sech cha vorsteue und mir hei ou doerfe es paar vo irne feine Fruecht und Gmues probiere. Am naechschte Tag si mir de mit dene Beide i nes chliises Doerfli i der Naechi gfahre und si go luege, wie si uf traditionelli Wiis Stoffe faerbe und waebe.

Am naechschte Tag si mir de scho wieder witer nach Arequipa gfahre mit em Nachtbus. In Arequipa hei mir de d'Beck und der Nick wieder troffe, wo mit ues i der Salar de Uyuni gsi si. Mir si de mit ihne go z'Nacht aesse (der Thomas het aendlech choenne sis Cuy (Mehrschweinchen;-) probiere) und hei vorhaer der Raescht vom Tag bruucht zum ueses Trekking im Colca Canyon ds bueche und chli usdsspanne.

Mir hei de ae super Travel Agency gfunde "Pablo Tours", wo nid nume die Standard Route ahbote het, sondern chli i ne andere Teil vom Canyon gange isch. Das Trekking isch ou super schoen gsi. Der Colca Canyon isch angeblich der toeifschti vo der Waeut...je nach daem wie me misst und waen me fragt ;-) Woeu sech suesch niemer fuer das Trekking ihgschriebe het, hei mir de 3 Taeg ae Privattour gha. Das Trekking isch beduetend lockerer gsi aus Salkantay. Mir hei ou a beide Oebe choenne i Hotsprings oder im ne 25 Grad warme Pool go bade. Am letschte Morge hei mir de am 3 muesse abmarschiere, damit mir der 7ni Bus wieder zrugg nach Arequipa verwuetscht hei. Das isch zwar muehsam gsi und ou raecht ahstraengend, aber ou wunderschoen, so unterem Staernehimmu ds loufe und am Schluss no der Sunneufgang ds gseh. Unterwaegs zrugg nach Arequipa hei mir de no einisch bi Hotsprings ahghautet und dert si mir fuer die Ahstraengig am Morge frueh belohnt worde. Schoen usgrueht und fruesch duschet si mir de zrugg nach Arequipa gfahre und hei am Abe der letschti Nachtbus vo uesere Reis nach Nazca gnoh.

Nach ere relativ muehsame Reis - mir hei zwar super Sitz gha, aber im Bus hei si bis oepe am 1i am Morge ae Film zeigt in voller Lautstaerke - si mir de am Morge am 6i in Nazca ahcho. Dert si mer no chli im Hotel go schlafe, z'Morge aesse und hei de no ae Flug ueber d'Nazca Linie am Namittag buechet. Dae Flug isch mega ihdruecklech gsi, aber ou raecht ruppig.

Jetz goeh mir mit em ne Zwueschestopp in Ica am 25. April nach Lima und am 29. April fluege mir vo Lima zrugg id Schwiiz. Das isch uese letschti Blogihtrag. Mir hoffe, dir heits gnosse, ueber uesi Reis ds laese! Es isch ae super Erfahrig fuer ues beidi gsi und mir naeme ganz vieu gueti Erinnerige mit hei!

Hasta pronto en Suiza!


And for our English audience here a short transcript:

Left Puno at the Lake of Titicaca in a tourist bus and visited some impressive sights (old church w/gold, Inka pueblo, ..) on the way to Cuzco, where we checked into our hotel. Spent 1 day in Cuzco, just enjoying the town and the lively atmosphere w/easter processions (remember: this was 'semana santa' - Easter weekend).
Early next morning we left w/a prebooked tour for a 5-day trek to reach Machu Picchu. First day turned out to be quiet easy w/some 4hours hiking after a bus-trip of about the same time. 2nd day was quiet hard as we had to climb from our previous night's campsite (3800) to Salkantay-pass (4600) and then on the other side back down again to our next camp. This way was really hard for Caro, as she was feeling sick to the stomach such that our guide decided to send her by horse rather than letting her walk. This decision turned out to be superb, as on day 3 it was again the two uf us hiking - this time through cloud-forest and almost into the rainforest. That night we were really happy to find the first showers and really enjoyied the water washing our bodies from all the sweat and dirt.
Day 4: rainfall and our guide informs us that there is a strike of the local farmers in the next valley which would most probably restult in us having to walk along railway-trecks where normally a train would be running but due to the strike would this day probably not. We decided to skip the guide's offer of going by car to some hotsprings and opted instead for a hike of yet another mountainpeak (w/Inkaruins). As we got to the railwaystation we had to find out that yes indeed the railway wasn't running - we therefore hiked the last 12k's along the trecks until we got to Aguas Calientes at night-fall. After a shower (cold, as the lady at the hotel 'forgot' to turn on the hot water) and a pizza we were in our beds shortly after 9pm.
Got up again before 5pm to take the first possible bus up to Machu Picchu - after having hiked the previous 4 days about 70k's we felt the bus would be a worthwile investment.
Machu Picchu was great and very astonishing when hearing the stories of how the place was built - bare hands only - for 1 stone block to form to perfection it took about 1 weeks time, this included softening the surface with fine sand and another stone to rub the sand over the block.
In the afternoon we took a train back to Cuzco where we spent the next day relaxing and getting ourselfes organized again for the rest of our travels (washing, getting our dirty and muddy hiking boots cleaned on Plaza de Armas by some shoeshiner-boys).

Then we made a quick detour to Urubamba to meet a friend of Caro's - drive to this pueblo took the taxi driver about 55mins (normal driver would spend about 1.5hours). Out of the 'turbo-taxi' and on a moto-taxi that brought us to Dieter's house, which has one of the most beautiful gardens where everything imaginable is growing.

After a relaxing night and a daytrip to see how local folks colour-in the llama-whool, we made it back to Cusco again and by night-bus to Arequipa. Arrived early morning, checked into the 'casa de mi abuela' and after a shower went to search for a company that would take us into Colca-Canyion (said to be deeper than Grand-Canyon in the US). Found a suitable agency w/Pablo tours, which's guide picked us up the next morning at 5.30am.
After half a day's bustrip to 'Cumanaconde', lunch at a restaurant we hiked down into the canyon - a lot of dust later we got to a place called 'Lluahuar'. Here we enjoyed the hotsprings, were served a superb dinner (that the guide had carried into the canyon and prepared while we were relaxing), watched the bright stars and then went to bed early (real matress below a roof of straw and some plastic beneath to protect against possible rain - of which we didnt have any on this trip). Next day we hiked all through the very green canyon - in between cornfields, under fig-trees, along water-ways, etc. That night we slept at a place called Oasis (w/pool). Early next morning - at 3am - we got up to hike up the canyon again and got back to the restaurant in time to have breakfast at 6.30 and then catch a bus half an hour later that took us back to Arequipa - w/a short stopover in a time w/hot springs.

Back in Arequipa we got our bags and after a quick dinner to the next bus to Nazca where we arrived this morning. Just hours ago we took a short plane-ride above the well-known figures of Nazca. Tomorrow we'll catch a bus to Ica (town where a lot of the 'Pisco' is produced) and after a short stay will then make our way up to Lima on the 25th, from where we will catch a plane back to CH on the 29th.

Hope you enjoyed our stories and looking forward to see you all soon again in ZH or hear from you whereever in the world you might be.

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