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Well after all the dangers of Bolivia's “death road” and the crocodiles in the Amazon, you can be excused for thinking I might be searching for a more relaxing, safer environment. This however was not the case, it turns out where we thought we might be safe we weren't!
After the Amazon Will, James and I descended upon “lake Titicaca” which is one of the worlds highest. Here we were able to relax and just enjoy chilling in the sun. First we stayed in Copacabana then got a boat to “Isla del Sol” which is a stunning little island in the lake. This was the last we saw of Bolivia as we then jumped on the ferry, then a bus to cross the boarder and into Peru.
Our first stop in Peru was to be Cusco, we had heard good things about it, plus it is the main point to get on a tour to Machu Picchu.
Unfortunately our coach didn't get in until gone midnight, it wasn't the best of journey's and we were all clearly ready for bed. Cusco is a beautiful city, many of the buildings date back to the Inca's and the early Spanish colonial times.
We woke to the sound of music coming from the towns main square, so inquisitively the 3 of us went down to check it out. After turning down several massages, fake Oakley's and some drugs, we managed to see what all the music was about. It turns out that on all saints day each school parades through the streets with a band and hefty numbers of unwilling dancers.
Cusco by night is quite the different experience! It was ladies night in our hostel, which generally means it will be full of men, however we managed to be one of the lucky few and actually meet 3 lovely ladies, Australian in fact and from Melbourne! So we all drunk and played games before heading out to a club called “Mama Africa's” (why in Peru I have no idea). After a few too many drinks and free drinks it was time to head back. James had already gone home due to disappointment and an overwhelming desire to be sick out of our dorm window. After walking back I discovered the underbelly of Cusco, it turns out a guy from our room and a different situation an Irish girl had been robbed at
knife point by a gang on the same 3 minute walk I had just taken, this with Cusco's drug trade can make for a hairy night out.
Unfortunately we weren't able to sleep in and feel sorry for ourselves as it was an early start to leave for our 3day 2night trek to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.
Day 1 was thankfully an easy day although James had to stop our mini bus 4 times to be sick, as did another guy. It was then time to cycle / roll down a mountain on some bikes to our lunch stop. This seemed to perk everyone up as the fresh air was working wonders. After lunch it was back to the minibus and onto Santa Teresa which was our stop over point for the night.
Day 2 was a day full of walking, we had an early breakfast before getting a lift to the start of our days hike in a taxi on a seriously water damaged road, with a rather steep drop off to one side. With everything crossed we made it to Colpani and were relieved to start the walk.
It was hot and we had
2 cable cars to cross (please refer to the photo to see what they calla cable car!), and several hours of walking. We did get held up at one point as they are trying to rebuild roads and bridges that got torn down during the rainy season. This meant they had to use dynamite to cut a road through the cliff face, so we ended up having a free 13 dynamite stick show before continuing our walk onto Aguas Calientes. The last hour though it rained and it rained hard! Even my spare clothes in my bag were wet.
Day 3 “Reaching Machu Picchu”
This started by putting on wet shoes, socks and a t-shirt at 4.00am before starting the gruling 1 ½ hr vertical climb to Machu Picchu.
For those that aren't aware Machu Picchu was built in the 1400's by the Incas at the top of a mountain so they could be closer to the gods. It was never discovered by the invading Spanish and wasn't discovered until around 1912. It's main purpose was a market town for the Incas to trade goods and have religious ceremonies.
History lesson over, we got there for sunrise and it
was great to see the site without any people on it. We spent several hours up here just taking it all in and admiring the stunning views. We then had a late night train back to Cusco before moving on to Huacachina in the afternoon.
Huacachina is 4hrs south of Lima which could possibly be where James and I leave Will, but for now we are in the dessert oasis of Huacachina (pronounced: wack-a-chi-na). Here we have fully enjoyed relaxing by the pool and lapping up the sunshine. Last night we ventured out on to the surrounding sand dunes in dune buggies, which was awesome. Much like spending 1 ½ hrs on a roller-coaster. Our driver was brilliant and we also had a go at sand-boarding (on a wood snowboard) and after a few nose dives I had a face full of sand! (it's not quite as straight forward as snow!), a great few hours though which finished with the sun setting over the desert.
We are now making our way to Lima for Will's birthday and who knows what adventures will take place here?
Hope you are all well and see you soon!!
xxx
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Mary Rayment
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Once again amazing!!
Hi Tom You continue to have amazing experiences, and thanks for sharing them with us all - not sure about the multi-sick references though! It's fantastic to hear about and see great photos of places we will probably never get to visit ourselves, so thank you for that too. Have safe onward travels and eventual return to the UK (with its Hung Parliament!). See you before long! Best wishes, Mary & Charles.