Lost cities and sandunes

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Arrived in Cusco on a drizzly wet evening which made the cobbles in the main plaza shine like gold. I immediately liked the city with its big sloping plaza surrounded by churches and arched walkways hiding posh shop fronts. Plus the novelty of easily accessible gringo delights like Chinese food, red wine, Skype, and an efficient post office made me all excited, like a kid at Christmas again.
I met up with Marsha my friend from Sucre film nights and along with her 3 friends from her volunteer work in Pisco plus Adam and Kara we ate our way round a few restaurants, went to look at some very impressive Incan stone work and generally enjoyed ourselves at a very relaxed pace. I also managed to sell off a lot of excess baggage to one of the thousands of tour operators in the city and so feeling much lighter all round set off for Machu Picchu the cheap way which involved taking a spectacular bus ride up and down steep mountain valleys to Santa Maria from the Quillabamba bus station (leaving at 8am, 15 soles). Then hopping in a combi/collectivo to Santa Teresa (8-10 soles) where I met a Spanish girl going the same way called Sandrine. We both wanted to get straight to Aguas Callientes and so instead of staying the night at S.T. and then catching the train to A.G. the next morning (we had already missed the last one at 3pm) we negotiated a taxi to the Hydroelectric station for another 10 soles each and then walked the train tracks as fast as we could for 2 hours to get there. In total costing about US$12 instead of the $46 for the direct backpacker train.
The walk was actually quite beautiful along a lush green gorge next to a river, the only problem being that we had to keep our eyes focused on our feet most of the time in order not to twist an ankle on the tracks. We arrived in Aguas Calientes just as dark was falling having not stopped for more than a few minutes since leaving Cusco for the odd photo. We both had a weird feeling that we were suddenly in a Swiss ski resort as we entered the village with its row of chalet type hotels lining a gently sloping street. Sandrine had been very impressed with my ruthless bargaining for the taxi and so just for a laugh we decided to see if it would work again at one of the posh hotels but the starting price was far too high as a starting point so we decided to go for a beer instead while we took it all in then worry about a hostel later.
A drink turned into dinner where we were accosted by two young guys who we had been in fits of laughter at when we spotted them doing the traditional British thing of speaking very slow and loudly to some poor guy who obviously didn’t understand their request for ‘D-I-N-N-E-R’.
Turns out they had been walking the Inca trail but had been drinking since 10am that morning when they had copped out of the last bit and got the train along the same route we had just walked. They were fairly amusing company but we didn’t take them up on their offer to meet them later in another bar (I ended up bumping into them at Machu Picchu after they had partied until 4am then without any sleep climbed straight up to the site). I had already decided to take the easy option all the way and caught the bus up to the site at 6am and arrived just as the last trails of misty cloud were wisping away to reveal one of the most impressive views I have seen. I don’t really know how to describe it to you, its one of those things you have too see, the city is bigger than it seems on that classic photo you will all know, but still seems like an (all be it huge) old English castle and country garden rolled in to one for some reason
It was great to have the place more or less to myself for an hour or so and see it in the early morning light as the clouds drifted away. However I just didn’t know where to start and buzzed around manically for a while taking photos before the crowds arrived whereas I probably should have just sat and stared a while. In fact it was all so overwhelming that I feel like I rushed around all day just trying to cram more of the vista into my brain, in fact I spent 7 hours in total ambling around, climbed up Huayna Picchu for a birds eye view and a bit of exercise, eavesdropped on a few tour guides to get some explanations, stared at the big stones and pressed my hands against them to feel their smoothness and warmth and generally marvelled at it all……...a lot. When I’d been round once I went round again and discovered even more of it hidden away, at one point I took a route marked ‘alternative’ and found myself out on the edge of a sheer terrace with just the towering mountains and Huayna Picchu in front of me and the worlds steepest stairs to climb back up to the main square. I was so lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day (despite heavy thunder clouds that lurked over the next mountain at one point) and I’m glad I took the easy way to get there because I was exhausted just having walked around let alone trekking 4 days to get there, but I’m sure I still missed bits, I just hope I’ll get to go back again one day.
After all the excitement of the day I couldn’t face the palaver involved in getting back through Santa Teresa and was fortunate to find a seat on the train to Cusco that afternoon. So I rejoined Sandrine, looking forward to a good few hours snooze but the train was some kind of highly energized Gringo express and all the white faces and chatter kept me awake!

From Cusco I headed to a remarkable little oasis in the desert called Huacachina which is built up round a natural pool surrounded by palm trees of course and nestled among mountainous sand dunes. Here I spent a few days sunbathing by the hotel pool, eating delicious treats like marmite on toast and cucumber and humus - just like being back in Swansea again! Plus enjoying the free ‘postre’ at one of the bars (although I never did see Marvin the Monkey, maybe he has escaped) and terrifying myself with a dune buggy/sandboarding trip at sunset. Our driver was really good although, or possibly because of this, there were numerous moments when I really thought there is no way this thing is going to make it up/down there at that angle!
The only other desert I have seen was when I went diving in Egypt but that seemed to be mainly rubble, whereas these dunes were a beautiful rolling sea of soft pinks and greys, truly stunning, as was the sun set which we only just made in time with beating hearts and too much adrenaline in our systems for it to be the peaceful moment it should be!

In my effort to get to Columbia for Christmas I seem to be passing by most of Peru at night on the bus which is a shame as I only have snapshot ideas of the landscape punctuated by sleepless nights. It doesn’t help that I am also zig zagging from the highland mountains to the coast and then back up again as each bus journey is a stomach churning series of mountainous hairpin bends. On the Cusco to Huacachina route I sat next to and chatted to a lovely lady who had unfortunately broken her shoulder in a recent fall and had a half body cast on, meaning that she could only use one arm to hold the sick bag that I had to pass her. Why me??

After chilling in Huacachina I spent a rapid 24 hours in Lima, where Christmas preparations are in full swing and are decidedly Disney flavoured! I quite liked the city, although it felt like I was in the States not Peru, and in the short time I spent there I came across loads of random things which endeared it to me like the executive shoe shine stand with throne like seats and velvet curtains. My favourite though was the Tourist Info Superman! It was also a joy to see the sea again after so long and I had a lovely evening stroll through the Miraflores area with its surfers, paragliders and lovers in the parque d’amor.

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Photos

Three doors
three signifies the powerfull trinity of puma, condor and serpent in the Incan religion