Blogs from Peru, South America - page 1122

We will start at the beginning, On the 9th we had to find Inka Wasi ( the travel company that was guiding us on the Inca Trail) but no, not so easy. We were given a street name that did not actually exist and also that day the elections were on and most things were closed so it proved to be quite a challenge. We were supposed to check in with the company the day before the trek, so it is easy to see that we were getting a little stressed that it was closed. We went back to place they were supposed to be 3 times and as they say, third time lucky. They were open at 5pm and apparently the admin guy had been waiting outside since 8:30am for people like us, but he ... read more

I have been following this dashing Spaniard from Madrid called Fernando up into the mountains day after day, thinking all the time never again, at least not on sheep´s head soup for breakfast. not at this altitude it´s just crazy. Fernando speaks spanish and it´s a welcome relief for me, I´m struggling but my spanish seems sufficient for most things i need to do. The walks we´ve been doing are amazing. Into the most remote, lush mountain villages where I think gringos are a rareity. donkeys everywhere women in traditional dress and gorgeous and grubby kids running after you with hands out asking for caramellos (which is the generic term for sweets, they don´t get caramello koalas here unfortunately but i´ve discovered this awesome chocolate with manjar blanca which is like caramel mmm). One day to ... read more

Well here it is...the much-anticipated post-trip final blog. I know, I know, you were all on the very edges of your seats waiting for this one, and my apologies for taking so long to get it together. I trust it will be worth the wait. Let me begin with sharing with you the drama that befell me the night I left Lima. I had spent the bulk of the day not feeling very well after eating something at dinner the night before that I really shouldn’t have (don't ask). I managed to ignore it for most of the morning, but finally succumbed after breakfast and a trip to the market, spending the rest of the evening laying around the hotel and watching the BBC’s Pride & Prejudice with Spanish subtitles. Around 10pm, Nancy returned from dinner ... read more

On Saturday, we decided a good way to kill time before the Incan Trail would be to raft through a Class IV section of the mighty Urubamba River. Most of us had prior rafting experience, so no one was really concerned about falling out. If you fall out, you’re in the water for at most a few seconds then they pull you back out. Worse case scenario, you ride out the rapids for a few more seconds then get scooped up in slower waters. On our bus ride to the starting point, we stopped over a canyon and the guide pointed to the Class IV in the river bend, mentioning there was a chance that we might flip. We all salivated at the idea. The day started out as well as could be expected. When we ... read more

Well thought i had better put finger to keyboard....so here goes - we arrived in Peru late and got picked up from airport and shuttled to our accomodation.....nice & easy.....nearly arrived when we saw the streets full of people...i mean full and tthere were police in full riot kit standing around with machine guns and shot guns with full length clear shields......what was happening.....of course....elections!!! So we check in and are standing there 10pm ish and Shonelle was a little nervy....(due to spanish speaking gunmen on the street) and the a series of loud explosings rings out....and again & again......without actually s#$ting herself shonL has a terified look on her face....lucky it was only fireworks!!....... anyway woke up in the morning and off north to Trujillo via a 8 hour bus....not a crappy Costa Rician bus....but ... read more