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Published: September 15th 2008
August is, on average, Peru's coldest month of the year, and we arrived to a very chilly, grey and damp Lima. It remained that way during the three days we were there, with not even a glimpse of sunshine; very similar to August back home we hear.
We spent a lot of our time pre-booking planes, trains and automobiles........well, coaches, as well as hostels, that would complete our itinerary in Peru.
Our hostel location was actually in Miraflores, rather than central Lima, and allegedly a somewhat safer neighbourhood. There wouldn't be a sightseeing tour bus this time, just a lengthy orientation chat from the hostel owner. Most of that lecture centered around food and where the best places to eat were. Judging by his size, we could safely assume that he regularly dines in all the establishments he mentioned. On a darker note there were very clear instructions not to stray from the highlighted areas of the map we were given, this is South America, poverty is everywhere and life is cheap! A German tourist was shot dead recently whist extracting money from a cash point.
Due to our planning ahead and the miserable weather, we didn't do anything
too exciting (except stay alive), and up to that point the only Peruvian experience we had was drinking the traditional tipple that is a Pisco Sour, a grape brandy cocktail.
Luggage theft, hijackings and accidents, were just a few of the horror stories that form a dark cloak around coach travel in Peru. But with a need to get from A to B, we had chosen carefully, and boarded for our seven hour journey south.
Peru is the world's second largest producer of cocaine, after Columbia, so we thought it would be rude not to experience a few homegrown lines..........The Nazca Lines to be precise.
Geoglyphs: Drawings on the ground by either arranging rocks and sand etc., or removing them to reveal unpatinated ground.
Our 26th World Heritage Site of the year, the Nazca Lines are reportedly the most outstanding geoglyphs on the planet. Thanks for the helpful opinion, but I think we'll be the judge of that!
Spread out over 500 square kilometres, there are over 300 drawings that include animals, plants, birds, figures and shapes of varying complexity, all etched out in the desert pampa sand. They remain to this day, one of the world's true
archaeological mysteries.
Wooden stakes from the ground were tested and carbon-dated to somewhere between 200BC and 600AD, but who created them, and why, remains unknown. Whoever they were, the artists certainly chose a good canvas. The climate in Nazca is the reason the Lines have stood the test of time. It's not only one of the driest places on earth with an approximate rainfall of 20 minutes per year (yes, minutes), but also, because the area is so flat, it has been protected from the wind, preventing the lighter, exposed subsoil beneath the desert crust from being hidden once again. This all meant that the artists were able to make their mark not just for their lifetime, but for eternity.
But why?? Well, don't expect us to have the answer to a question that mathematicians and archaeologists have been puzzling over for decades. Their theories incidentally, range from astronomical calendars to alien landing sites. Now the latter may sound a bit far fetched, but here's a spine tingling thought to raise the hairs on your arms. At ground level the lines are imperceptible, looking just like pathways. Only from the air can these bizarre but amazing works of
art be truly appreciated, a bit like crop circles.
For example, 'The Gannet', a drawing of the bird with the same name, is almost 500m long. Furthermore, one of the most famous figures is that of the 'Astronaut', but what is it they were drawing? Those hairs standing up yet?
So the question remains, with the average height of these ancient people being well below 6ft, why would you draw something so big, on an area so flat, if you couldn't see it in its entirety? Or perhaps they could, somehow. There are still no definite answers, just theories, so the lines, for now, remain an enigma.
As we mentioned, the best way to see the Nazca Lines is from the air. However, with several emergency landings on the Pan-American Highway and five French tourists killed in a crash so far this year alone, we were a bit apprehensive about an 'overflight' in a light aircraft. But it was the only option, so we signed up. Due to making that reservation on arrival in Nazca, we had to wait for two seats to become available, as some people book these flights months in advance. That wait turned out
to be six and a half hours, but at last we were airborne.
There were four of us in the plane, including the pilot, and to say it was cosy would be an understatement. We could have had a group hug without leaving our seats. These small aircraft get thrown around a bit in the wind, and a Dutch couple who we’d shared a lift with to the airstrip that morning, warned us, after landing, that it was a bumpy and stomach churning ride. We were already aware that this might be the case after listening to several people (who had managed to make it to the bathroom) vomiting.
As with sea sickness, we proved to have stronger stomachs than most, as not only turbulence affected the plane, but our young pilot swung it around at times like we were in a dogfight. The plane's wings were perpendicular to the ground on several occasions, as the pilot banked sharply in order to make a couple of passes over each drawing. It felt like we were in a stolen plane on a joyride as parts of our bodies became heavy and were forced down and back by g-force.
The exciting flight turned out to be an added bonus to the main event, which was of course the amazing Nazca Lines, and we arrived safely back on the tarmac some 40 minutes later. In our opinion they looked like they could be 'the most outstanding geoglyphs on the planet'. Thanks to Mum & Dad B who paid for our flights with some birthday money that Sam had put by for an appropriate occasion.
We'd allowed ourselves two days in Nazca in case we couldn't get a flight on the first day. Whilst here, the most important item of kit in our bags has undoubtedly been our ear plugs. The local dogs bark well into the night, and then pass the baton to the roosters who periodically practice throughout the night for their cock-a-doodle cacophony at dawn.
After our stay in Nazca, we travelled further south and east (again by coach) to Peru's second largest city, Arequipa. Following nine hours on the coach we arrived in Arequipa late at night, but we got a friendly welcome at the hostel, and the room was good, which was just as well because we’d be spending more time there than we'd
planned to.........
Arequipa was lovely, with a picturesque plaza and beautiful architecture, and we'd planned a full itinerary for our four days. But it was on our first day that unknowingly and unfortunately, we introduced our stomachs to some of Peru's finest bacteria, and spent two of those four days confined to that nice hostel room we mentioned.
The first night was the worst, and whilst I endured hot sweats, cold shivers and aches, Sam came off worse with all those things and dreadful stomach cramps and vomiting. We don't need to go into the next stage - let's just say it was Asia all over again.
Being confined to our room did bring an unexpected bonus. Whilst watching TV we saw a trailer on BBC World News for a half hour special report called 'Stormchaser'. It was the documentary that Simon and Alan (the lads from the BBC) were filming for during our week of stormchasing back in May - Blog 28.
Alan has sent it to us back home on DVD to await our return, so this was our first time seeing the finished article in full. It was quite bizarre to be in a
hostel room in Peru watching ourselves on BBC World News. It was very surreal and brought back some great memories.
We had to reschedule a tour we'd booked, due to our condition, but following a 40 hour bedridden fast, we were over the worst and eating again, albeit plain bread. So that meant we had to pack as much of that original four day itinerary into our last day in Arequipa. It would begin with a 2am start, and finish with an overnight coach journey to Cuzco that we would be boarding at 8:15pm.
The ridiculously early start was due to ours being the first pickup on a tour that would take us to Colca Canyon, which claims to be the world’s second deepest canyon, missing out on the top slot to Cotahuasi Canyon nearby, by a mere 150m. The 100km long canyon reaches depths of over 3000m, more than twice the depth of the Grand Canyon! Adding to the grandeur, Colca Canyon is surrounded by several volcanoes. On route to and from the canyon, we would be making stops at various points of interest, and we would also be dealing with the altitude.
After two restless
Cheeky smile
Local girl and her pet alpacanights, and very little in the way of sustenance, getting picked up at two in the morning was far from ideal. Annoyingly, we had to wait for others who weren't ready when the mini-bus arrived. What this meant was, by the time everyone was on board, we'd been sat on the bus for an hour and ten minutes, but weren’t even 5 minutes drive from our hostel. Furthermore, we had another three and a half hours to go before arriving at our first stop. We meandered our way higher and higher above sea level, and as the temperature went from very cold to freezing, blankets were handed out, and most people slept.
We arrived in the village of Chivay, within the Colca Canyon, and had some homemade bread for breakfast, along with some coca tea, which apparently helps the body to cope with the altitude. A short time later, we made a brief stop in the village of Yanque, where the locals take their opportunity to have a slice of the tourist cake. Here, like most stops we would make, you can get your photo taken with the locals in traditional dress with llamas, alpacas and birds of prey,
The Colca Canyon
On the right is the viewpoint for condor spotting or you can buy their handicrafts. Preferring to catch more natural poses, we would take photos and then afterwards put some change in their little money pots.
We'd read that in Peru, some believe that the lens of a camera removes the soul, but this seems to be overlooked when the soul is replaced with a few soles (Peruvian currency). That's not a swipe at the Peruvians, as a people they've been very polite and humble, completely opposite to the constant hounding the touts and taxi drivers gave us in Asia.
From the short stop in Yanque, we went to a viewpoint over the Colca Canyon where we hoped to see the main reason for getting up at half past one in the morning. To get there we travelled along a well used but unsealed road, making our way to a higher point within the Canyon, passing some of the 9000 small terrace fields along the way.
We arrived at a viewpoint known locally as Chaglla. It's a spectacular place and the highlight of many who come to the canyon. There's a 1200m drop to the river below, whilst on the other side of the ravine is
Mismi Volcano, rising some 3000m above the canyon floor. It all adds up to a fitting backdrop in which to catch a glimpse of an equally impressive creature, and the world's largest land bird, the Andean condor.
With a wingspan of up to ten feet, this feathered giant can weigh in at 15kg and is the national symbol of no less than six South American countries. Our position put us at the same level at which the condors glide high above the ground in their search for food. It's not condor season, so we weren't guaranteed a sighting in our hour and a half window, but luckily within ten minutes of being there we were rewarded. The bird came into view in the distance and became increasingly larger, and eventually revealed its massive size as it passed us by at eye level. It wheeled around and made several passes, above and below, giving us a look at its huge wingspan and black and white colouring. It seemed as interested in us as we were in it, unless of course it was waiting for one of the older tourists to keel over. Maybe it was aware of its celebrity status,
and it appeared happy to soar past, as we, the tourist paparazzi, clicked away.
In all, we saw four condors, with one coming in as close as twenty feet away. They are magnificent birds and it was captivating to watch them on the wing in their natural habitat. We left the viewpoint to have some lunch in back in Chivay, as well as a general wander around allowing for people watching and photo opportunities.
A notable stop on the way back to Arequipa was that of a place near Patapampa, which sits 4910m above sea level, over 700m higher than we were on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Anything more than a slow walk leads to breathlessness due to the altitude, but it gives a vista that literally takes your breath away, as you're surrounded by at least four volcanoes and a moon-like landscape.
We arrived back in Arequipa at 5pm, and went straight to the Santuarios Andinos Museum for a date with a princess named Juanita. Juanita, dubbed the 'Ice Princess', was discovered inside the crater of the Ampato volcano in September 1995, after a rock fall released her from her tomb. 500 years previously, due to
her beauty and purity, she was the unfortunate victim (at least from a westerners' standpoint) of a human sacrificial ceremony, as she became a gift from the Inca to the Mountain Gods.......she was 14 years old.
Juanita would be the first of several sacrificial children found on the mountains in this area, but she is the only one who is displayed in the museum for several months of the year, along with artefacts such as gold and silver figurines, pottery and other offerings found in her tomb. She sits in a glass cabinet at -20 degrees, still in the position in which she was found.
Children were seen as the ultimate sacrifice to the Gods, and although initially it may seem unethical to unearth them, their tombs would have eventually fallen foul of robbers once news of their discovery hit the headlines. This way, things can be done properly by experts who can then learn and teach about ancient cultures, beliefs and customs, and such things can be displayed for us all to see.
It's incredible the lengths the Inca went to appease the their Gods, considering they climbed these dizzying heights without the equipment we have
VIP seats
On the overnight coach to Cuzco these days. Juanita, at only 14 years of age, would have completed the trek to the top of Ampato, more than 20,000ft above sea level. Along with the altitude and ritual fasting, it would have meant she quickly succumbed to a cocktail that left her unconscious. She was then killed with a precise blow to the head, just above the right eye.
In a strange twist, her sacrifice and subsequent discovery has indeed given her immortality, nothing less than she was promised leading up to her untimely death.
It was time for us to catch the overnight coach, and after the previous unsettled few days, and our very early start on this one, we were shattered. Fortunately, we’d booked ourselves two large leather reclining seats in the VIP section of the coach for the ten hour journey to Cuzco, which cost us the equivalent of only 18 pounds each.
We arrived at 5.45am, a little earlier than scheduled, after our driver succeeded in breaking the 'Arequipa to Cuzco in a coach' record, which due to the narrow winding roads, made for a restless night even in our leather recliners.
Our family run hostel was very nice, with rustic
Cuzco's famous 12 sided stone
No plumb-line required for the building of these walls décor and courtyard views. We were directed into the owner's living room to rest from our journey, with a cup of coca tea, until check-in time came around, while he went back to bed and waited for his staff to come in.
Cuzco is South America's oldest continually inhabited city, and once the heart of the Inca Empire, which has a lot to do with it being the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas. All added up, this makes Cuzco a great place to visit and explore. With its cobbled streets and ornate buildings, it's very easy on the eye, if not a little touristy. Those tourists (us included) are drawn here in their thousands by Cuzco's trump card - the fact that it remains the gateway to the Lost City..........Machu Picchu!
After three days in Cuzco, we were on a train to Aguas Calientes, a fairly ugly little town, haphazardly built on tourism, which sits in a valley beneath the Inca ruins, and cannot be avoided if you want to stay near the Lost City overnight. Most just come to Machu Picchu as a day trip, but we decided on two nights in the town in order
Machu Picchu looks to be on fire
But it's just the morning mist rising from the valley to miss the hordes who swamp the ruins between 10am and 4pm.
We could have made three (costly) visits to Machu Picchu, however, we arrived to rain and we decided against a frustrating and miserable afternoon in the low clouds. But we did purchase our tickets for the following day, and after 47 weeks of traveling, like Charlie, we now held the 'golden tickets' for what would effectively be the last of the 'must sees and dos' in a year packed full of 'em - but what a way to finish.
Machu Picchu is yet another (and our final) World Heritage Site, and needs little introduction.
It was constructed around 1460. It sits approximately 2,400m above sea level, on a mountain ridge that reaches high up from the Urubamba Valley, hidden from those who may pass below, unaware of its existence. Described as an 'absolute masterpiece in architecture', The Lost City of the Incas has been voted into the
New Seven Wonders of the World, that takes into consideration every manmade structure built prior to the year 2000. It's a revised list due to the fact that only one of the original seven still remains.
We boarded
the bus from the town at 5.30am, and the journey to the entrance took 25 minutes of zigzagging as it climbed higher and higher into the mountains. It was now, after all the build-up, time and effort, that we began to wonder whether this New Wonder was going to be an anti-climax.
We stepped off the bus, before then walking the last few hundred yards of the Inca Trail...............and there it was.
We needn't have fretted, it was such a stunning sight it made us instantly smile, and then laugh. From our position it was the classic view that we've seen so often in brochures and websites. The Lost City of the Incas lay stretched out below us with its many stone walls and green terraces, whilst the tall mountain beyond (Wayna Picchu) towered over the ruins from the opposite side to where we now stood. It was everything but an anti-climax! It was magical, and we were both acutely aware of its significance as the last big tick on a long list.
The weather hasn't always been with us throughout our trip, but this day it was spot on. We arrived with overcast skies but with a
One final look....
As the day-trippers come in, having seen it at its best, we're off clear view of the ruins. As the sun came up, moisture from the Urubamba Valley rose to create pockets of mist around Wayna Picchu, adding to the spectacle. This lasted an hour, allowing for some good pictures before the clearing skies enabled the sun to burn away the low cloud leaving the ruins bathed in sunshine, an ideal combination.
We spent a few hours walking around the 'Lost City', which must have been top of the Inca property market, mainly due to that all important location, location, location; although a walk to the local chippy would have been out of the question.
As the tourist groups arrived in force after 10:30am, we made our way back to 'that' view, and took it in for one last time. We had thought about returning later that same afternoon, once the tour groups had gone, but thunder and lightning soon put paid to that idea. However, we left Machu Picchu having had perfect conditions, leaving us with perfect memories.
It was now time to celebrate the last milestone with a few drinks before returning to Cuzco the following day. We spent a final day back in Cuzco, with a journey
Two women chatting on the steps of the cathedral - Cuzco
Probably talkin' tactics about Peru's recent World Cup qualifier with Argentina out to the Sacred Valley to see more Inca ruins at Pisac, and the following day saw us on an early flight back to Lima.
We arrived back to a grey and cloudy Lima, which hadn't changed much in our absence.
With our itinerary complete, we spent the final two days in Peru counselling each other by reminiscing about highs and lows during the last 48 weeks. Without labelling it so, it was definitely therapy, as we turned our thoughts more and more to family and friends back home, and of course work, who we've been increasingly in touch with over the past month.
So, it's on to our last stop - Madrid, which will help with readjusting our body clocks, and allow us to relax in a beautiful city and reflect, before completing our journey home. After a 12 hour overnight flight, we'll be in Spain for 4 nights, and then we'll be flying into Heathrow on the 20th of September. This blog is published as we leave Peru, bringing things completely up to date, and although we will produce a blog of Madrid, it will be a reflective one, with a look back at the whole
trip and may take a few weeks or so to publish, by which time we'll be home of course.
But it's not over quite yet, as we fly off to the sixth continent and the fourteenth country..........viva Espana!
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Lee Roberts
non-member comment
I'll Make You Famous
Mate it looks like the BBC have beaten me to it by making you famous!!! I suppose I'll have to try to out do them somehow???? I think i really will have to invade China in your name now!!!!!! Keep Safe Both Of You. Lee Rob