Norfolk Fox

Norfolk Fox

Norfolk Fox




South America » Peru » Lima » Lima » Miraflores July 13th 2007

Our final day in Peru. We did some final shopping - rather more Ollie causing damage to my credit card by buying three Quiksilver shirts and a Nike tracksuit, (he wanted two!) We met Vaughan for lunch at a restaurant we liked from two weeks previous and then met up with Sarah and Joe for a final farewell prior to getting our taxi to the airport. We all exchanged email addresses and agreed to meet up in the future? I guess that Ollie has now blagged free holidays in Auckland, San Francisco and Vancouver! We made some great friends on this trip, but we were both looking forward to leaving for home! Check-in for our return flight KLM 744 was smooth and we took off almost on time. It's been a great holiday and Ollie has ... read more
Ollie & Luciano


Oliver was the only one in our Group who elected to go on up the forest watchtower at 5:30am. He was rewarded by many bird sightings. After breakfast it was a trip to the forest airport for our flight back to Lima via Cusco. The day was a bit of a lazy one, we had a walk around the Miraflores area of Lima to look at some jewellery shops. In the evening we had a "farewell dinner" at a Chifa (Chinese/Peruvian,) restaurant with a bit of a mixed buffet. Our flight earlier was Aerocondor 222. ... read more
Riverbank
Spider
...another one


A 4am wake up call, followed by an announcement that the winds from Patagonia in Argentina had blown in overnight, so the original schedule had to be put back 3 hours. Eventually we got to go downriver to an oxbow lake just off the Rio Tambopata. On the lake we spotted numerous birds and a caiman. But we were out of luck when we took up piranha fishing! Just before lunch, we took a hike through the jungle to a clay lick where evidently Macaws come to feed on a regular basis, unfortunately we were out of luck again! However, after lunch we had a trip downriver to a Medical Centre. This was no ordinary Centre though! We were introduced to a Shaman dressed in a hand-made bark costume. Through an interpreter we were introduced to ... read more
Rainforest
Canopy
Piranha fishing


An 8am start today with a trip to Cusco Airport. Aerocondor flight 221 to Puerto Maldonado was a short flight into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. We took a motorised canoe-like boat to our Lodge, but on the way we were treated to an eco-friendly lunch of rice and vegetables within a huge leaf which we threw into the river after we were finished. After settling into our "open-plan" rooms, we took a walk into the forest and up a 120 foot tower which took us above the tree canopy. There we observed a couple of brightly coloured Macaws and some Spix birds, but it sooon got dark. After dinner we had an early night due to the fact that we had a full day ahead of us!... read more
Tambopata River
All orange!
Amazon Rainforest

South America » Peru » Cusco » Cusco July 9th 2007

Not a particularly hectic day today in Cusco. A bit of sightseeing involved a visit to the main square where there is the Catholic Cathedral and Jesuit churches that dominate two sides. Oliver was not impressed by the gold leaf and silver plate on show everywhere! We also visited the monastery of Santo Domingo which, as most colonial buildings in Cusco are built on top of Inca temples, using their solid and precision built foundations, which have proved to be earthquake proof! Five hundred years ago, the Coricancha, (now St. Domingo,) would have been lavishly decorated with gold, silver and fine stones, which unfortunately were stripped by the Spanish during the conquest. Also visited was the Inca Museum with objects such as mummies in baskets and pots, also "conehead" skulls of "royal" Incas. Our souvenir purchases ... read more
Coricancha
Cusco Cathedral
Jesuit Church

South America » Peru » Cusco » Inca Trail July 8th 2007

Well - the day I have anticipated for many years finally arrives, started by a 4am wake up call so that we could arrive at the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu (Intipunku,) by dawn. It was a somewhat surreal scene at the checkpoint as there were dozens of torches and flashlights which then moved in a bizarre procession around the mountain-side in the dark. After a crazy 45 minutes jog which included an almost sheer flight of steps, we reached the famous Sun Gate and looked down on Machu Picchu from a distance. Despite being within view, we still had a long walk down towards the site which was still not open. Passing a few llamas along the way, we had the opportunity for many photographs over the jaw-dropping site. A dream realised, we had a ... read more
Winay Wayna
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu 2

South America » Peru » Cusco » Inca Trail July 7th 2007

This morning, the third day of our hike saw us start our trek at 6:30am. We would be walking the best part of the day over 14km. After about an hour of walking upwards, we stopped at the Inca ruins of Runcu Raccay which was a circular building with a rectangular outbuilding probably served the purpose of a guard-post due to it's prominent position above the trail. After climbing the second pass we took a slight detour to visit the site of Sayac Marca or "inaccessible town" which was very aptly named as there were steep cliffs on three sides and a sheer row of steps to get to the site on the other. As is the case with many Inca sites, the settlement had fantastic views across the mountain ranges. After passing through the second ... read more
First pass
Lunch camp
Spectacular

South America » Peru » Cusco » Inca Trail July 6th 2007

Yesterday turned out to be a walk in the park despite my illness compared to the "killer trek" today. We started at 6:30am and went climbing and climbing until we reached "Dead Woman's Pass" where the air was so thin and the wind so raw as we were just below the snow-line! Ollie was first to the top in under 3 hours, it took me half as long again to reach the same point. The views from the top of the pass were fantastic at a "lung-busting" 4200m. The descent into our valley camp was equally tough, this time on my kness which were beginning to feel the strain. I eventually reached Pacamayo camp nearly seven hours after the start having covered 8km of the toughest hike imaginable. Ollie waited for me at the top of ... read more
Supermarket

South America » Peru » Cusco » Inca Trail July 5th 2007

After a great day yesterday, came the low point as I caught the "Inca Two-step" which left me very weak. I took three Imodium tablets to no effect. Oliver had the same problem a few days previously but was able to rest in the main. Today was very different in that it was for me the highlight of the trip - the Inca Trail. Vaughan,Ollie & I met up with three people from another GAP group - Hilario and Jane from New Zealand, (originally London & Boston USA,) and Wendy from Wales. Our trek was to start from KM82. First our team of amazing porters were selected. These porters carried over 25kg on their backs up the mountains - I hardly had the energy to even walk! The day consisted of a 6 mile hike which ... read more
Patallacta
Patallacta (2)

South America » Peru » Cusco » Sacred Valley July 4th 2007

A lie-in until 8am! Our guide for the day was Revellino who first off took us to a women's collective, along a high remote road a few miles along the Sacred Valley. There we met women busy knitting and weaving, using Alpaca wool from the animals they kept. We watched demonstartions of knitting and weaving, colouring the wool with dyes from the nearby plants and of course the finished articles which we were invited to buy! Next a visit to Pisac ruins high in the mountains, which were steep but an amazing sight. Unfortunately we bumped into a Forest fan who was on a 6 month tour of South America but meeting up with his parents in Peru. After a good hour walking the extensive ruins we left for the fine market down in the valley ... read more
Weaving
Sacred Valley
Sacred Valley (2)




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