Advertisement
Published: December 24th 2008
We left you after our adventures on the Inca Trail back at the end of November. Now, about 6 weeks in to our South American adventure, there have been many memorable moments to share...
Cuzco: without a doubt our favourite city so far. Really pleasant place to spend some time. We spent 3 days here before the Inca trek as well as 2 days after. The Plaza de Armas is a great place to hang out and around. There are many cafe/restaurants overlooking the beautiful Plaza where we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere in the afternoons, always with a coffee or cervesa in hand. Another highlight was wandering up to San Blas, checking out the art and craft shops along the way (we even purchased ourselves a Peruvian painting to take home) and seeing the famous 12 sided Inca stone. The wall itself was actually part of the palace of the 6th Inca. Just around the corner from this a puma and a snake can be seen in the stones which make up the wall if you have a hell of an imagination (and perhaps if you stand on your head says Lotty who clearly couldn't see it). The Cathedral
complex bordering the north-east side of the Plaza is well worth a visit when in Cuzco. The complex is made up of the Cathedral as well as two adjoining churches. The tour of the complex includes an informative audio guide and the most fascinating aspects include the silver alter, carved choir, an Inca vault and an interpretation of The Last Supper featuring cuy (traditional Peruvian cuisine - guinea pig!). Paddy's was a place which we frequented often. This Irish pub allowed Steve to catch up on his Champions League football and Lotty was never far from a bathroom (not feeling 100% at this point, turned out to be a nasty bug that a course of antibiotics fixed). Jack's became a breakfast saviour - real coffee at last, not 3 day old cold syrup mixed with hot water or a variation of! We had an amusing experience on our last afternoon. While hanging around the Plaza in the hope of catching Shano (Lotty's friend) we suddenly found ourselves the centre of attention for a group if school children. They all wanted photos taken with the 'gringos'. Even the teacher got in on the action. We initially found this amusing and I'm
Cute little streets
Monasterio Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Perusure it would have continued for hours had we not got creeped out and escaped. One final experience to tick off the list before saying goodbye to Cuzco - Steve had to try cuy. That's right, guinea pig. They cook it in it's full form (minus the fur, but head and paws still in tact) and it is considered a traditional delicacy to be enjoyed on special occasions. Once you get past the physical presentation of it (or put a napkin over it's head so it stops looking at Lotty) it's actually not too bad. Biggest complaint - far too fiddly and too little meat for the effort and cost.
Arequipa: another really beautiful city that we moved on to after Cuzco. As nice as it was, we felt that not a lot of time needed to be spent here. Similar to Cuzco, it has a stunning Plaza de Armas which is very large and has a lot of gardens as well as a central water feature. Exceptionally grand buildings, which are made out of white volcanic stone, surround the Plaza. Two sites here that shouldn't be missed - the Museo Santury and the Monasterio Santa Catalina. The first
Streets
Monasterio Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru is a university run museum where 'Juanita the ice princess' is on display. She was a child sacrifice made to the mountain gods and her mummified body, as well as many other artifacts, were discovered in excellent condition. She was preserved because she was buried by ice which melted only when a nearby volcano was eruptingng allowing the expedition that discovered her to take place. Because of her condition when she was discovered she is now displayed in an ice box to continue the preservation. The tour around the museum is done by volunteers for a small tip and it is fascinating. The second must-see site, Monasterio Santa Catalina, is a city within a city. It has only recently been opened to the public and for hundreds of years was where a community of nuns from well off backgrounds lived. Now it is a maze of narrow and twisting streets, numerous garden oasis, living quarters, staircases leading to nowhere and water fountains. The colours used throughout are awesome - earthy reds, sky blues and charcoal greys, and the contrast of the cactus works perfectly. Every obscure window hides a surprise view and an excellent photo opportunity!
Lake Titicaca: well
Stairs to nowhere
Monasterio Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru known as not only South America´s largest lake but also the highest navigable lake in the world. The sheer size of this body of water is incredible. At times when you are unable to see any land across the other side, you could be excused for believing that it is actually an ocean. The lake is home to many unique communities. This is our final stop in Peru before heading in to Bolivia. A two day/one night tour was almost too easy to organise once arriving in Puno, even after 9pm. The following morning we were collected from our hostel and made our way to the port with about 20 other people. We boarded a boat and travelled for an hour out to the floating island of Uros. Greeted by the inhabitants in their colourful traditional dress, we were invited to spend some time with them and learn about their way of life. The islands are made from totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake. We were given a demonstration on how they create and maintain the islands (the reeds rot gradually from the bottom and need to be replenished. As well as using the reeds to
Laundry area
Monasterio Santa Catalina, Arequipa, Peru create the actual island, they are also used to build houses, make crafts and as a food. The people were very friendly and welcoming, inviting us in to their huts and answering any questions that we had. Another 3 hours on the boat took us to the second island - Amantani. This is where we have the opportunity to spend the night with a local family. We are introduced to Nancy and head up to her house, about a 30 minute walk up from the port. When we arrive Nancy prepares a late lunch for us and while we wait we meet her daughter Anna and Senior Rosa, her father. As a group we all meet up again in the afternoon for a hike up to one of the two temples (Pachitata - Temple of the Father and Pachimama - Temple of the Mother) situated towards the centre of the island and overlooking the communities below. A spectacular thunder and lightening storm forms in the distance and closes in around us. We enjoy the show while Nancy prepares yet another fantastic meal for us. After dinner we present Nancy with some gifts we have bought for her and her family
- a bag of rice and some lollipopsps for little Anna. The whole community gets together for some evening entertainment for the benefit of everyone visiting the island. Nancy brings us some traditional clothes to dress in and we head up to the local hall for music and dancing. We say farewell to Nancy and her family the following morning and depart the island at about 8am, heading for our third and final island - Taquile. This island is about 7 square kms in size and home to a Quechuan speaking community. They are largely unaffected by modern development and have some strong traditions which are obvious to us as visitors. The craft of weaving is a huge influence in their lives and once we hike the 40 minutes up the terraced landscape to the main Plaza, we are able to observe this in their dress as they go about their day. Lunch takes place at a communal restaurant. Every week five families work together at the restaurant and this is rotated through the community so that everyone benefits from the profits. The meal is incredible - grilled trout that couldn't get any fresher. The journey back to Puno in
Reed bundles
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca the afternoon is infuriatingly slow. Our guide fed us some rubbish about a speed restriction on the lake - sounded feasible at the time. We soon realised that this was a lie when every other boat overtook us along the way.
Goodbye Peru, hello Bolivia! We took a bus from Puno, through Copacabana (quaint little hippy village), and on to La Paz. Awesome scenery to enjoy along the way as we follow the Lake Titicaca shore and ahead of us are the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain range. One concerning moment during the journey as there was a stretch of water to cross and we watched our bus board a decidedly dodgy looking barge powered by a 55hp outboard motor!
La Paz: first impressions - probably the most developed of the places that we have visited so far. It´s a city that we neither like or dislike. We end up basing ourselves from here for a while as we head off to explore the different areas surrounding and returning for a couple of days each time in between. On the advice given to us by our friends Gav and Sarah we stay at Loki while in
Eating the reeds
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca La Paz, on the larger side of the hostels that we usually choose but great facilities and ideal in a big city for meeting up with other travellers. On our first night we meet up with Arnie and Jenny from the Inca trail. It wasnt a planned meeting, just all happened to be in the same Indian restaurant at the same time - proof yet again that this is such a small world that we live in. It is great to see them again one last time before they head back to Ireland. We use the first day here to explore the city - the Plaza Pedro D Murillo where we are fortunate to catch some kind of military parade taking place, a wander up to Parque Mirador Laikakota for views over the city and Mt Illamani in the distance, a visit to the Museo de Coca and finally a walk through the Witches Market where one can pick up a baby llama foetus if so desired! This is also where I celebrate my birthday, not a bad place to turn 29 at all! Steve treats me to a nice dinner at a restaurant recommended by our guide for the
Reed boats
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca Death Road bike trip. We didn´t realise how far away from the main part of the city it was and started getting a little worried as we watched the lights of La Paz disappear through the back window of the taxi. Bs20 later (approximately USD3 and the most expensive taxi ride so far for us in South America) we arrive at a very respectable looking establishment. The journey was worth it - the food was fantastic and the maitre´d thoroughly spoilt us and produced a small cake to finish up with (it was no checker cake though Mum, I´ll be needing one of those when I get to Perth!). On one of our return visits to La Paz, after the jungle but before we moved on to the southern part of the country, we take a tour of the San Pedro Prison. This is quite the controvercial tour considering it is technically considered to be illegal, however almost all gringos passing through La Paz make a point of stopping here. The prison itself is very unique as far as institutions go and it is very surreal to pass through the gates with almost no security check - we are not
searched and the metal detector is not even plugged in! Inside the prison we meet our guide Oscar who, to be perfectly honest with you, is basically crazy. He is from Argentina and is of course innocent, he got caught purchasing one gram of coke from his regular dealer - certainly sounds innocent to us! He explains to us about how things work inside the prison - there are no police within the prison walls and the prisoners in the jail are able to have their wives and families living in there with them so there are women and children wandering around, the prison operates based on a heirarchy system and prisoners pay for the cell that they occupy, they are able to start up and operate a business from within the prison, the quality of life is almost better for the prisoners within the prison walls and so although there is almost nothing from stopping them walking out the front gates, they prefer to remain inside, approximately 60% of the prisoners are inside on drug and trafficking charges. All of this is very hard to swallow as a Westerner.
Death Road: this is a must-do activity when visiting
Floating rabbit pen
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca La Paz. There are many operators offering the chance to mountain bike down the road known as ´the most dangerous in the world´. The route between La Cumbra (just outside of La Paz) and Coroico covers approximately 64Kms and decends over 3000 metres during the four hours that it takes to ride. The reason for the reputation is because the road sees a high number of fatalities annually. It is a dirt road which is extremely narrow in sections, has terrifying cliffs with drops of up to 600 metres in many sections and waterfalls which cascade down over the top of the road. The danger of the road is not in the condition itself, but in the traffic which uses the road. A couple of years ago now a second road was made to replace the Death Road and with the majority or traffic now using that road which is in much better condition, the Death Road is a much safer place. There are many stops along the way, mainly to allow groups to catch up together, and our guide Pablo had numerous stories about accidents which have happened in the past. This certainly keeps us on our toes and
Lotty
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca makes sure that we are concentrating! The scenery along this road is absolutely incredible. We experience all types of weather as we decend through the 3000 metres - from a chilly morning start at the top with snow nearby to hot and humid jungle conditions towards the bottom, thick fog and torrential downpours (it is the wet season after all!) and even some clear skies and sunshine. Although the safety of riding this road has greatly improved and Steve and I felt safe and in control at all times, Paul (one of the guys in our group) did have a stack. Nothing too serious, but he did come out at the other end with some impressive bruises and abbrassions. Just goes to show that you can´t mess with the Death Road! This was something that Steve had been wanting to do from the early stages of planning for our South America trip. For me, not so much. I am pleased to say that it was one of the best days that we have had so far - a definite highlight!
Amazon - pampas tour: this story can only be truely explained by beginning with the ridulous bus journies which
started and finished the experience. The drive from near Coroico at the end of the Death Road to Rurrenabaque (where Amazon tours in this region commence from) is an estimated 14 hours. The bus that picks us up from the side of the road is perhaps the worst to date, packed with people and no bathroom. We end up on seats at the back of the bus and we soon learn that this is the worst possible place to be. It´s not long before we realise that the dirt road we are bumping along is not going to improve and turn in to a well maintained paved surface and will in fact remain a dirt road the whole way there. Sleep was impossible as at least once every hour we would be launched in to the air. The journey was so bad that by the end all we could do was laugh about it. Our arrival in to Rurrenabaque was at 5am so it was a relief to find a hostel open where we could get some sleep before organising our jungle tour. There are two ways of seeing the jungle - a Pampas tour which takes place mostly by
Reed boat
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca boat and offers the best wildlife viewing opportunities or a Jungle tour which involves a lot of hiking through the wetlands. We chose to do a 3 day Pampas tour that travels along the River Yacuma. The tour starts with a 3 hour jeep ride from Rurrenebaque to Santa Rosa. The jeeps are far from comfortable with everyone crammed on to sideways facing bench seats. We had fairly low expectations going in to it so not too disappointed and it was a great opportunity to meet the other 6 people in the group. A terrible lunch stop along the way, we didn´t rate the food much but the animals were very entertaining - an attention seeking monkey jumping all over everyone, a deer with one antler that was jealous of the attention that the monkey was getting so it kept nudging people in the crotch with the antler, then the deer must have annoyed the pig that was waddling around so it bit the deers antler which started bleeding profusely...you can´t make this stuff up! In the afternoon, once we have loaded up the pampas boat, the journey up the river begins. It doesn´t take long for the wildlife viewing
to start - thousands of aligators lining the river banks, capibaras (large rhodents, look somewhat like a wombat), so many bird species including Birds of Paradise and herons and King Fishers, turtles, monkeys and pink dolphins. It takes us a long time to travel up the river because we are stopping so often for photo opportunities. In fact, the number of sightings of each animal is so high that we get bored of the norm and start looking for strange combinations - capibara standing among alligators and a turtle sitting on top of an alligator are two of the best. The camp where we are based for the two nights is quite a cute set up with the huts raised on stilts and mosquito nets for during the night. Sunset is enjoyed on both nights from the Sunset Bar which is a little further up the river from our camp. The short trip back to camp each night is in the dark and all we can make out is the red glow from the beady eyes of the alligators as we go past and fireflies in the trees on either side of the river. We are scheduled to wake really
Reed hut
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca early on the second and third mornings, but only if the weather is good and the skies are clear. On both days a storm comes through during the night and we are able to sleep in. We wait out the rain and thunder on the second day and after lunch it is possible for us to venture out for a spot of piranha fishing. It´s a slow start but eventually the fish start biting. Some of the bigger ones are kept and cooked up for dinner that night. On the morning of the third and final day of the tour we brave the weather and go on the search for anacondas. This is an unsuccessful exercise, possibly because there are about 30 of us stomping about, and all Steve and I manage is a number of blisters. Lesson learnt today - socks are essential when wearing gumboots!
With the Amazon tour now completed and ticked off the list we make the journey from Rurrenabaque back to La Paz. The overnight bus is scheduled to take approximately 18 hours and begins a little more positively than the last one (despite the fact that we are still sitting in the back row),
Uros community
Islas Flotantes, Lake Titicaca well it´s a little cleaner in any case. And then everything starts going down hill - the extra people crammed in on the this bus include nursing mothers as well as a woman with a monkey (the latter of which ends up sitting next to us later on in the journey), a girl sitting in the back row makes a lunge at the window to throw up, one of the rear tyres on the bus explodes so we have to stop and change it, the windows leak when it starts to rain, the bus begins to smell like urine at some point (we are thinking the worst as there is no toilet on board). Finally at about midnight the bus comes to an abrupt halt and we don´t move for a further 6 hours - there has been a landslide which blocks the road and we have to wait until morning when it is cleared. The 18 hour bus journey has now turned in to 25 hours by the time we arrive in La Paz. Still, things could be worse (or so we tell ourselves)!!!
We are just over 50 days in to our South America adventure now. We´ve
Our home stay
Isla Amantani, Lake Titicaca managed to visit so many places already and have so many experiences. So many more places to visit still...We hope that you are enjoying the stories.
Take care
Steve and Lottie
Advertisement
Tot: 0.258s; Tpl: 0.02s; cc: 14; qc: 22; dbt: 0.0707s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Tony Elliott
non-member comment
Feliz Navidad a todos nuestros lectores....
More great tales and pictures. Don't think Steve will be Maddi's favourite uncle somehow - it looked OK though. Vern looks sooo sweet....