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Published: November 7th 2009
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We don't need telling
The circum-navigation begins... Off to Cuzco
And so our real circumnavigation of the globe begins. We're off to Cuzco in Peru to spend a few days acclimatizing before we begin our slightly unconventional trek through the Andes.
It's a very early start. We're all packed up again, minus some of the things we needed specifically for Africa and while this is the biggest excursion away from home during this trip it's also our third so we feel confident that we've got exactly what we'll need as we zoom through the deserted streets of London towards Heathrow.
At the airport we chance upon the business section of WH Smith's and there's a copy of a management journal called "Teams That Click". How Dilbert-esque. We're not sorry to be going far far away from all that for a while.
We fly Iberia to Madrid, which is what you'd expect, though we had to buy breakfast. However, the flight from Madrid to Lima was bit of a shocker. We really recommend avoiding Iberia by all means necessary - the attendants only thought to feed us after people started to get agitated about 2 1/2 hours into the flight with some dried out pasta
and you had to go and get anything else like water yourself.
After a flight through the jetlag twilight zone we arrive at Lima at about 6.30 local time (they've done a good job of the airport) and we're directed to our driver who's come to get us from the Mariel Hotel. The traffic in Lima is a bit loco with the minibuses which carry around the locals darting about everywhere and every crossroads needing to be approached with a quick sign of the cross - it's clearly a very spread out city with clear Spanish and American influences. It's charming in a mildly naff sort of way, with no really tall buildings it's spread out over a large area.
We're welcomed into the Mariel with some Pisco sours (we immediately now have a new favourite drink) which we just about manage with dinner before passing out.
The next morning there's the sea mist over Lima - apparently it's always like this at this time of year - and the daytime version of the vague chaos of the city can be seen from our window. The slightly naff general decor and attitude fits in well with Sue's
Alpaca!
Our new favourite animal description of this part of the world being "The Land of the Plastic Jesus".
Back to Lima airport we get our quick flight to Cuzco and are treated to what I can only describe as the most impressive landing I've ever experienced. Make no mistake, what with turbulence, extra yawing and very variable thrust the plane banked in below the mountain tops and coasted in to a halt like it was on rails. Well done captain.
We can immediately feel that we are at 3400m. Everything feels a bit strange and carrying the luggage is hard work. We're met by a driver for the Amaru Hostel II who's very enthusiastic about the fact we're taking the Salkantay trail and not the main Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Cuzco is a bit of a sprawl in a shallow valley between the mountains. Narrow paved streets buzzing with mini Daewoo Tico taxis with red tiled roofs and churches and modern buildings built on top of Inca foundations.
If you stay in the main 'touristic' sections it's pretty safe and easy not to get lost. We do a quick bit of looking around San Blas where we're staying and
Salkantay peak from the Cuzco rooftops
...though we didn't know it at the time. down into the square. On our way back we chance upon a little girl in traditional dress with an alpaca, which Sue nearly died for and even Tim had to admit was pretty cute - just like a stumpy hairy good-natured camel. Although we really thought the girl should have been in school we had to have a picture and she drove a pretty hard bargin, not wanting our dollars and fleecing us for more solas than we'd have preferred to part with. Later on we saw her again at a market stand and she had us well sussed: "Buy me something so that I can feed the alpaca!" Nice try, kid.
We just about manage to hold on until dark to be rewarded with a sight of the statue of Jesus illuminated in bright white light beaming down over the town. Rio, eat your heart out.
The next day is pretty much written off due to altitude sickness. It's something to watch out for and creeps up on you. Sure, you're going to feel pretty tired and not really up for eating much, but Tim got headaches and Sue had a bit of trouble breathing. The solution
Fashion statement
Sue proving that it really is impossible to be unhappy in a poncho was to keep ingesting cocoa products sold by a handy shop around the corner - a treatment much favoured by the locals. I assure you, there's nothing dodgy about this - and it did seem to offer some relief. We didn't even have any dinner - the jetlag and altitude effects catching up with us really badly.
The next day we both go off to get a massage - Tim's ankle still isn't quite right after Africa and then have a really nice rooftop lunch where we can see the whole of the Cuzco and off in the distance a white-topped mountain peak. Little did we know at the the time that this was the Salkantay, the pass below which would be our objective in a few days time.
A brief shopping expedition ends with Sue buying a matching poncho and hat, proving the Boosh Theorem of Poncho Happiness - that it's impossible to be unhappy in a poncho. Apologies to Rich and Rich from Tim - it would have been just too much to mail you back a couple or lug them all around the world.
That night we have our briefing for the Salkantay trek that we're about to embark on - we meet Dalmiro our lead guide and our assistant guide Danny together with the eight other participants in the journey, consisting of Americans, French and other Brits. Altogether it seems we've a very sound bunch and we're looking forward to an interesting trek.
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