Blogs from Cusco, Cusco, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 46

So life in cusco is pretty awesome. Walking the narrow (dangerous for crazy motorists) cobble stone steets. Its true you are harrassed at every moment to buy something but you can always try running. lol. plus a three course meal for less that 2 dollars is not a challenge to find. i´ve mostly been shopping, but am DONE now. gorgeous alpaca, hats, scarfs and mits for 2 or 3 dollars, but 70 dollars to ship all the crap i bought. so today me and one of my argentinian friends, Huakin, went exploring way up high the sights above cusco. then for 5 bucks we rented two horses for 2 hours with a little guy that tries to run after us. holy crappers!!! i´ve never really ridden before. i got a 2 minute crash course and slap ... read more

Yes its official, here in Peru I could be classed as a tall long legged blond for the first and probably only time in my life! :) Well its been a hectic 10 days here in the Andes with lots of climbing, magnificent sights, more climbing, early starts and yet more climbing!!! I can´t say I´ve developed a life long passion for climbing. Its been a long hard slog but the views at the end worth it. We departed Lima on the 12th for Arequippa, which is a very pretty town. No sooner had we arrived when they whisked us off for a city tour followed by a Monastery tour. Didn´t even notice we had arrived at 2,300m! Unfortunately we had some camera technical malfunction with the screen of my digital going caput. So the rest ... read more

The next few weeks are going to be very exciting. On Saturday (March 21), I am leaving Cusco for Lima, Peru’s capital. I’m not sure exactly what we will be doing there but I believe a day at the beach is involved. After spending 7 days in Lima, we will be moving on the Amazon. Once again, not sure all of what we will be doing but I know that we be spending time with local Shamans. Our home base will be in Iquitos to which there are no roads. We’ll be there in the Amazon, the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve to be exact, with the boas and mosquitoes for about another week. I’m a little nervous about malaria and the interesting insects that I’ll encounter in the jungle but all in all I’m excited. After we get ... read more

lol. just kidding!!! The title sounds dirtier than it is! Jaime the hostel manager made me put the last bit in. RECAP - thanks Gina and Ana-Maria (the german girls) for wandering Arequipa, and the tiny little towns surrounding it with me!! so basically i recovered from altitude sickness episode numero uno, and a group of us (us plus Adres and Cecilia) went to some small town to look at an old mill and then wander up some farm terraces into deshelved quaint neighbourhoods, following the sounds of small explosions- like fireworks or guns. probably fireworks as there was tons of smoke. however after several kilometers and the loss of sunlight we decided to ask a bus going in the wrong direction if they were perhaps going in the right direction.... lol.. go figure.. but as ... read more

Hello all! I´m still in Cuzco but am feeling much more acclimated to the altitude. My poor old heart is getting a work out! Spent yesterday visiting three sites, Tambomachay, Pukapukara and Saksaywaman (phonetically sounds like ´sexy woman´). If I didn´t think 3400 m was high enough, Tambomachay is just short of 4000 m, like I said, my poor little heart... Truly incredible sites, hard to describe the size of the stones on these sites, specifically Saksaywaman. My guide book says the largest ones weigh over 300 tons, and judging from the size, I´d believe it. Lots of tourists but I manage to find some moments of quiet solitude at these ruin sites. Sorry, still at the same internet cafe so no pics but I´ll post as soon as I can. I´ve also come to realize ... read more