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Published: March 27th 2010
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Hola amigos y familia
Wow. We have officially been to five countries in less than a month! We are writing this bulletin from an internet cafe in Cuzco - the navel of the incan empire according to our guide - in peru.
after receiving an email from one of our subscribers explaining that she was able to win a trivia night after knowing that la paz is in bolivia there will be some more geographic facts and trivia to add to your educations!!
After signing off the last bulletin, we went to a bolvian folk night where we heard an amazing all women band called the pachamamas perform while ev ticked off another animal - the llama.
To further enhance your educations i have included below an extract from ev's forthcoming travel book - the fauna of the americas - a gastronomic tour!!
1. llama - tastier than beef and very lean. grill well - to eliminate parasites - and serve with carrots
2. lake titicaca trout - just bloody delicious. lightly pan fried with hand cut chips is best way. wash down with Inca Cola - bubble gum flavor and a bright yellow colour
to match the chips
3. hand caught piranha - first swim in the river to attract piranha - most effective if you have bleeding cuts from wetlands walking. when the nibbling starts get out promptly. then catch your own piranha with a bamboo fishing pole. to tell a good piranha check out the size of its teeth. if really sharp lightly flour and pan fry whole. not that good an eating fish but hey, better for us to eat them than for them to eat us!
4. argentinian steak - doesnt matter where you go best bloody steak in the world! if you look like you are really enjoying it fellow diners will offer you extras. bring your own family heirloom extra sharp steak knife - we bought ours in buenos aires.
5. parilla bbq - at least seven different somewhat indistinguishable bits of cow pig and chook including intestines and blood sausages cooked on an outdoor bbq and presented at your table over hot coals. recommend dining with a vegetarian to ensure you receive your fair share of the meat.
6. watch out for tamales - warning - this attractive looking street stall snack wrapped
in corn husk contains no american fauna at all! only sweet corn meal, approach with caution
Our time in la paz - world's highest city - was wonderful despite the shortcomings of our accommodation. The showers in bolivia and peru are heated with an electric element which heats the water as it flows over the element. what this means in practice is the water is never heated to a satisfactory level. see ev's travel tip #2.
we loved the colourful bustle of la paz with indigenous women wearing what we have come to know as their traditional costume of petticoat, wide ruffled flared skirt, shirt, and a shawl that matches the skirt and often a blanket as well. this whole ensemble is topped with a great felt hat and their hair is worn in two long plaits down their backs. it is an amazing look.
we took a day tour out to the valley of the moon (valle de luna) where we were met with astounding natural formations caused by erosion that really did look like alien landscapes. a trip to the zoo allowed us to see about twenty jaguars - some at feeding time where we
saw a whole rabbit torn apart and in the reptile house we were mesmerised by a python as he swallowed his rabbit whole. recommend not being a rabbit in la paz or a cow in argentina! we also saw the standard array of andean llamas and alpacas and vicunas.
on our return to the city we spotted a street game of soccer and a tradtional wedding complete with mariachis.
from la paz we caught a delightfully short three hour bus to copacabana on the southern bank of lake titicaca. This amazing lake is more than 230km long and 97km wide. it stretches endlessly to the horizon like an ocean. the water is crystal clear aquamarine and the surrounding landscape feels more like the mediterranean than the andes.
copacabana is a beautiful touristy town that is home to the world famous virgin of copacabana which we completely forgot to go and look at. if you do go there please take a picture for us!!
from here we caught a boat to the isla del sol which is the birthplace of the incan gods and home to some great little ruins and a looong hot hike across the
ridge of the island.
Ev's travel tip #1 - give up smoking looong before attempting all day mountain treks at high altitudes over 3800 meters
that night after our hike and in need of a hot shower and dinner we were visited by the gods of darkness as the entire town plunged into a blackout!!! i stayed at the hotel and got some shut eye while ev inevitably ventured out into the heart of darkness for grilled meat. thanks carinne for the little torch as this was invaluable for hunting and gathering.
there followed another bus ride to puno and a chance to cross another border into peru. our purpose in visitng puno was to go to the uros islands and visit the floating reed village peoples. the uros folk built massive reed islands anchored by eucalypt branches and took to the lake to avoid the incas. they are still there all these years later but now have satellite cable television and direct international dialling - as well as tapestries and reed boats for us tourists. this was a truly unique experience and a real highlight. walking on the spongy reed islands and watching the kids doing
sommersaults was enchanting.
there followed a truly horrific bus ride to cusco. arriving at midnight - only three hours late - without accommodation or a clue we were easy prey for the touting hordes at the bus terminal. luckily we managed to secure a four hundred year old stable / servants quarters complete with a wooden door that locks with a padlock, missing floor boards and cobbled courtyard. unfortunately this horrific journey had another casualty - somehow leah's day pack went missing between terminal and stable so apologies to everyone whose presents were in there!!!
our first day in cusco dawned bright and early and we were immediately whisked off on our first of many inca ruin tours. sasqywuman - or sexy woman as the guide pronounced it - was a highlight. this was the fort from which the incas last stand against the conquistador spanish was fought. it is incredible and features the mortar free masonry for which they were justly famous. according to ev's military analysis the incas had the high ground and should not have lost. apparently the sun god was overcast that day......
Ev' travel tip # 2 - all south american showers
are "heated" by two threadbare wires running down the shower nozzle to a heating element in the shower head. If you consider your shower too cold DO NOT attempt to adjust wires to improve temperature while soaking wet standing in a pool of water - the reslting electric shock may put you off your breakfast.
cusco is an amazing city. all narrow cobbled streets and high, exhausting stairs to climb back to our stable. there are ancient churches, built over the top of incan temples, and a lively bustle of street activity. if dining in cusco never ever agree to a table before securing a promise of a free pisco sour!!
we have visited most of the trekking companies in town and have settled on an adventure trek to machu picchu which involves mountan biking down the side of a mountain during which our altitude drops by 2000 metres! this will such an incredible experience!
we are feeling quite chipper this morning following our best breakfast of the trip at an aussie cafe called Jacks. if in cusco you must come here as it is the only chance for a proper cooked brekkie including bacon eggs and
the worlds best frappe!! we found it by the method of first finding an irish pub then asking for directions to jacks based on prevoiusly gathered intelligence from a south african couple we met in brazil!! truly worth the effort of discovering.
well we are off to visit the sacred valley and the inca fort of ollataytambo and a market. hope australia and the rest of the world is good and happy and we send our love and stuff flying your way. thanks for all the emails with news of home and to my mum for keeping us updated on the political situation in bolivia!
leah and evan.
xxxx
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