Blogs from Cusco, Peru, South America - page 431

- FOOD: Well deserved huge pizza after walking for hours. Coffee and cake on the first class train back. - AREA: WOW, worth it's status as a prime tourist site. Amazing, smooth rocked architecture, cool acoustics, stunning forested mountained backdrop, spiritual rocks. Climb up the famous Waynapicchu mountain and down to the Temple of the Moon through jungle scenery. - PEOPLE: Not too many to begin with but a mass of American tourists by the end. Excitable adults on the first class train back when the 'entertainment' came on - an alpaca fashion show! - WEATHER: Glorious sunrise over the site. Sat 18th: We got up very early to get to Machu Picchu (it means 'old mountain' in Quechuan) for sunrise. I tagged along with the tour group Stephen was on but got left behind as ... read more

More bad things but I also went horse riding, which was very good. I bought some jeans, you see, so I could. They're a bit tight, but tight is warm, right? That's how they wear them round here and they're also good for riding. At first, I thought I'd made a big mistake by saying I had experience because my pony was massively unruly, and I thought they'd given me an unbroken one or something because they thought I was a cowgirl. Honestly, he started off like Buckaroo incarnate, only without the very still bit at the beginning. However, once we got into a group with other horses and after a little while, we seemed to come t... read more

Day 2 Still got my butt kicked! We had to go trought dead women pass wich is at 4200 meters above the sea level. The air is very very thin and every step is a challenge. Andre decided to hike the way the porters do: with sandals on! His feet got better and he still made it to the dead woman pass an hour before I did. My hips, knees and shoulders hurt; I can´t wait to go to bed and get some sleep as the first night was freezing! Thank goodness for coca leaves!!... read more

Normally, I wouldnt have put "role" instead of "roll" - I put this down purely to tiredness, not my regressed spelling age. I actually don´t know how to spell acommodation, however. My Spanish phrasebook is annoying me. It doesn´t tell you how to say "I need", "there was" or even "because". "Because" must be in there somewhere, surely. Nontheless, I´m going to buy a real Spanish-English dictionary. Though perhaps this will be difficult. I failed again today to buy a notebook. They had authentic-looking, leather bound, recycled-paper appearing things, but I want something like you get in a Intermarche, Cherbourg - lined and flexible.... read more

- FOOD: Nothing much to report here for once. - AREA: High season and fully booked up. Not used to this. Ollantaytambo is a small village with a relazed feel with a fantastic Inca fortress, old Inca plaza and hills to climb (steep and hard work though). Cheap, nice hostel. - PEOPLE: Chatty locals. Wish I could chat more than the basics with them. Old man begging for money and crying. Heartbreaking. Cute local boy who decided to be my guide for climbing the hill. Other cute locals who demand money! - WEATHER: Burning sun. Thur 16th: I left my backpack behind in the hostal as it's family run and seems safe, asked them 10 times if I could DEFINITELY have the room on my return. They smiled sweetly as said "Si, si" but didn't write ... read more