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Published: November 27th 2008
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Our first stop in Peru was the seaside resort of Punta Sal. We camped on the beach beside a hostal. On the first day Kirsty had a whole pig ordered which we spit roasted on the beach. It ws really interesting...having been a former veggie for 15 years I am usually quite squemish when it comes to seeing my food with a head, floppy ears, curly tail and 4 feet. This time however I don´t know if it was total immersion into the practicallities of the situation, but I had no problem at all!!!! Also you don´t eat...you starve!!!! We named him Nelson!!
The second day myself, Sue and Nigel went for a walk along the beach for 2 hours!!! All along the beach were washed up fish and oyster shells. We were accompanied by the local dog called Rambo. At first we thought it was a good idea for him to come along, but it was very hot and we were worried that he wouldn´t find his way home. After trying to tell him to go home and failing miserably (he just wanted to play) at the end of the walk we had to put him in a taxi with
us. So there we are trying to get this mut into a taxi which we were paying over the odds for because we were crazy gringo´s!!!! It was a spectacle in itself!!!!
From there we travelled to another seaside resort, close to the Chan Chan ruins. Chan Chan would not look out of place in the desert of Africa. It is completely made of mud...there are intricate carvings on the walls. We had originally intended to visit in the morning, however the King and Queen of Sapin were visiting....obviously we had to change our plans. The seaside town was really nice and not that touristy. Most of the locals are fisherman and make unusual boats made of reeds and they pick the seaweed to put in a dish called cebiche...even I won´t eat that!!!
I visited Lima about 10 years ago when I went on the Inca Trail. I had in my mind a picture of the city - which bears no resemblance to the reality of the city today. Don´t get me wrong...it´s very nice place for a city....just not what I remembered. Simon, Jackie and I went to Lima´s version of Little Chef in England...not good!!!!!! We also
went to the catacombs, which I did actually remember going to years ago....they have the bones of the dead organised in pretty pattterns!!!! Disturbed if you ask me!
Arrequipa was a real gem of a place.....unfortunately we had a heavy night on Pisco Sours and I only had time to visit the Monastary...which was painted in blues and terracotta. It used to be run by a sect of wealthy nuns who lived in decadance behind the walls...more interestingly they all had double beds!!!!!
The area around Colca Canyon and Chivay was the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The sides of the valleys were littered with terraces of different colours. The journey to the canyon was really impressive climbing up the hills. The reason to visit Colca Canyon is to see the Condors....of course when we went they were being very illusive. Finally we caught a glimse of them...I don´t know what the fuss was about...they are just birds :-) OK they are pretty amazing.
All this time we had been gaining altitude...some people were beginning to feel the effects of being up high....shortness of breath, dizziness...usually due to the amount of alcohol they had been drinking!!!!
Last time
I visited Machu Picchu I was so knackered after the trek I didn´t really have time to appreciate the ruins at Machu Picchu. This time I was determined to do it in as much style as I could afford, with as little effort as possible.....so I took the train from Cusco. The train takes 4 hours to get there...an hour of this is going backwards and forwards up the mountain!!!! One of the new guys Che came with me, however because we booked our tickets seperately, we had to sit in different compartments. This was actually good because making conversation with the same person for 10 hours is difficult under the best of circumstances...let alone when you hardly know the person. Che is from Switzerland, however his parents are Turkish...I thought he was gay and said as much to him...he actually took it very well and he spent the next 2 hours trying to convince me differently. We hired a guide and it would have been excellent except for one thing......sandflies....the b****y things had a feast on my legs...by the end of the guides 2 hour explanation I looked like I had leprosy!!!!
I decided that I was fed up
with my pidgeon attempt at Spanish...so I enrolled in 10 hours of lessons in Cusco, Jackie from the truck came along. The woman delivers babies for a living and yet gets flustered with the thought of going to Spanish lessons!!! Our Teacher was called Silvia and very nice too. She only spoke to us in Spanish which was daunting at first, but made us listen harder. I´m not sure my Spanish has improved but it was fun!!! Muy Bien!!! On Sunday there was a parade in the plaza of people all dressed up in traditional costume and a religous monument was taken around the town.
We went for a day trip to the floating Islands on Lake Titicaca, and although very touristy the trip was great fun, the weather was glorious and it gave me the oportunity to photograph the locals without having to do it in secret. Walking on the islands feels like walking on a matress!
Next into Bolivia......
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