MERRY CHRISTMAS

It's Even Christmas at the
"Museo del Canal Interoceanico de Panama"
In Panama City!

Aguas Calientes, and Ollantaytambo

Picture 1 - Guinea Pig Lunch
Picture 2-4 - Ollantaytambo Inca Ruins

More Machu Piccu Pictures

Picture 1-3 - Machu Picchu
Picture 4- A crazy Lama at Machu Picchu
Picture 5 - Our hiking group and our awesome guide Lenny.

Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Picture 1 - Ruins we viewed on day three before Machu Picchu
Picture 2 - The Porter group and us celebrating
Picture 3 - 5am day 4 at the Sun Gate. Just prior to our descent to Machu Picchu
Picture 4 - All the trail hikers at the Sun Gate
Picture 5 - Machu Picchu!!

Pictures - Inca Trail Day 3

Inca Trail - Our favourite adventure so far.

On Saturday 11 December we started to panic because we had not been able to reach our tour company to let them know where we needed to be picked up on Monday 13 December for the Inca Trail Trek. Finally we were able to reach someone at the head office in Lima and were told there would be an information session on Sunday. At the information session we met the rest of our trekking group (three young Australians – Tim, Chris and Hamish and our guide Lenny who the other guides called Antonia Bandarias). Scott fit in with the boys as they bonded over popular media of course including Star Wars, sci-fi, and boy jokes. On Sunday I had the stomach flu all day and was very worried about starting the trek the next day. Luckily the bug cleared up and we were good to go at 6 AM on Monday to start the 45 km long Inca Trail. The first day we hiked about 6 hours covering around 11 km. At about noon it started to pour; just in time for the uphill portion. Despite being cold and wet it was a very cool hike up to our campsite. We were all very excited for tea time as we were cold to the bone. It continued to rain throughout the night and we prayed it would not rain the next day, as this would be our hardest part of the trek. It was sunshine when we woke up, which we were all very excited about. The day was divided into four parts. We started hiking at 7am and hiked 400 meters up mostly through the forest to an altitude of 3700 m. We then took a short break and trekked the rest of the way up to an altitude of 4200 m. The last 100 meters was tough, as at that height above sea level the air is thin and it was hard to catch our breath and we must have stopped at least 10 times with the peak in plain sight... it was a struggle. Once we were all at the top we descended straight down the other side of the mountain for 45 minutes following a waterfall that at times was running right beside and under the path. At the bottom we had lunch, and then were off to trek another 45 minutes up another mountain from 3600 to 3950 meters and then down again, where we crossed a river and set up camp on the other side. Each day our guide Lenny would take us to various Inca ruins along the way. They were all very different and astonishing. It was hard to imagine that the Inca’s could build such large cities, temples and terraces for agriculture in the mountain tops, made of intricate stone work.

Lenny let us know that there are about 300 trekkers on the trail and about 200 porters/guides. A group of about 30 trekkers including us were trekking much further than the other groups each day, which I thought was great as it made our third day of trekking much easier. On the third day we had beautiful weather. We hiked about 30 minutes slowly up and were able to take picturesque photos from the top of a mountain. Then we descended down, down and more down for about 2 hours. We made it to camp by about 12:30 pm and were done for the day. Wednesday was our celebration day. We had beers with the porters said our thanks to them for all their hard work. We were able to have a shower and went in early as the final day we had to be up by 3:30 am to start our trek by 4:30 am. On Thursday, our final day we hiked for about an hour to the “Sun Gate” which looks down on Machu Picchu; however it was very foggy and we were unable to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu. We then trekked down to Machu Picchu and completed a two hour tour with Lenny. Following this we said our goodbyes and wished him a Merry Christmas as he had to catch a train at 12:00. By the end of the trek we were a very closely knit group and it was sad to say good bye. During the trek Scott and I had come to be known as the mother and father of the group and the three Australians were our niño’s (baby’s). The boys have also made me an official member of the boy’s club.

On a side note let me tell you that the Inca Trail is hard but the way they set it up makes it so much easier. The Porters, which we had 6 carry all the camping gear and have your tent set up when you get to the site. They also cook all the meals which always included a soup, a main, and a dessert. The food was incredible. The porters are something else they are these little men that carry up to 28kg of weight in bags on their back up and down the same trail we hike. Lenny told us that most porters are farmers but that they also work as porters as it is now a good paying job and has good regulations. We made sure to tip the porters well as you just can’t believe how they are able to do what they do. They are amazing hardworking people.

After Machu Picchu Scott and I and our three boys headed to Aguas Calientes which literally means “hot Water”, as this community has a hot spring there. In Aguas Calientes we had lunch and drinks together. One of the boys Hamish ordered Guinea Pig, which is a Peruvian dish. All the boys tried it and it came out actually looking like a deep fried Guinea Pig on its belly with its mouth full of coriander. We had tons of laughs and then said our goodbye’s as they were heading to Lima and Huacachina to go sandboarding and we were staying in Aguas Calientes for a night to enjoy the hot springs. We couldn’t have asked to spend four days trekking with a more fun group of people. On a sad note Hamish was sad to find out that the gift shop did not have a tee shirt with the slogan “I survived the Inca Trail so toughen the fuck up!”.

The next day we took the only transportation out of Aguas Calientes, which is a very slow train to Ollantaytambo. There we had lunch and then booked it over to some more Inca ruins and more Inca stairs; however it was definitely worth it, as all the ruins have something unique at each site. We then grabbed a taxi from Ollantaytambo to Cusco. The drive takes over an hour and the driver only charged us 20 soles or $8. It sounded too good to be true; however we soon found out why it was so cheap. Along the way we picked up a mother her young son and infant, another lady and a man who rode in the hatchback. At one point we had 7 people in a very small car, it made for a laugh and funny conversation once we got to Cusco. Think clown car. Then it was onto supper which we decided would be a chocolate croissant and apple turnover gotta love vacations!

Pictures - Inca Trail Day 1 and 2

Cusco, Peru continued

Pictures
1- Peruvian cultural dance performance
2- Native women by the river. Carrying their children in a back shall is very normal.
3- Cusco Cathedral on the Plaza de Armes
4- Went to Moras - Saw the agricultural research sight. Each level changes by several degress celsius.
5- Salt mines - at Salinas

Cusco, Peru

From Copacabana we took the bus all day long back up the coast of Lake Titicaca through Puno and onto Cusco. Cusco is a very large city situation and occupying an entire valley. The houses especially evident at night with their light twinkling the valley rising up into the surrounding hills. On top of one of the hills is the light up statue of Jesus painted a bright light, just next to him on another hill are ruins of an Inca Temple that have stone work that a very skilled mason would be envious. The stones at this ruins site called Sacsayhuaman are up to 20 feet high and are interlocked so tightly that you could not even slip a piece of paper between them ... no mortar what so ever. Down below the city is active with more and more cabbies flowing through the streets. In the central part of town surrounding the Plaza de Armes all the streets and sidewalks is cobblestone that adds so much to the entire experience of an ancient city that has survived numerous earthquakes. The streets are full of touts selling paintings, handicrafts, shoe shines, massages, restaurants and of course trips to all over the Sacred Valley. The area from Cusco to Machu Picchu is called the Sacred Valley due to the ancient trails of the Incas to the temples and house of kings. Cusco self-titled historical and cultural capital of South America. Thus far in Cusco we have toured numerous museums, ruins, a statue of an Inca King that is on top of a 9 story tower, a cultural dance show and among others one of the beautiful churches we have ever seen El Cathedral which is the centre piece of the Plaza de Armes. Inside the Cathedral every wall is covered with massive paintings depicting Christian events tied together with ancient Quechan traditions with local stories. The stone work for the pillars and central domed roofs are just magnificent. Each nave of the church has wooden door ways that are at least 50 feet tall and each of two doors 10 feet wide. Inside the doors are alters carved out of wood and covered with 24 karat gold leaf foil and there are at least 12 of these not including the central alter that is covered in 2000 kg of silver plating. We cannot forget to mention that the food in Cusco has been unforgettable... with all the tourists that visit this city each year there are so many restaurants to choose from that makes every meal a hard decision on where or what type of food you want to eat. Despite numerous attempts for both of us to make excuses not to do the Inca Trail ... we have decided to have a go and make the 45 km trail to the ancient city of Machu Picchu. Cusco continued on next blog entry.

Isla Del Sol, Bolivia

Isla Del Sol or “Island of the Sun” is where the first Inca’s were said to have lived (Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo) after breaking free from the Northern Chavin culture and moving south. We took a 2 hour boat over to the island at 8 AM and were hiking the island by 10 AM. Circling the island takes about 6 hours, is 12 km’s and goes up and down various hills, which reaches a highest elevation of 4200 m. It was a beautiful day and so we took beautiful pictures. There were so many stairs up, up and more up along the spine of the island, but this was great practice for the Inca Trail which reaches the same elevation and is known for its thousands of stairs. Along the hike we saw some famous Inca ruins, the Sacred Rock and reached the other side of the island by 4:30 PM. We traveled down multiple sets of stairs before reaching an area with hostels and restaurants, where we were greeted by a 10 year old boy entrepreneur who convinced us to stay at his hostel. He even took us to our room took our money, wrote down our passport information and signed us in. It had gotten very cold and we were tired and so we both took a quick nap before supper (I napped in my toque). Then we hiked back up, up and more up the stairs to eat at a restaurant over looking out at the sunset. A storm was rolling in, so there was no sunset but the view was still amazing and a three course meal for $7 each by candlelight is worth the hike even minus the sunset. The next morning we were back on the boat back to Copacabana. They filled the boat so full we were all very nervous that the boat would capsize. The boat was being rocked by the waves and so the lady next to us had to stand the whole way to deal with her sea sickness. We made it to shore though and were off to the bus station for our 10 hour bus ride to Cusco.

Copacabana, Bolivia

The bus to the Bolivian border crossing was quite beautiful as it followed along the Lake Titicaca coastline that is full of farm fields busy with people getting the fields ready for planting for the summer that is just beginning. The bus was full of gringos and relatively few local people so we had numerous conversations with a group of 4 Australian fellows that were touring South America, a couple other Aussies, an American and various other friendly travellers. The board crossing was relatively easy just three separate line ups of gringos a couple of more stamps to our passports and we were in Bolivia. Just 5 minutes over the board lays Copacabana a small coastal bay town on Lake Titicaca that is full of boats eager to take people on tours of the surrounding area and more specifically to Isla Del Sol or Isla Del Luna. As with any tourist friendly town or city when the bus stopped all the gringos were touted by locals to stay at their hostel and eat at their restaurant and we settled on the El Mirador which was a 6 story hotel that looked nicer on the outside but was okay on the inside... it overlooked the harbour with quite a beautiful view across the lake. We checked in and dumped our bags and met the 4 Aussie guys we met on the bus down on the main street for a huge cheap meal and beers. The rest of the day we spent walking around the streets and just enjoying our time. A few things to note about Bolivia is the prices were close to half the prices in Peru and all the ladies were walking around with sacks made of a sheet wrapped and tied across their chest and in most cases a baby or young child could be found coddled. As well the ladies wore bowler hats that we later found out were to mimic an ancient method of binding a baby’s head to change the shape of their skull which is now hundred years later not allowed a tradition that is also is carried on in Peru.

Lago Titicaca

So we woke up a little later than expected and mis-read the Lonely Planet thinking that the bus ride from Arequipa to Puno was only 3 hours but ended up being 6.5 hours so we arrived in Puno – “the largest city on Lake Titicaca” a little later than expected 7pm. Puno is a city on Lake Titicaca, which is the highest lake in the world sitting around 3800 meters, with dimensions of 175 km by 65 km length to width, it is quite amazingly beautiful. Being the altitude there is 3800 metres we both were suffering from major headaches and went straight to bed. We booked a half day tour of the floating islands for 9am and were off to Uros Islands. There the local ladies showed us how they create a floating island. They showed us that the local people cut the reed roots, tie them together in metre square bundles, tie each bundle together, throw fresh reeds on top and then anchor the island down to avoid floating away. The Uros Islands consist of about 42 artificial islands with a population of 2000 in total. Their number one income is tourism. The islands were very neat like walking on a water bed... very bouncy. The people were very nice. Their typical dress is very bright and they showed us their homes and handicrafts. We bought a small blanket art piece and then took a reed boat ride over to another island. We then went back to the mainland of Puno where we eat at the market and bought some warm clothes for the Inca Trail when we arrive in Cusco, which we have convinced ourselves to complete no matter the cost. Scott has been battling the stomach flu for the last couple of weeks and so we stayed in tonight and got caught up on the blog and left for Bolivia the next morning.

Arequipa - Canyon Hiking

The second night in Arequipa we sat on the roof top patio at our hostel “La Posada del Virrey" discussing a trek we planned to take the next day. The trek was a two dayand one night venture into Colca Canyon and then back to Arequipa by van. We should have clarified the specifics when they said trek as what they really meant was mountain climbing. The first day we got up at 3 am and travelled by van for 5 hours. We started our “trek” at 8:00 am at 3200 meters high. We then spent the next four hours descending 1000 meters down the mountain side. The trail was mostly rocks and very steep and so it was at times very hard to avoid tripping. We then hiked 20 minutes across a bridge and up to where we had lunch. We then trekked 400 meters straight up the other mountain where we came to three small mountain communities. We then decended about 600 meters straight down and across the river to the side we had previously started on. That day we travelled 16 km’s. At the bottom there was some small basic cabins with beds and a pool. We were all so beat we used the cold pool only to cool off and clean up before supper. As we were so tired we barely ate supper but had some good conversations with our group, which consisted of some Germans, Columbians, an America and a Brit. We crashed at 8pm as we had to get up at 4:45. The next day was a 1000 meter trek straight up the mountain (4km in length), which I was not up for. The previous day I was having difficulty catching my breath during the up parts and was very nervous. The altitude had gotten to many of us. Good for us they offered anyone who wanted a mule ride up the mountain for 60 soles ($20). Out of about 3 groups there were 10 of us that decided to take the mule (3 boys and 7 girls). Mules are amazing animals they just persevered up this never ending mountain. The mule group left an hour after the trekkers and so they were already on their way up. About half way we met Scott and our group leader. Scott was pooched and so he hopped on the extra mule they had. A few minutes up one of the guys from Columbia was also struggling. It took us about an hour and a half to get up the mountain by mule. The trekking group took between 2-3 hours. On the way back by van we stopped at a hot springs, which felt incredible! We also stopped alongside the road to take pictures of wild flamingos, Lamas and Alpaca. It was an exhausting two days and Scott and I are now very sore. We were so grateful to our trek leader Salome who was the most patient and encouraging women ever. At this moment we are getting more information on the Inca trail to make sure we won’t hold others back. If you look at the picture with the wide view of both mountains you will see that we decended the mountain on the right from top to bottom. We then climbed up the mountain on the left walked across it and then descended again to the bottom (if you look closely you can see the trail we took on the left zig zaggin down). In the picture you can see the pool we stayed at. It is at the very bottom.