Lost days in Cuzco

There are certain words that take on a significance only when they are experienced.
"Portaging" doesn't mean too much, until you've schlepped a canoe for three km to Lake Louisa.
"Altitude" is another such word. Two, three, four thousand meters don't seem so different. My body has discovered the difference. After almost two weeks at altitudes between three and four thousand meters it has learned the hard way. I never got the usual symptoms of altitude sickness, namely head aches and nausea. It did hit me hard, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and worst of all, the "runs".
During my last four days in Cuzco the TOTAL food I ate were two scrambled eggs, a tin of tuna, two mandarins, and half a small chocolate bar. In four days.
I had to rest half way when I went the twenty steps up to my room.
The cold also got to me. The temperature in my room never reached ten degrees. It was freezing.
I blamed a lot on the cold I had, but the change was amazing once I got back to Lima, and sealevel. After I arrived back in Lima I slept for six hours, and then went out to actually eat a meal, all of a six inch pizza, but I did eat all of it.
The difference in how I feel is phenomenal.
As I said the word "altitude" has a complete new meaning for me.
Two more days, and some home cooking. I haven't seen a green salad in almost a month.

Moray and Maras

After a low there is a high, and yesterday was a high. I visited a couple of very interesting sites near Cuzco. The first one was Moray, which was built by the Incas. They built a series of concentric terraces in a hillside, 120 meters deep. The location gives a temperature difference of 10 degrees Celcius between top and bottom. This creates a series of micro climates. The theory is that this site was like an agricultural laboratory that allowed the Incas to experiment with what types of crops were best suited for different climates and elevations.
Maras is a much older site. It was the principal source of salt for the entire area. Again it's a series of terraces, with almost 6000 pools of salt water. The process of obtaining the salt hasn't changed and everything is done by manually. Tough work.
It is one of the most stunning sites I have seen on this trip.
We also stopped in a village to see a demonstration of the Peruvian textile production. The most interesting part was to see how the different dyes are produced. Everything natural. I found it very interesting.
Another positive part of the trip was some of the most beautiful scenery in Peru. Green valleys, surrounded by snow capped mountains, brilliant blue sky. Absolutely stunning!
The entire 6 hour tour, with an English speaking guide was 10 dollars.

Things are starting to wind down. I am going to visit a couple of museums, and then do some shopping. The end is in sight.

Inti Raymi

Well, yesterday was the big day in Cuzco. The culmination of a week of festivities.
The highlight is a re-enactment of the Festival of The Sun ceremony of the Incas.

When I arrived in Cuzco I learned that seats were sold, but they were sold out months ago. So I had to join the locals. The ceremony takes place at Sacsaywaman , which is a formidable fortress on the outskirts of Cuzco. It is a 30 - 50 minute walk according to the guide book. What that doesn't tell you it's all uphill, and that's to the entrance. From there it's another half hour of steep steps. To get a good seat I left at 9, got there at 10:30, 3 hours before the start. I found a nice spot. The site is a natural amphitheater. I was beat, lay down and actually slept. The problems started when the ceremony started. All of a sudden a group of teen age punks appeared and stood on front of my group. I didn't see a lot of the ceremony, and left before the end, in disgust.
The walk back was almost as bad as the walk up, slippery stones, steep steps. I collapsed into bed, and slept.....
LONG DAY

June 23

Today was a great day in Cuzco. I slept in till 8, had a cold shower (not my choice) and a better breakfast than usual, scrambled eggs, mango juice and coffee.
The temperatures are HI 21, LO 2. I have a heater in my room, but I think it's only for show.
Got some more money, booked my flight to Lima, and then saw the town.
This is the week to be in Cuzco. There is a parade every day. I am not talking about half an hour to an hour. These parades are over 5 hours long. Today it was religion time. There was a mass at 10, and then the parade started. I did a few other things, and went back to the plaza at 5. The parade was just finishing.
I also discovered that my hotel is a block from the main market. I loved it; chewed on some sugar cane, bought some fruit, that I have no idea what they are. I had lunch at the market, a lovely omelet, with good fries, and a local drink, which I had no idea what it was, but it was good. One dollar fifty, and that included a tip, which she did not expect. Later I had freshly squeezed orange juice, two glasses, one dollar.
The market is a typical local market. They sell everything.
There is even a few kiddie rides. The one that got me was a gambling setup, designed for kids. You put your money on cartoon characters, and he draws a card to see if you won. Six year old kids were playing. There were guys selling individual cans of beer.
The crowds were unbelievable.
I loved it, the colours, the sounds, the aromas.
Tomorrow is the highlight of the week. I am looking forward to it.

Macchu picchu

Today was the day!
Getting to MP is not straight forward. First there is a two hour ride in a "collectivo". A collectivo is basically a mini bus that is used for localntransport. This was interesting because the countryside outside of Cuzco is green. The first forest I have seen in Peru. After the bus ride there is a 1.5 hour train ride to Agua Caliente, the town nearest to MP. A lot of people stay overnight in AC, and then get an early start the next morning. Also you can buy the entrance ticket to MP there. Luckily my travel agency did that for me.
By 7 this morning I was on another bus that took me the last stretch, 25 minutes, to the park entrance.
We had a small, 6 person, group with an English speaking guide. The weather was perfect, clear blue sky, and the views are spectacular. It's not an easy climb, but it sure is worth it. The setting is unique and spectacular. The site is on its own peak, which is surrounded by higher peaks in all directions. Below flows a river which was also sacred to the Incas. They viewed it as an earthly replica of the Milky Way.
It definitely is one of those views that stay with you.

Life is Good Again

It is amazing what daylight and a good nights sleep will do for you.
Last night was very frustrating. The internet wouldnt cooperate, even my Kindle quit on me.
I woke up this morning, and lo and behold the internet worked, and the sun was out.
I am definitely getting used to the altitude. I walked around for a good 5 hours without any bad effects.
I also had an uplifting experience. On my first day in Pisco I met three young ladies from Taiwan. We stayed at the some hotel, and obviously were hustled by the same travel agency, because we were on the same tours in Pisco and Nasca. Same tours, same buses, same hotels. We didnt separate until we reached Arequipa.
This morning, as I was watching a parade one of them greeted me, and we had a great time comparing notes. They recommended their tour company, and that set me up to see what I want to see.
They have been in Cuzco for several days, and had the same bus stories as I did. They were off to Machu Piccu today, and I will follow tomorrow.
Just an additional note. I was told this morning that Puno is completely shut down again. No ins, no outs. I guess I was lucky.
It has been a great day. I finally got my Peruvian haircut, 3 dollars.
Even my Kindle decided to wake up again. It will never replace books, but it is great for travelling.
This afternoon I went to Qorikancha. This was the central temple in Inca times. The temple walls were lines with 700 solid gold sheets, each weighing 2 kg. There were lifesize replicas of corn, of gold and silver, which were planted each year in a ceremony.There was also a fountain in the center, which was covered with an additional 55 kg of gold.
It didnt take the Spaniards long to liberate all this gold. They built a Dominican church on top of the Inca foundations, so a lot of the original walls are still visible. There was also a great show of modern art there today.
Great visit.
Tomorrow I am off to Machu Piccu. It takes a day to get to Agua Calliente where you stay overnight. Early the next morning you visit Machu Piccu, before returning to Cuzco, by train and bus.

Till later...

A Fathers Day to remember

There are a few things in life you shouldn't have to do more than once...root canals, dumping your canoe on the first day of a trip, and wearing wet clothes for a week, crawling along the tunnels in Vietnam, and taking a night bus in the Andes.
A double decker bus suddenly doesn't seem to be such a great idea. It's fine in the day when the scenery is spectacular and it's fun to look a couple of thousand feet down, while traveling on a dirt road. It's totally different at night. It's nice to look out and see fields, rocks, scenery. It is disconcerting to look out and see absolutely nothing, no road edge, nada.
For about an hour that was last night. You suddenly stop, as a passenger you see nothing. Then you see a huge truck creep by you, and the journey continues.
It wasn't supposed to be like that.
Puno has had a few problems the last month. Locals were protesting against a Canadian mining company's plan to open a new mine. The week before I left the town was completely shut down, tourists couldn't get in, and the ones there couldn't get out.
The situation improved and I had no problems getting in, but demonstrations started again, and there were road closures. On Saturday I went to a travel agency and she told me there was an express bus at 9 am arriving in Cuzco at 4 pm. The next morning she picked me up at my hotel with my ticket. She told me, that because of strikes the bus would have to detour, and it would add an hour to the trip.

Well, the trip ended up taking 13 hours, the great majority along narrow two lane gravel roads. To add some excitement one of the tires blew, and it took well over an hour to change. Looking at the other tires I was wondering which one might be next. I can't imagine doing this at night.
We did arrive in Cuzco at 10:30, and I was happy I had a hotel booked.
One Long Day!!!

Lake Titicaca

I just got back from 2 fantastic days on Lake Titicaca.
We started our boat tour with a visit to the Uros Floating Islands. The Uros tribe has lived in this manner for 2000 years. There are many reeds in this area. The reeds have roots that form a dense 1 m thick mass. Every once in a while some of these masses float to the surface. The Uros then cut these root masses into squares. They then drive a post into the center of each square, and tie them together. This way the can have an island any size they want. The root masses are the covered with fresh reeds, laid in alternate directions. This layer is also about 2 m thick. Their houses are also built with these reeds. The island we visited had 4 families, with about 25 people. Once a week they travel to Puna. The rest of the time is "island" time. There are about 60 islands.
The Uros are short and stout. I wouldn't call them attractive. They do wear very colorful
outfits.
After our visit to the Uros we continued for 3 more hours to the island where we stayed overnight. The good news was that the accommodations were much better than I anticipated, actual beds, and some light, powered by a car battery. I had my own room.
The bad news that it was a half hour uphill climb. A young Chilean was kind enough to carry my bag. Without Javier I would still be somewhere on that hill.
Altitude adjustment is a real fact. Everything is a chore, and there are few level roads in Peru. Our landlady cooked lunch and dinner, very tasty soup and a veggie stew. All cooked the way it was done for the last couple of thousand years.
There is no relationship between the people and the Uros, different language, different culture, they don't even look the same.
There was an optional hike to the top of the island. I declined.
The sanitary facility was an outhouse. I found a chamberpot, so I didn't have to break my neck in the middle of the night.
In the morning, on the way to the outhouse I met the rooster, with the same intent as mine. The difference was that he didn't step into mine.
After a pancake breakfast, we hiked back down to the boat. Going downhill was even tough.
We then travelled for another island. Only an hour away, but completely different cultures.
We had the pleasure, thrill, ordeal, whatever you want to call it, of another one hour hike, uphill, of course.
The nice thing was that I really started to appreciate the beauty of the lake. It is huge, a gorgeous blue, but cold. The temperature is a constant 8 degrees.
After a lunch of freshly caught lake trout we had the pleasure of 500 stone steps back down to the boat.
A three hour boat ride back to Puno ended the day.
You guys won't believe this, but I am spending 50 dollars on a hotel room. It even has an electric heater.
It's off to Cuzco tomorrow, unless there is a strike.
What will be, will be!!!,

June 15

I arrived back in Arequipa tonight, after two great days at the Colca Canyon.

We left yesterday morning, and drove through some more desert, but there was the odd water puddle. We saw quite a few picuyas, which are similar to llamas and alpacas. I learned the difference between those animals.
The biggest shock came when we crossed the highest point on the trip, at 5000 meters. We got off the bus to take some pictures, and as soon as I got off I felt woozy and light hearted. The altitude really hit me. Even at the Colca Canyon, which is lower, the effect was noticeable.
After lunch we spent some time is a hot pool. The water boils at 85 degrees here. It was the most relaxing hour in Peru so far. I went back to the hotel and went straight to bed.
NOTE TO MYSELF pack a bathing suit next time!!But nobody objected to my underwear.
I had read in another blog that when it's zero outside, it's zero inside. None of the hotels I have stayed in has heating. Their solution are blankets, very heavy, and lots. They must weigh 20 pounds.
We woke up at 5 am, had a quick breakfast, and then drove 2 hours over bumpy roads, to the condor viewing platform. The condors don't fly up, they let the warm air currents carry them up. We saw more than a dozen of these magnificent creatures. They reach a span of more than 3 meters. They sail back and forth, sometimes within 20 feet of the spectators. We spent about an hour watching in awe.
After that we had lunch on Chivay, went to the market, and then returned to Arequipa, a four ride from Chivay.
Oh, by the way, the cost of the two day trip was 25 dollars.
Tomorrow it's off to Lake Titicaca.

June 13

I visited a museum dedicated to "The Ice Princess Juanita". This is a 12 year old girl, of royal class, who was scarified to the gods. The Incas believed that mountains were livng gods. When volcanoes erupted it indicated that the gods were angry. This sacrifice was found on the top of the highest mountain in the region. Just the thought of such a journey is daunting. The body is one of 14 human sacrifices found in South America. This is the highest. The museum presentation was excellent, but no photos were allowed.
The rest of the day I visited some colonial houses, and I also toured the Cathedral.
Lots of photos.
Several bits of information. You can't get a real cup of coffee, it's all instant, served with condensed milk.
Every time you sign up for a tour, or just to buy a bus ticket, they ask your age. I have no idea why.
In Arequipa there are, literally, over 30 optical stores, smetimes 4 in one block. But I haven't found a barbershop yet.
The only thing pricey I have found are stamps. It's almost 2 dollars to send a postcard to Canada.
Last night I had a Chicha drink. It is grape colored and has quite a distinct taste, but it's good. I found out it was made from fermented dark corn. Another first.
Tomorrow I am off to the Colca Canyon.

June 12 Arequipa

The overnight bus from Naxca to Arequipa was quite pleasant. The seats are like first class on a plane. I slept most of the way.
Today was more to my liking. Lots of walking. I arrived at my hostel at 8, but couldn't get on my room until 11. So I left my luggage and walked around town. I couldn't believe it, they actually had a parade for me. Military, boyscouts, girl guides; I was impressed. Arequipa is a lovely city, nice architecture, and the weather is perfect. High of 22, not a cloud in the sky, no humidity.

I spent the afternoon visiting the Monastery de Santa Catalina. This convent was started in the 1600's for the daughters of very wealthy Spaniards. It is huge, over 20 000 sq.m. It looks like fortress, with high walls all around.
The basic rule was that if a girl wasn't married by the age of 12, the parents would pay a dowery to the convent to accept their daughter. From 12 to 16 these girls were novices, and lived in their own part of the convent. At 16 they had to make a choice whether to become a nun or leave. It would be embarrassing to the family if she left. Once she became a nun she lived in the main part of the convent, never leaving it, even to go into town. The life style depended on the wealth of the family. Most nuns had their rooms and, if you could afford it, their own houses, within the convent, and they would have servants and slaves. At one time there were 80 houses in the convent.
In 1860 the church outlawed this type of extravagant life style for the nuns, and the convent closed for 100 years, and reopened as a museum in 1960. It is a beautiful place, lovely gardens, very peaceful.
In the evening I sat in the main
Plaza, in front of the cathedral, and watched the locals.
Tomorrow is another day.

Saturday June 11

I had a very interesting day. I first visited a Nazca cemetery which is over 1000 years old. The Nazca mummified their dead and buried them with pottery. The site was discovered about 100 years ago, and was not protected until the 1980's. Before then grave robbers dug up the graves, primarily for the cloth and the pottery. Until then mummies, human bones were strewn over the ground. They are now restored in their graves, on view. There are still numerous bones, just lying around. There're also over 1000 graves still left to be opened.
We also had a little talk about local gold mining, which is still done completely without machines. Miners chip out ore, about 60 kg a day, and carry it 6 km to the road. At the factory the ore is ground with a small machine, and then reduced to a powder by manual labour. 60 kg of ore might produce 1 g of gold, worth 40 dollars to the miner. A tough way to make a living.

In the afternoon I took a ride on a small plane over the Nazca Lines, one of the mysteries of the ancient world. It's worthwhile checking the Nazca Lines out on the Internet.
The ride was a bit of a thrill, there lots of sharp turns. My stomach was quite happy to land.
Tonight I am off to Arequipa on an overnight bus.
Till later..

Friday June 10

I took a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands this morning. The fog is still with us. It doesn't affect the vision as much as makes everything look grey.

The islands are in the Humbold stream which delivers very rich ocean water. This attracts thousands of birds, seal, penguins, and sea lions. The biggest attraction are the birds that nest here, literally thousands and thousands. Before the islands were discovered by the natives the guano (bird droppings) were 30 meters deep. Every year it grows by 2 m. That's a lot of goano!! It has been harvested for many years, because it is a great organic fertilizer.
The scenery is very rugged, and the ride is a bit of a thrill.., lots of bumps and spray. I was happy I wore a rain jacket.
After the tour I continued my journey south to Nasca. Nothing but desert, although we started to see small mountains as we turned inland. I finally saw sun, by the time I got to Nasca it was beautiful.
Nasca reminded me a lot of rural Mexico, not very clean, not very attractive.
I did find a place to buy postcards. The lady also sold me stamps. They were not self-stick. She had to put glue on each one, and stick it on the card.
The bus ride down was great. Complimentary coffee, and the bus had Wi-fi. It was interesting reading the Hamilton Spec, while traveling through a Peruvian desert.
My hotel room was very nice, clean and large.

Peru.. ready or not, here I come

Thursday June 9
I flew to Peru yesterday, and the biggest excitement was waking up Wednesday morning in the middle of a storm, without power. Luckily I had packed and didn't have to do that at 5 am.
The flights were pleasant, the food very bad, but I landed in Lima at 9 pm, on time. Took a taxi to my hotel, and was in bed by 10:30.
Thursday Morning was not great.
First I had to find a bank for some cash. The first one didn't like me and didn't give me any cash. Luckily the second one, a Bank of Nova Scotia was more agreeable.
Breakfast was another let down. Instant coffee!!!!
I had researched what bus to take to Pisco, and had to take a taxi to the terminal. Each company has it's own terminal. Luckily the driver went in with me to buy the ticket. That's when I found out, that contrary what the Lonely Planet says this company does not provide several trips a day. Back in the taxi to try another one. Again no luck. Finally we lucked out with a third company, and that bus left 10 minutes after I got there.

The other problem was that the bus doesn't go into Pisco, but drops you off at the highway, 6 km from town.
The drive was also depressing. There is a constant coastal fog, and the drive is through a desert (next to the Pacific). It is a true desert, no greenery, mucho rocks and sand. In addition to that the poverty is staggering. I have seen a lot of shacks, but nothing as bad as the "villages" along this highway.
I visualized being dropped of in no-man's land.
As it turned out there was a buzzing business district ready to meet all the buses, and there were plenty of taxis.
Pisco was a pretty little town, until 2007, when it was hit with a major earthquake, and 70% of the town was leveled. Several hundred people were killed, 136 while at mass. It is still quite a mess.
My hotel has been rebuilt, and it is one of the nicest I have ever stayed at. Free wi- fi, breakfast, lovely room, all for 20 dollars.
Pisco is a nice little town. I had a great cerviche dinner, with a large beer. 10 bucks, including tip. I like it.