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Archive for May, 2007

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The Camelids

Thursday, May 31st, 2007

I probably don’t talk about the animals as much as they make their way into my life on this trip.  Sure, when I get hit by a gorilla, that makes news, but I do see a lot of animal life.  I’ll discuss what I saw in Manu National Park soon.  For now, I am a bit peaved over the Manu experience due to the operator and what happened getting us out of Manu (I am suppose to be in the air going to San Francisco right now, but I am instead in a hotel in Lima) and I’ll wait for that to pass.  I have been quite happy with most of my camelid experiences so here we go…

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Last Day in Sacred Valley

Thursday, May 31st, 2007

I escaped from hectic Cusco with my new friend, Isabella (Swedish pharamacist living in Ireland), on my last day at altitude.  We chose to spend the day in Sacred Valley seeing the last bit of major sites that I had missed in February and March.  These included Maras and Moray.  Moray is a circular terraced Inca site that descends 150 meters into the ground which was used for growing different crops.  The different levels supported different crops because there is a large temperature difference (micro-climates) between the top levels and  bottom levels.  The Incas once again proved they were extraordinary farmers and stone workers.  Moray appears to be a large in-ground amphitheater and so scientists thought until they unearthed seeds and other evidence that proved it to be a unique, possibly experimental, farm.  The design is quite pleasing to the eyes and climbing down into the center terrace was a good time.  At the bottom we encountered strange wind patterns and some loud echoes and Isabella’s ears hurt from a high pitch tone of unknown origin.  It had a very strange feel to it.  The Incas built stairs into the terrace walls by having four evenly-spaced steps jut out sideways and we had fun walking up and down them.  Well, maybe it was more fun walking down than up!  Some bus tours came to this site while we were there, but very few people actually came down the hill.  I’m not sure what the point was of visiting Moray if you’re not going to climb into it, but it certainly was more enjoyable for those of us that did get a little exercise and I was definitely glad we came via taxi rather than bus as we did at Sillustani near Puno.

Maras is a salinas built by the Incas to produce salt for consumption.  They took a spring which contains a good amount of salt and channeled it into over 5000 pools that they built of mud on the canyon’s wall.  They filled the pools and then relied on the sun to evaporate the water leaving behind salt crystals that are harvested.  It worked so well that it is still in use today.  The canyon is red rock with green plants and so the brown mud and white crystal pools of water make an amazing contrast.  We hiked to the pools and then went out to the middle where you are surrounded by the pools as well as the canyon walls overlooking the Sacred Valley.  It was dazzling.  We ate salt, walked along the ridges of the pools attempting (and succeeding!) not to fall in, talked to one of the employees that tends to the pools and took a lot of photos.  I think it is one of the most unique places I have ever visited and it is very interesting to think it has been in use for more than 500 years.  The pools and crystal structures that we found made for great photography.  It was a fun day seeing both of these sites and Sacred Valley once again showed that it is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in Peru and maybe on the planet.  A nice dinner in Cusco ended my stay in Cusco which was sad, but at the same time I was looking forward to my last adventure in Peru’s Manu National Park rainforest.  It was very nice to meet you, Isabella.

And Now for Heaven

Thursday, May 31st, 2007
My Lake Titicaca adventure started with a ride to Llachon on Capachica Peninsula.  I went with a guide named Guido from Explorandes' kayaking outfit called Titkayak.  The Capachica Peninsula in combination with Chucuito Peninsula which is on an opposite shore ... [Continue reading this entry]

Protests in the Unknown Continent (Central America and Caribbean Included)

Friday, May 25th, 2007
Although La Paz and Bolivia in general seems to have the most, I have seen protests in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina and I am sure they happen regularly in every Latin American country except Cuba.  I like the protests... ... [Continue reading this entry]

Heaven and Hell… Let’s Do Hell First

Thursday, May 24th, 2007
For this post I will just say that Lake Titicaca was Heaven and totally blew me away.  But then I had one horrible day yesterday and I need to just get that one out of the way before I tell ... [Continue reading this entry]

Lake Titicaca

Saturday, May 19th, 2007
This lake is quite beautiful and I am enjoying my stay.  Copacabana in Bolivia was pretty boring and it was Bolivia so...  Copacabana had a few gringo (and folks from other Latin American countries) hippies selling jewelry and other art.  ... [Continue reading this entry]

Got a Feeling Inside Can’t Explain

Thursday, May 17th, 2007
I wish I could explain why there are places that I just don't like and places that I love.  All I can say is that it is from deep inside.  Some places just set off alarms in me that there ... [Continue reading this entry]

Shoeshine Boys and Finger Puppets

Thursday, May 17th, 2007
Something that everyone seems to find disturbing in La Paz is the shoeshine boys with masks over their faces.  I had two theories: 1) they are from the jungle area and are cold in La Paz or 2) they are ... [Continue reading this entry]

Different Country, Different Day, Different Attitude

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
I am so happy to be out of Bolivia and back to Peru.  A three hour drive including the time to get through immigration and it seems like I have entered a new world.  Puno doesn't have a great reputation, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Bolivia… Being All it Can Be

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007

I have been here for twenty-four days.  I was enjoying Bolivia in Uyuni, Potosi and Sucre, but soon after arriving in La Paz the charm of this country was basically gone.  I soon started to learn that the people here ... [Continue reading this entry]