The Vagrant Gypsy Life

Day 226 Wed 13/4

My sojourn in Peru comes to an end. I have enjoyed my stay here and liked Peru. Peruvian people have also been very friendly, and I have also met some really nice fellow travellers on the road here. I stayed in Peru longer than I had initially planned, but I am glad I did.

Took the bus from Chiclayo early morning and wrapped up “God of small things” by Arundhati Roy during the ride. Such a lovely book – left me feeling pretty sad and the mood didnt lift the entire day!

There wasnt a whole lot to do in Piura – it is just a medium sized city that isnt very charming. So, of course, I watched some football, walked around aimlessly and tried to read.

Trujillo
Huaca de la Luna y Sol
Huanchaco
Chan Chan

Day 212-213 Wed 30/3 and Thu 31/3 Trujillo

Arrived in Trujillo after 8 hours. The semi cama was surprisingly comfortable despite my neighbour being an idiot – he insited on playing his radio late into the night. Wish my Spanish were good enough to offer him a few choice words.

The day was spent at the very interesting site of Huaca de la Luna y sol and the museum. The museum gace an elaborate inrpduction to the Moche culture. It made the visit to the actual arqueological site much more interesting. I managed to spend nearly 4 hours there! After that, it was time to head back to the hostel and curl up in one of the hammocks with a book. An old John Grisham called The Firm. I faintly remember starting the book about 16 or 17 years ago. Guess that is not the advertsement that John Grisham wants for a book – took someone 18 years to read his book!

The morning of Thursday was spent walking around the city centre of Trujillo and visiting some of it’s free museums. The city centre is very colourful and attractive, though the city itself is large, daunting and not very pleasing.

I also managed to watch a performance of the Baila Marinera that afternoon. The marinera dance, typical of the region, resembled the Cueca I had seen in Chile. The audience consisted of me, a couple of Peruvians from Lima and an Argentine lady. I also had an interesting conversaion with the master of ceremonies, since I had arrived at the site about half an hour ago, having written down the time of the show wrong.

The other interesting thing that I remember from Truillo is the presence of black, hairless dogs! I have no idera what they are called, but I had never come across them in other parts of Peru that I had visited.

Day 214-216 Fri 1/4 – Sun 3/4 Huanchaco

Huanchaco used to be a small fishing village till surfers found out that it is a mecca. Now it is also a tourist hub. Most folks stay here instead of Trujillo and I can hardly fault them.

Friday was spent getting to Huanchaco, walking around the beach and town and arranging for my trip to Chachapoyas. A lot of tourists braved the sea in the caballitos, the kind of boat that the folks in Huanchaco have been using for centuries.

It was an extremely pleasant, albeit fairly lazy day in the sun. The hostel I stayed in, Hostal Naylamp, was extremely pleasant and cheap. It also helped that they have a good restaurant attached.

Sunday, I got up ealy and headed to Chan Chan. Chan CHan, the city of the Chimu people was extremely interesting and I had a nice visit as I was the first one in the doors, while the attached museum was an absolute disappointment.

The afternoon, after a good lunch, was spent figuring out what I owed Uncle Sam. Luckily for me, I get some money back. I reckon it means another week or so on the road, on Uncle Sam’s dough. Well, mine, but I had thought I had to give it to the old chap.

I am still enjoying myself opn the road, though I seem to have slowed down a bit. It is taking me longer to do things and I am staying longer in places, even when I am not entirely in love with the place.

Sunday, I had the morning to kill before my bus to Chachapoyas, and I spent it waching the waves and listening to the sound of waves washing up on the beach. I am not much of a beach person, but there is something extremely soothign about watching and listening to the waves. The death of each wave and the birth of a new one, the ever continuing circle of life and death. I reckon there is some kind of a metaphor there, but I am neither a writer nor a philosopher and enjpy them for what they are.

Day 206 Thu 24/3 Huaraz

Arrived at Huaraz after a 8.5 hour bus journey. At the bus station, I was met with many offers for tours and hostels. I had already decided on which company to use and where to stay (it is always good to get info from other travellers), so I politely turned them down.

After checking in and bfast, I enquired where I could get some fruits. The owner of the hostel took me down to the local mareket, where, of course, I get local prices for a change. The owner Rosa is so welcoming that one sure feels at ease.

Once back at the hostel , the hostel bell rang, but since I couldnt see anyone else at reception, I opened the door. One could have knocked me down with a feather. Who should be waiting to walk in, but a friend with whom I had done a 4 day trek ages ago in Chile. I had also run into him in a couple of hostels I stayed in, before the trek. He was on his way to Trujillo from Huaraz, but since the bus didnt leave till night, we spent some time together, walking around a bit, having lunch and catching up.

There is not much to do in Huaraz, but it sure is sourrounded by lovely mountains. The weather was sunny in the mornign and changed quite quickly in the afternoon. I arranged my tour and then managed to get my siesta. I had managed to catch a cold/fever my last day in Lima and figured I could use all the rest I needed before headng to the mountains.

Day 207 Fri 25/3 Santa Cruz trek day 1

Day started at 5:00 am, since I had to be down by the agency at 6:00. The tour consisted of me and an Australian couple (both journalists, who had been living in Canada and had biked across USA in 3 months on a mountan bike), and our guide, Ricardo. We stopped at Yungay for breakfast and arrived at Cashapampa, where we would start our hike. Cashapampa stands at 2973 m above sea level (or 2973 msnm – metros sobre nivel de mar).

We hike along a beautiful valley for 4 hours and reach our camp Llamacorral (3760 msnm). Easy hike of 4 hours. All the equipment (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, food, stove, plates, etc) was carried in by a team (well, 3) of donkeys. We sit in the kitchen tent, which was set up by Reinaldo, the “donkey-driver”. Ricardo proves to be a great cook and an early dinner at 18:30 and the knowledge of an early start to the day inspires us ll to head to bed at 20:00.

I have a bad night and didnt sleep well at all. I had been bitten by some sort of a fly (not a mosquito) and my left hand and my right arm managed to swell up during the night. The discomfort and my cough kept me up during the night. It also rained during the night and parts of my tent was wet. To make matters worse, I managed, in my confused, weakened state to drop my torch in the latrine (which is nothing more than a hole in the ground!). However, the sky at night was amazingly beautiful, lit by a half-moon and stars, that I was able to forget the loss of the torch for the 2 minutes it took me to walk from the latrine to my tent.

Day 208 Sat 26/3 Santa Cruz trek day 2

Wake up groggy and tired. After breakfast and mate de coca, it was time to hike to Taullipampa (4250 msnm). It is not a difficult trail, but I am tired and even walking on level ground takes effort. The rain that greets us as we start the trek doesnt make it easier. However, before the rain, we got some glorious views of the mountains and the valley. Always good to have a reason to torture oneself…

After about 3 hours and lunch, I felt better. Which was a good thing, since we had a bit of a climb ahead of us. We arrive at camp to find Ricardo waiting for us with some hot tea and some mate. It rained so heavily after we arrived, taht we invited a couple who were stranded on the trail into our tent to warm themselves up and wait for the rain to stop. I took a nap of an hour and it helped revive my spirit. Dinner again at 18:00 and bed at 20:00.

I slept great during the night. Luckily the Aussies had an extra torch and they graciously lent it to me. A grand gesture, considering that I had consumed well over 2.5 litres of liquid during the day! Needless to say, I had to make a few trips outside my tent duing the night.

Day 209 Sun 27/3 Santa Cruz trek day 3

Breakfast again at 6:30 and some mate. Today we would get up to the highest point (Punto Union at 4750 msnm).

I was feeling great and the climb up to the pass went by fairly quickly and I found it easy. What beautiful views. We were lucky that the clouds hadnt quite made a kill before we managed a peek. Magnificient snow-capped mountains, bewitching valley and even a few clear lakes. When I looked over the pass, I was quite discouraged. It was snowing on the other side of the pass and extremely cloudy! Again, luck was on our side as the clouds cleared enough to give us, while not a complete view, a view good enough to hold attention.

Poor Simon had woken up feeling really bad and worse still, was hit by altitude sickness, which made it an extremely hard climb for him. Apparently one of us in the group had to suffer each day!

An hour into the descent (a 5 hour hike from the pass to the camp at Cachinapampa at 3600 msnm, mostly downhill and lavel ground), I found myself extremely tired again, much like the previous day. I managed to slip while walking down a steep slope. (I had missed the trail and chosen the toughest way to descend!)

A re-union with another friend beside a lake managed to cheer me up for a while, but the effect did vanish quickly. Maybe the effect would have lasted longer if it were some pretty lass. However, my friend is a Kiwi lad, who had travelled for a while with the other friend I had met back in Huaraz. He is also headed to Trujillo and we promise each other that we would catch up in Trujillo. 4 re-unions in 3 weeks in Peru. I cannot remember anything vaguely resembling this ever happening in my life before.

The hike was through a spectacular valley and a bit of a forest, but I was so tired that I had to force myself to look around and take it all in. However, I knew that I couldnt stop for more than a few seconds or else I would have trouble continuing.

As if it werent bad that I was tired, the hike was, like on the second day, made more difficult by the wet ground. It takes quite an effort to miss all the mud, not to mention the horse, cow and donkey dung. While one is glad that donkeys help reduce one’s burden, there is but no way to resist feeling a bit miffed at te amount of waste they produce. I can only imagine the cattle I see on the hike belongs to villagers living next to the Huascaran national park. It was a novely seeing horses and cattle in a national park the first day, but the novelty wore off quickly, especially as they leave presents for us hkers to avoid.

After 8 hours of hiking, I arrive a broken man at the camp. Mate de coca and a snack helps revive me and I am almost my normal self again. Simon was feeling so bad that he headed off to bed, without dinner. I too couldnt eat much and was glad to head to bed at 08:00 pm.

Day 210 Mon 28/3 Santa Cruz trek day 4

We sleep in a bit and leave camp at 08:30 am. It is a 3 hour hike, with a descent and an ascent to get to Vacqueria, which is at the same altitude as our base camp, Cachinapampa. We exit the park shortly and then it is a walk trhough 2-3 villages, where the locals greet us and the children hold their hand out for candy. I even see more than the occasional genuine smile! I take it slow down the descent, thanks to an old dodgy knee, but am able to walk up quite quicky. However, all that the 3 hours of easy hiking gets us is a 3 hour wait for the mini-van to take us back into town.

When the mini-van arrived, we found ourselves offering a lift to more people. Two girls who had missed the public bus back to Huaraz and a group of 4, who had started their hike 2 hours ago to find that their guide had managed to get himself drunk in the 15 minutes they stopped at the village before their hike. They decided the best thing to do was to get back to Huaraz and try get their
money back from the agency. I was quite happy that I had managed to get recomendations from other travellers. There but for the grace of God, etc…

Simon had recovered and was now almost his normal self and managed to hold conversations with the others. The batteries in my camera had died and I was sitting glued to the window, trying to imprint the images in my retina and brain. We are denied a view of the top of Huascara, the tallest peak in Peru, by the clouds., but the Llanganuco lakes are a delight. Since we left late, we dont have as much time to stop and enjoy the viwe. What a pity!

Arrive at 6:30pm. First item on the agenda is the purchase of a ticket to Trujillo. I had decided to rest a night and day in Huaraz and take the bus on Tuesday night. I had also hoped to get a cama, but the best laid plans of men and mice being what they are, I got only a semi-cama. I could have procured a cama if I wanted to travel Monday night! Hah, life sure has a sense of humour and knows how to screw with my head!

There is nothing better than a hot shower after a trek. The shower brought back memories of the W in Chile. After shower, I decided to join the Aussie couple for dinner. Time then to hop on the world wide web and jump into the arms of Morpheus.

Day 211 Tue 29/3 Huaraz

A day of rest. Some time on the internet, an expensive (by Peruvian standards at USD 10) and filling lunch, a short walk and sitting on the sofa reading. Also time to ctch up on the blog.

I have another 4 hours to kill before my bus. A siesta or a book? I cant decide! My fever hasnt quite subsided, and I am a bit apprehensive about the 10 hour ride in a semicama. Oh well, Trujillo is supposed to be warm and there is even a nice beach within minutes of Trujillo.

Day 202 Sun 20/3 to day 205 Wed 23/3 Lima

Lazy start to the day in Huacachina as I wait for my bus at Bananas, laying down in a hammock. The bus leaves at 2pm and arrives in Lima at 6:30 pm. After checking in the hostel, I head out for a walk around the neighbourhood of Miraflores.

I spent Monday walking around Miraflores, all the way down to the beach. After 4 to 5 hours of walking, I am tired and head to watch a movie (Unknown) at the local cinema. The movie cost me less than USD 3.00! Back at the hostel, I prepared my dinner, spent some time on the web and fell asleep. I like the hostel as it is quiet and extremely clean, with all the facilities that a traveller could ask for, including fast internet access.

Tuesday was spent walking to the centro, about 7 km away from the hostel. I walked through a few neighbourhoods and spent about 2 hours at the centro. Then it was time to meet a friend from my postgrad days in Rolla, for lunch. Fernando and I had last seen each other in St Louis, more than 11 years ago! I thought he was liviing in Bolivia. I was flabbergasted to receive an email from him saying that he lives in Lima these days. He had seen the photos of Cusco I had uploaded to facebook. FB is proving quite the tool for travellers! We had a very enjoyable time together, eating ceviche, downing a pisco sour (Peruvian/ Chilean national drink. There is a bit of a debate as to who invented the drink.) and catching up on 11 years’ news. Fernando is now married and has 3 children. He also has a fair bit of grey hair. Crazy how time flies! Lunch was about 2.5 hours and I got back to the hostel around 5 pm. Was a bit drunk from the Pisco sour and spent a very relaxed evening.

I woke up Wednesday feeling a bit feverish and decided to take it easy. I decided to get some rest and catch up on emails and some blogging. Went for a walk around the neighbourhood for a couple of hours. I am ready to get on my bus and say goodbye to Lima. If it werent for Fernando, I would have left Tuesday night!

I cannot say that I have fallen in love with Lima. I like big cities, but I havent seen anyting in Lima that endears it to me.

Leave on the bus at 9:30 pm. Cruz del Sur sure does comfort pretty well.

Day 195 Sun 13/3 Cusco

I decided to leave my hostel and join the girls at their hostel which is a lot cheaper and much quieter. I also was encouraged by the fact that some drunk had mistaken the shower for a toilet and had somehow managed to do his business there. I woke up to a young English couple having sex in the next bed! I wonder what miss manners would have to say…

The girls and I started out to the market after breakfast, where I bought my ma a bag. Cristina was kind enough to take it with her to Spain and save me the trouble of carrying it around a year. I hope to have a re-union with the girls again in Barcelona next year.

After that, it was off to the ruins around Cusco. Tambomachay, Puca Pucara & Q’enko, all included in the boleto turistico. Interesting ruins, well worth the visit. We did see quite a few folks we had run across in Machu Picchu at the ruins. It was while we were in Q’enko that poor Ester had some young lad threw, from a van, a whole bucket of water on her. We had forgotten that Carnaval had started in Cusco, but were reminded in quite a startling fashion. Poor Ester, she was quite indignant and we were sorry for her.

After lunch, we were off to Sacsayhuamán. It is quite an impressive place to be! Full of tourists and guides. We flopped down on the floor and tred to make sense out of about 5 different guides talking about the site. I managed to fall asleep for about 15 minutes before I was woken up.

Next stop, the christ statue on top of a hill overlooking the town. Who should we run into but Yevgeni and his lass, Pam. Another re-union at the top of the hill! We head down to Cusco and have coffee and a snack and Yev and I manage to catch up on the last 4 months.

Dinner was quite a late affair and we had trouble finding a place to eat – we finally ended up eating hamburgers off a street cart! Delicious affair; even I was impressed. Off to listen to some music and bed. Yengeni and Pam were supposed to join us, but they never showed up. Too tired after their night out the previous night!

Day 196 Mon 14/3 Cusco

Off to Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporane after breakfast and a cold shower. Apparently the pressure of the water determines the temperature and I was quite too impatient. The art museum had a couple of exhibitions and I truly enjoyed it!

The girls had a bus to catch in about 3 hours and we decided that we had enough time to visit the Choco museum, a chocolate place in town. We got a tour of their plant and information about the history of chocolate and the chocolate production in Peru. The samples didnt hurt either.

Time then to say goodbyes to the girls. After being so cruelly deserted, I wandered around town for a while and managed to take some photos and have dinner at a really nice vegetarion place.

I had always assumed that I would have trouble travelling with other people. As much as I enjoy being on my own and seeing places at my pace, the past few days had been a lot of fun. I found myself missing the lasses a bit over the next couple of days.

Day 197 Tue 15/3 Cusco

It was a slow day in Cusco. Museo de Sitio Qoricancha, which took about 1.5 hours, then a long aimless wander. Lunch and like an old man, I nodded off while watching a Champions league football match. It is a pity, since it ended up being a really good match!

The evening was spent in a couple of bookshops. Browsing books in old bookshops is one of the most fun and enjoyable things to do and I gave myself to temptation!

Day 198 Wed 16/3 Cusco

Quite a busy day as I started out early to visit Incan sites which are quite a bit far away from the town.

Chinchero is about 50 minutes by bus and is quite lovely. It started raining quite hard when I was there and it made it tougher to walk around and climb the steps. The town is very small and I got the impression they depend on tourism and agriculture.

Next stop, Moray, where I strike up a conversation with an Argentine-Peruvian couple. Moray has terraces where the Incans carried out experiments. Each terrace was a degree lower than the one below. Another picturesque setting!

I then manage to add another transportation experience. After waiting half an hour and not seeing a single bus go by, I managed to get a lift in a truck to Ollantaytambo. The driver was amazingly sweet and informed me that there was some sort of a strike in Chinchero and that they werent allowing buses through.

I spent a couple of hours at Ollantaytambo and was quite tired when I caught a collectivo back to Cusco. The magnificient scenery however, which included snow capped mountians and lakes, kept me awake. Cusco is surrounded by beauty!

Day 199 Thu 17/3 Cusco

Last day in Cusco as I have tickets on a bus to Ica on Friday. I change hostels again. I had walked by a hostel whcih was in a colonial house and building looked really interesting and I figured I would try staying there a night.

A visit to Museo arte popular, and a wander in the neighbourhood of San Blas manages to occupy my morning. It was while I tried to purchase a Coca biscuit that the helpful girl told me that someone conned me with a false 5 sole coin. She explained how to tell, but it is quite hard for a stranger!

Lunch and some shopping – I needed a bag as mine is starting to show the signs of being on the road for 6 months. I try out the bargaining tips the girls taught me. WHile I may have saved a few soles, I still walked away thinking that I was taken advantage of by the seller.

Cusco is lovely and night and I walked all around town, visiting all the plazas, by way of goodbye. St Patrick’s, but I was too tired to join in the festivities and was in bed before 10:30pm.

Day 200 Fri 18/3 Cusco/ bus

A day of walking around and getting ready for a 18 hour bus ride. My bus left at 2pm and it was extremely comfortable. Cruz del Sur has the reputation of being the best bus company operating in Peru and they proved it on the trip. So much more comfortable than even a plane! Good service and even some decent food for dinner.

The road from Cusco also took us through some stunning scenery. I managed to stay awake to take in as much of it as I could.

Day 201 Sat 19/3 Huacachina

The bus from Cusco arrived a bit earlier in Ica than I had expected – the ticket agent got her times wrong, I reckon. I wasnt quite ready to disembark at 6:00 am. Off to HUacachina, which is an oasis in the middle of a desert, about 5 km from Ica. I managed to wake up the folks working in the hotel as I checked in to Banana’s. Shower & breakfast taken care, I decided to head to Ica to take a look around town, since HUacachina is so small that I managed to see the 6 blocks in no time.

Ica is quite an ugly town and I didnt spend too much time there. I guess I could have headed down to some winery or pisco distilleries, but that would mean more days in Ica. I can almost hear the mountains in Huaraz calling me name…

The main attraction in Huacachina is the laguna, which has an interesting myth. Apparently there is a siren who is looking for a mate and takes young men who jump in for a swim. Locals have it that a young lad has drowned every year for a while now. Makes for an interesting story, though.

Folks come here to rest and to go sandboarding and rides in sand buggy. The tour starts at around 16:30 and lasts well after sunset. As much as I enjoyed the sandboarding and the buggy ride, the colours in the desert at sunset fascinated me more.

After the tour, I was quite surprised at how quite the little place had become! Nothing much to do but read a bit and head to bed!

Day 192 Thu 10/3 Sta Maria/ Sta Teresa/ Hidro/ Aguas Calientes

The 6 of us had decided to meet up at the San Francisco plaza at 7:30 before catching the collectivo at 8:00.

The day started with a bang – a very pleasant surprise! I was at the square, the place of rendezvous, waiting for the girls (Aurel and Aude made it on time), when who should come by and say hello to me, but a ghost from the past. Well, not that you would call a chap who is 6ft something, a ghost. Jevgeni! I have recorded in these blogs, a very pleasant day I spent with Yevgeni over 5 months ago in El Bolson, in October. I thought he had gone back to Finland. We had a jolly short chat as now we were short on time and the girls made it. The mini was due to leave in 10 minutes, which didnt leave me too much time to catch up. We decide that we’d send each other emails and try and catch up before the two of us left Cusco.

It is time for a 5 hour trip in a collectivo to Sta Maria. There are about 3-4 ways that people make it to Cusco. The most expensive way is to hike the Inca trail. Then there is the Salkantay trek. Folks also take the bus to Ollantaytambo and then a train to Aguascalientes, which forms the base from which you head off to MP. The train costs an arm and a leg too. It costs about 4 times what it would cost for a Peruvian. We decided to go the alternative route since it is cheaper and does include some lovely scenery on the bill as well. The trip to Sta Maria was all that – amazing scenery, with snow capped peaks, green mountains, waterfalls. We must have surely amused the locals sharing the collectivo with us, since we for some reason started singing songs, in Spanish, French and Malayalam. The only bad part of the trip was that a couple of the folks werent feeling that great due to the way the driver was going around the killer curves and the slopes. He drove allright for a while and then went into aggressive mode, with brakes and accelerator both getting abundant use.

We arrived in Sta Maria, which didnt look much of anything, and were immediately able to find a taxi to Sta Teresa. There were landslides on the way which made it a wee bit more exciting than any of us really wanted it to be. One landslide made all of passengers get out and walk. The scenery amazing, but the roads scary!

Lunch and a bit of time to catch our breaths in Sta Teresa, before getting on another collectivo to Aguascalientes. The trip is short. We are required to register with the folks who man the park entry. It is then time to walk along the rail track. We walk into a couple of young lads sittig on the rail. They ask us sweetly : “A donde vas?”, “que tal”. It wasnt till the last of us crossed them, when the wee lad revealed a hidden water balloon that he tossed at Ester. It took us all by surprise and drew a few chuckles. It is carnaval time and tossing water balloons, dousing each other with buckets of water and even coloured water is all part of Carnaval. We had seen a bit of it in Pisaq, but had escaped getting drenched (despite all of Cristina’s efforts in getting little some girl to drop her water balloons on me!)

The hike along the rail tracks was pleasant, due to the company and the scenery. 2.5 hours and we make it to Aguascalientes where we shell out 126 soles (about USD 47) for an entry ticket to Machu Picchu. Aude and Aurel had gotten their tickets in Cusco already, but by the time we reached the office in Cusco, the office had been closed!

We found a hostel, where the 6 of us are packed into one room, cooked some food (I was in charge of cleaning, which is just as well. My “cooking” leaves a lot to be desired!) Off to bed early as the day will start at 4:00 on Friday!

Day 193 Fri 11/3 Aguas Calientes

We started our trek at 4:30; I was awake well before that, even before my alarm went off! We trudge down to the bridge to find that it opens only at 5:00 am. Twiddling thumbs early in the morning is not much fun. Could have gotten twenty more minutes of sleep, my brain yells at me.

Finally, the bridges open, and after an inspection of passport and the entry ticket, we are on our way up the steps to Machu Picchu. The steps does make the climb more tiring. As much as i love going uphill, walking up steps are not my favourite thing in the world! We were told that it would take about an hour to 1.5 hours. We made it in about 50 minutes. (Of course, there is also the option of taking a bus from Aguascalientes, which costs about USD 16 one way!) I much prefer to walk.

The gates open at 6:00. I cant believe that a dream has come true and that I am finally seeing Machu Picchu! The clouds make for poor visibility though! I reach into the pocket where I normally keep my camera to realise that it had fallen down during the night! I guess it is a very unusual way to climb Machu Picchu – without one’s camera! I only could hope that the hotel staff would find my camera and keep it safe. Laura had lost camera in a hostel and it was never recovered. However, I put that thought behind me as I wanted to enjoy my day in MP.

Since we were among the first 200 to get in, we are able to climb up Huayna Picchu as well. Which, I might add, is anotherr fair bit of a climb! Another 40 minutes of uphill work. But the clouds make visibility null. Apparently the view from Huayna Picchu is great and shows the Machu Picchu layout as sort of a condor. We would have to look it up on google, as the clouds refuse to go away even after 2 hours, which pass by fairly quickly as we have breakfast. We celebrate being at the top of Huayna Picchu by having some chocolate which I have carried with me for ages now! We have bread with passion fruit and cheese, some biscuits and some crackers. Rarely do meals taste better… Going down Huayna Picchu is much tougher work than scaling up. Aurel had to fight vertigo and Cristina wasnt feeling that great either. We slowly make our way down without incident and manage to have a few laughs in the process as well. Broken spanglish does help with laughs.

We spent 10 hours inside MP, with an hour for lunch just outside the gates. During that time, it poured on us for about two hours straight. However, we had luck and the clouds parted to allow us the view of MP that everyone knows from photos. We sat and watched it for a long time, till the clouds claimed the mountains again. During the time, a few llamas had made good friends with Ester. For some reason, she couldnt get away from the attentions of Llamas.

We also got a guide to show us around MP and tell us all sorts of interesting tidbits. Walking in the rain, trying to listen to a guide, is an interesting experience.

We have lunch and then head back to MP to walk down to the Puente Inca. On the way back, we discover that the clouds have been generous again. We sit down another hour to savour the scant offering.

We are among the last folks out of MP, and we get a stamp on our passports as a souvenir! We are all awfully quiet on the way down. Tiredness and the need to concentrate on the steps!

Down below, I run off to the hotel to see if they had seen my camera. I am lucky! They did find my camera. Phew, a relief. I had gotten quite attached to the little thing as it has been my constant companion now for 6-odd months on the road!

We tried to see if we could catch a train to Ollantaytambo, but the train only had a couple of seats left. The price wasnt generous either. On the other hand, I could have sworn that the train that only Peruvians can take is half empty. Hmmm!

Check back in the hotel and head out for dinner. We are all tired and conversation is a premium. I savour in my head a day when a dream is realised. I have seen Machu Picchu and it is all they say it is. The ruins, the amazing scenery and the setting in the mountains all adds to the splendour. I am grateful that I have had a chance to see it. It is humbling to realise that not every one in the world can travel, due to many reasons.

Day 194 Sat 12/3 Cusco

We wake up at 6:00 and are out the door by 6:30. This time, the hike takes us only 2 hours to Hidro from Aguas. We spend most of the time talking of food, our favourite dishes and what we like to cook. I am afraid that I am to blame for it, as I started talking of some dish that I liked when I was in Spain 4 years ago. It didnt help us with our hunger, all this talk of food!

A 15 min wait in Hidro before the first taxi shows up. The taxi would take us to Sta Maria. A new mode of transportation for me as I sit in the boot of the taxi. The boot is big and quite comfortable! I do enjoy such eccentricities, as long as they are not for long. An hour and we are in Sta Maria, where we were told there would be a bus soon. However, the bus could only take 3 passengers. We woudl have to wait till 14:30 for the next collectivo.

There is not much to do in Sta Maria. We have a meal, which we stretch out, and then play cards at the table for a long time. Stretching our legs, using the bathroom, playing cards, chatting..Somehow we pass the time. The collectivo which was due to leave at 14:30 follows South American time and leaves at 15:30. Of course, we stop after about 15 minutes due to to some repair work on the roads. Aurel and Aude have a bus to catch at 10 pm. We werent quite sure if we would make it back in time with such delays. The driver didnt seem to be too sure either. We hatch various plans to see how we can help the folks make their bus.

The driver is much better than the chap who brought us to Sta Maria and nobody has any problems. We make it back in 5 hours to Cusco, in good time for Aurel and Aude to catch their bus. We say our goodbyes. Aurel and Aude are off to Bolivia, but Aurel will have a chance to visit Barcelona later this summer and will be able to catch the girls.

While I have a room reserved in a hostel, the girls are without accomodation. We walk around a while and find a hostel for them. Clean and cheap, with hot water 24 hours, internet and breakfast. It is now 11:00 and we are all famished. Dinner is at a pizza place nearby – pizza personal con durazno y jamon. Tasted great. I am not sure if it was the hunger or the food or both.

After food, it is time for me to check in and get hold of my luggage. We then head off to a reggage club to listen to some live music and have a mojito. I even manage to belie my age and dance a bit with the girls. However, around 1:30 in the morning and I am nodding off. Luckily, so are the girls, and we call it a night. 3 days to remember!

Day 191 Wed 9/3 Cusco/ Pisaq

Photos of Pisaq

The driver smehow managed to get us to Cusco an hour earlier. The 6 of us hopped into two taxis and headed to town, where we spent the next hour walking around town, knocking on doors to find a hostel. After securing a hostel, it was time for breakfast. It was great to walk around at a time where the town and main square were scarcely populated and the scenery breathtaking! There is a reason people flock to Cusco, and Machu Pichhu is not the only reason as I had thought.

A shower and a quick glance at my emails. I had received an email from the Catalan girls whom I had met in Colca canyon in Arequipa. They were also in town. I walked over to the hostel to find them at the breakfast table, making plans for the day. I would spend the next 5.5 days with them and had a lot of fun. As a solo traveller, it is always great to meet a bunch of nice, friendly folk with whom it is easy to travel. We felt like old friends after a couple of days together!

We bought ourselves a tourist boleto, which costs 130 soles and grants entry to a lot of sites in Cusco and around town. Off to Pisaq in a collectivo. We arrive at the square, where an artesanal fair swallows the girls. An hour later, I walk around trying to find them. It took another hour before we managed to find each other and then it was off to the Incan ruins. Taxi up and hike down, since the site was about 1.5 hours away. The carnaval had arrived and there was much festivity, music and traditional dance at the ruins. We had our lunch, enjoying the dance and music. After spending some time exploring the ruins and posing for some photos, we hiked back to Pisaq and headed back to Cusco.

Met up then with a French couple, Aude and Aurel, whom the girls knew, as we started our preparations for our trip to Machu Pichhu the next day. Shopping, splitting up of food and water, dinner, and then it is off to bed! The 6 of us would have to make an early start to catch the collective, if we are to make it to Aguascalientes before sunset.

Day 188 Sun 6/3 Arequipa/ Puno
In my ignorance, I had signed up for a 6 hour bus ride in a bus with no toilets. The bus was fairly crowded and I was next to a woman who managed to wedge about 15% of herself into my seat and then conveniently fell asleep before I could protest. The bus journey started with an impressive display of sales by a sweet merchant, who enchanted myself and my fellow passengers with stories and jokes. “Do you know the difference between”.. questions earned you a sweet if you answered correctly. Of course, at the end you paid for the sweets you won!

The lack of the toilet onboard necessiated a stop in the middle of nowhere. There was no cover available for anyone, but we all trudged out to commune with nature and relieve the pressure building up in our kidneys. There are many times I am happy that I am a male, this being one of them. Though of course, if I were a woman, maybe I would have been smarter and not taken the bloody bus!

Arrived in Puno to find a fairly ugly town, with nobody on the streets. Yes, it was a Sunday, but didnt they get the notice? Damu is in town; entertain him! I walked around for a bit and then headed back to my empty hostel which had the one solo inhabitant – I. The number of people working there exceeded the number of guests. I had an entire floor, a couple of computers and a TV, all to myself. If that doesnt make a chap feel self-important, I am not sure what will.

Day 189 Mon 7/3 Puno/ Uros/ Amantani

Signed up for a 2 day tour of the islands on Lake Titicaca. The night we would spend with a family in Amantani. The tour group consisted of about 20 people; I am the youngest of a group of 4 people assigned to the same family. I couldnt believe it; it has to be the first time on this 6 month trip that I hang out with folks older than I!

The first stop was Uros, a floating island made from reeds, where the Uros people have been living for ages! I asked myself the question why, but of course, some questions have no answer. I struggle at times to understand why people cling on to customs and habits, when more comfortable alternatives exist. Is culture that important? Isnt culture really what we define it to be? Uros was pretty interesting, but boy, I found myself not warming to the part of the tour as everyone tried to sell us something. I could understand why, but it made me uncomfortable and I ran away from the people to wander around. I can skip lessons in culture sometimes, especially when it is really a ploy to wheedle some money off me…

The next stop was a long 3 hour journey in the boat. It is a small boat and I think I could have swimmed faster than the boat. The kerosene fumes drove me to the top, where I, along with a few brave souls, battled the cold wind and enjoyed the scenery. WHile I as unimpressed with Puno, the 3 hours on the boat helped me understand why people come to Puno.

We arrived at Amantani in time for lunch and were split into groups to be entrusted to a family each. Amantani makes money out of agriculture and tourism. The people host tourists and it works on a rotation system so that everyone benefits from the tourists. Such a pleasant way of making sure everyone got a fair share of the pie. There is no police on the island. The islanders live by the motto : “Ama Suwa , Ama Llulla, Ama Qella”; “don’t steal, don’t lie and don’t be lazy”.

I had bougt a kilo of rice as a present to give my host family. The Zacharias family consisted of the couple and two children, along with the grandparents, Zachariah’s parents. Lunch was delicious and the people very friendly. The folks in Amantani made up for th Uros people, in my opinion. Amantani is picturesque and after lunch, I took a walk. Th group re-convened later in the evening and then walked up to the top of the hill, where there are the temples dedicated to Pachamama (mother earth) and Pachatata (the masculine). Amazing views of the lake along with the mountains of Bolivia. Lake Titicaca is shared by both Peru and Bolivia. Sunset was beautiful and I enjoyed myself!

Back home for dinner and then it was a night for music and dance. The folks dressed us up in their clothes and we all danced. Or rather, the islanders taught us how to do it. It was great seeing 50 – 60 year old women putting us to shame by their energy. I danced all night and was tired by the end of the night. The music also should get special mention.

Day 190 Tue 8/3 Taquile/ Puno/ bus

I slept well, but my sleep was punctuated by the sound of heavy rainfall, which died out by the morning. We said our goodbyes, after a pleasant breakfast, to head out to Taquile. However, the rainfall made the lake really violent and the waves made it extremely uncomofortable and a couple of folks were sick, and a few of us looked fairly green. The trip to Tquile was the worst sensation I had in any kind of transportation and i was glad it only took an hour. The rain and the kersone fumes added to the misery of the waves!

Tasquile was a short 3 hour visit. We walked around the island, met some people and had a delicious meal. Picturesque island and the people friendly, but not too different from Amantani, though the people are different and have differet customs and culture.
Off to Taquile, violent waves.

Another 3 hour trip in the boat back to Puno. However, the waves had died down and it was, while boring, a non-eventful journey back. I head out to the station to buy a ticket to Cusco, to find that about 5 other folks from my tour had the same idea. We would all be headed on the same bus. Spent the evening with fellow tour members, chatting and having a meal.

The bus left at 9:30pm and was a lot more comfortable than my last trip.

Photos: Santa Catalina

Day 187 Sat 5/3 Arequipa

I spent my morning at the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. A really good mixture of colonial and Arequipean architecture. Abundant use of the sillar volcanic stone, vaults, domes, colours, all make it a really beautiful place. It seemed like a little town inside the city, protected and cut off from the real world by high walls. The narrow streets are named after Spanish towns and have 3 main cloisters. It is easy to spend hours there. It is also, I found to my distress, easy to carry off colours on the back of your shirt, when one sits down on a bench set perilously close to the walls!

I left the convent and re-entered the real world to find a huge parade, with traditional dances, out on the streets and in the Plaza de Armas. Tomorrow (Sun Mar 6) is the beginning of Carnaval here!

Headed to a late (by my stomach-time) lunch and to the hostel where I spent some time on my blog and watching another FCB game.

Headed out again for a short walk before returning to the hostel. Time to pack, and pay for the room. I was tired and decided on a quiet, early night.