The South America Chronicles - Siete
It´s been over a week since my last update and you may be wondering if I biked off the side of the World´s Most Dangerous Road. Well, I can (obviously) report that I am safe and sound and there are many highs and lows to report from the last week or so.
At the moment, it is a definite low, as we are stuck in Rurrenabaque in the Bolivian Amazon. There is this thick haze caused by a combination of the heat and farmers burning off fields and flights haven´t being going in and out of here for four days now. We were booked for a flight this morning, but there are no flights today and there might not be for another week! The alternative is to take a harrowing 18 bus ride back to La Paz, something I want to avoid like the plague. So at the moment we are sitting tight, hoping that a big storm or wind will come in and clear the sky enough for us to take to the air. But how did we get here....
Where I left off last time we were about to do the bike ride, and that was most definitely a high. We ended up going with the original biking company which was set up by a New Zealander nine years ago (Gravity Assist). They are a bit more expensive than most, but they seemed well organised - something you place some value on when you are going to be on two-wheels just a few centimetres from 1000m drops. You start off the day by getting a bus up to 4700m where we try out the bikes and get the first of many safety briefings. Our guides were a South African girl and a local from La Paz who is supposed to be one of the better mountain-bikers in Bolivia. The first 18km or so are easy enough, all downhill on a paved road. But even here we came across an accident between two buses that had happened earlier in the day and where a bus had rolled down the slope - and we hadn´t even made it to the ´Danegrous Road´yet! After this though came the toughest part of the day, a 400m climb. Normally I wouldn´t find this too difficult, but when you are at over 3000m it is another thing altogether. Not wanting to do it half-arsed, I pushed myself as hard as I could to stick to our Bolivian guide. It was absolutely knackering and my breathing was reduced to ever-so-short gasps. I managed to stick to him most of the way, but at the end I was a wheezing mess and had given my lungs a clean out they took the rest of the day to recover from.
But now we had arrived at the reason for the ride - the World´s Most Dangerous Road. It is all dirt and stones and the sheerness of vertical drops and the thinness of it makes it difficult to believe that someone had the audacity to call this a ´road´. But the bike itself is something else. It takes a little while to get the hang of it, but pretty soon I was tearing down trying to keep up with the guide ahead and trying little jumps (including a spectacular entrance into a river near the end of the day that left me soaking wet). The views are stunning as well, and you had to be careful that you weren´t staring off into the distance while going head long off the side of the road, or be mesmorised by the drop beneath you. It was certainly adrelenin-spiking stuff and a lot of fun. I´m still a roadie though - the bikes were still big, bulkie and slow - but if I could ride down that road every day I could be converted.
For the next two days we stayed down at the bottom of the bike ride (rather than return to La Paz) in the small town of Coroico - a full 3000m below where we started the ride earlier that morning. Coroico´s climate is sub-tropical (a big change from the altitude of La Paz) and is surrounded by groves of orange trees, banana palms and coffee plantations. We spent two nights at what must be our favourite place so far this holiday - Sol y Luna. It sat a 15 minute walk above Coroico and is set amidst its own little sub-tropical garden. We stayed in the small hut ´Jatata´, where our ´room´sat upstairs and had no door but just a zipped up curtain. The trees and plants surrounded us and no other guests or huts were visible. In the morning we could just open up that curtain and take in our spectacular view from our bed, listening to the calls of the birds around us. At night, we could sit in our hammock watching the sun set and the chorus of insects take over and the fireflies come out.
It was with much regret that we had to leave, and if we were to do it all over again we would have stayed there for a week. But we had booked on the jungle boat cruise to Rurrenbaque and were picked up in the morning to be driven the 6 hours to Guanay, where the boat cruise started from. And if we had biked the World´s Most Dangerous Road earlier, this must be the second most dangerous - and the most bumpiest. Travelling in a 1984 Toyota 4WD it wasn´t much fun and already we were reminiscing about our little hut at Sol y Luna. Arriving at Guanay we found out that our boat cruise to Rurrenabaque was now 13 people, which turned out to be far too many, and that the normal guide also wasn´t going. The next two days turned out to be a bit of a regret for us. The boat ride itself was great and the scenery along the river was pretty amazing. But on the second day we went for a jungle trek that was anything but fun. The first hour or so was interesting enough, though the lack of wildlife was evident (except for the insects - who seem to be the kings of the jungle) and it was damn hot. But the next 3 hours was spent walking along a muddy creek - apparently to see more wildlife, though the only thing we saw of note was a boar. It was hard work and not very enjoyable, wading through thick mud and having to swat away numerous insects. This jungle walk was Anna´s ´Cotopaxi´and I don´t think she´ll be making plans to return to the Amazon jungle anytime soon. By the end of it, we had only spotted one monkey and one boar and were all sporting enough insect bites to reignite a smallpox scare (and these are no ordinary bites and more resemble stab wounds from an ice pick). And then on our final night, while camping on the river bed, a big storm came through, turning over some of the clumsily put together tents (fortunately ours stayed together) and making a mess of the campsite. And then the icing on the cake was finding out that my favourite icebreaker top had disappeared overnight (probably blown away). We were definitely regretting this route to Rurrenbaque and if we were reminiscing earlier, we were now craving for our Sol y Luna paradise. But we did pick up a new friend on our cruise - our Scottish spanish-interpreter Rogan - and the three of us have spent the last week together travelling around.
Arriving in Rurrenabaque, we needed to find ourselves a tour of the Pampas - the fertile wetlands that are home to lots of Amazon wildlife. After much investigating we finally plumped with one company as their accomodation looked slightly nicer than the rest (only to find out that those photos were of a completely different camp!). Overall though, the 3-day tour was really good with an amazing array of wildlife to see. Most of the time is spent boating up and down the Yacuma River, which countless number of different animals call their home. There are the strange supersized guinea pigs, the Capybaras; multitudes of alligators and cayman of differing sizes; different species of monkeys; and numerous birds - herons, storks, cormorants, maccaws, and many others. We also swam with Pink Dolphins - who we were reassuring told keep away the alligators and piranha, though it can be a bit disconcerting when you can see the alligators on the banks of the same river you are swimming in. We also went looking for Anacondas and Anna - the ´wildlife spotter´- found one in the first 30 minutes. We looked for more over the next three hours to no avail, but even to find one is quite lucky. It wasn´t a large one (by Anacona standards), but you could definitely feel its grip when handling it.
The three of us came back to Rurrenabaque yesterday afternoon expecting to be flying back this morning to La Paz. But as I have mentioned we are now stuck here, pondering what our next move should be. It´s a Catch-22 - if we take the bus it will probably cost us a couple of days anyway, but obviously if this haze doesn´t clear and the planes can´t fly then that will cost us time as well - and we so want to get away from the mozzies. So it looks like whatever eventuates we might have to reconsider our plans for the next 5 weeks. I guess we just have to put it down to the joys of Bolivian travelling! I´ll let you know how we get on....
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The South America Chronicles - Seis
This report comes from a slightly hungover Sam in La Paz. We arrive here yesterday afternoon and one of my first priorities was to make a visit to a hostal-cum-microbrewery - Adventure Brew Hostal. We had already booked to stay somewhere else in La Paz, but I wasn´t going to pass up the opportunity of tasting some (possibly) good beers. And it didn´t disappoint....hence the hangover. They had 3 different beers - a German Kolsch, an English Ale, and a dark bock. The first two were particularly good, so quite a few were imbibed.
We then took a dinner recommendation from the Scottish guy behind the bar - an Argentinean steak house downtown. The taxi ride down there was an event in itself, travelling through rush hour and the throng of the city, with masses of old (American school bus style) Dodge buses in the traffic. We hadn´t seen the hustle and bustle of a real city since we left London. But this seems a good hustle and bustle, lots of people promenading along the wide avenue that goes through the middle of the city. La Paz certainly seems like a cool city, though bizarrely located. It sits in a huge gorge, with steep slopes climbing on either side of the centre of the city. Arriving, looking down at the city below, you can´t help not ask "why the hell did someone decide to place a city here?" It feels like it is one giant arena, with houses stretching up the gorge on either side. A fascinating place.
And the dinner didn´t disappoint either. For 270 Bolivianos (about 20 quid - I know, we splashed out), Anna and I each had a huge cut of absolutely delicious steak (they must have been around 400g each), an excellent 2004 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, and all the trimmings (chips, beans, salsa, a huge salad bar). This has certainly set our appetite for Argentina.
After our protein fix, Anna demonstrated her Spanish skills but bargaining UP our return taxi ride from 8 Bolivianos to 10! We then headed back to the microbrewery bar for a couple more drinks, and hence the headache this morning.
This is all after a couple days spent at Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. This was certainly a different place to where we have been before - I likened it to the Riveria of Bolivia. When we arrived on the Sunday, the lakefront was packed with locals who must go there for their day out. Lining the lakefront are many kiosks selling fresh trout, which must go down as some of the best fish we have ever had (Lee - you were right). We also stayed at a little hotel on the corner of the bay, which had great views (Daz/Jess - thanks for the tip). Copacabana had a really bohemian feel to it - and strangely, many European travellers and very few English-speaking tourists. There isn´t a whole lot to do in Copacabana, and we just had a relaxing two days, reading, drinking, and eating a lot of trout. On the second day we did take the boat out to the Isla del Sol - by folklore, the birthplace of the Incas. There wasn´t a lot to see there, but it was a pleasant walk along the ridge of the island, getting the boat back in the afternoon.
I don´t think I would say that Copacabana is a must see on any South America itinerary, but it was a relaxing place to stop off for a couple of days. So relaxing, that it wasn´t until we were just about to leave that we realised we weren´t even on Bolivian time! We were in an internet cafe when we noticed that both the time on the computer and the clock on the wall were an hour fast. And then we realised that they weren´t an hour fast at all, but that Bolivian time must be an hour ahead of Peruvian time - and then it all clicked. It explained why the previous morning our hotel owner told us we had to run for the boat to the Isla del Sol, and that when she was saying "no ocho", she didn´t mean that the boat didn´t leave at 8, but that it wasn´t 8 o´clock. And that when we thought it odd that we had to rush to our boat as it left the Isla del Sol an hour early, that it wasn´t leaving early at all. And when we were in our restaurant that night, that the live music didn´t start an hour early, but was on time as advertised. The fact that we survived with having the wrong time for the two days gives you some idea of how laid back Copocabana is. Though we still felt very stupid, and we were fortunate that we noticed at all that morning, as we would have missed our bus to La Paz.
So now we are in La Paz organising our next few days in Bolivia. Tomorrow we will be biking down the world´s most dangerous road, and then we have a couple of days relaxing down in the Yungas, enjoying a bitof warmth. We are then hoping to do a 3-day boat trip through the jungle up to Rurrenbaque, where we will do an Amazon tour. So lots of adventures over the next week or so - Anna is worried about riding off the edge of the cliff, and I am wanting to avoid the infamous `penis fish`. So I won´t be peeing into any waters....
This report comes from a slightly hungover Sam in La Paz. We arrive here yesterday afternoon and one of my first priorities was to make a visit to a hostal-cum-microbrewery - Adventure Brew Hostal. We had already booked to stay somewhere else in La Paz, but I wasn´t going to pass up the opportunity of tasting some (possibly) good beers. And it didn´t disappoint....hence the hangover. They had 3 different beers - a German Kolsch, an English Ale, and a dark bock. The first two were particularly good, so quite a few were imbibed.
We then took a dinner recommendation from the Scottish guy behind the bar - an Argentinean steak house downtown. The taxi ride down there was an event in itself, travelling through rush hour and the throng of the city, with masses of old (American school bus style) Dodge buses in the traffic. We hadn´t seen the hustle and bustle of a real city since we left London. But this seems a good hustle and bustle, lots of people promenading along the wide avenue that goes through the middle of the city. La Paz certainly seems like a cool city, though bizarrely located. It sits in a huge gorge, with steep slopes climbing on either side of the centre of the city. Arriving, looking down at the city below, you can´t help not ask "why the hell did someone decide to place a city here?" It feels like it is one giant arena, with houses stretching up the gorge on either side. A fascinating place.
And the dinner didn´t disappoint either. For 270 Bolivianos (about 20 quid - I know, we splashed out), Anna and I each had a huge cut of absolutely delicious steak (they must have been around 400g each), an excellent 2004 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, and all the trimmings (chips, beans, salsa, a huge salad bar). This has certainly set our appetite for Argentina.
After our protein fix, Anna demonstrated her Spanish skills but bargaining UP our return taxi ride from 8 Bolivianos to 10! We then headed back to the microbrewery bar for a couple more drinks, and hence the headache this morning.
This is all after a couple days spent at Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. This was certainly a different place to where we have been before - I likened it to the Riveria of Bolivia. When we arrived on the Sunday, the lakefront was packed with locals who must go there for their day out. Lining the lakefront are many kiosks selling fresh trout, which must go down as some of the best fish we have ever had (Lee - you were right). We also stayed at a little hotel on the corner of the bay, which had great views (Daz/Jess - thanks for the tip). Copacabana had a really bohemian feel to it - and strangely, many European travellers and very few English-speaking tourists. There isn´t a whole lot to do in Copacabana, and we just had a relaxing two days, reading, drinking, and eating a lot of trout. On the second day we did take the boat out to the Isla del Sol - by folklore, the birthplace of the Incas. There wasn´t a lot to see there, but it was a pleasant walk along the ridge of the island, getting the boat back in the afternoon.
I don´t think I would say that Copacabana is a must see on any South America itinerary, but it was a relaxing place to stop off for a couple of days. So relaxing, that it wasn´t until we were just about to leave that we realised we weren´t even on Bolivian time! We were in an internet cafe when we noticed that both the time on the computer and the clock on the wall were an hour fast. And then we realised that they weren´t an hour fast at all, but that Bolivian time must be an hour ahead of Peruvian time - and then it all clicked. It explained why the previous morning our hotel owner told us we had to run for the boat to the Isla del Sol, and that when she was saying "no ocho", she didn´t mean that the boat didn´t leave at 8, but that it wasn´t 8 o´clock. And that when we thought it odd that we had to rush to our boat as it left the Isla del Sol an hour early, that it wasn´t leaving early at all. And when we were in our restaurant that night, that the live music didn´t start an hour early, but was on time as advertised. The fact that we survived with having the wrong time for the two days gives you some idea of how laid back Copocabana is. Though we still felt very stupid, and we were fortunate that we noticed at all that morning, as we would have missed our bus to La Paz.
So now we are in La Paz organising our next few days in Bolivia. Tomorrow we will be biking down the world´s most dangerous road, and then we have a couple of days relaxing down in the Yungas, enjoying a bitof warmth. We are then hoping to do a 3-day boat trip through the jungle up to Rurrenbaque, where we will do an Amazon tour. So lots of adventures over the next week or so - Anna is worried about riding off the edge of the cliff, and I am wanting to avoid the infamous `penis fish`. So I won´t be peeing into any waters....
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Beer Scene - Peru
Well fellow ale lovers, I have to report that things on the foamy front have not improved in Peru. The local beers available are again of your standard lager/pilsener type, the only variation on the theme being the ´Malta´version of the dominant Cusquena brand. Unfortunately, this dark beer resembled a cheap cola more than a beer of any note. And then, causing me much distress, the two brewpubs in Cusco that I hoped to visit both appeared to have closed in recent times.
So after collecting just two new ratings in Ecuador, I have only five new ratings to add from Peru - and none of them really of any note, the Cristal being the pick for me but still only scoring a 8/20. I expect Bolivia to be a continuation of the theme. I´m now particularly jealous of those of you still able to get yourself a fresh English pint and already looking forward to my first trip to Galbraiths when back in Auckland.
Well fellow ale lovers, I have to report that things on the foamy front have not improved in Peru. The local beers available are again of your standard lager/pilsener type, the only variation on the theme being the ´Malta´version of the dominant Cusquena brand. Unfortunately, this dark beer resembled a cheap cola more than a beer of any note. And then, causing me much distress, the two brewpubs in Cusco that I hoped to visit both appeared to have closed in recent times.
So after collecting just two new ratings in Ecuador, I have only five new ratings to add from Peru - and none of them really of any note, the Cristal being the pick for me but still only scoring a 8/20. I expect Bolivia to be a continuation of the theme. I´m now particularly jealous of those of you still able to get yourself a fresh English pint and already looking forward to my first trip to Galbraiths when back in Auckland.
The South America Chronicles - Cinco
What a day! Had to get up early to take a crappy bus to a crappy Peruvian town. We are in Puno at the moment, a Peruvian city on Lake Titicaca near the Bolivian border. We were hoping to make it all the way through to Copacabana on the Bolivian side, but couldn´t do it, so now we are stuck here for the night. And that was after our "1st class" bus ride from Cusco - which was dirty and stunk of the toilet. Though thankfully the South African couple we met on the bus - who have been travelling for 7 months - told us this was the worst tourist class bus they had been on, so things can only get better.
But how about the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu I am sure you are asking? And if you´re not, you´re gong to hear about it anyway....
Well, we are still in one piece. In fact, it wasn´t nearly the toil that it is made out to be. Instead, it was an awesome four days. It started off getting picked up very early in the morning to get bused off to the start of the trail. We all know that Anna isn´t great in the morning at the best of times, and this early start had her freaking out for the whole bus trip about how she wasn´t going to be able to do it. A thankful distraction was checking out the other 12 trekkers that would be joining us, and in particular, how much gear they were bringing with them. We decided to take the minimalist approach, fitting everything into just a couple of day packs (Jabs - you´d be proud). This was in sharp contrast to some others that nearly required forklifts to get their massive packs onto the bus. The rest of the group might get tired of seeing us in the same clothes day after day, but at least we wouldn´t need to carry a small city up and down the mountains. In the end, we thought we got it about right - OK, we stank at the end of the four days, but we never did work out what some others brought with them, as they stank too.
The trek started fine and clear, something we hoped would continue for the next 4 days. After buying the obligatory walking stick, we were off hiking along the trail. We had two guides, a main guide who leads and an assitance guide who walks with the slow-pokes at the back (which, despite Anna´s fears, was not one of). The first day was in fact fairly simple - only a few hours walking along a fairly flat route, making heaps of stops along the way. This did a lot for Anna´s confidence, especially as she was easily at the front of the group. We also got to see the amazing porters (or ´Cheskys´as our guide liked to call them - it means ´running people´, and with good reason), who carry all the camping and cooking gear along the trail. They are laden up with packs two times their size and who knows how much weight, and tear up the path ahead of us like they aren´t carrying anything at all, some of them in sandals (apparently they don´t like boots as they get blisters). And when we arrive at camp, they already have all the tents up and the meal on the way. The food was also incredible considering we are in the middle of nowhere - all served in a large communal tent with full dining sets and cutlery.
Day 2 is the infamous day where you climb around 1500m to the highest pass on the trek - Dead Womens Pass at 4200m (and no, that isn´t a reference to trekkers that don´t make it, but the silhouette of the pass). But again, this day didn´t quite live up to its reputation. It isn´t easy by any means, but you have lots of stops and once you are in the groove of going up the steps you seem to really chew up the metres.
In fact, it is the third day which is probably the toughest (though, the toughest part of the trek is really the toilets - they are minging, it is difficult to know how people can miss so much - Kel, you would most definitely struggle). Firstly, you spend the night before at 3700m and it is bloody cold - there is no getting up for a midnight widdle that´s for sure. Secondly, it is nearly all downhill, which sounds good, but the guides don´t call it the Gringo killer for nothing. It is made up of lots of little and not-so-little steps, over 2000 in all, and they require a lot of concentration and precise footwork. It is also the longest day - we headed off around 6.30am and didn´t get into the camp at the end of the day until around 4ish. And it was certainly the day that some of our group found the toughest - there were plenty of sore knees at the end, Anna´s included. (I picked up the Chesky technique, which is the run down the steps as quickly as you can - seemed to work as my knees were fine.) But to make up for it, it is also the best day. You visit four different Incan sites on the way, and you go up and down through so many different climates and environments. One minute you are going over a 4000m pass, the next through a jungle valley with lots of bird life, creepers and bamboo. It was constantly changing and I hardly even realised how much we were walking.
The last day obviously has a lot of expectation as it is when you finally make it to Machu Picchu. We had an even earlier start, as you go through the gate to walk the final 3kms to Machu Picchu at 5.30am. But there was much consternation when just as we got up it started to bucket down (it had only rained one other time over the previous 3 days, and that was for about half an hour while we were in the tents). There were some downcast faces as we all put on our wet weather gear and faced the possibility that we wouldn´t even be able to ´see´Machu Picchu when we made it. But, the Incan gods must have been looking favourable on us as just as we were about to set off the rain cleared up completely and we had a spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu and hot and fine weather all day. Running (yep, running) down to Machu Picchu, we made it to the site just after 6am and spent the next hour or so just taking it in from the classic view you would have all seen. Even though we had already seen some great Incan ruins, Machu Picchu definitely topped them all. Our guide took us on a tour through the ruins and then we spent a couple of hours just relaxing and taking it all in. Those Incans were certainly a clever lot - especially when it comes to architecture, building and stonework. You just couldn´t help but be impressed with some these structures they built and that are still standing.
It was such a good 4 days it was with some regret that it ended. Though the thought of a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes were more than enough compensation - OK, I admit it, I absolutely stank! We also weren´t looking forward to the end of the tour as we met some really cool people. There were five of us - the ´trailblazers´I have christened us - who got on really well. We were always at the front of the group, often by ourselves, and had plenty of time to chat, spin some yarns, and have a few laughs. Daz and Jess are Aussies, but they were so cool I could forgive them for that; and Lee is a Manchurian who had the most comical inability to remember names I have ever met. We had an awesome time just the five of us at Machu Picchu that morning and have made promises to keep in touch. They have also given us plenty of tips and advice for the rest of our travels and have really got us looking forward to Bolivia. Our guides were also very good. Our head guide David was very passionate about Incan history and taught us all a lot. And our assistant guide Puma - who we dubbed ´Snoop´, as he looked just like the rapper - was lots of laughs.
So after such great times at Galapagos and the Incan trail, I´m not sure what can top it - certainly not anything here in Puno! But we are about to start the Bolivian leg of our travels and there is a lot to look forward to - biking down the world´s most dangerous road, a trip to the Amazon, and the Uyuni salt flats. So hopefully the good times continue (as well as the good health).
And of course, yesterday I finally caught up with Pepito. Pepito you ask? Pepito was the guinea pig that finally became my lunch yesterday. And how was Pepito? Well, I hate to say it, but he tasted a bit like chicken. There wasn´t much of him - you´d think there would be more meat on the little fellas - but he was tasty enough. So I don´t think Pepito´s cousins will become a regular feature on my table, but it was an experience and a bit of a laugh.
What a day! Had to get up early to take a crappy bus to a crappy Peruvian town. We are in Puno at the moment, a Peruvian city on Lake Titicaca near the Bolivian border. We were hoping to make it all the way through to Copacabana on the Bolivian side, but couldn´t do it, so now we are stuck here for the night. And that was after our "1st class" bus ride from Cusco - which was dirty and stunk of the toilet. Though thankfully the South African couple we met on the bus - who have been travelling for 7 months - told us this was the worst tourist class bus they had been on, so things can only get better.
But how about the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu I am sure you are asking? And if you´re not, you´re gong to hear about it anyway....
Well, we are still in one piece. In fact, it wasn´t nearly the toil that it is made out to be. Instead, it was an awesome four days. It started off getting picked up very early in the morning to get bused off to the start of the trail. We all know that Anna isn´t great in the morning at the best of times, and this early start had her freaking out for the whole bus trip about how she wasn´t going to be able to do it. A thankful distraction was checking out the other 12 trekkers that would be joining us, and in particular, how much gear they were bringing with them. We decided to take the minimalist approach, fitting everything into just a couple of day packs (Jabs - you´d be proud). This was in sharp contrast to some others that nearly required forklifts to get their massive packs onto the bus. The rest of the group might get tired of seeing us in the same clothes day after day, but at least we wouldn´t need to carry a small city up and down the mountains. In the end, we thought we got it about right - OK, we stank at the end of the four days, but we never did work out what some others brought with them, as they stank too.
The trek started fine and clear, something we hoped would continue for the next 4 days. After buying the obligatory walking stick, we were off hiking along the trail. We had two guides, a main guide who leads and an assitance guide who walks with the slow-pokes at the back (which, despite Anna´s fears, was not one of). The first day was in fact fairly simple - only a few hours walking along a fairly flat route, making heaps of stops along the way. This did a lot for Anna´s confidence, especially as she was easily at the front of the group. We also got to see the amazing porters (or ´Cheskys´as our guide liked to call them - it means ´running people´, and with good reason), who carry all the camping and cooking gear along the trail. They are laden up with packs two times their size and who knows how much weight, and tear up the path ahead of us like they aren´t carrying anything at all, some of them in sandals (apparently they don´t like boots as they get blisters). And when we arrive at camp, they already have all the tents up and the meal on the way. The food was also incredible considering we are in the middle of nowhere - all served in a large communal tent with full dining sets and cutlery.
Day 2 is the infamous day where you climb around 1500m to the highest pass on the trek - Dead Womens Pass at 4200m (and no, that isn´t a reference to trekkers that don´t make it, but the silhouette of the pass). But again, this day didn´t quite live up to its reputation. It isn´t easy by any means, but you have lots of stops and once you are in the groove of going up the steps you seem to really chew up the metres.
In fact, it is the third day which is probably the toughest (though, the toughest part of the trek is really the toilets - they are minging, it is difficult to know how people can miss so much - Kel, you would most definitely struggle). Firstly, you spend the night before at 3700m and it is bloody cold - there is no getting up for a midnight widdle that´s for sure. Secondly, it is nearly all downhill, which sounds good, but the guides don´t call it the Gringo killer for nothing. It is made up of lots of little and not-so-little steps, over 2000 in all, and they require a lot of concentration and precise footwork. It is also the longest day - we headed off around 6.30am and didn´t get into the camp at the end of the day until around 4ish. And it was certainly the day that some of our group found the toughest - there were plenty of sore knees at the end, Anna´s included. (I picked up the Chesky technique, which is the run down the steps as quickly as you can - seemed to work as my knees were fine.) But to make up for it, it is also the best day. You visit four different Incan sites on the way, and you go up and down through so many different climates and environments. One minute you are going over a 4000m pass, the next through a jungle valley with lots of bird life, creepers and bamboo. It was constantly changing and I hardly even realised how much we were walking.
The last day obviously has a lot of expectation as it is when you finally make it to Machu Picchu. We had an even earlier start, as you go through the gate to walk the final 3kms to Machu Picchu at 5.30am. But there was much consternation when just as we got up it started to bucket down (it had only rained one other time over the previous 3 days, and that was for about half an hour while we were in the tents). There were some downcast faces as we all put on our wet weather gear and faced the possibility that we wouldn´t even be able to ´see´Machu Picchu when we made it. But, the Incan gods must have been looking favourable on us as just as we were about to set off the rain cleared up completely and we had a spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu and hot and fine weather all day. Running (yep, running) down to Machu Picchu, we made it to the site just after 6am and spent the next hour or so just taking it in from the classic view you would have all seen. Even though we had already seen some great Incan ruins, Machu Picchu definitely topped them all. Our guide took us on a tour through the ruins and then we spent a couple of hours just relaxing and taking it all in. Those Incans were certainly a clever lot - especially when it comes to architecture, building and stonework. You just couldn´t help but be impressed with some these structures they built and that are still standing.
It was such a good 4 days it was with some regret that it ended. Though the thought of a hot shower and a fresh set of clothes were more than enough compensation - OK, I admit it, I absolutely stank! We also weren´t looking forward to the end of the tour as we met some really cool people. There were five of us - the ´trailblazers´I have christened us - who got on really well. We were always at the front of the group, often by ourselves, and had plenty of time to chat, spin some yarns, and have a few laughs. Daz and Jess are Aussies, but they were so cool I could forgive them for that; and Lee is a Manchurian who had the most comical inability to remember names I have ever met. We had an awesome time just the five of us at Machu Picchu that morning and have made promises to keep in touch. They have also given us plenty of tips and advice for the rest of our travels and have really got us looking forward to Bolivia. Our guides were also very good. Our head guide David was very passionate about Incan history and taught us all a lot. And our assistant guide Puma - who we dubbed ´Snoop´, as he looked just like the rapper - was lots of laughs.
So after such great times at Galapagos and the Incan trail, I´m not sure what can top it - certainly not anything here in Puno! But we are about to start the Bolivian leg of our travels and there is a lot to look forward to - biking down the world´s most dangerous road, a trip to the Amazon, and the Uyuni salt flats. So hopefully the good times continue (as well as the good health).
And of course, yesterday I finally caught up with Pepito. Pepito you ask? Pepito was the guinea pig that finally became my lunch yesterday. And how was Pepito? Well, I hate to say it, but he tasted a bit like chicken. There wasn´t much of him - you´d think there would be more meat on the little fellas - but he was tasty enough. So I don´t think Pepito´s cousins will become a regular feature on my table, but it was an experience and a bit of a laugh.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The South America Chronicles - Cuatro
I can confirm that we did finally make it to Cusco, and if anyone needs any information on the Lima Airport - I´m you man. We haven´t hit the Inca Trail yet - that starts tomorrow morning - but we did just have a good 3 days in the Sacred Valley....
After checking in with out Inca Trail guides after touching down in Cusco, we jumped onto a local bus over to Pisaq at the head of the Sacred Valley. Pisaq was a nice little colonial market town, with lots of stalls around its little square, on which our hotel was set. There really wasn´t much in Pisaq, just lots of friendly locals and a relaxed atmosphere. There was a good cafe also situated on the square - which was probably just as well as there weren´t a whole lot of other options that appealed. Though my pursuit of a meal of Cuy (Guinea Pig for those of you not in the know) was foiled again - we spotted a place earlier in the day that even had the poor little fella´s on display in a hutch, but when I turned up there for dinner it appeared that the place was only open for lunch. So my furry four-legged friends had another escape. But I will catch up with them, oh yes I will....
The next morning we walked up to the Inca ruins that overlook Pisaq. It wasn´t a long walk (only about 45mins), but it was a steep one. And our worst fears were confirmed, all our altitude acclimitisation had been lost in the Galapagos. But despite a lot of huffing and puffing, we made it to the ruins and nearly had an hour wandering around them all to ourselves - the tour buses arrive later in the day I think. We then bused it further down the Valley to the town of Urubamba, which at first seemed like a mistake to stay at. However, despite a frustrating hour walking around the town looking for our accomodation (it had changed both its name and its location!), we found that we became very fond of Urubamba over the next two days.
One day we took the short trip up to Ollantaytambo where we walked around the really impressive Inca ruins - a multitude of terraces up a steep slope, on the top of which had some stones so large it is a wonder they got them up there at all. The other day we bus/taxi´ed it up to the site of Moray - what was effectively a ´greenhouse´ the Inca´s built to test different crops at different climatic conditions. There are three sets of circular terraces, which apparently give the affect of simulating the different environs that would have been in the Incan terriority - from the mountains down to the sea. This way the Inca´s could test different crops before planting them on a larger scale - a pretty smart lot those Inca´s. We then walked the 10km or so back to Urubamba - which in hindsight might not have been a great decision. Though walking along the Andean ´puna´ (grasslands at altitude - we were at about 3300m) was pretty cool (we even spotted a Condor) - it didn´t have a great affect on my health. Only just coming right from my other gastric joys, I started to feel very average on the walk down - feeling weak and having very sore ears. I´m not sure whether this is due to the altitude (which would seem odd as I spent 2 weeks at at least these levels and didn´t have any problems), or the result of the ear infection I picked up from snorkelling in the Galapagos. Whatever it is, my ears are still very sore, as is my chest - not how I wanted to feel with the Inca Trail trek beginning in less than 24 hours. It appears that my body wasn´t quite ready for these travels to the developing world. And in a bizare twist - Anna is feeling good. But enough of the misery....
We ended up really liking Urubamba and had two of the best meals I think we will ever have for mains that cost US$10 each. I´m not sure what the chefs are doing in this town, they should be in michelin star restaurants in London charging 20 times the amount. It certainly isn´t what you expect to find in a dusty town like Urubamba. And after dinner each night we got to take one of the many tuk-tuks that parole the town. They will take you anywhere in the town for just 1 Sol (around US$0.30) and were lots of fun. We are really getting the hang of this South American transport ´system´. It seems shambolic and unorganised from the outside, but it just seems to work. Changing from one bus to another, or to a combi taxi (basically a van cramed with as many people as possible) or tuk-tuk, it always seems to go seamlessly. And the drivers are always helpful and always make sure you get off at the right place or get onto the right connection. And it is all ridiculously dirt cheap. Makes you wonder with all the technology, etc how we can get it so wrong so often (London-goers probably best you don´t read this).
We are now in Cusco, ticking away the afternoon and preparing for our 5.30am pick up tomorrow morning. We´ve picked up the necessary supplies - toilet paper (tick), snickers bars (tick), chewing gum and lollies (tick), water (tick). And now we get to go back to our room and work out how we are going to fit what we are taking into one small backpack - cue plenty of bickering tonight I think....
I am sure I will post an update in 5 days or so to let you all know how the trek went. I expect watching the sunrise over Machu Picchu will more than make up for the toils.
P.S. And it seems you can´t fly away to any corner of the world these days without missing out on some news. Congrats Craig & Suz, it seems that the new house hasn´t been the only thing keeping you up late at night!
P.S.S. And just to allay your fears, Anna and I are still together now that we are travelling by ourselves. However, a book or cards have become quite useful at dinner times....
I can confirm that we did finally make it to Cusco, and if anyone needs any information on the Lima Airport - I´m you man. We haven´t hit the Inca Trail yet - that starts tomorrow morning - but we did just have a good 3 days in the Sacred Valley....
After checking in with out Inca Trail guides after touching down in Cusco, we jumped onto a local bus over to Pisaq at the head of the Sacred Valley. Pisaq was a nice little colonial market town, with lots of stalls around its little square, on which our hotel was set. There really wasn´t much in Pisaq, just lots of friendly locals and a relaxed atmosphere. There was a good cafe also situated on the square - which was probably just as well as there weren´t a whole lot of other options that appealed. Though my pursuit of a meal of Cuy (Guinea Pig for those of you not in the know) was foiled again - we spotted a place earlier in the day that even had the poor little fella´s on display in a hutch, but when I turned up there for dinner it appeared that the place was only open for lunch. So my furry four-legged friends had another escape. But I will catch up with them, oh yes I will....
The next morning we walked up to the Inca ruins that overlook Pisaq. It wasn´t a long walk (only about 45mins), but it was a steep one. And our worst fears were confirmed, all our altitude acclimitisation had been lost in the Galapagos. But despite a lot of huffing and puffing, we made it to the ruins and nearly had an hour wandering around them all to ourselves - the tour buses arrive later in the day I think. We then bused it further down the Valley to the town of Urubamba, which at first seemed like a mistake to stay at. However, despite a frustrating hour walking around the town looking for our accomodation (it had changed both its name and its location!), we found that we became very fond of Urubamba over the next two days.
One day we took the short trip up to Ollantaytambo where we walked around the really impressive Inca ruins - a multitude of terraces up a steep slope, on the top of which had some stones so large it is a wonder they got them up there at all. The other day we bus/taxi´ed it up to the site of Moray - what was effectively a ´greenhouse´ the Inca´s built to test different crops at different climatic conditions. There are three sets of circular terraces, which apparently give the affect of simulating the different environs that would have been in the Incan terriority - from the mountains down to the sea. This way the Inca´s could test different crops before planting them on a larger scale - a pretty smart lot those Inca´s. We then walked the 10km or so back to Urubamba - which in hindsight might not have been a great decision. Though walking along the Andean ´puna´ (grasslands at altitude - we were at about 3300m) was pretty cool (we even spotted a Condor) - it didn´t have a great affect on my health. Only just coming right from my other gastric joys, I started to feel very average on the walk down - feeling weak and having very sore ears. I´m not sure whether this is due to the altitude (which would seem odd as I spent 2 weeks at at least these levels and didn´t have any problems), or the result of the ear infection I picked up from snorkelling in the Galapagos. Whatever it is, my ears are still very sore, as is my chest - not how I wanted to feel with the Inca Trail trek beginning in less than 24 hours. It appears that my body wasn´t quite ready for these travels to the developing world. And in a bizare twist - Anna is feeling good. But enough of the misery....
We ended up really liking Urubamba and had two of the best meals I think we will ever have for mains that cost US$10 each. I´m not sure what the chefs are doing in this town, they should be in michelin star restaurants in London charging 20 times the amount. It certainly isn´t what you expect to find in a dusty town like Urubamba. And after dinner each night we got to take one of the many tuk-tuks that parole the town. They will take you anywhere in the town for just 1 Sol (around US$0.30) and were lots of fun. We are really getting the hang of this South American transport ´system´. It seems shambolic and unorganised from the outside, but it just seems to work. Changing from one bus to another, or to a combi taxi (basically a van cramed with as many people as possible) or tuk-tuk, it always seems to go seamlessly. And the drivers are always helpful and always make sure you get off at the right place or get onto the right connection. And it is all ridiculously dirt cheap. Makes you wonder with all the technology, etc how we can get it so wrong so often (London-goers probably best you don´t read this).
We are now in Cusco, ticking away the afternoon and preparing for our 5.30am pick up tomorrow morning. We´ve picked up the necessary supplies - toilet paper (tick), snickers bars (tick), chewing gum and lollies (tick), water (tick). And now we get to go back to our room and work out how we are going to fit what we are taking into one small backpack - cue plenty of bickering tonight I think....
I am sure I will post an update in 5 days or so to let you all know how the trek went. I expect watching the sunrise over Machu Picchu will more than make up for the toils.
P.S. And it seems you can´t fly away to any corner of the world these days without missing out on some news. Congrats Craig & Suz, it seems that the new house hasn´t been the only thing keeping you up late at night!
P.S.S. And just to allay your fears, Anna and I are still together now that we are travelling by ourselves. However, a book or cards have become quite useful at dinner times....
Friday, September 07, 2007
The curse of Lima Airport has struck again as Anna and I are waylaid here with a 4 hour delay - apparently something about the airline being a plane short. Of course, we just happened to have gotten up at 4am for what was suppose to be a 6am flight, so we are not happy campers. And in what seems like cruel torture, we also have to sit through the numerous announcements for flights to Cusco for other airlines, which seem to go every 10 minutes - just our luck!
And as if to put a final nail in the coffin, the airline have also given us a meal voucher to what looks like the worst restaurant in the airport. We have made a couple of ´passes´, and to say the food looks unappealing is being too generous. Ah, the joys of travelling through South America....
And as if to put a final nail in the coffin, the airline have also given us a meal voucher to what looks like the worst restaurant in the airport. We have made a couple of ´passes´, and to say the food looks unappealing is being too generous. Ah, the joys of travelling through South America....
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Beer Scene - Ecuador
Well, there wasn´t much to report on this front. Ecuador was a little similar to Greece in the way that wherever you went you were limited to just the same choices - typically what seemed to be the only two beers brewed in Ecuador, Pilsener and Club Pilsener. The Pilsener was surprisingly drinkable, the Club was not....
The beer scene in Ecuador seems best illustrated by the fleeting escape I thought I had find when seeing a Ukranian porter for sale in a supermarket. On taking it back to the hotel and sipping my way through a pretty awful half glass, Brad pointed out to me that the expiry date on it was for last year!
Fortnately - I guess - I haven´t had much cause to do a lot of drinking as I am still afflicted by some stomach bug (or parasite as Anna likes to call it). It laid me up in bed all day on our first day in the Galapagos, and I am still suffering from vicious stomach cramps. I hoping it decides to go and be a parasite in someone else soon.
Nevertheless, it doesnt´t look like there will be much relief from this derth of decent beer until we make our way down to Chile. But I do have a couple of brew pubs lined up in Cusco to check out, so the report for Peru may be more favourable....
Well, there wasn´t much to report on this front. Ecuador was a little similar to Greece in the way that wherever you went you were limited to just the same choices - typically what seemed to be the only two beers brewed in Ecuador, Pilsener and Club Pilsener. The Pilsener was surprisingly drinkable, the Club was not....
The beer scene in Ecuador seems best illustrated by the fleeting escape I thought I had find when seeing a Ukranian porter for sale in a supermarket. On taking it back to the hotel and sipping my way through a pretty awful half glass, Brad pointed out to me that the expiry date on it was for last year!
Fortnately - I guess - I haven´t had much cause to do a lot of drinking as I am still afflicted by some stomach bug (or parasite as Anna likes to call it). It laid me up in bed all day on our first day in the Galapagos, and I am still suffering from vicious stomach cramps. I hoping it decides to go and be a parasite in someone else soon.
Nevertheless, it doesnt´t look like there will be much relief from this derth of decent beer until we make our way down to Chile. But I do have a couple of brew pubs lined up in Cusco to check out, so the report for Peru may be more favourable....
The South America Chronicles - Tres
Well, this morning we finally had to say goodbye to Brad & Sharon after 3 weeks, which really sucked. Was great having travelling companions - someone to share experiences with. Plus, having Brad around meant that I had someone to give a walloping in Euchre (the final match score was 20-7 to me). So now Anna and I are friendless (and Spanishless as well).
But we have had a great time together. We have just finished our 10 days in the Galapagos Islands, and what an amazing place. When the first sailors hit the shores centuries ago, you could understand why they thought of it as ´hell on earth´. Though appearances are deceiving, amidst this seemingly desolate volcanic landscape is so much diverse and fascinating life it was somewhat overwhleming. Animals - many of them endemic to the Galapagos - are just everywhere. And they have no fear of humans so you can interact and observe them will incredible ease.
The stars of the show were most definitely the Galapagos sea lions - or as we dubbed them, the ´sea dogs´. We had a couple of great snorkelling sessions swimming with these playful and inquisitive creatives. There ae so much fun and seem to be just as interested in us as we are in them. We also snorkelled with Galapagos penguins, rays, timid white tip reef sharks, docile turtles, and multitudes of fish of various colours and sizes. We saw plenty of boobies - Blue Footed Boobies that is - with their amazing diving for fish and comical walk. On dry land we saw plenty of other strange creatures - piles of marine iguanas snorting salt from their nostrils, wave albatross engaged in mating dances, and Giant Tortoises in the wild. And probably the most amazing experience, finding a Blue Whale on one of our sails. An unbelieveably large creature, and a one in a million encounter.
And the boat we were on for 8 days - the Diamant - was great. Nice and cosy with just us 12 guests, comfortable, a great crew and great food. We also managed to escape having to be teamed up with any Americans and meet some good people. It was hard leaving the relative luxury at the end of the week.
But the show must go on, and Anna and I have a flight to Cusco in the morning. We have a few days to look around the ´Sacred Valley´and then we have the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Will be a lot harder than crusing on a boat for 8 days, but hopefully just as enjoyable. I will update you on our bruised and battered bodies in about a weeks time.
Well, this morning we finally had to say goodbye to Brad & Sharon after 3 weeks, which really sucked. Was great having travelling companions - someone to share experiences with. Plus, having Brad around meant that I had someone to give a walloping in Euchre (the final match score was 20-7 to me). So now Anna and I are friendless (and Spanishless as well).
But we have had a great time together. We have just finished our 10 days in the Galapagos Islands, and what an amazing place. When the first sailors hit the shores centuries ago, you could understand why they thought of it as ´hell on earth´. Though appearances are deceiving, amidst this seemingly desolate volcanic landscape is so much diverse and fascinating life it was somewhat overwhleming. Animals - many of them endemic to the Galapagos - are just everywhere. And they have no fear of humans so you can interact and observe them will incredible ease.
The stars of the show were most definitely the Galapagos sea lions - or as we dubbed them, the ´sea dogs´. We had a couple of great snorkelling sessions swimming with these playful and inquisitive creatives. There ae so much fun and seem to be just as interested in us as we are in them. We also snorkelled with Galapagos penguins, rays, timid white tip reef sharks, docile turtles, and multitudes of fish of various colours and sizes. We saw plenty of boobies - Blue Footed Boobies that is - with their amazing diving for fish and comical walk. On dry land we saw plenty of other strange creatures - piles of marine iguanas snorting salt from their nostrils, wave albatross engaged in mating dances, and Giant Tortoises in the wild. And probably the most amazing experience, finding a Blue Whale on one of our sails. An unbelieveably large creature, and a one in a million encounter.
And the boat we were on for 8 days - the Diamant - was great. Nice and cosy with just us 12 guests, comfortable, a great crew and great food. We also managed to escape having to be teamed up with any Americans and meet some good people. It was hard leaving the relative luxury at the end of the week.
But the show must go on, and Anna and I have a flight to Cusco in the morning. We have a few days to look around the ´Sacred Valley´and then we have the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. Will be a lot harder than crusing on a boat for 8 days, but hopefully just as enjoyable. I will update you on our bruised and battered bodies in about a weeks time.
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