Goofing Around at Saqsaywaman

I’ve noticed a curious thing with high altitudes … I can never sleep more than 5hrs at a time.  Today, I considered it a lie-in when I woke up at 6:45am lol PS. This observation is of no relevance to the ensuing post lol

I met some Canadians last night at PachaMama and it turns out they’re staying at Pisko and Soul … two doors down from my hostel.  The plan for today is to meet up with them and head to Saqsaywamán Archaeological Park, a walled complex on the northern outskirts of Cuzco.

View at the top of the killer steps

Sexy Woman :)

My travel buddies for the day!

Viva El Peru!

Strike a pose ...

Of course, instead of doing the civilized thing and heading into town to get a bus there, they decide that we should take the steps from the back of the hostel.  Over 500 steep dirt-road steps to get to the top of the road that then leads to the park.  I had to keep stopping along the way to catch my breath, which provided ample entertainment for the locals we met along the way.  Altitude’s a bitch!!!  A group of workmen actually stopped work to laugh at me as I was bent over huffing and puffing …but they then let out a big cheer me once I started moving again lol

Re-enacting YMCA

Happy to get to the top :)

Derrick, Chelsea, Najeeb and Gawin (my companions for the day) were much fitter than me, but they were very supportive, bless ‘em.  Somehow, one of them always seemed to need a break when I needed one … I think they were babying me along lol My new hiking boots are holding their own, and though my calf muscles are groaning, my feet are blissfully happy.

The view at the top was well worth the pain of getting there.  We spent a fun few hours goofing around, taking silly pictures, soaking up the sun-rays, wandering round the park and ruins and generally enjoying the view.

Cristo Blanco

The ruins at Saqsaywaman

Fortress wall

Talking to the stones lol!

We then took a scenic route down to the park gates, past a lovely little waterfall.  

Gawin and the waterfall

Then on our way back into town, we go down a beautiful, steep, narrow, cobbled alley street.  As we’re ambling along we pass by a studio where a local artist, Luis Miguel, was at work.   

Luis Miguel

We interrupted his creative flow, which I was a bit ashamed about, but he was quite accommodating and invited us in to show us some of his work.  Turns out he’s also an art teacher … he also showed us the recent projects submitted by some of his students. 

Then it was back to the hostel for a hearty lunch and a siesta :)

Colca Canyon

Took another sleeper bus from Nazca to Arequipa … another 7hr journey.  At least, the bus was comfortable and it had these lovely reclining seats … more comfy than what you get in cattle-class on the planes.

So, I booked on to a 1-day tour of the Colca Canyon … and boy, was I blown away!!!  Get ready for it … this is going to be a long post lol

Colca Canyon is simply jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring beauty!!!  The landscape is simultaneously lush, stark, gorgeous and intimidating. For me, all I could think was how much back-breaking work it must have taken to sculpt the terraces into the mountain sides.

Approaching Pinchollo

The tour started out through an area called ‘Pinchollo’ (pronounced ‘Pinchoyo’).  Pinchollo apparently translates to 'coward' or 'small penis' ... the surrounding tribes used this derogatory form in an attempt to demoralize the Pinchollo tribesmen...I am assuming that this was pure penis-envy ... any man who can work the land to make it this beautiful is no coward in my book lol

Lush terraces!

The graceful terraced farmlands were bursting with brilliant shades of green.  These terraces were constructed so that the inclination of each level facilitates the flow of water through the levels. Also, the stone arrangements at the top of each terrace filters the water as it passes through.

Stunning vista

Snow-capped mountain in the background

The surrounding snow-capped mountains provide the water for the natural irrigation of the crops.  The humble potato is the king of crops in this region.  The terraces have existed for over 1500 years and are simply stunning.

Next we head to Cruz del Condor, where we are told that if we are lucky, we might glimpse an Andean Condor soaring on the currents rising off the canyon.

Sipping coca tea at Cruz del Condor

We were extremely lucky … we saw not one, but THREE condors that day.

 Everytime I remembered to reach for the camera, they were already a speck in the distance lol 

My travel buddies, David (Austria) and Laura (Brazil)

We then had a pit-stop at a village called ‘Maca’, which is apparently located on a geological fault line. The village has been destroyed twice by earthquakes, but the hardy villagers just rebuild it and carry on with life as usual.

Inside the church at Maca village

Here, we got to taste the local ‘cocktail’ … a brew made from the juice of the Sancayo cactus. It tasted like kiwi-juice to me lol

Making the local cocktail - Colca Sour

Pancho, the llama, and his agent

Random Fact: Although they breed cattle livestock, the Peruvians on the Colca Canyon do not eat beef, only alpaca and llama. Their main purpose for having cattle is the production of milk and bulls.  The bulls are used to plow the fields and they also star in the local bull-running festivals.  However, unlike in the Spanish bull-running festivals, these bulls are not injured or killed ... sweet!!

En-route to Yanque

After Maca village, we headed to Yanque.  On the way there, our guide pointed out the Colca Lodge, nestled in the valley.  It’s a high-end hotel in the middle of nowhere where a suite will set you back $2,800 per night … nice one!!!  Who are these people who book into a place like this??? I want to be like them when I grow up lol

Colca Lodge

Main highlight at Yanque was a stop at the hot springs. Again, the landscape was fantastic, this time there was a beautiful crystalline stream cutting through the rocks.

Beautiful (and cold) crystalline stream.

Hot Spring and Spa at Yanque

There was a suspension bridge at our stop point. Our guide told us a story about how there used to be human sacrifices (back in the day) during the construction of bridges. 

Suspension bridge at Yanque

They used children in these sacrifices, as it was believed that the pure souls of these offerings would intertwine in death and provide strong and solid support for the bridges. Thankfully, nowadays, they simply rely on good engineering skills to serve the same purpose.

After  Yanque, we head to the ‘Mirador de Los Andes Tramo de la Cordillera Volcanica en los Andes Centrales’ … basically, it’s an observation spot where you can see the ice-topped tips of several of the volcanic mountains in the Central Andes section … a real mouthful lol

The Mirador is 4910m above sea level. The air up here is thin, the wind fierce and icy … breathing here is not a fun experience…brrrrrrr!

Mirador de Los Andes Tramo de la Cordillera Volcanica en los Andes Centrales

En-route to the Mirador

From the Mirador, we could see: Volcan Misti (5825m) / Volcan Chanchani (6075m) / Volcan Ampato (6288m) / Volcan Sabancayo (5956m) / Volcan Hualca Hualca (6025m)

‘Juanita – The Ice Princess’, the frozen body of a sacrificed Inca maiden, was discovered on Nevado Ampato in 1995.

  

Yummy, yummy lunch ... can't recall the individual items but it was delish :)

We then head back to Chivay for a delicious buffet lunch of local fare.

Once faces were all stuffed, bladders relieved and hands washed, it was back on the bus for a lovely post-lunch snooze and the drive back to Arequipa.

Totally fab day :) 

Nazca Lines Flight

The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru.  To my shame, I did not know this … the truth is that I was unaware of their existence until a couple of days before I visited lol

Tree (Arbol) - 70 mts. & Hands (Manos) - 45 mts.

Astronaut (Astronauta) - 32 mts. - Not sure why its titled 'The Astronaut' 

... it just looks like a little guy giving a high-five lol

Whale (Ballena) - 63 mts.

I was having lunch with Shany, Blair’s mate, in Miraflores and discussing options of what to do in Peru when the Nazca lines were mentioned.  In fact, I remember the conversion starting somewhat like this lol:

Shanny:  ‘You’ve got to go to Nazca … you’ve heard about the Nazca lines, right?’

Jo:  ‘Sure, I’ve heard about Nascar … it’s a stock car racing, isn’t it??’ … lmao ...the shame!!!

Anyway, he shook his head at me, gave me this slightly incredulous look and went on to educate me hehehe. I felt like such a ditz … but hey, we live and learn, right? :)

So, I caught the sleeper bus from Miraflores to Nazca, with David (my Austrian travel buddy), for the 7hrs ride to Nazca.  Its night-time, so not much to see and we just head to our hostels.

Paper Wings :)

The airport is quite small and functions solely for the flights to view the Nazca lines. The planes are mostly 6-seater (including pilot and co-pilot) propeller planes.

I had a good chuckle at the Desert Spa that was set up outside the airport … complete with outdoor massage chairs.

Get a relaxing back-rub pre- or post-flight lol

The flight was awesome … more so for the desert vista than the Nazca lines themselves.  Does this make me a philistine?? Lol  

Amazing desert landscape

More beautiful desert

The reality is that some of the actual images we were supposed to look out for were so faint that it took me a while to spot them. The ones we did see were quite interesting though.

I think the thing that thrills me the most about these lines is the mystery that still surrounds them to this day.

Whilst many theories abound, the reality is that no-one REALLY knows how, or why, the Nazca people made these etchings in the desert landscape.

Minaflores

Moving from Central Lima to Minaflores was a great idea … like going from gray-scale to technicolor.  Minaflores reminds me of Barcelona minus the Gaudi-style architecture. There’s vibrancy to the place that’s missing in central Lima.

Again, the traffic is frantic here but there’s better sound-proofing in the buildings.  It feels like a ‘24/7’ district. Café culture abounds and there are street vendors everywhere. All budget sizes catered for.

 

It’s still cold and I’m going steady with 4 layers each day. I can’t get over the high humidity though … I washed a pair of socks 3 days ago and they’re still damp. I went to seek out a Laundromat today thinking I'd have to spend a few hours waiting for my wash and dry. Turns out I just have to hand over my dirty laundry, they give me a ticket and I return in 5 hours to pick up my freshly laundered clothes ... sweeeet!!! :)

The hostels have been a pleasant surprise. For an average cost of $25 a day, I get a private room (sometimes en-suite) plus breakfast and hot running showers (usually). It sure beats the image I had in mind before I started out.

Private Digs!

Some random observations not stated in the guidebooks:

1.          Peruvians mostly go bare-faced i.e. no sunglasses. Although the days are bright, I soon feel OTT within 5 mins of stepping out of the hostel with my yellow sunglasses on lol

2.          Peruvians love ice-cream.  2 out of every 10 people I passed were slurping on a cone.

3.          Peruvians take good care of their old people.  Saw lots of tenderness and consideration towards the elderly.

4.          Peruvians love ‘Love’. There were more couples clinched in amorous embrace on the streets of Lima than I’ve ever seen in Paris. And there’s a park dedicated to love in Minaflores.

Parque de Amor

The park wall is made up of mosaics of love inscriptions!

Another random musing here for you :) My new favorite Peruvian dish is Causa. Its made of potato and lots more and is simply delicioso! The best causa I've found so far in Minaflores is at the Punto Azul restaurant off Ave. Larco Mar. I like the shrimp and avocado filling and it comes in the shape of a fish ... you sprinkle lime juice over it and dip each mouthful in Aji (a fiery pepper sauce) ... yummo!!!

Causa con Camarones y Avocado

My trip here is taking on better shape now.  I have a general itinerary that will see me move south and then north, so I should be here till the end of October. 

I’m leaving Minaflores tomorrow to take a sleeper bus down to Nazca to see the Nazca Lines. I’ll overnight in Nazca and then get back on the bus to head down to Arequipa in southern Peru. 

I'll spend a about 4 days in Arequipa, with a day trip down to Colca Canyon (the world's deepest canyon) for a 17hr excursion. Hopefully, I'll get to see some condors too :)

Then it'll be down to Cuzco for Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu/Huayna Picchu. I'll be in Cuzco for about 5 days ... apparently its a fun town with lots to do other than just Machu Picchu, so I'm making it my business to verify this fact lol

I've acquired some travel buddies. Jesse and Brian from California and David from Austria. I met Jesse and Brian at Hostel 1900 in Central Lima and they turned up in Minaflores at my hostel the day after I moved. David has been travelling 5mths in India and arrived in Peru 2 days ago. They're all headed the same direction as me to Cuzco, so we're all departing for Nazca tomorrow. 

After Cuzco, I'm back to solo status and I'll head north to Trujillo for a couple of days and then on to Mancora for another 2 - 3 days ... and here my Peruvian adventure will end. 

Next stop Colombia :)

. 

1st Night in Lima

Lovely candy-cane colored sky over Lima on the way in. 

The hostel organized a pick-up from the airport, so the journey in was pretty painless.

Got regaled by a love triangle tale by my driver, Ms M. She got a call from her ex-boyfriend as we pulled away. When the call ended, she told me all about how she was still in love with him but he moved away from Lima up north to Chiclayo. They broke up as the long-distance thing didn’t work for them but she still carries a torch for him. Then she got another call and this time informed me that that was from her husband, who she has 2 kids with and who seemed to have a sixth sense about whether she’d been speaking to the ex.  Apparently, hubby is very possessive and so she has the ex listed as Cassandra on her phone in case he calls when hubby is in close proximity to the phone.  Gave me a right chuckle lol

So I get to the hostel wayyy past midnight. I’d booked in for a dorm bed but then opted to upgrade to a ‘private’ room so I could rummage around without waking anyone else up. After unpacking, I decide to nip to the loo and I can't get out. I shout, I bang on the door and finally set off the alarm on my pedometer but no one hears me.  

The hostel is a pretty huge old building with high domed ceilings and open air corridors … if it was in the UK it’d probably be classified as a 'Listed' building.  Anyway, my room is way back and away from reception, so it dawns on me eventually that no one was heading my way anytime soon lol  So, I clambered up the dresser, levered myself up to the window ledge (which was about 8ft off the floor) and jumped out into the corridor to go get help lol

The door could not be fixed, so I’ve been upgraded (at no cost) to a premier suite aka a 3-bed dorm that I get to keep all to myself lol

UK Recap!

So, Clyde and I arrived safe and sound in London just over 2 weeks ago.  I slept well on the flight, but despite the seat upgrade, I still experienced a lower-backache that lingered a couple of days.  Then to top it off, I developed a case of delayed reaction' cankles ... not fun lol

Clyde with our luggage at T5!

Thankfully, those minor distractions soon faded away and it’s been a fun-filled, mostly sun-drenched, vacation home. Periods of frantic social activity, catching up with family and friends, interspersed with indulgence in fondly remembered British fare. 

Yummy Lamb Shank Pie with a cooling beverage :)

I've spent time re-acquainting with my nieces ...

Tweety & Tiff ... striking a pose :)

... they spent time getting acquainted with Clyde (who has now been re-named 'Coco' at the insistence of my younger niece ... not quite sure how well he's taking to the name change lol) and match-making him with Mini.

Coco and Mini ... courtesy of Tiff!!

I've had my passport renewed ... 48 blank pages now waiting eagerly to be filled with colour from around the globe :) The folks at the Passport Office in London make the entire renewal process totally painless. One was tres impressed :)

Been up in Manchester a few days visiting my people up North. Again, sunshine madness reigned supreme.  Every available patch of grass in the city centre was claimed by a body in want of a tan and some Vitamin D.

I’ve hung out in Central London and the City, and had a tipple or two in some fine establishments. Rediscovered my Soho haunts with my mate, Mia.  Had a delicious time at Patisserie Valerie … Patisserie Valerie always deserves a special mention … yum.

I've spent lots of time in stations as I darted about from place to place.  I find I've actually enjoyed it all ... I amused myself by smiling randomly at people on public transport and watched the different reactions lol 

London Victoria ... off-peak!!

I've had some downtime too ... couch-potato-ing or walking down country lanes.  I was staying with my sis and there was a lovely riverside walk round the way from my her home.

 
  

I was operating on Cayman timeframe (aka 1hr’s notice or less to plan/commit to activities) and, as a result, was unable to see some people I would dearly have loved to meet up with.  NOTE TO SELF: London requires more planning time for social activities :(

So now, I’m all set and ready to go.  Next stage of the adventure beckons.  I’m off to Peru in 9hrs … will arrive in Lima 10\10\11 @ 11pm.  There’s a certain symmetry to that and I like it :)

Travel insurance now sorted, as well as my first two nights in a hostel in Lima (1900 Backpackers Hostel). This is going to be an interesting experience considering the last time I slept in any kind of dorm was over 20 years ago lol.  

I’ve only booked two nights as I plan to explore my options the next day and then decide if I’ll be moving to Minaflores...which, I’m told, is where all the backpackers want to be.  We'll see what happens.

Will keep you posted xx