Livin La Vida Boca

Machu Picchu, Puno, Arequipa and La Paz

Despite our experiences in Cusco we had a wonderful time visiting Machu Picchu, Puno and Arequipa.
We set off early on the ascent to Macchu Picchu in order to get tickets for Wana Picchu. Only 400 people can climb this each day. We left at 4.00am and were at the summit by 5.00am- a good time considering we were told it should take 1h 30m. The photos without doubt tell the story of this place but it was interesting to hear the different theories about what it was used for and who built it. Personally I think the Incans took the place by force then used it as a strategic point for the nobility.
Puno was the starting point for a tour of Lake Titicaca- we did a day trip out to the floating islands where the Aymara people live. Forced to build islands out of the reeds to escape persecution it was fascinating to see how they have adapted their lifestyle. There are over 60 inhabited islands around 40 min by boat from Puno.
After our visit to the floating islands we continued to another Island inhabitated by another indigenous minority who continue to live traditional lifestyles. We were lucky enough to visit on a special holiday which provided a visual feast as the locals celebrated in true style. There clothing was spectacular and colourful.
We next made our way to Arequipa to visit the second biggest tourist attraction in Peru- Colca Canyon. While not as spectacular as Fish River Canyon in Namibia we were able to view the South American Condor in full flight. With a wingspan of over 3m it was truely spectacular.
Finally we made our way into Bolivia with a brief but eventful stop in La Paz. At over 3500m above sea level La Paz is the highest capital city in the world. La Paz is without doubt one of the most scenic places we have visited. Surrounded by snow capped mountains including the impressive Illimani at 6300m. During our stay we visited the local witch markets where we bought plenty of spells and potions to bring goodluck and prosperity to all. We did however decide angainst the Llama foetuses as we thought customs may have a problem with this.
I went and visited the San Pedro Gaol, which is literally run by the inmates. Some of the inmates have there family with them and live in relative luxury- many of the cells include plasma screen TVs. I took a few snaps but I was soon after approached by some police who made me delete the photos.
During our time in La paz I also inadvertently stumbled upon another protest and got a great insight into Boloivian culture when the tear gas came out. Now before you worry mum everything is okay- it was only a mild hit but all the same a bit unpleasant. As I write this we are in Uruguay and have exactly one week before we arrive home.... looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

You havent been to Cusco unless............

Since our last blog a lot has happened. We made our way from the Galapagos into Peru passing one of the most interesting boarder crossings we have encountered- interesting in so much as it didnt really exist. Luckily the bus company knew where the offices were so we could get our passports stamped. We visited Trujillo, a layed back surfing town with perfect right handers around 3 to 4 foot that seem to go on forever. Not only is it a great surfing spot but it is also the home of some very ancient pre incan ruins belonging to the Moche and Chimu people. The chan chan civilisation at the time of its existence was home to the largest city in the world. From Trujillo we had a brief stop in Lima before taking the incredibly long bus journey- almost 24 hours- to Cusco. As our blog title suggests Cusco really represented for us the end of our trip- despite the fact we still had 4 weeks to go. Who can beliveve our time has gone so fast.
Before arriving in Cusco we were warned that it was very touristy and that we needed to have our wares about us. We were presently surprised to find a beautiful city with an exquisite main plaza, unfortunately our first impressions wouldnt be our last. To be brutally honest we really had a nightmare of a time.

• You havent been to Cusco unless you book a tour and the tour doesnt include anything for which you paid.
• You havent been to Cusco unless youve been held hostage from 12.00am to 2.30am on a bus before the police are called to resolve the situation.
• You havent been to Cusco unless you get charged for your accommodation twice.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 2 days.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and the military needs to come in to clean things up.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and stones are blocking the road.
• You havent been to Cusco unless a protest delays your bus for 5 hours and you have to get out of the bus and carry your 30kg of baggage 3km and then board another bus which is then delayed.

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. The surprising thing was when we explained this to locals they just thought it wasnt funny. Our discussions with other tourists seem to point to similar experiences. We therefore have some good recommendations for anyone who considers going to Cusco.

• When booking a bus do so directly with the bus company.
  
• When booking a tour have low expectations to avoid dissappointment.
• When getting a cab agree the price beforehand and make sure they are not charging per person.
• When getting a cab always have the correct change for the fare.
  

All in all we remained bouyant throughout our time and learnt a lot about ourselves during the experience.

The Galapagos Islands

At the eleventh hour we succumb to the overwhelming desire to visit the Galapagos Islands whilst in Ecaudor. We decided on a 5 day 4 night cruise which included visiting the Islands of Baltra, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Espanol and San Cristobal.
Baltra is an uninhabited island containing one of the three airports in the Galapagos and little else. It was used by the Americans in the second world war and today sees the arrival of most of the tourists to the Galapagos. From Baltra we took a small boat to Santa Cruz before being transported to our ship waiting in the harbour. Our first stop was to visit the Giant Land Toritoises located in the highlands. We were struck at this time by just how amazing the micro climates of this island are- on the coast it was 25 degrees with sunny blue skies, in the highlands approx 5 km inland it was slighly cooler but overcast and misty. The majestic Land Tortoises with their bulking frames were a site to behold, going about their daily consumption of grass at a steady pace. We returned to the boat and enjoyed a nice smorgasboard dinner.
Overnight we motored to our next destination Floreana, an island shrowded in mystery regarding a love triangle which to this day goes unsolved. The island is home to an array of brightly coloured crabs, sea lions, flamingos and numerous birds including the world famous blue footed booby, frigate and brown pelican. Following our island exploration we ventured into the waters to be completley overwhelmed by the marine life- swimming amongst sting ray, green turtles and various tropical fish was very surreal. The green sea turtles were particularly friendly and were not fazed with our presence. In the afternoon we explored lava tunnels, the famous galapagos post office, and ended with another snorkel this time having penguins, sea lions and more turtles to keep us company. To end the day we went for an afternoon zodiac ride viewing more blue footed boobies and frigates as well as black tip reef sharks.
Overnight we motored to Espanol Island which for me was the highlight. We had the beach to ourselves as well as 200 sea lions in the morning, swam with massive manta and eagle rays as well as white tipped reef sharks. After lunch we ventured to another spot where we encountered marine iguanas both in the water and on land, blue footed boobies, azteca boobies, a waved albatross colony complete with chicks and the infamous Galapagos hawk- one of the few predators of the island. The scenery was spectacular, the animals were so close and the experience unforgettbale. We ended the trip in San Cristobal, the most populated isand which despite the encroachment of human beings is just as alive with animals as the other islands- again we swam with sea lions and the like- overall a wonderful experience.

Photos

For more photos go to http://s912.photobucket.com/home/kenya2cusco/index

Cotopaxi- Smooth Neck of the Moon

Yesterday Morning at 1.30am my mission to climb Volcan Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world, commenced. Unfortunately my attempt unraveled at approx 5516m a mere 381m from the summit.
Having never attempted a glacial climb before I was still exceptionally happy with my attempt yet bitterly disappointed to have come so close but not reached the summit. The attempt was thwarted by a number of factors including, lack of appetite from the altitude which led to fatigue and a lack of experience in knowing what to expect. Communication difficulties with my guide who spoke only basic English also created problems. At 5516m I made the decision based on safety concerns that we should turn around. Despite everything it was a life changing experience, something I will never forget.
It all started on 2 June when I made the journey from Latacunga to Cotopaxi National Park- we parked the car at 4300m and made our way to base camp situated at 4800m. This required lugging all my gear including cold weather clothing, food and equipment such as crampons up a loose gravel route to the Base camp. The afternoon was spent acclimatising and doing some brief training in ice-snow climbing. This required a climb to 5000m where the ice and snow of Volcan Cotopaxi begins. Sahra was able to share this experience with me and was staying the night at base camp.
Despite trying to retire early to bed a dull persistent headache meant that I had little to no sleep before starting the ascent. At 1.30am we got underway but due to the altitude I found it difficult to take in food and water- at 5400m a moment of fatigue resulted in a trip which could have ended very badly. A short time later at 5516m I decided that in order to make it back safely I needed to turn around and start the 2 hour descent. I arrived back at base camp around 8.00am having missed the summit but avoided all the crevasses which are even more dangerous than they look- I hope the photos illustrate just how unforgiving the climb can be.

Horse Riding in Pululahua Crater

Two days after arriving in Ecuador and doing a bit of sight seeing in Quito, we headed north to the Pululahua National Reserve where we spent two days horse riding in an ancient volcanic crater.

On the first day we met our beautiful horses, Bria and Apache II. Bria was my horse and she was pregnant and didn't really like to move very much (unless she was heading towards food). I was a little bit nervous as we set off for our first day of riding, especially on the steep ascents and descents, so I was glad Bria didn't like moving too fast! Aidan was very relaxed and looked like he had been riding horses his whole life.

Riding in the Pululahua crater was a unique experience. It is the largest crater on the American continent and one of only two inhabited craters in the world. The constantly changing scenery was amazing and in the afternoon the clouds descended into the crater creating an eerie but majestic atmosphere. At the end of our first day of riding we were quite sore and retired to a little hacienda for a 3 course dinner, a jacuzzi and plenty of mojitos!

On our second day of riding I decided to upgrade my horse. This was a decision I came to regret later as my new horse, Tango, had a habit of charging full speed ahead and scaring the crap out of me whenever he felt like it. We rode for almost 3 hours until we came upon ancient pre-inca ruins. When we stopped to have lunch at the ruins a group of wild horses ...... scared our horses which got loose and one of them took off and headed straight back to the ranch. It took us a little while to catch and settle the other horses before we could head back to the ranch. The afternoon ride took us back past areas of traditional Andean agriculture to lush tropical vegetation, passing cloud forests, deep gorges and clear mountain streams.

The Samba Kings

Well after just under a week in Rio de Janiero we have farwelled the fine shores of Brasil. It is hard to sum up the hedonistic capital of the world in a just a few sentences but our time in Rio was perhaps some of the most amazing since we left Australia. On day 1 we walked the entire length of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches approx 11km in total- the beaches themselves are comparable with Bondi Beach- very chaotic and not the most asethetically beautiful, however, what they lack in beauty they more than make up for in atmosphere and character. The local life revolves around these beaches and the beaches are packed no matter what day of the week it is.
We hired bikes oneday and rode around the lake which was extremely pretty, this gave us our first real glimpses of sugar loaf mountain and christo redentor. As the afternoon set in we had a late lunch and went to a beutiful park which was at the base of christo redentor. We could have spent the whole day here but time didn't permit. In the evening we went to Lapa, a suburb of Rio, which was the location of a street party and a great samba club, Funidcao Progresso. The line up consisted of some well known samba groups that play new years and carnival each year. The atmosphere at the street party was sureal- very bohemian- you could literally find every interest group catered for. The samba groups didn't kick off to 12.00am so we had a late night getting in at 3.00am- Sahra represented when it came to the samba- me not so much.
On day 3 we did a tour of the city which involved visiting a national park, a beautiful waterfafall, christo redentor, Santa Teresa and Lapa- including the famous steps- as popularised by the snoop dog film clip- 'favourite girl'. Lunch was some salted meat from the north-east of Brasil.
Day 4 was the best sporting experience of my life- Brasil v Cot d'Ivore- on the big screen at Copacabana beach with 70,000 of my closest Brazillian friends- the atmosphere was insane- the goals were plentiful and the antarctic beers were cheap- the rest is a blur. Luis Fabiano's wonderful juggling act where he handballed twice in the one goal only served to increase the enjoyment of the day- 'Joga Bonito'.
Finally we ended our stay with the most informative and enjoyable cultural tour Brasil has to offer. There are over 920 favellas in Rio itself and we visited two of them including the biggest which is called Rochina. With a population of between 80,000 and 120,000 it is grand in scale and an impresive site. Despite the bad reputation favelas receive we felt completely comfortable and safe- even despite the fact we encountered civilians carrying uzis and assault rifles. Mick would be happy to know that one of the first songs I heard in Rochina was Charlie Brown Jr- tudo mudo.
Have arrived safely in Quito which is a wonderful city with an amazing outlook- and massive volcanoes- our trip to get here was a haul- Rio to Sao Paulo- Sao Paul to Caracas- Caracas to Bogota- Bogota to Quito. A measly 4 flights with 3 carriers- Our bags could only be checked in as far as Caracas and the longest lay over we had was 1hr- how we got here with our bags is anybodies guess.

Whats Three More Days

After arriving in Santiago and having a few days of sight seeing and rest, we started to get itchy feet and decided like forest to just keep on walking. Finistere (which means- end of the world) was only another 95km, or three days walking. We lightened our loads slighly and decided that day packs would be an easier option. The scenery was again stunning especially the last day as we finally glimpsed the coastline.

It was really nice to be walking again and to be away from the crowds. The last week before we arrived in Santiago things got quite busy. On the road to Finisterre we were lucky to see 4 other pilgrims a day. However, after our beautiful quiet hotel room it was very difficult to go back to the dorm with all the snoring, farting and sleep yelling! Communal bathrooms and bunk beds are things I will truly not miss and after our experiences I am much more appreciative of the fact that Aidan doesn't snore.

On our last day of walking we did an easy 34 kilometers. We arived in Finistere to streets laiden with flowers and we met up with a lovely English couple we had met previously and spent the afternoon looking at the sea drinking gin. Unfortunately the day had to be cut short as we had to get the bus back to Santiago to make our early morning bus the next day to Porto, Portugal.