Adios Cusco

Off on the road again tonight from Cusco to Arequipa.

We have spent the last few days soaking in the atmosphere of the city, visiting a few sites such as  Qorinkancha which is a fusion of an old Incan Temple and a Catholic Church, having a glass of pisco sour and tasting grilled Alpaca.

Today we have been to the Inca museum to get the low down on Incan and pre-Incan history.  There was a lot going on before the Spanish got here, and it was fascinating to learn about aspects of Incan culture, such as agriculture techniques which still survive today.  It's very clear that the Spaniards and archeologists after that plundered most of the gold though as in terms of artefacts to see there was a lot of pots and stone cutting tools and not much else.

Although the city's architecture is largely Spanish in style, some Incan walls still survive in Cusco and here Lee can be seen examining a 12 sided Incan stone, or something like that.

Hasta Luego x 

Inca Trail

We arrived back last night (20/11) from our four day trek to Machu Picchu. It was an incredible experience but very tough at times. Lee was very sick at the start of day 2, with dehydration but pulled on through after force feeding of Gatorade, rehydrate sachets, and lots of words of encouragement from our guides. Our group was also super friendly, and although mixed in fitness and ability, everyone was very supportive. No one made you feel crap when you were the last to reach camp, in fact quite the opposite,  as every last person was cheered in. One guy,  Michael even carried Lee's day pack for a few hours having previously freed himself of his gear with a porter.  

The tough bits:  

The early starts - at least 5am in the morning if not before.

The altitude -  on day 2 we climbed to 4200m. It is not only tough work on the legs but the lungs. Our guides taught us to chew coca leaves to help and drink plenty of water, and if in doubt, take it slowly, slowly. 

The knees - day 3 has an ascent known as the gringo killer, it's that steep. Wisely we had purchased walking poles in Cusco. Well worth it.

The toilets - Glastonbury has nothing on these delightful bad boys. All holes in the ground. All stink. 

Shower - see above, you expect a wash? 

Why it's worth it:

Incredible scenery,  you take in mountains, cloud forests, stunning valleys, and Inca ruins. 

The culture - as well as reaching Machu Picchu before the bulk of the crowds you also see plenty of other smaller Inca sites along the way. Our guide Cesar was full of knowledge to share about these. 

The achievement....

We couldn't have done it without

The porters - these guys carry all the camping kit, food etc and even your personal kit for an extra cost. The cook also feeds you an excellent varied menu, each meal time to keep you going. They arrive at camp before you, so the pretty much run past you at points along the way. Some are young guys but others are in their fifties. I think they are super human 

The guides - so supportive and full of knowledge.

Each other 

Up Up High

As you may have noticed, no blog posts, then several at once. I am catching up. Last week we were a write-off.  Cusco is situated at 3300m above sea level, as such most travellers suffer from some sort of altitude sickness on arrival. We got it bad! Maybe the speed of the bus meant we didn't acclimatise on the way in, maybe we were still a bit jet lagged and that impacted, either way for three days we were were sick, tired, dizzy, breathless, throw in some suspected food poisoning for me too and all in all not a happy few days.  Our hostel is situated in the lovely San Blas area of town, which is quite arty and relaxed,unfortunately  it's also up a very big hill so been even when we make the crawl out for some food (we have tiny appetites) its a tough stair climb home.  The steps are good prep for the Inca Trail but we could have done with feeling a lot fitter for it!

Wacky Races

Wacky Races! 

We arrived in Lima early morning on Thursday 9th November. We had pre-ordered a taxi to get us to our hostel from the airport. In the morning rush hour got our immediate taste of how the Peruvians like to drive. There are very little rules, often no lights, occasionally a  traffic cop, and lots of horns. The whole trip took about 1 1/2 hours, of horns, swerving and generally closing our eyes and hoping for the best. We would have a few more trips like this but on Monday evening we would hit the highway in a bus, which is even more fun! We took the 20 hour night bus from Lima to Cusco. In the Cruz del Sur VIP service you get a big comfy seat,  a meal, movies (with English subtitles). So far so good. At the start the give a big talk about security (bag searches and photos are taken off everyone getting on the bus) and safety (by law passengers must wear seat belts and the bus must keep to an average speed of 90km per hour). All this is great except with a timetable to keep to,  the driver ends up doing 70-80km on windy mountain roads. It's dark, we cannot see, it's a good job. I am served a coffee after my dinner, I cling onto it for dear life for a good half hour before the driving is calm enough to drink it. We arrive alive and well in Cusco, 1 hour ahead of schedule on Tuesday morning.

A quick view of the seafront in Miraflores, Lima for you.