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So in my last update I think we had left the oasis and were in Lima trying to sort me out for a visa to Argentina.. it was oddly reassuring going back there, somewhere we already knew our way around, and popped in on Carlos (he´s the waiter at the resturant with the yellow umbrellas) and it took a further two days but I am now in ownership of a visa for argentina, so if peru will let me out then they should let me in!!
After Lima we got a coach for about 9 hours to Nazca to see the Nazca lines (if ya don´t know what that is then google it.. you´ll find it) we stayed only one night and took a taxi tour to see the lines climbed up and down some look out points to better see what images ahve been scratched in the desert, it is really interesting but you couldn´t really spend more than half a day at it. We left the next day headed for Cuzco.
Our arrival in Cuzco was punctuated with a few altitude problems which due to the cold I have gotten I am still suffering from. We went to stay at a hostal our friend Kristine is staying at.. and I´ll be honest K.. I bloody cursed you when I saw all them steps upto the hostel, I get about half way up before I have to stop since there is not enough oxygen in the air! Cuzco is a nice city, its very touristy and you can´t go more than 5steps without someone trying to sell you something, but it has a friendly feeling. Since being here I have managed to sort out my exit card for peru too so I am now confident that I´ll get around between countries. I have also had the most amazing hot chocolate, seen a dancing parade and in the middle been to machu pichu.. pretty awesome
To go to Machu Pichu we left our hostel at about 05:30 on sunday morning (stupidly early hour) we got a bus to ollantaytambo and then a train to aguas calientes which for want of a better way to describe it is Machu Pichu town. It is the oddest little place sitting on the side of a valley, totally pedestrianised apart from the busses that take you to Machu Pichu it has a small noisy river running through the middle of it and you can buy all manner of tourist tut there. We spent the day just wondering around the suprisingly tropical rainforest environment, our hostel was basic but clean and had Duvets (you don´t know how I have missed them). In the evening we had a few cuba libres dinner and then early to bed.. coz the next morning we were to get up at 04:15 to queue for the bus to machu pichu.
We got to machu pichu and entered the park at about 6am, the cloud was so thick and so low you couldn´t see but a few meters, I split up from Toby and Patrick (out german friend from the hostel) saying to Toby.. "you´ve a bright green jacket, I´ll find ya" .. and went to explore, lost is not the word, there aren´t many sign posts and I spent ages going up and down stairs and along paths and more stairs climbing into the clouds.. not only could I not see where I was gong but I also hadn´t thought to pick up a map.. 45 minutes later I realised that I was slap bang in the middle on Machu Pichu on top of the sun dial peak I just couldn´t see it for cloud! And another realisation that that whole green jacket comment was rather reliant on the cloud lifting!! I continued to explore and eventually caught sight of Tobys green jacket and hollared him I´d be over to where he was shortly (i´d gotten to know my way around by now quite well) when we all met up we went back to the sun dial peak, still with not to many people around as it was so early, we made it to the top there just in time to see the clouds part and show off the most spectacular views in all imagination.. it was special, and I liked the view so much that I spent most of the morning right there, taking it in!
We left at one to go back to aguas calientes have lunch and get the train/bus back to cuzco.. which is where I am now.. at least until tomorrow when we head to Lake Titicaca and the Bolivian border!!
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