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Well, Machu Picchu certainly did not disappoint and exceeded our expectations. The actual inca township of Machu Picchu sits on a saddle between Machu Picchu (old hill) the biggest mountain and Huayna Picchu (young hill) which is the mountain that you would see in all the photos that overlooks the town. The magnitude of the ranges surrounding this place is incredible! We had a personal guide named Edwin who could only be described as a shaved down Peruvian Borat. "I will take picture of you if you like, is no problem, 'click', very nice!" They say smallpox was the demise of the township, but it could possibly have been due to a game they still play in the highlands where the objective is to use a slingshot to hurl a stone at anyone you see! b***** that for a joke - "last one alive wins!" Edwin was telling us women play this game whilst their babies are strapped to their backs. Apparently they must consider it dangerous to leave an infant with a friend or relative. Much safer to stay with mum, plus they double as a back protector against those painful stones, score!!! The next game is scheduled for 2020, once the population has regenerated from the last game. Nathaniel finally got to eat a guinea pig and it was confronting to say the least. It was de-furred, guts ripped out its arse, stuck in a fire, then put on a plate - still with teeth, paws and even it's eyeballs. Now that's good eatin! The next day following Machu Picchu we went off to discover the "Sacred... but not so sacred for the right price Valley of the Incas". Once again, an amazing place. Tourism is the only real industry here, 56,000 families' income is generated directly from tourism and the remainder of the half million population are indirectly employed to support tourism. We saw markets, some more ruins, snow-capped mountains of the Andes and stopped in at a local bar. On the shelves of the bar we noticed a DVD with a woman on the cover in traditional dress in a slightly provocative stance. Couldn't read the title but it had a Peruvian beer logo so look out for "Inca Girls Gone Wild: vol 13", coming to a store near you! Not sure how far we've walked but with the altitude you're b*****ed after a flight of stairs! Today will be a little less hectic, some washing of each of our 2 t-shirts is in order. We will soon be giving Australia a bad name if we don't get rid of the horrible smell emanating from both of us. Or we could just say we're from New Zealand, choice bro!
- comments
Deborah Loved this blog.... a little insight into how the other side of the world lives...most interesting...mmmmmmmmmm..guinea pig ..that was so gross....you cant tell me that Nat actually ate it did he? Look forward to the next entry u two..xx
Scott I notice your key pad is broken....I think the word is b*****.
Stacey Be careful where you say where you are from - can't give us kiwis a bad name
Lisa I'm a bit daft, just worked out what word b***** is. It so was not making sense to me before then.
Nat and Andy Yes, apparently B - U - G - G - E - R is not PG13 on this site. b*****.
cheryl hastie Wow that guinea pig sounds like a real spinner! Another interesting and great blog to read - happy travels Andre and Nat xx
Jemima hey hey hey, lets not pick on the kiwi's eh? buy another shirt :P