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Hi all
Time for another update…so since our last blog post when we had come back from Machu Picchu we wrapped up our time in Peru by spending 5 days in Cusco, recovering from the leg muscle ache, and just enjoying the town, sites, food etc.
We went out to Pisaq which is a pretty town in the Sacred Valley, we were somewhat lacking the energy to climb up more ruins, but did have some delicious market street food, empanadas cooked in an enormous clay oven, saw a tower of guinea pigs (bound to be someones dinner sooner or later) and had a good walk around.In Cusco we had ceviche - one of the national dishes, which is raw fish cured with lime juice, chilli etc, which was delicious.Served in a food market by a lovely Peruvian lady that heaped on the portions, and gave us extra staff to try for free… a treat for us both as you can all well imagine.We also traed choclo con queso which a popular street snack - just boiled corn served with a chunk of cheese.Simple but delicious, and the grains of corn are HUGE.
From Cusco we headed south for the Peruvian & Chilean border, and spent a good 2 days and nights on brilliant buses (flat bed and very comfortable, with a healthy selection of films) getting all the way to La Serena on the Pacific coast.We stopped here for a few days at a really nice German run hostel, where we saw our first signs of Christmas - the hostel had an advent calendar, and the local hypermarket was playing Christmas music!Chilean seems more European/American than the other South American countries we´ve recently been in - more advanced, more European infrastructure etc.The Spanish is a challenge, they speak so fast and use words I´ve never come across that sometimes it feels like I don´t speak Spanish at all…. But we manage to make communication meet somehow!
So La Serena was a fairly chilled out stop, after the long bus journeys, we basically enjoyed stocking up on some fresh food, cooking for ourselves, and soaking up the sunshine.The town was cute enough, and we mustered up enough linguistic ability to get 2 very successful and CHEAP haircuts!Brilliant - been longing for one since before the wedding!The equivalent of 3 pounds later, I was one very happy girl!If only they were that cheap at home!!!
From La Serena we skipped through Santiago and made our way to Pucon, in the Chilean Lake District.From the desert landscapes in the very north of Chile, it has got greener and greener the further south we´ve travelled.Pucon feels very Alpine/Swiss , and is a beautiful place - the town is fringed by a lake and a very cool volcano, which is active!We arrived here on Thursday to rain, and a very chilly day, so chilled out in the beautiful hostel (like a big log cabin with a fire, lovely kitchen, beautiful rooms - ours had such a good view of the volcano, and a gorgeous garden). Lots of keeping warm, book reading and tea drinking on that day!Friday we hired mountain bikes and stretched our legs on a good ride out of the town, along the valley towards a beautiful little waterfall… stunning rivers with icy cold mountain water along the way…Then Saturday we climbed the volcano.It was about a 3 hour 30 climb, with crampons, ice picks etc and was very cold!Glove removal had to be speedy!!!Very rewarding view over the clouds and out to the landscape below, but sadly the view that Paul was desperate for (the crater and magma) wasn´t in reach… the wind was blowing sulphurous gas right over the path of ascent, which meant we couldn´t reach the top - shame.The descent was a total chuckle - sledging all the way down!Considerably quicker than going up (of course), a bit bum numbing in parts, not always totally controlled but lots of fun!!!
Highlights in Pucon have also involved our 2 favourite things - red wine (in quite some quantity!) and good food - we´ve been happily cooking our own food, which is a welcome change after lots of restaurant food, and also Chile is pretty expensive, so we´re being budget friendly!Good job there´s always room in the budget for vino!!!
Today we have been soaking up the sun - it is a gorgeously hot day, not a cloud in the sky (not bad going for 5th December) - before our night bus tonight back to Santiago.We´re planning to check out the city, head to the nearby wineries and possibly head to Valparaiso (on the Pacific coast) in the next week, before we fly to Sydney next Saturday.By that time we´ll be half way through our time away, can´t believe how fast the time has gone this far….
Well, as ever, let us know what you´re up to and what is new back at home?Hope everyone is keeping warm and the snow is easing off / snowing you in (whichever you would prefer the most).Hope Christmas preparations are going well and everyone is enjoying large quantities of mince pies, mulled wine, and all that good culinary Christmas stuff….. mmmmm….. delicious!
Write again soon, probably from the other side of the world…
Much much love, L&P xxxxxxxxx
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