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* Arequipa: Condors, musical garbage trucks and a real bozo
Okay, Quito had musical buses. Not to be outdone, the city of Arequipa has musical garbage trucks (so loud you have to stop your conversation while they pass). It also has amazing spanish colonial architecture, including the fascinating Santa Catalina Monastery where nuns have hidden themselves away from society for the last 400 years. Arequipa was our base for a 3 day, 2 night tour of the Colca Canyon (second largest canyon in the world). This stunning area is home to Condors, alpacas, llamas and indigenous people who live so remotely that supplies have to be brought in along steep switch-back rocky paths by donkey or llama. This meant we had to become vegetarians for 3 days (we coped admirably). Jodi maintained her impressive injury record by falling over again and grazing a different knee. All in all - good practice for the Inka Trail. It was a great privilege to share the trek with Denis and Luiza (our new friends from Quebec), especially as they helped share the burden of spending 3 days with the most annoying person we have ever met. You know those people who talk non-stop and are the world´s experts on everything. Apparently a toddler could have walked the trek we did backwards according to her (we actually found it challenging). Imagine our shock when we ran in to Bozo (real name witheld for legal purposes) again at the border crossing to Bolivia! We are currently wearing cunning disguises in case we cross paths with Bozo again.
* Nazca
- Next stop Nazca, famous for it´s mysterious "lines" in the desert. These lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals were scratched in to the desert over a period of 800 years by pre-Inka tribes and can only be seen from the air. Okay, enough on the history. The 8 seater Cesna plane ride is a blast (thank goodness we didn´t have breakfast before the flight). Unfortunately, Nazca itself is a bit of a dump. Nay bother.
* Geckos Tour
Lima
Our 2 week organised tour began in Lima. Our hotel was where the Pisco Sour cocktail was invented (it´s pretty ordinary, really. Don´t run out to your local bar in search of one). The old town of Lima is gorgeous, especially the stunning Plaza de Armas (main square), replete with a spanish colonial style cathedral, fountain, government palace etc. The spanish may have murdered, raped, destroyed sacred sites (in order to build cathedrals) and imposed catholicism on these poor south american countries, but b***** me, they had some fine architecture.
The culinary highlight of our trip occurred here in Lima, although traditional Peruvian cuisine was not on the menu. We had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant run by a French order of nuns. The nuns were the waitresses, the french cuisine was out of this world, the proceeds go to charity, and at 9pm we all had to join in singing Ave Maria with the nuns! They were the sweetest nuns we have ever met and gave us wedding gifts, including an ash tray with a condor on it and a picture of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (perhaps to inspire us on our reproductive journey).
Amazon - Highlights included:
- sleeping in a jungle lodge where there was no wall separating your bedroom from the jungle. The only down side is that possums tend to come in at night and sh!t on your towels
- Piranha fishing - apparently the little b*****s didn´t like our bait, preferring ther German tourists´bait instead. Das ist nicht good!
- visiting a local sharman and learning about all the natural remedies available in the jungle such as a form of viagra, an anaesthetic plant and one which apparently helps with curing cancer. Hmmm... not so sure about that last one.
Cusco - Highlights included:
- mountain biking through the Sacred Valley and feeding llamas and alpacas
- hitting "Cuscotech" (it´s discotech with a Cusco flavour) with our tour leader, Elder, who appeared to be some kind of local night club legend with the ladies (possibly because every time he turns up, he brings rich white gringos with him!)
- eating alpaca steak
- being asked every 60 seconds "you want massage?" or "taxi?"
Inka Trail - Our highlight of the trip so far!
highlights included: - wathching the porters (think sherpas) in action. These blokes are incredible. Most are about 5 ft 4" but they carry 25 - 30 kg on their backs and run up and down the mountain. They leave after you but beat you to the next stop, set up tents and cook food before you arrive. We even saw one bloke carry a sick girl (approx 80 kg) sown the mountain.
- the sense of achievement following 30 odd km of trekking in altitude (up to 4200 metres)
- playing football against (and getting our pants kicked by) the porters at 3600m above sea level. You feel knackered after running for about 5 seconds!
- arriving at the Sun Gate (which over looks Machu Pichu) in perfect weather and seeing a rainbow over Machu Pichu.
- taking a million photos of the sacred Inkan city of Machu Pichu
Lake Titikaka . Highlights included:
- Homestay on Amantani Island, including dressing up in traditional Peruvian clothes, going to a village party and dancing with our host family.
- visiting the famous reed islands (Uros Floating Islands). These people use reeds to build their island, their boats and their houses. They even eat the reeds!
Puno - Last stop in Peru. Jodi´s highlights were learning how to make Pisco Sours and trying the famous Peruvian cuisine of Guinea Pig. Unforunately Luke was too busy spending time with the toilet to experience this. From all accounts "Punotech" wasn´t a patch on "Cuscotech". Must be one of those east coast vs west coast things.
Next stop - Bolivia. Stay tuned!
- comments
Nat and Mal Amazing to see the rainbow over Machu Pichu. Agree that Pisco Sour sucks! Sounds like you continue to have an amazing time and glad no thefts etc in this entry! Hard to believe you only have a month left. We're sure you'll enjoy Bolivia and the times ahead. Love Nat and Mal
Louise Sounds amazing! I've read about Machu Pichu and the Nazca lines. And I have to know - does Guinea Pig taste like chicken?
fitzski Oh me gosh how dat time has flown. Go the Guinea Pig. Sauteed? Marinated? Flambeed? Poached? Fricaseed? Sashimi? I'm sure whatever the process - It was done justice by your tastedbuds.....................mmmm. As with the goat in Indo, the snake in Vietnam, the watercockroaches in Thailand.............Tastes loike Chckinnnnnn