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Dear All,
We have certainly been busy since our last entry and are now trying to come to terms with the crazy monster that is La Paz. But first our time in Cusco and its environs.
Our first day in Cusco was spent getting acclimatised to both the altitude and touristic nature of the city which demands you to either ignore a seller of some tat every 10m's or say no gracias. Ruth being the tough northern lass opted for the the no nonesense approach and just ignored them, unless she wanted to buy something which was quite often. Cusco is set up for tourists, but it is nonetheless a beautiful city with cobbled streets and steep hidden plazas. Our hostel owned by a motherly old hen, was set back above the main plaza in the San Blas area, a real gem, with little cafes and bars and great views across the city.
After a warm nights sleep in our sleeping bags as well as multiple wollen blankets, we met up with an english couple whom we had travelled on the night bus to Cusco the previous evening. We splashed out on a cooked breakfast and sat outside just above a fountain and idylic little plaza. That day we planned to head out and see some of the inca ruins just outside cusco. Helen and Andy decided to join us and we went off in search of the bus station. Some rather impressive pigeon spanish led us to stumble upon the local bus station or shed and onto a ricketey bus with standing room only. After 40 mins winding up above Cusco with squeezed off the bus and to our first ruin of the day. Rather embarassingly we did not have have enough money to pay for entry as you had to buy a tourist ticket for all the ruins in the area and it was a little pricey. Our fake 100 sole bill again did not fool anyone and we had to borrow off Helen and Andy.
I would have liked to have said that we carefully surveyed the full extent of the ruins that we saw that day and apprediated the incredible workmanship that went into building such impressive structures without mortar. But alas we spent most of the day dhatting and ignoring most of what we went to see. It did however make a really nice change to have different people to talk and both ruth and I appreadiated the break of the intensity of spending 24/7 together. In all we saw 3 ruins that day and walked about 10km back to Cusco, stopping at the final ruin (Sexywoman) with panoramic views across the city. Dinner together finished off a very pleasant day indeed.
A trip into the towns in the Sacred Valley was our plan for the next few days and more inca ruins. We were happy to be joined again by Helen and Andy and headed off again in search of a different bus station. Again with almost fluent Spanglish and through no fault of our own we found the bus station. An hour later we were in Urubamba and then a quick cannonball style taxi ride we arrived in Ollantaytambo. This small town is surrounded by a inca fortress set in the steep hills surrounding the town and has an impressive inca village with terraces a plenty. Lunch in the pleasant square was only spoilt by the dozen or so tourist buses and vans passing by every 20mins, sending sand swirling into my fried egg sandwiches and Ruth's fruit salad. A peaceful afternoon followed, with a little exertion in climbing to see part of the Inca fortress and then a set menu dinner after visisting most of the restaurants in town and deciding against them.
The next morning more inca ruins with some impressive irrrigation to feed the many terraces to grow their 500 different varieties of potato. Helen and Andy had booked the train to Aguas Calientes for that evening and a trip up Machu Pichu so we said our goodbyes and ruth and I headed off to Pisac. A minivan and bus later and we were in the bustling market town, with Ruth salivating at the prospect of yet more shooping to be done. Fortunately the market specialised in the normal tourist tat and I managed to disuade Ruth from purchasing anything more than a bottle of water and some bananas, I certainly know how to treat a lady. After dinner we passed through the main square and what appeared preparations for some sort of party. We hung around and were offered several cups of a hot, sweet liquid and tried not to stand out too much being the only white people there. The cold and weight of expectation got the better of us and after 2hrs waiting we slooped back to our hostel. We had not been in our hostel more than 5 minutes when all hell broke loose with fire works, grand music and much applause.
The next day we caught a taxi and headed up to see yet more inca ruins and a very informative tour. The ruins were the gateway to Machu Pichu and served to protect it from invaders. Our guide did well to explain the many parts of the ruins and their importance. After feasting on some of our snacks we were back on the bus and to Cusco. A quick scoot around the shops to procure the necessary trekking supplies, most importantly Coca leaves and we had our trekking briefing. Our group numbered 5, with a English couple and a Canadian girl. After the briefing we met for tea and found out about the earthquake. We had said to the others that we had felt a little earthquake on the way to the restaurant but had not realised it was just a little shock from the main epicentre hundreds of miles away. We all went off a little concerned and needing to pack before our 4.00am meet the next morning.
After an early morning wake up we travelled for several hours through remote villages and up dust roads gaining glimpses of the impressive Salkantay mountain. We evetually stopped at the foot at the foot of the moutain and were introduced to our cook, porters and horses. The scenery was already incredible, snow capped peaks surrounded us, with mountain streams glistening in the sunlight. Our first day was perhaps the toughest but the most breathtaking. We climbed steadily up along mountain passes before stopping for lunch next to a lake, at 4200m. Our first taste of trekking food left us speechless. Cooking on 2 gas burners only and outside with no table or anywhere to chop except on the ground he produced a fantastic hot lunch. We had cream of asparagus soup, then pasta with ham and a tomato sauce, rice with stir fried veggies and chicken in a spicey sauce. It was bloody awesome and we were all full to bursting.
On up after lunch to the highest point of the trek at 4600m, took it out of all of us. Our Canadian friend however was a little worse for wear. On the way down the old altitude sickness hit and she was sick and struggled to finish the day, collapsing into her tent with an oxygen mask on. Our camp was truly incredible that night, in the shadow of several snowy peaks, on an open plain with no one in sight. After a 3 course dinner of truly immense proportions we settled in for a cold nights sleep.
The second day provided a gradual change of scenery and we descended from the antiplano and into the cloud forrest. The vegetation became thicker and more lush, with a greater abundance of wildlife that Ruth enjoyed trying to find and identify. The walking was downhill and provided a rest bite from the hard uphill slog of the previous day. Lunch again was incredible and after a leisurely 3 hr hike in the afternoon we arrived at our second campsite. Being much lower down would mean a warmer nights sleep, but there was now the risk of getting eaten alive by mossies. Again another superb 3 course dinner rustled up in a little shack with no running water was washed down with plenty of coca tea.
After a more comfortable nights sleep we were again awoken to a cup of coca tea in bed, what better way to start the day. We had an easy day in store, just a few hours trek to camp for the night as we had an early start and 8 hr trek the next day. We had followed what was turning into quite a fierce moutain river for the last few days and it provided some excellent photo opportunities, with steep sided valleys cloaked in thick vegetation. We strolled down the valley following the river and arrived in a little village that would be home for that day and night. A mighty lunch and then a spot of football with a local lad left me a bit hot and sweaty. We were told if it was nice we would go for a dip in the river, but no one appeared too keen and disappeared into their tents. Ruth and I however thought it would be great so got into our cossies and headed to the river. You could say it was a little bracing, but after some mutual encouragement we ventured into the shallows and started to have our first wash in 3 days. Our cossies were getting in the way so with no one around we stripped off and skinny dipped. The water ran straight of the mountains so you can imagine how cold it was. In spite of some rather pert and shrunken body parts we had a great time and felt refreshed and really quite invigorated. We huddled around a campfire that night and enjoyed home made wantons with a caramelised condensed milk, yummy.
A 5.00am wake up was not appreciated by all, the pain however was eased by the sight of breakfast; pancakes, porridge and fresh fruit salad. A steep 4 hour climb to some inca ruins and a somewhat shrouded view of Machu Pichu were our reward for a hard slog. The trek back down however was harder than on the way up and 3 1/2 hours later we arrived at the train station ready to go to the town that sits below Machu Pichu. Another exquisite lunch, which for the first time we managed to finish we headed on up to Aguas Calientes on the train. The town itself seemed out of place and so purpose built in order to cater for the droves of tourists heading there in order to asdent machu pichu. The ensuite rooms with comfy beds were nonetheless a welcome sight and we made use of civilisation to tell our parents we were in fact ok and not affected by the earthquake. Hot springs in the town soothed of weary body, despite the water's murky appearance. Our final meal did not dissapoint and Jamie (Hamie) our cook produced another veritable feast. To give you an example of what he produced on 2 gas stoves for dinner one night we had souflette (I cant even spell it), homemadfe pizza in the frying pan, stirfried rice with veg and ginger and a creamy chicken stew. He also produced soup that night and a dessert, he was my hero. An early night was in order as a 5.00am brekkie was on the cards.
Still dark we queued with a hundred other tourists to get the first buses up to Machu Pichu. Upon arrival we headed into yet another queue to climb wynapichu, a little mountain affording great views across the ruins. A steep and somewhat nerve racking 30mins and we enjoyed awe inspiring views across the valley and the ruins as it was gradually bathed in sunlight, quite remarkable. After climbing down and rushing to the little boys room we were late for our guide whom we could not find. After finally finding her we were all jaded and glad the tour was going to be shorter. We wandered around taking photos, getting explanations for various buildings of different shapes and sizes. At was magnificent, but i think we all were a little too tired to fully appreciate it. It was nonetheless certainly worth all the effort. Another bus down and a spot of lunch and it was timw to head back to Cusco. Another train ride through some truly spectacular scenery and then a a suicidal minivan driver brought us hurtling back to cusco.
We certainly slept well that night and enjoyed a relaxing day in Cusco, getting 8kgs of washing done and putting on some fresh clothes. From there we headed off to Puno and the lake of titi's, but i will leave that for another blog.
We hope everyone is ok and enjoying the summer,
With much love
Greg and Ruthxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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