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11th March 2011
Lima - Cuzco
Journey time 4 hours
I'm writing this from a cheap hostel in Cuzco.I'm really feeling woozy this evening. I've no idea if it is the altitude or the jet lag or the lack of sleep.I'm hoping to get an early night and adjust to local time for tomorrow, although I feel I'm missing a very special place.
I will pick up from yesterday's entry though but will start by saying that I actually quite liked the Mira Flores area of Lima.Bustling with street hawkers selling great smelling food, hundreds of stray cats of all shades of fur scampering up the trees in the well kept parks, and surprisingly well kept and attractive colonial architecture, the city wasn't quite the blot on the landscape I had feared.Peru reminds me so much of my travels in Indonesia in so many ways so far.The smells and the fresh fruits, the traffic, the 3 wheeled buses ('bemos' in Indonesia, but I've no idea what they are called here?) and the handcrafted wares sold on little market stalls.Even the climate in Lima brought back memories of those sticky days in Java lugging my backpack for miles.The architecture in Jakarta very similar to Lima and has been a reminder for me of the far-reaching European colonisation of much of the world, although in this part of Lima, the buildings were well kept rather than decaying slowly, uncherished and hidden from view as in Jakarta.
I said I was off in search of pisco sours and cerviche.I found both in one place, a sweet little restaurant overlooking the Parque Kennedy called le tigre (which I think means seafood and not tiger!).I picked the restaurant at random, and was happily surprised by the quality.Pisco sour is the local grape based liquor with lemon and sugar and egg white.It was divine. Refreshing and drinkable, it became clear that after travelling, I only needed one!The Cerviche is another local specialty: fresh seafood and chunks of fish 'cooked' by marinating in lime and chilli, served with the biggest sweetcorn kernels ever grown and the most delicious roasted sweet potato I've ever tasted.I didn't stay long before making my way back to the hostel for an unsettled sleep and a 6am start.
The drive back to the airport with Pedro was equally as hairy as the journey last night, except this time I was more awake and able to marvel further .The protocol appears to be beep loudly and keep driving and people will avoid you, even the American style yellow school bus.I was also able to appreciate the scale of Lima as it stretched as far as the eye could see around the Pacific coastline - 9 million people Pedro informed me proudly.The districts also got visibly poorer as we moved out of the central areas.Again, I was reminiscing about previous journeys 18 months ago: higgledy piggledy houses and the bustle of a sprawling city.
The plane to Cuzco was uneventful aside from the runaway approach on landing in which we circled over a beautiful mountain and got a fantastic panoramic of the town's red tiled roofs and green vegetation (coming in the rainy season has some advantages).I negotiated a price on the official taxi, found a hostel ( a bottom bunk in an 8 bed female dorm with only 2 of us there for now, wrestled my gear into a locker (oh how I wish I'd packed less) and then set off out to explore.Set around the main square Plaza de Armas, Cuzco is everything you'd hope from a town in the mountains.Narrow streets, buildings with porticos and stunning churches nestling underneath tree lined hills, I loved it immediately.The trouble was this feeling didn't last long as the wooziness set in. A churning stomach, and dizziness made me feel unsteady and dampened my adventurous spirit.I ate a sweet potato and an avocado from a market stall (I knew the penknife was a sensible packing item) and set off in search of the travel agent to settle the bill for the Machu Piccu trek.However, it was closed and then it began to rain.Luckily I had my soft shell jacket (thanks Guy) and managed to locate a café for a slice of local cake without getting too bedragled.I wasn't sure if eating was making me feel more or less nauseous.
The agent opened again and I meandered in.Already there were five Canadian guys who'd just flown in after a few days at the Rio Carnival. They were going to be on the tour on Monday too, although maybe not in the same group.We got given a fetching yellow t-shirt (more clothes for me to carry!) and received a briefing.We sampled the coca tea and I did feel a bit better, although maybe I was being brave given the company as I didn't want to look like the one who was going to hold everyone up!Afterwards, I decided to walk a bit more, but after an hour or so, the sickness returned, and I headed home, feeling disoriented and walking very slowly.I reluctantly forwent dinner, despite there being so many tempting things to try.I went to bed very excited about the Inca Trail now and desperately hoping I will acclimatise soon (and if not, then Diamox may be needed as a last resort).
So with that I'm off to bed to rest. More soon I hope.
Buenos Tardes!
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