Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Day 30: Machu Pictu and Agua Callientes
So we get up at 4am, pitch black and have breakfast early so the porters can get to their train on time. At 530 we set off for the sun gate, it?s starting to be lighter but it?s still pretty dark as we ascend for another hour up the side of the Mountain Machu Pichu. We got to the top, a highly non trivial feet given the previous 3 days activities and did we see the sunrise over Machu Pichu? well for about 5 seconds there was a brief gap in the clouds where we saw the citadel, but no sunrise!
Another 20mins walk took us down to the city itself and then utter chaos, in the background to most pictures of machu pichu there is a ?small?mountain known as Winu Pichu? is possible to climb this mountain but only if you register wuick as they only let 400 people per day go up. So once that was sported out and we had stamped our passports we had the proper tour of Machu Pichu.
No one knows what really happened in the city, it was cut off apart from the Inca trail and in an excellent defensive position. However it was not obviously a place of military importance, there are many building built using the Inca imperial style and it look more like a place of worship than naythign else. There were many terraces but they mainly served to support the city and prevent it from falling off the end of the mountain. Our guide hypothesized that it was like a big university where noble children would be sent to learn of the Inca tradition. Justification for this is it?s size, housing no more than 500 people in ?proper? accommodation, this does not include around 5000 worker who were still in the process of building it. He suggested that the great multitude of temples would be an excellent place to teach about the different gods and traditions.
It was a very impressive site, just perched on very steep mountain sides with parts of the construction obviously incomplete but clearly not damaged at all, apart from the occasional crack where tourists have caused erosion. We climbed Winu Pichu to get some truly amazing views, it?s a tough climb up almost vertical steps? see pictures! But it?s fun to perch on top of the world and gaze down at the city.
Unfortunately because of an administrative problem we had to get the 830pm train from Agusa Callentes, (hot waters - i.e. they have springs). We ended up having lunch then watching DVD?s in a hotel, I was sick again, the adrenaline of the last few days failing at last. Late train back to Olantaytambo then a bus to Cuzco then on to bed.
Day 31: Recovering in Cuzco
The next day was literally devoted to sleep, I think the lack of it on the Trail and the culminated debt of everything necessary for life needed to be fixed. I did however manage to do some shopping and send a package home.
Day 32: Bus to PunoEarly up again for the Bus to Puno.
Puno is a small city on the shore of Lake Titcaca. A fairly uneventful day on a bus but got to Puno in enough time to have a good nose around and obviously hit the internet again.
Day 33: Boat ride Lake Titicaca and Home Stay
Yet another early morning, this time for good reason! Cycle driven rickshaw type things to take us to the dock? ours won, although our little man did look a little sick by the end of it! He earnt his 4 sol tip!?
Feeling a lot better by this point which was good as we hit the boat to head across the Lake. Lake Titicaca is supposedly the worlds highest navigable lake, it is certainly the biggest one over 2000m. At 3600m above sea level it?s not hard to imagine why! It is also vast with many islands straddle across the Peruvian-Bolivian border. The boat moved painfully slowly and after 3 hours we arrive on Tiquillie, the 3rd biggest island on the lake, it?s a fairly remote place where people still wear traditional dress and farm once a year during the rainy season. The rest of the year they use tourist to generate the only income beyond subsistence they can make. It?s based on acooperative system very similar to the way the Inca?s operated government.Lunch to soup and Kingfish got us going again before a walk down to the other side of the island where the boat met us to head off to our home stay.
Another hour on the boat took us to Amantani, the 4th biggest island on the lake, the island is split into 6 communities each based around farming but supporting their income using tourism. The community we stay at gets around 3 groups a week to stay over night. When we arrived 9on the island our ?dad? Estaphen took us to our new home for the night, across several fields and passed some donkeys we arrived and were shown to the guest room. It was very comfortable and we also met our mum ( I still have no idea what her name is!).
A few minutes to unpack then off to meet the group, dad showing us the way of course. We were supposed to have a game of football but alas it was too late and instead we had to head up the mountain to see the sun set. It was only a short walk, more of a hill than anything else, but given that we started at 3600m it was hard work but worth it for a spectacular sunset (I may add photos today depending how long this takes me the write). Up the hill they have a temple to Pacha Mamma, i.e. mother earth, once a year they still have a ceremony where they burn offerings including Llama fetuses to improve the crop for the next year.
The best bit about the climb was the hot chocolate and doughnuts served at the top!Back down to meet dad and head off for dinner, now remember that in Peru there are 3000 different types of potatoes, I was not looking forward to dinner. However all was not lost- we arrived in the kitchen, see photo, and were handed a bowl of delicious soup. It did of course contain potatoes but also noodles and I managed to fill up on that before being presented with a bowl of potatoes with a slice of very squeaky grilled cheese on top. I eat the cheese and shuffled the potatoes before making generally full noises and patting my belly. We then diverted their attention to the gift we brought, rice and fruit and coloring pencils for the non existent children! Fortunately John, my fellow home stayer, managed to eat most of his bowl of potatoes and we seemed slightly less rude.
Then came a very long confused period of trying to communicate with the parents, we knew we had to get dressed up to go to some kind of barn dance type thing but it was very unclear how when or where all of this would happen. After some nervous twitching and improvised Spanish (si, mi Espanola est bien) we got dressed i.e. put on a poncho and headed for the dance. I was first grabbed by our mum, at lady whom I though was infirm but could dance just are energetically as my real mum! The local youth provided he music and songs lasted for around 15mins, the dancing was random generally involving a lot of swaying, swinging, spinning and tunnel forming. It was great fun and so funny to see people dressed up. The girls definitely go the best deal in full native dress. I?ll try to get some photo up asap.
Day 34: Back to Puno
Yet another early morning, up at 7 for a pancake breakfast brought to our room, then back to the boat, some emotional goodbyes to our new parents then 3 hours sailing back to the Uros Islans. The Uros Islands float, literally. They are built from the floating roots of reeds layered with actual reeds that are added to every few weeks. Once again the island operate a communal system where by everyone has to help build islands, collect reeds and put them down. The houses are designed to be lifted to allow for the reeds to be put down and walking on them is like walking on some sort of mattress.
Originally they were designed for protection from the Inca?s but the islands have developed into a bustling society, with the added bonus that if you don't like your neighbor you just cut off their part of the island! Obviously the community is shriking with more and more young people choosing not to follow the old ways, but with any luck enough might stay to support the community, it is after all a tax haven!Afternoon in Puno uploading photos walking around and a drinking in areally cool bar called Kamakazika, lots of rock music and ?? locals, early night for yet another early morning!
Day 35 Crossing the border. Copa Cobana, Vanessa?s last night
Day 36 Death Road
Day 37 Propper look around La Paz and the witches Market
Still to come ten days in Boliva, the salt flats, then on to Chile
- comments