2/28/14, 3:56 PM
I am so glad to be home! A six-hour flight followed by a five-hour flight - not fun. And now, I get to be at home resting in my comfy bed.
It's been a good trip.
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| Machu Picchhu |
Friday, February 28, 2014
Finally Home
I am so glad to be home! A six-hour flight followed by a five-hour flight - not fun. And now, I get to be at home resting in my comfy bed.
It's been a good trip.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Our Day in Lima
2/28/14, 1:05 AM
When we arrived in Lima, Peru, we immediately flew out to Cusco; we had decided to see Lima at the end of our trip.
Now at the airport awaiting the boarding of our 1:40 AM flight back to the US, we spent our one day in Lima on a tour bus.
Ultimately, we decided that the best way to see Lima was on a tour that took us to Lima's most important sights. Although I'm not normally a tour person, our plan worked out for us.
We were able to see Plaza de Armas with the Government Palace, Lima Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace, and Municipal Palace. We also saw the Monastery of San Francisco and the catacombs that lie underneath.
When we arrived in Lima, Peru, we immediately flew out to Cusco; we had decided to see Lima at the end of our trip.
Now at the airport awaiting the boarding of our 1:40 AM flight back to the US, we spent our one day in Lima on a tour bus.
Ultimately, we decided that the best way to see Lima was on a tour that took us to Lima's most important sights. Although I'm not normally a tour person, our plan worked out for us.
We were able to see Plaza de Armas with the Government Palace, Lima Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace, and Municipal Palace. We also saw the Monastery of San Francisco and the catacombs that lie underneath.
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| Lima Cathedral |
Lima's first cemetery, the catacombs were actually used until 1808 when another cemetery was built outside of town. Apparently, the number of graves is estimated at over 70,000. We visited a couple of other sights, viewing them from the top of the open-air bus before we arrived back at the Larcomar shopping center in the Miraflores district of Lima.
We had dinner at an Italian place with a fixed price menu before taking a taxi back to the hotel (which happened to be next to the airport). Still a bit early, I checked my email and Facebook, and Alli took a short nap.
Finally, it was about 11:30 PM and time to get ready to walk across the street to the terminal. And here we are, at our gate ready for our flight.
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| Plaza de Armas |
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| The church of San Francisco, next to the monastery and catacombs |
We had dinner at an Italian place with a fixed price menu before taking a taxi back to the hotel (which happened to be next to the airport). Still a bit early, I checked my email and Facebook, and Alli took a short nap.
Finally, it was about 11:30 PM and time to get ready to walk across the street to the terminal. And here we are, at our gate ready for our flight.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Day in Paracas
2/26/14, 12:44 PM
Today, we have a bus out of Paracas to Lima at 4:05 PM. So far, today has been spent hanging out in the hammocks and at the hostel pool. In a bit, we will go for an expensive tourist lunch and then walk with our bags to the station to catch our Cruz del Sur bus.
Today, we have a bus out of Paracas to Lima at 4:05 PM. So far, today has been spent hanging out in the hammocks and at the hostel pool. In a bit, we will go for an expensive tourist lunch and then walk with our bags to the station to catch our Cruz del Sur bus.
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| Kokopelli Hostel bar and outdoor seating area |
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| Kokopelli pool area |
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ballestas and Paracas Reserve Tour, Part II
2/25/14, 10:00 PM
After the Ballestas tour, we had a second tour scheduled. This tour was to take us to the Paracas National Reserve. I'll admit that I was expecting something foresty, but what we experienced was very different. The National Reserve is beach land and acres of sand. Apparently, there is a large salt deposit mixed with the sand - the guide actually broke open a giant cluster of salt crystals. I, like most of the others, took a tiny hunk of salt.
After stopping at a couple of places for photo opportunities, we headed to one of the beaches inside the park. We weren't aware that we would be going to the beach, but somehow everyone else was. Alli and I didn't have our bathing suits with us, but basically everyone else was wearing theirs. By this point in the day, I was hot, tired, and a bit sunburned. I spent the hour and a half the guide gave us sitting in the shade snacking, writing, and watching the people at the beach.
After 3 PM, we were driven back to Paracas and dropped off at our hostel, Kokopelli. The hostel is impressive; there is a pool, bar, fussball table, pool table, and a little restaurant. It's also located right on the beach. The city the hostel is located in offers very little. We are only here because we had a couple of tours in town. However, as far as hostels go, Kokopelli is definitely one of the best I've stayed at.
After the Ballestas tour, we had a second tour scheduled. This tour was to take us to the Paracas National Reserve. I'll admit that I was expecting something foresty, but what we experienced was very different. The National Reserve is beach land and acres of sand. Apparently, there is a large salt deposit mixed with the sand - the guide actually broke open a giant cluster of salt crystals. I, like most of the others, took a tiny hunk of salt.
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| Giant cluster of salt crystals. |
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| Everyone was jumping, so I jumped too. |
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| Playa Roja at Paracas National Reserve |
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| The beach we spent an hour and a half of our tour at |
After 3 PM, we were driven back to Paracas and dropped off at our hostel, Kokopelli. The hostel is impressive; there is a pool, bar, fussball table, pool table, and a little restaurant. It's also located right on the beach. The city the hostel is located in offers very little. We are only here because we had a couple of tours in town. However, as far as hostels go, Kokopelli is definitely one of the best I've stayed at.
Ballestas and Paracas Reserve Tour, Part I
2/25/14, 9:47 PM
Today, we took two tours, one of the Ballestas Island and the other of Paracas National Reserve. Overall, everything worked out, but it wasn't what we expected. We were told by the lady at the dune buggy place (all of our tours were scheduled through the same company) to be there a tthe office with our bags at 6:30 AM. She explained that even though were were scheduled to be picked up at our hostel, it was too difficult to drive a car there. Although we didn't want to, we agreed.
After all that, she apparently failed to let the driver know of the change in plans - he looked for us at our hostel first and because of that, we were late for the tour. We were actually quite fortunate he bothered to look for us at the office at all.
As I said, it all worked out okay, but the morning was frustrating. Beyond the confusion regarding our pick-up spot, there was also confusion when we arrived at the tour location, Paracas boat terminal. A tour company employee was there to talk us through paying the park fee and port tax, but when we passed through the gate to get to the boats, he stayed behind.
We followed the crowd in, but we weren't exactly sure which line we were supposed to be in. When we tried to follow the others from our group to a different line, a guy yelled at us to stay where we were. We boarded a boat but were yelled at again; apparently, that was the wrong boat. after more confusion because of the language barrier, we ended up on the same boat as the others in our group.
I should explain that when we passed through the control gate to the dock, there were at least a half dozen boats awaiting tourists to take us to Ballestas Island. Each of these boats could hold something like 40 or 50 tourists. Of course, with so many people, there was a lot of confusion. Our boat, like all the others, was packed full.
With a bilingual guide, we were driven from the dock to Ballestas Island where we were able to view and photograph various bird species. To protect the birds, we were not allowed to step foot on the island; the whole tour was conducted from the boat. Because we were on the boat for a couple of hours, we were able to observe other tourists as well as birds. We encountered interesting characters, one man in particular. This man was Chinese and was escorted by a young woman acting as his translator.
We never caught his name, so I shall refer to him as Bob. Bob carried with him a large SLR camera that he didn't put down. He took pictures of everything, even other people and their children. Of course, he never bothered to ask permission - he just continuously made everyone uncomfortable.
The worst offense was when he had his guide take a picture of him with a Peruvian boy. The boy was uncomfortable and so was his mother, but neither said much of anything. My guess is that speaking up would have been against their culture. Bob didn't think any rules applied to him. He refused to wear a life jacket (finally, his guide was able to get him into one, for awhile anyway). He also thought it was okay for him to smoke next to the gas tank. Again, his guide was able to get him to put out the cigarette.
I was relieved when we were off the boat, and I no longer had to deal with this weirdo infringing upon my personal space and personal privacy. This guy was so distracting, it was actually difficult to focus on the reason we were there, to see birds. We saw Peruvian boobies, American turkey vultures, something I forgot the name of, and Humboldt penguins. Yes! Penguins exist in Peru, even in summer. Because of the warm weather, we only saw 10 or 12; most have migrated to cooler temperatures. Still, we saw penguins in the same country we saw parrots and monkeys in. Wild.
After the Ballestas tour, we had a second tour scheduled.
Today, we took two tours, one of the Ballestas Island and the other of Paracas National Reserve. Overall, everything worked out, but it wasn't what we expected. We were told by the lady at the dune buggy place (all of our tours were scheduled through the same company) to be there a tthe office with our bags at 6:30 AM. She explained that even though were were scheduled to be picked up at our hostel, it was too difficult to drive a car there. Although we didn't want to, we agreed.
After all that, she apparently failed to let the driver know of the change in plans - he looked for us at our hostel first and because of that, we were late for the tour. We were actually quite fortunate he bothered to look for us at the office at all.
As I said, it all worked out okay, but the morning was frustrating. Beyond the confusion regarding our pick-up spot, there was also confusion when we arrived at the tour location, Paracas boat terminal. A tour company employee was there to talk us through paying the park fee and port tax, but when we passed through the gate to get to the boats, he stayed behind.
We followed the crowd in, but we weren't exactly sure which line we were supposed to be in. When we tried to follow the others from our group to a different line, a guy yelled at us to stay where we were. We boarded a boat but were yelled at again; apparently, that was the wrong boat. after more confusion because of the language barrier, we ended up on the same boat as the others in our group.
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| My view from my seat on the boat. |
I should explain that when we passed through the control gate to the dock, there were at least a half dozen boats awaiting tourists to take us to Ballestas Island. Each of these boats could hold something like 40 or 50 tourists. Of course, with so many people, there was a lot of confusion. Our boat, like all the others, was packed full.
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| On the boat, at Ballestas Island |
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| Rock formation at Ballestas Island, notice the birds in the center |
With a bilingual guide, we were driven from the dock to Ballestas Island where we were able to view and photograph various bird species. To protect the birds, we were not allowed to step foot on the island; the whole tour was conducted from the boat. Because we were on the boat for a couple of hours, we were able to observe other tourists as well as birds. We encountered interesting characters, one man in particular. This man was Chinese and was escorted by a young woman acting as his translator.
We never caught his name, so I shall refer to him as Bob. Bob carried with him a large SLR camera that he didn't put down. He took pictures of everything, even other people and their children. Of course, he never bothered to ask permission - he just continuously made everyone uncomfortable.
The worst offense was when he had his guide take a picture of him with a Peruvian boy. The boy was uncomfortable and so was his mother, but neither said much of anything. My guess is that speaking up would have been against their culture. Bob didn't think any rules applied to him. He refused to wear a life jacket (finally, his guide was able to get him into one, for awhile anyway). He also thought it was okay for him to smoke next to the gas tank. Again, his guide was able to get him to put out the cigarette.
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| The Chinese man, "Bob," who thought no rules applied to him. |
I was relieved when we were off the boat, and I no longer had to deal with this weirdo infringing upon my personal space and personal privacy. This guy was so distracting, it was actually difficult to focus on the reason we were there, to see birds. We saw Peruvian boobies, American turkey vultures, something I forgot the name of, and Humboldt penguins. Yes! Penguins exist in Peru, even in summer. Because of the warm weather, we only saw 10 or 12; most have migrated to cooler temperatures. Still, we saw penguins in the same country we saw parrots and monkeys in. Wild.
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| Humboldt penguins |
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| Birds flying over Ballestas Island |
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| Pelicans |
After the Ballestas tour, we had a second tour scheduled.
The Time I Tried Sandboarding
2/25/14, 9:14 PM
Yesterday, we explored the sand dunes via dune buggy and sand board. We met the third green-shirted Peruvian jerk on this adventure. In fact, he was the dune buggy driver. My first piece of evidence to prove his jerkiness is that he did everything he could to make the ride as bumpy and as scary as possible. The ride was terrifying! Yes, I'm a huge chicken, but the ride was still terrifying.
The dune buggy we were strapped into was a bit on the ramshackle side; I didn't trust it 100%. And after what happened with sandboarding, I didn't trust the green-shirted jerk driver at all. A man from Australia decided to go down the dune on the sandboard surfer style; Alli had done it before him.
This man had a great run and made it almost all the way to the bottom before he fell. Badly. He tumbled feet over head over feet. Alli was at the bottom of the dune while I was at the top. She later told me that the man was unconscious and was out for a couple minutes. Those of us at the top who hadn't had our turns yet could only see that he wasn't moving.
The dune buggy driver ran down the dune to see to the situation. Apparently, he had no idea what to do and actually wanted to do some things that were clearly wrong (move a guy who just hit his head). In a few minutes, the guy was sitting up, so I thought everything was okay. The driver trekked back up the sand dune and the rest of us had our sandboarding turns. I rode down the incredibly steep dune head-first on my stomach.
I thought at that point we were going to leave the dunes to get the man the medical attention he needed. Nope, we were going on another sandboarding run. I took my turn, this time riding down on my bottom, but I couldn't help but feel a little worried about the guy and a little guilty that we were sandboarding while he obviously needed medical attention - he couldn't remember the year or what had just happened.
After we had our second sandboarding turns, the excursion was cut short, and we returned to the company office. Alli urged the driver to be cautious. Although he was more careful than on the ride there, the ride was still somewhat bumpy and even a little scary. As far as we know, the man was taken to the hospital. It's just so unfortunate he had to wait as long as he did.
As an update, I happened to see the man and his wife earlier today in Paracas, so everything must have worked out.
Yesterday, we explored the sand dunes via dune buggy and sand board. We met the third green-shirted Peruvian jerk on this adventure. In fact, he was the dune buggy driver. My first piece of evidence to prove his jerkiness is that he did everything he could to make the ride as bumpy and as scary as possible. The ride was terrifying! Yes, I'm a huge chicken, but the ride was still terrifying.
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| The dune buggy and the people we dune buggied with |
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| The sand dunes near Huacachina |
This man had a great run and made it almost all the way to the bottom before he fell. Badly. He tumbled feet over head over feet. Alli was at the bottom of the dune while I was at the top. She later told me that the man was unconscious and was out for a couple minutes. Those of us at the top who hadn't had our turns yet could only see that he wasn't moving.
The dune buggy driver ran down the dune to see to the situation. Apparently, he had no idea what to do and actually wanted to do some things that were clearly wrong (move a guy who just hit his head). In a few minutes, the guy was sitting up, so I thought everything was okay. The driver trekked back up the sand dune and the rest of us had our sandboarding turns. I rode down the incredibly steep dune head-first on my stomach.
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| I sandboarded from the tiny dots of people at the right top to the person standing at the bottom. |
I thought at that point we were going to leave the dunes to get the man the medical attention he needed. Nope, we were going on another sandboarding run. I took my turn, this time riding down on my bottom, but I couldn't help but feel a little worried about the guy and a little guilty that we were sandboarding while he obviously needed medical attention - he couldn't remember the year or what had just happened.
After we had our second sandboarding turns, the excursion was cut short, and we returned to the company office. Alli urged the driver to be cautious. Although he was more careful than on the ride there, the ride was still somewhat bumpy and even a little scary. As far as we know, the man was taken to the hospital. It's just so unfortunate he had to wait as long as he did.
As an update, I happened to see the man and his wife earlier today in Paracas, so everything must have worked out.
The Nasca Lines
2/25/14, 2:21 PM
Over the course of the last few days, we have realized that all Peruvian men wearing green shirts are jerks. Seriously, it's a thing here. The first green-shirted jerk met us at the bus station in Nasca two days ago. He fed us some lines about the driver coming in 2 minutes to pick us up for our tour, asked where I was from twice (I guess he'd forgotten he had just asked), asked us to wait inside the bus station, and hopped into some guy's car to leave. Yes, leave.
Worried we were going to be stranded in the miserable town of Nasca, I ran to the car to find out why he was ditching us. He gave me some more lines, and the car sped away. I wasn't really sure what to do at that point. I thought we'd been scammed.
Unexpectedly, the driver actually did show up about five minutes later. We never saw the green-shirt guy again (thankfully).
We had been warned that the flight over the Nasca Lines that we had booked was both scary and nauseating. Miraculously, I was totally fine. I wasn't so much worried about getting sick as I was worried about being terrified out of my mind. I don't do heights or planes well. I am still totally impressed with myself. During the short half-hour flight, we saw seven or eight geoglyphs (pictures drawn into the earth). We saw a parrot, spider, monkey, tree, and even some geometric designs.
After the flight, we were taken back to the bus station, and we took the first bus out of Nasca. We weren't at all impressed with the town. It was noisy and dirty, and we had read that the town had nothing to offer. We took Peru Bus to Ica where we ate lunch at yet another vegetarian restaurant.
After lunch, we took a taxi to the desert oasis of Huacachina. Huacachina is a small community that consists of a natural lake surrounded by palm trees and sand dunes. There are a few touristy restaurants and shops, but the main business in Huacachina is dune buggy and sand boarding combo tours.
We had ours scheduled for the next day, so we could relax at the oasis for the rest of that first day.
We met the second green-shirted jerk two days ago at the hostel restaurant. The guy works as a waiter and acted annoyed when we weren't ready to order right away. He even sat down at our table with us to show us he was tired of waiting. We weren't the only ones to get this treatment. We witnessed this guy sitting down at other tables to mostly surprised looks.
After dinner, we washed clothes in the hostel sink and prepared for our dune buggy adventure the next day.
Over the course of the last few days, we have realized that all Peruvian men wearing green shirts are jerks. Seriously, it's a thing here. The first green-shirted jerk met us at the bus station in Nasca two days ago. He fed us some lines about the driver coming in 2 minutes to pick us up for our tour, asked where I was from twice (I guess he'd forgotten he had just asked), asked us to wait inside the bus station, and hopped into some guy's car to leave. Yes, leave.
Worried we were going to be stranded in the miserable town of Nasca, I ran to the car to find out why he was ditching us. He gave me some more lines, and the car sped away. I wasn't really sure what to do at that point. I thought we'd been scammed.
Unexpectedly, the driver actually did show up about five minutes later. We never saw the green-shirt guy again (thankfully).
We had been warned that the flight over the Nasca Lines that we had booked was both scary and nauseating. Miraculously, I was totally fine. I wasn't so much worried about getting sick as I was worried about being terrified out of my mind. I don't do heights or planes well. I am still totally impressed with myself. During the short half-hour flight, we saw seven or eight geoglyphs (pictures drawn into the earth). We saw a parrot, spider, monkey, tree, and even some geometric designs.
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| The plane that flew us over the Nasca Lines. |
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| Flying over the Nasca area |
After lunch, we took a taxi to the desert oasis of Huacachina. Huacachina is a small community that consists of a natural lake surrounded by palm trees and sand dunes. There are a few touristy restaurants and shops, but the main business in Huacachina is dune buggy and sand boarding combo tours.
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| Huacachina, the desert oasis |
We met the second green-shirted jerk two days ago at the hostel restaurant. The guy works as a waiter and acted annoyed when we weren't ready to order right away. He even sat down at our table with us to show us he was tired of waiting. We weren't the only ones to get this treatment. We witnessed this guy sitting down at other tables to mostly surprised looks.
After dinner, we washed clothes in the hostel sink and prepared for our dune buggy adventure the next day.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Colca Canyon Tour, Day 2
I2/24/14, 1:37 PM
On the second day of our Colca Canyon tour, we were picked up early, at 6:30 AM, and driven to the principal condor viewing point, Mirador el Condor. We stayed for an hour during which time I saw five condors. Apparently, the condors are so big and bulky that they go to this particular spot in the canyon because there are warm winds that lift them up enough to get them going on their own.
When our time with the condors was up, the fourteen of us in the tour group loaded back up in the bus to head back to Chivay for lunch. Both the route there and back were full of stops. We stopped for good views of the valley, an old church, and even pre-Incan tombs located in the mountainside.
After a buffet lunch at another restaurant catering to tourists in Chivay, the group of us left for Arequipa. Only one stop for the bathroom and a tire change interrupted the three and a half hour journey. Because we had a night bus to Nasca, instead of a hotel, Alli and I were dropped off downtown near the central plaza, Plaza de Armas.
We split up for an hour and a half to explore what is known as "The White City" because of the white lava rock used in the construction of many of the buildings in town. Alli went to a museum, and I wandered around the streets near Plaza de Armas. We met back up again for dinner. I had found a place with outside seating overlooking Plaza de Armas. Fortunately for me, the restaurant featured a fixed price vegetarian meal for 8 soles (less than 3 dollars). the meal was quite good, possibly the best food I've had in Peru so far.
After dinner, we took a taxi to the bus station to catch our Cruz del Sur night bus. This time, we had no problems at the station; everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to... until we arrived at our destination, Nasca, an hour and a half late.
On the second day of our Colca Canyon tour, we were picked up early, at 6:30 AM, and driven to the principal condor viewing point, Mirador el Condor. We stayed for an hour during which time I saw five condors. Apparently, the condors are so big and bulky that they go to this particular spot in the canyon because there are warm winds that lift them up enough to get them going on their own.
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| Condor flying |
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| Colca Canyon |
After a buffet lunch at another restaurant catering to tourists in Chivay, the group of us left for Arequipa. Only one stop for the bathroom and a tire change interrupted the three and a half hour journey. Because we had a night bus to Nasca, instead of a hotel, Alli and I were dropped off downtown near the central plaza, Plaza de Armas.
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| Arequipa Cathedral |
We split up for an hour and a half to explore what is known as "The White City" because of the white lava rock used in the construction of many of the buildings in town. Alli went to a museum, and I wandered around the streets near Plaza de Armas. We met back up again for dinner. I had found a place with outside seating overlooking Plaza de Armas. Fortunately for me, the restaurant featured a fixed price vegetarian meal for 8 soles (less than 3 dollars). the meal was quite good, possibly the best food I've had in Peru so far.
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| Arequipa |
After dinner, we took a taxi to the bus station to catch our Cruz del Sur night bus. This time, we had no problems at the station; everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to... until we arrived at our destination, Nasca, an hour and a half late.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Colca Canyon Tour, Day 1
2/21/14, 5:00 PM
We were picked up from our hostel this morning at 6 AM for our tour from Puno to Arequipa by way of Chivay and Colca Canyon. Today's tour activities consisted of three mostly unimpressive stops including Lagunitas and Patapampa plus a stop to photograph alpacas and another for vicunas. Apparently vicunas are wild; we weren't allowed to get out of the tour van to photograph them.
Around noon, we arrived in Chivay, our overnight stop and starting point to visit Colca Canyon. After settling into our hostel, we wandered around town. At the local mercado, we witnessed women selling plastic bags of rolls and even a man with a hand-cranked sewing machine sewing a shoe. Any item or service needed could be procured here, cleaning supplies to a haircut.
Alli was hungry, so we stopped at a little restaurant at the main plaza that had vegetarian options. After lunch, we wandered a bit more, killing time. We moseyed back to the hostel about 3:15. We had been in our room all of 30 seconds when the receptionist knocked on our door to let us know we had 2 minutes until our tour bus arrived to pick us up and take us to the hot springs.
We entered panic mode, getting ready as quickly as humanly possible. As much as we rushed, the tour bus totally had to wait for us.
The hot springs themselves were nice, but a bit stressful at the entrance. I only had a 50-sole note, and the attendant wanted exact change. I thought she would never get enough change to give me mine. And when I asked her for my ticket, she acted as if she'd already given it to me.
In fact, nobody ever has change and nobody ever wants to make change for you, not even larger stores. As you can imagine, this doesn't always work well, especially as ATMs dispense only 100 and 50-sole notes.
After paying, our tour group walked across a precariously hanging swinging bridge. We walked across without incident and walked down the dirt path towards the pools. After soaking in the hot springs for about an hour, we returned to the tour bus.
After a short break at our respective hostels for rest and showers, we met again for dinner. Dinner was held at a local restaurant that obviously catered to tourists. What a tourist trap The food was only okay. I had the quinoa cream soup and Neopolitan spaghetti. Christmas decorations hung on the walls and ceilings and got in the way of the folk dancers at least once.
Yes, I said there were folk dancers, a couple who were enjoyable to watch. Backing them up was a group of 3 or 4 musicians wearing colorful ponchos and hats. After they were finished, they went around asking for money. I'm not actually a fan of performing unasked for diners and then trying to guilt the diners into tipping. In this case, we were told there were to be performers, but we were not told we were expected to tip them. I did not tip either the dancers or the musicians. I did not want to. The musicians were cheesy.
I suppose the most interesting part of the night was when Alli hit her head on a dead cat. Actually, the most interesting part was not her hitting her head, it was that there was a dead cat there for her to hit her head on. I am still wondering if a dead cat in a basket hanging on the wall of a restaurant is in violation of any health codes. It appeared that the cat crawled up into the basket and died unnoticed.
Obviously, we ended the night talking about that dead cat.
We were picked up from our hostel this morning at 6 AM for our tour from Puno to Arequipa by way of Chivay and Colca Canyon. Today's tour activities consisted of three mostly unimpressive stops including Lagunitas and Patapampa plus a stop to photograph alpacas and another for vicunas. Apparently vicunas are wild; we weren't allowed to get out of the tour van to photograph them.
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| Alpaca farm seen from the side of the road |
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| Munching alpacas |
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| Vicunas |
Around noon, we arrived in Chivay, our overnight stop and starting point to visit Colca Canyon. After settling into our hostel, we wandered around town. At the local mercado, we witnessed women selling plastic bags of rolls and even a man with a hand-cranked sewing machine sewing a shoe. Any item or service needed could be procured here, cleaning supplies to a haircut.
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| Downtown Chivay |
Alli was hungry, so we stopped at a little restaurant at the main plaza that had vegetarian options. After lunch, we wandered a bit more, killing time. We moseyed back to the hostel about 3:15. We had been in our room all of 30 seconds when the receptionist knocked on our door to let us know we had 2 minutes until our tour bus arrived to pick us up and take us to the hot springs.
We entered panic mode, getting ready as quickly as humanly possible. As much as we rushed, the tour bus totally had to wait for us.
The hot springs themselves were nice, but a bit stressful at the entrance. I only had a 50-sole note, and the attendant wanted exact change. I thought she would never get enough change to give me mine. And when I asked her for my ticket, she acted as if she'd already given it to me.
In fact, nobody ever has change and nobody ever wants to make change for you, not even larger stores. As you can imagine, this doesn't always work well, especially as ATMs dispense only 100 and 50-sole notes.
After paying, our tour group walked across a precariously hanging swinging bridge. We walked across without incident and walked down the dirt path towards the pools. After soaking in the hot springs for about an hour, we returned to the tour bus.
After a short break at our respective hostels for rest and showers, we met again for dinner. Dinner was held at a local restaurant that obviously catered to tourists. What a tourist trap The food was only okay. I had the quinoa cream soup and Neopolitan spaghetti. Christmas decorations hung on the walls and ceilings and got in the way of the folk dancers at least once.
Yes, I said there were folk dancers, a couple who were enjoyable to watch. Backing them up was a group of 3 or 4 musicians wearing colorful ponchos and hats. After they were finished, they went around asking for money. I'm not actually a fan of performing unasked for diners and then trying to guilt the diners into tipping. In this case, we were told there were to be performers, but we were not told we were expected to tip them. I did not tip either the dancers or the musicians. I did not want to. The musicians were cheesy.
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| Male folk dancer with backup singers and musicians |
I suppose the most interesting part of the night was when Alli hit her head on a dead cat. Actually, the most interesting part was not her hitting her head, it was that there was a dead cat there for her to hit her head on. I am still wondering if a dead cat in a basket hanging on the wall of a restaurant is in violation of any health codes. It appeared that the cat crawled up into the basket and died unnoticed.
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| Dead cat in a basket |
Obviously, we ended the night talking about that dead cat.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Uros Floating Islands, Part II
2/20/14, 2:30 PM
Once on the dock, we were tasked with a steep 30-minute hike to the top of the island where the main plaza was I was dying. I've been sick for the last couple of days and have been having trouble breathing regularly. This hike was miserable. I couldn't catch my breath and my chest hurt. Add to that the fact that Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world; the altitude makes physical exertion difficult.
When we arrived at the island of Taquile, we disembarked by way of two other boats. Our tour boat was lashed to another boat that was lashed to the dock. To reach the dock, we had to crawl over these two other tour boats.
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| Boats in the dock at Taquile Island |
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| Terraces on the side of the island |
Finally, very out of breath, I made it to the plaza at the top of the island. Alli and I visited the knitted goods store before rejoining our group for lunch at a local restaurant. We had an option of trout or omelette. Being vegetarian, I obviously chose the omelette. It was okay, and like many of our meals here, the main came with rice and french fries.
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| Taquile Island |
After lunch, the guide explained a bit more about the local people of Taquile and showed us examples of their red hats and colorful hats. We walked back down to our boat by way of a different, less steep, stone path. And now, here we are on the boat traveling back to Puno. Tonight, we will arrange for our transportation to Arequipa for tomorrow and will hopefully go to sleep early.
Uros Floating Island Tour
1:02 PM 2/20/14
We arrived at our hostel in Puno at about 5:30 AM. Our island tour was scheduled to pick us up at 7:00 AM. Essentially, we got settled in our new lodging and got ready for our day out.
Right on time, we were picked up by a minibus that transferred us to a boat in the port. In about half an hour, we had arrived at one of the Uros floating islands. We disembarked onto layers of reeds and were led to reeds laid down in a horseshoe like a bench. We sat and listened as the guide talked.
Apparently, the base of each island is a layer of reed roots. On top of that, approximately 2 meters of cut reeds are placed. On top of the reeds, the reed homes are built. Generally, 3 or 4 people live in these one-room homes, parents and 1 or 2 children.
As soon as the guide had finished speaking, we were all whisked away into different homes. Alli and I were let to the island leader's home. He outfitted us in traditional Peruvian costumes for a photograph. We complied, and he took our picture. Afterwards, he led us back outside to where his wife sat with her goods, wall hangings and pillow cases, and his mobiles featuring condors and reed boats. Of course, all of this was an attempt to get us to buy, buy buy.
The last part of the Uros tour was to climb aboard one of the island's reed boat for 10 soles and sail to an island a bit further up. I opted out and got the same ride on the tour boat. After one last ditch effort to part us from our money, the tour boat continued on to Taquile Island.
Apparently, this island is special in that it is recognized by UNESCO. The best knitters in the world happen to live here, and they are men. Not only is the island known for its knitting, it's also known for very particular wedding traditions. According to the guide, who is from Puno but engaged to a local from Taquile, a woman must make her fiancé a belt made in part out of her hair. In return, the man must make his fiancée's wedding dress. In recent years, this wedding dress tradition has faded some, and now the man may buy parts of the dress.
Furthermore, specific traditions surround the wedding festivities. Both man and woman must meditate on their knees for 3 days of the 8-day celebration. They may not smile; they may only consider the seriousness of the upcoming union. To assist the couple in their meditative journey, the godparents provide sheepskins for the couple to kneel on. This gesture isn't friendly. The sheepskins are full of ticks, and the couple must endure the ticks crawling on them and leeching their blood. They are not permitted to scratch, remove the ticks, or show facial expressions. It's enough to make you not want to get married!
We arrived at our hostel in Puno at about 5:30 AM. Our island tour was scheduled to pick us up at 7:00 AM. Essentially, we got settled in our new lodging and got ready for our day out.
Right on time, we were picked up by a minibus that transferred us to a boat in the port. In about half an hour, we had arrived at one of the Uros floating islands. We disembarked onto layers of reeds and were led to reeds laid down in a horseshoe like a bench. We sat and listened as the guide talked.
Apparently, the base of each island is a layer of reed roots. On top of that, approximately 2 meters of cut reeds are placed. On top of the reeds, the reed homes are built. Generally, 3 or 4 people live in these one-room homes, parents and 1 or 2 children.
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| One of the reed homes |
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| Traditional reed boat. |
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| Woman rowing to one of the villages |
As soon as the guide had finished speaking, we were all whisked away into different homes. Alli and I were let to the island leader's home. He outfitted us in traditional Peruvian costumes for a photograph. We complied, and he took our picture. Afterwards, he led us back outside to where his wife sat with her goods, wall hangings and pillow cases, and his mobiles featuring condors and reed boats. Of course, all of this was an attempt to get us to buy, buy buy.
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| Dressed up in Peruvian garb |
The last part of the Uros tour was to climb aboard one of the island's reed boat for 10 soles and sail to an island a bit further up. I opted out and got the same ride on the tour boat. After one last ditch effort to part us from our money, the tour boat continued on to Taquile Island.
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| Welcome to Taquile Island |
Apparently, this island is special in that it is recognized by UNESCO. The best knitters in the world happen to live here, and they are men. Not only is the island known for its knitting, it's also known for very particular wedding traditions. According to the guide, who is from Puno but engaged to a local from Taquile, a woman must make her fiancé a belt made in part out of her hair. In return, the man must make his fiancée's wedding dress. In recent years, this wedding dress tradition has faded some, and now the man may buy parts of the dress.
Furthermore, specific traditions surround the wedding festivities. Both man and woman must meditate on their knees for 3 days of the 8-day celebration. They may not smile; they may only consider the seriousness of the upcoming union. To assist the couple in their meditative journey, the godparents provide sheepskins for the couple to kneel on. This gesture isn't friendly. The sheepskins are full of ticks, and the couple must endure the ticks crawling on them and leeching their blood. They are not permitted to scratch, remove the ticks, or show facial expressions. It's enough to make you not want to get married!
In addition to the special ceremony regarding the wedding, special clothes must be worn every day. Wearing a red knitted hat means you are a married man. A red and white hat means you are a single man. Leaders wear colorful hats. Women are not exempt from status-declaring clothing. The pom pons on their mantles denote marital status. The island's 2,500 inhabitants all live by these tenets.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Cusco to Puno
2/20/14 8:35 AM
After such an exhausting time in the jungle, we spent yesterday relaxing and just taking it easy in general. Alli was granted a late checkout time from the Marriott (she got a special rate). We used the pool for the 2nd time and and took our time packing up. At about 1 PM, we finally left the hotel and wandered around Cusco, stopping by a couple of churches and stumbling upon the central market, south of the main square, Plaza de Armas.
Afterwards, we stopped by one more church and then headed to a vegetarian restaurant on Calle Tigre. Many, many vegetarian and even restaurants exist in Cusco. It's surprising how easy it is to stumble upon one. I had the bistek a lo pobre (made from glueten) and Alli had the falafel. Funny, my "steak" had a big hunk of cheese on it! (See the cheese post.) Fortunately for me, it was a different kind of cheese.
We had tickets for the 10 PM night bus to Puno, so after dinner we headed back to the Marriott to catch up on a few last emails and pick up our bags.
The taxi driver dropped us off outside Terminal Terrestre (the bus station). The fare was higher if he drove in the gate and paid the parking fee. So we walked the rest of the way. I was expecting a sleepy little bus hall, but what we got was a huge amount of confusion. There were people everywhere. Although we had been given instructions on where to go, those instructions seemed to be lacking, and we had to figure it out on our own.
We made it to the bus company booth; the bus station is essentially a hall lined on either side with various bus company booths. There, we checked in and dropped off our bags. We thought we had survived the chaos fairly easily. Then we were directed to the "Tame" window. Here, all persons leaving Cusco were required to pay a 1.30 sole city tax (about 46 cents US). The amount of money wasn't the problem, waiting in a line that snaked through a third of the bus station was. Fortunately, a second window opened as we were standing at the back of the line stressing about whether we'd be through the line in 15 minutes to make it to the bus with a few minutes to spare.
At first look, the bus was cushy. Each bus seat was roomy and reclined a fair amount. A foot rest folded down as well. The problem arose when the bus started moving. We couldn't see much out of the windows. Despite being on the top level of the bus, all windows were curtained except the front ones, and it was still difficult to see out of those. The road was so bad that the bus was almost constantly lurching from side to side. When the bus wasn't lurching, it was weaving back and forth. I first thought that we must be driving through mountains, but I finally decided that although the road was somewhat windy, the real issue was that the bus driver was swerving back and forth to avoid potholes. The result was that I couldn't sleep. I was more relieved than anything when we arrived at the Puno bus station this morning at 5 AM.
After such an exhausting time in the jungle, we spent yesterday relaxing and just taking it easy in general. Alli was granted a late checkout time from the Marriott (she got a special rate). We used the pool for the 2nd time and and took our time packing up. At about 1 PM, we finally left the hotel and wandered around Cusco, stopping by a couple of churches and stumbling upon the central market, south of the main square, Plaza de Armas.
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| Mercado de San Pedro |
The market featured juice counters, meat sellers, fruit sellers, and even souvenir stalls. We wandered through the colorful stalls, and Alli found some trim to use for craft projects.
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| Colorful trims at the market |
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| Dried corn and beans at the market |
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| bistek a lo pobre made from glueten. |
The taxi driver dropped us off outside Terminal Terrestre (the bus station). The fare was higher if he drove in the gate and paid the parking fee. So we walked the rest of the way. I was expecting a sleepy little bus hall, but what we got was a huge amount of confusion. There were people everywhere. Although we had been given instructions on where to go, those instructions seemed to be lacking, and we had to figure it out on our own.
We made it to the bus company booth; the bus station is essentially a hall lined on either side with various bus company booths. There, we checked in and dropped off our bags. We thought we had survived the chaos fairly easily. Then we were directed to the "Tame" window. Here, all persons leaving Cusco were required to pay a 1.30 sole city tax (about 46 cents US). The amount of money wasn't the problem, waiting in a line that snaked through a third of the bus station was. Fortunately, a second window opened as we were standing at the back of the line stressing about whether we'd be through the line in 15 minutes to make it to the bus with a few minutes to spare.
At first look, the bus was cushy. Each bus seat was roomy and reclined a fair amount. A foot rest folded down as well. The problem arose when the bus started moving. We couldn't see much out of the windows. Despite being on the top level of the bus, all windows were curtained except the front ones, and it was still difficult to see out of those. The road was so bad that the bus was almost constantly lurching from side to side. When the bus wasn't lurching, it was weaving back and forth. I first thought that we must be driving through mountains, but I finally decided that although the road was somewhat windy, the real issue was that the bus driver was swerving back and forth to avoid potholes. The result was that I couldn't sleep. I was more relieved than anything when we arrived at the Puno bus station this morning at 5 AM.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Spotlight on the Guide
2/18/14 12:15 PM
As promised, here is my post about our tour guide.
I should first mention that although he introduced himslef, we never caught his name. We didn't understand it when he said it, but after asking him a second time, I felt it impolite to keep asking. On day 3 of our jungle tour, I heard the boat driver call him what sounded like "Olivio" So, for my purpose here, the guide will henceforth be referred to as Olivio, even if that is not his real name.
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| Olivio showing us around the local market |
I should give him some credit - he did seem to know what he was talking about (except when he told us a stick was a snake, and even we jungle novices could tell that it was just a stick). He was able to identify plants and animals we asked about. He was also very excited about showing us the "flora and fauna." Once, upon sighting a monkey, he grabbed my upper arm and pulled me toward him so I could see too. At the time, we were standing in six inches of water, and the suddenness of his pull threw me off balance. I very nearly became very wet.
He was constantly ordering us to stand in a particular spot for the best view. More than once, I had a view of the animal where I was and lost it when I moved to meet him. He was also constantly shoving his sweat-stink binoculars at us so we could see the birds and other wildlife more closely.
I suppose what bugged me most were his assumptions. He made a comment about us being "city girls" and ubnable to handle longer hikes. (He made this comment after finally realizing I was too tired to finish our hike). That was the 2 1/2 hour mud and water hike taken after a long and active ten-hour day that started at 4:30 AM. Of course I was tired! I was understandably tired!
Furthermore, he essentially told us we both have fat calves when he discovered the Wellingtons were a bit tight at the top on both of us. My pant legs were bunched up underneath! I actually think I have nice calves. Just goes to show what he knows.
I suppose I really shouldn't be so harsh; he was trying to give us what we wanted
after all, animals. He just wanted to make sure we got a chance to see them. Regarding his assumptions, I am sure he is basing his perceptions on what he sees and hears on television and what he hears from other tourists; those sources aren't always accurate.
Alas, we are no longer in the jungle and are no longer being guided I guess I'll have to start the long, arduous process of getting over it.
Back to Cusco (Again)
2/18/14 11:42 AM
Here we are on the airplane, this time headed back to Cusco.
Last night before dinner, we headed out on the motorized canoe in the hopes of seeing caymans and capybaras. In fact, we saw a stick (the guide mistakenly thought a stick was a snake, a bat, and a cayman. Again, the rains and flooding had kept the animals away. As we drifted along in the canoe, the guide used a high-powered flashlight to scan the water in search of dots of red. Caymans' eyeballs appear red under flashlight beams. Finally, the guide gave up on finding more, and we headed back to the lodge.
So far today, we have spent our time traveling. We woke up early to be at breakfast by six and to leave the lodge by 6:30 AM. The canoe took us two hours and ten minutes back up the river to the port. This port appeared to be a center of commerce We witnessed a couple of guys unloading pineapples from a boat and loading them into a cart pulled by a motorcycle. The mud banks (not normally muddy, but now covered with several feet of mud) were lined on either side with small shops selling various wares.
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| Unloading bananas from the banana boat |
Although the guide attempted to get us onto solid mud as we exited the boat, I stepped just a bit too far and sank down several inches. The mud had such a strong hold on my shoes that when I attempted to free myself, my shoes stayed behind. Alli had to help pull me out. Unfortunately, my new shoes are caked with mud and every shoe polisher we pass persistently tells me my shoes are dirty and asks to clean them. Fortunately, I still have shoes.
Alli later told me that while I was grappling with the mud, I had missed something big. A young Peruvian man approached us with a realistic-looking gun, pointed it directly at Alli, and made the gun noise, "Pew, pew. Pew, pew." She said it took her a few seconds to realize that the gun was a toy gun. She also thought it was odd that in that crowded area, not one person seemed to notice what was going on. I didn't even notice! That's right, let the two tourists get shot up while everyone else loads and unloads produce!
A car met Alli, the guide, and me at the dock. Since we arrived early in Puerto Maldonado (the city we would be flying out of), we had time to stop at the local market before heading to the airport.
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| Notice the bananas strapped to the top of our tour van. |
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| The Puerto Maldonado mercado |
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| The plane taking us back to Cusco |
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