Week Forty Six - Akaja Jumataki

So this was the last week of our 'traveller' status before reaffirming ourselves as holidaymakers / sight see'ers.

The first week of our trip (we all agreed) took an eternity to pass largely as we crammed so much in. The last two weeks however have flown by and none of us could believe that last night in La Paz was our last night together.

Having had a few days rest in Cusco, Monday saw us embark on a seven hour bus ride to Lake Titicaca, the last big venue of our G Adventures trip.  Claire, Ray, Hen and I thought we'd won a watch with the spacious front seat top deck seats which afforded us panoramic views of our trip.  Unfortunately it wasn't as glamorous as we'd hoped - the air con (the little that there was) stopped a couple of rows before our seats and with surround windows it made for a very hot breathless seven hours.  That plus the panoramic views brought with it way too much clarity about why horns were being beeped, swerves made and brakes slammed.

By Monday night we were in Puno and on Tuesday and Wednesday we embarked on a final adventure on Lake Titicaca.  This is a phenomenal natural wonder.  The biggest lake above 2,000m altitude and at times you would swear it is the sea it is that vast. 60% belongs to Peru and 40% to Bolivia.  We had a great day on Tuesday.  Our transportation to the boat was on a wee two person seat thing on the front of a pushbike - an exhilarating and somewhat fear engendering experience in rush hour.

We had a boat to ourselves which took us initially to visit one of the floating islands on the lake.  These are man made islands made from totara reeds that naturally grow in the lake.  The islands are put together with humus of soil at the bottom bound together with sticks and ropes.  On top of that they lay two metres of reeds which are ten replaced as they rot.  The tiny island we visited housed four separate families who live in reed houses on their reed island sailing their reed boats.  It really is something to behold.  We spent some time learning about their way of life (albeit the solar panel, motor boat, satellite dish and TV were visible).  Most the kids leave and go to university and seek a better life for themselves in the cities so it isn't clear how long this way of life will continue but whilst it does it is a thing to marvel at).

We then moved on to another island two hours boat ride away where they have a very distinct culture.  The men of the island are the knitters and will be betrothed based on the skill of their handiwork.  Quite bizarre.  We also learned all about the traditional dress they wear and the significance of the hats the men wear - are they married? Single? Single-ish? So on and so forth.

Then came the interesting part of the day.  We went to Liquita Island where we were staying in the homes of the locals that night.  When we arrived we were welcomed by the villagers and taken to the high school where we were introduced to the family we would be spending the evening, night and following morning with.  There was no security in numbers as we were to be in pairs only.  And the added complication?  The locals do not speak Spanish as their first language but a local language of Aymara which bears no resemblance to spanish (cod clearly Claire and I are fluent in that by now!!).

Having been introduced to Gavino our host for the evening and introduced ourselves ("Kamisaraki, Nayana sutijaja Gillian.  nayaja Scotland tatua") our host disappeared for a while.  In the meantime we had to take on the locals at a game of football - no surprises who won that especially as we were the only side predominantly made up of girls and competing at 3800m above sea level.  

On completion of the football match (it wasn't a complete a disaster of a score) it was time for us all to be dressed in the local traditional costumes and partake in the local equivalent of a ceilidh.  The pictures speak for themselves.  I was partnered with our CEO Raul and I have to say we had those moves down!!!

With all the fun and frolics completed it was time to go home with our hosts.  Needless to say ours and Lucy and Oli's hosts lived at the very top of the village; an altitude climb made all the harder by still being dressed in the local costumes.  Finally huffing and puffing we reached our accomodation and were pleasantly surprised we had a unit with beds and a bathroom in it all to ourselves.  Thank goodness.

On arrival there was a bit of an electricity issue so we were introduced to the confident kids in the family in the dark but immediately forced to play hide and seek amongst other games.  There was Elvis aged 5, Evelyn aged 8 and Luciana aged 11 months.  Electricity sorted we were invited up to the kitchen for dinner.  Armed with our phrasebook (useless given they all spoke very little Spanish) we headed off to dine with Gavino, the kids and Gavinos daughter Janette who had made us the local speciality of quinoa soup followed by rice and vegetables and a cup of tea.  It was a particularly awkward experience as none of us could speak with each other and to be fair the kids came to the rescue - always willing to play, use sign language and not let language be a barrier.

Needless to say we were in bed by 8:40 (apparently about an hour or so after everyone else).

The next morning Evelyn came to announce it was time to go to the kitchen for breakfast and yanapamama (help around the house).  We'd been told we'd be doing some farming but Gavino disappeared early and we were left with Janette.  Job number one - the dishes in some dubious looking water. Job number two out the sheep out to graze (attaching them by foot and rope to tent pins). job number three prep the veg for soup for lunch. After that we extracted ourselves for an hour or so to ease the embarrassing silences.  It was then back in time for our 11am lunch of quinoa soup, rice, potatoes and fried cheese!!  Then escorted back to the boat for the hour and a half sail back to Puno - interrupted with a few of the team taking a jump into Lake Titicaca (temp c. 10 degrees).  

We both really enjoyed the communal activities and socialising with the families to an extent but would prefer to have made that the feature of Tuesday and gone back to Puno that night as some of the silences were pretty excruciating.  All in all though it was great to spend time on the floating islands and with the community of Liquiti.

After a final night out in Peru (Puno is home to over two hundred costumed dances some of which were on show for us at dinner) we headed to La Paz, Bolivia the next day.  A somewhat bizarre experience. 

During our briefing the night before we were told we would be taken to the Peru / Bolivia border on the public bus.  At that point we'd need to get off the bus and exit Peru then walk through no-mans land to Bolivia where we would clear immigration before getting back on the bus and driving to Copacabana.  Here our bus would be changed and we'd spend an hour before continuing on the bus for 40 mins to a "ferry" to cross lake Titicaca (us on a wee fishing boat whilst our bus went on something we all questioned would make it to the other side).  We'd then continue by bus to La Paz. 

If that all didn't sound dodgy enough we couldn't acknowledge our guide Raul until he had passed through into Bolivia.  Indeed we had to employ the services of a Bolivian guide for the day as it was dubious as to whether Raul would be allowed in.

It was a very long day (starting at 6am and finishing at 6pm).  We had time for one last meeting and to say our thanks to Raul before he took us out to dinner (Thai and Indian - bizarre for your last night in Bolivia).

Friday am saw us trying to pack in some form of sightseeing around La Paz.  It is a massive city that is definitely still "developing".  Gridlock and grime everywhere but also a certain energy to the place.  Neither of us fell in love with it but then we had limited time in which we went up the cable car, visited the colonial style streets, the main square and the witches market. With more time in La Paz we may have felt differently about the city and with more time in Bolivia outside of La Paz it may also have been the same - to be honest for those of us moving on / leaving the trip I'm not sure there was any need to leave Peru.  

And so that was part one of the trip concluded. Three weeks with a very mixed but balanced group.  We have been very lucky in that everyone has got on with each other and we've experienced a lot of very different things in a very short space of time.  It truly has been action packed (though more about being on the move crossing the country than necessarily being stretched physically).

I am writing this blog from La Paz airport awaiting our flight to Santiago and the start of the next, hopefully more relaxed leg of our trip.  Gareth is by now in the hotel awaiting our arrival and over the course of the next week we will explore Santiago, Chile as well as Mendoza and Buenes Aires.  So until that update.  Have a great week.

Whilst exploring Lake Titicaca we...

...HUNG OUT AT...altitude...  We've now spent two weeks at altitude and it never fails to amaze us how out of breath you get climbing a set of stairs (especially after a meal).  For some reason (though it is no higher than Peru) we've all been suffering more from breathlessness since arriving in La Paz yesterday.  It's amazing how it impacts your sleep as your heart beats harder during the night and you sometimes struggle to get enough air into your lungs...

...WINED ON...a bottle or two of local Peruvian wine and of course the last of the Pisco Sours from the home of Pisco Sours, Peru and was introduced to Huari (pronounced wari not hoorae) beer

...

...DINED ON...amazing fish chowder (Claire), chicken with apple and pepper sauce and rainbow trout kebabs with a Cointreau sauce - all exceptionally beautiful.

So until next week - have a good one.

G

Week Forty Five - The Little Known Third Route To Machu Picchu

Last Sunday we left Cusco on a day long journey through the Sacred Valley discovering lots and lots and lots about the Inca period of Peru's history - it was one of those things that when we booked our trip our focus was on where we were visiting rather than appreciating that the trip in Peru was entitled The Inca Heartland and therefore we were going to be well and truly immersed in all things Inca.  

Our guide for the day and for the Inca Trail trek to the secret city of Machu Picchu was David, a Peruvian who has spent five years studying Inca history and who very enthusiastically shared his very detailed knowledge with us!!

Two of our stops en route through the Sacred Valley were to a couple of community projects run by our tour company G Adventures.  The first is a whole community they are supporting - the men of the village act as the porters on the Inca Trail Trek (see later) whilst the women run the Planeterra Community weaving project.  They raise the llama and alpaca, shear them, clean the wool, dye it, spin it, weave it and then sell the products of their labours to those who visit plus in the city.  It was a fascinating visit.  We were guided round by one of the local women who explained what the different woven patterns represented and then proceeded to show us how they clean and dye the wool using only natural ingredients from cactus sap to eucalyptus and other local plants.  The whole experience was just full of colour - from the outfits the local women wore to the wools they were dying and the products they had made.  Two women were weaving pieces whilst we were there - I had intended to have a go but to be honest the process was beyond my comprehension with it taking about five minutes to set up a single line of weave.  In the photographs you can see the size of the pieces they were making - apparently it takes a month to complete one.  Hence the difference in price between the real and factory products.

From here we continued to the second project - a community restaurant where everything is organically grown / reared in the restaurant premises and the people who work there have been trained by one of Perus leading chefs who apparently owns a very popular restaurant in London.  The food was amazing.  Three taster sized local dishes with a salad.  A light but filling lunch....well actually as it turned out our guide Raul forgot to mention that what had been served to us was an appetiser and there was still a soup course, main course and dessert to follow - parallels were drawn to the good old Christmas episode of The Vicar of Dibley where many Christmas dinners have to be consumed!

The afternoon saw us arrive in Ollantayambo (the location of our last night in a bed prior to four days trekking / camping) where we spent the afternoon exploring the Temple of the Sun, one of many Inca archaeological sites.  The amazing things about the Inca sites is the manner in which they were constructed and have survived til today.  Each stone is individually selected to fit with the others around it in a perfect jigsaw style fashion without the use of any cement etc.  Then there is the wonder of how they carved out these stones, smoothed them, moved them and constructed these awe inspiring terraced cities.  Many people from geologists to archaeologists and beyond continue to this day to piece together the Inca age and to try to make sense of what they constructed from the Nasca Lines to Machu Picchu and the rationale for why they did it the way they did.  It is somewhat baffling but to me some of the proposed explanations are s little far fetched or at least far stretched.  One thing I do agree on though is that it was a major feat to achieve what they have.

We all awoke on Monday with a slight degree of trepidation about what lay ahead as we took on the Inca Trail.  We were allowed to take only six kilos of luggage each - generous we thought until we realised this included 3.5kg attributed to our sleeping bag and air mattress.  So by the time you'd taken account of sleeping bag liners, torches, hats and gloves there was only room for a couple of tshirts and shorts - a pact was struck that we'd all smell together.  We drove to KM82 which is the point at which the Inca Trail starts (Cusco is the Inca Capital so this point is 82km from Cusco).  

It was here that we met our porters.  There were fourteen of them including a chef plus a guide to look after eight of us.  Each of the porters carries twenty kilos of kit with them over the four days to make sure the experience is as comfortable as possible.  How they do what they do astounded us all - we take four days to do the trek and yet every year there is a marathon along the track for the locals and they can complete it in 3 hours 45 mins - we'll put it down to acclimatisation! They run passed you at the start of the trek and by the time you get to lunch they have cooked soup and a main course, set up a gazebo with fully decorated dining table, a chemical toilet (which is a tiny tent with a seat on which you sit and do the loo into a black bin bag).  Not only that but the chef is in full whites, the waiters have serving aprons on etc.  By the time you've finished they have packed up and moved on to base camp so that when you get there your tent is set up with your gear in it and refreshments are awaiting.  It was Sophie's birthday during the trek and Chef even managed to produce a skilfully decorated full on cake...in a skillet.  It is ridiculous.  Not only that but it is almost uncomfortable - we all said how it felt a bit awkward to have people running around after us - particularly the porter who makes sure we have loo roll and has to clean out the toilet.

I was the granny of the trip.  For the first time in my life the oldest and, other than Claire, the oldest by almost a decade.  Needless to say I was the one at the back on Day One huffing and puffing my way along what was described as the easy day.  And so it was that I went to bed that night somewhat full of trepidation about the 1.2km incline to 4200m altitude - a 5/6 hour constant climb then steep decline.

As things turned out I didn't need to worry cos nature took over and I discovered another route to the top of Machu Picchu which combines the best of both standard options....not!!

Normal people get to Machu Picchu via one of two means.  You can walk the Inca trail or you can catch a very comfortable train with windows on the roof so you can take in the amazing scenery as you enjoy your refreshments.  Nature chose the combo model for me.

During our first night I took a really bad fever which stayed with me til the alarm call at 5am by which time I also had an upset stomach.  It was clear there was no way I could continue in the trek but unfortunately that meant only one option - to walk back out the way we had come in - a 13km walk (thankfully mainly downhill or flat).  And to add to the humiliation a porter had to accompany me.  So by 6:30am me, my porter, my fever and my dodgy stomach were retracing our steps from the day before. I have never experienced a walk like it - the most gruelling three hours of my life with a couple of inclines which nearly killed me.  What makes it worse is that you meet other groups going the other way and you can see them looking at you wondering why you're going the wrong way....something they work out when one by one their guides would exclaim "oh oh walking out that's not good".  

So my route to Machu Picchu went something along the lines of one days trek in, one days trek out, a bus journey and taxi journey back to Cusco, the rest of the day in bed, a 4:45am rise to get a bus and train back to Machu Picchu village, the rest of the day in bed, another 5am rise to get the bus to Machu Picchu and a final short but very steep walk to The city itself to be reunited with those I'd started with.  Certainly memorable especially as I was still ill - in the interests of decency we'll just refer to it as travellers sickness!!

The team, including Claire, did an astounding job managing the trek - they assure me they now know each other in ways they never thought they would and that they've experienced sanitation provisions they also never thought they would (Lonely Planets categorisation of the bathroom facilities under Ugly in the good, the bad and the ugly are apparently very accurate).  

I clearly can't comment on the track but I am assured by the rest of the team that whilst the experience was testing it was equally rewarding in terms of the views of cloud Forrest, glaciers, mountains etc.

What I can comment on, and the one thing we all said, is that Machu Picchu itself is breathtaking.  Not just the city but the full mountainous vista surrounding it.  More than worth the pain (whichever version of that you suffered).

After another very in depth tour from David and a wander round ourselves we started our journey back to Cusco where we now get to base ourselves for three whole nights with no agenda, no early starts, no to do list - bliss (the trip is amazing but it is full on scheduling, travelling, visiting - it's nice just to stop for a breath).

Cusco is a big tourist town and no matter where you go people approach you trying to sell tourist goods, get you into their restaurants etc.  One of the biggest touted trades is in massage given they are well aware that people are looking to sooth their aching limbs after the trek.  On Friday Lucy and Oli wanted a massage and Claire and I a pedicure so we decided to go on the hunt for a discounted group package. 

It is the most bizarre experience - massages are touted by Peruvian women on every inch of street and there is a certain sense of backstreet brothel as you negotiate on the street then get taken up back alleys to the establishments they operate from.  So picture the scene.  Four of us agree where we're going, we struggle to find the place, ask for directions only to be guided by a woman we don't recognise to a place she assures us is where we're looking for but isn't, we chastise her for trying to do us over then meet the woman we do recognise who takes us to the same place and it turns out that the first chastised woman is actually the owner.  Price agreed we go into a room which has six beds squeezed into it - it's probably 10ft by 10ft so bare that in mind with what follows.  Oli and Lucy get their beds and the curtains are drawn, I'm guided to a plastic stool and Claire gets another bed.  The girls doing the treatments then appear ( current count four customers and four staff).  The next thing I know two other guys appear and take the other two beds leading to a total of twelve of us in this tiny intimate room.  So now I'm the only one sitting upright with no curtains round me and the new guys curtains aren't pulled properly and I have to avert my eyes until I'm confident they're on their beds and decent.  I finally cease averting my gaze to realise I have the feet of the two newcomers staring at me and a Peruvian woman on a stool lower than mine wanting me to somehow get my feet onto her knees.  As it turned out she'd have done a better job of giving those guys a pedicure as the soles of their feet were at least facing her.  What a bizarre bizarre experience - the surreptitiously taken birds eye photos really don't do it justice.

So one last day of relaxation until we hit the road again all recovered (a few of us have been ill) as we take on the final leg of our group adventure to Lake Titicaca.

Whilst marvelling at The Inca Heartland I...

...HUNG OUT AT....bed and the toilet...

....WINED ON....electrolytes...

....DINED ON....crackers....to be fair Raul took us out the other night to an amazing venue in Cusco that was very arty, quirky, modern and apparently the preferred getaway of many a celebrity...a boutique hotel, restaurant and bar called Fallen Angel.  It was amazing and I would have loved to try the best of the menu but it was lemonade and pasta for me.

So until post Lake Titicaca lets all take a moment to appreciate good health and have a good week.

Week Forty Four (PtII) - High and Dry

Week Forty Four (Part II) - High and Dry

And so it was that we started our ascent to altitude in the second half of this week.  I had thought we were doing this only in preparation for the treks which I found somewhat concerning that the focus of the trip was to be on the treks rather than every aspect of it.  However it soon became apparent that the remainder of our trip is all spent at altitude therefore this was an important process to go through.

Harder than getting to altitude Claire and I have also taken a vow not to drink any alcohol until we've finished our trek. It's been a long time coming and is also a bit of a scary prospect in terms of walking over four days, camping in the mountains etc with very little training.  So we decided we owed it to ourselves to be as fit and healthy as we can be.  Personally I think no wine with dinner or drinks after is more of a feat than the trek will be but hey ho.  We will be high and we will be dry!!

We left Nasca on the night bus which was an adventure in itself and I think we were all glad that the curtains were closed and it was dark outside.  Ten hours of being rolled from side to side, sudden braking and many bumps would suggest that it would have been a roller coaster ride if we'd all been awake and able to see.

We arrived in Arequipa at 8am and at 2480 meters above sea level. The air definitely was thinner but we all felt ok.  And so our introduction to Arequipa started with an orientation tour of the city and a visit to the local market which was amazing. A very vibrant place with every stall under the sun (a bit like South Melbourne market but grittier).  

We tried some local fruits at one of the stalls (don't ask me to name them) and then it was time for those of us who were brave enough to try frog juice.  When in Rome and all that.  So having agreed to try it and assuming frog juice was a euphuism we boldly rocked up to the stall and ordered a glass between many.  WARNING turn away now if you're vegetarian or weak stomached.  The first thing the woman did was present us with our live frog for approval.  She proceeded then to smash it's head off the counter, skin it and put it in a pan to boil while putting all sorts of other concoctions in a liquidiser - just enough time for the frog to be boiled and added to the liquidiser. Then we had to drink it. I am honestly struggling to write this - it was warm and savoury in flavour and with bits in it. Let's just leave it at that.

The rest of the day was at our leisure which was nice just to have some unscheduled time to do your own thing and explore Arequipa.  In the spirit of ying and yang, after the frog juice I had the best ice cream I think I have had in my life and I've had many.  It was a very fudgy vanilla (like The Forum in Kilmarnock or Renatos in Ayr) with dried cherry and chocolate pieces.  At least that's what it tasted of - I didn't understand the words and far be it from us to take the phrase book out with us!!

The next day (whichever it was cod quite frankly we're losing track) was our most challenging in terms of altitude.  We were heading off to Chivay to spend the night and steadily climbing to get there.  The day entailed climbing to 4910m spending 15 mins there to see how we all were then descending to 3600m for the rest of the day and into the next.

And so it was that we headed off armed with every local remedy for altitude sickness going.  There are coca leaf sweeties, coca leaf oils to rub in your hands and inhale whenever you feel foggy, coca leaves themselves which look like bay leaves which you roll up with some sweet clay inside them and chew for ten mins or so and then the mata mista (tea to be drunk with four different herbs in it).

As we started our ascent our guide told us to start chewing on the coca leaves for ten mins.  Not the most pleasant of tastes but if it is going to help whilst at altitude and to get us through our trek then suck it up - quite literally.  After ten mins the side of your mouth you've been chewing on feels like you've had an injection at the dentist but given we were all fine on our climb then we stuck with it.  Next we had our tea and an endless suck on the coca sweets

When we got to 4910m you could feel it.  Even walking up three steps to the lookout had your heart racing and as for climbing three flights of stairs to our room when we reached Chivay had you pegging for breath (mind you that's not that unusual).  Throughout the day we went llama and alpaca watching and had the chance to walk the swing bridge to some natural hot pools heated by the water flowing from the nearby volcanoes.

One of the group succumbed to a really bad headache and nausea and didn't make it out that night for our Peruvian meal and dancing show but the rest of us were fine.

Or at least until that night when I woke at 1:30 with a thumping headache and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night (which wasn't long as we had a 5am rise).  Some coca leave chewing / gagging, anadin and anti nausea tablets soon sorted me out and we were on our way to watch for condors at colca canyon.  

After two hours of sitting around waiting for the condors we gave up and went on a hike round the top of the canyon - a good strategy as one then graced us with its presence.  So graceful despite being so huge.

We then started a long journey back to Arequipa for an early night (we'd done the overnight bus then a 7am rise and a 5am rise and were told on the way back it was another 5am rise on Saturday for our flight to Cusco).  

So can you believe Claire and I were out for dinner in Friday night at 6:30pm, had coke zero with our meal and were home in bed reading by 8:15pm!! Startling I know.

Saturday we headed to Cusco and back to 3600m altitude - hopefully acclimatised. After a bit of an orientation of the city our day was our own until 7pm when we had to meet our Inca Trek guide for a briefing.  To say we're all a bit nervous about what lies ahead is an understatement but we are all also desperate for some exercise which has been lacking up until now.  We're not sure which concerns us most - altitude sickness, fitness to do the walk or the prospect of being way too cold at night (and it is cold at night even in the towns). 

We set our worries aside for a couple of hours with a few of us set on some time out to enjoy the Autumn Series rugby games.  The location was set - Paddys Bar - the highest 100% owned Irish Bar in the world sitting at 11,156ft above sea level.  Unfortunately for Oli England had sold their rights to the highest bidder so there was no chance of him seeing the England game.  We did however get a chance to etch the full Scotland game which was a great game I thought.  Claire and I are however keeping it a secret that not only were we watching a rugby game without beer in hand but also a rugby game in an Irish pub with no drink in hand beyond pineapple juice and a cup of tea - a real worry but proof as to our resolve.  Amazing how focused my cousin can become when she's in the zone.

This blog follows hot on the heels of my last one with the intention being I would post it just as we were starting the Inca Trail.  Whilst we have yet to have our briefing this eve we do know we are only allowed 6kg of luggage and 3.5kg of that will be in sleeping bag and air bed weight. Roughly translated that means we need to pretty much wear what we're taking from Sunday to Thursday.  One pair of trousers for five days - a couple of tops and thermals etc and that will be it.  This will be very interesting.  Needless to say we've stocked up on high energy snacks as well as coca leaves and clay, coca sweets, coca toffees etc. I'm suddenly feeling that my 6 mile a day walks (latterly on the flat) are not going to server well.

So with a sense of trepidation I sign off now in the hope that this is note last blog and that the next time you hear from me will be in about a week when we have three whole days in the one place to relax and unwind after our big challenge!!

Wish us luck

Whilst preparing for this leg of our trip we...

...HUNG OUT AT...our room for a succession of early nights...

...WINED ON...absolutely nothing - this will be the first and last time this blog makes such a comment...

...DINED ON...other than frog juice I tried alpaca for the first time - tasty enough but not outstanding.  Given I felt somewht challenged about all the adventures food wise and beyond there was

One night this week where I settled for the comfort of spaghetti bolognese - nothing like mums though.

Either for the last time or until next week - take care, have a good one and wish us luck.

G