Iguazu Falls

Another early start to get to the airport to catch the plane to Iguazu Falls.  Diego was to collect us at 6:00 am.  It was a pity as we missed out breakfast at the Marriot.  It was a pity as the coffee at the airport was pretty ordinary.

The flight to Iguazu Falls was uneventful.  The drive from Iguazu Falls airport to the Sheraton Hotel in the national park took about 20 minutes.  The contrast between Buenos Aries the built up city to Iguazu Falls National Park of rainforest was pretty big.  It was quite warm and humid here but luckily with minimal mosquitoes.

Meryl and I checked in and booked the boat ride to the base of the falls and the great jungle adventure.  Then we went looking for a light lunch.  After lunch we went for a walk to see parts of the falls.  The sound of the falling water was thunderous.  The falls was just spectacular.  Well worth a visit. Along the walk we saw several families of coutis. interesting plants and lots of birds.

We had to wait until 3:30 pm for our great jungle adventure and boat ride. The boat ride was wild and WET.  One of the best thrill rides - highly recommended.  The whole idea was to get absolutely drenched.  We were even provided with water proof bags for our cameras and other things we don't want wet.  The boat driver took the boat as close as he could to the bottom of the falls.

Two drown 'rats' after the boat ride

After a busy day and the wild boat ride, we decided to take it easy and have dinner at the hotel and enjoy the view of the falls as we ate dinner. Great food and company.  This is the life!

Lima - Buenos Aries

Another early start to the day as we had to be at the airport to catch our flight to Buenos Aries. The drive to Lima airport was quite fast as there was hardly any traffic on the road until closer to the airport. However once at the airport, there were tonnes of people. Poor Angie came to pick us up and told us that she was up until midnight collecting another lot of tourist. She must have had about 3 hours sleep. This was suppose to be her part-time job as she is still at uni. She had to leave us waiting at our queue as she had another lot of arrivals to meet. Given that we are now experts with the ins and outs of Lima airport, we were quite at ease to wait in the queue for our turn and then proceed to the next queue and so forth. (Note: For next trip – count the number of queues required to leave a place and time on queue).

Bye bye Peru and hello Argentina.

The flight over to Buenos Aries was okay. Diego met us at the airport as arranged. The drive to our hotel was pleasant. Buenos Aries' infrastructure is certainly much more extensive than what we saw in Lima. As we headed towards the city centre we saw wide tree-lined avenues, lots of nicely laid out parks, apartments, office buildings,many monuments and beautiful old buildings. What a change from the narrow cobbled stone streets in Cuzco and Puno and no more indian looking people around and craft vendors. Buenos Aries is just another big city.

After checking into our hotel (Plaza Marriott - Very nice big soft beds with soft pillows. Yes, luxury) we decided that we need to look for a place for dinner later on. We walked done Florida (Diego told us that we needed to watch our bags as this is the tourist street and there were pick pockets and secondly the locals don't shop here but at Santa Fe). There were lots of shops selling leather goods and cashmere clothing. Prices may be slightly lower than home but did appear to be that much lower to compensate for the trouble of having to cater the thing back. Along the way there were shop sales assistants asking passer-bys to go in for a browse, people selling various tours (eg. City tours, tango shows, etc), and sadly some beggars. While Cuzco and Puno were smaller and less affluent, there were hardly any beggars. The people there would try to sell something even if it was little packets of lollies. There were a few people sleeping on the streets.

We found several Irish and English pubs and popped into Jamieson's for a beer and snack. The calamari snack was delicious. If the music was not so loud we might had considered staying for dinner but alas it was too much. In our wanderings we ran into a restaurant and bar called Empire Thai. Why not eat Thai food in Buenos Aries. The place is owned and ran by yet another American 'refugee' named Kevin. We never really found out how he learnt to cook Thai food but he explained that the curry paste and various flavourings were prepared from scratch and not from jars. He told us that he was horrified to hear that even the Thai embassy chef used curry paste from jars. Here is Kevin's story:

• was a CPA that came to work at a branch of an American bank in BA
• bank got bought by HSBC
• got paid out and decided to stay in BA
• has 2 poodles
• has a friend (long term unwanted guest) camped in his lounge room for 18 months (puts a new meaning to couch surfing)

When asked if he was happy, he got all a bit strange and walked away. Anyway we came back later for another chat. Kevin told us about the history of the Plaza Hotel and the rich and famous that lived during the glory days of BA. To be fair, the pad thai and beef rice we ordered were very nice but it did seemed a little odd to be eating Thai food in BA. The daiquiris we drank were nice as well.

So far based on a very sample, the American 'refugees' we met appear to have very colourful stories to tell. 

Puno to Lima via Juliaca

After breakfast we went for a walk to the local market. The market was divided into different sections – fruits, vegetables, chicken, meats and fish. At the meat section there were 2 dogs sitting there looking wishfully at the meat stalls. Meryl decided she had to buy some meat to feed the dogs. When she started feeding one of the dogs near a stall, a very angry stall owner waved her very sharp looking cleaver at us. Probably telling us off for feeding the dogs so near the meat stalls. A local man explained to us that if they are fed near the stalls, the dogs could be mistaken that the meat for sale was freely available to them. So we promptly walked outside the market and gave one of the dogs the rest of the meat.

Then we just took a stroll down towards the jetty. Along the way we saw people going about their daily lives. We stumbled upon a street market and sperate stall holders setting their make-shift stalls. Majority of the stalls were run by Indian ladies. The stalls mainly sold household goods, clothes, school uniforms and shoes. The clothes on sale were targeted for the taste of their local clientele in other words very brightly coloured and glitzy clothes and aprons for broad ladies. There were also very brightly coloured costume jewellery. There were also a few stalls selling traditional medicinal herbs and dried llama foetuses used for offering (we think). I took a photo of some dried herds and got told off by the stall owner.

We saw a very innovative way for hoisting a heavy piece of equipment up to the next level at a construction site. Somehow we do not think that there are any occupational health rules around here.

Romulo came to pick us up at 11::00 am as arranged. The drive to Juliaca took about 45 minutes. Juliaca still looked rather shabby. Romulo also said that Juliaca is a rough city. He told us about how a robber was caught and instead of handing the robber to the police, the robber was simply tied up on a light post and set alight. There was another incident where a large bus accidentally shunted a small van with 7 people in a river. The angry locals simply set the bus alight (minus the driver and passengers). Basically the police and law in the area is corrupt and ineffective.

We had a bit of scare at the airport when we tried to check-in for the flight to Lima. The LAN staff could not find our e-ticket on the system. She asked for our boarding pass from our previous trip. We had to jump across the barrier to try and find the old boarding pass. Alas, they were no where to be seen. The thought of being stuck in Juliaca was just terrifying. Talk about nervous energy and a touch of desperation, with that we pulled out every bit of paper and asked if that was what she needed. We must have been good sometime or rather in the past because after more searching in the system, she found our e-bookings. Hallelujah!

Once we checked in, we needed a cup of coffee. It was one of the most expensive and worst tasting coffee in Peru. It was 7 sol per Styrofoam cup. Even a local who stood behind me exclaimed 'muy caro'. The lady in the stall said that it was because the coffee was with milk. While waiting for our flight, we got talking to an Australian lady. She told us that her husband was suffering from altitude sickness so they had to change their plans and fly back to Lima which is at sea level. She was telling Meryl about their Antartica trip and they had used Chimu Adventures as their travel agent. She was happy with the Antartica cruise. We agreed that the tour staff and guides we had met were all excellent.

At Lima Airport we were met by Angie. The temperature at Lima was quite a lot higher and warmer than in Puno. The traffic was quite heavy (as usual) but it did flow. We were back at Casa Andina again. After putting our bags in our room, we went for a walk in search of more souvenirs and food.

We went to a fast food Chinese stall called the China Wok. Surprisingly the fried rice was rather tasty. Now, it could be we were craving for something different other than fried potatoes. Nonetheless it was totally acceptable. After filling our stomachs we went to look at the inside of the cathedral. It looked like they were dressing it up for a wedding. There were a lot of stray cats being fed outside the cathedral. Children were patting the cats. People here appear to be rather kind to stray animals. Nobody seemed too worried about catching things from the cats.

Meryl was getting really edgy as she had not had a pisco sour. We cruise through the craft market in the park we first met up with a Japanese couple who were desperate to talk Japanese to someone, such as me. They had to content with half English and a few words of Spanish. They were here to spread the Word. A few steps along we ran into two American refugees. One was a retired history teach from Maine. He started to talk about the recent NZ earthquake. He said that Australia would be there to help and asked if we knew the words to a WW1 song about 'Australia will be there' and proceeded to sing the song. Next we started talking to another American from Houston, Texas. He was a retired operations plant manager for some hydro electric company (only guessing). He asked if he had dinner, we said yes but we were going in search of a pisco sour. He insisted on taking us to his favourite haunt for a drink. The pisco sour there was very nice and a very big glass. He was retired and told us that it was much easier to live on his pension here than in the US. He did not like the cold. However he did not appear to speak a lot of spanish. Poor guy was probably desperate for a conversation in English and was prepared to buy us pisco sour just for a chat. Here are some highlights of the chat:

• About himself
  • divorced (no big surprise)
  • retired (took a package) and would never want to work again
  • still talks to one child but other child has said on their facebook that he is dead
  • hates the cold and snow, hence Lima. Added bonus it is cheaper to live in Lima than the US
  • still renting while considering his options
• property prices in Miraflores has sky rocketed over last 6 years
• can rent a great fully furnished apartment for $1000 USD a month (he gave us a card for a great contact)

After the drink we went off in search of more souvenirs and in our merry and light-headed state managed to buy a few more things. Perhaps going shopping after pisco sour made things looked more attractive.

Packed up of stuff and set the alarm for 4:00 am all ready for the next morning.

Puno

We started the morning a little more leisurely as Romulo had organised to meet us at 10:30 am.  This gave us time to eat breadkfast and get our blog up to date.

Romulo and the driver were at the hotel as arranged.  We started our journey with a little drizzle but by the time we got to the jetty it had cleared.  The jetty was well constructed and nice.  Romulo explained that because of the rain, the water level is a little higher than normal.


We got on a boat to take us to the Uros Islands - we had quite a large boat to ourselves.  The boat had to travel quite slowly.  This part of Lake Titikaka is quite shallow but Romulo said that at the deepest point, it is more that 200m deep.  Romulo said that Titikaka means 'Grey Puma' in Aymara.  The lake is up to 174 km long and up to 64 km wide and is shared between Peru and Bolivia.  It would be interesting to get an aerial view of the lake.  Romulo explained that there used to be 8 native species of fishes in the lake but introduced species such as trout and king fish has reduced the number of native species to 4 types and of that 2 species are endangered.

Along the way to one of the islands we were going to visit, we saw a pig on one of the reed 'land' and a herd of cows.

There are approximately 900 people living on the islands.  We went to an island with about 25 people.  On this island we got an explanation on how they made the island.  To make an island they must first cut blocks of reed roots and tie them together.  They then place layers of reed on top of the root base.  They need to anchor the island with rocks.  The main diet here is fish, birds, eggs, guinea pigs, potatoes and kiwinua.  With the money they make from selling their handicraft, they can buy other goods such as solar panels, television, radio, batteries and things they need.  One of the island inhabitants Maria kindly showed us her house.  It had a reed bed with blankets, a bed head, small shelves, a small TV and few belongings.  Her hut had a solar cell giving her family the luxury of a TV.  She embroiders and sells them to get cash.  She told us her husband and their 2 children live in the hut.

Life on these islands are certainly very tough.  It takes up to 6 months to create an island and twice a year the inhabitants must top up the reeds on their island.  When cooking they have to be careful especially during the dry season as it could burn the island down if there were to be uncontrolled spread of fire.

Romulo said that the children do go to schools built for the islands.  There are 2 private schools and the teachers are paid with craft, which they sell.  There is even a Seventh Day Adventise Church and school here!  There are some islands with accommodation for tourists and restaurants and bars.

We got back to land around 1:20pm.  Romulo told us about a local cafe Kallosuyo where there is a set menu for 6 sol @ person.  He took us there and we had a nice lunch of soup and fish.  Very nice and cheap.

Then we went to Casa del Corregidor cafe for a really great cup of coffee.  This is local Puno coffee.  The cafe had a nice court yard where we sat and enjoyed the delicious coffee.  For 5.5 sol a cup, it was worth it. Beside the cafe was a shop selling crafts.  Meryl bought a beautiful necklace with humming birds from Arequipa.

Then we went to Museo Carlos Dreyer.  Carlos Dreyer was a German artist and collector who had quite a good collection of local artefacts.  The museum was small but had a reasonable collection of pre-inca artefacts and religious items.  The most interesting exhibition were 3 mummies from Sillustani.  Well worth a visit for 15 sol each.

We were so lucky because when we came out from the museum, we noticed that the doors to the main catheral was open so we went in.  It had very high ceilings.  The building was made from stone, on the outside it had very delicate stone work.  It was very beautiful artwork.

Then we walked to the main mall to have another look at the local craft shops.  Meryl found a pair of 'lucky' bulls in one of the shops.  On our way back to the hotel, we bought a few little things from the street vendors.  We were merely helping the local economy.

Cuzco to Puno

Rene and Hector came to pick us up from Casa Andina and take us to the railway station for long anticipated Andean Explorer train ride to Puno.  There was even a local group of musicians performing traditional music in the waiting room to entertain passengers.  We boarded the luxury train with wonderful wood paneling and old style charm.  Then 8:00am came when we were suppose to depart and nothing happened.  At 8:20 am we were told that it would be another 30 minutes.  Then we were told that there was a land slide about 30 minutes from Cuzco and it would be another hour.  Finally at 10:00 am we were told that it would take another 5 hours to clear the line so the train ride was cancelled.  The next train to Puno is Wednesday.  We were told that Perurail would refund our money. 

We had to contact Tambo Treks to let them know that we were still in Cuzco and would need an alternative solution to get to Puno.  Tambo Treks office staff were very good.  They told us to wait at the station and came to collect us.  In the end they organised for Hector to drive us to Puno.  They also included Mary one of the office staff to come along as Hector did not speak English.  Mary was not that confident with her English so she convinced Rene to come along.  Talk about a change of plans for everyone.  Finally at 11:00 am we left Cuzco.  We were told that the drive would take 6 hours.  This was for a 380km trip.

In some way this was a bit of bonus as we got more explanation about interesting sacred places along the way.  Rene certainly knew a lot about the significance of the sacred places.

Our road trip pretty much ran along side the railway track so we saw the same view as if we were on the train.  Travelling along the valley we saw many glacial valleys and mountains on both sides.  There were many farms along the way.  Majority of the farm dwellings are made of mud with stone wall fences.  One could almost mistaken that this was Scotland.

Up until the highest point at La Raya, the landscape was green and had trees but as soon as we were on the other side of the mountain, it looked drier, more rocky and no trees (looked like Snowy mountain area).  We saw many herds of llama, alpacas, cows and sheep.  The locals here are very tough as it was cold and windy outside and yet they were out there looking after their herds.

Along the way, we saw a puma-shaped rock which Rene explained is a sacred pre-inca site.  He also pointed a very small volcano and hot spring.

We stopped for a late lunch at Ayaviri. It was at a small cafe which specialised in baked potatoes and lamb.  The owner had the cooked potatoes and lamb wrapped in paper and a blanket.  Each serving was 3 potatoes and 2 pieces of roast lamb.  It was simple and very delicious.  After eating lunch Rene told us the best way to help digest the food was a drink of aniseed liquor, najar.  Meryl gave it a go and said it was nice (like ouzo). Rene took the leftovers of our lunch which he later threw out of the window along way to feed stray dogs waiting along side of the road to be fed by passing vehicles.  There are so many stray dogs in Peru.

We drove through a stretch of the road which was full of potholes.  Hector did his best but with the number of potholes it was impossible to miss every one.  At the time it was unclear if Hector and the others were going to drive back to Cuzco that night.  Let's hope that they were allowed to stay the night.

The trip took us through Juliaca.  Rene said that Juliaca is a town where the cocaine trade is florishing and you can pretty much buy any car, computer and any goods.  The town is chaotic, dusty and the roads were just simply awful, full of potholes and lakes of water hiding massive potholes.  What an eyesore of a town.  Unfortunately for us, we need to come back here to fly to Lima.

When we go got to the outskirts of Puno our van was stopped by the local police.  There were other vehicles stopped by the local police.  It was normal practice for the police to stop vehicles with registraion number plates from other areas.  Vehicles are required to pay some 'special tax' to the police.  The 'special tax' supplements their normal salary.

The rest of the drive to our hotel (another Casa Andina) was unevetful.  Rene hopped off at the main square as he was not suppose to be there.  Mary introduced us to Jorge at the hotel and handed us over to our contacts in Puno.

Puno is certainly a more charming town than Juliaca (which was not hard).  After checking in and organising ourselves, we went looking for a light dinner.  We found a cafe which is also a pastry shop.  Dinner was quite nice.

Then we went for a walk around the mall and popped into a few shops to check out souvenirs.  Nothing caught our eye.  Then it was back to our hotel to rest.

Cuzco and Chincero

We were collected by Rene and Hector at 8am to drive to Chinchero, famous for its dying, spinning and weaving of sheep and llama wool. The village has decided to continue to wear traditional clothes and this makes the Sunday markets popular with tourists.  The village itself is of traditional style with stone bases for houses and the upper levels finished with mud bricks. 

Chinchero is above a beautiful valley and on one side of the 17th C church is the second largest Inca settlement at the time of the Spanish invasion.  We walked down to the terraces and to one of the sacred rocks which had a narrow tunnel cut through it as well as various alters cut into the surface of the rock.  Rene said he intended to get married at another sacred rock in the deep valley bbelow the terraces.  The Inca Trail used to follow the valley through to the Sacred Valley.

We went to a cottage industry cum home where we were shown the steps to dye and spin wool and also to knit and weave on various types of looms.  Dyes included local leaves for green, sulpher for moderating greens to yellows and dried and ground cochineal beetles for reds. 

The rain started as a number of additional tourists began to turn up.  We went through the open market which included food stalls, fruit and vegetables as well as the vendors of weaving.  Meryl bought a piece of weaving from an older lady sitting by the side of the market.  There is a lot of work in it - maybe more than 3 months of weaving not considering the spinning and dying of the wool.  It is made from sheeps wool and natural dyes have been used.  It cost the equivalent of $70 AUD.  Also bought some knitted binis and Siew-Gim got a nice bag and a scarf knitted by the master craftsman who had learded his skills from his father.  This family knits special hats with patterns specific to Chinchero one of which Rene has and another of which he is ordering for learning the traditions of his people.

Went into the colonial church when the 11am serv ice started.  The ceilings are covered in paintings and there were some grim reminders of the subjugation of the native population by the Spanish in the paintings on the walls and over the entrance.

We went a gallery where weavers are working where there are products for sale.  I did get a nice bag there made from woven cloth and coloured by natural dyes.

We went up two towers today: one at the colonial church at Chinchero where we sneaked up the bell tower; then in the main square where a guard charged us to pop onto the roof of one of the central churches and from which there was a great view of the cathedral. 

      

Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

After a night at Ollantaytambo Tika Wasi Valley Hotel, we boarded the Perurail tourist train to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Clientes). The train through the valley and along side the very full Urubamba River was very picturesque. There were lots of valleys along the side carved out by glaciers. The water in the Urubamba River was certainly roaring away and looking pretty angry. We could see the remnants of last year's major mud slides. Most of the damage caused had been fixed but there is still a lot of work being done by Perurail. Rene told us that it only took them 4 months to resume services after the major floods. The whole area gets a lot of rain so the vegetation is very lush.

Of course it was raining when we got to Machu Picchu Pueblo. We had to walk uphill to our hotel for the night. This time we stayed at the Inti Inn. The room was basic but comfortable enough. From our window we could see a house very precariously built on a slope. It was just clinging on.

Given it was still rather wet, Rene suggested we eat an early lunch and then catch the bus to Machu Picchu. It was the right decision. We ate lunch at a nice cafe near the bus station. Meryl and I had a soup each and shared a main course. The beef fillet was very nice.

The special bus service to Machu Picchu was very efficient. Each bus would go as soon as it was full or every 10 minutes. This was suppose to be the low season and yet there were many tourist. I would hate to be here during the high tourist season. The ride up to Machu Picchu was interesting as we zigzagged our way up.

At the entrance of Machu Picchu we had to show our tickets and passport. The place has developed tremendously since Peter and I were last here.

By the time we got there, the weather had improved. Rene took us up to the place where the Incas pilgrims used to carry stones from Pisac to drop here. One of the Inca astrologers foretold the end of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu was constructed for their gateway to the next world. We saw numerous temples and altars, there are many theories about how they were used. The layout is the place is in the shape of a condor. The terraces make up the collar of a bird. Machu Picchu means Old Bird. The small mountain nearby it called Huayna Picchu which means Young Bird. The Incas believed that you go to the next world after death on the condor's wings. There were lots of places there were 3 steps cut into rocks depicting part of the Andean cross.

The most moving part is the altar where people come to make their peace before death.

The Condor Temple was impressive with the head of a condor craved on a rock and the natural forming the wings of the condor. Beside it was a small tunnel where we walked through. The whole idea of walking through the tunnel was to remind one about being humble and humility.

We visited the Temple of the Sun in the shape of a 'P' which equals fire. Underneath that there was a very interesting temple-like cave with the reverse 3 steps depicting the 3 levels of life. This was the first thing that Hiram Bingham saw when he was taken there by a young Indian boy.

The day ended at the sundial. We had to be shooed out by the guard. It was lovely to get the place to ourselves. I tried to get a photo of myself sitting on the seat in front of the sundial but the guard was too vigilant.

For dinner that evening we just walked across the lane to a pizzaria for pizza. It was pretty nice.

 

The next morning we went back to Machu Picchu. This time we show the complex 16 water fountains flowing down along the terraces. Rene explained that the water came from an underground spring. We revisited the temple of the Condor and the temple of the Sun. Then we walked to the Inca bridge. It was great to walk a small part of the trek used by the Incas. Along the way we saw some birds – humming birds, fly catchers. We also saw several interesting plants. The rain held off until we were nearly finished with our walk.

Machu Picchu appeared more mysterious with cloud and mist hanging around.

Despite being the low season, there were lots of tourist.

Then it was back to Machu Picchu Pueblo to catch the train back to Ollantaytambo. During the train ride we were entertained by the Perurail staff with a local festival dance. The person wore an interesting costume and had a tiger like mask on. After that there was a fashion show where they paraded some very nice woollen tops. Of course, they were for sale. Luckily the Japanese tourist kept them occupied and bought a lot of the outfits.

Hector was waiting for us at Ollantaytambo to take us back to Cuzco. We invited 3 Koreans to join us on the ride back. This was to give Hector an opportunity to earn a little extra cash. It was 10 sol for each of them. We returned using an alternate route. It was the route we would be using when we go to Chincero. There were some lovely farms along the way and of course very picturesque. We stopped to take some photos and of course there were a few stalls selling souvenirs.

Then it was back at Cuzco and familiar Casa Andina.