South America
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Sex And Empanadas: Farewell To The Sacred Valley
Mystique surrounds our village of Ollantaytambo. We wake each morning to the sound of rushing water and the sight of the Inca terraces looking down from the towering mountain, the early morning sun creeps over the summits and, although we can’t see it, we know that just a short distance away the sundial obelisk erected by the Incas centuries ago is still announcing the dawn of another day just as it did back then. Ollantaytambo stirs. Guides for those on the Inca Trail pack up their tents on the green next to the ancient Punku Punku gateway ready for the next leg; cafe owners clean the dust from windows; souvenir…
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In The Land Of The Incas: The Secrets Of The Sacred Valley
There’s no way we want to rush through El Valle Sagrada, the Sacred Valley, in the way that many seem to do. Some call in briefly if opting for the bus/train combo rather than the full length train journey in order to speed up the journey to Machu Picchu, and, much worse, it’s even possible to do a one-day excursion from Cusco which, given the distances and the number of sites involved, must be both a long day and a rushed agenda. Rather than either of these, we decide that after first embracing Machu Picchu we will take a few days to explore this magnificent valley which was the spiritual…
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And So To Machu Picchu
I always think there’s something supremely auspicious about train travel, especially pulling out of or in to a great city, it just feels so momentous. This is particularly true today as the Peru Rail train hauls slowly up the steep inclines out of Cusco, headed for one of the World’s most spectacular rail journeys through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, a wonder of the modern world. And all this on a significant birthday for Michaela, too. It takes a full half hour for the train to be free of Cusco, the rail track repeatedly switchbacking as it climbs its way up and over the mountains surrounding the city. Once…
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The Wonderful City Of Cusco
Sometime during 1993 the Peruvian Government took it upon themselves to draw up a national constitution. Within this document was a declaration that the city of Cusco should be officially recognised as Peru’s Historic And Cultural Capital, so providing this lovely city with an accolade to match its indisputable and enduring appeal. In truth, it really is a lovely city, especially the narrow cobbled streets which gravitate on steep hills away from Cusco’s beating heart, the bustling Plaza de Armas. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption and the almost as large Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus dominate the two sides of the square which aren’t taken…
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Cusco & The Rainbow Mountain: Life At Over 11,000 Feet
So now we enter the first part of this journey – there’s plenty more coming – where altitude sickness is a looming enemy, so as a result we have developed a strategy long before the day we arrive in Cusco. Flying in from Puerto Maldonado adds to the risk, coming straight from low lying wetlands to a city at 3,400 metres in less than an hour gives no opportunity for graduation, just a steep learning curve in which a large dose of being sensible is called for. We’re not always good at being sensible. Consequently we hatch a plan. There’s a certain regime to follow for the first 48 hours…
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The Five Day Jungle Experience: Heat, Humidity & Eating Live Termites
It’s unmissable as soon as we step off the aeroplane. Even out here on the concrete apron of the small airport, the humid air is thick with the dank smell of the rainforest, the scent of damp earth on every inward breath. In just a little over 24 hours we’ve travelled from the desert where it never rains to the jungle where it nearly always does. Paul and his driver collect us at the airport and off we go, at first along a stretch of the highway and then for more than an hour down a bumpy dirt road to the banks of the Tambopata River. Paul – pronounced “Powl”…
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Oasis Days: Pisco, Desert Wine And An Earthquake
Carlos in Nasca asked us one of the funniest and most unusual questions we’ve ever been asked on our travels. The conversation went along the lines of… “So, in England it rains a lot, yes?” “Well, yes, on lots of days” “And sometimes it rains at night?” “Yes” “And you can hear that it is raining?” “Well….yes” “I cannot understand. How would you be able to sleep if you can hear the rain?” So here speaks a man whose whole life has been spent in the desert, a man who cannot even conceive of a world where you would be able to fall asleep to the sound of rain. Doesn’t…
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Journey To One Of The World’s Greatest Mysteries: Lima-Paracas-Nasca
The word “luxury” is often applied to buses in the same way as the word “boutique” is applied to hotels: at best meaningless and at worst downright untrue. Not so with the bus company Cruz del Sur whose genuinely luxurious seats and smooth ride bring us in real comfort from Lima to the small coastal town of Paracas, over three hours south and only for a modest fare. Paracas is a quirky little town, a weekend getaway for city dwellers and a stopping point for tour operators, meaning that for a small place it has a disproportionate number of seafront restaurants which are either rammed full or begging for business…
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More Of Lima: Ancient Sites, Traffic Jams And Guinea Pigs
Wednesday, 5:30am. Manuel and his driver are pretty prompt as they collect us from our base and head out into Lima’s streets which are, mercifully, free at this early hour of the traffic which clogs the city for the rest of the day. Kevin from Newcastle NSW is already on board and a few minutes later we collect the giant 6ft 7in Mario of Split who has to perform contortions to wedge his elongated body into the cramped seats of the minibus. We’re headed out of the city today, out towards a mysterious place of ancient intrigue more than three hours north of Lima. The sprawling, seemingly endless suburbs of…
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Peru Begins: Exploring The Splendid City Of Lima
Some cities really win you over – easy to feel part of, full of life, with an infectious vibrancy which pulses through the streets. Lima has all of this and so much more…..grand plazas, tidy green spaces, impressive and varied architecture, even a dramatic stretch of coastline. The more we wander, the more we find, and the more we love. There is so much to see, so many good things to tell, that it’s hard to know where to start. Maybe we’ll start with food….. Any country which states that it is the birthplace of ceviche, and still boasts it as its national dish, has got to be a country…
