We got another overnight bus to Cuzco. We seem to have lost our knack for bus sleeping, this time it probably had something to do with the insane driver taking bends at speed. We arrived alive and got a taxi to our hostel, the Flying Dog. We had about an hour of Jerry and Aisling time before they headed off to the jungle for a few days. That evening we met Jessie, from the Navimag Ferry, and her friend Kelly for dinner. They are living in Cuzco and working for a non profit. We went to the greatest restaurant in the world, Los Perros. The food is so good we have vowed not to eat anywhere else in Cuzco! We were tempted to join them for a few drinks afterwards but had an early morning the next day, so decided to be sensible.
We booked a tour to the Sacred Valley the next day and we visited three ancient Inca sites; Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, as well as countless handicraft markets! Our guide was sound and had great English. He explained the history of the Incas and the Spanish Invasion and inspired us to look for a book when we get home.
The impressive Inca fortress Intihuatana is located at Pisac. It is huge. We saw the citadel where people lived, the terraces where they grew crops and the tombs where they buried their dead, which have been subsequently plundered by grave robbers.
Ollantaytambo is another massive fortress and is really well preserved. The houses in the village below still retain the foundations from the Inca settlement, with new walls built on top.
Our final stop was Chinchero. We visited a church which mixed the old Inca traditions with the Spanish catholicism. The Spanish forced the locals to destroy their church and used them as slaves to build a Catholic church. They incorporated some local traditions though, with local plants painted on the walls and the sacred valley in some of the religious paintings.
The town is famous for its weaving and we were brought to a family who do this for a living. They showed us how they spin and dye the wool and how they use the loom. The guide was excellent, she had a really dry sense of humour.
So that was the Sacred Valley. It was pretty impressive all in all, even though half the tour was spent visiting markets of various kinds, so you can conveniently buy things. But of course this was understandable, as potatoes used to be their main industry and technology replacing their simple farming methods, tourism is now their number one source of income. They live in such remote areas too, if it wasn't for the tour companies stopping with their camera snapping, souvenir buying cargo, the locals would surely struggle greatly. So in the end, everyone was happy and we had a great day.
The next morning we had another early start. Our guide Amorosso picked us up for our Inca Jungle trek at six in the morning. We were joined by Gary from Dublin and Natalia and Alejandro from Buenos Aires. They were all lovely. We drove for a couple of hours to Abra Malaga where we started our mountain biking. We were a little nervous at first as the road was steep and windy but we got the hang of it pretty quickly. We cycled downhill for about 2000 metres dressed in some serious looking cycling gear, stopping along the way to take pictures. It was a lot of fun and the views were amazing. We were lucky to get good weather, we spoke to some people who done it in the rain and had a miserable time. Must of been a real "dampener"! Thats just "the cycle of life".
After lunch we had a short hike up to the family that we would be staying with. Before we reached them, we came across another family. Emmet had walked on ahead and met the family monkey who had ran out to greet him. They both made monkey noises at one another and once they were both satisfied with who was the dominant male in this particular part of the jungle (the monkey!), we all moved on. We think Emmet made the right choice, due to the rabies stories we have heard from monkey bites. Otherwise, we were sure he could of taken that monkey.
So we carried on to meet our host family, who lived in the middle of nowhere! They had loads of pets, including a mongoose, a parrot, a kitten and several dogs. We had cold showers and instantly regretted not settling for a baby wipe shower. Well, mostly Niamh due to the fact Emmet had told her there was hot water in the shower he had had. So off Niamh went for her "hot" shower only to find out she had been foiled, yes foiled by her fella. Oh how he laughed. After everyone's icy jungle shower, the family made us a lovely traditional dinner and we spent a few hours chatting and drinking beer, which they had managed somehow to get half way up a mountain. But then of course there is Machu Picchu, so I guess they know what they are doing with that kind of thing.
It started raining during the night and was still going strong the next morning. We rainproofed our bags as much as possible and prepared to get wet. We missed out on some great views, although the misty clouds were spectacular looking and gave a mysterious air to the landscape. We had an eight hour hike ahead of us with a stop for lunch and a couple of hours at hot springs which were well received after getting drenched. There were two big pools as well as some hot spring showers and a baby pool. We stayed for a few hours, the sun had come out and all was good, particularly our weary shoulders, backs and legs. Jungle trekking ain't easy!
That evening we were joined by three German girls who were doing a shorter version of our hike. We went to a nearby restaurant for dinner and bonded over some ridiculously cheap pisco sours and cocktails.
The following day we walked to the town of Agua Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. We had better weather and got some nice photographs. It was another long hard hike, but we powered through. At lunch time the restaurant had hammocks so we able to rest before walking along the railway line to our destination.
We met for dinner in a place near the hostel. Natalia had been dying for a pizza and was very excited when we saw someone preparing one. When we were presented with egg and chips and the pizza was packed in a box for delivery for someone else, she was very disappointed. After dinner we went for a few Machu Picchu preparation drinks.
We were up at four the next morning and had a tough two hour uphill hike to Machu Picchu. We were exhausted by the time we reached the top. So many steps, we thought they would never end. When you start passing the clouds, you begin to wonder, you know.
We met Amarosso who gave us a tour of the site. The first glimpse that you get is from a height and it is amazing. We got a few photos before walking down and exploring the citadel. After the tour we were free to wander as we wished. We said goodbye to the Argentinians and Germans who were going on another hike. Ourselves and Gary went for food and found a terrace with a view to chill out on.
We got a train and bus back to Cuzco and got ready for a night out with Jerry and Aisling and Jessie. We had big plans but everyone ended up being wrecked so the night never got going. We had a bit of a chat and went home before one.
The next day we went for an amazing lunch in Jacks and done a bit of souvenir shopping. Later that night, we met up with Jerry and Aisling and Aisling's sister Eimear and her boyfriend Colm. They flew in that day to meet up with Jerry and Aisling to climb Machu Picchu together. We all had in a nice meal in our favourite restaurant in Cuzco, Los Perros. Burgers literally the size of your head. Brilliant! After a nice meal and a great laugh we said good bye to everyone. We got the bus to La Paz (and saw Gary at the bus station for a final travel goodbye).
 |
| Emmet in Los Perros |
We booked a tour to the Sacred Valley the next day and we visited three ancient Inca sites; Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, as well as countless handicraft markets! Our guide was sound and had great English. He explained the history of the Incas and the Spanish Invasion and inspired us to look for a book when we get home.
The impressive Inca fortress Intihuatana is located at Pisac. It is huge. We saw the citadel where people lived, the terraces where they grew crops and the tombs where they buried their dead, which have been subsequently plundered by grave robbers.
Ollantaytambo is another massive fortress and is really well preserved. The houses in the village below still retain the foundations from the Inca settlement, with new walls built on top.
Our final stop was Chinchero. We visited a church which mixed the old Inca traditions with the Spanish catholicism. The Spanish forced the locals to destroy their church and used them as slaves to build a Catholic church. They incorporated some local traditions though, with local plants painted on the walls and the sacred valley in some of the religious paintings.
The town is famous for its weaving and we were brought to a family who do this for a living. They showed us how they spin and dye the wool and how they use the loom. The guide was excellent, she had a really dry sense of humour.
So that was the Sacred Valley. It was pretty impressive all in all, even though half the tour was spent visiting markets of various kinds, so you can conveniently buy things. But of course this was understandable, as potatoes used to be their main industry and technology replacing their simple farming methods, tourism is now their number one source of income. They live in such remote areas too, if it wasn't for the tour companies stopping with their camera snapping, souvenir buying cargo, the locals would surely struggle greatly. So in the end, everyone was happy and we had a great day.
The next morning we had another early start. Our guide Amorosso picked us up for our Inca Jungle trek at six in the morning. We were joined by Gary from Dublin and Natalia and Alejandro from Buenos Aires. They were all lovely. We drove for a couple of hours to Abra Malaga where we started our mountain biking. We were a little nervous at first as the road was steep and windy but we got the hang of it pretty quickly. We cycled downhill for about 2000 metres dressed in some serious looking cycling gear, stopping along the way to take pictures. It was a lot of fun and the views were amazing. We were lucky to get good weather, we spoke to some people who done it in the rain and had a miserable time. Must of been a real "dampener"! Thats just "the cycle of life".
After lunch we had a short hike up to the family that we would be staying with. Before we reached them, we came across another family. Emmet had walked on ahead and met the family monkey who had ran out to greet him. They both made monkey noises at one another and once they were both satisfied with who was the dominant male in this particular part of the jungle (the monkey!), we all moved on. We think Emmet made the right choice, due to the rabies stories we have heard from monkey bites. Otherwise, we were sure he could of taken that monkey.
So we carried on to meet our host family, who lived in the middle of nowhere! They had loads of pets, including a mongoose, a parrot, a kitten and several dogs. We had cold showers and instantly regretted not settling for a baby wipe shower. Well, mostly Niamh due to the fact Emmet had told her there was hot water in the shower he had had. So off Niamh went for her "hot" shower only to find out she had been foiled, yes foiled by her fella. Oh how he laughed. After everyone's icy jungle shower, the family made us a lovely traditional dinner and we spent a few hours chatting and drinking beer, which they had managed somehow to get half way up a mountain. But then of course there is Machu Picchu, so I guess they know what they are doing with that kind of thing.
It started raining during the night and was still going strong the next morning. We rainproofed our bags as much as possible and prepared to get wet. We missed out on some great views, although the misty clouds were spectacular looking and gave a mysterious air to the landscape. We had an eight hour hike ahead of us with a stop for lunch and a couple of hours at hot springs which were well received after getting drenched. There were two big pools as well as some hot spring showers and a baby pool. We stayed for a few hours, the sun had come out and all was good, particularly our weary shoulders, backs and legs. Jungle trekking ain't easy!
That evening we were joined by three German girls who were doing a shorter version of our hike. We went to a nearby restaurant for dinner and bonded over some ridiculously cheap pisco sours and cocktails.
The following day we walked to the town of Agua Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. We had better weather and got some nice photographs. It was another long hard hike, but we powered through. At lunch time the restaurant had hammocks so we able to rest before walking along the railway line to our destination.
We met for dinner in a place near the hostel. Natalia had been dying for a pizza and was very excited when we saw someone preparing one. When we were presented with egg and chips and the pizza was packed in a box for delivery for someone else, she was very disappointed. After dinner we went for a few Machu Picchu preparation drinks.
We were up at four the next morning and had a tough two hour uphill hike to Machu Picchu. We were exhausted by the time we reached the top. So many steps, we thought they would never end. When you start passing the clouds, you begin to wonder, you know.
We met Amarosso who gave us a tour of the site. The first glimpse that you get is from a height and it is amazing. We got a few photos before walking down and exploring the citadel. After the tour we were free to wander as we wished. We said goodbye to the Argentinians and Germans who were going on another hike. Ourselves and Gary went for food and found a terrace with a view to chill out on.
We got a train and bus back to Cuzco and got ready for a night out with Jerry and Aisling and Jessie. We had big plans but everyone ended up being wrecked so the night never got going. We had a bit of a chat and went home before one.
The next day we went for an amazing lunch in Jacks and done a bit of souvenir shopping. Later that night, we met up with Jerry and Aisling and Aisling's sister Eimear and her boyfriend Colm. They flew in that day to meet up with Jerry and Aisling to climb Machu Picchu together. We all had in a nice meal in our favourite restaurant in Cuzco, Los Perros. Burgers literally the size of your head. Brilliant! After a nice meal and a great laugh we said good bye to everyone. We got the bus to La Paz (and saw Gary at the bus station for a final travel goodbye).
P.S. Niamh has written a post on Tales of a Teapot about the People of Bolivia. There is a link on the right hand bar.
