Peru and Macchu Picchu

Our crossing the border by bus from Loja was fairly uneventful. Sarah had researched that the easiest and safest way was to catch a bus from Loja all the way through to Piura which proved the right decision after hearing two horror stories from people we met who had been ripped off while crossing at the other border known as the worst in Sth America.

From Piura we travelled down to Chiclayo where we visited the Sican temples and the Sipan temples. These were amazing because in the case of the Sican temples the tombs were discovered untouched by the grave robbers and so we were able to see all the treasures that were found on the bodies like gold death masks earrings bracelets etc. A very cool museum which was similar to Cairos museum. The temples themselves are like huge brick mounds but the largest stretches 700m.

From Chiclayo we travelled down to Trujillo and decided to spend a few day chilling out at the beach side town just outside of Trujillo called Huanchaco. Huanchaco is where the fisherman travel out through the waves in their reed boats and then surf back in. It is a bit like a hippy town and the waves attract a lot of surfers. We met a local who took us to a local bar i.e a set up in the back of a persons house where you enter through their lounge. We tried Chicha and the local cognac. Both have a big kick to them. Huanchaco is picturesque but with not a lot to do there Shaun went a bit stir crazy. We also visited the Sun and Moon temples outside of Trujillo which were very cool as they are still excavating them. You can also clearly see the paintings which decorated the temples. We visited the Golden sun temple and the lost city of Chan Chan and saw the hairless dogs. Trujillo itself is a very pretty city which we felt very safe in.

From Trujillo we caught a bus to Lima to join our tour. Both of us were unsure about the tour after having enjoyed travelling ourselves. Anyway we met our group and had a very random night out but which was a good one for bringing the group together. We were lucky in that the group gelled well and had a lot of people of similar personalities.

We left early the next morning and headed for the Bellestas Islands which are the equivalent of the poor mans Galapagos. We headed out to the islands and went around them by boat. The trip took 2 hours and we saw a lot of sea lions, birds penguins etc but it didn't compare at all with the Galapagos Islands. We then headed to Huacachina and into the desert where we went sand boarding and dune buggying and saw the sunset in the desert before having a pisco sour party in the desert and sleeping under the stars. The desert experience was simply awesome and the dune buggying an adrenalin rush as the massive V8s scream down the steep dunes at break neck speeds almost as fast as Sarah flying down the dunes on her sand board.

We headed off to see that Nazca Lines which were ancient lines. there are many theories over who made them but there are all sorts of strange shapes made like a monkey a spider etc. We then spent our first night tenting and chilling by the pool.

The next day we went to see the Chauchilla Cemetery with mummies over a 1000 years old. We then chill out at Puerto Inka, the beach where the Inca Kings holidayed and play football against the locals which was a laugh despite losing 11-8 with Shaun scoring 4 of the goals. We then had the famous sangria party on the beach followed by a visit to the local discoteque.

We then headed to Arequipa which is a beautiful city and reminded us a lot of Spain and which is the jump off spot for heading into the Colca Canyon which is said to be the worlds largest canyon. We are lucky to come across a local festival as well where there is a lot of dancing and colourful dresses including those worn by the men. We sample a few of the local dishes like Guinea pig and Alpaca before descending on the local hot pools and staying at an amazing hotel.

The next morning we arise to visit the canyon and see its famous terraces which are used for agricultural purposes and which stem back to the Incas and we are fortunate to see the about 15 Condors making their way up from the Canyon bottom using the hot air currents. These are the second largest birds behind New Zealand´s albatross and have a wing span of about 4 metres. Very cool birds. We then visited the ice princess, Juanita who was found frozen after an eruption dislodged her from the ice tomb she had been in. It is said that she was a human sacrifice to the gods 500 years ago and it is incredible to see her in her glass freezer!!

From here we headed to Cusco which is a party town but more importantly the place that you acclimatise in in order to head for the Inca trail and Macchu Picchu. We visit the ruin Sacsayhuaman which is easy to pronounce as it is sexy woman!! This is a large ruin that looks over Cusco but was essentially ruined by the Spainards by taking the stones to build Cusco and the cathedral. We then visited a llama and alpaca farm before arriving in Pisac and its famous market. We stopped over night in Ollantayambo as the bus for the Inca trail picks us up from there and we visit another Inca ruin and see up close how they protected their constructions against earthquakes and how they built their terraces.

The next morning we met our 28 porters who each carry about 25-30 kgs on their back and are about half the size of Shaun but their fitness and strength would put many an All Black to shame especially the world cup All Blacks. As you can see we have still not got over the World Cup disappointment!! Anyway these porters carried out tents cooking equipment and duffel bags etc. We were allowed to give the porters 5 kgs of our own stuff and had t carry the rest. Anyway the first day was relatively easy with a slow climb through the valley where the views are spectacular. We have another game of football against the porters who have carried our stuff, set up our tents and the main tent with tables and chairs for our meals which are of a restaurant quality. Unbelievable the food that we are eating at this altitude, 3300m. We lose the football by a close margin and Shaun manages to twist his dodgy knee. Needless to say Sarah was not impressed.

The next day with Shaun´s knee strapped up we begin the hardest leg of the Inca trail which is a climb up through the clouds and forest. Our guide expects it to take 4 hours for the last person to make it but Shaun´s competitive nature gets the better of him and he gets to the first part in 1 hour 10 minutes with the fastest doing it in 1 hour 3 minutes. Sarah very impressively comes in a little bit behind that dispelling any worries she had. Our last member finishes it in 2 hours 30 minutes which impresses our guide, Julio Caesar no end. We have a 3 course lunch in the tent before beginning what we think is the hardest leg of the trip up to Dead Woman´s pass at 4200m. We manage to complete it in a time a little over 37 minutes with the last one coming in at a little over an hour when Julio had given us 2 and a half hours to complete. the hard part is the different heights in the steps. The views along the way have helped to take your mind off the fact that your lungs are burning for oxygen. The sense of achievement makes it all worthwhile though. On the way down the clouds send torrential rain down upon us with water cascading down the waterfalls and the path upon which we mare walking make the stone paths very slippery. It is unbelievable that the Inca trail which is a stone path with steps was built by the Incas and is still in existence. Many thought the path was built for the tourists and not for the Incas.

The third day brings even more amazing views and the chance to look around another 3 Inca ruins which were used as stop over points for the Incas travelling to and from Macchu Picchu. Along the way our guide also sends us down a track where there are ruins in the same state as Hyram Bingham would have found Macchu Picchu which is in itself something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

The fourth and final day is the final leg of this journey and is a very cool experience despite the fact that we are getting up at 3:30 am in order to get to the entrance to Macchu Picchu before the crowds. We get to the sun temple which looks down on Macchu Picchu but there is too much cloud cover to see it properly as is pretty common at that time. We walked along further and then Macchu Picchu appears out of the clouds and it doesnt disappoint. I think it is the journey there which makes this place very special. We then expore the ruins with our guide who explains to us why Macchu Picchu was only partly completed. It is truly a city in the clouds and words will never do it justice. We also complete the climb up Wayna Picchu which looks down on Macchu Picchu and is a very hard climb after the 4 days we have but possibly the most rewarding. There are a lot of tourists who get to Macchu Picchu by train and bus and who arrive in clean clothes and makeup and climb up Wayna Picchu with boundless energy in contradiction to us who are dirty and tired and while we envy their cleanliness and energy there is a feeling amongst us that they havent truly experienced it because they havent followed the inca´s trail to this place and therefore dont have that sense of achievement and time to think along the way! We then relax in the hot pools before catching the train and bus back to Cusco for a huge night out despite our tired bodies.

We then have a day off before our last day in Cusco which we spend white water rafting down the Urubamba river which is a pretty tame affair to be honest. This is followed by our last night out in Cusco which is an all night affair as the challenge was to stay out all night and hop on the bus at 7 having been out all night. Seemed a good idea at the time!!

We then arrive at Puno which is on the edge of Lago Titicaca which is Sth Americas largest lake and the highest navigable lake in the world at 4000m above sea level. We have a crazy rcikshaw ride to get down to the docks before visiting one of the islands to see how they live before encountering some very rough water before landing at Taquille island where we will spend the night with our host families who speak Spanish and Quechuan. We are staying with an elder of the community and the house is very basic with no electricity running water etc. The family are lovely and after we had gone over the basic question in spanish we are left with no other option but to show our photos of where we have been which intrigues them as they do not know life outside of the lake and Puno. We have another game of soccer and despite leading 5-0 lose 7-6. The altitude makes it impossible to breath after a while!!

Following this adventure we cross the Peru-Bolivia border to spend Christmas day in La Paz. This will be in our next instalment as it includes our adventures mountain biking down Death Road which is the most dangerous road in the world with over a 100 fatalities each year.