Peru and Bolivia Highlights

OK so this one is well overdue, but we thought still worth it…

Cusco and the Sacred Valley:

• Machu Picchu/Lares Trek with SAS – This one is of course a classic, but we also have to recommend doing a trek in the area. Most people we know did one of the classic alternative treks and loved it. There are a number to choose from based on your interests, but we were really happy with the Lares Valley and SAS did a great job. The day at Machu Picchu was the most tiring part, so don`t think you can`t do the trek, you can. You have to climb Wayna Picchu when you get there for the best views.
• Jack´s Cafe – Order yourself a ¨gordo¨ and enjoy. Perfect after coming back from a Sacred Valley trek.
• Tratamundo Cafe – On the second floor of the South side of the plaza, this place has great views of the Cathedral and serves up devine sandwiches and cafes…yum.
• Korikancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo – Our favorite sight in Cusco and one of the most impressive Inca structures.
• Pisaq – Our favorite sight in the Sacred Valley (aside from Machu Picchu). There are a number of temples to see, but not are all worth the effort. Do this one first or make sure to leave time because it´s big and worth the time.
• San Blas Neighborhood – The best place to stay in Cusco, without a doubt.
• Alpaca gear – You`ll need it to keep warm and it`s cheap!

Lake Titicaca:

• Reed Islands – It only takes a few hours but they are one of the most unique places we went.
• Quinoa Soup – The lake is almost like the heartland of the Andean experience and it wouldn´t be complete without trying some quinoa soup. Delicious.

Other stuff in Peru:

• Segundo Muelle in Lima – Considered one of the best cebicherias in Peru and it doesn´t disapoint. Absolutely worth going to if you go through Lima.
• Cruz del Sur – Our favorite bus company in Peru, bingo included.
• Monasterio de Santa Catalina in Arequipa – Awesome convent in Arequipa worth wandering around in for hours.
• Fez – Really good falafel house in Arequipa.
• Chicha morena – Special juice made from purple corn and fruit juices.
• Pisco sours – It´s not a trip to Peru if you don´t try one of these. Refreshing and delicious.
• Dunkelvolk – Cool Peruvian surf brand.

La Paz and around:

• Salteña tasting – Heaven in a little pastry. Our favorite place was Pacena La Salteña (get tumbo juice as well).
• Wagamama (not the UK chain) – Get your sushi fix here since we know you´re probably craving it about now.
• Coca museum – Small, but packs a punch. Really interesting museum with cafe for tasting coca products.
• Adventure Brew Hostel – One our favorites so far, this place was big and fun with most of the amenities you could ask for at a cheap price. The free beer every day helped!
• Biking World´s Most Dangerous Road – As if the bragging rights aren´t enough of an incentive, it´s actually a kick ass ride and totally worth whatever you pay. We went with Gravity Assisted and loved ém.

The Jungle:

• Pampas tour - This is a good intro to the jungle with the most opps for viewing wildlife. Whatever you do, the jungle is fun and you get to hang out in hammocks a lot. Getting to Rurrenabaque is an adventure though, so good luck with that one.
• Moskito bar – Good bar in Rurrenabaque with damn good caipirinhas.
• Casa de Campo – Really good restaurant in Rurre with patio seating at someone`s house. The couple cooks everything you order fresh.

Eastern and Southern Bolivia:

• Southwest Circuit and Salar de Uyuni – This was one of the true highlights of our trip. Surreal scenery for three days on a four wheel drive trip you won`t forget. It gets cold, so bring your alpaca purchases along. A definite must see!
• Minuteman pizza – Excellent pizza place in Uyuni that´s warm and cozy and totally yummy.
• Sucre – The white city. This one actually lives up to its billing a bit better than Arequipa in Peru and is worth the one or two day stop when travelling between Uyuni and La Paz.
• Convento de San Felipe Meri - You have to knock on the door to get in, but the courtyard is gorgeous and head to the roof for a view you´ll never forget.
• Para ti chocolates – Divine!

General tips…

• These countries are cheap!! So soak it up while you can…
• Prepare yourself for some ugly bus rides. The system in Peru is pretty good with tourist buses, but there is no real system in Bolivia (meaning lots of random stops and locals crowding on along the way).
• Everyone says everywhere in South America is dangerous, but it`s all exaggerated. Watch your bag at all times, but don`t be scared because its not nearly how it sounds.
• Look up the expected temperatures before you come. It`s cold here, even on the coast. Come prepared.
• Girls, bring toilet paper with you everywhere and get used to peeing behind rocks.
• They speak a little more English here and are more accustomed to tourism, so no problem if you don`t speak the language. No need to book ahead either, you can do almost everything when you arrive (except Cusco).

So that´s the quick rundown on what we liked most in Peru and Bolivia. If you have other questions about the area then drop us a line and we´ll answer what we can.

Cebiche

So we are actually off in Brazil now enjoying beaches and tropical fruit juices, but before posting about that we had to say at least something about cebiche. As you may know, cebiche is basically the national dish of Peru and is taken very seriously here. We´ve eaten as much as we could stomach (no pun intended, it hasn´t made us sick yet), but it’s just not always appealing to eat a cold fish dish. In any case, along our way through Peru we made the best of our opportunities and tried cebiche in not one, not two, but three different cities, all with a style of their own.

The photo above is from our first tasting, a mixed cebiche plate we got in Trujillo (northern coast). It has half of a fish cebiche and the other half a mixed seafood cebiche with octopus, squid, etc.

Our second tasting was actually from a cebiche class we had in Cusco where we watched someone actually make cebiche from scratch! This cebiche is a traditional Cusco version made with a lake fish called Kingfish.

And for our final tasting we went all out, a full cebiche sampler plate at one of Lima’s finest cebicherias, Segundo Muelle. What you are looking at above is three different cebiches, one traditional and two mixed. The cebiche on the left is mixed fish and seafood, the center is the traditional style with just fish, and the right is a purely seafood cebiche. Yum!

Arequipa, Colca Canyon, and Nazca Lines

So we´ve made it back to Lima and just about completed the first half of our trip. After leaving Chile, we looped back up north into Peru to visit a few last places on our way to Brazil. First stop was Arequipa, which is another beautiful colonial city, much like the others we´ve seen. This one had one of the best plazas though and a great convent that we wandered in for a few hours exploring coridors and taking colorful photos…

Arequipa is also the starting point for tours to Colca Canyon, which has been declared one of the deepest canyons in the world although it`s still being debated which one takes the crown. The canyon had some of the best agricultural terracing we`ve seen, but the definite highlight of the excursion was the stop at ¨cruz del condor¨- a lookout for condors. Luckily, we got to see some pretty good fly-bys and Allen captured a few of them.

Finally, we made a quick stop to fly over the Nazca Lines, which are ancient patterns carved in the dessert by a pre-Inca civilazation that can only be seen from the air. They were pretty cool to see, although a little strange to wonder what they were for, which is still a mystery despite the many theories.

In a few hours we´re off to Brazil!!

Lago Titicaca

So after tons of fun and adventure in the Cusco area, we were excited to see what laid ahead in the rest of Peru and Bolivia. Our next stop was the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca and then onto the Bolivian side….

After a half day bus ride from Cusco, we arrived in Puno and booked a tour of the three main Peruvian islands for the next two days. Not much to say about Puno except that its a touristy port for trips to the islands. On day one of our trip we visited Uros, which is a cluster of tiny islands made of reed that are completely artificial, but surprisingly interesting to see. They were a real higlight because they were so strangely unique and a bit spongey to walk on. It was hard to believe that people actually live on these tiny islands pretty much made entirely of straw. Although now they are primarily for tourism (the people live with solar panels, etc), you still got the idea of what they would have been like to live on a long time ago.

After Uros, we headed to Amantani, the largest island on the Peruvian side, where we stayed overnight with a local family. Although the island is primarily set-up for tourism now, the families and the way they live were all still authentic. We thought it might be a bit padded for the tourists, but our was stay was pretty real, down to taking our meals in their tiny stone kitchen with no light. The food was really good, primarily consisting of quinoa soup, boiled potatoes, and vegetable omelettes with rice. That night after a short hike up the island, we dressed in the local clothing on loan from our families and joined them in a traditional dancing ceremony (again touristy, but fun). The second day we made a quick stop to Taquile island, which mostly just had beautiful views of the lake.

After a quick border cross the next day, we dropped our bags in Copacabana (the main port for the Bolivian side) and headed straight for Isla del Sol. After a lot of steps to reach the top of the island, we were rewarded with great views from both sides. We watched the sunset over the dark blue water and had a “home-cooked meal” (b/c restaurant means lady cooking from her house) before bed. Day 2 we hiked from the South side of the island (Yumani) to the North side, where we did a quick ruin tour and spent most of the day just getting the ferry back to Copacabana. Be forewarned the ferries only run a few set hours each day and take a long time!

While the culture and history of the Peruvian islands were interesting to experience, the views from Isla del Sol were spectactular, making both sides of the lake worth a visit. The funniest part of our whole 4 days on the lake was that we didn’t realize in advance that there are no cash machines in many small towns in Bolivia. Hence we crossed the border with only $40 to spend until we reached La Paz. Luckily accomodation and food is cheap here, so we scrounged by, but after a few unexpected boat expenses, we had to not eat all day until we realized there were some shops that gave cash advances on credit cards in Copacabana. We were able to get some cash just in time to load up on snacks and luckily get dinner and a bus to La Paz…it was a close one and a lesson to read the guide book closely before you arrive somewhere…

We are now in La Paz enjoying the sights, the delicious saltenas, and our awesome hostal (Adventure Brew). So far, we are impressed with Bolivia as the people are more pleasant and it seems less touristy. Although there are a number of backpackers roaming through, it’s a much less travelled country, so you don’t get the same hassling as you you will find in Peru.

We’re off to the jungle tomorrow (hopefully if the flight goes) …

Machu Picchu

(we felt this deserved it´s own post and lots of pics. )

So after 3 days trekking through the Sacred Valley we had finally arrived at Aguas Calientes, the doorstep of Machu Picchu, where we had to wait overnight in anticipation of the big day. Most people trash A.C. as a being a very crappy place that you want to spend as little time in as possible, but we felt that was going a bit far. It was definitely touristy and not worth more than a night, but there was nothing particularly trashy or unpleasant about it. Anyways, just wanted to set the record straight about A.C.

On Machu Picchu day we started at the weee hours of the day by getting up at 4:30am so that we could be fed and waiting in line for the bus to Machu Picchu by 5:30 and hence to the park at 6:00 when they open. A handful of the real crazies from our group decided to walk from A.C. to Machu Picchu, which is about 80 minutes mostly uphill and to be at the park by 6am means you set out in the dark. ewww. we didn´t do that. In any case, getting to the park by 6am for the opening was totally worth it because you get the beautiful morning views with fog rolling in and out around the mountains …

After spending a good 30 minutes or so up at the guardian tower where you get the best angle of the whole city we headed down to start our tour of the park. I wish I had some kind of really special information to give about the city, but the reality is that Machu Picchu really was just a city for the Incas. A special city for sure, but similar to other Inca cities in most respects aside from the grandeur of its location.

The most fascinating thing about Machu Picchu is its location, surrounded on all sides by massive peaks as well as the Urubamba river, it almost feels like you are at a city in the clouds. The term Machu Picchu actually means “old peak” and the city sits almost on a ridge or arm of the Machu Picchu mountain which extends out a little ways and connects over with Wayna Picchu which is “young peak”. The typical photos of the park are taken from the guardian tower which sits a little higher up Machu Picchu mountain and shows Wayna Picchu in the background (the really tall, narrow peak). It´s also quite startling how quickly and steeply the edge of the city falls off …

After doing a loop around the city in our tour we took a short break before heading off to the far end of the park to make an attempt to climb Wayna Picchu. This is probably the biggest highlight of the park aside from the main city site and it´s basically a 50 minute hike straight up via a narrow rock staircase …

It was a fair amount of work getting to the top, but totally worth it because the views are amazing. Not only do you get to have a birds eye view of the park and a better sense of scope of the city and the surrounding mountains, but if you try twisting your head side to side a bit you should somehow be able to see that the city is actually made somewhat in the shape of a condor (or so say the specialists) …

After a well deserved 30 minutes or so admiring the views from the top of Wayna Picchu we fumbled our way back down the mountain and made straight for the food shack. Lunch time =) At this point we quite sadly waved goodbye to the rest of our trekking group because everyone else had to catch the afternoon train back to Cusco while Chels and I had decided to take an extra night in A.C. so that we could have a full day in the park. So once we were properly rested we set off for Intipunku, the Sun Gate, which is the opposite side of the park from Wayna Picchu and represents the place on the Inca trail where you can first see the city. Along that walk in the early afternoon we got this nice photo of the park being sprinkled in sunlight …

The rest of the afternoon up to the Sun Gate and back was very quiet and peaceful as there weren´t many people in this part of the park at this time of day. So we strolled along (actually it was far more laborious than that considering we had been walking all day since 6am) and were able to enjoy a fairly peaceful afternoon just admiring this amazing place …

Then some time in the afternoon when we had relaxed just enough to be able to walk again we made our way out of the park and took the bus back down to Aguas Calientes. We very graciously took advantage of the 3 for 1 happy hour in A.C. that night and relaxed a bit before getting up the next morning to begin heading back to Cusco.

The Lares Trek

So after much anticipation and planning, we actually survived the trek and made it to Machu Picchu. As some of you may know, booking an Inca Trail tour can be a complicated task. There are tons of companies and mulitple routes to choose from, leaving travellers often confused and a little anxious about the adventure. Nonetheless after it´s all said and done, we think we chose the right trek for us and highly recommend it for anyone wanting to do a trek in the area.

After multiple reports from other travellers, books, and tour companies saying that the actual “Inca Trail” is not necessarily the best route to Machu Picchu because it´s overcrowded, somewhat tough terrain, and not the best local scenery, we we´re happy to go with the Lares Trek instead, which is an alternate route that passes through a different valley stopping to visit local Andean villages and mountain people. (Not to mention, if you want to do the “real” trail you have to book abt at least 4 months in advance).

We went in a group of 16 people with SAS Travel, which was good fun and our group really got along and had a blast together (you can tell best by the partying we did upon return to Cusco…). All the food was great, gear was good, leaders were good fun, etc.

Here´s the rundown of our route:
Day 1 – 2 1/2 hr hike in Totora Canyon with views of Vilcanota Mtn Range (3,700 to 4,200 mts.), lunch and hot springs in Lares, continued with 3hr hike to Huacahuasi (3,200 to 3,700 mts.). It started to rain 1/2 way through this section, so we arrived to camp wet and cold ready for hot drinks and biscuits. Rained all night making me a little grumpy (in the words of Allen), but certainly added a little spice and challenge to our trip.

Day 2 – Rain cleared by morning, but our clothes were still wet, so we had to put on the same rags hoping they would eventually dry out. We toured the house of a local family that we camped near and then continued climbing from camp to Ibsaycocha pass (4400 mts. – our highest point). It started hailing about 30 min before we reached the peak. The last portion was a challenging climb that made breathing a bit difficult, but was worth the effort. Stopped for lunch drenched and freezing. Continued hike for 2 1/2 hours back down to 3700 mts. where we reached our 2nd camp at Patacancha (thankfully it cleared up the last hour, so we were able to dry off and warm up). Rained again that night.

Day 3 – 5 hr hike to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. Thankfully, it didn´t rain. We visited a school in the mountains and handed out tons of pens to kids who popped up on the trail in the middle of nowhere. Took the train to Aguas Calientes (access point to Machu Picchu) and the group hit the hot springs and had some much needed showers and cocktails. Went to bed early for 4:30 am wake-up call…

Although a little chellenging due to the altitude and weather (we thought we were ahead of the rainy season, but apparently not!), this trek was highly rewarding. Eventhough I´m not the best hiker or mountaineer, it was definitely worth the effort to get to really experience the Andes and see how local people live in the mountains. We saw tons of alpacas and llamas, beautiful mountain scenery, and lots of traditional Andean people (dressed in native clothing – and not for the tourists as in Cusco!).

What really makes this region so interesting is the mountains, so doing a trek is one way to really immerse youself in the sites around Cusco and experience the region to its fullest, not to mention it´s a pretty good build up for Machu Picchu. Although it was a lot of walking and we had to bear some unpleasant conditions, the trek was definitely doable and I didn´t really feel exhausted until after we conquered Machu Picchu…

Lares Trek and Machu Picchu photos online

Okay kiddies, it’s what you’ve been waiting for. We’re back from our 4 day trek and Machu Picchu and the photos are online. Enjoy.

Some form of description will be coming soon, but first we need massages =)

Cusco

Sorry we´re falling a little behind here folks, but we´re too busy traveling to be writing…

Anyways, just to catch you up, we´ve been in Cusco for the last four days hanging out exploring the city and nearby ruins. We´d heard Cusco would be a real highlight from other travellers and they were right!!

There isn´t much more to say than this city is beautiful and you have to see it for yourself. The cobblestone streets and colonial architecture mixed with Inca ruins is just beautiful! Although it´s a bit touristy, there is lots of shopping, good cafes, interesting ruins, and fun streets to wander around. You can easily spend mutiple days here enjoying this gorgeous city while you aclimatize to the high altitude (11,000 feet).

Here is me buying some warm alpaca gear outside one of the ruins…yes, I now own this poncho!

Tomorrow we begin our 5 day adventure to Machu Picchu. We are doing a trek through the Lares valley, stopping to visit local Andean villages and Inca sites along the way. It should be an adventure because hiking at this altitude is no easy feat. We´ll see how we do, but I think we can hack it. Following our 3 day trek, we´ve booked 2 days in the ruins to fully enjoy them and all the hikes around.

Stay tuned for more news on whether we make it Machu Picchu in good health…

Trujillo, Huanchaco, and Chan Chan

The coast of northern Peru; Wow, what a difference a couple hundred Km can make. After a rather wearisome overnight bus trip from Ecuador we awoke to a rather baren desert landscape in northern Peru, a complete 180 from the day before. To be honest, it was a bit eerie driving through desert like that as there was very little to see yet somehow there were still people living out there. As I said briefly before, from Piura we had about 6 more hours of bus rides left to make it into Trujillo, all of it through a flat desert landscape. Luckily they were playing a rather nice copy of the Bourne Ultimatem (in spanish) as the movie so we didn´t have to stare out at the sand the whole time.

Once in Trujillo we actually decided to take the advice of some other travellers and stay about 25 mins outside the city in a smaller town on the beach called Huanchaco. The town was nice, but since it´s currently the off season for the south american coast line right now it was pretty empty. We spent a fairly relaxing afternoon cruising the town a bit before retiring early so that we could be set for a big next day.

On our second day in Trujillo we took a full day tour around the various historical sites which are the main attraction in the area and included most notably Chan Chan and the Huaca del Sol/Huaca de la Luna. Both of these sites mark the location of a pair of ancient cultures which used to inhabit the coastal valley where Trujillo is now back between 200 A.D. and 1470 A.D. leading up to the time when the Incas began their reign. The first site we hit was Huaca de la Luna which was a temple used by the Moche people back almost 2000 years ago. It needed quite a bit more excavation and restoration, but it was still interesting to see …

The most amusing thing about Huaca de la Luna was that it was a temple which had been regularly redesigned by building the new structure right over the old one. So after 6 renovations what was actually there was 6 temples piled on top of each other kind of like those Russian dolls. Again, the excavation was still pretty limited when we saw it, but supposedly they just got a big grant for more work, so in a few more years it should be a lot nicer.

Later in the day was the larger and even more interesting site of Chan Chan which was created by the Chimu people around 1300 A.D. and holds the titles of largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and largest adobe city in the world. It used to house an astonishing 60K people at one point which in it´s time was believed to be one of the largest cities in the world, bigger even the largest cities in Europe at that time. Sadly since the city was adobe it was fairly thrashed over the last 600 years by weather and a very small portion remains …

So that´s what happened around Trujillo, kind of a warm up for Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas really.