Bolivia continued

The evening in which we returned from the Death Road we spent with some friends whom we'd meet just before out pampas tour. The group grew, and we meet a group of guys who had just graduated from Durham. It was fun chatting to them about my old university town, and what had changed in the time is been gone. We also established fairly quickly that one of them is actually the cousin of one of our classmates from school! These "7 degrees of separation" type encounters are becoming more common.

The next evening, after one last day of wandering around La Paz, we jumped on a night bus bound for Sucre. All was going well, until we were only about 30km outside of the city, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, where the bus stopped, and the engine was turned off. Another British guy on the bus got out and went to see why was happening only to come back and report that there was a rally and we would be stopped until at least early afternoon. After an initial panic that he meant a protest rally, I realised with relief that it was actually a national Rally Car race blocking the route! Therefore, our plan for sightseeing in Sucre was forcefully placed on the back burner, and we spent the day sitting in the sun, watching the race. I've certainly heard of worst delays in Bolivia, where strike road blocks are not uncommon. 

It was late afternoon therefore by the time we reached Sucre, which only really left us enough time to settle into a hostel and go to dinner with some new Scottish friends from our bus. The next day, we managed to meet up with some other friends from La Paz, and together we took the "Dino Bus", an open air double decker, to the Cretaceous Park, a museum based around an enormous mined out cliff which displays some of the best dinosaur prints in the world. Other attractions include life size replicas of dinosaurs and fossils. Although it was a touristy and, to be honest, a little naff, we had a great time. 

We spent our final full day in Sucre, wandering happily about the beautiful "White City" (apparently, yearly white washing is mandatory), taking in the amazing parks, churches and the mirador which provides spectacular views. We also visited a couple of indigenous museums, which were both very interesting. One explained the ins and outs of weaving, and weaving patterns as well as local music and dance. It also had a collection of artefacts from an excavation complete with preserved clothes and a skull with a viable depression from, apparently, voluntary deformation. The second museums was based around a village whose population had been reduced to just 170 at one point in time, but recovered and now has a population over 2000. There was also a collection of ceremonial masks, some of which were terrifying! 

We left the warm weather of Sucre (which we had been so grateful for after La Paz!) for Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world at 4090 metres. The temperature difference incredible when one considers that it's only a three hour journey between the two cities. Potosí was once one of the richest cities in South America due to the Cerro Rico, or "Rich Mountain", a mountain which was once rich in silver ore. The silver has now been depleted, however the mining industry remains the most important for the city, with minerals such as zinc and copper. The biggest tourist attraction of the city therefore is a tour of the mineral refineries, miner's market and, finally, the mines themselves. It is advertised as a tour of a "non-tourist" mine, and indeed that is what it is. Tanya decided to give it a miss, however a friend we are travelling with currently persuaded me that I would never get another oppurtunity like it again, so I gave it a go. There are thousands of men working in the mines, and as we descended the narrow, low shafts, the first ones we came in contact with were those pulling and pushing a tonne of rocks up through the mine in carts on narrow tracks. As we carried on down the mine, we meet miners performing different tasks, including hauling up rocks from lower levels, and wheel-barrowing them over a cart, and even drilling holes in the wall for the dynamite explosions (I even had a go using the drill myself!). They gratefully received gifts of juice, water and coco leaves (which keeps them going on their long shifts) which we had bought in the miner's market. Overall, the experience can only be described as haunting, terrifying and extremely uncomfortable. There were certain places where the ceiling was so low we were forced to crawl on our stomachs. However for me personally, the worst of it was the dust in the air which was full of the smell of sulphur and made my throat and eyes hurt. We only stayed down there for a couple of hours, and our guide told us that the miners could work as many hours a day which they wanted up for 20 hours. I came out of the mine full of relief that I was out in the fresh air, and respect for the miners who go down there every day. 

We are now planning on heading down to Tupiza, which is listed in the guide books as reminiscent of the Wild West. We are looking into riding tour through the canyon scenery, which of course I am very excited about! After that, it is on to the salt flats in Uyuni, which is supposed to be spectacular! I hope to write another update soon after that tour. 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx

Moving on to Bolivia

It seemed to me that our time in Peru flew by and before I knew it, we were organising crossing the border over into Bolivia. The journey itself was perhaps the worst yet for myself as I fell under the clutches of the dreaded stomach bug. However, we somehow made made it in one piece to the small town of Copacabana (yes, like the song!) on the shore of Lake Titicaca, which is considered the world's largest high altitude lake. 

By this point, we were slowly crashing after a month and half travelling at a fairly swift pace. It was a rather spectacular place to recover, with the incredible views of the giant lake, flagged by the Cordilleras mountains, some of which are even snow capped. We took a boat (though unfortunately not one of the small traditional reed boats!) from Copacabana over to the Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the sun in Incan mythology. There we witnessed one of the most spectacular sun-set and subsequent -rise I have ever seen, the latter right over the lake from the window of our bedroom. In the morning, we hiked the length of the island from the south, where we had stayed the night, to the north, taking in the scenery and the ruins which are scattered across the island. Observing the life of the locals, who are mainly involved in agriculture, was also interesting. We sampled local (farmed) lake trout at a charming restaurant while the little girl of the place sucked us into a game of cards for her amusement! 

Back on the mainland the next day, we made the trek over to Playa Blanca, or White Beach, where several "Floating Islands", traditional large jetties made of the reeds which grow in the shores of the lake, are linked together with small rock islands just off the coast. This aspect was pleasing and pretty, exactly what you picture when reading up on Lake Titicaca. The beach itself is in need of a community clean-up project however, and I can't help but wonder how tourism and growth will change this place: perhaps for the better eventually but in the present pollution seems to pose a major threat.  

From Copacabana, we hopped on a bus to La Paz, which was to be our base for several trips in the area surrounding the city. Amazingly, we meet a chap on the little ferry boat we had to take across the lake on who had been in the year above us in school! We hadn't known him well, but considering the small size of our school, it was really quite a coincidence! 

When we arrived in La Paz we finally gave in to exhaustion and illness. We allowed ourselves two days to recover, but no more as by the second day we were busily scoping out agencies for various adventures from La Paz. And so by day three, we were busy packing for a boat trip in the Bolivian "pampas". 

Out trip started with an early start to La Paz airport (which, interestingly, is very small due to the fact that international departures are so difficult thanks to the altitude playing havoc with the fuel reserves). From there we boarded the smallest commercial plane I have ever seen. There was just a single seat either side of the aisle, and the ceiling was so low that even I, at 5'1, couldn't stand up straight!  The views, however, made up for the size of the plane. The mountains surrounding La Paz were beautiful in the morning light, and the scenery slowly changed, though mountain lakes until finally jungle was spread out in front of us. 

We arrived in Rurrenabaque, the small jungle town which serves as the base for jungle and pampas tours in the area, and jumped straight into a van which drove us the three hours to Santa Rosa, a village on the edge of the national park where our tour was to take place. The road was awful, especially after the recently, unseasonal, rain however the scenery was incredible: cattle and horses lined the way, both on the side of the road and within the many ranches which I was surprised to find in a jungle setting. After lunch in Santa Rosa, we met out guide at the point where our motorised canoe was moored on the river Beni. 

The next three hours were filled with our first taste of the amazing diversity of wildlife we were going to see over the next three days. Within minutes, we had spied turtles, alligators and a veritable menagerie of birds. The bird life included cormorants, kingfishers, egrets, stalks, eagles, vultures (a strange, small species of the family), and many more. Perhaps the strangest were the Huapsin, a prehistoric bird with red eyes and a blue head lined with spike in what can only be described as resembling a Mohican. 

Out of the reptiles, the black caiman was certainly the most impressive. They grow up to 6-8 m long, and are capably of inflicting real damage in defence. We had one lying right on the edge of our lodge, where we stayed two nights and managed to take some fantastic pictures right up close to it! However, the sheer number of alligators which we saw is also very impressive, and it was very interesting watching their temperature regulation methods (sunbathing; opening their mouths; and submersion in the water). 

When we first arrived in the camp, we had a lovely surprise as a group of monkeys were lining the trees, as if to meet us! They really are incredible creatures, the way they are able to jump so gracefully between the branches. They seemed less special the following morning when a Howler Monkey woke us up at 5am! Another incredible land based mammal we saw was the capybara which is like an oversized guinea pig! 

We watched the sunset from a specific post each night we spent in the pampas and they were really beautiful. One morning we also awoke early to catch the sun rise, which all agreed, strangely, to be reminiscent of the opening scene of the Lion King! On the way back from our sunset location, we were able to spot the eyes of the reptiles lying in wait using torches which make them shine brightly.

We spent most of the trip cruising up and down the river letting the scenery sink in and watching the wildlife. One morning however was spent hiking through the pampas itself in wellies searching for anacondas. We were extremely lucky (as I heard that other groups were not) and our guide was able to find and catch one of the snakes. The was only little however we were able to appreciate how soft the skin was (after "washing" our hands in the filty pampas water in order to remove the harmful sun cream and DEET insect repellent stuck to them).

Perhaps the most exciting part of our trip however involved climbing into the thick, brown water of the river and swimming around with a group of pink river dolphins. They too were surprisingly soft, and very playful! It was my first time swimming with any type of dolphin, an one I will certainly not forget. I was concerned about touching them, and harming them however thy came straight up to us. I did not condone the actions of some of the other tourists, who went as far as catching and holding their tails for pictures! 

All too soon, it was time to head back to Rurrenabaque. The van ride back was even worse than the one out, as we had rain en route. The 180 degree skids were particularly fun! We made it back safe and sound however and were able to enjoy a shower after the oppressive stickiness of the pampas. 

We spent one night in Rurrenabaque before jumping on the plane back to La Paz, and the cold! Unfortunately, we then had another illness scare (specifically a suspected, but eventually ruled out DVT in me), which delayed our next adventure by another day. However, we missed awful weather and eventually survived cycling down the so called "Death Road". The ride was fantastic, lots of down hill with fun corners and the road is very bumby the whole way. The full suspension on the bikes was very much appreciated! We saw the place where the Top Gear team got two cars to pass alongside each other and I have to say, I don't know how they did it! It really was an incredible thing to have accomplished, and I am so glad we did it! 

We are now planning our trip down through Bolivia, with Sucre firmly in our sights. I hope to keep you posted soon of our next movements. 

Lots of love, Emma xxx

Cusco and Machu Picchu

By the last week in May we arrived in Cusco, perhaps one of the most iconic of Peru's cities. I fell in love at first sight. It is the kind of place which I could imagine myself coming back to for a holiday: it is packed full of architectural marvels, effortlessly blending Incan and Spanish styles together, weaving in and out of steeped cobbled streets. Good restaurants and expensive shops line the main streets, especially around the Plaza de Armas, the main square, while cheaper, wholesome eateries are available off side streets. There's a fantastic market, complete with a cheese section which definitely made my mouth water!  The religious buildings, with the grand cathedral at their centre are the most prominent Spanish features while a short walk to the outskirts of the city brings you to Incan ruins high on the hill surrounding the modern centre. 

Amazingly, within hours of arriving in Cusco, I walked into our hostel's bar and ran straight into a couple of English girls we'd met on the Galapagos and seen again on the coast of Ecuador. We spent a couple of fun nights with them, and met some more interesting people in the hostel including a couple of Chilean guys who insisted we compared Chilean and Peruvian pisco (because, of course, they insisted Chilean was the original and is the best). One of them is in the Chilean ski team and we were able to get a couple of tips for skiing in Chile which is excellent, as it's something I'm really keen to fit in our trip. 

It was great to catch up with the girls and hear their stories from the Machu Picchu trek that they'd just completed. In fact, their enthusiasm for the trek encouraged us to do the same one! We therefore had a hunt around for a good price and booked ourselves up for the Salkantay Trek - allegedly rated in the top 25 best treks by National Geographic. It didn't disappoint. Our group was fantastic, which I think can make all the difference on a trek. We set out very early Monday morning for 5 days and 4 nights. The hike on the first day was gentle enough although already the high altitude was apparent and we were glad to have had some acclimatisation in Arequipa. The first night we spent in a tent at 4100m - it was cold! The next day we set off early for the toughest section of the trip - up to 4600m on the Salkantay pass in the shadow of the great mountain itself (6271m). It is actually still officially unknown if anyone has ever scaled Salkantay, although there are rumours that one American man has managed it. The views from the pass were incredible and it felt great to be in the mountains again. From there however, we started descending and before we pitched camp again that evening we were in the cloud forest, and by the next day, we were into the jungle. The contrast between the different zones was fascinating and it really was strange to be almost at the snow line one day, and picking wild strawberries and avocados on the trail the next. Our final night camping was in the town of Santa Theresa, where we were finally able to soak and wash after the long days of hiking at the local hot springs, followed by a little camp fire party at the camp site. The following day, we took the option of zip-lining across the canyons which turned out to be an amazing experience! We reached speeds of up to 60km/h, taking in the incredible birds's eye views of the canyons below. We even tried out the "Spider-Man" position ( hanging upside down on the line) and the "Superman" position (flying with your arms out in front of you) holding hands on parallel lines. I have a video of the latter and hopefully I will be able to share it with some of you at some point. It was then onto the final part of the trek to Aguas Calientes, also know as Machu Picchu  Peublo, the town at the foot of the famous site. We hiked along the train tracks and saw the infamous Hiram Bingham (who discovered the Incan site) train, which costs 600 dollars for a round trip from Cusco. Once we had arrived in Aguas Calientes, the realisation that the following day we were going to be in Machu  Picchu hit home. The toll of the trek had taken over the previous days so completely that it was as though we'd almost forgotten out end goal! 

Therefore it was with great excitement that we got up before 4am the next morning (although getting out of the first bed we had seen for 4 days was a little hard, I have to admit!) to hike up the last hour or so to the site entrance. Tanya and I were determined, and we practically ran up the steep steeps, no mean feat at altitude and in the dark! I was very proud to have beat another group of hikers we'd seen along the Salkantay trail whom we'd nicknamed the "Spandex" group for all the kit they had on - including Equipe de France sports jackets. The final physical push paid off as we were among the first people who gained access to Machu Picchu that morning which allowed us to take some amazing photos of a deserted site, with the sun just coming up over the surrounding mountains. However cheesy it might sound, it was quite emotional to have in ally made it to the iconic site, and have it for just a few minutes to ourselves and just a handful of other equally keen people.

After a brief but interesting tour of the site from our guide, we were free to spend the whole day in the ancient city. It's a fascinating place, once an important religious centre but also a place of community, trade and agriculture. They now still have a few llamas roaming around, entirely for the benefit of the tourists but along with the mountain chinchillas which can be spotted from time to time, they add to the fun of the place. 

Perhaps ignoring the fact that we had been trekking 8 to 10 hours a day for the last four days, we had purchased tickets to climb up Machu Picchu Mountain, the highest mountain on the site. The hour and a half uphill climb was strenuous but 100% worth it for the view at the top. The entire city was laid out in front of us, with the other main mountain of the site,  Huayna Picchu, behind it. We had a well deserved packed lunch (including the avocados we'd picked up on the trek!) at the top and soaked up the view. Finally, as the day drew to a close, we completed on last short trek up to the famous sun gate, where those on the Inca Trail come through first thing in the morning, and even had a short wander down the famous trail. Before we knew it, it was 5pm and the city was closing. By the time we'd walked back down to the village we'd been on our feet for well over 12 hours and ready for dinner, followed by a 2 hour train ride and similar length bus ride back to Cusco, and bed. 

It's amazing that such a small part of out trip has taken up such a large post of this blog, however I think it reflects how incredible this trek really was. I hope you have enjoyed reading this update and keep an eye open for my next post as we head out of the Peru (how it has flown by!) into Bolivia! 

Lots of love, 

Emma xxx