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Chile to Lima
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We arrived in Chile on 05 October 2008 and settled into a backpacker´s hostel in the beautiful town of Pucon. The Villarrica volcano loomed ominously over the hostel. Little did we know that the next day would be a battle of minds between us and the volcano! Monday morning and up at 5.30am to ascend the monster. We were kitted out with climbing gear, including crampons and ice axes. The sun was shining as we set off the group spread out slightly as we trudged through the snow. The guides were fantastic - very knowledgeable and expert advice. The volcano was daring us to go higher and sapped our energy. We refuelled with snacks and drinks. Rob one of the Dragoman guides opened his drink which spurted purple liquid all over the place. Amid the howls of laughter one of the volcano guides shouted to him not to drink it because it was cider! Poor Rob, he had not realised his mistake, so had to beg, steal and borrow from the rest of us to keep replenished. We continued the ascent and as we neared a ridge had to dig in deep with our ice axes. It was very windy and quite scary. It was if the wind was conspiring with the volcano to beat us. Undeterred we persevered and zig-zagged up the final part, which was steep. As we reached the summit the smell of the sulphur was overpowering - it stung our throats and our eyes viciously - a sting in the tail perhaps. The volcano was magnificent - the views, the elements and the smouldering crater will stay with us forever. After the customary photographs and a quick bite to eat we started our descent - easier said than done! Halfway down we all donned a harness round our waists and proceeded to slide down the side of the volcano using the ice axes for steering and brakes! It was great fun and we all got down in one piece. We rounded off the evening with a trip to the hot springs, which soothed our aching bodies. It was a great finale - we soaked in the water under the moonlit sky dotted with shining stars.
 
The next day we explored the picturesque town of Pucon and the volcano looked like a giant sugar bowl. Our final day in Pucon found Judith cycling 40km to Caburguna Lake and Dan hydrospeeding down the rapids in the raging river before doing the cycle trip too. In the evening we had a tasty BBQ cooked by Claudio, the hostel owner.
On Thursday 09 October we arrived in Santiago (where nine more people joined the trip) and stumbled upon some unusual coffee shops. Apparently they are institutions for the Santiago business community - good coffee, popular, intimate, pleasant places for snacks or more! The waitresses were scantily clad as they chatted to customers!
We explored the conical hill of San Cristobal where on the summit stands a statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by pretty gardens. The view of the city below, however, was disappointing due to the fog. In the evening we feasted at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Santiago. The food was delicious and the decor incuded a large cage filled with noisy budgies!
Destination La Paz and back to truck life! En route we camped in pretty little towns by the coast (Pichidangui and La Serena) and visited Monumento Nacional Valle del Encanto - an archaelogical site with petroglyphs and great boulders.
As we drove through the desert we were blessed with the sight of a rare occurence - he floering of the desert. The land is barren, but every few years after rain (usually in September and October) the flowers that have lain dormant in the desert burst into bloom - a sight not to be missed. It was a mass of purple flowers - a huge purple carpet.
That afternoon we stopped at Bahia Inglesa (one of the most photographed places in Chile). The powdery white sand of the beach and the blue crystal clear water was idyllic. That eveing we bushcamped on a beach. The landscape was lunar-like - we were in the bottom of a crater, which spilled onto the beach where the waves crashed against the black rocks. It was surreal going to sleep with the sound of the waves only yards away.
The next day saw us pushing further into the Atacama desert and to the Hand in the Desert - literally a rock hand sculpted in 1992 to greet travellers to and from Antofagasta. A film crew were at the Hand when we arrived (not sure what they were filming though). In the evening we bushcamped in the beautiful desert landscape - sun-scorched rocks, giant sand hills, blue sky and so tranquil. The wind, however, was strong and we had to pin our tents down with rocks!
DESTINATION SAN PEDRO. En route we made a short stop at Baquedano, once an important railway junction, but now a down-at-heel village. We visited the open air railway museum, which displayed old and dusty locomotives. 30km further on we took a tour round Chaccbuco. Built in 1922 and abandoned in 1940 this former nitrate town is now a national monument. It was desolate and somewhat eerie. The rows of tiny terraced houses that once housed the workers stood still and empty. One could almost hear and feel the ghosts treading the boards in the now rundown theatre. The place seemed even more sinister when we discovered that it was used as a concentration camp during the first two years of the Pinochet regime. A surprise awaited us in San Pedro, i.e. Franz and his partner Amankay - Franz being the Dragoman guide on our first leg of the trip in South America. San Pedro is a charming little town in the heart of the Atacama desert and is made up of narrow streets and adobe houses. It has a very Spanish feel. Our first night here was very memorable - after a few drinks in a local bar and afterwards at a private party in someones back yard we made our way back to the campsite. The problem was that everything and everywhere looked the same and all the townsfolk were in bed! We eventually found the campsite at 3am.
We spent the next two days exploring San Pedro - in the daytime I hasten to add. We
1. Saw Chaxa Lake - a salt lake where pink flamingos balanced gracefully on one leg.
2. Visited a hidden valley, which was very hot and full of swirling dust devils.
3. Floated in a salt lake. To reach this we had to negotiate the crusty salt flats, formed by waters flowing down from the Andes, which unable to escape from the basin, are forced to evaporate, leaving salt deposits on the earth. Floating in the lake was weird - on the surface the water was warm, but underneath was freezing. Afterewards our swimmers were covered in salt and went as stiff as boards.
4. Saw the sun set at the Valle de la Luna aka Moon Valley. The valley is famous for its resemblance to the surface of the moon. High mountain ranges are visible from all directions - a magnificent sight. At the top of a giant sand dune we drank mango and lemon pisco sour and watched the sun set. as the sun bade farewell the colours of the mountain ranges changed colour from red to brown to honey.
5. Wrapped up warm and went stargazing. This astronomical delight started at 10.30pm and finished at midnight. We looked through super-duper telescopes, mounted in the guide´s garden, and saw Jupiter and its 4 moons, star clusters, shooting stars, signs of the zodiac and the moon rising.
  
On the last night in San Pedro we celebated Jas´s 30th birthday. The truck was decked out like a disco and the cook group cooked up a delicious BBQ. After some Dutch courage the lads treated Jas to a strip routine - gyrating their bodies to the music and revealing their modesty! It was hilarious and great fun was had by all.
DESTINATION BOLIVIA - We crossed the border into Bolivia no problem and ascended higher and higher. We were warned constantly about altitude sickness and had to drink plenty of water and take things easy. At one point we reached 5,020m. Our first night at altitude was spent in a refuge in the middle of nowhere. Judith was in the cook group and helped to make ratatouille and spaghetti carbonora. Ths was no mean feat at altitude - everyone felt rough, none more so than the chefs. It was so bad that Judith put icing sugar in the carbonara sauce instead of flour! The meal, however, was rescued after some quick thinking - we used tinned tomatoes and nobody noticed.
Bolivia is a beautiful place and the next destination was UYUNI - a jumping off point for trips to the salt flats, volcanoes and multi-coloured lakes of South West Bolivia. In Uyuni we saw the traditional dress of the older women - bowler hats, shawls on top of woolly jumpers on their top halfs and on their bottom halfs skirts that splayed at the waist and underneath the skirts hid layers and layers of petticoats.
The next day in Uyuni was fantastic. We piled into jeeps and made our way to the Salar de Uyuni - the world´s highest and largest salt flats. We visited an ice hotel and ate lunch at an island, which was adorned with huge cacti. It was out of this world - in the middle of the white expanse of the salt flats and surrounded by mountains as far the eye can see. It was unreal and we lost track of what was land and what was sky! We spent the afternoon taking the customary photographs on the blinding white salt flats. The phenomenon is that due to the perspective people and objects look like giants. The weather was superb and we had great fun and took some great photographs. We rounded off the day with a meal in a local restaurant. Judith had fried llama and rice with a side order of a boiled egg! The place was sparse and basic - bottles of pop teetered on the rickety wooden shelves and the owner worked from a small frying range, pulling out the chips with her bare hands. It was very authentic.
   
On the next day, we arrived in the mining town of Potosi. Potosi was a source of great wealth for colonial Spain, but of indescribable hardship for many Bolivians. It is the highest city in the world and was founded by the Spaniards in 1545 after they had discovered indigenous mine workings at Cerro Rico. Immense amounts of silver were once extracted, but as silver was found elsewhere, Potosi became little more than a ghost town. The demand for tin, however, saved Potosi from absolute poverty in the early 20th century until the prices slumped because of over supply. Mining still continues for tin, zinc, lead, antimony and wolfram. A large part of the town is colonial and we explored its twisting streets. Judith went local and purchased some stripey travelling trousers and a bright green jumper!
The next day we visited the Cerro Rico mine. The state mines were closed in the 1980s, but are now worked as co-operatives by small groups of miners. We certainly looked the part in our in bright red miner outfits - jackets, trousers, wellingtons, helmets and head torches! We all bought carrier bags of goodies to distribute to the miners. These contained biscuits, coca leaves, sticks of dynamite and detonators! We were a little apprehensive at the entrance to the mine. Our guide book reads of the mine that descending into its bowels is both physically and emotionally draining. We crouched along its passages where the air was dusty. We saw only a handful of miners at work, but they worked in appalling conditions. At one point the group split - we went on the adventurous route, i.e. clambering up passages using the holes in the walls for leverage and balance. In one place stands a devil statue, which the miners worship every Friday by bringing it gifts, including absynthe. We also witnessed a dynamite explosion from extremely close quarters. A miner lit the fuse wire and we sat in awe as it fizzled! Bob, our guide got rather worried and kept urging us to get of there. Eventually we retreated to a safe haven and heard the deafening explosion. On the way out of the mine we saw a boy of 15 toiling away. It made us appreciate our life and how lucky we are.
DESTINATION LA PAZ
On Saturday 25 October 2008 we had the adventure of a lifetime - a hair-raising and torturous ride 70km ride on a mountain bike down the world´s most dangerous road. The guide was fantastic and very professional. We listened to his instructions about how to ride the road, i.e. to look straight ahead and not to the left where the cliff sheers upto 400m! As we pedalled down the road the clouds lifted to reveal the stunning scenery - towering snow-capped peaks and steep forested slopes. It was stupendous. We had to be alert at all times and stopped regularly at various check points for food supplies and further instructions. The first few sections were on paved roads, but at 3,600m the paving gives way to all weather terrain, i.e. rocks and gravel. As we made the steep and twisting descent we saw various shrines dedicated to people who had lost their lives, as well as mangled wrecks of cars and trucks that had gone over thecliff edge! Waterfalls cascaded from great heights making the road wet and slippery in parts. It was only on the trip back up the road - in a minibus - that we realised the magnitude of what we had achieved. The cliffs just fell away! The llama tikka masala went down a treat that evening!
Three new people joined the trip in La Paz and we were shortly on our way to Cusco. En route we stayed in a little town called Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. It has a hippy feel and is geared up for tourists. We went trekking on the Isla Del Sol in preparation for the Inca trek. It was a scorching day as we trekked 14km through inca villages, inca terraces and ruins. The views were superb. We failed miserably, however, on the trek - Dan had a bad stomach and Judith was sick. Nevertheless we made it to the end, but were grateful as we descended to the port to catch a motorboat back to Copacabana. The descent was pretty steep and winding and at one point we passed porters going uphill laden with mounds and mounds of suitcases, which belonged to travellers staying on the island.
DESTINATION PERU - we left Bolivia and crossed the border into Peru. We stayed in a town called Puno on the North West shore of Lake Titicaca. We had a tour of the floating reed islands. The journey to reach the port was comical - we piled into cycle driven tuk-tuks and rattled down the streets clinging on for dear life. Health and safety did not come into it at all. We reached the port in one piece and boarded the Galapagos Express, which took us to the islands. The islands are constructed of reeds and are little more that floating souvenir stalls. It is, however, a poor existence for the people who live there. They fish, hunt birds and live off the lake plants and most importantly the reeds that they use for their boats and houses.
In the evening Judith ate the local delicacy - guinea pig! It came splayed with its back legs tied together, its head adorned with a carved tomato, and a carrot in its mouth!
On the way to Cusco we also visited the pre-Columbian funeral towers of Sillustani - a very mystical place. Shortly afterwards we were stopped by the police who tried to fine us for not wearing seat belts. Our guides pacified them by buying 6 raffle tickets off them - bizarre!
DESTINATION CUSCO AND THE SACRED VALLEY - WOW! We based ourselves in Cusco and got our kit ready for our trek to the Sacred Valley. We trekked for 4 days up and down mountains at altitude and camped out in the evenings. It was challenging, but, according to the guide, we were a fast group. We did some community work en route, i.e. we planted some trees! The scenery was unbelievable - high mounains that seemed to touch the sky, green valleys, clear rivers. It rained only once and we looked like hobbits as we traipsed along in ponchos in single file! We had porters and mules with us and they were superb. They set up the tents and cooked our meals, which were delicious. We had three good meals each day and even had afternoon tea. We do not know how they managed it.
After 4 days trekking we caught the train to Machu Picchu and it was definitely the icing on the cake. We were overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this once inca citadel - it just has to be seen to be believed. The ruins sit on the terraces of the steep slopes against the backdrop of the Andes moutains. It was a beautiful day - the mountain gods were being kind to us, although at one point they made their presence known when it thundered and lightened. Luckily it was too far away to affect us. We even manged to ascend a mountain called Waynu Picchu. It was very steep, but the panoramic view at the top was a sight to behold.
 
To round off the trek we had a fancy dress - the theme being super heroes. We hit the bars in Cusco, but there was only 3 of us in fancy dress, Judith being one of them! She was Inca Croft (a variation of Lara Croft), one lad was the Incredible Hulk and one lad Superman. We had a good night.
DESTINATION LIMA - Refreshed and replenished, we left Cusco on 7 November 2008 and made our way to Raqchi, the scene of the region´s folklore festival starting on 24 June when dancers come from all over Peru. When we arrived we were paired off with families for a homestay. Irma and Leonides were our hosts. They have three daughters, Emily aged 7, Tanya aged 15 and Judy aged 18 and a grandma. Their house was very basic, but they made us feel very welcome and we joined them for a lunch of quinoa soup and a meat and potato stew and coca leaf tea. We ate in the stone kitchen in cramped conditions, but were treated like royalty - we were given the best crockery. We sat at a two-seater table whilst the rest of the family were scattered around the kitchen - the grandma sat on the floor behind the kitchen door! In the evening the little boy next door joined us for dinner, so there was 9 of us in the kitchen feasting on soup, fried onions and meat and potatoes. We then made our way back to the small village dressed in traditional clothing and partied the night away. The villagers had a ceremony to wish us luck on our travels. It was a long ceremony, but very sincere. On the next day we said farewell to our hosts who gave us gifts of pottery. It was Jenny´s 23rd birthday, so the truck was decked out in school fashion - we had a tuck shop, a detention area, a dunce´s corner - you get the drift. We all had to adopt a persona - Judith was a computer geek and Dan the school captain! It was good schoolboy humour and kept us occupied on the way to Chivay.
Chivay is the gateway to Colca Canyon, which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. When we arrived at Chivay a few us were a little squiffy after having drunk the school punch! Nevertheless we had a dip in the hot springs and cavorted happily performing stunts on each others shoulders! Later that evening we celebrated Jenny´s birthday with a meal and a few drinks in an Irish bar.
The following day we made our way to Arequipa. En route we visited the Colca Canyon to see the condors. Unspoiled Andean villages lie on both sides of the canyon. The rumour was that the condors were due to rise on the morning thermals at 7.20am. We got to the viewpoint at 7.20am and waited and waited to see the majestic birds at close quarters. It was a little disappointing because we saw only two from far away.
We arrived in Arequipa late afternoon and settled into our hotel. Arequipa is a colonial city with its guardian volcano, El Misti. On either side of El Misti lay the mountains of Chachani and Pichu-Pichu - awesome. The city has fine Spanish buildings and many old and interesting churches. It is the main commercial centre for the South of Peru and has been declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. We drank and danced the first night away in a club called Deja Vu, which was full of dodgy geezers, one of which had his nose pressed up gainst the window!
The following day we saw some Inca mummies, including the frozen mummy known as Juanita found on Mount Ampata in 1995. She is fascinating and is so well preserved. She was a princess and was a child sacrifice at the age of 12 years. Most of her black hair is still intact, her hollow eyes stare from behind the glass case and her long teeth smile hauntingly.
We spent the afternoon on a city tour and took in various sights. These included the massive cathedral founded in 1612 and largely rebuilt in the 19th century. Inside there is a huge Belgian organ and an elaborately carved wooden pulpit. The guide drew back a large black curtain under the pulpit to reveal a sculpture of Lucifer. We also visited Santa Catalina Convent, which is shrouded in mystery. In times gone by the second eldest daughter of wealthy families were sent to the convent and had between 1 and 4 years to decide if they wanted to become a nun. The convent is a maze of cobbled streets and plazas painted in traditional white, orange, deep red and blue. We also saw some very fat guinea pigs housed in cages. You could choose which one you wanted for dinner - no wonder they scarpered when we peered into the cage!
On the following day we went downhill mountain biking again! This time we descended Chachani mountain. The terrain was tricky - rocks of all shapes and sizes stood in our way. We took it easy, but still made good time. The uphill section was tiring, especially at altitude and we had to dig in deep. At one point the guide diverted us to the jump section. It was black sand and Judith miscalculated and flew over the handlebars. The landing was soft and only her pride was hurt. She was filthy though, covered from head to foot in black sand. Dan stopped to take her photograph and then carried on! Toward the end of the ride, we had to keep together and cycle as fast as we could to avoid the wild dogs that attacked us from the roadside! We came through unscathed.
The small fishing port of Puerto Inca situated on the coast beckoned. As we dropped down in altitude we saw the magnificent sight of the Pacific Ocean, its waves crashing against the steep black cliffs. We made camp on the beach at Puerto Inca - a lovely setting - hammocks swinging in the breeze, old ruins on the hillside, a sandy beach and huge crashing waves. Some of the locals challenged us to a game of football, so we accepted. The pitch was on sand, which was very gritty. Judith slid in for a tackle and came off worse - a huge sand burn on her shin! The game finished 8-8! We finished the day in style with a beach BBQ, a few drinks and some beach games.
On Thursday 13 November we arrived in Nazca and set up camp and then it was off to fly the NAZCA LINES, i.e. geoglyphs in the Peruvian desert depicting animals, birds, objects and parallel lines. Mystery surrounds about who made them and how they drew them and why. The 30 minute flight over the lines was very good. We saw the whale, the astronaut, the dog, the monkey, the spider, the hands, the tree, the condor, the parrott and the humming bird.
The following day started off with a visit to the valley of the mummies at Chauchilla cemetery. It was a chilling place. Hundreds of mummies lay in open tombs looking rather macabre with their sunken faces, hollow eyes, long hair and in the foetal position. That afternoon we arrived in Ica, an oasis in the desert, and boarded some dune buggies. We had great fun driving up and down the giant sand dunes. It was thrilling like a roller coaster ride. We disembarked from the buggies and went sand boarding down the dunes. Laying on our bellies we gripped the boards and hurtled down the dunes using our legs for steering. It was good fun. As the sun went down we set up camp in the dunes. some people had tents, but we decided to sleep in just our sleeping bags under the stars. The stars were shining and the air was warm - a good experience, although the sand got everywhere!
 
Bob the Dragoman guide celebrated his 28th birthday on 15 November, so we decorated Carmen the truck with balloons and the like and set off for Lima. Then disaster struck - Carmen spluttered and let out a huge bang - her br4akes had overheated and she burst a tyre! The fire extinguisher was used and we all had to board a local bus to take us to Lima. Rob, the other Dragoman guide had to stay behind to repair Carmen. We arrived in Lima in mid-afternoon and helped Bob to clebrate his birthday with a trip to the bowling alley and a meal at Tony Romas.
Carmen made it to Lima and was in fine fettle for the onward journey North of Lima.
If you are still awake and still reading we will see you in Ecuador.
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