Macchu Picchu and Lake Titicaca
Trip Start
Jul 27, 2004
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29
120
Trip End
Dec 13, 2006
Cusco, Peru
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
In Cusco we headed for the quieter San Blas area - not as many 'gringos' here, probably because of the 10min steep uphill climb to get there
01 Around Cusco
. We stayed at the Miradorcito (25 Soles / 4 UK pounds a night) where Elena the friendly owner made us feel welcome and looked after us. On our first day we explored the town which still has lots of Inca foundations recognisable by the huge stones which are fitted together perfectly - one wall has stones shaped into a Puma (Inca symbol of power). The town also has ancient convents, museums & churches which give an insight into the Inca culture. The following day we walked up to Sacsayhuaman which is a large well-preserved Inca ruin overlooking Cusco. We were approached by a local man who offered us a ride on his horses and so we spent 3 1/2hrs visiting 4 other Inca sites in the beautiful surrounding scenery. Our guide with the horses was his 10yr old son who chatted away to us in Spanish and had a stick to 'encourage' the horses in the right direction. The other sites we visited included Inca caves, altars, baths & lookouts - not a bad deal for 15 Soles each (2 UK pounds).We left Cusco the next day and headed for Ollantaytambo (2hrs by bus / 4 Soles) where we spent a day looking around town and ruins which are on a steep hillside above. We then lazed in the sunshine in the plaza waiting for our train later that night. Later in the afternoon we watched the locals playing football on a pitch which had an Inca wall and canal along one edge. The team shirts were Aston Villa v Glasgow Rangers and I swear that Glasgow Rangers had Nicolas Anelka playing for them - you heard it here first!
02 Sacsayhuaman Ruins
! At 8pm we got the train to Aguas Calientes (US$12 each) which is the town closest to Macchu Picchu. We booked a hotel for 2 nights and next morning took the 6.30bus (US6 / 25mins)up to Macchu Picchu itself to explore the most famous Inca ruins of them all. We climbed up to the Funerary Rock which has a great view of the whole site and watched it appear as the morning mist cleared. We then headed down into the buildings and rooms themselves and got more good views of the Rio Urubamba. We met up with Joseph again and climbed Wayna Picchu which is the large green mountain overlooking the site.. a very steep 1hour climb but worth it for more view and the isolation. A further 2hours was spent hiking to the Temple of the Moon and back where we had a picnic of avocado & salad sandwiches and fruit. We then looked around the rest of the site including a large sundial and an altar rock which supposedly gives you energy (you need it - its a long day!). Feeling energised we skipped the expensive bus down and walked which took about an hour.. the last part before the town was along the river which was raging due to overnight rain. Back in Aguas Calientes we had some good food at the local 'mercado' and then later on treated ourselves to a pisco sour each (the traditional Peruvian drink).The following day we had planned to walk back to Ollantaytambo (about 24km) but we were really tired from yesterday (the altar rock obviously didn't work) so we went to the train station at 5.45am and got the last 2 seats on the train back
03 Ollaytaytambo
. We then got a bus back to Cusco and had a lazy day watching the English footy in an Irish bar, getting our clothes laundered (a luxury!) and having a few beers.We left Cusco early the next day and caught the locals bus to Puno, a 6hr bus ride which was lots better than the last one as we got the front 2 seats on the upper deck - even had room to put our feet up on the rucksacks!! In Puno we stayed at a great hotel called the Don Tito (25 Soles a night / 4 UK pounds) where we got a lovely room and cable tv. Puno is on the edge of Lake Titicaca which is one of the highest in the world at 3,820m. The day after we went on a tour to the floating islands where the Uros people live - they build the islands from reeds and as the bottom rots away they build a new layer on top! They also have canoe shaped boats made of the same reeds and so we took a ride on one to a neighbouring island... they leak a bit so glad we didnt go too far! We then visited the island of Taquile where the locals dress colourfully and there are fabulous views across the blue lake to the snow capped Andes in the distance. From that island we then had a leisurely 3hr return journey back to Puno. A very relaxing day.. even more so as we didn't have to bother taking pictures.. the camera batteries had been left in the hotel - ooooooops!!!!!!!!
From Puno we took a local bus to the border at Yanguyo and crossed into Bolivia where the Bolivian immigration would only give us a 30day stamp - an incentive not to stay in one place too long
04 Peruvian woman and child at Ollantaytambo
! We then caught another bus to Copacabana (altogether now... "her name was Lola, she was a showgirl....." which is another village by the lakeside. Our hotel the Mirador lived up to its name as we had great views across the lake from our LUXURY room at a cost of 50 Bolivianos (3 1/2 UK pounds) - we like Bolivia already!!! The afternoon was taken up with watching live Champions League Football (victories for Chelski and AC Milan) lots of beers and a huge pizza at Nemo's bar.The following day we left for La Paz which (in typical Bolivian style) had been stricken by protests and roadblocks for the last 4 days... no buses getting in or out!! The locals in town however assured us that we would be able to get through.........
