La Paz

Got into Bolivia's capital a few hours ago and it's absolutely mental! The hotel I'm staying at is smack-bang in the city centre, and the place is swarming with people. Wandered around for an hour trying to get my bearings, which is proving to be quite difficult. Saw an absolutely dreadful sight on the way into La Paz. We were driving through the outskirts of the city, when I looked out the window. Some guy was crossing a relatively busy road, but just as he was about to step on the curb, a car clipped his legs. It was driving reasonably fast so the impact was huge - the guy was projected a few metres forward and was just lying lifeless on the side of the road. I don't think he survived the crash... Horrible.

Copacabana - not the Brazilian one

Lake Titicaca is so much more beautiful from the Bolivian side - I watched a spectacular sunset this evening. The border crossing from Peru was surprisingly quick and painless, although they only gave us a tourist visa for 30 days, which means we'll have to extend it when we get to La Paz. Our plans are changing by the day - at the moment we're considering sacrificing 2 weeks of conservation work and spending some time in the Bolivian Amazon. I've been reading about these 4-day wildlife tours which sound brilliant. I mean, when else would you get to see capuchin and howler monkeys, caiman, capybaras and possibly anacondas in their natural environment? Plenty to look forward to.

Empty Promises

Just a few notes on the presidential elections here in Peru. I was completely mistaken when I mentioned May 7th as the date of the second round - it's actually June 4th. Shame I won't be in Peru to see the outcome, although from what I've heard from people and read in newspapers there won't be any big surprises. The two presidential candidates are ex-president Alan Garcia, whose term in the late 80's had disastrous consequences for the economy and general well-being of the Peruvian people. His opponent is Humala Ollanta, a military general who has most definitely committed a few human rights abuses in his time as a military 'leader'. Go figure... Peruvians have to pick the lesser of two evils. Polls show that Garcia has a huge lead over Ollanta. It wouldn't surprise me if the whole thing was rigged... in the last month I've seen a disproportionately large amount of political propaganda favouring Garcia. Believe me, Peru is a very passionate country when it comes to political matters - every little village, no matter how small or remote, has voiced its opinion in some way or another. Graffiti is everywhere. Whatever the outcome, the future of Peru doesn't look very bright...

The White City

Arequipa is a pretty little town. When I say little, I mean it has 1 million inhabitants, although you wouldn't guess it from the size of the town centre - all the touristy stuff is located within close proximity. The day we arrived, Monday, there was some sort of strike going on - all the minibus drivers had parked their cars behind one another, forming very long lines and making it impossible for any traffic to pass through the centre. From what I gathered it was a strike against the council - Arequipenans are still unhappy about being controlled by central government in Lima. At one point (don't know how long ago it was) Arequipa actually designed its own flag and passports as a sign of their supposed independence, with minimal success. Unlucky! The city definitely has a unique, non-Peruvian feel to it though. The name 'White City' is derived from the fact that most of the (colonial) buildings were built from sillar, or white volcanic rock. It makes for quite an impressive sight, especially around the plaza. There are still several active volcanoes in the surrounding area. No major eruptions, however. Earthquakes have posed a bit more of a problem - a recent quake (2001) destroyed one of the bell towers of the Cathedral. In the Colca Canyon, a few hours drive from Arequipa, a major quake in 1991 turned many of the little villages along the canyon to piles of rubble. It's amazing to think that the whole region is still so active geologically... I guess it's a phenomenon we're not familiar with in Europe.

Anywho, enough facts, on to the more exciting stuff. In Arequipa we met up with Shelley and Dave, two people we met through the trek, so it was cool organising things with them. It's bizarre how often you bump into people you recognize when you go travelling. On our second to last day in Arequipa, we bumped into two more people we met on the trek! It's a small world. Actually, it happened again today. We went on tour of some of the islands around Lake Titicaca, and saw some Israelis on the trip we recognised from Cusco. We don't even know them that well - they just came up to us in Cusco to ask if we could recommend a hostel. Certain faces just stand out I suppose. Six degrees of separation my arse. More like three or four.

The first day in Arequipa we explored the city and booked a few tours, one to the Colca Canyon (to watch condors) and one to go white-water rafting. Both were well worth it, especially rafting - some of the rapids were quite intense and like the sandboarding, it was an incredible adrenaline rush. One of the trainee-coaches in the back of the raft managed to get us stuck on a rock, and we nearly sank the damn thing trying to get it to come unstuck! Hilarious. The Colca Canyon trip ended up being more of an adventure, in the sense that there's more of a story to tell. Riduclously early start to day - pick up from the hostel was at 1.30 A.M. Now, normally we were supposed to get off at a place called Chivay to have some 'complementary' breakfast, but we slept through the stop. Instead we carried on for another 1 1/2 hours, past the Condor viewpoint (which was the next stop on the tour), before we realised the gravity of our mistake. We got off the bus in the middle of nowhere and walked back to the Condor viewpoint, which fortunately only took 30 minutes. Mind you, this was at 7 a.m. and it was bloody freezing! Eventually we managed to find out guide, but she was none too pleased... Anywho, we saw the condors, so all worked out well in the end! There were about 6 or 7 of them, gliding on the morning thermals. It's impossible to explain how enormous these birds actually are: adults have a wing-span of up to 3 metres! A spectacular sight, particularly because they flew overhead several times. Immense. Afterwards we had a few photo-stops to admire the scenery, also fairly impressive. Got a glimpse of vicunas driving through a reserve on the way back to Arequipa. They're a close relative of the llama and alpaca, but are a wild species, not domestic. Good daytrip, but exhausting.

On our last day in Arequipa we went to a mummy museum which was really interesting. In the last 2 decades quite a few Inca mummies have been discovered on the peaks of mountains in the surrounding area - apparently young girls and boys (chosen at birth) were sacrificed to the gods when they became angry (i.e. when a volcano was about to erupt). Juanita is the most important of these mummies, because she's actually a frozen body instead of a mummy - it was that well preserved. In the afternoon we caught a bus to Puno, which is where we are now. As I mentioned before we saw Lake Titicaca today, which is beautiful once Puno dissapears from view. The tour gave an interesting overview of the lifestyle of the natives on the islands (Los Uros, or the floating islands, and Taquile island), but I struggle to see how these people can cling on to their cultural norms and values - especially when 'exploitation' from the tourist industry is so strong and they're all too happy to accept the income. It doesn't even provide that much of financial boon - people still rely on their traditional ways to get by with some degree of comfort. Taking photos of locals felt like being at a zoo snapping pics of the animals. Sometimes I hate being a tourist.

Right, that about sums it up for now. Tomorrow's our last day in Peru before crossing the border to Copacabana. Bolivia, here we come...

Going Nowhere Fast

The overnight bus to Arequipa last night didn't happen. Cat came down with a vicious fever, so she really wasn't in a state to travel (or to get out of bed for that matter). A doctor came by to check everything out and the drugs he prescribed seemed to have done the trick. So we're leaving tonight instead. Cusco is a beautiful place and all, but a change of scene will be refreshing.

Virtual Insanity

Apparently there's some sort of virus going around from my email account, so for those of you have received 10 or more of the same messages please ignore them! I have the feeling it has something to do with the computers I've been using in the internet cafes here but I can't be 100% sure. Apologies in advance. Thanks Claire and Marek for letting me know!

March of Death

Just a quick note to say that I returned from the trek in one piece! The whole thing was absolutely brilliant: the scenery was amazingly lush and diverse, and the group we were travelling with was fantastic. Many good memories. Machu Picchu was a revelation... it has to be seen to be believed, and words cannot accurately describe the sense of awe that dawns on you as you walk through the place. A rewarding sight after 4 long days of hiking. Details yet to come. It seems as though the trek and a few heavy nights of drinking since our return to Cusco have really taken a toll on our immune system - Cat and me are both suffering from some sort of near-bronchital cough. It's all part of it I suppose. Nightlife in Cusco is a bizarre experience - at every corner of the main plaza you get bombarded by groups of promoters for certain bars who hand out free drinks tickets. Which essentially means that if you play the 'circuit' right, every night could be an incredibly cheap one. There's an all-around friendly vibe - backpackers looking for a good time are never in short supply.

Plans for the next few days: we're departing for Arequipa tomorrow (another overnight bus journey) where we hope to do some white water rafting as well as venturing into the Colca Canyon. Apparently it's twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. Just imagine. After that it's onwards to Puno, a Peruvian town which borders on Lake Titicaca.

Cusco - First Impressions

The 14-hour bus ride was a nightmare. Not only were the seats crap, we were allowed a 5-minute toilet stop only after 9 and a half hours of driving. There was actually a toilet on the bus, but we could use it for number 1's only, not number 2's. Ridiculous.

What I've seen of Cusco so far is wonderful. The architecture is amazing; colonial churches and cathedrals remain remarkably intact and are dotted around the whole city. It's a really imposing sight, especially at nighttime. Strangely enough the conquistadores decided to built all of their churches on top of old Inca temple remains, so often you find a foundation made of collosal blocks of rock and the rest built in a typical European style. Bizarre. Speaking of Europe, the majority of the streets in the city centre are cobbled roads. At times it reminds me a bit of Brussels... Also, the plazas here are much more grandiose than any others I've seen so far. The city has a good vibe to it. Lots of backpackers about, and there's plenty to do at night. I could quite happily stay here for a week.

I've spent the last two days psyching myself up for the Inca Trail trip. We leave early tomorrow morning - pick up from the hostel between 4.30 and 5 a.m. Ouch. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small sacrifice to make. The whole trip lasts 5 days and 4 nights, so I can look forward a lot of hiking. The grand finale is Machu Picchu on the last day. I'm feeling both the nerves and the excitement. We'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck and see you on the other side!

Dune action

We spent the last two days in Huacachina, an oasis in the middle of the desert, 5 minutes´drive from the centre of Ica. It´s a haven for backpackers and an ideal place to chill out and take a break from sight-seeing. Peruvians come up on weekends to escape the monotony of everyday life. Surrounding the lake are countless number of hostels and tourist restaurants as well as some bars. Huge sand dunes overlook the village on all sides. ´Village´isn´t really an appropriate term though; the place is that small. Although you can swim in the lake (its sulphurous water is meant to give you "positive energy" for some bizarre reason), most people prefer to spend their time by the poolside of their hostel. Which is exactly what we did! I constantly had to remind myself that we were in Peru, and not in some holiday resort on the Spanish coast. And when we weren´t relaxing at the hostel, we were out sandboarding on the dunes! It´s a real adrenaline rush. And it hurts slightly less than snowboarding. The only downside is climbing back up the dune which is hard work. But since we went on a organised trip we didn´t have to bother with that! You get taken to various "slopes" in sandbuggies. The ride in the buggy is an adventure in itself - kind of like a rollercoaster but slightly less intense. Definitely the most fun I´ve had since I´ve been in Peru.

I´m writing this entry on the move. We´re having a brief stopover in Nasca while waiting for the overnight bus to Cuzco. It´s a long one: without delays, the journey will take approximately 13 hours. There was talk of staying in Nasca for a night, but we figured it was better to give ourselves a day or two to acclimatise in Cuzco and to prepare our stuff for the Inca Trail hike. However, we´re not actually following the official trail - only 500 people are allowed on the trail at any one time, and since high-season is approaching fast, tours fill up pretty quickly. Instead we´re taking an alternative route, which also ends up at Machu Picchu and is about half the price of the normal one. Bargain! More on that very soon...

Lima - Part Deux

Back in Lima after a long, restless overnight bus journey. It feels nice to return to somewhere familiar (we're staying at the same hostel). However, there seems to be no-one else around. We've practically got the whole place to ourselves! Achieved very little today, probably the result of a fragmented night's sleep. Call it cultural apathy if you will. It's nice to do nothing once in a while.

The tour yesterday was brilliant. Again, the scenery was mindblowing - more rolling hills and grassland than snow-capped mountains though. As I mentioned before, the Andes are immense. Puts any mountain range in Europe to shame. The ruins were really impressive, but like the Llaganuco lagoon, the setting is what really did it for me. It's difficult to put into words.

Next destination: Ica.

Here's a map of Peru to give you of an idea of where we actually are:

Andes

So I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Huaraz, and it's raining. Hard. After a couple of beautiful days in the Andes the weather seems to be taking a turn for the worse. Went on a guided tour yesterday to Llaganuco, one of several lagoons which is located between two of the tallest mountains in the whole of Peru, Huandoy and Huascaran (the latter being the tallest). The water has a brilliant turqoise colour and the view is just immense. That goes for the whole area. It's breathtaking - endless stretches of mountains cloud the horizon. There's just too much to take in. The guide was Spanish-speaking only though, so it definitely put my knowledge to the test! Stopped off at several villages in the region, but they all look the same to me. I'm sure there's minute cultural differences, but it's hard to spot them. I've noticed that the hat shape and sizes are different but that's about all. For some bizarre reason they're absolutely obsessed with ice cream in Peru! You find vendors everywhere, even in the smallest of places.

We're doing another tour tomorrow, this time to the ruins of Chavin de Huantar. Apparently the Chavin culture was one of the oldest established pre-Inca civilisations and all the fortresses and temples are still intact, so it should be quite impressive. As soon as we return from the trip, we're heading south again to Lima, just for one day, before continuing southwards along the Peruvian coastline. Much to look forward to! We already have an Inca Trail tour booked for the 12th of May, so not long now before we get to see the beast that is Machu Picchu..

Lost In Translation

After an action-packed 5 days in Lima, we've decided to escape the crowd and head somewhere slightly more remote. Big cities are always overwhelming. Last night we took the overnight bus to Huaraz, a central town in the Cordillera Blanca, a mountain range within the Andes. The scenery is absolutely stunning. The town itself is situated at 3000 metres above sea level (no altitude sickness yet), but a lot of the snowcapped mountains reach well over 6000 metres. Not that we have any intention of climbing them! They filmed Touching The Void here, you know. The plan is to go on several day trips to some of the most important sights within the area. The cultural differences between Huaraz and Lima are already noticeable, especially in the clothes that women wear: very traditional multi-coloured skirts and elongated hats. Not many people speak English around here, so hopefully we'll pick up quite a bit of Spanish. Communicating what we want isn't all that difficult, it's just when they reply I have no clue what they´re going on about!