November 9, 2005
Machu Picchu
We woke up a little before 5:00am and were shortly downstairs where the owners of the hostel had breakfast ready to go. We checked out but they let us store our bags in a backroom as our train did not leave until 5:00 in the evening.
We arrived at the bus stop at about 5:20 but there was already a huge line. At 5:30 they started filling up the buses and we made it on the 3rd one which left at 5:45. The ride took about 30 minutes and is spectacular in and of itself. The bus climbs switch back roads higher and higher into the mountain range of towering peaks. As we made our way up I commented to Em that the hikers must hate all the people like us that take the easy way out with the train and then the bus up to the site. The hikers arrive at Machu Picchu exhausted after 4 days of hiking only to find the place full of tourists who had a good night sleep and a morning coffee and still beat them to Machu Picchu.
Once there we headed directly up to the area of the ruins where you can take the classic photo overlooking the site. One retired couple got there the same time as we did, and there was another young couple sitting on a rock taking in the view, but for the most part we had the place to ourselves. The fog was rolling in and out below us. It was amazing.
Next we headed higher up and realized there were llamas roaming the site too. Em got some pictures of them and some more of the view. For the next few hours we continued to explore the site as more and more people began to arrive. Machu Picchu is hands down the most impressive ruins I have visited yet. I encourage everyone to head over and to take a look at the pictures, although as good as they are, they are not going to do it justice.
At about 10:00 we decided to hike up Huachu Picchu, one of the peaks that sits directly behind Machu Picchu. It was a strenuous hike that took about an hour but it was well worth it. Atop the peak there were workers restoring more ruins. One of them, who was a pretty rotund guy, bragged that he made it up every morning in 20 minutes. “You’re in better shape than I am” I conceded.
Once we made it to the summit we sat there for about an hour and just watch massive clouds pass one-by-one over Machu Picchu below. It was well worth the hike. We finally made our way back down. Passing people on their way up I felt like saying “I don’t envy the hike your about to do”. I couldn’t believe how many steps we had climbed.
When we left the site to catch a bus back to Aguascalientes, it was pouring rain, the lines were long, and there were mobs of people flowing in. We definitely made the right choice getting here early.
Back in town we grabbed some lunch and sent off some postcards before we were back on the train heading towards Cuzco. The train, though, didn’t get into Cuzco until 9:45. We had to be on a bus to Bolivia at 10:00pm so it was just cutting it too close.
Instead we exited the train in Ollatantambo, the small town where we caught the train on the way up and grabbed a taxi back to Cuzco to cut more than an hour off the journey. Out driver was actually a elementary school teacher, but tried to look for passengers after classes to make some extra cash.
We arrived at the bus station and got 2 of the 6 remaining seats on the bus. We had dinner in the bus station at a small place run by a woman with four kids. They were ages 4, 7, 9, and 14 and all kept us entertained during dinner. We started a family feud between the two middle children as after the meal we left a banana we had from earlier in the day that we were not going to eat. The 7-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother both dove for it and started wrestling over it before mom jumped in and said that everyone would share it tomorrow for breakfast.
When we were back in the terminal we were informed that our bus would be delayed for 30 minutes to an hour because of some mechanical problems. Another 20 minutes passed and we found out that it had actually been canceled. The agents were scrambling to try to find another bus as other passengers were getting frantic. One guy had a flight from La Paz the next day and the options they were giving us didn’t give him much hope of making it.
In the end, instead of a sleeper bus leaving at 10:00, everyone crammed into a regular bus that departed for Puno (a town near the border) at midnight. It was really hard getting some sleep on the bus but at least we had seats. The isle was packed with people who were not as fortunate as us.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:40 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 8, 2005
Where there’s a Market… There’s a Way
The bus was supposed to get into Cuzco at 5:00am, which we hopped would give us enough time to possibly get tickets for one of the trains to Aguascalients, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. It turns out we were an hour late. When we were getting off the bus we could hear the first train leaving so I knew it was going to be hopeless to catch the last train at 6:30am. Our book made clear that tickets were not sold at the station, but on the other side of town, so it just didn’t leave us enough time. It also said to get the tickets as far in advance as possible as the train normally sold out.
I’d lost hope until I started talking with a taxi driver outside the station. We could be in Aguascalientes before 11:00am if we trusted him, he said. According to him we could take a collective to a town about 1.5 hours away and then jump on the train there. He was sure there would be seats. He said he could take us for 40 soles but it would be a better deal to take a collectivo which would cost 10. When we arrived at the location the collectivos were departing he even helped us negotiate the price.
Soon we were making our way through the Andes with 6 other Peruvians packed into a small car. I talked about Fujimori’s (a former president of Peru with a questionable legacy) recent arrest with the other passengers. I wanted to know why the guy just didn’t stay in Japan where he was in exile. I mean, didn’t he know he would be arrested? He knew, they assured me, and they said there was no doubt that Fujimori was the person who made sure all the media was there when he got off the plane in Chile. It was simply a publicity stunt as rumor has it he plans to run again in the upcoming presidential election.
One of the passengers was on his way to be a porter for tourists walking the 4-day Inca Trail. I asked him the weight limit for the tourist bags he had to carry. It was 20 kilos. That is the same weight as my backpack which is pretty damn heavy. We talked more about Peru and his job until we dropped him off a plaza where a group of other porters were waiting. He also worked in the main office and had to talk with them first about a new insurance policy the company had purchased before they all were off to meet the hikers.
We arrived at the train station right before a huge group got there. Everyone was cutting in line but the woman yelling at people in front of us and Em’s evil glares made sure we stayed up near the front. Before long we had tickets to Aguascalientes and a return trip tomorrow. We jumped on the train at 9:05am and were in Aguascalientes before 11:00am, just like the original taxi driver had assured us.
We checked into the another nice hostel that was right by the town’s river. We are splurging a bit on accommodations of late, but after all this traveling I feel we need it. Once we got settled we headed to the hot springs in the town. They were located right up the river from our hotel and were similar to the ones in Baños, but less crowded.
Next we grabbed some food in town, changed some travelers checks (there are no ATMs in town), and caught up on some email.
Tonight we took it easy and got to bed somewhat early as tomorrow we have to catch the 5:30am bus to Machu Picchu.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:36 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 7, 2005
Andean Condors... and then off to Cuzco
We’re really going non-stop but hanging in there better than I would have expected. This morning we were up early and by 6:30 were on a bus to go see Andean condors at the Cruz del Condor overlooking the Cañon del Colca. Luckily, they were flying today and we got some picture and video of them. They are the largest birds of prey in the world with wingspans of up to11 feet, so it was something special to see them up-close. Even without the condors, the site where they nest is spectacular in and of itself. The viewing platforms are right on the edge of a canyon that drops off thousands of feet to a river below. We stayed at the site for about 2 hours and then caught a bus heading towards Chivay.
We told the bus operator selling tickets that we wanted to get off at one of the small towns to get a feel for the area. He said if we would like they could drop us off in Yanque, about 20 minutes outside of Chivay. His bus was departing from Chivay to Arequipa at 12:30 so we could buy tickets with him now then catch a colectivo back to Chivay after exploring the town for a few hours. Better yet, he would keep our big bags in the bus so we wouldn’t have to haul them around in the small town. It worked for us so we got off in Yanque a little after 10:00.
Exploring the Andean highland town was interesting. There was a large church that we toured off the main plaza that was being refurbished by several workers who showed us around. Outside, we walked to the outskirts, which turned into fields of various crops. A good deal of the crops growing were small plants with leafs identical to the coca leaves I’d had the night before in my tea after dinner. It is really amazing how much wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars goes into destroying that plant.
In one of the fields we stopped and talked with a young man who was helping his mother take his grandparents cattle and donkeys out area to get them water. They were actually his grandparents animals but they were now too old to care for them alone so the rest of the family helped. The field was not theirs but they rented it from someone else in the town for grazing the animals, as did others who had livestock.
He was nervous speaking to us at first, he explained, as Spanish was not his first language which was Quechua. We were obviously in the same boat so there was nothing for him to worry about. We took a photo together and then said goodbye as we were about to head back into town. We realized he was having a harder time than us saying farewell as he said things like “Well, maybe I’ll see you later on this evening in town if you decide to come back” and when we said that no, unfortunately we were heading to Arequipa but maybe one day we would travel back to Peru, maybe with kids, and see him then. Or possibly one he would travel to the states and look see us there. “Well, we’ll see each other then…” not wanting the encounter to come to an end. Living in this small town in the Andes I’m sure he was not used to people coming in and out of his life.
We realized that we are getting so used to meeting great people that we might never see again in our lives. It was a much sadder feeling at the beginning of the trip but of late we are getting more and more numb to it. It helps that we hand out our card to so many people that has our email, website, phone number, and address in the U.S. Hopefully we will keep in contact with as many people as possible, but time will tell.
We caught a collective back to Chivay and then were on the bus back to Arequipa. Once again we made our way over the steep Andean passes surrounded by vicuña, llama and alpaca, but luckily this time nobody fainted.
Once back in Arequipa we had dinner at another restaurant overlooking the plaza and by 8:00 we were on yet another overnight bus on our way to Cuzco. If all goes according to plan we should arrive at 5:00am, which will give us enough time to catch the 6:00am train to Machu Picchu.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:32 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 6, 2005
Arequipa to Cabanabonde via Cañon del Colca
Despite the fact we spent so much time on buses today we actually got to see a good deal.
We arrived in Arequipa about 7:00 am and after buying our tickets for the 11:45 bus to Cabanaconde, we headed into town to have some breakfast. After eating we had a few hours to explore the small town, which I realized is actually the home town of Mario Vargas Llosa. At 11:30 we were back at the bus station and shortly traveling once again.
The scenery on the 7 hour journey to Cabanaconde was spectacular. One of the highlights was that we got to see vicuñas for the first time. At one point we were so high up crossing some of the Andean peaks that a Belgian woman on the bus fainted from altitude.
Passing through the various small mountain towns also got me thinking about how this area was most likely affected by the Shining Path in the not so distant past. If anyone is interested, I’d recommend Mario Vargas Llosa’s Death in the Andes for an interesting perspective of the Path’s dark history in Peru.
Most of the small towns we passed were especially unique due to the Incan terraced farming techniques that cut into the steep hillsides. Em actually got some great pictures of the scenery as we would momentarily stop to pick up new passengers. Also impressive was the steep drop-offs into the canyon as the bus ascended into the Andes.
Finally, as it was getting dark, we entered tiny Cabanaconde and 10 minutes later we had checked into a nice hostel. We had dinner off the main square at a small restaurant with only one set menu. Luckily it was delicious. We are both feeling the altitude but as of yet no signs of altitude sickness. Hopefully, if we keep avoiding the alcohol and taking things easy like the book recommends we’ll be okay.
Tomorrow we’ll be up early to see the condors. They better show up after all this traveling. Oh... and one more thing. Our laptop screen cracked on the bumpy bus ride up here. It's still usable but it doesn't look good.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:29 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 5, 2005
Change of plans
After breakfast and paying for another night at the hotel we decided to map out exactly what our schedule was for the next two weeks. We need to be in Miramar, Argentina by Nov 18th which doesn’t leave us much time for Peru and Bolivia.
Once we put it all on paper we decided we needed to leave today. Em, who worked in the Genetics division of the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, wants to see the Andean condors located in the south of Peru. One of the major projects she participated in at CRES dealt with saving the California condor, a close relative, so it should be fun to see one in the wild.
Our first stop will be Arequipa then onto Cabanaconde where the condors are located. So quickly, we had to inform the hotel owner we would be leaving and took a taxi downtown to buy the bus tickets.
After getting the bus tickets we headed to Lima´s historical center as we had a few hours to spare. As soon as we sat down on the steps outside the main cathedral a guy tried to steal Em’s bag. Luckily he grabbed it as I was looking directly at him and all I had to do was yell to stop him cold in his tracks. He handed the bag back and scurried off as a security guard from the church came over to make sure everything was alright.
After that little adventure we toured the cathedral which housed the remains of Francisco Pizara. I had just read all about him, the Incas, and Cajamarca in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel so it gave this historical sight a bit more perspective. Next, we continued to walk around for the city center for a few hours, this time with our bags constantly closely guarded. It looks like a beautiful city, it is unfortunate that we have so little time here and have to move on so quickly.
On the taxi ride back to the hotel and then to the bus station we had a lively but friendly discussion about U.S. and Peruvian politics with the driver. Our back and forth over free-trade, the Summit of the Americas, and the FTA was particularly interesting. I’ll hopefully get into more detail about the subject in an essay but it is suffice to say here that while he agreed with me with regards to the moral arguments of free-trade, he was not convinced that it would benefit Peru.
At 5:30 we were on the bus and on our way to Arequipa. The bus ride was something to behold. One of the highlights was that they had everyone on the bus play bingo and the winner gets a free return ticket. The guy that won even had to give a speech. Hilarious. Hopefully the buses we are on tomorrow will be just as entertaining.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:27 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 4, 2005
Into Peru
We woke up on the bus and a few hours later had arrived in Lima. Once we had our bags we said goodbye to the various people we had met during the journey and were soon in a taxi on our way to Miraflores.
We found a nice hostel that was near the cliffs right by the sea. As Em got ready I set out to get our clothes washed and get some money out of the bank. A few blocks from the hostel I found a bank. Oddly, only dollars come out of the ATMs and there are two or three money changers waiting to exchange the dollars for sols outside. It was easy enough but I don’t understand why the bank doesn’t just give you soles. When I asked the money changer for an explanation he replied “That’s just the way it is.” I guess I’ll look into it later.
I briefly checked email after I dropped off the laundry. It is going to take me a while to catch up on everything I received. Dora Ampuero cc’d me on a list of contacts throughout South America she had introduced Emily and I to. It looks like they are going to work out great.
Needing to stretch our legs after the long bus ride we decided to take a walk along the cliffs towards the center of Miraflores. It really is a beautiful part of city. Everyone was incredibly friendly. Multiple people stopped us to chat and give us advice about Lima. One guy we met said we couldn’t leave the city without trying the cibiche (it’s spelled with a ‘b’ in Peru). He pointed us to a good cebicheria where Em and I got a good early meal.
We walked around town a bit more afterwards and headed into a book store where I bought another Mario Vargas Llosa book. This one was not a novel but instead his diaries from a 12-day visit to Iraq in 2003. It should be interesting.
Tonight for dinner we ended up at a place that was fancier than we expected. Outside, we realized it was a higher end steakhouse, but once we were in we realized that almost everyone was in suit and ties (we were still in the clothes we had worn on the bus…the water was out at the lavanderia and so our clothes wont be ready until tomorrow).
The food was great though and they didn’t seem to care too much about our scraggly appearance. On the way out they even gave us a complementary ash tray from the place as a souvenir. I don’t know if I’ll ever use it but I loved the gesture.
Posted by Peter Mork at 1:23 PM | Comments | TrackBack
November 3, 2005
Back from Galapagos
When we arrived at the hostel yesterday we were lucky enough to get the last room they had available. As we were checking in another couple came to the door but the owner told them they were booked. It was odd though, the whole place seemed empty.
When we returned to the hostel after dinner there were about 20 kids in the lobby, some finishing up dinner. We learned that besides us, there were two soccer teams from Quito sharing the place. Talking to one of the players this morning we learned that one is a team of 9 year olds, while the other is a team of 14 year-olds. Today the 14 year-olds are playing for the national championship for their age division. I actually remembered seeing something about it in the sports section of the paper yesterday. We got a picture of David, one of the players we met, holding up a picture of the sports section of the paper that announced they were in the finals right before we left the hotel and he headed off to his game.
We arrived at the bus station early to make sure we could get a seat on the overnight bus to Lima. Yesterday when we came to the office it was closed due to the holiday. Luckily we were able to get seats and at 11:30 were on our way to Lima on the top story of a double-decker bus.
The rest of the day that is where we were. We got advice about Lima from the lady next to us who was lived in Miraflores. We also talked judo with a 9 year old Pedro and his mom. They were from Guayaquil and heading down to Lima for the International Judo Championships. Sounded like fun. There was also a nice couple from England on the ride who were also doing the round the world with backpacks for a year. They were just a month into their journey as their first stop was South America.
Crossing the border was relatively easy. Customs in Lima took quite a while but in the waiting room they had the movie Blood Sport on TV which made it go quick. Before long we were asleep in our recliner bus seats, ready to explore yet another country.