Back home
Well, I'm back home now so will be signing off the travel diary for now, seeing as it's all been duplicated in the daily gubbins (see link on my profile to get to it), it's kind of been superfluous to requirements but the intention that it can have an edited version for parents still stands. Althought I think even they are reading the gubbins now.
Anyway, I may be back on my next holiday whenever and wherever that is, but I can be found on my other blog in the meantime!
Middle of nowhere
I think that being in the middle of nowhere was an excellent excuse for not updating my blog. And its still thursday where I am. The jungle lodge didnt even have electricity, let alone internet! And this keyboard doesnt have apostrophes so again I cant use them. Jungle was good fun but very hot and sticky, especially having to cover up to avoid the mozzies. We saw some huge insects and turtles and caiman (like small crocodiles) and capybara (giant rodents), and got told off on the night nature walk for not taking it seriously enough (references to Blair Witch project as we were walking by torchlight in the woods and that sort of thing). But they didnt mind really. As I said, there was no electricity so we had to use candles and torches and sleep under mosquito nets, managed not to get bitten which was good, but I am so looking forward to doing washing when I get home as I bet it stinks! Last night tonight so were going out for a last dinner, but not having guinea pig we dont think, tomorrow its fairly relaxed as we dont fly out til the evening, so might look round Lima a bit and do some shopping. Off to shower now, see you all soon!
Guinea-pig night
Skip this entry if you are of a sensitive disposition!I am a bad person. I shall say no more, those of you who have read the earlier entries should be able to refer to the title of today´s blog and infer what I mean by this. It was a group experience and we agreed that it actually tasted rather nice, like chicken but a slightly stronger flavour. Anyway, it can be put down to experience now, never to be repeated...
Yesterday we went to some more Inca ruins and travelled through the sacred valley to get back to Cusco. We managed to lose one of the group up a mountain as he has vertigo and wanted to take a shortcut down, unfortunately because he was looking only at the ground he missed the rest of us and carried on all the way down, so we had a 90-minute search in which our guide was bricking it. Anyway, he turned up safe in the end which is all that matters, which is why we had to have the traditional celebratory dinner.
Today we had a lie-in til 8am which was luxury as usually we´ve had to get up much earlier. Our guide took us to one of the local markets which was amazing, loads of fruit and veg on display, meat being butchered on-site and huge piles of tripe and stuff everywhere. The most disgusting thing however was the stall selling things to be used as offerings to the sun gods (part of Inca culture) - as well as herbs and gifts, they were doing a roaring trade in dried llama foetuses. Eew. I didn´t buy one, obviously.
We´re going to continue chilling out today as tomorrow it´s an early start to fly to the Amazon jungle where we´ve got 2 nights in a jungle lodge. Seems today is the last proper shopping day (aside from the way home when I´ve got 12 hours in Newark to look forward to - might just have to pop into New York for a few hours) so I´m off now to support the local economy some more!
Machu Picchu
Well, we made it to Machu Picchu and it is amazing! Had early start yesterday to get the train up the mountain from Cusco, then by bus to the city, and it is so beautiful, surrounded by mountains and mist and there are llamas there too which is pretty cool. It´s all built on the hillside miles from anywhere and so lots of steep steps, don´t feel so bad about missing my gym classes this week now! We had a tour round the site and then walked backwards on the Inca trail to reach the sun gate which marks the final descent, I was bloody knackered after all the climbing but it was worth it for the views. We then went back to the town for pizza and some entertaining Peruvian music in the resturant, I fear we are turning into annoying tourists as most of us now have alpaca sweaters and llama socks as it´s all so cheap here - anyone who wants orders please put them in here! Today we had an early start again to go back to Machu Picchu for another tour before all the groups arrived, it gets pretty crowded in there and our guide reckons that in another 20 or so years they will close off the site and only let you see it from above, so come to Peru now and see it while you can! This afternoon we are shopping as we´ve been encouraged to support the local economy, as if we needed any excuse. Tonight we are off to Olltaytambo or something like that, one of the towns in the sacred Inca valley, before heading back to Cusco. There is talk of a guinea pig supper one night but I´m not yet convinced... Then at the start of next week we are off to the Amazon rainforest for a couple of nights which should be more relaxing - seeing as we´ve been up at like 5am every day so far!
Anyway, better get shopping!
Bloody freezing!
Me again - it is bloody freezing in Cusco! We all were not expecting it to be so cold and so have been stocking up on alpaca wool jumpers and socks. Today we had a tour around some of the ancient Inca sites and the city itself which is beautiful, and tomorrow we have to leave way too early at 5.30am to get to Machu Picchu. I think I want a pet alpaca, they are all fluffy and cute and I got a nice picture of a local woman with hers, however most of us had alpaca steak for dinner last night so not sure I could do that again if I had a pet one. There are people all over the town walking around in local clothes with llamas on leads, better than those scruffy tramps we get with dogs on strings in the UK, I think. I have a stinking cold at the moment along with some of the others in the group, but it´s not making us feel too grotty so hopefully should be on its way out soon. Going back to the hotel now for bed, it´s 7.40 pm and we need an early night before tomorow!
Fairly quick entry tonight as going for dinner in a bit. Have done such a lot in the last couple of days, driven down to Nazca and flown in a tiny plane over the weird lines in the desert (amazing), been surfing down sand dunes, a 12 hour trip ysterday through the high Andes to get to Cusco from where we head off to Machu Picchu later in the week. We got up to an altitude of 4500m and lots of the group were affected by altitude sickness - the stemetil I packed certainly came in handy! I was actually fine, although the thin air means that you get short of breath really quickly. Not eaten a guinea pig yet, but had goat stew 2 days ago which was pretty tasty, but god only knows what we will be served tonight as the restaurant menus all have alpaca and guinea pig on the menu. Better head off for dinner now, will write more when I next get to a net cafe. Hope you are all well and am looking forward to boring you with my photos!
Sand in every orifice
Me again, going to make it a short one tonight as is bloody freezing - I thought it was summer and didnt realise how cold it got. Also no apostrophes today as using Spanish keyboard and they are not in obvious places. Had to get up at 5.30 this morning to travel away from Lima, went to some islands and had a boat trip where we saw sea-lions, pelicans, and penguins, and then went sand surfing on some huge dunes which was like snowboading but on sand. Hence I now have sand practically everywhere.
Going to bed now as knackered. More later!
Smells like...
Well, 2 in one day isn't bad, and I'm referring of course to blog posts. Killing some time for now as the rest of the group appear to have been held up for a few hours. I've just been to get something to eat but have now returned to the hotel as it's only 6.30pm and it's already dark, don't facy walking the streets round here by myself! This afternoon I went for a walk around the Miraflores area which is supposedly one of the nicer parts, there are some pretty houses amongst the decrepit concrete blocks, and the seafront is nice too - there were people out surfing and lots of grassy spaces. I had to move hotels as we're in a different one tonight for the tour proper, but the guide came and got us from the previous one - he seems very nice and appears to know his stuff which helps, I suppose. Almost got myself thrown out of the supermarket down the road for taking a photo of some cans of food, I expect I will post the photo when I get back but suffice to say, it's a rather inappropriate choice of brand name for tinned fish that I assume doesn't mean the same round here as it does in the UK...
Went back to the supermarket for dinner this evening as they have a cafe above it and it was a bit less intimidating than some of the other restaurants. Had some roast chicken and rice and a bit of cake for about 2 quid, assuming I've worked out the conversion correctly. Hopefully it will be pretty cheap living here, all the more money to spend on proper shopping. Have to leave at 7am tomorrow, they were on about a morning call at 5.30am but I'm thinking more like shower tonight and get up at 6.30, which is still hideously early for a holiday as far as I'm concerned, but can't be helped. Off to bed now, more later...
Viva Peru!
Well I got here okay, although the ground staff at Newark where I had to make a connection seemed to be doing everything in their power to hinder us all. It took about 24 hours in total from leaving home to arriving at the hotel, 2 7-hour flights and a fair bit of waiting around. The plane was full of annoying Americans (not that all Americans are annoying, it´s just that there was a surplus of that type on my flight), you know the sort, clapping and cheering when the pilot lands and being loud and causing maximum disruption by going to the toilet 5 minutes after me in the aisle seat had got up to allow the other person in the row to do the same. So didn´t get much sleep, but I can usually cope with that after all the years as a housedog. When I was getting off the plane in Lima I ended up picking up a random German who didn´t have any hotel arranged, he wanted to know if anyone had any phone numbers so I gave him the number of mine and so he booked in there too so we could share the cost of a cab from the airport. We sat up drinking whisky for a bit after getting there, he´s already left today to fly to Cusco with hopes of doing the Inca Trail but I think that is pretty futile really as I don´t think he realises that permits for that sell out months in advance. Good luck to him, I guess.
Not really much else to say as yet, the hotel has been fine, I´ve killed one mosquito already and might try and see if I can find any of the other people on the trip although most of them are arriving tonight on the same flight. It´s warm in Lima, not sunny but not raining either and I´ll probably try and see some of it this afternoon as I´ve got several hours to waste. Meeting the rest of the group tonight, then tomorrow apparently we are driving down to the Ballestas Islands where there are loads of birds and sea lions and stuff, then to Ica which is Peru´s wine region, I just hope it isn`t weird wine made from Llama milk or something.
Anyway, until then....
Welcome!
Welcome to my travel blog. I'm planning to use this to communicate from deepest darkest Peru, as I have a feeling my phone won't work there! Apparently there are internet cafes all over the place, but I can't promise to write something every day. If you have any messages, please feel free to leave them as comments and I will try and get back to you. That's all for now...
