Salkantay Hike (First Episode)

As we mentioned in our last blog, we decided to do an "alternative" Inca trail...meaning we didnt pay $700-$900 for a 4-day trip. Ok our hike didnt pass all the same Inca ruins, but it was much tougher and more rewarding! Plus, we had seen quite a few ruins by then and were anxious to camp and hike and do outdoorsy stuff since the weather didnt allow us to do these things as much as we had hoped in Patagonia.

We begin our journey at a ripe time of 4:30am when the bus picked us up to bring us to the starting location. Silly us for thinking this was early! We actually got to take a nap on the bus and really started hiking from Mollepata at 8am.

 Here are the donkeys caring our stuff....oh we worked so hard! (no but seriously we did later on)

Our first stop and beautiful view

We are all smiles at this point!

The first day was mostly on a road with as much up as down and flat....towards the end of the day we had our first glimpse of Salkentay

Day 2, up at 5am, hiking by 6...this was our hard day - 11 hours of hiking total beginning with 4 hours up 1100 meters.

Here we are before we start the hard part. As you can see, it´s much colder at altitude!

We zigzaged across the mountain til we were here....about half way up

Made it! We didnt climb over Salkentay but we were pretty close to parallel with it. As I mentioned, this mountain was one of the main sources of water for most of the Inca culture in the Cusco area and it was treated god-like. The Incas would carry huge rocks up with them and pile them as a form of offering. Although we are both in fairly good shape (ok one is a little more than the other) hiking at this altitude was pretty intense on our lungs!

 

Another Quick Update

We made it to Mancora Beach in nothern Peru a few days ago....our traveling has been go-go-go for awhile now so it was impossible for us to pull ourselves out of our naps on the beach to go into a hot internet cafe to post....very sorry....but we promise to put up some pictures and stories soon. Just to give you a little update, we did a 4 day "alternative" trek to Machu Picchu over the Solkantay mountain. This mountain used to be full of glaciers and still has steady snow at the top. The Incas built irrigation systems to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and many other settlements all starting at this mountain. It was their main source of water and therefore a godlike being that was offered thanks like the Mother Earth. We´ll elaborate more when we can post pictures but we camped for 2 nights, started everyday at 5am and hiked for 10+ hours. The last day we woke up at 330am in order to climb the famous steps and get to machu picchu before sunrise. After all the hard work and lack of sleep, the sunrise and all of machu picchu was very rewarding!

After, we went back to Cusco for a day and continued on to Arequipa. From there, we did a 2 day tour of Colca Canyon which is the deepest canyon in the world, deeper than the grand canyon. It was possible to do a 3 day hike through the canyon but we signed up for our tour from Cusco and didnt know that....not to mention, hiking didnt sound all that appealing at the moment. Our tour was cool...but a very "old people" type tour - on the bus, out of the bus, take pictures, back on the bus. The best part of the tour was seeing all the Condors soaring around the canyon. The Condor is an important symbol for all the old cultures and tribes in the Andes and is still an important symbol in modern day. Our last day in Arequipa was spent sightseeing. (Liz, we tried the restaurant you suggested and even got ceviche which was pretty awesome).

From Arequipa, we decided to stop in Ica instead of spend a day in Lima which turned out to be a great decision. Ica is literally surrounded by desert and huge sand dunes. We stayed in an oasis town right outside of Ica called Huacachina. Its literally a little lake surrounded by nothing but sand (and of course the hotels, tour companies and restaurants...but even these didnt ruin the amazing feel of the little oasis). Here we rode in dune buggies on the sand dunes comparable to rollar coasters and went sandboarding down dunes much bigger than Kitty Hawk. It was so much fun!!!

In Lima, we went to the main square and got some Chifa...the Pervian version of chinese food which we developed a small obsession for. Then off to the airport to fly to Puira. From Puira we went straight to Mancora and settled down for a couple of days. We tried our hand at surfing but didnt do much compared to the pros out here. The waves arent significantly bigger than va bch, but because of the shape of the beach, they go on forever.

Today, we are setting out again on our last long bus ride - 15 hours straight to Quito. We have a plan to haggle some tour places and hopefully find a reasonably priced trip to the Galapogos. We will definitely have more time to post some pictures and stories when we get there tomorrow. Just wanted to give you a little taste of what we have been up to.

Galapogos or Bust!!!!

Quick Update

Yet again we have fallen behind a little due to lack of internet...more details about Machu Picchu and Aeriquipa to come....Just wanted to let you all know that we are heading out of Arequipa tonight to Ica in order to sandboard and ride in dune buggies then through Lima to northern Peru in persuit of the beaches. Will update as soon as we can!

Cusco Inca Ruins and the Sacred Valley

We arrived in Cusco, the main hub for getting to Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins, late in the afternoon, but needed to get a jump start on booking our trips for the next fews days.  After a great lunch-dinner at this mexican place we randomly walked into a tourist place and began asking questions.  We ended up booking a local city tour to see the ruins around Cusco and picking a private tour from the company owner for the Sacred Valley.  The Sacred Valled for those of you as uneducated as I previously was, is the area in and around Cusco (suprisingly located in a Valley.. : ) that the Incas built many temples and cities.  The entire area is shrouded in the mysticism about the Inca culture and how they were able to accomplish some of their architectural feats. 

Recipe for a typical Inca town...find a really high and steep mountain in the area, haul huge rocks to the top (some well over 20,000 lbs), cut perfectly straight edges with a magical "laser" (historians are still baffled by how precise the Incas stone-work was and have only been able to duplicate the Incas efforts by using mondern technology), place these huge rocks perfectly on top of each other like a puzzle without mortar of any kind and build a huge complex on the top with symbolic meaning, oh and sprinkle magic fairy dust so it withstands the numerous earthquakes this area has endured since their time. 

With all sarcasm aside the Incan ruins are spectacular and some of the most amazing things either one of us have ever seen. 

Good example of an Incan wall with the perfectly cut stone...

This particular stone had 14 corners (the one stone raps around the other side as well) that the Incas cut perfectly...notice also that the stones alternate at the corner, thought to help prevent damage during earthquakes

Quick pose by the ruins...

A former Incan Temple of the Sun was converted by the Spanish into a church...you could tell the Incan walls inside as they had withstood the earthquakes and test of time much better than the Spanish parts...

A special worship fountain near Cusco...the water still runs and is irrigated from a mountain over 50km

This picture kind of shows just how big some of these stones are...and to to think the quarry was over 50km away...

The Incans are famous for their exact terraces...they were so precisely made on the sides of mountains it makes you wonder how they did it...by the way, these are about 15+ feet in height

We stopped in a small village during our tour to visit the kitchen of a local friend of our guides.  The kitchen was pretty small with black rock from all the smoke over the years...and their were guinea pigs all over the place...¨cuy¨as it is known in Peru in a national delicacy and came out from every corner of the kitchen when the lady threw feed on the floor...

This area is called Moray...it was absolutely massive...you may be able to make out some people working down on the terraces...the different levels of terraces were said to be an experimental area for the Incas as they tried growing different plants at different temperature levels, we walked to the bottom and it was noticeably warmer at the bottom...crazy smart Incas... 

Lounging on a sacred rock...notice the rope trying to keep us Gringoes off...haha fat chance

Zen like moment...

The Cathedral in the main plaza in Cusco. 

Fountain in main plaza and colorful buildings with small balconies perfect for an afternoon snack...

Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Incas

We arrived in Cusco 2 days ago and have loved the city. We will post lots of pictures and stories soon but we wanted to let everyone know that we are embarking on a 4 day, 3 night journey to Machu Picchu starting tomorrow. We will be hiking and camping everyday and hopefully seeing some amazing sites on the way up to what we have heard is breathtaking. We will be back in Cusco on Sunday and will try to post asap.

Love and miss everyone : )

Copacabana and Isle del Sol and Lake Titicaca

From La Paz, we made our last stop in Bolivia at Copacabana which is basically a peninsula in Lake Titicaca. The lake is huge, with the dividing line between Bolivia and Peru going through the middle. To get to Copacabana from mainland Bolivia, we had to go over a strip of water on a ferry....I guess building a bridge is just too much to ask. Keep in mind, we are still in Bolivia, so here's the catch: the bus and the people go over separately. We had to exit our bus, take a small boat and wait on the other side. Sure enough, our bus came over on a slightly (note, just slightly) larger boat. It's a strange thing.

Fast facts on Lake Titicaca: 3800 meters above sea level, highest navitagable water in the world, completely fresh water, many islands including Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun) and Isle de la Luna (Island of the Moon).

Our first day, we decided to check out the local Inca ruins close to the town. The first was a steep climb to some rocks, but apparently the statues had been destroyed by the Spanish. Great views though! The next was supposed to be several throne-looking structures carved out of rock. Some legends say they assisted in the viewing of the stars. We walked by the "entrance" twice and finally asked. We realized there was a path behind a gas station to a sorry looking gate and old barbwire. Yup, the great Inca structures from 600 years ago were locked safely within, under overgrown grass. Oh, Bolivia! haha
 

Perspective pic of Copacabana...

Right before sunset...

Sunset from atop the hill with the Stations of the Cross...it was a really steep hill and a challenging little walk, but well worth the views as you can see...

Isle del Sol was a bit different. We took a 2 hour boat ride to the island (which could have been about 30 min in a motor boat) but it was nice and gave a good chance to take in the blue water and beautiful surroundings. There we hiked from the northern tip of the island to the south part, visiting various Inca structures on the way, including 206 steps leading to a fountain (the fountain of youth perhaps), labyrinth, ceremonial table and more. According to legend, Isle del Sol is where the sun god created the first 2 humans, the Inca equivilant of Adam and Eve.

The pretty Lake Titicaca

Some old Inca ruins that resembled a maze, we had a hard time finding our way out once we got in...

A little Inca break at the ceremonial table...

Crystal blue water of Lake Titicaca....

Original Inca steps...

Also in Copacabana is the Virgin of Copacabana. The Virgin appeared to an average man in his dreams and he was so moved, that he went to Potosi (then the artistic capital of South America) and learned to sculpt and created a small statue of the Virgin as he saw her. He then walked on foot from Potosi back to Copacabana, which is very far (about 12 hours by bus) - check back on the number of meters or feet. The Virgin was placed in an adobe chapel and honored. The Spanish were so taken by the Virgin that they built an elaborate church and complex to house the Virgin. Apparently thousands of people visit and donate lots of money and jewels to the Virgin. The Virgin herself is surprisingly small after reading the story but then again we are American - we think everything should be big.

La Paz...World´s Most Dangerous Road

We heard La Paz was a big and dirty city but we actually both kind of liked the vibe from all the craziness (it reminded me a bit of Naples). We got in this ¨minibus¨ from the airport thinking it would take us to one of the main squares...easy enough. It wasn´t quite a BUS, but more like a VW van with 4 rows of bench seats and a rack on the roof for the luggage. To our surprise, as soon as we left the airport, we stopped and a man starts auctioning off space on the bus (for less than we paid mind you). And by space, I mean every little crevis of this small ¨bus¨. But hey, we are in Bolivia! Welcome to La Paz...

Mount Hyuani Potosi in backgroud...

We later saw these ¨buses¨ everywhere....they were instead of regular city buses. They each had a driver and another guy that tried to recruit people at every corner. I have never seen more people and stuff packed into such a small area (wait, I take that back...see blog about bus from Uyuni to Potosi). It makes us laugh now!

Back to La Paz. We found a movie theater that was english with spanish subtitles so we saw Iron Man Dos. Good stuff. What I liked most was the vendors selling candy, popcorn, soda, etc right outside for really cheap and you can carry whatever you bought right in (no hiding it in bags or paying ridiculous prices for soda and popcorn).

We heard from everyone that we had to mountain bike down the ¨World´s Most Dangerous Road¨ so we did. This road was officially named this in 1996 because it had the highest death toll per year of any other road in the world, over 300 a year. The road was built by prisoners of war from Paraguay in the 1930s to connect La Paz to Coricho with dynamite and shovels. It´s literally a dirt road placed precariously on the side of a huge mountain, winding its way through small waterfalls with 600 foot cliffs and no railings (except crosses where people had gone over the edge). Luckily for us, in 2006, another paved road was built (not on the side of a cliff) and now serves as the main road for most traffic.

We started our journey at around 4300 meters and finished around 1000 meters, biking over 60 kilometers, just to give you an idea in numbers. We road on the left side, closer to the side of the cliff, where our guide swore it was safer. Sometimes, looking down, I was not so sure! The ride was amazing, scenery was beautiful and the experiece unforgettable. 

Quick pose in between runs...

This picture kinda shows the cliffs off the side of the hill and a grop of riders...it doesnt look steep here, but trust me it was steep enough...

Beautiful area...

Two goobers in our safety gear...dont worry the duct tape held the huge crack in my helmet together jsut fine...jk

A picture after we finished the ride...this is from the most famous corner where you can see the road just drops off...

Oh yea, just to make it even better, we finished our ride in an animal refuge. The owner has saved all sorts of animals from bad or abusive care or nursed back to health from the wild. Animals included golden retrievers, cats, parrots, and best of all mokeys. All animals were very friendly and the monkeys would climb all over us visitors. We didnt get any good pictures of a monkey on Scott but it was cool.

Lunch with a monkey...

The monkeys were very active, just like kids playing around...its was incredible how smart they were..you couldnt keep anything in your pockets even if it they were zipped because they would open them and take anything in there...they were so inquistive, anything you would hide fromt hem they would want.

Sucre, Bolivia arrival

We took a taxi from Potosi to Sucre, about a 2 hour drive, instead of taking the bus.  Not to go off on too long of a tangent, but the buses in Bolivia are definitely an experience.  We had taken a bus from Uyuni, after the salt flat tour, to Potosi the other night and what a rude awakening it was.  The bus left at 7pm and was supposed to arrive in Potosi around 1am (we actually arrived at 2am).  The buses are extremely cheap down here, but you get what you pay for--they are pretty dirty, play extremely loud music--abnoxiously loud!! and smell terrible.  Departing the bus station the bus was full.  Apparently my definition of ´full´differs substantially from the Bolivians definition, because within 30min there were an additional 15 people standing in the aisles of the bus.  They packed themselves in with their bags, children, etc.  It was amazing!  There was even this super drunk guy who could barely stand up, he ended up laying down on the floor and sleeping.  These people stood for the 7 hour trip to Potosi...wow! 

Sucre was a great place...wish we could have spent even more time here.  The city had a great vibe and the food was really good and pretty cheap (as are most things in Bolivia).  We did a walking tour and learned some really cool things about the city and relaxed the rest of the time. 

These Bolivian ladies push orange carts all over the town and make fresh squeezed orange juice right on the spot...the juices down here are absolutely fantastic..here´s a toast...

Arch picture

Panoramic view of the mountains surrounding Sucre...

Famous palace outside the Sucre designed by an Italian architect...the owners used to talk each morning from their respective towers...how pretentious

Beautiful buildings next to a construction site...not sure why I posted this one, but pictures take so long to load I didnt want to waste it!

Sunset from atop Sucre

Our Sucre tour guide Pedro...

Pretty girl and an ugly guy

Tried out the night setting on our camera using a tripod...not too shabby...view is from the top of our first rate hotel on our last night in Sucre

Sucre airport walking on the tarmac...let me take a second to explain the ¨security¨at this airport...we placed our bags on a metal table, walked through a metal detector (not even sure if it was on because I had forgotten to take stuff out of my pockets and it never went off) and once through the metal detector the inspection guy handed our bags back without even glancing in them...kinda scary...luckily this was only a domestic flight...but still...

Off to La Paz...

Potosi Mining

We took a tour of the mines in Potosi, Bolivia, a place once rich from the silver that was mined in the area.  Now its a much poorer area with mining still playing a big role in the local economy.  We dawned our fancy mining outfits and headed for the ¨miners market¨ (an area where the tourists pick up ´gifts´ for the miners).  The gifts were Bolivian style though and consisted of--coco leaves (which they chew much like chewing tobacco in the states), juice, 96% alcohol made from local sugar cane, and DYNAMITE (seriously they let us buy this stuff, complete with detonator and fuse for 25Bs-which is about US$3.50).  The miners spend 8-14 hours a day in the mines and take few breaks.  As you can imagine the working conditions are terrible.  Just being in their for the 2 hours of our tour was enough for us.  The ventilation is terrible, its hot, its dusty, its muddy and you constantly have to walk completely bent over because the tunnels are not very tall.  It was a eye opening experience for the both of us and definitely makes you appreciate your job more.

Outside the mine we entered... 

Gringoes with dynamite and alcohol...never a good combination..

Deep dark tunnels...this was one of the taller and wider ones we walked through

A picture of the workers busting their asses..,

An explosion of the dynamite that we set off...