Winding Down - Day 9 &10

Well folks, as the saying goes ¨All good things must come to an end¨ (though I am willing to bet my father disagrees with this philosophy) and Kyla´s trip could only last 10 days, so for the last 1.5 we enjoyed a little winding down time in Cusco at 3,300m. Above is a view of the city from the Sacsayhuaman ruins about 2miles up a hill from Cusco proper. There`s a local joke that the way to say the name of the ruins is SexyWoman. Works for me.

Day one was a Sunday and when we left our hotel (Hotel Ninos for anyone planning a trip to Cusco is a must. Great spot and funds go to help 250 kids in the Cusco city get proper day care, health care etc) we headed to the city ¨center¨ aka Plaza des Armes.

 
When we arrived we were faced with the army, swarms of people in the park, banners and flags (both of Peru and the Incas) being raised by government officials, local fire men, you name it they were lined up in front of the Cathedral which is directly across from the square-park/Plaza des Armes. We had no idea what was up, I simply assumed they had come out to say fairwell to Kyla as they had shown up in LaPaz to welcome her, but I was wrong, imagine. We later learned that this is standard Sunday activity. Takes going to church on Sundays to an entirely new level. We watched the scene from the first Starbucks I have seen in 9wks and then determined that since we had to wait until 2pm to see the Cathedral we might as well have some Sushi...as one does in Peru. Here´s the view of the Plaza des Armes from the restaurant.


Since neither Kyla, nor I are religious in any way, we wandered the Cathedral without a guide but marveled all the same at the architecture and restoration efforts that have taken place over the years thanks to many an earthquake.

We also learned that the Cathedral was build using some of the stones from the Sacsayhuaman ruins. Tough blow to the Incas who took the time to build their city only to have it pulled apart to build a Catholic Cathedral, but hey that´s the way of the world I suppose.



Next stop was to see the Sacsayhuaman ruins themselves since we were told they were worth the trip. We were pretty ¨Ruined Out¨ to tell you the honest truth (is there another kind) so we walked around a while admiring the ingenuity of the Inca people. They really knew how to build a wall. Notice the interlocking stones that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle making them incredibly strong? They also build the walls with a 13degree incline and with smaller stones at the bottom to absorb the movement of the earth I was told (but it does not seem to be the case here). After 30 minutes we just strolled over to the central lawn and lay down in the grass and closed our eyes. Taking a little while to reflect on where we were, and our last 9 days together. Honestly, we also just wanted to catch our breath after so much adventure and enjoy the sunshine. It really has been quite the week+.




In the distance I could see a huge Jesus on a hill overlooking all of Cusco and couldn´t resist the opportunity to mock up our own little Rio de Janeiro photo-shoot. I think we did pretty well, but you be your own silent judge.





That about wraps up the Adventures of B and b in South America. Kyla boarded her plane from Cusco bound for Lima after lunch on Monday April 2nd and has since arrived home safe & sound after 18hrs of travel. I will admit I cried when she closed the door of the cab and can only say I already loved my sister as much as a person could, before she arrived, or else I would love her even more now for stepping out of her busy life & comfort zone to trust me enough to travel Bolivia & Peru over the last 10 days. You´re my hero B. Please give those 4 little monsters a hug and kiss from their Aunt b. Thank you C and all the friends/neighbours and family who pitched in to make this adventure possible. I will never forget it and I am pretty damn sure B feels the same way.

I have moved back into the hostel world, sharing an 8 bed dorm and walking down an open air hallway to get to the ladies bathrooms to shower or brush my teeth. Privacy is once more lost. Last night it rained/hailed in Cusco for over 3hrs and with that I booked a flight to Lima for Wednesday. Looking forward to being at sea-level once again and to some warm weather with maybe even a beach in my near future.

Here´s hoping you are all well, happy and healthy.

xox
b

WaynaPicchu - You sure kicked our asses! - Day 8

 ALERT... this is a long one. Sorry but day 8 held many an adventure.. proceed at your own risk. Get a warm drink and bunker down...
I couldn´t not post some photos of Inkaterra (Where we stayed in Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu) and it seems a new blog page has allowed me to do just that. Here is a view of the grounds and our room. I can´t express how sad it was to set an alarm for 5.30am and leave this place for the hike of a century! What is even more upsetting is that it was unnecessary! Elenor had thought our timeslot to hike WaynaPicchu was for 7am (they only allow 200ppl to go up at 7am and another 200ppl at 10am each day and we´d bought advance tickets to ensure we were part of that lucky few) but our actual booking was for 10am. Let me tell you we were not impressed! On top of this it was seriously cloudy and teetering on the verge of rain (terrific hiking weather as well as ruins viewing weather... please tell me you hear the sarcasm dripping from my key strokes) so we knew we needed to pack rain coats and sweaters, scarfs... you get the idea).


In true Kyla fashion she tried to figure out what our options were now that we had this extra time in Machu Picchu. The decision was that we could quickly walk up the slopped road to the Sun Gate (aka Intipunku) to see the ruins from a new angle. Intipunka was one of the main routes into MP for the Incas and is therefore part of the original Inca trail. Our thought process was 1. Hey we have time and 2. Would be good to say we´d at least done some of the Inca trail. This quick walk is expected to take 3 hours round trip and while there are not a ton of steps it is all uphill on the way there and of course down the entire way back so it wasn´t a stroll so much as a low level warm up for things to come. Good news the walk only took us 90mins. I think this made us a little cocky for events to come. Stay tuned.


On the left is the view of the Sun Gate itself and after waiting about 15mins we were welcomed with the view of MP on the right. Not the BEST image but it does give a mystical feel for where we were and what it must have been like when the Incas arrived. You can also see WaynaPicchu behind MP. It´s the ¨little¨mountain on the right. Yes that was what we were meant to climb at 10am and by the time we got back to MP´s entrance to have a bio break it was basically time to get over to the base of WaynaPicchu to start that adventure.
Please note: when asked, Elenor said the hike took about an hour. When we tried to clarify if that was one way or round trip we got Elenor´s standard reply ¨Yes, No¨. Hmmm it was a multiple choice question and we got an answer that discounted each other. Great!  This continued for the entire tour. Kyla soon learned not to give multple choice questions hoping that would help. Sadly no. We always got the Yes,quickly followed by a No. I can´t express through the typed word how frustrating that is especially when you are talking about something that makes you extremely nervous. If you want a proper recantation You´ll have to get Kyla and I together, when I am home, to tell the story live. 

Here are some quotes from people who had done the WaynaPicchu hike before us...

- ¨Make sure you are sure footed¨ 
- ¨Ooooh do you have good hiking shoes?¨
- ¨Is it steep? Yes it is steep. Just be careful at the top where you have to climb on your hands and knees¨
- ¨Just don´t look to the left and you won´t even see the cliffs.¨ 
- ¨Hmmm, do you have vertigo? Oh you do Stacey. Right well you´ll be fine.¨
Hence why B is chewing her nails at the entrance. Our usual chant of ¨Don´t Be Nervous¨ got some real airtime but in true Bowman form we set out to do what we´d agreed we would and just hoped we both got home to our families. Elenor said only one tourist had died and they were on drugs... that seems to be the standard answer when I ask South American guides about dangerous activities.... ¨Yah but they were on drugs¨. Right no drugs for us so here we go.

Sadly I didn´t manage to take many photos becasue the idea of taking out my camera was not super appealing. Here is a zoom of the beginning of the walk. People coming down from the 7am entrance group. Hmmm now would have been a good time for me to question why a one hour walk that started at 7am would be ending after 10 but my mind was elsewhere. Truely all I could think was... Grrrreat now it´s raining so the views will be terrible and I´m in a purple poncho so that´s getting in the way of my feet and vision... this is no way to meet a man...     ¨Hi I´m Barney¨ Miz.

As we continued to climb, using the metal rope staked into the side of the mountain when deemed too steep to be hiked without aid, I kept telling myself ¨this isn´t so bad. Hmmm wonder what coming down will be like.¨ To give you a feel these photos are taken from the same spot deemed to NOT require any assistance rope. Great judgement Peru.
Okay so we made it to the top and maybe Kyla has photos of the steepest part but I sure and S%!T don´t. Holy Moly as soon as the last step was behind me I quickly scurried to the center of the mountain peak and caught my breath becasue of course we are still above 2,000m so oxygen isn´t as plentiful as at home. View we´d come up for. COMPLETELY covered over so officially we´d done all that for the joy of the experience. Serenity Now. Serenity Now.

Is at this moment, 30 seconds after reaching the peak that Elenor looks at two heavy breathing sisters & says ¨Okay so are you ready to go to the Moon Cave now?¨  We simultaneously say ¨Sorry What Cave? There´s more? Since when is there more? Isn´t this the top? You said it was a one hour walk, that took us 50mins of intense stairmaster... there´s MORE? Where? How long? How hard? Is this what we´re supposed to do now that we have come this far?¨ Elenor: The moon cave is about 40mins. Kyla: There or There and Back? Elenor: Yes. No Kyla: Okay let´s try this again. 120mins round trip is what you are telling us? Elenor: Yes but it is just down there a little. Kyla ¨Jesus, okay well we have time to wait for the view. I say we do it. Stacey just now regaining the ability to speak. Fine. Sure. Let´s just go while the rain has stopped. To tell you the truth Kyla and I both thought it would take us less time because both the Sun Gate and hike up WaynaPicchu took less time than advertised. How wrong we were!
This is Elenor smiling at us on the walk down to the Moon Cave which is entirely comprised of the steepest steps you have ever seen, an insane wooden ladder section that made me want to weep (and I´m not proud to say I went off on our friend Elenor a little there I mean who doesn´t mention a wet, basically vertical wooden slippery ladder section with unevenly spaced rungs at the START of the journey!) and took us an HOUR to get DOWN! Haha very funny Elenor! Half way down Kyla started to negotiate. Kyla: So is there a way that we don´t have to come back up this to get back to MP? Elenor: Yes. Kyla with relief in her voice: Oh good. Elenor: Unless the tree that fell is still blocking the path. Kyla: now panic is back What? What tree. How can you not know if it is still in the way or not? Can you run ahead and check? She was only mildly kidding here I know it. 

I remained focused on the task at hand being survival and stayed out of it. What was to be, would be. Above right is the Moon Cave. The adventure made it worth it. The cave, not so much.  The tree was not in our way. We could take the easy way back. Easy way was back up a staircase for 60minutes where we met the original staircase at its halfway point and continued our decent for 30mins on wobbly legs. Round trip back to the entrance of Machu Picchu 4hrs. Total hiking time of the day 6.5hrs. Stories worth telling PRICELESS.

Luckily The Inkaterra let us shower in their Spa and then we boarded the Vistadome PERURAIL train back to Ollantaytambo. Exhausted. The train staff actually puts on a show for the return trip so there was a crazy bird like Devil that danced down the center aisle for a bit and then they proceeded to use it as a catwalk to strut their Alpaca and Llama clothing all the while listening to club music. Very strange. Kyla took photos. I was too dead inside to make the effort.

This is a true story. Ask my sister.
xox
b       

The Big Daddy in the Sky & Yes I Ate a Guinea Pig- Day 7

I think I´ve now taken my sister on every mode of transportation available in South America, outside of the donkey or alpaca variety.

With a jam packed itinerary we decided to take PERURAIL´s Vistadome train up to Aguas Calientes (the town 20mins south of Machu Picchu). Seated in the classy part of the train we enjoyed the stunning views of the towering hills above us for the 90min ride and silently agreed that doing the Inca trail just isn´t our thing.   We were met by our guide Elenor when we disembarked at 8.30am and as is our style,  got right to the business of seeing Machu Picchu...

Here´s the image you´ve all seen a million times but is still extrordinary when viewed through your own eyes.  

The place is already ram packed at 9am (two hours before the backpacker train arrives each day) and in the off season. I can´t even imagine what it would be like at high season and I completely understand why those who do the 4 day Inca trail feel frustrated when they arrive and see so many people already wandering around what I am sure has become in their minds ¨their sacred place¨ after such effort. Sorry folks.  

Elenor explained the hierarchy of the Inca people (for example the top honcho´s were really the only ones called Incas, then there is noblety and then the common folk). How frustrating that must be for the Kingpin Incas in the afterlife (that I don´t believe in) ... to know that we now refer to them all as Inca´s.  


Pretty hard once again to capture the scenery of the place but we did take a few to show that we made the visit. Also wanted to be sure to show the height of where we were finding ourselves. I realize that this was a strategic spot to put a village to ensure you were protected etc but can you imagine the effort?

Since Machu Picchu was the part of the trip that I left Kyla to plan we ended up booking the Inkaterra Hotel in Aguas Calientes. You really have to check out the website because I think this is the nicest hotel I have EVER stayed in. EVER.   http://www.inkaterra.com/en/machu-picchu. I´d show you photos but this blog is killing me and won´t load them. Just check out the site. It´s all real.

What a place to come back to after hiking around the ruins for the morning. After the hottest shower I´ve had in weeks and some time in the Cafe computer area we headed over to the bar to enjoy our complimentary Pisco Sour (common drink of Peru which we both loved) we headed into the formal dining room (which we were not properly dressed for, having only brought an overnight bag as PERURAIL stated our backpacks would be too large). Not sure how many of you know this but Guinea Pig is traditional meal in Peru and I have a rule that I have to try any traditional fare available to me when I travel. Below here is what guinea pig looks like at a classy joint. For some reason it won´t post in the spot I want it to. Even though Kyla said it made her gag to think I was eating it she gave it a try. Don´t let her tell you otherwise.

Tomorrow we head back to Machu Picchu to hike Waynapicchu which is supposed to be super scary and steep. Of course the day starts at 5.30am again. What luck.
xox b

The Sacred Valley Lives Up to its Name - Day 5&6

Zipped through Cusco airport and into our flashpacker cab to head down to the Sacred Valley as soon as we possibly could. Lower altitude, less people, more ruins... who wouldn´t! We didn´t even really know how great our hotel and the surroundings would be until we arrived but check out these views from our home in Urubamba for two nights. PIMP! I can promise you that the 8 weeks leading up to Kyla´s visit don´t come close to this kind of thing. So lucky to not only have my sister but also a taste of the good life SA has to offer!  Top right is the view from our room. Maybe the gardener would come look at my backyard?

So from our homebase of Urubamba we drove to Ollantaytambo (40mins and yes there is a bus that costs a fraction of the price but when you have been on the road for 8wks and you can spend time with your sister and best friend in quiet conversation you jump at the chance. Prove me wrong. Oh PS I´m 35yrs old with a mortgage... I haven´t worked this hard to stand at bus stations my entire trip to save $20)... aaaannnnddd vent complete. 

Ollantaytambo ruins were a fortress for the Incas and we could have learned a ton more if we´d accepted the offerings of many a guide willing to walk us around for a low low price but as I mentioned above we´ve been enjoying the opportunity to discover places together and between us we can´t ever seem to retain any real stats anyways so we passed and just wandered around and climbed the many steps that were on offer for the afternoon. The town of Ollantaytambo is adorable as well so we sat in the square for a while and absorbed the vibe until our driver picked us up. 

Loved the circulating waterways designed to run through the streets.  Home for dinner (my first taste of Alpaca) and chocolate cake with coca mate tea before heading to bed knowing we had no set time to get up. What a dream!  

The following day we hit the town of Pisac and before you even ask... yes we took a cab. The Pisac ruins include the largest cemetery in this region of the Inca empire... I am not even sure it´s called an empire but it is now. The Incas would place mummified bodies into tunnels in the hills to the left of their crops below. Incredible terraces wrapping around the landscape for miles. This was by far our favourite ruins and we kept the driver waiting longer than we´d planned as we explored the site way beyond where the path on the hill to the right shows.

Can you see Kyla doing a jump on the peak of this hill? This is how far we went and while I know you have no reference for how far this is let me tell you that there were once again many steps and steep cliffs and even a tunnel to go through to get here and we were thrilled to do it. 

Funny that below is the town of Pisac and we could hear people playing futbol (soccer) on a field within view. I imagine there´s nothing more Kyla could have asked for at that point aside from having C, Ozzie, Max, Kate and Cal with us too. Since the landscape is so vast Kyla has taken to documenting the views etc on video vs photos since they can´t really capture it all. I´m sure she will be happy to share the footage for anyone interested in watching.   

Pisac is also known for their markets (the largest in the area) so we of course took some time to wander the stalls and buy a few items to remember the adventure. I have no idea what the customs people are going to say to Kyla when she tries to get this much Llama and Alpaca home in the form of hats, make-up cases, sweaters and the like.  

Here´s B in the streets of Pisac. Inca flag flying above. Another terrific little town that, we agreed, we could see many people wanting to stay in for days. Sadly we only had these two days in the Sacred Valley but I think we managed to make the most of it without a doubt.

Here´s a token sister shot at Pisac ruins. Next stop Machu Picchu  to see the most marketed ruins in all of South America. I can not believe we have to get up at 5.15am. This theme is really wearing on my nerve but that´s what a pair of sisters have to do to see so much in only 10days. I wouldn´t change it for any money in the world!

Hope you are all well.
xox
b

Whatever Floats Your Boat - Day 4

After leaving Copacabana, Bolivia, Kyla and I traveled by bus to Puno, Peru. The 4hr drive was smooth and once again gave us a flavour for the landscape and lifestyle of the people living enroute. Monte... you would agree there was a definite lack of prosperity in this region of the world (both in Bolivia and Peru) but it was still interesting to see and reinforced to B and I how lucky we are.
Of course we took the time at the Bolivia/Peru boarder to ensure we got a photo of the crossing since Peru is AKA country #41 for me but who's counting. ;) 


There was one main difference in Peru vs Bolivia or anywhere else I´d been in SA so far and that was the ¨tuk tuks¨. Well that is what I called them when I was in Asia, I haven´t asked what they are called here. As usual they create a fair (no wait let me restate that an unfair) amount of exhaust but we are learning to cover our faces quickly when almost anything motorized passes us by. Actually with the sidewalks as thin to non existant as they are it almost makes more sense to just try to keep running ahead for as long as your lungs will allow at this altitude.


By 3pm we had made it to Peru and we figured we needed to check out the Floating Islands of Puno. I had heard mixed reviews of the experience (mostly that they are put on for tourists... well that is what we are I´ll have to admit one day) so felt we needed to decide for ourselves since every once in a while my opinion differs from those around me. (yes that was sarcasm).

Arriving at the bus terminal we had zero soles (Peruvian cash) and needed to use the toilet. That in itself was an adventure. As is typical of South America, you are required to pay for the public restrooms. Okay we could deal with that, however, when we tried to change $5 US the lady at the cambio office felt the 2mm tear in the side made the bill unacceptable and refused to take it. Legs crossed even more tightly we tried a $1 bill. What a joke. Taking the time to change $1. Hello? (of course she gave us a terrible exchange rate because we were changing such a small amount) Right moving on to the filthy stinky toilets so we could hurry up and get on a tour of these floating islands already! Also worth a mention and photograph to the left is the iPhone case Kyla has created while we travel. It really is the perfect size and if you have to carry your own toilet paper why not make it multi function. That´s my B. 

Right, okay, so on to the floating islands. No, No, don´t be nervous... there is no risk we would fall into the water. The fear was mostly based on the fact that it was freezing cold and raining still so the idea of being in the water didn´t sit well with Kyla.  Here´s a quick glance back at Puno . I swear if you put some colourful boats into a photo everything just perks up.

The above is a pretty accurate view of what the floating islands look like although a little blurry. Or at least the ones we visited.  We were taugh how the root system breaks away from the ground during the raining season + rough waters that come with that season and so they tie them together and stack reeds ontop to make the islands they ¨live on¨. Famous Kyla quote.... hmmm smelly. I´d hate to get left here let alone move here. Helllllooooo Bennington!


They do get pretty creative with the reeds though I will have to admit.
Here´s Kyla doing her most respectful pose of appreciation for their culture and way of life. Okay that isn´t fair...  we really didn´t believe they lived here.

When we looked inside one of the houses they had a tv set up and some school bags strewn around but it just seemed like a place they came to ¨work¨ and sell crafts to the tourists which is understandable. You do what you have to do.

Here´s a look at our hotel room in Puno. Let me tell you how nice it was to be in a warm dry, clean place for the night knowing we had to once again set our alarms (this time for 5.30am) so we could eat and catch our cab to the Juliaca airport 45mins away) to fly to Cusco. This early morning thing is sooo not my bag. Good thing you gain an hour in Peru so it feels more like 6.30am... listen to me glass half full. xox b