From the top of the world to the middle of the world

 Yesterday we transferred from Cusco in Peru to Quito in Ecuador (via Lima).  We were both amused at the number of people having their photograph taken in Cusco airport in front of a huge picture of Macchu Piccu - they had obviously never been but wanted to impress family and friends!                

We arrived in Quito late afternoon slightly conerned about safety after reading our guide books.  Our transfer guide soon dispelled our worries by telling us about the initiatives over the last few years to address such problems.  Our hotel is called the El Relicario del Carmen right in the centre of the old town.

The hotel is a 17th century colonial mansion that opened in 2006.  There are only 18 rooms over 4 floors with no lift.  We had a choice of either the 2nd or 4th floor, but as HJ is still on a fitness kick, we chose the 4th even though we have to take rests on each foor as Quito is still high (over 2500 m).  As you will see from the photograph, it is like being in a stately home with beautiful furnishings and fabrics.  We have claimed the area with the telescope which is just outside our room for pre dinner drinks as we watch the lights come on over the city.  Our breakfast this morning was beautifully served by a white gloved waiter and our hot breakfast was individually prepared for us which makes a change from the usual buffet of bread, ham and cheese!  Having said all this, our room is very small: when HJ steps out of bed, she is virtually in the batheroom and when RM shaves he has to stand in the shower.

 Today we have spent time exploring the old town, visiting the cathedral and a house very similar to our hotel, which is still as it was 200 years ago, the only difference being you could swing a large cat in their bathroom!

This afternoon, we took the teleferico up to one of the best viewing points of the city and the live volcano which towers over it.

RM in the Plaza Independcia

We will be having an early night tonight as tomorrow we are visiting the cloud forest which necessitates a 4am start!  We also hope to straddle the Equator as this is what gives the country its name.

A typical British Peruvian Sunday

We awoke on Sunday morning to hear the rain at the window and so decided to have a lie in followed by a breakfast of bacon rolls and coffee.  After catching up on a few chores, we ventured out with umbrellas and goves to check out the local theatre for the evening's entertainment. 

The sun had now come out and in the main Plaza de Armas a huge parade of children´s dancing groups was beginning.  There were about 20 groups, all dressed in various traditional costumes performing typical Peruvian dances.The sun by now was really hot and RM had to nip back to the nearby hotel for sun cream and drop off jackets and gloves. 

The weather then took a turn for the worse again, and so it was then time for Sunday lunch.  We headed to Paddy Flaherty´s for shepherds pie and roast chicken, stuffing, veg, mash and gravy! 

Our evening involved yet more dancing at the theatre where we were entertained again with typical Peruvian dancing.

Having then being danced out we headed to the Norton Rats Tavern for happy hour night caps!



It is now Monday and our last day in Cusco and so we have spent a very leisurely day.  We visited the local market which sold everything you could want for.  We splashed out on a large bag for 10 Soles (two pounds) as we are worried that our new suitcase with the 5 year guarantee is not going to make it.  We also bought coco sweets for you all to try on return and had our shoes shined for 5 soles each.  The visit was complete with HJ getting weighed for 1 soles - she was very pleased to find that the altitude gastric band effect had resulted in a 3 kg weight loss!  We then used our Cusco Tourist Ticket to visit a couple of final museums before having a light lunch.

Tomorrow we move onto Ecuador where we will be spending our first 5 nights in the captial Quito.

It was hard on the Inca trail(n) - now with photos!

RM was confident that he'd booked us on the Inca trail - four days of very hard treking, with three nights sleeping rough in basic tents  We then discovered there had been a typo in the booking and we were not on the trail, but on the first class, luxurious train!  Imagine our disappointment!

Trainspotters - please note the steam from this train!

Our day started with a 4.30am call and a transfer to the Cusco bus station where we boarded another bus to Ollantaytambo Station where we had an hours wait for the 8.40am train to Machu Picchu.  The vistadome train (i.e. with a glass roof) was very new and luxurious with cream leather seats and lots of leg room.  We were served breakfast of fresh Andean fruit salad, smoked trout sandwich, spinach and bacon pie followed by cookies covered by bitter chocolate.  We then sat back and enjoyed the scenery.  The track follows the River Urumbamba as it crashed and meandered through a narrow mountain valley all the way to MP.  We were then met and boarded yet another bus, which took us up the steep and winding track to the MP entrance, a journey of 30 minutes.  We eventually arrived 6 hours after setting off - we hoped it would be worth it.

As we were waiting for our guide, the constant rain stopped and the sun came out and stayed with us all day until boarding the train home when it started raining again.  How lucky can you be!

Augustin or guide first took us up to the view point that provides the classic view where many photos were taken. It was a steep climb but we kept stopping to admire the scenery and at least it got the hard work out of the way at the beginning when our legs were fresh.  We took a different track down into the MP city stopping to admire the different temples, walkways and all the marvels of Inca stonework and how it incorporated various aspects of the sun such as the summer solstice coming through wndows perfectly on time for the relevant ceremonies. 

The two and a half hour round trek brought us back to the beginning and the comforting sight of the Temple of the Lunch - sadly no photos allowed!

Aftewards it was time for the journey back, where we enjoyed afternoon tea on the train plus a display of Peruvian dancing and fashion show of alpacca jumpers etc, all down the aisle.

RM contemplates the breakfast menu!

We finally arrived back at our hotel at 8.30pm after a fantastic but exhausting day.  We adjourned to the Norton Rats Tavern for a bottle of SB before retiring for the night.

Inca Ups and Downs

Vote now! Does RM need another shearing?

We are really loving Cusco. We spent yesterday on a very full day trip to the Sacred Valley visiting a couple of very colourful markets in Pisac.  We then headed on to Urubamba where we had a very delicious, al fresco lunch overlooking the river of the same name, whilst listening to Peruvian music.  We also learned how to tell the difference between an alpaca and a llama (the one aside is an alapaca).

HJ looking dishevelled at the top!

The afternoon was long and strenous.  We visited Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo, a fine set of Inca terraces, that had to be hiked up to appreicate the large, smooth rocks which the Incas had hauled over a river.  Because of the altitude it was hard going but the views were worth it.  Whilst we have fortunately not suffered from altitude sickness, the height is like having a gastric band fitted as it has really supressed our appetites!  We then had an hours drive to another set of ruins at Chincero.  We also visited a textile centre to see how wool was dyed naturally with various leaves etc.  By now it was getting dark and we finally arrived back at our hotel at 7pm.  We decided simply to head to the Norton Rats Tavern, right opposite the hotel where we shared a burger and a side order of chips!   

Today has been spent more sedately around Cusco.  We went first to Koricancha (pictured with RM in the foreground).   It was quite a strange place and a mixture of old and modern and neither of us really knew what to make of it.  Needless to say, it looks stunning from the outside.  There was also a small undergound museum.  Having fortified ourselves we then headed for the Museo Historico Regional to learn more about the Incas ready for our visit to Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Cusco is full of women of all ages in colour native dress (like the ones aside).  Many of them carry children, lambs or goats on their backs and are happy to have their photgraph taken for a Sol, around 20p.  HJ managed to snap five with her long lens for free!

On top of the world

We have now arrived in Cusco stopping off point for Machu Picchu.  It is over 3,500m above sea level and so we are drinking coca tea to ward off altitude sickness.  We are staying at the Casa Andina Catedral right in the main square for eight nights, the longest we have stayed anywhere. We have bought a Cusco Tourist Ticket which gives us access to 16 of the museums and ruins in and around the city.  We spent yesterday exploring the magnificent cathedral and a museum of contemporary art and RM finished off his day wth alpaca stroganoff (HJ had lasagne)!

Cucso is just about at the end of the Rainy Season, which is due to finish at the beginning of April, but so far the weather has been kind to us athough there have been some very dramatic skies.  At least it is much drier than the rainforest.  Our first job on arrival here was to invest in a big hotel laudry session as our clothes were both wet and, er, wiffy.

We have ventured further afield today and took a taxi to Tambo Machay 8km away.  We then had a fabulous return walk taking in Inca ruins at Puca Pucara, Qenko and Sacsayhuaman (known locally as Sexy Woman).  We also hiked up to their version of Christ the Redeemer, Cristo Blanco which provided fabulous views of Cusco.  It was then an easy 20 minute walk back down to the main square.  Bearing in mind how far we walked, we managed to make most of it downhill. We rewarded ourselves with lunch in Paddy Flaherty's Irish Pub, the highest Irish owned pub in the world!  Included on Paddy's menu is the one thing we have been really missing, a roast dinner with mash and gravy, and so I suspect it will not be our first visit!

The Sacred Valley beckons tomorrow.

Why is it called the Rain Forest?

Because it rains a lot as we discovered on our three day trip to the Tambopata River where we stayed at lodge called Refugio Amazonas.  To get there we had to fly from Lima to Peurto Maldonado via Cusco. Unfortunately our flight was late and so after a 45 minute journey by bus to the dock, a two and a half hour trip on a motorised canoe and then a muddy 15 minute walk we arrived in total darkness just in time for a cold shower in pitch black as there is no hot water or electricity

 in any of he rooms.  However we were in time for dinner.  As there is no road access to the lodge all food and drinks have to be brought by boat.  On our second night we were dismayed to find they had run out of vino blanco but delighted on the third night to find they had obviously had a delivery.  The bad news was, that it was only one bottle.

The only electric lights available are in the main lodge and then they are all turned out at 9.30pm and so it was early nights.  As you will see from the photograqph rooms are open to the rain forest on one side and so mosquito nets were essential.  However that didn't stop us from getting bitten to bits and we were both also stung by bees.

During the day we took part in a series of wet and muddy hikes some also included travel by canoe to more remote locations but all included the vital ingredient of decent wellington boots which were essential. We climbed a 25 foot viewing tower, observed many very colourful birds and butterflies, waited and watched at clay licks for macaws (which never came) and wild pigs (which did).  On our hikes we also came across frogs of all sizes and spiders of the larger variety - HJ was relived that snakes were not in evidence.  We also had nightly hiks to pick out the red eyes of the caiman (alligators). 

Half time in Peru

We arrived in Lima very late on Monday 14 March having flown in and out of Santiago.  There is also a two hour time difference between Chile and Peru and so our body clocks were telling us it was 2.30am.  We are staying in Miraflores, a popular residential suburb.  On our first day we walked down to Larco Mar described as a popular, flash, cliff-top development.  If you look carefully at the photograph you will see cars parked actually on the beach.  I suppose it saves getting sand in your shoes. Yesterday we spent in downtown Lima where we saw some stuunning architecture and fabulous buildings with many of them having traditional wooden balconies.  We also saw the changing of the guard at the Presidental Palace and couldn't believe the amount of effort that went into a simple, daily ceremony performed in a courtyard behind bars.  First of all the two lane road in front was closed off to traffic and then the police came in (many with riot shields) to hold us at bay!  We also visited the magnificent cathedral and China town where we had lunch.  Talking of food, Peru is famous for two things: cerviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice) which is very delicious and guinea pig which HJ quickly learned the Spanish for so she didn't order it inadvertantly!
As you will see HJ has also been mixing with the rich and famous.  To finish our day downtown, we stopped at El Estadio Bar, a strongly themed football bar where she bumped into Ronaldo who joined us at our table for a chat.  The place was full of scarves, pennants etc from such well known football clubs as Real Madrid, Chelsea and Colchester United!



Cheers Gary, where's the crisps to go with my pint?



Whilst in Lima, we reached the half way mark in our trip.  We still have lots of highlights left, including Macchu Piccu, Ecuador and Colombia.  We are also heading off to the Rain Forest tomorow for three nights and will blog again, once we are back in civilisation (assuming that the aligators we will be out watching at night, haven't eaten us)!

Deserts are not just about sand!

We have now had three very full days in the Atacama desert staying at the Hotel Kimal in San Pedro de Atacama.  The town itself is very small and consists of one main street, a plaza, church, small museum but thankfully lots of bars and restaurants.  Our first day was spent at Death Valley and then watching the sun set over Moon Valley (pictured aside). 

The second day was spent visiting the Salt Flats and the Reserva National 'Los Flamencos'.  Flamingos are a particular favourite of RMs and he happily snapped away lots of pictures which HJ has now deleted.  Actually, there were few birds to be seen as it is nesting time.  The next stop was at Lagunas Miscantiy and Miiniques.  The views were stunning with the Andes in the background.  The lakes are formed by snow melt from the Volcanoes that give the lakes their names.  All these trips required time spent in pretty uncomfortable buses travelling on a cross between dead straight, soft road and very bumpy, mountain chicanes.

The third day began with a 4am start to visit the Geysers El Tatio which are at their best between 6am and 8am (unlike us)!  The two hour trip was worth it as the geysers peformed admirably.  We declined the offer to strip off in the minus 3 degrees to bathe in the 35 degree thermal pool.  We stopped off in a small village on the way back and tried llama meat skewers which are very healthy and good for cholesterol.

We rewarded ourselves each night with a wonderful meal in the restaurant below.  It had an open roof and warm fire as in the evenings the temperatures really drop.  Peru beckons later today.           

                    

The moment you have all been waiting for . . .

 . . . the winner of the 'spot the difference' competition. 

In first place it is you, Cathy darling, being the first to respond with the correct answer!   We were both pleased to see that you were following so avidly and suspect that logging on to our blog at 7.05pm each night has been the replacement for the Archers which, from my latest reading of the synopsis is very, very understandable (it is not the same since the demise of Mr. Snowy). We will try to keep mentioning agricultural terms to help bridge the gap.

Best supporting answer - yes, GKB it is you.  Only a trainspotter would have such eagle eyes to notice spotlights!

Best runners up - Bonne and Vic - you also both deserve a prize.   Bonne, we are not surprised you noticed the teeth, and Vic, RM will wear hot gaucho pants when he next meets up with you.

We also had a shy entrant who responded to us directly whose prize and delivery will remain a secret.

Bottles of Chilean wine will be given out on our return, but will probably be bought from Tesco's rather than Chile as we are flying back via Bogota!

Well done to all our contestants who noticed RMs shorn head. RM arrived at the hairdressers in Peurto Varas on a Monday morning at 9.30am and horrified both the hairdresser and other customers with his request for a numero cero.  Eventually he persuaded a lovely, but relucant young lady to do the deed to everyone's amusement!  The manageress declined the offer of a large blow up photograph to adorn her salon walls!

There will be no similar competition for HJ who is waiting until she gets home!  She may then splash out on a "Trev Trim"!

It is now 5.30pm and we have just returned from a day out (blog to follow) so, picture us writing this blog enjoying a couple of strong pisco sours whilst sat in the sun by the side of the pool in the middle of the Atacama desert.  But also think of us getting up at 3.30am tomorrow morning to visit themal springs which are at their best between 6.30am and 8.30am!

Lows and Highs in Santiago

Postintgs will be very limited as we are now in the desert and have very hit and miss internet connection.  So here are a few photographs of Santiago.  We found it quite a disappointing capital as the smog is trapped by the Andes and severage folows down the main river that separates the city (the equivalent of the Thames.  Still we enjoyed a day's sightseeing taking the funicular up Cerro San Cristabel to see the virgin (the equivalent of that in Rio).  We then had an excellent fish lunch in the central fish market where there was a huge choice of restaurants. 

   

The following day we took ourselves out of the city to Valparaiso by tube and local bus (both of which are exceptionally cheap).  It is a city of two halves wih a flat coastal plain containing the large port and administration centre.  This then ran into the pre Andes where all houses seem to cling to frantically to the sides of the hills and mountains and where the best pedestrian access is via a series of ageing funiular.  We were well rewarded with our trips up.  We are now at the Atacama desert and have a whole new range of experiences to tell you about.

Today's competition

Spot the difference

The first follower to submit the correct answer will be awarded a bottle of Chilean wine on return.

Only falls not horses!

After time on a Winery with horses, a sheep farm with horses and then a big national Park hosteria with loads of horses, all available to be sat on and taken around - riding to non-Gouchos.  This latest experience has included pre-Andes mountains, rainforests, magnificent volcanoes with all their lava and rocks, but no horses.We have both made good use of RMs birthday presewnt from HJ, a walking stick as she regaled one and all...well my  trekking pole has been invaluable, as has a borrowed one from our guide, over the past two days so that although both of us are sin  bruises from falling we just ache in all those strange places.

 These photographs from today were taken at Reserva Nacional Llanquihue where today we managed an 8km trek but up hill all the way.

Here is HJ at the top where we had a very welcome lunch stop.

Two pints of larva and a packet of crisps!

 We are now staying in Puerto Varas in Southern Chile.  To get here from Patagonia, we had a four and a half hour drive south in a bus to the airport, where we had a two hour wait after check-in, followed by a two hour flight north to Peurto Montt and finally another 30 minute drive.  Still we arrived in sunshine and in time for a good Italian dinner. Peurto Varas is in what is called the lake district and today we have hiked the 12 km Paso Desolacion which took us right around the perfectly conical and snow-capped Volcano Orsono, which is shown in the background.  We also stopped on the way for said packet of crisps and to remove two pints of larva stones from our boots. The views were absolutely spectacular and the route led us down to Lago Todos which is also called the Emerald Lake because of its colour.  At the end of what was a pretty gruelling hike up and down the larva flows, we got to the lake and our guide stripped to his speedos and jumped in.  HJ and RM were more restrained but dipped their rather hot feet in the water and had a little paddle.  We have just had showers and contemplating room service as (a) we are finding it difficult to move around and (b) we need to preserve our energy for yet another hike tomorrow.

Time March(es) on!

This has been a stay of two halves.  Our first day was one of two relatively gentle walks (2 hours each) mainly in bright sunshine and friendly terrain. 
Today, however the winds started up but it was still not cold and so we ventured out on our planned hike to the entrance of the park, 7.5km away.

We set off with sun and a strong breeze at our backs, but on leaving the hosteria, we turned right and it became all uphill and the sun went in.  Some two hours later, the bridge to the park entrance was still not in sight and as rain was threatening and the gales howled, we decided it was best to turn around and hike back.  This time it was a strong wind and rain in our faces, but at least it was downhill. Thankfully familiar sights came into view especially our hosteria albeit well in the distance.  We reached home three hours later for a well deserved lunch and an afternoon of relaxing. 

Tomorrow is another transfer but with a reasonable start time of 9am.  Our flight is not until 2pm which indicates just how long the distances are in Chile.

On our bikes again!

Well not literally, this was HJ doing a short circuit of the ranch on a metal GG shortly before we packed for a very early departure.  After tearful farewells, we made our way across the border to Chile where we are now staying at the Hosteria Las Torres in the Natonal Park.  Word of warning, dispatches may become blurred as we have just found out that our package is all inclusive (including drinks and fizz) and that the bar is very welcoming.  We are currently sat with drinks in hand and fabulous view of a mountain known as orsa mayor (grand bear).  We think a little light trekking is in order for the next few days to counteract the effects of the excellent food.