Summing up - souvenirs

I have not shown my souvenirs since Colombian times. In fact, I do not have that much to show. I think souvenir shopping in Peru built a great immune system against shopping anywhere else. Bolivian stalls even though cheaper did not make my heart jump. I have seen it all in Peru. I have spent days bargaining for it all in Cuzco.

These is alpaca hat (chullo) and matching socks, woolen socks and mittens.



Silver in Peru is cheap and quite pretty, but the eye gets tired after a week of the same designs...

From left to right - my precious chacana (or Inca cross), which I guess can be considered the most important symbol of Inca culture', jewelry with coca leaves (hojo de coca), and a carved alpaca (or lama? or camel?) from stone.



In Bolivia I just bought a handmade belt that I am using as my camera strap.



The theme in Brazil was the Brazilian flag. I got myself Havaianas flip flops with a tiny Brazilian, sarong of the Brazilian flag's colors and a Gilson Martins' ipod case with Christ the Redeemer.

Peru - budget

. Air Accom Trans Food Activities Fees Internet Souvenirs Other Total . 242 200 82 349 665 12 16 54 133 1,752 . 10 8 3 14 27 0 1 2 5 70

I have completed calculating my budget for Peru. I am running over budget (Inca Trail was a killer). $70/day for Peru is nothing to be proud of...

Puno

This week I fled Peru. My last stop in Peru was in Puno on Lake Titicaca at the amazing heights of 3,812m (almost 4km above New York!). I initially planed to stay overnight, but then I felt an urge to cross the border to Bolivia. Somehow 25 days in Peru were enough.

Before leaving I visited for a couple of hours floating islands of Uros. Even though the islands are very commercial, I think they are an absolute must. Where else can you walk on springing land made out of reeds? Each step is slightly shaky and soft. Quite unique experience.







Puno set on flickr.

Ica-Lima

Last night at 6:30 pm I crossed the Bolivian border on foot and I am happily reporting from Copacabana on lake Titicaca. This fact is amazing, let me tell you. I woke yesterday at 4:30 am in Lima after 3 hours of sleep, caught a flight to Juliaca through Cuzco at 6:25 am, and already at 10:30 am I arrived to Puno on Lake Titicaca.

Yes, I was in Lima. It was a 15 hour detour from Arequipa to the north for many reasons and my interview for INSEAD admissions on Monday was one of them. On the way to Lima, we stopped for 5 hours in Ica, a wine & pisco capital of Peru. Actually, we stopped to visit Oasis de Huacachina, an oasis in dunes famous among backpackers for its hills and sandboarding opportunities.

With a night bus from Arequipa we arrived early in the morning. I found oasis to be just the shadow of its former glory (originally built for Peruvian elite) and dunes to be dirty and ugly.



Ha! Little did I know. Persuaded by my travel buddy, we booked a boogy ride for 10 am. The sun was up, we boarded a funny vehicle and off we went! It was the best adrenaline rush of my trip by far. Screw the rollercoasters! Go boogy riding! And did I mention stunning dunes?



I chose sliding on the board straight down on my tummy versus sandboarding (slower). Imagine a hill of hundred meters and a sandboard waxed with candle speeding downhill and you get my scream of fear and excitement at the same time. I have NEVER in my life had so many bruises on my legs. But everyone of them is 10 times worth it!

Ica set
In Lima we did nothing. We stayed in Miraflores, an upscale area of Lima, absolutely not what you´d expect of Peru. Expensive malls, restaurants, clubs, and even big grocery stores looked amazing. I shopped for a business suit and shoes for my interview at a "black" market, obviously not in Miraflores. A woolen suit costed me about USD 35 and leather shoes USD 15. That´s where cheap ended. The rest was expensive by choice - fancy meals, clubs, drinks, movies. I felt I was back in New York (almost!) for 4 days.

[to be continued]

Arequipa & Colca Canyon

I am so behind on my updates... So here is a quick catch up on my last week.

We bussed to Arequipa (10 hours from Cuzco), a white colonial city in Peru. I could not resist the temptation of comparing Arequipa to Oaxaca, a colonial town in Mexico. Oaxaca won.

We wandered around the white churches, ate at the market and photographed the view point of volcano El Misti (5822m).



The next morning after running around arranging my detour to Lima we headed off to Colca Canyon. The deepest canyons in the world are located close to Arequipa. Colca Canyon is 3191 m deep (6 hours away) and Cotahuasi (9 hours away) is 163 m deeper. It is more than twice as deep as Grand Canyon in the US!

We enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon in the stop-over a small town of Chivay on the way to Cabanaconde. The biggest attraction for me - fields of wheat. I even took a video of wheat moving with the wind. More peaceful and beautiful than a plastic bag in the wind from American Beauty movie.






At night we arrived to Cabanaconde, the most basic village I have stayed in so far. The vast majority of women were wearing national bright dresses with colorful hats. Horses and donkeys were the means of transportation and our dorms smelled like a barn.




As I was still in pain from rafting, I decided not to hike Colca Canyon. Besides the fields and the views, Colca Canyon (Cruz del Condor viewpoint) is the place to watch Andean condors as they soar gracefully on the rising thermals in the early morning (8-9 am). The condor is the largest flying bird in the Western Hemisphere with wingspan from 2.7m to 3m. Quite a view!



Traditional dresses and hats of Colca Canyon women



More pictures on flickr.

Rafting in Apurimac River

Lonely Planet (buy Footprint guides - more info!) puts Apurimac River in its top3 for rafting. It is deep, fast and much more exciting (=dangerous) than Urumbamba river (comparing commercial routes). Rapids are class 3 to 5 vs. Urumbamba's 1-2. Only two companies in Cuzco run rafting trips on Apurimac River (Mayuc and Swiss Rafting). The 3-day/2-night trip with Mayuc costs 550 soles (approx. USD 200).

We were 25 people, 65% of which were Israelis. Rafting is definetely on Israeli´s trail and not on gringo´s as 80% of Mayuc clients are Israelis. Some guides even give instructions in Hebrew. Quite funny.



My rafting experience was basically zero. I don´t think I was even paddling on a quiet river in Pennsylvania. Here I had to learn to react fast to such commands as "forward", "right/left back", "high side right/left" and my favorite "inside" (or our guide´s version - "my God!", the command to slide to the bottom of the raft).

Our three day trip was 67 km long with the second day being the longest. We were rafting for about 7 hours. It was fun - technical rapids where we had to turn around rocks in a fast rapid or more exciting rapids with huge waves. I was paddling in the front and was showered by cold waves of Apurimac River. Rapid is passed successfully - high five- paddles in the air!






The third day turned out to be the scariest day of my life. An hour and a half before the end of the trip we were going through a shallow rapid category 3 just before a rapid class 5. Our raft got stuck on a rock and the rest was happening within seconds. The boat started to get filled up with water and before I knew it me and a guy behind me were washed out by the strong stream. I was floating down the river completely not in control of my body or direction. I saw nothing, I could not catch my breath and I was constantly feeling I was drawing. I was trying to relax as I was instructed to do and let the water bring me somewhere safe, but it was easier said than done. I was thrown at rocks by the river and it did not feel welcoming at all. As I was "speeding" along a huge rock I saw the safety rope was thrown for a guy behind me. I went underwater and could not get out. Most probably just a few minutes have passed, but I was already exhausted to fight the river. In that moment I was honestly saying good-bye to my family. Then in a few seconds I appeared close to the first raft. Thanks to the quick reaction of guys inside the boat I was pulled out of the water. Within 5 minutes or so my breath was back to normal. I was in a state of shock and quite angry.

The river was so strong, one of my contact lenses was washed out. I was also pretty hurt in my right arm. It was not broken or dislocated, but I still could not move it. There was no more paddling for me that day.

In hence sight I think I was lucky to be pulled out by that boat as the next rapid class 5 was within meters and safety kayaks were behind me. However, given I had a helmet and a life jacket on I would most probably survived anyway. I was still conciseness and breathing when saved, so quite a happy ending!

Now I am waiting for my ugly bruises to go away and my arm to heal. After that I am ready for more adventure!

The Sacred Valley near Cuzco

Last week I went on a 2.5 day trip by myself through the Sacred Valley. It is basically a loop road with a number of Inca sites on the way. A lot of tourist agencies offer a rush one day tour through the Valley, but I decided to take my time to enjoy small villages and landscapes.

On Sunday afternoon I headed for a big Sunday market in Pisac, where I stayed overnight. The market is 99% souvenir shopping, so highly disappointed I went off wandering around amazing fields outside of town with the view on the valley and nearby mountains. Much better!

At 7 am in the morning I hiked up to the ruins of Pisac and already at 10:30 am caught a bus to Ollantaytambo (with a change in Urumbamba).



Ollantaytambo serves as a hub for Machu Picchu hikes/trains to Aguas Calientes, but it is also a cute little town with its own ruins. Ruins were crowded, so I headed off to another hill. I just around how to get there and climbed up. I got off the road and did some simple rock climbing. The hills are like steps - very easy to climb.



The next morning I headed towards Cuzco. My first stop was in Turumbabma where I climbed the hill to get to Las Salineras (salt mines), actually for free. It is quite an amazing site with salt pools filling up the hills like rice terraces in China. I walked to the official entrance in the afternoon heat wondering how I will get back on the main road. I was inside the canyon with no desire to return the way I came and no idea how far away the highway was from another side.


A driver of the lonely minivan with tourists told me I was 15 km away from the main road I was trying to get to. And no, he cannot give me a ride, he has tourists in his van. So I waited, chewing on grapes I bought at the Ollantaytambo´s market. Next minivan with tourists arrived and I approached with the same entreaty. Alright, he said, while his tourists are wandering around the salt mines he would give me a lift. Man, it was far. I got out of the situation very easily. All the way to the top the driver was drilling me with questions - how did i get to Las Salineras in the first place, where I was from, who I was traveling with. Alone? Not afraid?

The road from Urumbamba to Chincheros is the most amazing in the valley. The 15 km turn off to Las Salineras was equally stunning (no pictures). Snow covered mountain peaks on one side of the road and green fields on another. Postcard perfect view.

I was dropped off on the main road right when my bus was approaching. In another 30 minutes I got off in a small typical village of the valley - Chincheros. The highlights of Chincheros are cute little streets and an old colonial church. At lunch time the town was dead. I was back on a bus in less than 2 hours.


Got back to Cuzco just on time to pay for my rafting trip starting the very next day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/in4ik/sets/72157605063695097/

Left Cusco

Last morning I left Cusco, the capital of Inca culture, where I've spent the most amazing two weeks of my trip so far. Right now I am 10 hours of bus ride away - in Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. My plans are changing fast and it looks like I am heading north instead of south to visit Lima for a couple of days. Once I get there and find a decent internet connection, I will be able to write about my visit to Sacred Valley and a dramatic rafting trip on Apurimac river. Colca Canyon is tomorrow.

Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

I have completed, as our tour guides used to say, the bloody Inca trail on Saturday night and I could not have been happier. It was fun, challenging and gorgeous.

It takes 4 days and 3 nights to walk 49 km from the village of Ollantaytambo (or km 82) to Sun Gate at Machu Picchu. The Inca trail experience for me was by far more rewarding than Machu Picchu with its thousands of tourists. Feel free to throw stones at me.

All the guidebooks write than Inca trail is overcrowded and suggest to take alternative routes to Machu Picchu. I disagree. According to new rules, only 200 hikers are allowed per day along with 300 porters. Given the number of campsites along the way, it did not feel crowed at all. Quite the opposite experience is at Machu Picchu itself.

Inka trail is interesting in itself as it is almost 80% original Inca construction (after lunch of Day 2), small steps up and down allow you to jog like Incas did centuries ago. Moreover, along the trail there are a few well-preserved ruins that impressed me more than Machu Picchu due to the setting in the mist or jungle, tucked between the green mountains.


a shot from the bus, driving to the start of the trail - amazing Sacred Valley
Day 1 was fairly easy as we started hiking at around 11 am and finished at 6 pm. Only the last hour and a half was uphill - we were approaching Dead Woman´s Pass.



The first ruins on the way - Llactapata

Day 2 was the longest and the hardest. Starting at 7 am we were hiking uphill for at least 3 hours to reach the top of Warmiwañusca or Dead Woman's Pass, which, at 4,215 m above sea level, is the highest point on the trail.



Verónica Peak from Dead Woman´s Pass



The other side of Dead Woman´s Pass

An hour and a half of downhill jumping in big steps we reached hour lunch spot, where a lot of groups camp for the night (the ones who camp earlier on Day 1). We, on another hand, started going uphill again, reaching the second pass of the trail (Runcurakay Pass at 3,850 m.a.s.l.), which, although smaller, was tough. Not even coca leaves would give me the energy. My knees and thights felt every step that afternoon.



After the top we headed downhill again through the thick cloud forest and jungle, where I took video of the mist filling the valley within seconds. There, thirty minutes away from our campsite, we visited one of my favorite ruins - Sayacmarca ("Dominant Town"), which sat on top of a sheer cliff.



Day 3 was relatively easy, depending on the amount of pain you had in your knees and legs from Day 2. I took tons of pictures on Day 3 as the landscape was just overwhelming. We were lucky with the weather, heading into the dry winter season, we saw all the snow peaks we were supposed to see all the way from Cusco. Snow peaks, wild flowers, canyons, clouds hugging the green hills, Inka trail, porters bypassing us - you could not ask for more.





The third and final pass was Phuyupatmarka with ruins right beneath it. The ruins in the mist looked exactly how I imagined Machu Picchu - mysterious, misty, dark, abandoned, empty. Absolutely amazing!

Day 3 brought us two more amazing Inka sites - Intipata (or Terraces before lunch)and Wiñay Wayna ("Forever Young") in the afternoon.



Day 4 I call SAS Peru boot camp. Usually Day 4 is an easy day when you wake up at 4 am, have breakfast, walk to Sun Gate and to Machu Picchu... Not for us. Half of the group expressed a desire to hike up Wayna Picchu, the highest hill at Machu Pìcchu. Since only the first 400 hikers are admitted to Wayna Picchu (and only before 1 pm), our guides decided to divide us in two groups. The first one was sent on the faster track to Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu with an idea to re-join the rest of the group at 9:30 am for a guided tour of Machu Picchu.

Hmmm. We started off at 5:30 am, passed the last control of Inca trail and started running. Literally. It was raining and foggy, but Wayna Picchu group had to make it fast. So off we went. Our guide in front was bypassing our hiker groups at amazing speed. I made it to the Sun Gate in 40 minutes!!! (officially it takes 90 minutes) From Sun Gate you have the postcard view of Machu Picchu, but that day you could not see a thing, thick white fog filled the valley. From Sun Gate we started running again to the entrance of Machu Picchu, another 20 minutes. Machu Picchu was hardly visible. A lot of tourists already!



We were at the entrance of Wayna Picchu a little after 7 am. I was the 81st hiker admitted! We made the steep climb to the top in 30 minutes vs. an hour suggested. Again we were timing, and we were racing. On the top we saw absolutely nothing, but the clouds, but we had fun running from 5:30 am.



Wayna Picchu

The tour of Machu Picchu was OK and at 12 pm I was ready to leave that crowded place!

If I start describing all the interesting stuff I learned about Incas and people from Andes speaking Quechua I will never leave this bloody internet spot. So, just do the Inca trail. I heard you can book it for September. :)

Full Inca Trail set is here.

Cusco, Peru

So I´ve been in Peru for a week now and I LOVE IT. Cusco and everything around it is by far the most impressive thing I´ve seen.

I flew in the evening from Quito to Lima with LAN. Maybe because of the in flight magazine with beautiful pictures, maybe the red wine from Chile, the woolen blankets or leather seats, but I became a LAN fan. In Lima it took me an hour and a half to go through the border. I knew I´ve arrived to a popular tourist destination. The officer was super nice, entrance stamp on the¨"used" page. I said I want to spend at least 30 days in Peru. He smiled at me and gave me 90 days! At 1 am I bought one-way ticket to Cusco for the first flight with LAN at 5:15 am. Twenty four hours after leaving Galapagos I stepped out in a freezing cold Cusco.

Since then the time flew by. I think I wandered each street of Cusco, up and down, from the main square of Plaza de Armas to bohemian area of San Blas, from the most touristic streets to the remote corners of the city where locals greet you out of surprise. I am definitely in love. Not the garbage, floods of tourists, street vendors of silver, pictures and postcards can spoil my impression. I am not surprised Cusco is so touristic. It is absolutely worth it.


Plaza de Armas


Narrow streets of Cusco


Panorama
I finally don´t have any schedule to stick to. I don´t need to be anywhere at any time. I am taking my time to explore Cusco and Sacred Valley.

Besides hiking up and down narrow streets of Cusco, shopping for woolen hats and socks, I got a private horse riding tour of the Huatanay Valley. I got green hills, inka temples, sheep, black pigs, local folks, small canyons.



The following day I took a bus to the ruins furthest away from Cusco (11 km) - Tambomachay - and just hiked back to the city along the road or through the forest. The following day I climbed back up to see the closest and the most impressive ruins - Sacsayhuamán (or how foreigners say it "sexy woman").



Today I returned from a 4 day hike to Machu Picchu on Inka trail. This expedition deserves a special post.

Tomorrow I am headed for Pisaq for Sunday market. I will spend 3 days to explore the Sacred Valley even though a typical tour rushes through the sites during a day. After that I am going for a 3 day white water rafting trip on Rio Apurimac. I heard it is one of the best rafting in South America. The trip is quite challenging with level 3 and 4 rapids. Given I´ve been screaming at level 1 rapid in Pennsylvania, I am sure I will have quite an adrenaline rush.