Piranhas!

Friday morning we awoke to the ongoing rain that had started in the middle of the night- the rain had just started pummelling down in the night and it was a little light this morning - but still raining.  We headed up to breakfast- eggs, cereal, pancakes and fruit. Victor told us we were going to delay our departure a little as we didn't want to walk in the rain- we hung around unit about 10 and then the rain lifted. Before we left the resident "night monkeys" were in the trees and the girls got to hand feed them some fruit.
Off to the boat at 10 and down the Tambopata river this time, for about 15 minutes- we got off at a path and started our walk down the muddy path- rubber boots are a huge help here. In about 20 minutes we were at the lake- Cocha Tres Chimbadas, an oxbow lake- originally part of the river. We all hoped onto the Flat boat and Victor paddles us out into the lake- we were in search of the giant otters.  Before long we could see the wild turkey like birds all along the lake and pretty soon we heard the call of the otter- they are extremely vocal and loud! Then there they were - all 6 of them following along the  riverbank.  Even now and then you would see them go under pop up and hear them crunching down on the head of a piranha- this is the main dietary source- they have no fear.  We followed them for a while as they chatted and ate- pretty fast and cute animals.  Then Victor pulled over and said we were going fishing.  He threaded a hook- with a long metal tie and nylon onto a stick - attached some raw chicken- popped it in the water and in no time pulled up a small piranha, "and he says that is how you catch them." We all prepped our sticks and popped them in- a few bites and our chicken was gone.  Then pop I caught the first one- a white belly I believe, there are 3 or 4 different types, red, white, yellow and black.  We set him free and carried on trying - in no time we had all pulled on up - different types but all really small- still they teeth are insane, Victor held up a leaf to one that we had caught and it was like a hole punch- chop gone was a chunk. We each caught about 3 - Frank caught a decent size one and we decided to take it back and try it for lunch (?) Danica had a really big one on the hook- but he skated off the line just as fast so no luck with that.  After about an hour of fishing we packed up and headed back to the boat launch.  Hiking back to the boat was hot and there were a lot of mosquitoes about.
Back at the lodge - lunch was served at 1:30, a great jungle stew of squash, corn, peppers and I am not sure what else. And a bbq'd piranha on the side- he was little so not much meat, but what we tasted was really good. Then it was siesta time.
In the afternoon we went on another walk in the jungle - this time we had to wade through some areas as the night before rain had really left the area deluged. Victor showed us many different types of plant and trees and told us what the jungle uses were for- I believe 80% of medicines we use today come from he Amazon- there are some incredible plants here. We ended up at this HUGE tree- a Kapok tree- it was huge and someone had built a tree house at the top. Apparently they have people who come and climb these trees for fun. We waded back to the lodge after this and at dinner Victor mentioned we were doing a 10km hike at 4:30 the next day- we were not too excited by this, so he made a change of plans and we had a 5:30 start to go see the parrots instead. Dinner was Loma Saltado- a traditional meal of beef, onions, peppers and rice- a real fav of mine so far. Another great day and we were out in no time- just so tired from all this humid air and trying to fend of mosquitoes.

Puerto Maldonado

Thursday and a 7:45am pick up for the airport.  We checked our bags headed to the gate ready for our 9:55 departure - after a little wait it seemed there was a delay with the flight- we weren't sure what or how long- but an on time departure was not in the cards.  Then 20 minutes later the gate was opened and we boarded! Up and down- the flight was 40 minutes and then we landed in the thick of the jungle. It was hot and the humidity hit us like a brick wall. Victor- who was to be our guide of the next 4 days was there to greet us, with a smile.  Bags all loaded we bumped down the dirt roads to the Inotawa offices for check in.  We dropped off our big bags and then prepared for the 1 hour drive to the river, over dirt roads with potholes the size of small swimming pools!  We drove through banana fields, papaya groves, and so much green jungle and red sand.  Then we were at the boat launch, and the long Amazon type boat that was to take us to the lodge.  Making a rocky entrance we sat on either side of the boat- life jackets on and we were off up river.  Victor handed each of us a leaf and water for lunch?  We opened the leaves and they were filled with a delicious  rice and bean  dish that we all wolfed down in no time- our first "jungle food' experience. Then we sat back and watched the big from river pass us by- looking for signs of life.  In 45 minutes we were at a set of stairs going up?  We de-boated and up the stairs - a path lay ahead that was muddy and full of bugs- we were truly in the jungle.  A short walk and we were at Inotawa Lodge- a welcome drink of passion fruit greeted us, followed by a short tour of the place. Victor showed us the rubber boots and told us to choose a pair as they would be ours for the next 4 days, the restaurant - with 24 hour coffee and water and then our rooms.  The girls had their own room next to ours- although the roofs were open so it was like they were in our room. There is no electricity or power until 6pm each night so we had no wifi and no power- what to do??? We all picked a hammock, a book and settled in for the afternoon. At about 4:30 we started getting ready as Victor was taking us on our first walk.  Bug sprayed, long sleeves, flashlights and rubber boots- we were ready for this. And we were off- thank goodness for the boots it was so muddy- the perks of visiting in the rainy season. We had about an hour walk and saw some really cool plants, tarantulas, army ants, stick bugs to name a few- at the end of the trail we turned the lights off and watched the fireflies dance- so beautiful.  Back to the lodge and dinner was at 7:30. It was a simple dinner- pasta, sauce, salad, with a starter of rice soup and a dessert of fried plantains in caramel. All meals are with your guide - which was great as we talked about the day and then plans for the next. Tomorrow we are going fishing.

Sun Gate Hike

Wednesday we were up at 4:30am, the rain was pouring down and we were doubtful there would be a sunrise to see! We packed our bags- even though we had an 11am checkout we weren't going to take a chance that we would be late and have to rush back. After eating a quick breakfast at the buffet we checked out and left our bags at the hotel and started the trek down hill to the bus stop.  We quickly happened on the line as it was half way up the hill already.  The first bus leaves at 5:30am, and we were there at 5:20.  We stood on the pouring rain with a few hundred other people and thought "wow this is going to be horrible"  Luckily we all had raincoats- but Frank decided to buy the girls ponchos too as it was really pouring down. The line moved really fast and we made it on the 5:40 bus for the switch back up the mountain- this time in the pouring rain- the driver had only a tiny area that he could actually see out of the fogged up window. We made it to the top and there were people everwhere- line ups for toilets, to get in and just lineups.  We dodged and weaved and made our way to the entrance- the rain had lifted by this time and we entered the citadel under a cloudy sky with the sun ring to peak through.  The magic of the site took our breath away again- not sure you could ever get rid of the majestic feeling seeing it.  We climbed to the watch tower and by this time the sun had risen- but it was behind clouds we reached the peak and the rays hit us!  What a view to enjoy for a while!  We had decided to hike to the Sun Gate this morning- it looked pretty tame- but quite steep.  Off we headed- the entire uphill climb was beautiful- difficult at this high altitude, but spectacular.  The entire time we were climbing up we were passing trekkers who were entering the Citadel form the Sun Gate- the 4 day Inca trail ends at the Sun Gate and that is the first view one gets of this majestic site.  About an hour later- we made it- dripping in sweat as the sun was out in full force at this point. The Sun Gate- what a view!  The Machu Picchu citadel lies before you and the mountains are magical and high and just so stunning.  We stayed, admired and then started the long hike back- which should have been easier except so many steps you have to be so careful not to trip (well maybe that's just me)! We made it down a lot faster than we did up and sat around again admiring the view.  We wandered around the ruins for a while longer- they seemed really busy today - then we overheard a guide telling her group that they were at capacity today. (The limit is 2500 apparently).
After our morning we were ready to leave- there was no line up and we caught a bus down and back to the village in no time.  Back in town we were in search of lunch/brunch (which is really not a thing here.)  We found a place called Julianes that had good reviews and they had breakfasts.  The girls had the buffet and Frank and I ordered the omelettes and toast- his was supposed to be with ham.  Well ours were both the same meal- even though they charged us for a ham omelet.  Communication is really tough, the Peruvian's nod and continue to talk to you in Spanish even though you tell them no Spanish, they continue to hope that you will at some point just get what they are saying. After lunch we had a few hours to kill before our train ride- we headed up to the hotel and hung out in the lobby for a couple of hours as we were all exhausted.  Picking up our bags we headed into town- browsed the markets and stores - all the while being coaxed into restaurants or  being asked if we wanted a massage! We found a great coffee shop- had our last tray and coffee of the day and then it was off to the train station.  Our train was Expedition Train No. 34 at 3:20- we boarded and enjoyed the sunny, gentle rocking, train ride back to Ollantaytambo- 2.5 hours later.  We were created by our ride and onto the private bus for the almost 2 hour more ride back to Cusco. Arriving in Cusco we were back at the Royal Inka 2 (even had the same room).  A quick refresh and out for dinner- I had read great reviews about the Inkazuela restaurant- so off we where on the hunt for it- hidden away on one of the tiny streets of Cusco we found it!  I ordered the Beef Chili stew and Frank the Belizian stew- the girls ordered nachos.  A truly delicious  dinner- just way too much food to possibly eat.  Back to hotel and to repack again.  This time we had to pack for 4 days in the jungle.

Machu Picchu!!

Tuesday March 14th

Up before the crack of dawn we were ready and packed for our trip up to Machu Picchu - we had to pack our small backpacks as the train has a weight restriction. We left our big packs at the hotel in their storage (I guess they do this often!). Richardo our Anywhere Peru host in Cusco met us at 5:45am with all of our passes and tickets for this leg of the journey. At 6 our private bus showed up and we were back on the road- a 2 hour trip - to Ollantaytambo with a bagged breakfast from the hotel. A pretty uneventful drive, as we drove through the countryside- we saw the towns stirring, also it made me realise how much poverty there is here; most of the houses are half built. They builders seems to leave rebar sticking out the top of most buildings as if they are going to build another layer at some time! Also the garbage- so much trash dumped at the side of the road- we passed a huge pile of garbage at one point and there must have been 30-40 dogs just having a feast. A short 2 hours and we were in the quaint town that is Ollantaytambo and on to the train station for our 8:30 Expedition train to Aguas Calientes's. We had time for a coffee stop at the train coffee shop and then we were crossing the tracks to our train! Finding our assigned seats and getting settled for the 1.5 hour train ride through the Andes. As we exited the city the on board staff were introducing themselves and then the refreshment cart followed. Coffee and cookies were a yummy bonus.
We enjoyed a glass roof view of the countryside passing by- all the while following the raging Urubamba river on our way through the mountains. A beautiful ride - we even passed the pint where we could see all the trekkers leaving for the 4 day Inca trail hike. We arrived in the town of Aguas Calientes's at around 9:30 and our guide Luce was there to great us as well as a guy from the hotel we would be staying at to take our bags. Then a quick water stop and we were on another bus up to Machu Picchu- this was a hair raising experience as we switched back and forth up the mountain and the town faded into the valley below. 20 minutes later we were at the gates to our destination- a S/.1 (1 soles or about 50c) bathroom break and we were being asked for our passports so we could enter the gates.
Finally we were here!! Luce was a great guide and we started our tour- past the sign dedicated to Hiram Bingham for "finding" this Inca site in 1911 and then there it was - cloudy and all filled with mystery. The rain started at this point- but nothing could take away from the beauty before us. As we admired this engineering feat- Luce started talking about the amazing buildings we were walking through. The temples all indicated by the perfect - unable to stick a blade of grass between - walls. The drainage system that was in full effect today - as water flowed downhill and away from the houses to watering fountains were the Inca's gathered their water supplies. The temple of the Sun and the temple of the 3 windows gave us extraordinary insight as to how sacred some areas of this site were- although no-one really has an idea of what it was used for. There are many theories- a place for special women only, a type of monastery, to just a vacation place for the first leader of this Incan empire. There are buildings that were most certainly living quarters and they predict maybe 500 people lived here before it was abandoned. They seem to have left in a hurry and terraces were still being built and unfinished projects litter the ruins. The rocks that make up this site - unlike a lot of the other Incan sites we have visited were from this mountain and not carried from far away. The rain continued to pour down but this didn't faze us and our 2 hours tour was over in no time. Luce left us back where we started and we had time to explore on our own. We climbed the steps up to the guard house and there was the view of Machu Picchu as seen in every travel photo of this site- at this point the rain lifted and we greeted with stunning views and picture perfect moments, it was quite a site to take in- we spent a good long time taking it all in. After this we headed back to the gate and another bathroom break- there are no facilities in the ruins themselves. Then we waited in the 20 minute or so line up to play chicken on the road down with buses coming up! Although we are visiting in low/rainy season we are very glad as it was busy enough for us and we couldn't imagine any more people in the site- it really would ruin the visit. We were back in Aguas Calientes's and trekking up the steep streets to El Mapi for our buffet lunch included in our ticket price. Finding it we took up a seat next to the window to people watch as we ate. We warmed up with some soup and then a pretty good buffet selection for lunch- including a pasta bar and ceviche station ( I also had some Alpaca stew). After this welcome break we continued our hike up to our hotel- Taypikala Machu Picchu. Checking in we headed straight for the room and mandatory rest period - thoroughly pooped we all had a nap and chilled with bad wifi!
Frank and I headed out about an hour later in search of the cheap massages this town is famous for- outside our hotel and right there was a place- we enjoyed a 30 minute massage for $20 each and felt ready to face the town after this. Collecting the girls we were in search of a light dinner. The steep Main Street is lined with places to eat and massage parlours and every one of them accosts you as you walk by to get you into theirs- a little annoying but part of the tourist trade I guess. We found a place that served Mexican type food- quesadillas and pizza for dinner- the girls played table Jenga and we watched waves of people with backpacks walk up the street after a day at the ruins. The town is just filled with backpackers and tourists. We finished up our evening at the hotel and bedtime was early as we had to be up at 4:45 to check out and try catch the sunrise up at Machu Picchu!