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!

Monday- Cusco tour

Monday March 13th


Today we had a bit of a sleep in- not long enough according to Danica. Also the hotel was super noisy early in the morning- most tours leave early as do the trekkers for Machu Picchu. We had our breakfast at the hotel- a light one as we didn't think we would be too long without food today. Then we were off to the Plaza de Armas, in search of a free walking tour guide. We found Diego, of Free Walking Tours Cusco, in no time and a group formed. Promptly at 10 am we were off. First we learnt about the Inca statue in the middle of the square- one of the most important Inca leaders- Pachacuti - as he built Machu Picchu, Ollanaytambo and Cusco to name a few sites. Cusco was initially built in the shape of a Puma, to represent its importance with the Earth. We found this plaque which is in the centre of Cusco, apparently the name Cusco means small dirty dog, it was originally called Cosco which means center of the universe- which it was the center of the Incan universe. At this time in the tour a dog decided to join the tour- our guide says it was not his dog- but that it always joins him (the dog walked with us the entire 2 hours.) On a side note- there are SO many stay dogs in this city- no wait this country from what we have seen so far- the restaurants apparentley keep them fat!
Diego took us to see an Incan musician- who was mesmerising to watch, playing flutes made of condor wings, drums and conch shells. Next we got to learn about the Incan architecture- just how ingenious they were, but sadly so much of it was covered by Spanish buildings- who literally destroyed so much history. He showed us the "image" of the condor and the serpent built into the walls out of stones- so impressive. We were introduced to a store owner- she taught us all the difference between real baby Alpaca and baby Alpaca/sheep wool. The price should be a telling factor as real baby Alpaca is not cheap, but so soft!
We the stared the climb uphill and ended at a bar up in the San Blas district (a lot like Montmartre in Paris) overlooking the city below. At Limbus bar, we learnt how to make a Pisco Sour, ceviche and enjoyed the view. A great tour and free to boot- we learnt more than our brains could possibly contain.
Then we were on our own - we needed lunch so on the way back down, we saw Jack's a place that was highly recommended for lunch. We lucked out with a table and enjoyed some huge sandwiches and smoothies. The girls were super exhausted at this point, we really hadn't expected it to be so hot. This is the rainy season, so we have lucked out so far- 3 days of gorgeous sun. We dropped the girls at the hotel and then Frank and I caught a cab up to the ruins above the city Saqaysayhuman.
We explored these ruins (after paying 70sols to get in- a little pricey at about $30cad), but they were worth it. "The stones used in the construction of these terraces are among the largest used in any building in prehispanic America. They display a precision of fitting that is unmatched in the Americas. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cuzco. The longest of three walls is about 400 meters. They are about 6 meters tall. The estimated volume of stone is over 6,000 cubic meters. Estimates for the weight of the largest block vary from 128 tonnes to almost 200 tonnes." How did the make the cuts so straight and the edges so round??
Near this site there is also this huge statue of Jesus (or Cristo Blanco) - Towering some 8 meters (26 feet) high the white structure was a gift from Arabic Palestinians who sought refuge in Cusco after World War II. The statue depicts Christ extending his arms outwards, very similar to Rio´s Christ the Redeemer, but in miniature format.- we hiked up there, which seemed easy but this altitude makes it so tough to walk too far uphill. We passed the ladies and Alpacas on the way and had to stop for the obligatory pose with them. We then decided to walk down the steep path to the city- it is a long walk down- at least the altitude doesn't come into the downhill too much, but knees don't like me anymore.
After a small rest we headed back up to San Blas to get our Alpaca sweaters from the vendor we met on the tour (special price for us :) - can't leave here without one. Then back up to Limbus bar for a night view of the city and a pisco sour. We ended our night at Cicciolina's tapas bar and then back to pack and bed early. Tomorrow we are headed to Machu Picchu so up early.

Sunday and Sacred Valley bound.

Sunday morning we all awoke with pounding heads and feeling like we had been beat up. But we swallowed some Advil and were thankful to be going down in elevation to about 9,000ft- 2,000ft makes a huge difference.We had a buffet breakfast in the hotel- love buffets in foreign countries- olives, eggs, buns, fruit, hot milk for cereal, cold ham, cake, chicken stir fry? But the coffee was good! We were met in the lobby by Richardo and he had all the tickets for the day- at 7:45 sharp the bus showed up and we were off for the day. Our guide for the day was Adril- he was so good. HE is native to the area- and Quechewa or descendant of the Inca's. Our first stop was to visit the Alpacas and Llamas on the road- the Alpacas are fluffy and look like a Llama and a sheep had a baby- super soft and their fur is coveted for all types of items here; the Llamas were hippie ones- complete with dread locks and all. This was a 15 minute stop and we were on the road again. Our first destination was Pisac and the ruins of the same name up above the city. We had beat the crowds and Adril gave us a good history lesson on these amazing Inca terraced ruins. The word Pisac roughly translated means partridge- this ruin is shaped like that bird. The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. They created the terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet. We took a hike up all the way to the top for a stunning view- when we got up there we realized we had not put sunscreen on and we were burning to a crisp. On the way back to the bus- we got some sunscreen from a vendor- selling everything from water to touques! We then headed into Pisac proper- stopping at the local market - we got to see a silversmith at work as they made some stunning pieces- silver is cheapish here as they mine it, along with copper and zinc in the mountains above. We also watched the local potters throwing some beautiful ceramics. The main market was gorgeous- surrounded by the Andes all around; so many locals too- all dressed in traditional outfits- they actually wear these not just for show. Back on the bus and heading towards Ollantaytambo we stopped for lunch at Tunupa Valle Sagrado and to make the experience even better the setting for this restaurant was on the bank of the Urubamba river. We had a lively Peruvian trio playing in the background- I really enjoyed the Alpaca meat very tender and tasty. This was a gorgeous setting and we walked along the river after lunch- then back on the bus.
Next stop Ollantaytambo and the ruins there. The town itself was adorable- a Unesco heritage site it cannot be built up at all and all the building are quaint- this is the jumping off point for most to Machu Picchu and the Inca trail- there were tons of backpackers, hostels and tours going on. We headed to the other side of town and the ruins looming up on the mountain.

As we climbed the Inca stairs to the top of the fortress (about 275 stairs) of the Ollantaytambo ruins you begin to fathom just how large this structure is. The terraces are taller than the average man and much wider than they look from the bottom. At the top of the fortress is the military area. From here is where Inca Manco and his soldiers watched for the Spanish invaders. This was a great vantage point, and only when you get up there do you realize how high you are up and how much you can see out to the Sacred Valley. A short distance from the top of the fortress you enter the temple complex. This section includes many finely crafted stone pieces such as the Enclosure of the Ten Niches. As you enter the important Temple of the Sun you will see a number of discarded large stone known as piedras cansadas, tired stones. This uncompleted temple holds the Wall of the Six Monoliths. Each of these stones weighs 50 tons and were brought from the nearby quarry- on the other side of the mountain!
After a while admiring these stunning ruins we were off again and the last stop of the day Chinchero- this little town was not on the popular Sacred Valley tour as most of the ruins have been built on top of by the Spanish- but we got an idea of the magnitude of them as we looked over the valley. A quick walk and were at a weaving market- here we learned how they make these gorgeous colours for all the Alpaca clothes- it is all natural. Eucalyptus leaves for green, cochineal for red- adding some plant to the cochineal then turns it purples. It was a truly informative tour as we sipped on our coca tea. That was it for the day and we were back on the road to Cusco- arriving at Plaza de Armas at 7pm- a long day but so wonderful.
Back at the hotel and a quick freshen up we headed out o Bodega 138 for a dinner of good beer, calzones, pizza and pasta. Back at the hotel and we had to pack overnight bags for the next morning- early to bed as we had an early wake up call.

Off to Peru!

Friday March 10th couldn't arrive fast enough.  After a long night of packing we set the alarms for just after 4 am as our first flight left at 8am and we had to be there 2 hours before of course.  5am departure from the house and off to YVR.  Made it through customs and security just to stand in the line Starbucks line up for about 30 minutes.  Then at 8:20 we were off- first stop Portland, a mere one hour later and we had our first touchdown of the 20 hours of travel we had ahead of us.  Breakfast in PDX was a 3 hour afair as we awaited our next flight - 2.5 hours to LAX!  At LAX we had another 4 hour layover - we had a terminal change and to the most expensive terminal at the airport.  We sat at the food court and paid around $100 US for a dinner for 4 (which included pizza and sandwiches)- I passed on the $15 Bloody Mary.  Finally our flight to Lima was ready for take off- we were flying LATAM- the aircraft was huge and very modern- this was promising to be a good flight- one can hope when you are on a plane for over 8 hours that it is a good one. We settled in for the long haul- one movie in and we were all on the way to sleep.  Maybe we got about 4-5 hours each?  Then it was a hurried breakfast snack and the decent into Lima began.
We landed to a hot and humid city.  Made it though customs, and all our baggage arrived too.  As we exited there was Cesar from Anywhere Peru to greet us.  Thank goodness he was there to guide us through the crazy that is Lima airport - we were able to check our luggage in for the afternoon flight to Cusco and then we were off in the van.  This city is insane- there are no road rules and everyone honks all the time for no reason at all.  30 minutes later we arrived at the Lacro Museum.  Cesar and Raphael treated us to a delicious lunch under hanging trees and out on a cool lush patio.  We then took a walk around the museum - which chronicled the rise and fall of the Incas.  It was all very informative but we were so tired it didn't all register as well as it should have.  After a wonderful few hours reprieve from airports we were back at Lima international and boarding our flight to Cusco.  An hour and a half later we were landing in the high, high altitude town - our home for the next 5 days or so. Richardo was there to meet us and once again guide us though the city to our hotel. Finally we were here!! The Royal Inka 2 hotel was not to bad- we had no windows in the room which was a little  disconcerting - but we were too tired to care.  We stayed in the room for a while was could all feel the lack of oxygen having an effect on our bodies- headaches were starting and a serious shortness of breathe was making us all a little panicky. After a little rest we left to explore- and by explore I mean we went to find a light meal.  Cusco is interesting - as soon as we entered Plaza De Armas (the main square), every restaurant has someone on the street trying to get you to eat at their establishment - quite annoying as you can't get near a place to look at a menu without being accosted. Never the less we found a small place and had a light meal of pizza and salad.  Then it was off to bed- we were done and needed a good nights sleep.

Hop on hop off

Thursday and we had planned a trip to Robben Island, but Wednesday was a rainy horrible day so all trips to the island were cancelled, this meant that we couldn't get tickets as all sailing were sold out today! Plan B was the hop on hop off bus. There are 3 different tours in CT, we didn't want to do the downtown one as we had seen most there was to see, the table mountain one was out too so that left the blue line or peninsula tour. We caught the bus at the V&A waterfront, just missing the 10:15 bus so we had to wait for the 10:50. On the bus and we were off- the sun was peaking out so it promised to be a good one. The first stop for us was going to be Kirstenbosch Gardens. We arrived after 11 and set off into the beautiful green gardens. You couldn't have a more beautiful backdrop than the back of Table Mountain. We didn't have too much time to spend as the days are so short and we had lots to see. Our first goal was the Boomslang walk- a beautiful wooded walkway that meanders above the canopy and then back down- spectacular views from up there. Next I had to see the protea gardens - of course not too much in bloom being winter, but enough for me to capture the beauty. But this time we were well past lunch, so a stop at the cafe for a bite. The food was so good- we truly have not had a bad meal in this country. Looking at the bus schedule we realized that the next bus was at 1:45 and we didn't want to miss it- so we gobbled down the food and did a quick hike to the front gate to get the bus. 2 hours is not enough to see these beautiful gardens, I'll have to come back.

Next stop was an "informal Settlement" as the townships here are called. This one only has about 15,000 people living here. The area was originally aloted for 500 families, so there is so much crowding going on. It was also originally called Mandella Gardens as it was during his release that this area sprung up. But so many areas at that time were called Mandella something or other so it changed its name to Imizamo Yethu (Xhosa, meaning "Our Efforts"). The settlement has dismal water facilities; there have very few toilets and no sewerage system. The Disa River which runs through this settlement has the highest level of e-coli bacteria that has ever been recorded in South Africa. We were able to walk through the area with a guide who lives there. We could not ever imagine living here and know how lucky we are. We stopped at the local church, were so many people have visited, including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu to name a few. The local crafters have set up their wares in here too- I bought a wonderful hand crafted necklace. Next stop was an after school care facility. When we arrived the kids came running- they wanted hugs, high fives and to be picked up. They must see so many tourists, but boy were they cute. We spent a while hanging out with all ages from 2- 10. We didn't want to leave. Back on the bus, we did a tour of the Hout bay, Camps bay area. We were too tired to get off the bus, so we noted that we will have to come back tomorrow. The beaches are gorgeous!! We got back to the wharf at close to 5pm. Of course we were hungry. A nearby place caught our eye as a good place to eat- Vovo Telo, the girls and Frank had a flat bread pizza, while I had to have the curry- bunny chow style. The food did not disappoint. Back to the apartment to start the big pack home. Frank and I headed out at about 8pm, for a quick visit to the Crypt. We had passed by the other day and noted that they had live jazz. We thought we would pop in for a quick show. Street parking was a little challenging, parked we walked by the church lot, the guy asked if we were going to the Crypt as this was the secure lot - good to know. We moved the car and went in. We didn't need dinner but sat at the bar - got some drinks and waited for the entertainment. Pretty soon a singer and pianist started singing, one by one the band came on stage- each song produced a new member of the band. The music was great, the back up singers were pretty amazing dancers too. We stayed for about 90 minutes, but then had to leave, as we had to finish packing. We are so sad this is our last night here- we could most def have stayed longer in this city.

Rain, rain and rainbows.

As promised the rain was here Tuesday- it wasn't horrible, but enough for us to don the raincoats and head out. First stop Bokaap, this Colourful area was one I had to explore- we tried the museum but it was cash only and as we needed to find a bank machine we gave it a miss.  We took a walk around and admired the beautiful houses. Our next order of business was a good coffee.

The quest for coffee in this country has been extreme- extremely good and extremely bad.  We are never really sure what we are going to get- there are not Starbucks at all that we have seen.  But we had heard the coffee scene in Capet Town was all that.  Truth coffee was supposed to be the best- meh!  The best we have had is at Jason's.  This was a place I had marked on my must do list, and there it was.  Of course we always order an Americano here as they don't do drip coffee, the question is always asked "milk on the side". And when you answer yes then, "hot or cold".  I always have to have it cold as they make the coffee super hot too.  But we have had some very good coffee and some just okay- Jason's- yes!

After coffee and a snack we were in search of Sugarman- the vinyl record store who is owned by the guy who found Rodriguez.  A 10 minute walk and we were at Mabu Vinyl, a good place to explore.  After we took a walk down Long street checking out the eclectic stores and such.  We made our way down to Greenmarket Square- any souvenir you could possible want.  Lunch time at this point and we were all hungry- a tour guide in the square directed us to the "Food Lovers Market", this place was perfect for sandwiches - we all had a panini and a sit down.  Then down to the company gardens for a stroll.  Danica made friends with the squirrels and geese right away- they would eat out of our hands if we had food- too tame.  A walk showed us some lovely flowers, plants and trees- it would be amazing in the Summer.  We didn't spend too long as our parking was due to expire.  Back to the car and then a quick stop at the V&A waterfront as the girls wanted to head to the scratch patch.  We spent a good hour picking stones and then it was home after a long day.  The rain held off for us and we had a great day in the city- good thing we didn't wait to go up the mountain though- it's been covered in cloud for the last 2 days. Dinner- what to do?  There are so many places to eat nearby, but which one to choose from?  We settled on "El Burro", a very highly recommended Mexican Place down the street.  The food was so good- Frank and Danica had the pork tacos, I had the chicken in poblano sauce and Delaney the chicken quesadilla.  The food was very good, as were the margaritas!

Those are some boulders!

Monday we knew the sun would be around for one more day- it seemed the day to head to the point.  We were waylaid a little as Frank had to go to the local walk in clinic as he has some find of infection in his foot- the doc was awesome gave him and antibiotic and sent him on his way.  Then we were southbound- first stop was Simonstown and Boulders beach.  We drove the 25 minutes or so down the coast enjoying the mountain and ocean views along the way.  We arrived at the Penguin viewing beach which is just a little before the boulders beach I know.  We paid our R240 and entered the boardwalk to see the penguins- they were all over- so cute.  These little guys are indigenous to South African - the only ones in the world that live and breed here.  They were the cutest to watch, waddling along on land and when they get to the ocean the dive in and are so agile.  We saw hundreds of these along the beach, the upper walkway had a lot of nests and the grey fuzzy ones all over (they stick though!). We could have spent all day a this beach- but we had lots to see- so we headed up to car and down the road to he boulders I know.  Once again they now charge admission for this beach as the penguins live here too- but we luckily didn't have to pay twice.  This is truly one of the most gorgeous beaches I have ever been to- the stunning blue, green ocean and HUGE boulders- wonder how they got here.  I even dipped my feet in the ocean- remembering how cold it used to be, I was surprised that it was actually a little warmer than Oregon! The girls could have climbed these rocks forever- but we had another 30 minutes or so to drive to the southern tip.
We drove the 30 minutes to the Cape Point entrance (once again paid our fee) and were on the 20 minute road to the point.  Of course there was a stoppage for roadwork- this is winter here and the Tim of year that they do all their roadwork as the roads are not as busy. Driving to the point we saw all these signs for the baboons- beware, don't feed etc.  Frank was a little freaked out :)
At the point we parked and caught the funicular up to the light house- it was 1:30 by this time- where does the time go?  At the top we admired the view of the tip of Africa- or the most South Eastern point anyway- so beautiful and glad we are here on a sunny day.  We decided to walk down and there were all kind of baboons preening on the way down- the babies are so cute, but the adults are on the look out for food you might have.  At the bottom we were all a little hungry, so thought we would grab a small bite at the cafe down below- luck was not on our side as we ordered, but were waiting for our food behind and entire rugby team- it too forever!
After the point we were north bound to Cape Town, but via Chapmans Peak- one of the most gorgeous drives in the world.  We hugged that road as it is very narrow, they have even carved some of the road into the Rock-  but the views were stunning. At the peak we could see Hout Bay on the other side.  At the end of the road was a toll, we paid and then we were off to Hout Bay in search of fish and chips.  We found Fish on the Rocks, which was supposed to be the best - unfortunately it stuck at the restaurant- so we ordered and went down the road and ate in the car- it was not bad!
Back to Cape Town and the apartment- exhausted.  We had a chill night at the apartment and early to bed.