PERU

Peru

Cusco and Macchu Piccu

Meeting Dad off the plane was a happy and yet strange occasion for me, it was great to see him again but felt strange that I would be backpacking with my father for the next couple of weeks! It was great to see him when he arrived and lamost didn't seem real that he had come all the way to Peru to see me for a holiday! We headed in a taxi towards our hostel straight through the amazing PLaza de las Armas where the stands not just one but two frankly exquisite religious edifices, one being the grand cathedral and one being a beautiful Spanish style colonial church.

The taxi driver told us he couldnt go any further so we had to walk from the square as the road was blocked (there were wooden beams and planks holding the walls and buildings up after all the flooding and landslides in January). Walking up this hill towards our hostel was a real struggle and Dad was breathless within moments. It was especially hard for him as he had never been at such altitude although for me it was ok as I had come from La Paz but it was still hard work for me! He was obviously going to be jetlagged and needed to acclimatise so after we had a bite to eat he slept and Iwent out to explore a little.

From the main square I had seen a big white statue of Jesus Christ, similar to Christ the Redeemer on top of the hill overlooking the city and had decided to try and get up there so I could get a good view of the city so I headed up the hill behind the hostal and after a little while I arrived at a viewpoint next to a church which provided a splendid view but still wasnt quite high enough. I saw a typically AMerican looking gringo heading towards me with a smile on his face, music in his ears and backpack on his back. He approached and asked if I was ok so I told him I was trying to get up to the Cristo Blanco. He was a nice friendly guy telling me he was a tour guide for Americans there and that I should go up the steep path through the houses if I wanted to avoid paying to get in the national park of Saqsayhuaman by going the road way so I took his advice and went up that way. It turned out to be a hard and tiresome climb with my flip flops but worth it when I finally reached the Christ statue.

The view was pretty spectacular with Cusco being in a bowl with houses as far as the eye could see, 360 degrees around the mountain slopes and at the bottom of the bowl, the
spectacular main square and catherdrals. I had no idea it was such a big place! I thought to myself that Id get Dad to do exactly the same as some training for the Inca Trail so I went up again with him the next day. He had to stop many times but made it so I was pretty proud of him! In the evenings Dad would go to bed pretty early and I'd go out. On the first night I headed to Loki to meet the nice girls I had travelled on the bus with from Copacabana. We stayed at the Loki for a while, had some good veggie soup, initiated drinking at happy hour and proceeded to play card drinking games with 2 English guys the girls had met at the hostel. I was fine at shithead but as soon as the game changed to one I didnt know how to play I lost. The problem here was that there was a forefeit for losing so I ended up having to tell a girl at the bar an awful chat up line (getting her to touch my tshirt and asking what type of material she thought it was and telling her it was boyfriend material) and she actually thought I was chatting her up for real and seemed quite interested! THen I ended up having to strip down to my boxers awith one of the other guys and running round the courtyard!
After these escapades we headed to Mama Africa in the main square which was good fun and I didnt get in til about 4.30! Dad and I had 2 days in Cusco before the trail so we visited a few museums and had some good and some rather mediocre meals. One meal included Dad trying guinea pig which was pretty revolting looking like a huge great big rat and put me off my food! I very much liked Cusco, it was a wonderful place although the constant annoyance of people trying to sell you things and coax you into their restaurant got rather tedious after a while.

So after 3 nights in Cusco we headed off early in the morning to walk the world famous Inca Trail. Our guide Martinez was a real character and total legend and he was there exclusively just for Dad and I although we had 2 other English guys in our group who had their own guide too but a group of 4 was great for us. The first day of walking was fairly easy with spectacular views and beautiful flowers and birds such as humming birds and cute little sparrows chirping away. We arrived at the camp site after a few hours and set up camp with a beautiful view of the valley and the snow capped white Andes in the distance.

I wasnt the biggest fan of camping and tents but I was quite looking forward to camping and the food provided by the porters was fanstatic with 3 courses being served up out of their tent at every mealtime! Each day was a struggle due to the altitude, steep gradients and even coming down felt just as hard at times as going up due to big drops between each step causing particular strain on the knees! After each exhausting but at the same time exhlirating day sleep in a cold tent in a sleeping back was a welcome thought although at times it did get very cold and so it was necessary to wear many layers in the sleeping bag just to get snug and warm enough to sleep. On the 4th morning we woke at 4 to get to the sun gates before sun rise. Unfortunatwely on arrival there it was too misty too see Machu Piccu from there so we continued down and arrived on the terraces of Machu Piccu without even realising as the clouds were so low but as Martinez continued to tell us about the place and guide us around, the clouds began to rise as it warmed and we began to see the full glory and beauty of the place and we got the money shots of the picture postcards that everyone recognises.

It was beautiful and all the pain and effort in walking was now easily worth it. After an hour or so of walking around and Martinez explaining the history and significance of the place, I decided I was going to climb Wayna PIccu which was also a big struggle as it was an almost vertical climb at times but again well worth the effort as it was simply a sublime view from up there looking down on city of Machu PIccu and all around huge mountains, quite a breathtaking view!

Once we'd had a good look around and taken in the beauty and mystery of the place we headed to Auguascalientes in the bus which is the nearest city to the Incan ruins.
We stayed in rather a nice hotel right next to the torrid and turbulent River Urubamba which was in itself a marvel! It was so nice to be sleeping in a bed again after 4 nights in a tent and after bathing in the natural hot springs in town, I returned and after a cocktail with Dad at happy hour I slept like a baby!

The next day it was time to head back to Cusco and so we took the Inca Rail train back to where we had started the trail and then from there we met our driver who took us part of the way back to Cusco (the police stopped us half way and asked for his license but he had no papers at all) so we caught a ride with another guy who turned out to be a very nice guy and even stopped at places for sight seeing on the way and explained a little about the area to us. On return to Cusco, Dad and I decided that since my plan was head North that he'd accompany me to Lima and pay for my flight there which was very generous as it was
either a 24 hour bus journey through the mountains or an hours flight. I was very much looking forward to seeing Lima, the captial of Peru and the capital of the Spanish colony for 200 years! After a last supper of guinea pig and another good sleep in the nice Walk On Inn hostal, it was time to leave the beautiful city of Cusco.