Lima & Lurgy!

Leaving Cusco made me very aware that although I usually meet good people, I cannot rely on them to look out for me in the same way that friends from home would. I decided Cusco had been a lesson in remembering to take care and look out for myself.

On the twenty hour bus to Lima I also became aware that I was becoming pretty sick. Blocked sinuses are really not good to have at altitude. However being on a bus for that length of time does force you to rest which I certainly needed.

Arriving in Lima I made my way to the Kokopelli hostel in Miraflores, where my friends Joanne and Matt were also staying. They had left messages that they were on a tour and I chilled until they got back.

The next few days were lovely (apart from the horrible lurgy which meant that every time I sneezed or coughed, I followed it with 'ow'. Much to Matt's amusement!). I caught up with Vanessa, my lovely Canadian friend from earlier in the trip; ate a great vegetarian buffet in an old railway carriage with a piano player; went and saw skeletons in catacombs and ate several good meals. I really enjoyed spending some more time with Joanne and Matt - it was all very chilled, exactly what was needed after Cusco.

I do feel that I didn't really give Cusco the time it deserved, but moving on meant I had time to get to Huanchaco to meet up with Ursula (great friend from Quito who has been travelling in Peru for almost two years).

Last Tuesday I got on another night bus and made my way to Trujillo and then Huanchaco.

A note about Lima:

I was surprised that I enjoyed Lima as I had had absolutely no interest in spending time there - however as with many things, I think it has a lot to do with who your with and the company was excellent!

Cusco & Macchu Picchu

I arrived in Cusco on the 6th of May and was excited about the prospect of some partying as it had been a fairly quiet month. We were staying in The Wild Rover which has quite a reputation. On our first night we put it to the test...

There was glitter; dancing on the bar; nurses hats; random banter; pints of rum and coke; lots of smiling and laughing...and rather a lot of missing memory. I remember buzzing around the bar talking to many different people - Rhian confirmed this and the great big grin on my face...I'm just not sure how I ended up in the right dorm but the wrong bed. The only reason I found out was because the correct owner of the bunk arrived back at 7am..at first I denied everything, but it quickly became apparent that she was right and I was indeed in her bed. I quickly apologised and snuck into my own for a few more hours kip. Luckily Rhian also had some significant gaps so that made me feel considerably better.

Saturday was a fairly non day apart from a massage in the afternoon - one of my favourite hangover cures. Although I did get a little concerned whilst waiting for my massage when an American gent was being fairly vocal about how much he was enjoying his massage - had I stumbled into a den of ill repute? Luckily no, he was just a twat! Hahahahahaha!

On Sunday there was a big 'Killer' pool tournament - I declined entry, but did get chatting to a lovely couple called Joanne and Matt. We were having a splendid time and being marginally foolish. Matt won the tournament and therefore we had to dance on the bar to celebrate! After that we decided the casino was also a marvellous plan..Joanne declined, but Matt and I were all for it. (I've never been into a casino in my life, and still haven't as we were declined entry because we were too drunk - even after I tried to explain in my best Spanish!!).

"Where now?" I enquired.

"To Mama Afrika's," replied Matt.

After that it all becomes a bit blurry again...I know there was dancing though, lots of dancing. And Matt wearing my hat.

Monday was a strange day...I really wasn't happy about two nights with so much missing memory. I was also feeling kind of down as I knew I would be going in a separate direction from Rhian and Simon the next day. It was a vulnerable and fragile day, for different reasons. I decided an early night was the best plan of attack as I was heading to Aguas Calientes the next day and would be hitting Macchu Picchu on Wednesday. 

Unfortunately an early night was impossible with the noise from the bar; the noise from two of my room mates who kept coming in and out of the room in various stages of intoxication and the noise from my brain over thinking.

The journey to Ollyantambo was spent mostly asleep; as was the train trip to Aguas Calientes to be honest. The train runs through a beautiful valley, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. 

On arrival in Aguas Calientes we were met by a guy from our hostel (there were a few of us who had taken the trip from Cusco). After being shown my room I went wandering and later bumped into the others and spent some more time wandering with them. 

We were met by a guide later that night in the hostel and advised to get up and leave the hostel by 3am in order to get on the first bus to Macchu Picchu - this would mean we would be able to be one of the four hundred who are able to get tickets to climb Huayna Picchu. However, our hostel told us they would get breakfast ready for 3am - this seemed reasonable (as reasonable as getting up at that hour in the morning can be!). By this point it was about 8pm and I retired, once more hoping for an early night...

But, no...across the street from my room they were refurbishing a shop - this went on all night. I finally got to sleep after midnight and only slept for two to three hours. Regardless of this fact, I was still one of the first to breakfast. 

The two hour wait at the bus station for the first bus at 5.30am was tedious and I got a very numb bum. Sleeping for about twenty minutes on the actual bus did not make up for it. We arrived at about 6am...our guide wasn't due until 7.45am. The others went off wandering around the site but I didn't want to do that as I knew I'd pay no attention to the guide if I'd already looked around - I know what I'm like. 

I spotted some folks I recognised from Friday night - they confirmed that I had been highly entertaining...when they went on their way I found a quiet spot and waited for the sun. It was perfect, I watched the sun coming over the mountain tops and slowly lighting up the whole site. Just beautiful!

I had this lovely spot to myself for some time - until tour groups started arriving with guides pointing out the incredible view. I was glad to have had my own tranquil meditation with Macchu Picchu.

The guided tour was much as I expected, at times interesting and at times a little dull. The site is incredible though and it was definitely worth going. Unfortunately though, my fear of heights kicked in a couple of times walking around, so I decided there was no way I would cope with the climb up Huayna Picchu - just looking at it made me feel sick!

Lack of sleep sometimes made it difficult to pay attention and at one point I almost fell asleep on my feet! Snacks purchased in Aguas Calientes helped me to stay awake. When the tour finished, I spent some more time wandering on my own and got back to Aguas Calientes by lunchtime. The afternoon was spent mostly eating or reading 'The Motorcycle Diaries', which I found in a bookshop there.

I finally got back to Cusco at about 11pm - it probably would have been wise to go to bed. However I grabbed a shower and joined the party!

Another marvellous night ensued - one which I actually remember - hurray! More bar dancing in several different locations; cartwheels on the street; running round different streets to beat the others back to the hostel; boys play fighting; post beer burgers - I ate Matt's, oops! He forgave me though and wouldn't take any money.

Thursday - by the time I got up, Matt and some of the staff were already on the shots (and it was only midday!). The afternoon progressed into a loving jamming session - with Shaun (who I jammed with in Santiago), myself and Rowan (bar staff). It was a really lovely and chilled afternoon - perfect after a ridiculous night! Or it was, until someone said something particularly nasty to me.

The nastiness may have come from a kind of jealousy, or a nose being put out of joint, but it was unnecessary and unkind. It also made me make the decision to leave Cusco the next day and follow Matt and Joanne to Lima, I wanted to be around good people. I also decided that from Lima I would head on to Huanchaco to catch up with Ursula.

Lake Titicaca

The journey to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca was one of the shortest for some time! We were slightly baffled at one point when we were told to leave the bus for safety reasons. However it soon became clear that we actually had to cross Lake Titicaca to reach our destination (this was via the Straits of Tiquina). It's quite mental seeing a big ol' bus being loaded onto a barge type thing and floating across the water.

We stayed at the Ecolodge just outside Copacabana. We had a lovely cabaña in the garden. The people at the hostel were very sweet and even went out to get us pizza after we'd drunk a couple of bottles of red wine. Rhian and I managed to get through a third bottle and we had a very giggly evening! However as our stay progressed, we realised that although they were very sweet, they didn't really have clue (they've only been there for about a month). For example, they made our beds but didn't empty the bins or clean the bathroom.

Copacabana was a sweet, touristy town. On our second day there we wandered around and saw various vehicles being blessed (we had arrived during one of their fiestas). I liked it because it was a place for Bolivian tourists as well as travellers. We also discovered a very naughty shop, with many lovely bags and beautiful jewellery. I actually managed to resist - shocking!

Last Tuesday we took a boat to Isla del Sol. I was quite grumpy in the morning and I think it was because of there being a feeling of unknown about the trip to the island - if I'd been on my own I don't think it would have bothered me, but as I had made the suggestion of only going for the day I think I was worried that Simon and Rhian may have been disappointed. It was a bit of a step back into the past and I didn't enjoy it - my issue though.

We trekked across the island and it was beautiful - hard at times but most definitely worth it. It also confirmed that whilst I'm happy to trek for a day, I just wouldn't enjoy a trek that was over several days. 

After this we had one last night in the hostel before heading to Puno. We were all excited about seeing the floating islands. Also Simon was much better and Rhian was improving too.

(Whilst in Copcabana, Simon and I developed quite a pringles habit!)

The bus to Puno took about three hours; the border crossing was straightforward; I was happy to be back in Peru.

At our new hostel, we were about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened and we were called 'angels' by Alfred our new host! He was brilliant and really made us all giggle - particularly me and Rhian. He was most definitely a larger than life character!!

Sadly the next day when we woke up to head to the islands, Simon was ill again, so Rhian and I set off without him. The islands were fascinating - we stopped on one and got invited into one of the women's houses - before we knew it we were being dressed in traditional costumes. The woman was quite scary and when I misunderstood something she said in Spanish, she scowled at me. There were also souvenirs to buy -it was difficult because I felt obliged to buy something but I didn't really like anything there. I settled for a small mobile in the end.

Back at the ranch, Simon was still in a bad way - I think due to the altitude. Rhian and I explored and had a nice girlie afternoon. We both hoped he'd feel better the next day as we had bought tickets to get to Cusco.