From Arequipa to Colca

Another quick update, as it´s late and it takes FOREVER to upload pictures in these internet cafes. I´ll try to go back and upload pictures when I find an internet cafe with a fast connection (perhaps when I return to Lima).

So I woke up this morning, had breakfast in the garden of my hotel in Arequipa, and was picked up by the tour bus for my 2 day trip to the Colca Canyon - deepest canyon in the world. There are 10 people in total on this trip - 4 Germans, 1 Scottish man, 3 French, and one Mexican girl. The tourguide, Cecillia, is excellent! I spent a good amount of time chatting with Jeff - the Scottish man. Very interesting and lots of good stories! He used to race motorcycles illegally when he was 11 years old and is also a liensed pilot who has flown from Scottland to France in one of those small open air planes... old skool.

We spent most of the day driving and stopping to take pictures. The landscape is beautiful. It started off like Arizona - dry and arid with low vegetation, but not as flat as Arizona. Then we went into a more mountainous area where there were llamas roaming around (I got some good pics!). It really is neat to see animals and plants I´ve never seen before. Very interesting.

When we arrived in Chivay (where my hotel is) at 3:30PM, we had some free time before our trip to the hot springs close by. Chimay isn´t that nice, so I took a combis (shared van) for $0.30 to a small village called Yanque 4 miles away. In the middle of the village plaza there was a fountain and a beautiful white stone church.

I sat in the plaza for a while writing in my journal, then made my way over to an art gallery off the plaza. There, I met the artist - Eduardo, a 58 year old Peruvian who has also lived and worked in France. He invited me to stay for tea, and we chatted for about an hour in his studio. He gave me recommendations for my travels around Peru and I also learned a bit about his life - truly an artist´s life. He also said I´m the first American that has visited since January. And when I think about it, I haven´t come across many Americans on my travels - mostly Europeans.

Then I took a taxi back to Chivay and met my tour group at the hot springs. Then we went to dinner and a show at a tourist restaurant. Honestly - the only bad meal I´ve had in Peru - very bland. Lesson learned - avoid (most) touristy things. I´ve learned that I like to experience a more local flavor while traveling - I can get Micky D´s, etc. in the US (but even that I hardly ever eat).

Tomorrow morning we wake up early (5:30AM) and head to the canyon to watch the condors fly. Then we take our sweet time traveling back to Arequipa, stopping for more photo ops.

When I return to Arequipa around 5PM, I plan on meeting a friend of a friend for dinner at a Chinese restaurant recommended by Eduardo. Then I´ll catch an overnight bus (with seats that recline to a bed) to Ica - Peru´s wine region.

Life is good.

Another Quick Update

Just a quick update, as the internet cafe is about to close.

I arrived in Arequipa last night around midnight and took a taxi to my hotel. I woke up this morning and spent the day exploring Arequipa. I had breakfast in the garden of my hotel and then was the first person to arrive at the Monestario de Santa Catalina. This place is a monestary for nuns and is like a city within a city. There were lots of little streets with small apartments off the streets for the nuns. It was very peaceful there and I enjoyed having the whole place to myself for most of my visit.

Then I walked a few blocks to Arequipa´s Plaza de Armas and bought a Peruvian news paper. I sat on the balcony of a cafe overlooking the plaza and had a beer. Then I went to the Museo Sanctuary where Juanita is - a well preserved frozen mummy of one of the Inca´s sacrifices.

Next I caught a taxi to a suburb called Yanahuara and had a great typical Arequipan lunch at a well known restaurant (Mayo de Sol). After lunch, I walked over to the local plaza, which had a great view of Arequipa.

And that´s been about it. I´m exhausted, so I´m going to return to my hotel and watch a movie before going to sleep. Great day!

Tomorrow I´m going on a two day tour of Colca Canyon - the world´s deepest canyon. When I return on Tuesday, I have a few hours before I board an overnight bus (with bed seats) to Ica - Peru´s wine region (a 10 hour bus ride for $40).

I plan on spending one day visiting wineries, and then I´ll go to the close town of Huacachina, where there are large sanddunes. I will spend a day there sandboarding and maybe go on a dunebuggie ride!

Then it´s onto Lima for a flight to Iquitos in la selva (the jungle) on the Amazon River! There are no roads that lead to this city... you can only reach it by river or airplane.

I´ll spend a few days at a jungle lodge outside of Iquitos and then head back to Lima and catch another overnight bus to Mancora - a beach resort town on the northern shore of Peru known around the world for great surfing. I´ve also heard they have great tuna there!

Ciao.

From Cuzco to Puno

Today I took the Inka Express bus from Cuzco to Puno - the port town on Lake Titicaca.

We left at 7:30AM and visited a few sites along the way. The first stop was a beautiful church in the town of Andahuaylillas. No pictures were allowed inside.



After the tour, I had a few minuites before the bus left, so I sat in the square and wrote a bit in my journal when a cute dog befriended me (notice my alpaca hat from Cuzco - helps keep me warm).



The landscape was beautiful.





I sat next to a young man (Tom) from Newcastle, England. He just graduated from university and is traveling. He's been in Cuzco for a month and he's had the worst luck - broke his ankle paragliding in Lima and had to spend a week in the hospital in Cuzco followed by crutches, had his wallet stolen, and had a taxi driver drive off with his backpack! Poor guy... but now that his ankle is better, he's continuing and I hope some of my good travel fortune has worn off on him.

Then we had our 2nd stop at Raqchi - which is the remains of the Temple of Viracocha, which was once one of the holiest shrines in the Inca empire. It was mostly destroyed by the Spainish.







Then we continued and stopped for lunch.





There were llamas hanging out close to where we had lunch... they´re very domesticated.





And we continued the drive...



Reaching the highest point (a mountain pass called La Raya) on the journey today (14,200 feet).



Back on the road again...





Fourth stop at Pukara for a small museum tour (no photos allowed). Then we arrived in Puno around 5:30PM and I checked in at my hotel (Miski Wasi Inn). I didn´t have a reservation, so I was happy that there was a room available!



Also, it´s freezing here!!! So I splurged and got a room with heat... haha (a deal at $20). Tomorrow morning I´m taking an early boat to the floating islands and spending the night with a local family. I´ve heard from Dutchie (Rene from the trek to Machu Picchu), who visited Lake Titicaca before, that the houses are very primitive and there´s no heat and one night is enough... so I´ll be freezing my bum off tomorrow night. Please think of me when you´re sitting by the pool or turning your AC on because it´s too hot outside.

After checking in, I headed to Restaurant Don Piero for dinner. I was the first person there and later there were more backpackers (from Ireland and Japan) and a Peruvian band played some music. I had Trout a la Don Piero and a glass of white wine... yummy! It came with avocado, bananas, a fried egg, rice, and french fries.





So that's been my day and it's time for bed because I have to be up and ready to go at 7AM. Signing off for a few days.

Update

Hello Friends and Family,

Yes, I´m a bit behind on posting to my blog. You see... I was out in the wilderness hiking and camping to Machi Picchu for four days, and then I´ve just been on the go since then... plus, it takes forever to upload pictures and videos.

Anyway, I´ll give a quick update for now and then go back and post with more details and pictures.

I left for my 4 day trek on an alternative Inca Trail (the Salkantay trek) to Machu Picchu at 4AM on Friday June 20th. The scenery during the trek was breathtaking... literally... try doing the stairmaster for 8 hours at 12,000 feet with a 15 pound daypack on... what a workout, but totally worth it (as you´ll see when I post the pictures). We also visited two hot springs along the way, which substituted as a shower. And I have to mention the food... it was great! Very surprising for trekking food. Again, more pictures to come. (I´m thinking of renaming my blog to ¨Stefanie Eats Her Way Through Peru.¨ Haha...)

The group was six people - Carrie and Todd the Aussie - newlyweds from Ft. Lauderdale, Jenika - recent college grad from San Francisco, Uther - Brit who is getting his phd from Oxford, and Rene from Holland - also known affectionately as Dutchie. More about the group on my more detailed posts.

On the 4th day, we reached Machu Picchu by bus at 6AM. Truly an incredible site with a lot of history. The site has been well preserved because the Spanish didn´t find it... it was ¨discovered¨ in 1911. I´d say my most memorable moment at MP was sitting high above the site with the peaks of the other mountains at eyelevel. I sat quietly for a while and felt at peace with the gentle mountain breeze.

We took the train back to Cuzco that afternoon (June 23rd) and I spent June 24th exploring more of Cuzco. I love the neighborhood of San Blas... narrow, cobblestone streets, lots of cute restaurants, shops, bars, and cafes.

Then this morning I caught a bus to Puno - the main port city on Lake Titicaca. It was a luxury tour bus, so we stopped along the way at a few villages and sites.

Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in South America - 12,500 feet. Tomorrow morning I´m off to the floating islands. I´m going to spend the night there with a local family and return to Puno on Saturday. And then it´s off to Arequipa - Peru´s 2nd largest city, also known as the White City for it´s colonial buildings made of offwhite volcanic rock. I´ve heard great things about Arequipa from other travelers.

So that´s it for now. I´m going to work on some more detailed posts with pictures and then it´s off the bed.

Hasta luego mis amigos.

Segundo Dia (en Cuzco)

The world is big and small at the same time. Does this make sense? You see, the world is big during times like when I´m flying and I can look out onto the horizon and see all the earth. And the world is small when I´m in a city or village interacting with people and seeing and participating in everyday life. Just a thought.

So, this morning I woke up at 6AM and caught an 8:30AM flight to Cuzco (45 minutes).



I had a window seat.





I took a taxi to Hotel Ninos.



I left my backpack in my room







and had cafe con leche and fruit in the courtyard.





Then I went for a walk.







And went to Qorikancha (translated to Golden Courtyard) - once one of the richest temples in the Inca Empire. Its walls used to be covered with solid-gold sheets. Off the courtyard are rooms that served as the temple to the moon and stars (covered in silver) and another for thunder and rainbow.



The Inkas didn´t use mortar between the blocks.



Here you can see their craftsmanship and how they pieced the stones together.





I think this one looks like a lego.



Here are some macro photos of flowers at Qorikancha for Leah.







On my way to the Plaza de Armas, I got to pet a baby llama (2 weeks old).



And here I am in the Plaza de Armas.



I watched some dances. They´re preparing for the big festival on June 24th - Inti Raymi, which I will attend when I return from my four day trek to Machu Picchu.

Then I had lunch here on the balcony.



I had a ham sandwich with Andean Cheese.



The cheese tasted like salty butter (yum) and was kind of spongy.



Then I walked back to my hotel.



And took a nap (the high altitude makes people tired). Then I went to dinner at Granja Heidi, which serves all natural, healthy food. I had ensalada con pollo (salad with chicken).





I have to say that all the food I´ve had has been excellent! After dinner I walked through the Plaza de Armas on my way back to the hotel and found dancers practicing.

So the day is coming to an end, and it´s been a great one. The highlights were flying to Cuzco, looking out the window and realizing that I was flying to the Andes Mountains in Peru in South America, relaxing and enjoying cafe con leche in the sunny courtyard of Hotel Ninos, and people watching on the balcony where I had lunch in the Plaza de Armas. ¡Que increible!

Tomorrow I´m going on a 4-hour horseback ride to view four inca ruins outside of Cuzco! And then I have a prep meeting @ 6PM for my trek to Macchu Picchu, which I leave for @ 4AM on Thursday. I´ll be hiking and camping for four days on my way to Macchu Picchu, so I´ll be MIA until June 24th.

Sending my love!

Mi Primer Dia (En Lima)

Note: Sad news... all my photos and video from my small camera were deleted. :( I´ve found some pictures on the internet, but for the missing ones you´ll just have to use your imagination.

First of all: (I will insert a funny video here after I retake it... stay tuned).

Now that that´s out of the way...

I arrived last night (Monday) @ 10:30PM and took the taxi provided by my guesthouse. Although Hostal El Patio is no Ritz Carlton, I´m pleased that 1) it´s clean 2) there´s agua caliente (hot water) and 3) it´s only $25 a night! It´s located in a posh neighborhood of Lima by the Pacific Ocean called Miraflores (literally translated "Look at the flowers"). Plus, it has a great lush garden patio.



The day started with a shower @ 7:30AM, followed by breakfast a few blocks away @ the sidewalk Cafe Haiti (one of Miraflores´ oldest cafes with great coffee). Breakfast consisted of a roasted beef sandwich with brown sauce and onions & french fries (Hey - I wanted to try a "Peruvian" breakfast).

After breakfast, I took a taxi to the Monestario de San Francisco in Central Lima.



I got there about 30 minutes after they opened and luckily "beat the crowds" (shout out to Leah and Melody). I am proud to say that I did the Spanish speaking tour (I understood about 50% of what the tourguide said). This turned out to be the better option as the Spanish-speaking tours run more frequently, are smaller, and aren´t packed with annoying teenage tour groups.

Next, I walked a few blcks to the Plaza de Armas and happened to catch the daily Changing of the Guards infront of the President´s House.





After that, I walked down the pedestrian shopping street of Juron de la Union to the Plaza San Martin.



In the middle of the plaza is a statue of General San Martin with an overlooked statue of Madre Patria, the symbollic mother of Peru. Commissioned in Spain under instruction to give the good lady a crown of flames, nobody thought to iron out the double meaning of the word flame (llama) and the hapless craftsmen duly placed a delighful little llama on her head... Baaa haaa... I had a great picture of this, but alas, this stupid computer in the internet cafe erased all my pictures from its hard drive after I had already erased them from my memory card. :( But here´s one I found on the internet:



Next, I walked to the Gran Hotel Bolivar to sample their famous Pisco Sour. It tasted like a Tom Collins... not my cup of tea. (FYI - Pisco is grape brandy. It´s made in wine-producing regins of Peru & Chile and is the most widely consumed spirit in Peru).




Then I took a taxi to the sophistocated neighborhood of San Isidro and had lunch at Segundo Muelle. Lonely Planet says "Ceviche is a lunchtime dish in Peru and it is eaten with full seriousness." I ordered the ceviche de mariscos a los tres ajies (shellfish in three-chili sauce) and it was excellent... very tender. It was nicely paired with Peruvian corn (different from American corn - sweet large white kernels) and sweet yam. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful and I´d definitely recommend this restaurant.

After lunch I took yet another taxi (it seems to cost me 10 soles ($3.30) no matter where I´m going) to the Mercado del Indios back in Miraflores for some shopping - but I didn´t buy anything... I´ll pick stuff up on my way home - no reason to carry it with me for the next 4 weeks).



Then I walked down Av Jose Larco to the overlook of the Pacific Ocean (still in Miraflores). There is an outdoor mall build into the cliff (LarcoMar).





Next, I caught yet another taxi to have dinner at the upscale La Rosa Nautica, which is a white tablecloth restaurant at the end of the histric Playa Costa Verde pier on the Pacific Ocean below the cliffs of Miraflores.






I sat on the patio outside and enjoyed listening to the waves. They had portable heaters for each table outside (it´s about a constant 60 degrees in Lima), but I had to ask them to turn it off... my ice breaker shirt kept me warm (thanks mom & dad). I enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc and grilled seabass with Peruvian potatoes and a cream leek sauce... estaba buenisimo! This meal was a splurge at $30, but I´ll soon be hiking and camping for four days in the Sacred Valley, so I figured I´d better enjoy a nice meal while I can.

Random observations throughout the day:
- I love being in a country where I can (partially) understand the language (unlike my travels to India and Thailand). Speaking the lauguage of the country I visit adds so much more to the experience.
- The pollution (think exhaust from buses & cars), 30 year old taxi cars, and crazy driving in Lima remind me of Delhi, India.
- I´m surprised by how much Spanish I remember from high school... the vocabulary words just come to me naturally somehow. Perhaps it´s like riding a bike - you never really forget. Although, I am rusty with verb tenses.
- This is my first time in the Southern Hemisphere and South America. I think it gives a whole new meaning to "Southern Girl."

So that about does it for today. Tomorrow morning I´m flying to Cuzco in the Andes Mountains. I´ll go from sea level to about 10,800 feet in 45 minutes. Since I´ve heard unplesant stories about altitude sickness, I´m going to start my preventative medicine tonight.

Signing off for now... more to come tomorrow night (with real pictures).