Chile was a little boring compared to the amazing Peru trip we had.
Both of us are going to start looking for jobs now so if you know of anyone needing a SAP consultant/computer geek let me know!
Have been chilling out in Cusco for the last couple of days catching up on washing. Leaving for Chile tomorrow…. Really looking forward to getting to New Zealand as we have been travelling for about 2 months now.
Today was basically prep for the Inca Trail. Susan spent quite a lot of time packing. I think we are both getting a little apprehensive. I’m feeling a little sorry for our porter who will be taking 12kgs of our stuff up mountain for us, however I think we are going to struggle with our 4 kgs each.
This evening we were visited by our guide for our Manu rainforest trip. There is going to be a slight change of plan for our trip since we cannot fly out of the local airfield we were planning to leave from. Something about the farmer threatening to shot the pilot if he landed on his land!
We booked ourselves on a day trip around the nearby sacred valley today. It was pretty much a bus trip around the Rio Urubamba which is only 15km from Cusco. One of the highlights was the Pisac market. Although dominated with tourist stalls there was still a traditional Andean market where local picked up corn, chicken, potatoes and other stables.
After lunch we visited Ollantaytambo which was an amazing set of Inca ruins. Incidentally this is one of the only places that Spanish forces were beaten by the Incas during the Spanish conquest. The area is surrounded by immense area of aricultraul terracing. At the top of a section of this was some sort of religious centre which showcased the inca’s incredible building technology. They used to stack the boulder perfectly on top of each other in such a way that they are almost impossible to take down. Also they developed a sort of clamping process by cutting holes in each of the rocks and pouring melted metal to fuse the two rocks together a bit like a staple.
Later we travelled to Chinchero which was our highest altitude yet 3762m. The 400m extra than Cusco was noticeable but fortunately we able to sit down and watch local weavers while drinking coca tea to recover a bit. After that we were treated to amazing views of the mountain and surprisingly loads of surrounding farming plains for this distance above sea level.
Arriving in Cusco and being 3360m above sea level took it’s toll on us. The thumping in my brain was a definite sign I was experiencing at least mild altitude sickness. Susan was also struggling with shortness of breath but apparently it’s quite normal and that is why we need to spend a few days acclimatising. With it’s cobbled streets and traditional squares, Cusco is a lot more quaint and touristy than Lima. We were quick to get sick of people trying to sell us everything from musical instruments to massages. However, I expect the massages are in hot demand from people coming back from Machu Picchu after the 4 day walk though.
This evening we were visited by our guide for the Inca Trail. He talked us through the 4 day trek and started talking about the amount of walking which got Susan scared. I’m quite excited at I have always wanted to do the trek but I am a little worried the lack of basic amenities is going to be a bit tough for Suse.
For dinner we found a Peruvian place where the served roasted cuy (Guinea Pig), a local standard. Not surprising Susan was a little put off by seeing the Guinea Pig staring up at her. It also seem like for the amount of meat my little furry friend offered it was hardly worth cooking him up.