Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Happy Birthday
It's Ashley's birthday! We are spending it on/waiting for a bus. Happy Birthday Ashley!
Monday, January 7, 2013
On the move
We are currently waiting to catch a bus from Cuzco back to Lima. It will be 21 hours on the bus. We will get to Lima at 1pm and catch the next bus north to Trujillo, Peru. All told in the next 48 hours we will be on the bus for 31 of them. We purchased an audiobook for the trip as well as splurging on a bag of Candy and a bar of chocolate which I found out was baking coco. Idiota!
I may have some time to create a few more posts along the way so don't be surprised at a flurry of posts in a day or two. For now i'll leave you with some photo treats. The Cuzco market... waste not want not.
I may have some time to create a few more posts along the way so don't be surprised at a flurry of posts in a day or two. For now i'll leave you with some photo treats. The Cuzco market... waste not want not.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Treats!
It was very foggy when we arrived at Machu Picchu but we got some good photos. They lifted around 11 for us to get some of the classic shots.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Oops
This morning we made our way to Aguas Calientes. We decided to forgo the one and two day tours provided of Machu Picchu because they were quite expensive. A little advice for anyone considering taking the same trip. It is cheaper to take a tour than to go it alone. Hindsight is 20/20 right? We have already spent twice the price of a tour for two people and we are stuck in Aguas Calientes for another night because the train was too full. Oops.
At the moment we are sitting in our hotel room because it has been off and on pouring, and I mean seriously pouring down rain for the past hour. This rain is worse than the fiercest west coast November rain storms that I can remember. We are going to have to do some serious punch-dancing to address our rage for this error.
Here is another friendly tip. When looking at rough guide or lonely planet books it is important to read between the lines. It is difficult to do before your are actually travelling but if you can manage it then you will save time and money. These books are written for people traveling to a destination and not to keep them away from it. Therefor you will rarely read in a Lonely planet guide "This place seriously sucks. It is too expensive, not worth seeing, and it smells. The waiters are hungrier for customers than you are for food. Don't go here."
You can however pick out little clues that this is the case by reading what the majority of things to do are, the prices of hostels, and the price of a cheap meal. Bear in mind that the books are published every two or so years which means that they are written every three or so years. This means that there will be price inflations, changes of services, and changes in development. It is also important to recognize what are redundant features in towns and what are unique. For instance every town in Peru has a cathedral. They are all magnificent in there own right but it is not worth trying to see every one of them.
Just a few things we've been learning as we travel.
E
At the moment we are sitting in our hotel room because it has been off and on pouring, and I mean seriously pouring down rain for the past hour. This rain is worse than the fiercest west coast November rain storms that I can remember. We are going to have to do some serious punch-dancing to address our rage for this error.
Here is another friendly tip. When looking at rough guide or lonely planet books it is important to read between the lines. It is difficult to do before your are actually travelling but if you can manage it then you will save time and money. These books are written for people traveling to a destination and not to keep them away from it. Therefor you will rarely read in a Lonely planet guide "This place seriously sucks. It is too expensive, not worth seeing, and it smells. The waiters are hungrier for customers than you are for food. Don't go here."
You can however pick out little clues that this is the case by reading what the majority of things to do are, the prices of hostels, and the price of a cheap meal. Bear in mind that the books are published every two or so years which means that they are written every three or so years. This means that there will be price inflations, changes of services, and changes in development. It is also important to recognize what are redundant features in towns and what are unique. For instance every town in Peru has a cathedral. They are all magnificent in there own right but it is not worth trying to see every one of them.
Just a few things we've been learning as we travel.
E
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Cusco, Peru
It is raining in Cusco. It is the rainy season. It may rain most every day or it may rain most of every day. It is unpredictable. Cusco is unpredictable. I did not trust this city at first sight. We were told that it was beautiful. It is. The parks are beautiful, the buildings are beautiful, the cobbled streets are beautiful but they are not predictable. There are streets that should not be there and streets that should be but are not. Some streets have been renamed from Spanish to the Inca language of Quencha. Some maps were not informed of these changes. Some maps only care if you go on the tours they advertise.
The biggest city in Peru with 600-700 years of established history. History is built into this city. History is not predictable, it does not build in blocks. Neither does it adapt for or accommodate humanity. Every space of this city is in use. Every nook holds a shop and every corner holds a secret. But even the secrets here are unpredictable. Once discovered they remain secret. Some secrets were looted long ago along with the city's wealth. The European explorers looted Cusco's riches. Now European explorers bring riches back.
There is a market in Cusco. It is in a covered area that takes up an entire city block. There are locals that buy there. There are also tourists. Tourists buy freshly made juice. Locals buy meat, vegetables, grains, cheese, legumes, fruit, nuts, bread and sauces. Tourists buy alpaca wool sweaters, toques, gloves, and socks. Locals have their clothes mended. Tourists haggle for the best price. Locals make purchases.Apparently there is also an abundant need for bovine snout, tongue, stomach, hooves and testicles in Cusco.
The biggest city in Peru with 600-700 years of established history. History is built into this city. History is not predictable, it does not build in blocks. Neither does it adapt for or accommodate humanity. Every space of this city is in use. Every nook holds a shop and every corner holds a secret. But even the secrets here are unpredictable. Once discovered they remain secret. Some secrets were looted long ago along with the city's wealth. The European explorers looted Cusco's riches. Now European explorers bring riches back.
There is a market in Cusco. It is in a covered area that takes up an entire city block. There are locals that buy there. There are also tourists. Tourists buy freshly made juice. Locals buy meat, vegetables, grains, cheese, legumes, fruit, nuts, bread and sauces. Tourists buy alpaca wool sweaters, toques, gloves, and socks. Locals have their clothes mended. Tourists haggle for the best price. Locals make purchases.Apparently there is also an abundant need for bovine snout, tongue, stomach, hooves and testicles in Cusco.
Feliz Ano
Ashley and I decided to stay in Arequipa for the new year and we were rewarded for our decision. We went to the town square at 9:30pm but soon found that there was nothing happening until later. We ended up back at the hostel for the new year. It actually turned out interesting, eventful, and awe-inspiring.
The first thing that happened was the neighbors decided to build a fire in their courtyard. It turned out that they were burning some sort of sage brush and spent most of the time trying to keep it going but I was a little worried about how closely they were burning to a wooden door. I also didn't know if they owned the place or if they were just pyromaniacs practicing their trade.
At approximately 11:40 the fireworks started. They did not stop for nearly 45 minutes. At 11:55 the city was in a state of bombardment that I have never seen before. From our vantage point on the rooftop we had a 360 degree view of the city and in that view there was not one inch of the skyline that did not have some sort of firework sparkling in it. The sound was not booming here and there it was layers of explosions. I can say that I was impressed with the display. It was an unforgettable new year.
Erik
The first thing that happened was the neighbors decided to build a fire in their courtyard. It turned out that they were burning some sort of sage brush and spent most of the time trying to keep it going but I was a little worried about how closely they were burning to a wooden door. I also didn't know if they owned the place or if they were just pyromaniacs practicing their trade.
At approximately 11:40 the fireworks started. They did not stop for nearly 45 minutes. At 11:55 the city was in a state of bombardment that I have never seen before. From our vantage point on the rooftop we had a 360 degree view of the city and in that view there was not one inch of the skyline that did not have some sort of firework sparkling in it. The sound was not booming here and there it was layers of explosions. I can say that I was impressed with the display. It was an unforgettable new year.
Erik
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