Adventures in the Land of Paddington

Gallery: Bolivia and La Paz

bec-and-phil — Tue, 6 Feb 2007 04:31:00 GMT

La Paz, Bolivia

bec-and-phil — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 04:02:00 GMT

Well I didn´t find Paddington, but ...

Phil and I made it to Bolivia and the falling down grandeur of La Paz. On the way into La Paz we stopped at the ruins of Tiahuanaca which were amazing. This civilisation pre-dated the Incas by a long way - they were building their pyramids and acqua ducts at around the same time as the Ancient Egyptians. The site was full of building styles that are typical of the Inca, so Phil and I concluded that, like all conquerors, they probably stole a lot of ideas from those they ruled.

Driving into La Paz was breathtaking - the city is built into a crater and the view from above as you enter is world class. Once you get into the actual city, however, you realise that Bolivia is EVEN poorer than Peru (hard to believe, huh?). You can tell that La Paz was once a beautiful, colonial city, but all the grand old buildings have been left to fall into complete dis-repair. The hotel that the tour group had us staying in was in the middle of ´Crack Head Street´. However, we were only with the group for the first day in Bolivia and then we were on our own.

And the paddington thing ... ? Well, there´s no Paddington, but Winnie the Pooh is EVERYWHERE!!! They have foam versions, balloon versions, stuffed versions ... Winnie the Pooh on candles, Winnie the Pooh shaped cakes ... it seems that someone forgot which Bear they were supposed to be in love with **teehee**

Once we had left the tour group, we stayed in La Paz for a couple more days. We went to the Valle de La Luna (Moon Valley) and saw the incredibley earie landscape that was left behind once the inland sea drained into the Pacific thousands and thousands of years ago. We also spent a day wandering through the Black Market where you could get Nikes for about $5 and Calvin Klein Jeans for around $10 - only problem is that shopping here is just as little fun as it is back home!

Both Phil and I will be happy to leave Bolivia for Peru. There is so much natural beauty here, in the mountains, lakes, etc, but the town and the people, while nice, leave me feeling guilty over the wonderful life we have back home. The bus trip back to Peru is our next task, stopping in Copacabana to cross Lake Titicaca once more! We will spend one more day in Poo-no and then we have a week in Arequipa. I´m looking forward to seeing the ´White City´after so much dirt and sadness here in La Paz.

B/.

Gallery: Puno & Lake Titicaca

bec-and-phil — Mon, 5 Feb 2007 03:58:00 GMT

Gallery: The Inca Trail

bec-and-phil — Sun, 4 Feb 2007 11:32:00 GMT

Lake Titicaca

bec-and-phil — Sun, 4 Feb 2007 11:23:00 GMT

A day in the life of ...

After Cusco and Phil´s dramatic climb to Machu Picchu we headed off to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Puno itself is pretty much a dump, but Lake Titicaca is goregous (once you get out of the Algae infested bay!). It is the highest navigable lake in the world at roughly 4000 metres above sea level. Actually I think its more like a sea as it covers more than 8000 square hectres and has a small salt content.

We spent a day cruising to the islands that are spotted throughout the Lake, stopping at Taquille for a lovely lunch of soup and fish. The people who live on the islands seem to be more traditional than those in the cities, with the guys looking like Spanish bullfighters and the girls all dressed in huge skirts and heavy mantas (shawls). We were told that the Spanish moors have left their imprint here and this is especially obvious in the girls behaviour - they only speak in whispers and cover their faces when men approach.

After lunch we headed off to Amantani Island to spend the night with a local family. Phil and I were adopted for the evening by Mama Oliga who led us slowly through the hills to her family home, knitting as she went! We were included in the family dinner of soup and fried cheese and Phil and the boys were soundly beaten in a soccer match by the teenage boys. I think they would´ve done better if they had not all been puffing and panting from the increase in altitude.

After dinner the villagers held a Fiesta in our honour. We got to dress in their traditional clothing with Phil in poncho and funky ear-flapped hat, and me in layered skirts and embroidered manta. We tried to dance as traditional Andeans would, but once again the altitude slowed us considerably. After we had given the villagers presents of sugar, pasta and rice, we all filed off to bed with our Mama´s leading the way.

The Island was so very beautiful - it was like stepping into a children´s fairy tale. Little stone walls were everywhere and fluffy donkeys, sheep and hens provided the soundtrack to our mini adventure.

In the morning it was back on the boat for nearly four hours to drop into the Floating Reed Islands. These man made islands were where the indigenous people first hid from the conquering Incas but now they are little more than Tourist Feasts for the locals. Handy-craft markets abound.

So back to Puno we went where we farewelled around half of our tour group as they were returning to Lima. We will continue onto La Paz now which is where our portion of the Guided Tour will end.

Next entry from Bolivia!!

B/.

On the road to Machu Picchu

bec-and-phil — Fri, 2 Feb 2007 10:59:00 GMT

The Inca Trail

On friday I left Bec in Cuzco and headed off to start the four day trek along the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. It was sad to part company but once the trek begun there was no way of getting off the trail short of a donkey ride or perhaps a helicopter. The entire trek was 42km. Day 1 was a fairly easy walk through a beautiful green valley, gradually climbing to our first camp of Huallabamba, a small village nestled in the foothills of the Andes. We covered about 11km on the first day.

The local porters who carried the bulk of our gear were really friendly and encouraging despite our general lack of fitness, and gave us a rousing chorus of clapping and ´Hola, Amigos´ when we arrived at camp each night. They were absolutely amazing; they would leave after us each morning after packing up camp, and arrive at the next nights camp before us in time to have our tents and meals prepared. I even saw a porter giving a tired girl a piggy-back! And all in sandals!

Day 2 was the real killer as we had to ascend to 4200m at Dead Woman´s Pass, a saddle between two peaks so called because from a paricular angle it looks as though a woman is lying along the mountain top. The second nights camp was higher than the first and one could say we were truly in the mountains. Mist and cloud rolled into camp obscuring everything and covering our tents in dew.

I was surprised at the amount of people walking the trail. People from all over the world seem determined to conquer the trail - ofcourse with a big contingent of aussies. At night we sat down to lovingly prepared meals of stewed chicken, rice, salads and pork. The cooks were quite astounding with their culinary creativity, fashioning all manner of local wildlife from different vegetables. My personal favorite was a penguin made out of cucumber. The cold nights force us to huddle together in the mess tent to play cards and swap stories.

Day 3 was my Everest! Unfortunately I got sick and there was no relief and no way back. I think the cause was on the first night sharing as tent with on of the guides who was also sick. Anyhow, there´s nothing like having to puke off the side of a cliff to get one´s priorities in order! It was a shamee too because the descent was beautiful; all day we came down the mountain we had climbed to previous day, passing Inca ruins which had literally been built into the mountain face. I managed to stumble into camp with barely an ´Hola´ before collapsing into my tent and passing out.

The following morning we had to be up at 4am for our final assault on Machu Picchu. It was a 5km hike to the ´Sun Gate´ but unfortunately for us our clear weather had broken and all was shrouded in mist and rain. However, I still managed to gain a look at Machu Pichhu, and even dying of gastro and sodden through, it was a site to behold: a temple built 3800km high along the top of a mountain ridge sheer on either side!

I´ll let the photo´s speak for themselves when I get a chance to put them up. Cheers for now,

phil.

Cusco & Aguas Calientes

bec-and-phil — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:30:00 GMT

I love the night life ...

I´m leaving Cusco for good soon and I will be really sad to see it disappear through the back window of the bus. Spending a few days here on my own has given me a chance to meet some amazing travellers and to have a really good shop as only a woman can!

I have explored both Cathedrals now which is almost a days worth of work - they are so big! And it is easy to see where all the Inca gold and silver ended up. I went along to mass the night before last to see if it was any different and, suprise, suprise, it was exactly the same only in a different language. Although I couldn´t quite undrestand the sermon, I could tell by the look on the Padre´s face that he was telling me to behave myself. **tee hee**

I have also been diligently exploring the town´s bars and pubs. Many many Irish pubs are to be found here to cater for all the backpackers - I really enjoyed having Shepard´s Pie. The beer here is good too. There seem to be two main brands - Cuscaquena & Cristal. Both are heavy lagers which forces me not to get too drunk as I feel full after one ´small´bottle. (Small here is 1 litre)

Yesterday afternoon I caught the train with my group to Aguas Calientes, the rest stop at the bottom of the mountain where Machu Picchu sits. It is a funny little town, with one main street full of restaurants and hostels with the train running right down the middle. You sit drinking your Inca Cola and get covered in black smoke as the train steams by.

The view out of my hotel room is of three huge mountains with a rocky lake running between them. Truely awe inspiring. I will meet Phil at Machu Picchu tomorrow morning although I have received a message that he is quite sick with Gastro so I am not sure that we will spend much time exploring the ruins. I hope he is okay.

Talk soon,

B/.

Gallery: Cusco

bec-and-phil — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 04:05:00 GMT

The Imperial Capital

Cusco - Part One

bec-and-phil — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:45:00 GMT

"The Naval of the World" ...

Okay I think I´m in love. This city of Cusco is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. A cross between a beautiful colonial Spanish town and an old Inca Village, there is so much to see here and not nearly enough time to cover it all.

We got off the plane from the jungle and straight away we could feel the burn of altitude in our lungs. For the first 24 hours, we felt drunk and breathless - even a couple of steps wears you out! With a bit of practice though, our breathing came good and we have been tottering about the place endlessly. One of our tour group has had to go to hospital with Alititude Sickness. They have put her in a Hyperbaric Chamber until they can fly her back to sea level. I felt really sorry for her as she is here on her honeymoon and will now have to cut it short. We have another of our number in hospital as well with Salmonella - it is a hazardous place!

Phil and I have split up for a few days - I decided that after being so sick I was too weak to manage the pilgramige up the Inca Trail. Phil is now on day two of the four day hike and I hope he is okay. I´ll get to him to write about it for you all when he is finished. We are meeting one another at Machu Picchu on Monday morning at dawn (I´ll go by train).

I am here in Cusco with another girl from our tour group, Kathryn, who is from Mentone (she went to Kilbreda!). We went to the ruins of Qénco and Saqsaywaman yesterday which was about a two hour hike up the mountains out of town. What an amazing sight though. Qénco is the Inca Temple of Mother Earth and is where they used to mummify their dead in readiness for rebirth. It is also where they kept their calendar systems - very intricate carvings that allow sunlight to reflect on certain points of rock to tell them when to harvest and when to plant, etc (Think Indiana Jones).

Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman) was the centre of Inca power when the Spaniards arrived here and the scene of the final battles between the Inca and the Conquistadors. The name itself means "Satisfied Falcon" and they call it that because it is said that the Vultures fed for ten years on the bodies of all the dead Inca. There are huge stones, some weighing 300 tonnes and noone has been able to work out how the Inca built these mammoth structures. They used no mortar, no metal tools and had no animals to help them (If you ask a Lima to carry more than 5 kgs, he spits at you!). There are no gaps between any of the stones and whilst the Spanish buildings are wiped out after each earthquake, these Inca Temples have withstood all for hundreds and hudreds of years.

Today I am off to visit the squillions of Churches and Museums ... and to do a little last minute shopping for Alpaca gear!

Love to you all - I have been missing you.

Gallery: The Amazon

bec-and-phil — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:42:00 GMT

Deep in the jungle

Gallery: Lima

bec-and-phil — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:19:00 GMT

The Amazon

bec-and-phil — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 07:45:00 GMT

In deepest, darkest Peru ...

We arrived in the Amazon basin on Monday afternoon after travelling by bus, plane, boat and foot for around 7 hours! The humidity at 90% slapped us in the face and you almost felt as if you were moving through a thick haze.

Eventually we got the Explorer Inn where we stayed in Jungle Huts that looked like a scene from Tarzan. Beds with mosquito nets, and cold showers again!

The camp was run by two Macaws called Polly and Willy. Polly was very friendly and welcoming but Willie was obviously the disciplinarian - lots of squawking and pecking. You had to watch your bare feet if Willie was about. **he he**

Actually, the Lodge was run by an amazing group of Naturalists and Tour Guides who took us on long walks to spot wildlife - we saw so many Caiman (crocs), spiders, butterflies, ants, birds and monkeys, but no jaguars (thankfully)! I was very sick with food poisoning and so had to sit out the full day hike on Day Two but continued to spot animals from my sick bed - a gecko about 5 inches long spent nearly an hour running round my hut. He was so cute with his little round feet and bright green body.

One of the guides, Ricardo, was from a Quechea (indigenous) background and he spent a long time talking to me about his tribal culture while I recovered on the porch of my hut. Ricardo was also an incredible guitarist and because I was too ill to leave my hut he came and sat on the porch to play music for me ... traditional music coupled with Spanish versions of Metallica!! I have made a firm friend in Ricardo who is incredibly interested in Australian wildlife. I promised to send him photos of Uluru.

All the people we have come across so far have been amazing, so friendly, kind and ready to help with absolutely anything. I think there is something that we lose with all our comfort and convenience in Australia - the Peruvian people are so so poor, but in many ways so much richer than we are. Their sense of family, friendship and fun is like nothing I have ever experienced before and we are already feeling its affect on us. We wanted a change of perspective and we have certainly found it.

Next stop is Cusco, the imperial capital ...

Greetings from Lima

bec-and-phil — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:19:00 GMT

And we made it to Lima after 35 hours ....

Ola All!!

Sorry we haven´t been in touch for so long, but we have been struggling a little with illness. All good now though, and so much to tell you all.

We landed in Lima on Friday morning and drove through what looked like a war zone. There were so many piles of rubble that used to be buildings - earthquakes are frequent here. At first, I was taken aback by the incredible poverty of the city, people squatting in gutters and stray dogs pawing through rubbish looking for their next meal. The traffic here is crazy too! Almost all the cars are taxi´s and there are no signs or traffic lights; just a case of hurtle yourself forwards and pray - I will never complain about Melbourne Taxi Drivers again!

We kept driving until we reached the suburb of Miaflores on the beach and the scenery began to change. Beautiful gardens and plazas appeared and then the Pacific Ocean, with mountainous islands rising out of it covered in cloud - kind of brings to mind the island of Dr Moreau! We arrived at our hostel and collapsed into our beds.

We spent the next couple of days exploring Miaflores and some of the Museums and Churches in Lima - the beautiful cathedral of San Francisco was a definite highlight! The cathedral has catacombs underneath it where all the people of Lima were burried for the first 100 years of the cities colonisation by Spain. We´ve taken lots of photos of all the sites and we´ll be ready to bore you all to death on our return!

On Sunday, we joined our tour group and moved to a more expensive hotel but there was still no running water or toilet paper! I´ve had to adjust my ´gringo´expectations!

And then .... we went to the Amazon!!

So excited I can't sleep ... !!

bec-and-phil — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:30:00 GMT

And we're off ...

Thought we'd set up this journal so you could all keep track of us and see some photos of us as scruffy backpackers. We've been waiting for this trip for months and it's almost unbelievable that we're actually leaving this week. I've been dreaming about falling off mountains and wild boars in the jungle (do they have them in Peru?). I also had a dream about eating marmalade with Paddington Bear, but as we're fairly certain he's still in London, I don't think that one will be coming true!

Just gotta get through two more days of work; four more dinners; packing and saying goodbye to all. Having farewell drinks at the pub tonight with all our mates and then the count down begins ...

I'll check in with our first entry after the 35 hour trip to Lima.

WISH US LUCK!!!

B&P.