Of Incas and Gringos

After party town RdJ, Peru is quite a different experience… We arrived in Cuzco by plane via Rio, Sao Paulo, Lima and let me tell you it felt nice to use the plane once again after so many bus trips. Hopping in a taxi and driving to the hostel we noticed immediately the colonial character and charme of the city. Apparently Cuzco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, originally built by the Incas, and it is really a beautiful and impressive place. Gee, if those walls and cobblestone streets could talk… Second thing we noticed is that we felt kind of dizzy and were breathing like old steam trains after just a short uphill walk. Well, Cuzco is at an altitude of 3400m (higher than Mt Fuji!) which is quite a leap from the beaches of RdJ. Amazingly at day time the temperature still rises to the 20s (celsius) and the sun is burning down very strongly. Night time is a different story though. All you want then is some warm clothing and a hot shower (and I have to admit that I was dreaming more than once about the wonderfully heated toilet seats they have in Japan. Later on I would have been happy just to have a toilet seat at all…).  Cuzco is also the tourist capital of Peru and yes, there are a lot of gringos around here. Machu Pichhu and Cuzco are at the top of the list for every Peru traveller and hence it is no surprise that tourism accounts for 70% of the local economy. The downside of this is that trips on the Inca Trail have to be booked one year in advance (I guess it did not help much that we started reading Lonely Planet Peru only 2 weeks before arriving there), that prices have been skyrocketing (they seriously charge USD220 for a 10 hour train ride from Cuzco to Puno now) and that they seem to sell Pizzas on every corner (despite the many delicious local specialities). Well, talking about local customs, coca tea is supposed to help you getting over altitude sickness, so I was all over the stuff in the first couple of days (maybe a little too much because I cannot go anywhere close to coca these days). And for the record, we also had lama and alpaca on our plates but the guinea pig project is still on hold (childhood memories anyone?)…

Plaza de Armas and city center of Cuzco

The ruins of Sacsayhuaman, close to Cuzco

After 2 days of taking it easy, strolling around Cuzco and getting acclimatized we felt ready for some trekking and signed up for the Salkantay Trek. This is a 5 day/4night trek, one of the more challenging alternatives to the classic Inca Trail, peaking at 4650m, supposedly with great views of the Salkantay Mountain (6270m) and totalling about 60km. This one does not lead directly to Machu Picchu, but hey if we have to take a bus on the last day to get up there that’s a small detail. The upside is that the trail is much less crowded and commercialized.

The rainy season around Cuzco “officially” ends in March, so we knew that trekking in April may bear some risk and conditions may be wetter than we like. And so they were… It was not that we were walking in pouring rain all day long but there was enough rain every day to keep the clothes wet and the  path very muddy. So from the second day our clothes and shoes did not really dry anymore and on top of that half of our group were hanging in the ropes due to diarrhea, blisters, altitude sickness and just general exhaustion. Fortunately though we had a really good bunch of people and so thanks to a good dose of OZ humour, Mexican charme, Swiss power (Gustavo aka El Tren), US spirit, British innocence (Excuse me, what is spooning?!) and some local mules and coca leafs we all made it across the Salkantay Pass and from there downwards towards the valley. However, after day 3 we had enough of mud, walking, wet clothes etc and the infamous Plan A was created. It involved hopping on a bus and getting a lift to Santa Teresa where we could camp at a wonderfully green campsite and enjoy the hot springs. And boy, it was a heavenly oasis… I felt like we had checked into a five star luxury resort. Most of us did not leave the hot springs for hours (maybe also because Kevin07 opened his bottle of red wine) and jumped in there again first thing next morning (6.30am, no red wine involved then)! It was amazing how rejuvenated both body and spirit felt and hence the 3 hour walk to Aguas Calientes on day 4 (again with some rain sprinkles) was a piece of cake. I think it was the first day of the trip that everyone had almost fully recovered from their physical pains and the thought of visiting Machu Picchu put us in high spirits anyway.  In Aguas Calientes (this place is almost gringos only) , our guide Freddy offered an additional hike of 1hr to Putucusi mountain from where we would be able to get a first glimpse of Machu Picchu. Uh la la, sounds very tempting…! But just when we were about to leave, it started raining again, so only 3 of us took up the challenge. Thank God I did not chicken out since this 1 hour excursion would turn into the adventure highlight of the trek. To be fair, it was more of a climb than a hike and at times it felt like we were only going vertical for the whole hour. We had to climb some wooden ladders straight up the rocks, the longest one probably close to 100m long (I kept thinking of the song “Stairway to Heaven”, that’s how it felt)! When we got to the top, I was totally out of breath but also unbelievably proud because I am normally suffering from vertigo and did not think I would be capable of doing something like this.  We also got lucky with the weather and while we were catching our breath at the peak, some of the last sunrays of the day put the spotlight on Machu Picchu on the hill across. We all lit up with joy. This was the perfect occasion and the perfect spot to sacrifice our 3 best coca leafs to the Inca Gods and make 3 wishes (a local tradition).

The Salkantay Trek was a muddy proposition…

Despite rain and clouds we got a glimpse of Salkantay Mountain

A bunch of tough cookies at Salkantay Pass (4600m)

Amazing view from Cutupusi after a strenuous climb

Finally, day 5 - Machu Picchu was waiting for us. We got up at 3.45am (I never thought I could get up at that time – surely the Inca Gods must have kissed me awake) in order to catch the first bus to Machu Picchu. And guess what? It was pouring and when we got up there after a 20min bus ride most of the ruins and scenery were covered in fog and clouds. Hence we first went for a hot chocolate and gave it another try one hour later. Luckily, it started clearing up somewhat but unfortunately we would never be able to see the full panorama (MP is 360º surrounded by hills and mountains). Our guide Freddy took us for a 2hour tour around the site and it was interesting to see and learn how advanced the Inca culture had been at such an early time. Even to this day though, there are still a lot of speculations what exactly MP served for, who lived there, why it was built there (I could not think of a more beautiful spot) and why it was never discovered until 1911. As I mentioned, the ruins, the terraces, the setting and the history behind it are all spectacular and interesting but I still think there is a little bit too much hype around it. Interestingly, the Unesco has asked the Peruvian government a couple of times to slow things down, otherwise MP may take permanent damage (the hill is moving at rate of 2cm per year), but sadly the bucks seem too tempting for now…

 

Classic View of Machu Picchu

The Inca Gods continued to be very kind to us (must have been all those coca leafs I sacrificed) and thanks to a farmers strike that made it impossible to get out of Aguas Calientes we got to stay there another night. This was the perfect occasion to party and finally even our OZ friends started drinking (I was already getting worried about them). It turned out to be a great night (probably the first night in Peru I was not in bed by 10pm) and while most of us were dancing away amidst exotic rhythms (irrespective of talent…) and having a great time, our poor guides were so exhausted (and drunk) that they were napping in the disco…

Finally, we made it back to Cuzco the next day and it was time to say goodbye to everyone. I felt pretty deflated that day, not sure whether it was the hangover, the fact that one of the big highlights of our South America trip was behind us or simply the lack of Mexican charme around us… Fortunately my mate Gustavo had already planned the next steps of our trip and dragged me on a (gringo) bus to Puno.

Amazing landscapes and colours on the way back to Cuzco

Puno (altitude 3800m) is on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. The town looks a little awkward because none of the houses are painted and many look unfinished with iron rods still sticking out at the top. The reason? Only finished houses are taxed… We went to see the floating islands at Uros on Lake Titicaca. There are about 300 families living on floating islands made of reed and they seem to be living a very peaceful life. On recommendation of Kevin07 we took a bus to Copacabana (no joke) on the Bolivian side and from there a boat to Isla del Sol. This is a beautiful island in the middle of Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 4000m. At times I felt like on a Greek Island and at times it felt like the French Riviera. The only difference was that we could see the Bolivian Andes at 6000m and higher, plus the temperature dropped pretty badly at night (I am actually getting sick of cold places now), so we went to bed pretty early every night (again). Funnily, Isla del Sol was the first place on this trip where Gustavo and I actually lowered the average age of the guests at the hostel even though it had Youth Hostel stickers all over the place. Ah, and Isla del Sol also wins the award for first place on my trip (almost 3 months now) where I could not find an internet cafe.

The floating village of Uros

View from Isla del Sol

So far so good. We have been in Peru now for a little more than 2 weeks and it has been fun. Also, the Peruvians are incredibly friendly and (justifiedly) proud of their Inca heritage.  The sites and landscapes have been amazing. Looking forward to the coming Peru chapters…

Hasta luego

Adrian

PS – ever since we stopped trekking the weather has been good! Another sign from the Inca Gods?

Brazilian Intermezzo

Brazil was not originally in our travel plans. But since the Iguazu Falls are at the Argentine-Brazilian border we figured we may as well spend a couple of days in the land of Caipirinha and Samba to get a flavour of it for future trips. Thanks to Cristina and Juan from Sevilla (we met in Patagonia) we had a good idea of what is worthwile to see in the Southern part of Brazil.

After crossing the border into Brazil we took the night bus to Curitiba (capital of Parana state) and from there took another bus and a boat to arrive at Ilha do Mel (Honey Island) late in the morning. As soon as we were on Brazilian soil we naturally tried to spot those famous Brazilian beauties that have been the subjects of many songs, poems, movies, dreams etc. Turns out though we had to be a little more patient and were actually a little shocked to find a significant obesity problem (among men and women). Ilha do Mel though is spectacularly beautiful (to convince yourself have a look at the pictures below or go to http://www.ilhadomel.net/). It is a (mostly) quiet natural paradise where the main draw are the beautiful beaches, the surfing and the tranquility. There are no cars, no cell phone reception and most of the hostels dont have any TVs. The main street is actually a sandy path, roughly 2 meters wide, and the only traffic consists of bycicles and wheelbarrows. After sunset the island remains in the dark and in order to venture out into the “nightlife” we had to use our headlamps!! Ilha do Mel really reminded me of a song called “Sunshine Reggae” where the lyrics go something like “dont worry, dont hurry, take it easy”. And so we did, just taking walks around the island, observing bat-sized butterflies and enjoying the beaches.

After two days in paradise we packed our bags to continue our trip to Rio de Janeiro. The owner of our hostel looked at us in disbelief and could not understand that we would trade paradise for hell. She assured us that she would never go to Rio even if the trip was paid for!! We thought about it for a moment but this was our chance to visit the magical Rio de Janeiro and hence we better not be deterred by gangster stories (there are plenty of them and somehow I also still remembered the movie “City of God”).

Anyway, we arrived in Rio de Janeiro next morning after a freezing night on the bus. And let me tell you, it was not the expected love at first sight. Maybe it was because we arrived by bus through the “backdoor” of the city and seeing some pretty ugly sites early, maybe it was because the skies were still overcast after a night of rain or maybe it was just the sight of all those half dead bodies lying around everywhere when we arrived at our hostel (something we only understood a couple of days later when we were in a similar state).  We stayed at the Rio Hostel in Santa Teresa (www.riohostel.com) which turned out to be a good choice because of its location and nice views of the downtown area (would recommend to book their private rooms though). Santa Teresa is the neighborhood where the rich Cariocas (people of Rio) used to live about 100 years ago but these days it is more or less (unjustifiably) neglected by both locals and tourists because it is considered not safe (there are actually a couple of Favelas close by). Nevertheless, if you look around closely you can still find many traces of a glorious past such as the Bondinho (a cable car connecting Santa Teresa with downtown Rio), well preserved cobblestone streets and some eclectic architecture. Not surprisingly this is now the neighborhood of choice for Rio’s creative. The other advantage of Santa Teresa is its closeness to Lapa, the nightlife district for the Cariocas (Ipanema and Copacabana are more for tourists and the upper class) and the place that can take credit for the renaissance of the Samba music.

And in Lapa it happened on the first night out – I started falling in love with Rio de Janeiro. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere… Restaurants, Cafes, Bars with open doors and windows on every corner and live music (mostly Samba) everywhere. When we were trying to have dinner in a small restaurant with live music at around 10pm, the Brazilians were just about to turn the place into a dance hall. We still managed to get a bite and then went to another bar where they also had live music. And there we found her, the most beautiful Brazilian girl ever, dressed in pink, very bootylicious and shaking it to the never ending Samba rhythms. We must have been sitting there like idiots, mouth wide open, but we just could not take our eyes off her! And guess what we were dreaming about that night… Little did we know that this was only an appetizer. The night after (Friday) we could hear the Samba rhythms already from our hostel, but when we stepped outside the streets of Lapa seemed to be on fire. There was a huge crowd in the street, tons of vendors selling beer and Caipirinhas, food stalls and of course music on every corner. Well, it turned into another late night returning to the hostel at 3.30am. My personal favorite though was Saturday night. Again, we spent it in the Lapa neighborhood and I actually wanted to go to the concert of Jorge Ben, one of the most famous Brazilian musicians. However, I showed up too late and the doors were already closed. Gustavo was already on the way back to the hostel and I was a little pissed at myself for missing the concert. Then however, I stumbled upon a little place called Carioca da Gema where a Samba concert was going on. The place was packed and the music superb. I previously thought of Samba primarily as some carnival noise, but this concert definitely turned me into a Samba fan. Well, I returned to the hostel at 4am and learnt the day after that Carioca da Gema is one of the premier Samba venues in Rio. So, if you are in town, dont miss it!!

You can probably tell that my love for Rio is primarily based on its music scene. However, we also did the more touristy stuff like Corcovado (which has superb views), Copacabana (yes, there are pretty girls on the beach too!), Ipanema and finally went to a soccer game at Maracana stadium where the World Cup final of 2014 will be played. It is fair to say that the setting of Rio de Janeiro amidst the hills and with the beaches is very beautiful. The city is a candidate to host the Olympics in 2016 and Gustavo and I both sincerly hope they will get the games. That would probably cause a certain clean-up and make it shine even more beautifully in the future.

View from Rio Hostel towards downtown Rio

Bondinho, Rio’s cable car

Ipanema Beach

View from Corcovado

High above Rio de Janeiro

Samba concert at Carioca da Gema

Fanatic Flamenco fans at Maracana stadium