Sunday, November 4, 2007

Peru & Bolivia

Benefits:
Peru – Machupicchu, Pisco Sour, trekking Inca trail
Bolívia – Very cheap, eat Truta, Lake Titica & Tour in the Salar of Uyuni


Concerns:
Bolivia – So cheap that almost everywhere toilets are a private business and therefore you need to pay. The problem is not really paying but having some coins for it!
Speak Quechua is really impossible.

Places visited (& days): 20 days from 19 Oct. till 8th Nov.


Transport (time or distances): Flight from Bogota to Lima (3h); Bus from Lima to Nasca (6h); Bus from Nasca to Cusco (15h); Bus from Cusco to Puno (6h); Taxi from Puno to Yunguyo - Bolivia Border, (1h30); Yunguyo to Isla del Sol - Lake Titicaca by taxi and private boat (45 min & 30 min); Isla del Sol to Copacabana by boat (1h30); Copacabana to La Paz by bus (4h); La Paz to Yuni (10h30)


Currency: 1 Euro = 4,34 Pen (Peru Nuevo Soles); 1 Euro = 11,06 Bob (Bolivianos)


Funny Experiences :
  • Visit Lima on the weekend of the national census. Tourists were the only ones allowed to walk around. That was the good thing. The bad one, was to find a bar the previous night, because all of them were closed since they were not allowed to sell alcohol drinks before the census day.
  • Sleeping in a salt hotel (it means that it was also a salt bed!)
  • eat coca leaf and cuy (pig)
For this part of the trip (From Lima till La Paz), one of my best friends joined me. It is always nice to meet good friends when you have been away from home for so long. It’s very easy to travel with him since he has a good mindset and shares with me the same travel goals.



Manolo, Cristy, Pedro, Rocio, ..., Manuel


In Lima we stayed 2 days. Glad that my friend Rocio was in town. With her we did some sightseeing around the neighbourhoods of Miraflores, Banraco & San Martin. For dinner, a friend of Roccio, Cristy, also joined us and we went to Nikkibeach. Very nice restaurant although it was freezing since we decided to dine at the terrace with sea view. But it was Ok because we had some wine then.

Plaza de las Armas - Lima


Next stop, was Nasca, a village known for their lines, now a Unesco World Heritage. To visit the lines we did what everybody normally does, over fly them. What could have been an incredible experience suddenly turned into a nightmare. The aircraft was as small as a car (just 4 seats) and due to the high temperature, as the pilot told us later, it was very difficult to control it. I think all of us were really scared. Even the pilot, because instead of telling us to take pictures while we were approaching a new line, he shouted all the time “ Saca Foto! Saca Foto!”



Manuel & Pedro just before starting the flight (still smiling...)



Nasca's lines


Then we went to Cusco which was once the the foremost city of the Inca Empire.



Plaza de las Armas - Cuzco


Apart from visiting this beautiful city (Plaza de las Armas, Cathedral…) and around it (Q’enqo, Saqsaywaman, Pukapukara & Tambomachay - some archaeological ruins) we shopped around to decide which company we should pick up for the trekking.




Local girl with her Lama


Cuzco's city view



The night before starting the trekking we went for dinner with other two Portuguese that we met during a tour around Cuzco.


Manuel, Rosalina, Raquel & Pedro


For the treking we booked it with Q' ente. In fact it was a very good decision. The guide (Cesar), the cook (Alex), the porters (Isidro & Juan,) the horses, the food - everything was incredibly good!

The Inca trail at that time was sold out and therefore we decided for an alternative trekking, the Salkantay which has some great advantages comparing to the Inca trail; no tourists so it is easier to get in contact with local people; more landscape variation; one day longer; and the day before arriving to MachuPichu you get incredible views from the ruins.


Here are some more details of the trekking:

Day 1 ; Cusco to Mollepata and from heretill Sayllapata by car. At Sayllapata (3300m) we start our trekking. We walk till Soraypampa (3750m) – 3h15 min and we did in total 9km for the 1st day.


Day 2 – Soraypampa to Suyrococha (4350m) and then till the Paso next to the Salkantay mountain (4600m). Lunch at Kuayracpampa ant then walk all afternoon till our camping at Collapampa (2740) – 10h30 min and we walk in total 25km!



Salkantay mountain (6271 m)



Day 3 – We started the day with a bath at some hot springs near the campiste. Then we walk through Huynaypoco, Huscamayu till La Playa (2010m) our next stop to stay overnight. – 7h15min for doing 15km!


Day 4 – We did part of an Inca trail till some ruins where we got an impressive view already from Machupicchu. Then we went down till Hydro Electrica where we were supposed to take the train till Aguas Calientes (of course we didn’t because our goal was to walk till Machupicchu) – 11h and 24km!!!



Manuel, Cesar (the Guide) & Pedro


Day 5 – 1h15 min more to climb to Machupicchu (we started at 4.30 am to be sure that we would arrive there at 6.00 am when the gate opens)

So on the whole, we did this amazing trail along 5 days walking 73 km!!! Not bad at all!


Arriving at Machupicchu, “the lost city of the Inca Empire”, was no doubt a magnificent experience. The site is located at 2430 m and was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.




The Tugas at Machupicchu


Machupicchu




Another reason to celebrate this visit for me is the fact that I completed the visit of the new 7 wonders! During this round-the-world trip I visited Petra, the Taj Mahal and Machupicchu. Before my round-the-world trip I had visited the Coliseum, Christ Redeemer, Chichen Itza & the Great Wall.


Before going to our second spot of this trip, the lake Titicaca, we stayed overnight in Puno.

Lake Titicaca is awesome. I heard a lot about this beautiful lake but could never imagine that it was so nice. The lake sits at almost 4000m and on the back you have the impressive Cordillera Real.



Lake Titicaca & the Cordillera Real



Cha' llapampa - Isla del Sol (lake Titicaca)


We stayed at Casa de Don Ricardo, at Isla del Sol, managed by some local people. The food, especially the Truta was very good. We did some trekking around the Isla and enjoyed its scenic views.



The Tuga with Susana and Domingas who runs Casa Don Rodrigo



Then we went to La Paz for 3 days more. From Copacabana we took a bus but to my surprise to cross the lake we had to take one ferry and our bus another one! Funny no?



Our bus crossing the lake, from San Pedro to San Pablo


We were totally lost the first night since we were in the centre, staying at a nice hotel (probably the best deal for a 5 star hotel - just 80$) but nothing was really going on.


La Paz


During the day we walked around the centre to visit the Iglesia de San Francisco, Plaza Pedro Murillo and the Museo de La Coca (very small but very interesting)


Plaza Pedro Murillo - La Paz



Fruit market at La Paz

The next day we understood the nightlife was at zona sur and we decided to end up there where we had a great time at Gitana and People Secret.


Nightlife at Gitan (La Paz) with some friends



After 16 days travelling with my friend Manuel, he went back to Portugal and I went to Uyuni to visit the Salar. I went there with Lenka and Jan (both from Czech Republic) who I met during the Salkantay trail.

It was very easy to find a tour since there are so many travel agencies organizing tours at Uyuni. The tour was from Uyuni (Bolivia) till San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) for 3 days.

On our Land Cruiser we also traveled with Fabiem and Florence from France, Meg from US and Ben from Canada.


The awsome jouneys of the Salar de Uyuni


I was surprised with the amount of sights visited during this trip; the Salar, volcanos (Tunupa, Ollaque…) lagunas (Canapa, Hedionda, Ramaditas, Colorada, Blanca e Verde), Rocks on the desert


Here are some details of the tour:

Day 1 – Colchani, Isla del Pescado with the Volcan Tunupa on the back and San Juan were we stayed overnight in a Salt Hotel



Isla del Pescado (Isla Incahuasi) - Salar de Uyuni



Our great cooker and her lovely daughter Betysai


Day 2 – Chiguara with Volcan Ollaque on the back, 1st Laguna – Canapa, 2nd Laguna – Hedionda, 3rd Laguna – Charcota & the laguna – Monpa); Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa; and overnight in our second salt hotel (Hostal San Marcelo). During the night it was freezing (-5)



Flamingos at Laguna Canapa



The rocks on the desert



Pedro, Florence, Fabien, Jan, Lenka, Meg & Ben during our last dinner


Day 3 – We visited the Geysers, Laguna blanca and Laguna Verde with the Volcan Licancabur on the back.



The Geysers


The last spot of the tour, the Tuga at Laguna Verde just before the Chilean border

5 comments:

Lorena said...

Bom, muito bom!

Belas fotos das paisagens andinas e do altiplano.

Gostei que salientasses o frio, no meio do deserto, temperaturas negativas não lembra a ninguém. Só mesmo a quem as experimenta.

Parabéns pelas conquista das 7 Maravilhas, embora não esteja totalmente de acordo com a escolha.

Abraços e continua a aproveitar porque tudo o que é bom.......

teté queraminha said...

Ganda Pedro!! Espectacular!!
Não sei se vai a tempo... mas tenho um amigo no ecuador que é responsavel pelas frotas de barcos nas galapagos e tem sede em quito e guayaquil... pode interessar-te se ainda estiveres por essas bandas. Chama-se Fernando Vintimilla, o contacto é tatovin@hotmail.com Um abraço Gonçalo Eusebio (Cascas)

Manuel Salema said...

Amigo, grande viagem!!!! É um prazer fazer parte do arround the World!
Um abraço e até breve,
Manuel

Manuel Salema said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lu said...

Olá!!!
Vejo que continuas em altos Voos e a colecionar emoções unicas!
Aproveita!
Um grande beijinho