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Posts from the ‘Peru’ Category

Jan 30

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Homestay experience

The homestay at Isla de Taquile was highly recommended by San Paul @ Inka Rest as well as by Lonely Planet’s South America on a Shoestring so we booked a night stay as part of our island visit to Lake Titicaca.

It turned out to be the highlight of our trip 🙂

Tip: We booked our homestay with Inka Rest, which cost S35/person, to be paid directly to the host. It includes the overnight stay plus dinner and breakfast. Another S35/person is for the boat visit to Uros as well as the transfer back to hostel the next day. (US1 = S2.7)

Demonstration of how the artificial islands were formed

It was raining when we started the boat ride to Uros, the artificial floating islands. As mentioned by many online as well as guidebooks, they’re quite touristy and commercial, ie. the people try hard to sell you something. We were at the Santa Maria island (there are close to 60 floating islands with different names) and were given an introduction on how the artificial islands were formed. After that we were invited by villagers to their respective homes for a visit. Blue eyes and I, along with 3 other visitors, were invited by Rene to his home where he and his wife and two kids, Anita and Angel lived. It’s a small hut made by the same plant that formed the island. There’s a bed and everything else is hung around the house. Rene said the house was rebuilt four times in the last year.

After some small talk, Rene brought his kids and asked them to pose for photos with each of us. Then he led us out and showed his family’s handicrafts made by himself and his wife. They were very well done but I didn’t have any use as they’re mostly winter accessories such as woolen hats and scarfs – imagine wearing them in Malaysia! The table mats were too big to carry since we still have another 2.5 months of travelling to go. Blue eyes saw a hat that he liked and he decided to buy it.

Visitors are invited (for a small fee) to take a tour on their boats that are shaped like a puma. Before the boats departed, the local women lined up and sang some songs to wish them safe journey. They’re dressed in their traditional clothes, which are really colourful – bright orange, blue and red skirts, and straw hats.

Local women singing a song to bless the boat trip

Soon we were on our own boat, on the way to another Uros island. This one was bigger and has proper shops and restaurants. The rain got heavier so I sought shelter at one of the restaurants. We didn’t stay long on this island.

The ride to Isla de Taquile was 3 hours. By the time we arrived, the rain has stopped. We walked about 40 minutes up to the village plaza. Taquile has no vehicles or bicycles. To go from one part of the island to the other, the only option is by walking. We met our host, Celso at the plaza. Another traveler, Andrew from the UK, is also joining us for the homestay. Celso brought us to his home up on the other side of the hill – it was another 20 minutes walk – to put down our bags. We met his wife, Juana, who was at work (weaving), as well as his 5-year old son, Huatta.

We were shown our respective room, which was above expectation as there’s a bed with linen. The toilet, located about 20 metres outside of the room, is clean. There’s no running water but Celso prepared a large pail of water for flushing. There’re no electricity but Celso has a solar panel that offers about 3-4 hours of electricity in the evening.

After showing us around, we walked back to the plaza where Celso’s restaurant is located. We had lunch comprising soup, trout with vegetables and french fries, and tea. The total cost was S15/person.

After lunch, Celso brought us for a tour around the island, to visit some of the Inca ruins as well as the ceremonial worship for Pacha Mama, or Mother Earth. The island is quite a gem, almost immediately we felt calmer and more peaceful. The sun was shining by then and the skies were blue with some white clouds. Celso doesn’t speak much English and we barely speak Spanish but somehow communication wasn’t as difficult as we imagined it to be. We understood quite a bit of Celso’s description of the island and his village.

Blue eyes @ Taquile

Men in Taquile are skillful weavers as well. During our walking tour, Celso was knitting most of the time as he’s making a winter hat. He says it takes about 3 to 4 days to finish. He learned how to knit at the age of 8 from his father. At the Pacha Mama altar place, we met another group of visitors and a fellow guide. Celso took out the coca leaves from his bag and exchanged them with his friend as a way of greetings.

Brown eyes @ Taquile

We returned to Celso’s home around 5PM and rested until 7PM when we’re invited for dinner. Juana made omelette with rice, a simple meal but tasted good. After dinner, Celso and his nephew played us some local music using flute and drum. The evening ended with tea and good chats with our fellow traveler, Andrew.

We went to bed early after a tiring day. I woke up at 2.30AM with a bad tummy ache and had to visit the toilet. It was raining heavily outside and it’s dark but we brought our torchlights so the toilet visit went without much hiccup.

We woke up to heavy rain in the morning. We took breakfast, which comprised of pancake and bread with jam and tea. The rain stopped about 10AM and we took a stroll towards the beach. As we have to be at the jetty by noon for our boat ride, we didn’t manage to visit the beach area but saw it from afar. It’s a pity cos’ the sun was shining brightly by this time and the view of the lake was gorgeous.

Blue skies @ Taquile

We returned to Celso’s home to get our luggage. Celso had to gather some materials so he asked us to walk ahead. Blue eyes and I got a bit lost towards the end as Andrew was way ahead and we somehow forgot the route. Fortunately, after several turns and some annoyance on my part, we found Celso’s place.

We bid Celso and his family goodbye, and thanked them for their kind hospitality. It was a long walk to the jetty as there were many steps down. Good workout I guess 🙂 We’re definitely glad we made the homestay as part of our Peruvian visit as it really gave us a different perspective of the country. Blue eyes were saying, if we only did Machu Picchu and didn’t have this homestay, we would reflect on Peru quite differently.

Jan 24

Mystic (misty) Machu Picchu

On this year’s first day of Chinese New Year (23 January 2012), I accomplished a life-long dream – I conquered Machu Picchu! It is one of the new 7 wonders of the world and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1980s. The lost city was built by the Inca Empire and was not discovered until an American, Hiram Bingham found it in 1911.

I had imagine myself doing the Inca trail and reaching the lost city at the end of the hike, but in reality, we took the train to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu town) and stayed overnight before taking the bus the next morning to Machu Picchu. Our accommodation @ Aguas Calientes was screwed up as the booking agency did not confirm the reservation, and the address was incorrect. By the time we found Hostel Continental, we were shocked that it was an empty building! It felt almost haunted as the doors were closed tight and it looked like it was undergoing renovation (no mention of this on its website!). We were utterly disappointed and I, in particular, was terribly annoyed by the situation (inefficiencies irked the hell out of me). We had no choice but to look for a new place to stay and fortunately, accommodations abound in Aguas Calientes since tourism is its bread and butter. We found a cheap hostel (S50/night!) and the room was downright basic. It was noisy since the room was just above the main street but we managed to catch some sleep.

Tip: We took Perurail from Ollantytambo to Aguas Calientes. The two-way trip cost us US$210 for two persons. The office is located next to the Cusco Cathedral. 

Tip: Best to buy the bus tickets (Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu) one day ahead to avoid having to queue on actual departure time. Pay in US$ (US$34 for 2 persons, 2-way) as it’s cheaper than paying in Peruvian Soles. 

Tip: Buy the entrance tickets to Machu Picchu from the Tourism Information Centre in Cusco – they have a printer so no hassle on printing. It cost S128 per person.

Tip: Unless you’re super adventurous, skip Inca trail cos’ it’s quite expensive. Doing what we did, we saved couple of hundred bucks. 

The next morning we woke up at 5.30AM and arrived to the foot of Machu Picchu at 6.45AM (we took the 6.15AM train) and it was raining. What a disappointment! I felt quite devastated that my pix of the place would be all dark and grey but blue eyes was in good spirit.

The idea of this trip is not to see Machu Picchu in perfect weather. The idea of this trip is to escape the rat race and live a little differently.

We waited until 7.30AM and decided to go up anyway despite the rain. The rock steps up were high and we couldn’t see very much as it was misty and foggy. We had an umbrella with us while most of the visitors had wisely brought their raincoat. Fortunately the rain wasn’t that heavy and so our umbrella was sufficient to shield us from the rain.

Blue eyes @ hazy Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was built in the 1400s by the Incas and it was noted historically that the Spanish did not find the Inca site, and as such, it was better preserved than other Inca sites in the country. Located over 2,400 metres above sea level, Machu Picchu boasts a gorgeous view, surrounded by mountains all around. The irrigation system is intelligently developed, considering the time it was built. We stood amazed at the huge rocks that founded the site – how in the world they managed to do all this without modern construction? The terraced area was designed for agriculture activities and stone steps were built for walking between the terrace. Inca homes on the other side has triangle roof with small windows. Higher up was the Intihuatana stone, which a tour guide described as the calendar ‘clock’ for the Incas.

Inca stone walls

 

Terrace for agriculture activities

After about an hour of drizzle, the sun started to shine over the historical site and the clouds began to clear, giving way to some blue skies. Yay!

Tip: Best to visit Machu Picchu early in the morning before the first train arrives just before 10AM, bringing huge number of tourists. Unless you don’t mind the crowd of course. 

The crowd started to grow bigger but by that time we were heading towards the higher ground of Machu Picchu and did not coincide with the huge tourist groups that started at the bottom level of the site. We took a break at one of the terraced area and sat watching the bustle below. The sun was shining by this time and it was calming to just absorb the view before us. It is quite a majestic sight and we’re really lucky that the rain hasn’t continued.

Tip: Bring some energy snacks ie. muesli bars, choc, bananas plus water, and try to visit the toilet before going up – there’s nowhere to answer nature’s call when you’re up at the site 😉

Overview of Machu Picchu

We found a path leading to the Inca bridge so we decided to check it out. My feet felt wobbly walking on the trail leading to the bridge since it’s a long way down. The bridge was a narrow  one, made from several woods, followed by stones, lined one after another. The entrance is blocked to hinder anyone trying to use the bridge.

Narrow Inca bridge

We finally left Machu Picchu at 12.30PM and reached Aguas Calientes at 1PM. We took a leisure lunch and rewarded ourselves with a glass of caipiroska and mojito each. It felt good that we finally had the chance to visit Machu Picchu. It was well worth all the stress and energy.

Jan 20

Ancient Cuzco

Cuzco is without a doubt a touristy city and for obvious reasons considering that it’s the most populated ancient city in the world. It’s also the former capital of the Inca empire with many of the ruins still standing around Cuzco today – it’s declared World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. Not to mention, it’s the stopover city if one is heading to Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world. Cuzco is scenicly beautiful, located on the valleys with view of houses stretching all the way up. I haven’t seen any city like it yet. On a clear blue sky day, the city looks gorgeous and outstanding with its narrow cobbled paths.

La Compania de Jesus Church @ Cusco, Peru

 

Having said that, I haven’t had any meaningful encounters yet. Perhaps I’m still adapting to the high altitude and trying to recover from the headache that I’ve been having the whole day, or maybe I’m just getting annoyed with the number of sellers trying to sell me stuff. There are several locals dressed up in traditional clothes with llamas in tow, asking tourists if they want to take photos with them for a fee. Local handicrafts (souvenirs, paintings, handiworks) are well done but being hassled almost constantly can get a tad tiring.

We booked 3 nights with Casonas Pleinenas @ San Blas, the artistic district of Cuzco. Due to the low season, our double room costs US$55/night. We have the room on the highest floor and probably the best to avoid the noise from nearby bars. Strangely we’re not given the key to the front door and have to knock or ring the bell when we return. The B&B offers quite good buffet breakfast including cereal, ham and cheese, bread, cake and fruits, with coffee and tea. Coca tea is available the whole day and is considered a good remedy for altitude sickness.

San Blas district @ Cusco, Peru

 

On Sunday we will have a road trip to Ollantaytambo before taking the train to Agua Calientes to stay the night. On Monday we will visit Machu Picchu and then take the train back to Cuzco. The cost of the trains is US$105/person while the entrance fee is S128/person (US$1 = 2.7 Soles).

It’s definitely not a cheap city. Our first night our dinner @ a local restaurant, Pacha Papa cost us about US$35 – we each had pork stew and lamb stew with rice. Average main course here is US$10 while mid size beer is US$5 per bottle. Tip is not included in the bill and we still haven’t figure out if it’s customary to tip. Our cheapest meal so far was S30 for 2 persons (about US$12/person) but it wasn’t very much a meal cos’ the pasta was tasteless.

Communication is not as difficult as Guatemala since many locals do speak some English. Understandly, considering how tourism is a major economic activity here. There are many police officers checking the streets of Cuzco. Even then, we’ve read on guidebooks to be careful especially after dark. Markets and bus/train stations are the common place for mugging and pickpocketing.

Jan 19

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No perfect trip

Who says doing a RTW trip is a bed of roses? We’re sitting at Starbucks at Lima International Airport and the watch is showing 1.50AM and we still have some 2 hours to kill before we can drop our baggage off. Flight is at 6.45AM and that means we’re gonna be sleepless tonight. We’ll be bidding for the kindness of our B&B host tomorrow if we could check in earlier (usual check-in is @ 3PM).

To add salt to injury, we found one of my bags broken as it came onto the baggage claim revolving platform. We asked TACA if they could help since the damage happened during their handling, and were caught by surprise when the person said that the airline is not responsible for such damages, unless it involves items INSIDE the bag.

Blue eyes asked if that means they could damage any bag on the outside, and the guy just shrugged it off. He said we could read the terms & conditions on our ticket, which stated clearly the provisions on baggages. But it doesn’t make sense to us; if the airline is not responsible for any mishandling of baggages, does that mean they have a right to be reckless without being accountable? If so, then I, the passenger, would have to constantly bear the cost of buying new luggage bags, on top of rising fuel prices and airport taxes. Blahh … the lay men never win, do they?

Honestly I doubt the repair on the bag handle is going to cost very much and it would have been goodwill on their part “to be seen to be doing something about it.” Telling the customer to read the terms & conditions after the mishap is like saying, “serves you right for not reading them in the first place!”

I must add that that I had distinctively asked at the check-in counter at Guatemala airport if the bags were going directly to Cuzco or do we need to pick them up at Lima, and the lady replied Cuzco. Fortunately, we had good sense and started to questioned the logic, since we had to go through customs at Lima. Hold and behold, when we checked the baggage claim area, we found our bags on the revolving platform! Imagine if we had believed her and walked passed the baggage without checking? We would have to fly back to Lima when we couldn’t find our bags @ Cuzco in the morning! And I bet the airline would say apologetically that it is not responsible when its staff does not provide accurate information.

Read the terms & conditions.

I miss Guatemala already. It feels a lot simpler; and people seems nicer. Here, I feel like being milked like a cow the minute I touched down. Tips are not included in the bill and the waiter actually asked me for it! (how thick-skinned is that?!) Given the late hours, I was too exhausted to argue not to so I put in a $5 tip, which I realised later to be a tad too much, sigh …

I wish my Peruvian impression hasn’t started on such bleak note, but oh well, let’s just get Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca out of the list and I can get on with my life. I can’t imagine myself coming back again for any other reason. At least not now at 2.20AM (that’s how long it took to write this post from beginning to here).

 

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