Wednesday 22 June 2011

Machu Picchu

After negotiating the border with no problems we made it into the wonderful city of Cusco. Immediately noticable was the lack of rubbish lining the streets and the smell of fresh air as opposed to urine. Similarly to many cities in this part of the world, Cusco is built in a valley and spreads up the surrounding hillsides. The central Plaza de Armas is large and vibrant, playing host to impressive, Inca architecture, and always buzzing with activities. We enjoyed some Alpaca steak whilst overlooking the Peruvian dancing schools at work; it was most enjoyable.

But after only two days to explore the delights of Cusco, Xavier and I began our four day trek to Machu Picchu. We started with four hours mountain biking from inside the clouds to dirt tracks at the edge of the rainforest. The second and third days were spent trekking through the rainforest, in places along the Inca Trail itself. We got some spectacular views of the valley, a ride over the white-water river in a rickety, iron cart and a very rewarding dip in some hot springs at the end of a long, hard day. 

The evening before Machu Picchu was spent in the quaint, little town of Aguas Calientes. From there, at 3 o'clock in the morning, we set off. It was only an hour-long climb, but the pace was rapid and we had to ensure we arrived near the front so as to be able to climb the Huayna Picchu mountain, overlooking the site. As it turned out, we arrived first and were rewarded with a view of Machu Picchu devoid of toursits. 

Over the course of the morning, our guide informed us about the ceremonial and religious history that Mahu Picchu holds, as well as the anger that the Peruvians still have for the Americans, who have failed to return valuable artifacts. Maybe I had heard too much about the place before I arrived, but I didn't find Machu Picchu too incredible. The fact that it is built so high up and that it remained hidden for so long is impressive, but it is essentially just some ruins on a hillside. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable day, culminating in expulsion from the site for filming Xavier walking around in his boxer shorts. Apparently, it was disrespectful to the history of the Incas.

And so, my time in South America has drawn to a close; goodbye to the glorious food, the lofty heights and dazzling scenery. I won't miss the irritating tourists or continually being ripped-off by locals, but the people and atmosphere have been great. I'm sure I will have to set a return date. But now, I am moving to New York... 

Tuesday 14 June 2011

A Birthday of the Highest Standards

6080m. On June 9th, I woke up at midnight and climbed 900 metres uphill in the dark, wind and snow, to the summit of the Hoyana Potosi mountain. It took 5 hours and was the most challenging experience of my life, both physically and mentally. My legs were aching and just lifting each foot was an effort; but the real difficulty was breathing: at 6000 metres, there is just not enough air, so after a few steps you find yourself out of breath. 

On numerous occassions, I wanted to lie down and cry, or at least stop climbing and head back. I just had to keep telling myself to go on and not give up. I've never felt so exhausted as when I arrived at the top; I just wanted to be asleep in a bed, far, far away. I could barely appreciate the view or the achievement because I was so tired. I did manage to open a birthday card at the top and watch the sun poking out from behind the mountains, before I hurried back down. 

The two days before had been spent training and acclimatizing, with crampons and mountain-axe, and a brief, rocky trek, laden with heavy packs. I feel very satisfied that I managed to do it, especially as half of the group didn't make it, and it was certainly a memorable start to my birthday. After a sleep in the afternoon, I went out for an 'English-style' curry with 10 guys that I have met in the last month or so. It was no Wimbledon Ahmed, but it was a deserved reward. 

I had spent a couple of days exploring La Paz. It is another city built in a peculiar location, with the central avenue running through a valley and the rest of the city sprawled up the surrounding hills. The vast market streets we discovered were good training for the steep mountain passes to come, especially as we spent a good six hours there. Unfortunately, the Bolivians are quite tough and so haggling was difficult, much unlike the Chinese, who would halve the price if you so much as turned your back.

I had hoped to spend the next few days relaxing, but what with problems at the border between Bolivia and Peru and the excitement among many travellers about the NBA and NHL finals, this proved rather difficult. And so, on Saturday morning, I took a bus down to Copacabana, a small town, nestled between hills and perched on the shores of the magnificent Lake Titicaca. From there, with the two Frenchmen, we took a two hour boat ride to the north side of the Isla del Sol. At 4000m, it is one of the higest islands in the world and the sun was hot on our necks as we began our trek south. Ideally, we could have stayed on the island for a few days, but the border would be closed again on Monday morning. During our 3 hour trek from north to south, we experienced the most incredible sunset. It wasn't just the sun disappearing behind the distant mountains, but the profound stillness and silence; a silence so deafening that it hurt my ears. The following morning was similarly ridiculous in terms of the views on offer and the peaceful atmosphere. I am now heading into Peru for my final week and a half in South America!!       

Monday 6 June 2011

Bolivia at Breakneck Speed

For the last week I have been travelling with two Frenchmen and two Israelis. Our days are spent enjoying Bolivia and the evenings are spent 'setting bars and clubs on fire'. It has been so much fun, but sadly our time together is drawing to a close.

Monday was spent in the highest city in the world, Potosi, which stands at a a whopping 4070m. There are plenty of mines offering tours and the chance to make controlled dynamite explosions, so of we went! It was nothing short of legendary. We were given helmets, wellies and dust suits and shown what they do with the silver that is mined. Then we headed in. For two hours I was hunched over or crawling through tiny tunnels in the mines. Wagons would frequently pass by, causing us to jump aside into any nooks an crannies we could find. The heat was almost unbearable, close to 40 degrees at one point and combined with the dust and altitude, we were all feeling the strain. We met a 60 year old miner, still working there and we were informed that slaves used to spend 3 months underground at a time. It must have been hell. Breaking out into daylight again felt very nice indeed.

After only one day in Potosi, we took the bus to Sucre, which, according to Bolivians is the capital city, not La Paz. It was a really nice city, with a great central plaza and plenty to see. It's the kind of city that I could have easily spent a couple of months in. We found a bar serving delicious 'honey, home-brew beer' and frequented its rich, mahogany decor each evening. I bought a pair of collapsable, outrageously funky glasses and we enjoyed strolling around the cities parks and plazas. I would very much liked to have stayed longer. 

The next stop on our rapid tour was Cochabamba, which has a statue of Christ overlooking the city, just like in Rio. This one is only 15 years old, but it is 4 metres taller and I'm told is the biggest one in the world. The city wasn't particularly nice; everywhere seemed to be a market, with meat and fish just in wheelbarrows on the street, no ice, no salt, no nothing. You could buy chicken heads and feet as well as brains, which was rather disturbing. The evening was fun though, as we celebrated the birthday of one of the group in some style. 

The following morning, we headed to La Paz on the most comfortable bus I've been on in my entire trip; it really was heavenly. We're staying in an Irish hostel with plenty of English food on offer, which I'm hoping to devour in the next couple of days. Bolivia is wonderfully cheap. You only have to pay 2 pounds for a decent three course meal and you can buy sumptuous hamburgers for as little as 40p! For an overnight bus, it is only 5 pounds; it really is ridiculous. I'm very much looking forward to next week because La Paz seems like a cool city and I'm hoping to spend my birthday in a spectacular location. To find out where, see next week's installment...