Its been awhile since I posted a blog so a lot to catch up on! On the Sunday am after saying a sad goodbye to Coll and the rest of the group, I spent the morning wandering around the bustling market in Pisac. Managed to connect briefly with Jen and Stew who were on a tour, for some coffee and carrot cake then ate lunch (cerveche - their local dish of raw fish marinaded in lime juice) with some of the locals and loaded my bags onto a collectiva (the equivalent of our mini buses) and headed for Cusco and the very fancy hotel that Stew and Jen were staying in. What bliss - to soak in a nice bath! The next morning we visted various travel agencies to investigate transport down to Puno and Lake Titicaco and to book flights to Peurto Maldonardo in the Amazon which we want to visit before coming home. In the afternoon while Jen and Stew
went on a tour of the city, I met up with Mary (a friend´s sister) who lives in Cusco. It was great to meet her and to chat to someone who could paint a very real picture for me of everyday life in Peru. That evening, we went to see an amazing local Peruvian dance/mime comedy at a theatre, which we really enjoyed.
The next day we had arranged with a young Peruvian guy to take us cycling for the day. He had promised to take us to an area in the countryside outside Cusco where there were no tourists. What an experience!! First we had to travel with him in a taxi into the back streets of Cusco to get the bikes from a friend of his. We then rode down the narrow congested streets to the central plaza where he flagged down a taxi and promptly piled all 4 bikes one on top of the other, on the roof, tied them down with string and off we set! The day was magnificent and true to his word we did a circular ride of 50 - 60 kms on country roads through villages and rural hamlets, stopping for a picnic lunch on some Inka terraces at an archeological site and agricultural research centre. To get home we went to a taxi rank (much like those back home except here they transport everything imaginable - even saw them offload a live pig in a plastic bag from the roof of one of the taxis!) and repeated the whole operation to to get back to Cusco for a briefing with the Inca trail organisers. Packed and went to bed early as were being collected at 4am the next morning.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lima and Nasca Lines
On Sunday 5th, it was with a very heavy heart,that I left Viv in Pisac and headed for Cusco, with the rest of our group, where we caught our connection to Lima, dropping 11,000 ft to sea level in 45 minutes. My impression of Lima this time, was quite different, as we stayed in the heart of the city at a very nice hotel. Lima was the jewel of the Colonial Americas, and its churches, convents and mansions in the Historic Centre attest to the richness of that time. Lima is a city that lives and breathes by the sea - it is modern, entertaining and boasts wonderful walking malls with great shopping and resturants. We spent the afternoon taking in the sights, had an early dinner and early night, in preparation for our early bus ride to Nasca the following morning.
The bus ride took us for 5 hours along the coast through desert areas, agricultural fields and little rural villages... At lunch time we arrived in the town of Isca. We did a tour of the little town, where we were shown churches & buildings, which were devated in the 2007 earth quake in Peru. We also visited the local museum, with incredible specimens of mummies and artifacts, dug up in the Naca Lines area, dating back some 2,000 years. Our Hotel was a very old homestead on an oasis, surrounded by massive sand dunes. The following morning, was another early start, to head another 2 hours into the Nasca desert, where we boarded a small aircraft and flew over the Nasca Lines. These are 'geopglyphs, which date back to 2000 BC and were laid out using stones on the sandy soil of the Nazca desert. They depict plants, birds, lizards, dogs and a monkey.Theories around the 'geoglyphs, is that they were intended for their gods, or another is that they may have functioned as an astronomical calender. It is incrdible, bearing in mind the size of them, that they were able to get the proportions of the drawing so exact working only at ground level. The day ended in a 7 hour bus trip back to Lima, arriving at 23.00, in time to pack and catch 3 hours sleep, before leaving for Lima airport at 4.30, to catch our flight back to Johannesburg via Buenos Aires & Cape Town. It was wonderful to touch down on South African soil, with all the memories of the past few weeks adventures in Peru still so fresh in my mind. What an incredible opportunity, and I thank my wonderful husband for a "gift of a lifetime!".
The bus ride took us for 5 hours along the coast through desert areas, agricultural fields and little rural villages... At lunch time we arrived in the town of Isca. We did a tour of the little town, where we were shown churches & buildings, which were devated in the 2007 earth quake in Peru. We also visited the local museum, with incredible specimens of mummies and artifacts, dug up in the Naca Lines area, dating back some 2,000 years. Our Hotel was a very old homestead on an oasis, surrounded by massive sand dunes. The following morning, was another early start, to head another 2 hours into the Nasca desert, where we boarded a small aircraft and flew over the Nasca Lines. These are 'geopglyphs, which date back to 2000 BC and were laid out using stones on the sandy soil of the Nazca desert. They depict plants, birds, lizards, dogs and a monkey.Theories around the 'geoglyphs, is that they were intended for their gods, or another is that they may have functioned as an astronomical calender. It is incrdible, bearing in mind the size of them, that they were able to get the proportions of the drawing so exact working only at ground level. The day ended in a 7 hour bus trip back to Lima, arriving at 23.00, in time to pack and catch 3 hours sleep, before leaving for Lima airport at 4.30, to catch our flight back to Johannesburg via Buenos Aires & Cape Town. It was wonderful to touch down on South African soil, with all the memories of the past few weeks adventures in Peru still so fresh in my mind. What an incredible opportunity, and I thank my wonderful husband for a "gift of a lifetime!".
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| Lima |
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| Lima |
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| Our Nasca hotel at an oasis overlooking the dunes |
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| One of the Nasca Lines from 2000 years ago |
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| A mummy excavated from the Nasca desert |
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Pisac
Pisac is famous for its market which takes place in the main square. We have had lots of fun shopping and exploring the village. To get there it is a 2 km walk along the river, which still shows evidence of Peru's devastating floods in January of this year. If we don't feel like walking there is always the option of catching a ride in a tuk tuk. On wednesday Coll had a rest day as she did not feel hundred percent, while Viv and the rest of the group walked up the mountain behind the village to explore the Pisac ruins. The 'walk' involved 6 hours of climbing up and down hundreds of steps and criss crossing the old Inca terraces to get to various sites. For most of the day, they were accompanied by an old Andean pipe player, playing his haunting music.
On thursday morning we visited the waterways of Tampumachay. The area remminded us a lot of Dullestroom with its fine mist and rain, running streams and green thornveld type of vegetation. The Incas were masters at channeling water and most of these are still functioning today, 600 years later. That afternoon, we attended a ceremony, which was performed by a local shaman in his simple home. In the ceremony the shaman makes a mandala out of flowers, various grains, sweets, biscuits and cocoa leaves - all gifts to mother earth. These are then wrapped up in paper, tied up in string and once he has blessed each of us, by running it up and down our bodies, it is put in the fire. Coll was given the honour of beating the drum, as the shaman chanted his haunting songs encouraging the offering to burn. The Andean way of life is very much tied to ceremonies and worship. These are often a mix of the age old traditional Quechue rituals and Catholicism, introduced by the Spaniards. We all found it a very moving and humble experience.
Friday was spent quietly around the retreat in preparation for the evenings Ayahuasca ceremony. We were all allowed a light breakfast and then only water for the rest of the day. Ayahausca is Quechue for 'vine of the soul'. It is a potent and purgative mix of jungle vines, used to help you release on a body, mind and emotional level. We are glad we experienced it, but we are not likely to ever want to do it again, and are both feeling rather fragile today.
Tomorrow, Coll leaves with the rest of the group for Nasca Lines, and Viv joins up with Jen and Stew for the next adventure, walking the Inca train. It has been so amazing to share this spiritual adventure and it is going to be very hard to say goodbye to each other.
Please post your comments as it is so great to hear from everyone at home.
We are still battling to put up pictures and if anyone can give us some advice on how to do this we would really appreciate it.
Adios for now
On thursday morning we visited the waterways of Tampumachay. The area remminded us a lot of Dullestroom with its fine mist and rain, running streams and green thornveld type of vegetation. The Incas were masters at channeling water and most of these are still functioning today, 600 years later. That afternoon, we attended a ceremony, which was performed by a local shaman in his simple home. In the ceremony the shaman makes a mandala out of flowers, various grains, sweets, biscuits and cocoa leaves - all gifts to mother earth. These are then wrapped up in paper, tied up in string and once he has blessed each of us, by running it up and down our bodies, it is put in the fire. Coll was given the honour of beating the drum, as the shaman chanted his haunting songs encouraging the offering to burn. The Andean way of life is very much tied to ceremonies and worship. These are often a mix of the age old traditional Quechue rituals and Catholicism, introduced by the Spaniards. We all found it a very moving and humble experience.
Friday was spent quietly around the retreat in preparation for the evenings Ayahuasca ceremony. We were all allowed a light breakfast and then only water for the rest of the day. Ayahausca is Quechue for 'vine of the soul'. It is a potent and purgative mix of jungle vines, used to help you release on a body, mind and emotional level. We are glad we experienced it, but we are not likely to ever want to do it again, and are both feeling rather fragile today.
Tomorrow, Coll leaves with the rest of the group for Nasca Lines, and Viv joins up with Jen and Stew for the next adventure, walking the Inca train. It has been so amazing to share this spiritual adventure and it is going to be very hard to say goodbye to each other.
Please post your comments as it is so great to hear from everyone at home.
We are still battling to put up pictures and if anyone can give us some advice on how to do this we would really appreciate it.
Adios for now
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| Circles of Moray |
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| Night shopping in Pisac |
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| Viv & Coll at the waterways of Tampumachay |
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| Viv shopping for lunch at Pisac |
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| Our group |
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ollantaytambo
Our first impression of Ollantaytambo as we dragged our suitcases up the dusty street from the train station to our hotel, was of slight chaos as all manner of transport tried to squeeze past each other and us. However later, once we discovered the true heart of the town beyond the busy road and main square, we were captivated by its simple rural charm. Wanderiing through its narrow cobbled streets, we peeped through openings and cracks in the doors, which revealed courtyards where the local people were going about their daily lives.
You have to be able to look beyond the dirt and squalor (reminiscent of Africa) to understand the beauty and spirituality of these gentle and trusting peoople, who have an amazing conneection to mother earth, or Pachamama, as they refer to it. During our 2 days there, we explored the famous Inca ruins above the town, visited the shops and markets, climbed a peak overlooking the village, ate great food and had fun at some funky pubs. Ollantaytambo has water channels everywhere that flow from natural springs and the town has a strong feminine energy. The lovely thing about travelling as part of a spirituaal group, is that you get to experience things with a different level of conciousness and awareness and Coll and I feel so blessed to be able to do this together.
Yesterday we travelled by taxi (an experience in itself!) back through the Sacred Valley visiting Moray, another powerfully energetic Inca site and Madras, a salt mine. We are now at a retreat centre for 5 days outside the townn of Pisac. It is in a beautiful rural setting surrounded by mountains. Today is a much needed rest day and we have just had a talk by a Shaman, in preparation for those who want to take part in an Ayahuasca ceremony, which is planned for Friday night. More about this in our next posting.............
You have to be able to look beyond the dirt and squalor (reminiscent of Africa) to understand the beauty and spirituality of these gentle and trusting peoople, who have an amazing conneection to mother earth, or Pachamama, as they refer to it. During our 2 days there, we explored the famous Inca ruins above the town, visited the shops and markets, climbed a peak overlooking the village, ate great food and had fun at some funky pubs. Ollantaytambo has water channels everywhere that flow from natural springs and the town has a strong feminine energy. The lovely thing about travelling as part of a spirituaal group, is that you get to experience things with a different level of conciousness and awareness and Coll and I feel so blessed to be able to do this together.
Yesterday we travelled by taxi (an experience in itself!) back through the Sacred Valley visiting Moray, another powerfully energetic Inca site and Madras, a salt mine. We are now at a retreat centre for 5 days outside the townn of Pisac. It is in a beautiful rural setting surrounded by mountains. Today is a much needed rest day and we have just had a talk by a Shaman, in preparation for those who want to take part in an Ayahuasca ceremony, which is planned for Friday night. More about this in our next posting.............
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| Coll shopping at Ollantaytambo |
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| Viv & Coll in a street that goes back 2000 years |
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| The village and ruins at Ollantaytambo |
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Machu Picchu
Wednesday was an early start to catch the train to Machu Picchu. The train snaked its way through picturesque rural farm land following the course of the fast flowing Urubanba river descending into the lush cloud forest as we approached Machu Picchu Pueblo. This booming village catering to the tourists who flock here to see ¨the lost city of the Incas¨, is vibrant, bustling and colourful with a spectacular location at the base of towering peaks.
After exploring its markets and an early dinner we headed for bed in anticipation of a 4 am start to be at the front of the queue for the bus ride up to Machu Picchu. The peaks shrouded in swirling mist gave it a mystical feel as we entered the gates. It is hard to describe the feeling - we were all very emotional at finally being there. As we entered the Sun Gate at the top of a very steep climb, the sun broke through and the mist parted revealing the ¨Lost City¨ beneath us. There are no words to describe it!!! We spent the next 10 hours exploring and absorbing the wonder and energy of this incredible remant of our ancient history.
The next day Viv made another early start with 2 others from the group, as they had decided to go back up to Machu Picchu to attempt the climb up Whuanya Picchu, a majestic peak above the citadel. The climb was challenging, to say the least, with Viv´s fear of heights being seriously tested, but they made the top and took the long route back down so that they could see the ´Temple of the Moon¨"- Coll and the rest of the group hiked to the botanical gardens an hour away from the village and picniced at a waterfall.
Between all the adventrues, we have done some work within the group intergrating some of our experiences. This morning we travelled back by train to Ollantaytambo, a small traditional rural town, where we will spend the next 2 nights.
After exploring its markets and an early dinner we headed for bed in anticipation of a 4 am start to be at the front of the queue for the bus ride up to Machu Picchu. The peaks shrouded in swirling mist gave it a mystical feel as we entered the gates. It is hard to describe the feeling - we were all very emotional at finally being there. As we entered the Sun Gate at the top of a very steep climb, the sun broke through and the mist parted revealing the ¨Lost City¨ beneath us. There are no words to describe it!!! We spent the next 10 hours exploring and absorbing the wonder and energy of this incredible remant of our ancient history.
The next day Viv made another early start with 2 others from the group, as they had decided to go back up to Machu Picchu to attempt the climb up Whuanya Picchu, a majestic peak above the citadel. The climb was challenging, to say the least, with Viv´s fear of heights being seriously tested, but they made the top and took the long route back down so that they could see the ´Temple of the Moon¨"- Coll and the rest of the group hiked to the botanical gardens an hour away from the village and picniced at a waterfall.
Between all the adventrues, we have done some work within the group intergrating some of our experiences. This morning we travelled back by train to Ollantaytambo, a small traditional rural town, where we will spend the next 2 nights.
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| Village of Machu Picchu Pueblo |
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| Urubanba river running through the sacred valley |
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| Viv at Machu Picchu Pueblo |
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| Viv & Coll at Machu Picchu |
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Cusco
Finally arrived in Cusco yesterday after a long long flight and stop over in Lima (a not very attractive city!) Flew in over the magestic snow clad Andes. On the drive from the airport to our quaint Peruvian style hostel, Cusco looked like an uneasy mix of the old and the new, with crumbling half built mud brick abodes, sandwiched between internet cafes. But when we ventrued out to explore in the late afternoon and wandered through fascinating cobbled streets all leading to Cusco´s heart, the Plaza de Arms, with it´s imposing cathederal, you could literally feel its ancient mystique and pulsating energy. We ate out at jack´s, an excellent and vibey resturant with the rest of the group, who are all really nice. We explored some of the market stalls and ended up at another resturant listening to some Peruvian musicians, who played with such passion and joy, you could not help getting swept up in the magic. Our bodies are still adjusting to the time change and high alititude, but with the help of copious cups of cocoa tea, today we have been able to step up the pace a bit and do some more exploring. This afternoon we started the retreat with a group mediatation and tomorrow we catch the train for Machu Picchu.
We wanted to down load some pcitures for you to see, but the hostel computer we are working on is so antiquated, it has no port for the flash drive!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will have to try our luck at the next place.
Lots of love to you all, Viv and Coll
We wanted to down load some pcitures for you to see, but the hostel computer we are working on is so antiquated, it has no port for the flash drive!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will have to try our luck at the next place.
Lots of love to you all, Viv and Coll
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Cobbled street in Cusco Cusco central square |
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| Coll and Viv with local girl and baby lama |
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