Okay, I haven´t actually been to any of the original 7 wonders of the world and can not claim to have had any pressing desire to do so. However, when you´re in Peru, you would be stupid not to make the trip to go and visit Macchu Picchu!
As I said in my last post I had a very quiet and relaxing couple of weeks staying with my adoptive family in San Miguel, Lima. I literally did nothing and it was bliss!!! Then I spent a few days staying down town in an area called Barranco which is right next to the super posh and very hyped (but worth seeing) Miraflores area as well as being 2 seconds from the beach. I´m sure you guys are pretty aware about me and the beach by now, so nuff said on how much time I spent there!!
When the decision had to be made as to how to get to Cusco, the town in the south of Peru from which you can get to Macchu Picchu I clearly lost my senses. I´d heard it wasn´t close to Lima, but based on word of mouth from other travellers along the way I was willing to take the 16 hour bus journey offered by Cruz del Sur; top operator in the country. The one concession I did make was to travel 1st class; it was only 6 quid more and definitely worth the money. 20 hours, motion sickness, 4 badly dubbed films with english subtitles (when the originals were in English anyway!!) and some dodgy looking hot water later we made it to Cusco. Never again in my life so long as I am in a position to choose will I do anything so foolhardy as to get a bus for that long or listen to other people when they tell me 16hours is not so bad!!!! Duurrh!
Firstly, I will say that travelling 1st class is the only way, massive leather reclining seats with footrests and only 9 people in the cabin (everyone else is upstairs on the double decker) so its nice and quiet. Other than that, it makes no difference what class you are in when you´re travelling Peru by coach. Roads that are built into mountains resulting in ridiculous meandering curves means the toilet is pretty much a nasty disgusting mess after the 1st two hours. The so called meals you get served leave a lot of taste to the imagination and only give even more reasons for you to have to visit the toilet! And the wonderful drivers, who are advertised as changing every four hours for passenger safety, clearly get bored with the whole thing and decide to test out the new traction wheels by speeding up on bends and seeing who can get the most passengers to throw up on their shift. The only person who fared worse than I was Darrell** who is not travelling on my backpacker budget and was quite openly resenting my insistance we get the bus cos it was cheaper and all part of the experience after the first 10 hours!!! Sorry!!
I am despite it all eternally grateful to have made it in one piece with no incidents! Needless to say, the budget for the return journey was added to in order to catch the simple one hour flight back to Lima! It only cost $89 compared to the bus´$65....so much for trying to be a cheap arse eh!!
Cusco has about 100% on Lima in terms of character and atmosphere. The town is cute and easy to get around, the roads, the churches and the people just seem that so much less hung up, which is in sharp contrast to Lima which is a cross between Miami and Shepherds Bush....go figure. Don´t get me wrong, I did like Lima, but when you get to Cusco, you feel the change in atmosphere, and the rivalry between the two cities (Cusco used to be the Peruvian capital hundreds of years ago) certainly maintains that!
So from Cusco one morning at 6am we caught the four hour train up to Macchu Picchu, this was followed by a 30 minute bus journey up the rest of the way and then.........paradise, the most tangible sense of history I´ve ever felt and God. I know that everyone who has seen it has the same sense of wonderment whether they took the train or bravely (I wanna say foolish but I know its cos I´m a sissy) followed the Inca Trail.
The place is truly amazing, survived for hundreds of years almost completely intact despite landslides and earthquakes that took out modern power plants and towns around it. Surrounded by astonishing drops and views of moutains on every side and roaming with llamas! I can´t express it in words and only some of my pictures actually show how fantastic it was, but I tell ya, if you can......you will never regret seeing this place.
So I did Peru, I loved it and its on my hit list of places to come back to. Many thanks to Mr and Mrs Katy and Katy´s whole family who I fell in love with and who looked after me literally like I was one of their own. I have pictures from Paulito and Isabella´s birthday which if I don´t get a chance to email to you (Paul and Katy) before I get home, will be with you asap! Mama Greta and Tia Gisela tengo amor por ustedes para siempre! Nunca puedo olvídar lo que ustedes hacían para mi. Besos, abrazos y mucho más!
So, guess where I am now? Brasil!!!!!!!! Yey!!! Landed in São Paulo on Saturday morning. Already I know my 12 week Brazilian Portugese course last year did bugger all and I haven´t got a clue what anyone is saying. This is not going to be an easy leg! I´m all for it though, I´m in Brasil after all...woohoa!!! I´ll be headed to Rio on Tuesday trying to procure me a showgirl outfit to wear on Copacabana...;-)
**Darrell bless his cottons is the only person who took me up on my offer of all company welcome to join me on any part of my trip!! He´s with me for three weeks in all, his only concession being living on my super cheapie budget! Bless...as for the rest of you...you´re missing out!!!
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