Machu Picchu

One of Nina's longtime goals was to see Machu Picchu. Well in advance she had also planned to do a 5 day hike from Cusco to get there, but after our El Misti debacle we were exhausted and couldn't face up to another camping/hiking challenge just yet.

Instead we chose to go by road on a 2 day/1 night excursion. What a terrible idea! It took 7.5 hours to drive each way on roads that were either windy mountain passes or one lane death dirt roads resting on cliffs with a 200m drop to the side. To summarise that's about 18 hours of travel in 36 hours. If I have any advice for you it's If you ever go to Machu Picchu either take the train or do the 5 day Inca trail - apparently the scenery and food is amazing on the hike!

In any case while we erred in our choice of getting to MP, it was always going to be worth it. After a small meltdown in the morning not being able to locate our bus tickets up the mountain, we finally got into the Inca ruins at 7am.

In short, it's very impressive. The scenery around the city that housed 1,000 Inca back in the day was stunning and the misty weather in the moning made for outer worldy, Avatar like lighting effects. While the ruins themselves are just ok in my opinion, the terraces and foundations the inca laid earn them much respect. Not to mention they bullt the thing on top of a pretty steep, jagged mountain.

The highlight of the day for me was just sitting on one of the high up terraces, polishing off a spot of lunch while admiring the view in the warm sunlight. Once off the mountain I was keen as hell to get back to our hostel and out of Cusco, as I wasn't overly partial to the place...too touristy and cold for my liking.

One more tip, if you ever have a chance go mountain biking down the hills outside of Ollytambo on the way to MP. I reckon it's about 50km of downhill riding on tarmac with amazing views stretching for miles. I would have loved to have done it.

The super hard granite (?) stone blocks were perfectly crafted to fit together without morter. The better quality ones like this were used for important buildings like temples and such. You can't even a fit a credit card in the seams, they are that well shaped. Apparently this also helps in earthquakes as the blocks just bounce around and fall back into place.

In the early dawn hours the light has an almost mystical appearance as it rises over the mountains behind Machu Picchu.

We also learned that a lot of the so called ruins have been restored, rather than being displayed in the original state.

There is a little temple and some ruins right at the top of Huayna Picchu in front (the big mountain). Also if you apply in advance you can climb the windy path and get great views of the main ruins.

Looking back over the terraces of Machu Picchu. The terraces were very important for stability and also the foundations under each terrace is perfect for agriculture and drainage (sand, stones, dirt etc). They were the pioneers of modern landscape gardening - these guys were indeed very smart! Strange they died out so quick.

A quick selfie at our lunch location for the day. Not a bad place to have a bite.

Bugger, the panorama didn't work out as well as I'd hoped!

A final farewell to the ruins before we departed back down the mountain. Nina was back to being cold as you can tell (it was probably about 22 degrees at that point!).

Volcano El Misti - The Destroyer (of Duncan and Nina)

I believe it was my brilliant idea to give a 5,800m Volcano a crack on our relaxing, boozy jaunt around South America. Surely after spending a handful of days in cities over 3,500m we'd be fit and firing enough to tackle a steep mountain with 15kg packs on our backs.

El Misti towers over the city of Arequipa and is one of those typical looking Volcanoes - conical with a big crater at the top. While active it apparently hasn't puffed any smoke or caused any concern for over a hundred years. Still it is a very impressive Volcano when you can see it from anywhere in the city.

The idea to climb El Misi actually came from the Atacama, where you can take day trips to local Volcanoes some or which are still active and where I believe you can see lava. Disappointingly I missed out on doing any trips there, but it was great that Arequipa presented an alternative.

Our hike started deceptively well at 3,400m. Even though that's pretty high it was like traversing a gentle hill in the Australian bush. Not too much effort at all. However after a few hours of carrying 15kg at a nice warm temperature of 25 with increasing altitude and an ever rising degree of steepness - things started to get a bit more difficult. None the less we powered on for about 5 hours without too much fuss.

After our easy start the last hour of hiking on day 1 was very tough as the terrain changed to volcanic ash, which was like climbing sand dunes, plus the altitude was starting to cause us to have significantly more fatigue. By the time we reached our camp for the night at 4,500m we were pretty stuffed, but it was worth it to see the amazing sunset over the city of Arequipa - laid out in front of us.

After a quick dinner at 6pm it was time to hit the hay as we had to be up at 1am to tackle the summit - the reason of which I'm still not sure. One of our ultra boring, non social, Swiss origin hiking group advised me not take any sleeping tablets due to the altitude too which meant sleeping was going to be difficult.

In hindsight I'd recommend not sleeping at 4,500m, in the freezing cold, with uncomfortably cold sleeping bags at 6pm with no sleeping tablets. To say it sucked was an understatement and I think I had an hour of sleep at best before arising at 1am for 'breakfast' at surely -2 degrees or less. I'm still not sure how I managed to get up considering for 99% of the night I was committed to abandoning ship.

Once awake, fed and rugged up in nearly every wifebeater and pair of boardies I own we set off for the summit with the twinkling lights of Arequipa shining on our backs in the clear night.

Again it was more volcanic ash hiking, very tough going and a lot of switchbacks as the steepness had increased considerably. A few hours in my hands and feet were super cold and painful due to inadequate gear and decreased blood circulation, however I was in a good frame of mind. However about 3-4 hours in Nina and one of the other girls were struggling and I was walking 3-4 steps and feeling like I'd just sprinted 100m. At this rate we we were going to take another 4 hours just to get the final 500m out of the way.

So a few of the group went on ahead (no big loss, they were the worst group of people that we'd met all trip), while we battled on for a bit longer. At 5,290m we pulled the pin and decided to go back down. I thought I just about had frostbite on my toes so I was very keen to get to some warmth and the other girl with us was flat on her back and not moving so that was a pretty good indication she was done!

The journey down was much more fun - 'skiing' down the volcanic ash chutes which took about 30 minutes, compared to the 4 hours going up. After a few hours kip back at the camp the rest of the group who summited arrived back and we set off down to the base.

In the end we were unsuccessful, but I'm glad we gave it a crack. It certainly gave me a much better appreciation for the preparation needed to summit a much higher peak.....if you know what I mean!

Our briefing the day before climbing.....boy this makes it feel like more than just a walk in the park.

Volcano El Misti keeps growing in height as we get closer and closer.

The equal worst group of people we met in South America. Spending just 2 days with them was a chore. For the record they were Swiss and French.

The group sets off while I listen to some tunes on the way up.

Sunset at 4,500. Our day turned from high 20's and beautiful to freezing cold at about 4,000m.

I was still smiling at this point! For the next 12 hours there was no more smiling.

Stuck at 5,290m - at this point we were smiling because we made the decision to go down.

Skiing 800m down the volcanic ash was the fun part! It took about 30 minutes to go down what had taken us 4 hours to get up. Nina is already a fair ways in front of me here, down the bottom left.

Paper cup, old tyre, plastic bottle

I'm not sure if it's that we've been in remote areas for a few weeks, but as we drive into Peru I'm staggered how much garbage is strewn everywhere. It's on the hillsides, in the valleys .... Basically all over the place outside of the city. Clearly the process is to pick up the garbage in town and just dump it outside town. Doesn't sound like a good strategy.

Our destination, Arequipa, is the second largest city in Peru. We didn't plan to go there, but it's on our way to Cusco and a handful of people we got chatting to on the bus from San Pedro de Atacama are stopping there as well. The city was such a pleasant surprise!

The city sits beneath Volcanoes over 5,900m in height and has one of the main attractions in Peru - Colca Canyon, the worlds deepest canyon - twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (we didn't visit this). Aside from plenty of things to do outdoors the city has a very European feel with interesting architecture, impressive plazas and great food - both multicultural and delicious!

We had a good few days in town enjoying our hotel with big colonial rooms and a great rooftop patio, catching up for drinks with Tess and her friend from Canberra who we met on the bus, visiting Juanita - a tiny frozen Incan mummy, eating our first Ceviche (the local specialty) at the local market, going back to the same restaurant twice for an amazing Alpaca steak served on Volcanic rock and finally climbing the Volcano - El Misti. More on that to come!

 I was not expecting to travel through a desert as we entered Peru, especially one with armored tanks, lots of garbage and a large solar array. I thought it would be all green and mountainous!

The staircase in our favourite restaurant in Arequipa, Zig Zags, was designed by Gustave Eiffel. This was much better than the second item we saw in Iquitos also designed by the great man....

The waitress decided that Nina was incapable of eating her Alpaca Steak on Volcanic stone without getting sauce all over herself.

I'm glad they make smiling, happy manequins to encourage you to buy clothes....

The very European feeling square of Arequipa.

 Nina happily lapping up the sun, prior to the deep cold required to preserve Juanita - the 12 year old Incan girl who was sacrificed and froze nicely on a nearby Volcano.

The sun shines on some local lads as they get set for the big parade.....for who knows what? Something religious and kind of weird.

The Truman Show

The movie 'The Truman Show' reminds me a lot of San Pedro de Atacama. You remember how the end of Jim Carey's world is just a painted dome?

San Pedro sits smack bang in the middle of the Atacama desert in Chile's north. The desert is ringed 360 degrees by mountains and volcanoes, however for some bizarre reason it all looks 2 dimensional and the distance from you to the volcanoes on the horizon is impossible to guess.

SPdA was an unanticipated stop on our journey, however as it was so close to Salar de Uyuni it made sense to check it out rather than backtrack to La Paz (as much as I really did want to spend more time in Bolivia). I hadn't really heard much about the Atacama, but boy did it deliver in spades!

The Atacama is the driest desert in the world and possibly one of the highest at 2,600m. It is renowned for being one of the best spots in the world to observe the stars and a few world class observatories and dish arrays are currently being built. Unfortunately the days we were there featured the so called 'super moon', which meant that all observation tours were cancelled so we didn't get to look deep into the night sky.

We did however have a great time in SPdA! Aside from watching the final of the World Cup in a packed local pub, we took it upon ourselves to ride into the Valley of the Moon. Wow! Aside from a welcome bit of fitness the landscape in the area was amazing - huge dunes, multi coloured cliffs & valleys in addition to very unusual rock structures.

The following day we visited Laguna Cedjar, a lake so salty you can float in it really easily....like the dead sea except bloody freezing (15 degrees). While that was nice we were also taken to another lagoon close by to watch the sunset over the desert. Spectacular!

Our time in SPdA was far too short and it's definitely a place I want to come back to so that I can climb the amazing volcanoes (both dormant and active) as well as check out the night sky with super powerful telescopes.

Riding through the 'Valley of the Moon'

We only had time for a short hike into the valley as the World Cup final was to screen shortly, which made for a sweaty ride back to the town.

The didgeridoo didn't seem like a very local traditional instrument. When in Rome.......as Ron Burgandy would say. 

Oh the pain (or the joy) of watching the Argentineans celebrate the first goal of the game! Oh wait.....offside. Hahahahaha. 

A somewhat deflating end to the world cup. Germany were good, but a bit of a boring result in the end. 

We ventured out to the salt lagoons to take in the amazing scenery around Atacama

I really wanted to hike this Volcano, except we ran out of time. This caused us problems later on...... to be continued. 

As you can see the water in the salt lagoon was indeed very salty! Apparently if you dunk your head in, you are in a world of pain as it burns your eyes etc. 

Considering the current political situation, this is a great alternative to floating in the dead sea! Except for the fact it was like 15 degrees in the water. 

It was an amazing sunset in the middle of the desert... 

The mountains got pinker and pinker as the sun dipped beyond the horizon.... 

A very relaxing way to end the day and our time in San Pedro de Atacama.

The Cocaine Trail

When you step off the plane and feel like you have given blood and are about to pass out ... there's a good chance you're in La Paz, Bolivia.

Bolivia is the source of 70% of the world's Coca leaves, the primary ingredient required to make Cocaine. While the USA and buddies are not big fans of this fact, the reality is the Coca leaf is a super food of sorts, which is why the locals grow it. You'll often see a local chewing their way through a bag of leaves in order to stay awake, counter the effects of altitude or to suppress their appetite...plus possibly many other health benefits.

The city of La Paz itself rests in a valley 3,600m above sea level, encircled by 4,700m mountainous peaks. This not only means it has an average max temperature of 12 all year round, it also means it takes a while to acclimatise to the altitude. What does this mean? It means you feel like an old man - you're puffed walking up a few stairs, you're generally pretty fatigued for a few days, permanent headaches persist and you can feel quite nauseous....not to mention drinking booze can result in a wicked 2/3 day hangover.

We were only in La Paz for a few days, but I thought it was a pretty impressive place. Super cheap hostels, vibrant markets and bizarre women's fashion. While there's not really a lot to do in the city itself, it's a good hub to do day trips from, while appreciating the very light touch on the wallet.....a new beanie and gloves for $5? You bet!

Day 1 we took a bike tour, although not your average bike ride rather one down the World's Most Dangerous Road. 600m cliffs line the edge of the dirt road which runs for 54km down into the Yungtan valley, so you better hope the brakes on your bike work!

The ride itself was very cool, although unfortunately it was raining a lot of the time so we didn't get to fully appreciate the yawning abyss just 1 meter to the left of us. Our guide certainly ensured we respected the road though - as he stopped to tell us the points where a bus packed to the brim with nearly 100 people fell off, or when democracy was introduced where the 5 leading candidates were marched and pushed off the cliff (very democratic)!

We left La Paz the next day to check out the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni. This is the place where, when wet, the salt makes everything reflective making for amazing photos. Sadly it was the dry season for us, so we didn't get to witness this.

We chose a 3 day tour, which in hindsight was probably too long. The salt flats were pretty cool and the changing landscapes were amazing, but it was a lot of driving over 3 days in a rattly Land Rover. It was also bloody freezing! When we stepped off the bus in Uyuni it was -12 and our accommodation wasn't heated!

I would certainly recommend checking it out if you have the chance, but perhaps do it in the wet season, and possibly cut it down to the 1 day version. I'd also love to hear if anyone has sat on top of fish island (an old coral reef filled with cacti in the middle of the salt flats) during the wet season, to witness a sunset. My guess is that this would be incredible!

The view out of our window in La Paz for about $12 a night. Pretty impressive, although stepping off the plane to 3,600m was doing my head in at this point.

The scenic part at the top that lead to the World's Most Deadly Road. Pretty nice view, which I had a Porsche to tackle it.

Nina petrified at her death defying ride. 

As you can see the road is pretty narrow. 2 cars coming in opposite directions makes for interesting times.

One of the cliffs on the side of death road. 

What are the odds the photographer was in the right spot to capture this stack! Hilarious! Luckily she was fine apart from a big gash on her leg.

This was the point when I realised my shoes probably wouldn't dry for the next week.

The Llamas seemed to enjoy a frosty beverage in the afternoon.

Fish Island in the middle of Salar de Uyuni. It is an old coral reef from when this entire area used to be an inland sea.

Nina and I on the salt flats. Unfortunately at this time of the year there is no mirror effect. Next time!

Random rock formations in the south of Bolivia. No idea where on earth we are though!

One of the lagoons south of Salar de Uyuni with the pink flamingos.

The pink flamingos sipping on toxic algae in the lagoons.  

The landscapes south of Salar de Uyuni were pretty spectacular. 

One of only 2 desert foxes we encountered on the 3 day journey. He was happy to get pretty close to the jeep for just a piece of bread! 

A strange rabbit, rodent, squirrel thing that didn't seem too bright. 

The rock tree, formed from the brutal (and cold) winds whipping through this area. 

Another not so bright looking fella. 

Dawn at the geysers made for some cool photos. They are planning to use the geysers steam for electricity in the future too....great idea although there is not much around to power! 

It was an amazing sunrise over the hot springs on our final day in Bolivia. While it was close to 0 degrees outside, I jumped in very soon after to be the 3rd person in. When I got out of the springs there was about 30 people in there!