Up very early and a simple, quick flight to Lima. It´s a shame the flight wasn´t longer because for some reason I had double leg room which would have been wonderful if it had have been one of my long flights tomorrow, still, I appreciated it for the little time I had it! This time I learnt my lesson at Lima airport and got an official taxi to the hostel.
I had booked a hostel half an hour from the airport by the ocean as it is supposed to be summer here and I thought I could have a day of relaxation on the beach before returning to the harsh reality of the winter. However, best laid plans, Lima was in the grey smog I remembered so not a lot of sunbathing for me! I did have a walk along the beach and it was warm, I didn´t walk that far as I am still in agony fom the Machu Picchu walking, it must have been the scrambling down all of those steps because it is the front of my thighs that hurt so much. I am still feeling very tired so cable TV and a very early night before getting up tomorrow at 4am to get to the airport. I have a 5 hour flight to Miami and then unfortunately because the times of my flight have changed I have an 8 hour wait for my next flight, that would be OK if I could go and have a look at Miami, but I won´t be allowed out of the airport... never mind lots of blueberry muffins for me! It is then 8 and a half hours to London and I arrive Wednesday morning and I am just dreaming of a long, hot soak in the bath, maybe with a whisky!
I feel as though I have been away a life time but I know as soon as I get home it will all just feel like a dream. I don´t know what I will do when I get back but guess it will be along the lines of get a job, earn some money and start saving for the next adventure! High on my list is Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos!
So as last time, thank you if you have joined me through the highs and lows of South America and I will see you soon! x
Monday 13 December 2010
Sunday 12 December 2010
Machu Picchu.. Nothing like ending on a terrifying high!
Machu Picchu was all I imagined it to be, and more. It is breathtaking and awe inspiring. Seeing Machu Picchu and everything that surrounded my trip will make it a trip that I will never forget!
Due to huge costs involved with the getting to MP, I thought I would take a slightly cheaper route and instead of going on the 3 hour scenic train ride, that I would go on a minibus on an entirely different route, taking between 7 and 9 hours, but I thought that I would see amazing scenery... which I did. 15 people in the minibus and this time it wasn´t all Peruvians, but a mix. The main people that I ended up with were 4 American Mormons )3 young people and a mum) and a Sc0ttish couple.
It started off well, the weather was good and we started to wind our way through the mountains, all very beautiful to start with. Before long the clouds and heavy rain arrived. As per usual the driver was taking ridiculous risks and people in the van were shouting at him to slow down. The weather got worse and so did the mountain roads which quickly turned into dirt tracks. There were landslides, there were rocks and boulders falling and we were having to dodge them. We got stuck for an hour while mud was cleared from the roads. Two hours of the journey were spent on a single track dirt road clinging to the side of the mountain, I have never been so terrified in all my life... I just wanted to get out and walk and so did everyone else. The only sounds to be heard were sharp intakes of breath and gasps of horror as we kept sliding towards sheer drops. I really did not think we would not survive it! Eventually we reached a valley, where a train was supposed to take us for the final 16 km. Due to being held up with rock slides etc. we had missed the train so had to walk it! Luckily the rain had stopped and we were walking on the tain tracks through the jungle next to the river and again it was beautiful but it was getting dark and I had brought too much stuff with me, so it was heavy. At 7.30pm in the pitch dark we eventualy arrived in Agnes Calliente where we were staying the night. Everyone was checked into a hostel but of course there had been a mess up with my booking so I was eventually found a bed the other side of the town, seemingly by the noise, in the middle of the river!
We all had supper and the military operation for the next morning was explained. As it was going to be cloudy there was no point hiking up for sunrise and after a 16km hike none of us fancied it, so we all decided to get the bus. This meant getting up at 4am and getting in the queue as early as possible to get on the first buses that leave at 5.30am. )people do this every day!)
After very little sleep we were all in the queue early and got the 5.30am bus and by 6.30am were at Machu Picchu. As I said it is spectacular. We had a two hour guided talk and then was the decision whether to climb the little mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, which takes between 45 and 90 minutes each way. At this point the weather was cloudy but OK and the top of Wyne Macchu was in sight. We knew we would not have a lot of time, as we had to be back in Agnes Calliente by 1pm for the dreaded journey home. After a while the scottish guy and the young american, well Haiwain guy decided to do it and I decided to go with them. It was a very steep climb up very steep steps, with ropes in places, but sometimes you are just are your hands and knees scambling up. Half way up the cloud descended and then the rain began, lightly to start with and then torrential, but by this time we were determined to get to the top. We made it in 40 minutes, but of course could not see a thing, especially as Steve and I were wearing glasses. We stopped at the top for 15 mins in case it cleared but it didn´t, and we were freezing and drenched. The steps coming down were worse than going up, very thin and no ropes or holds, very, very slippery and if you were to stand up straight and lean slightly forward you would drop off into nothing. The steps were so slippery and streams of water pouring down, the only thing to do was sit down and slide forward, it was terrifying, so steep and so dangerous.
But, we made it down and although we hadn´t seen anything were proud we had done it!
Soaked to the skin we got down into the village just in time to change and luckily catch the train to the dreaded minibus. The 40 minute train journey was lovely and it had stopped raining. When we got to the end of the track our minibus was not there, 10km down stream a bridge had broken and nothing could get across, we would have to walk! After about 2 km an old car stopped and said if we paid him he would take us in relays to the river otherwise we would never get across the river, as the water was getting worse. Three of us were squeezed into the boot and suffered agony as he took off at full speed over rocks and potholes! Arriving at the bridge we could see how fast the water was flowing, and the minibus was on the other side. We had to go then or be stranded. So, shoes and socks off, trousers rolled up we slowly made our way through the torrent. It wasn´t that deep, just above our knees, but very strong with rapids the other side, if you had have been knocked over that would have been it! One of the girls did fall but two of us managed to grab her and we all got across.
The journey back was a repeat performance of terrifying horror, except with all the rain it was worse. Again landslides, rock falls etc. Once the very worst was over the young people, everyone except Nan )the american mum) and myself started singing.. fine for half an hour, an hour, but after two hours and feeling really exhausted I could not stand it any more and decided I also had rights and asked them to stop, which they did, but I don´t think I was then the most popular person on the bus! We were then stopped by the police to see if we were smuggling Coca, so all had to get out of the bus while they searched. We got back to Cusco at 11pm. I was shell shocked and exhausted but it certainly was an adventure to remember!
Today my legs ache so much I can hardly walk, so it is a day or relaxation and sorting myself before flying to Lima tomorrow and flying home on Tuesday! I need a rest!
Due to huge costs involved with the getting to MP, I thought I would take a slightly cheaper route and instead of going on the 3 hour scenic train ride, that I would go on a minibus on an entirely different route, taking between 7 and 9 hours, but I thought that I would see amazing scenery... which I did. 15 people in the minibus and this time it wasn´t all Peruvians, but a mix. The main people that I ended up with were 4 American Mormons )3 young people and a mum) and a Sc0ttish couple.
It started off well, the weather was good and we started to wind our way through the mountains, all very beautiful to start with. Before long the clouds and heavy rain arrived. As per usual the driver was taking ridiculous risks and people in the van were shouting at him to slow down. The weather got worse and so did the mountain roads which quickly turned into dirt tracks. There were landslides, there were rocks and boulders falling and we were having to dodge them. We got stuck for an hour while mud was cleared from the roads. Two hours of the journey were spent on a single track dirt road clinging to the side of the mountain, I have never been so terrified in all my life... I just wanted to get out and walk and so did everyone else. The only sounds to be heard were sharp intakes of breath and gasps of horror as we kept sliding towards sheer drops. I really did not think we would not survive it! Eventually we reached a valley, where a train was supposed to take us for the final 16 km. Due to being held up with rock slides etc. we had missed the train so had to walk it! Luckily the rain had stopped and we were walking on the tain tracks through the jungle next to the river and again it was beautiful but it was getting dark and I had brought too much stuff with me, so it was heavy. At 7.30pm in the pitch dark we eventualy arrived in Agnes Calliente where we were staying the night. Everyone was checked into a hostel but of course there had been a mess up with my booking so I was eventually found a bed the other side of the town, seemingly by the noise, in the middle of the river!
We all had supper and the military operation for the next morning was explained. As it was going to be cloudy there was no point hiking up for sunrise and after a 16km hike none of us fancied it, so we all decided to get the bus. This meant getting up at 4am and getting in the queue as early as possible to get on the first buses that leave at 5.30am. )people do this every day!)
After very little sleep we were all in the queue early and got the 5.30am bus and by 6.30am were at Machu Picchu. As I said it is spectacular. We had a two hour guided talk and then was the decision whether to climb the little mountain overlooking Machu Picchu, which takes between 45 and 90 minutes each way. At this point the weather was cloudy but OK and the top of Wyne Macchu was in sight. We knew we would not have a lot of time, as we had to be back in Agnes Calliente by 1pm for the dreaded journey home. After a while the scottish guy and the young american, well Haiwain guy decided to do it and I decided to go with them. It was a very steep climb up very steep steps, with ropes in places, but sometimes you are just are your hands and knees scambling up. Half way up the cloud descended and then the rain began, lightly to start with and then torrential, but by this time we were determined to get to the top. We made it in 40 minutes, but of course could not see a thing, especially as Steve and I were wearing glasses. We stopped at the top for 15 mins in case it cleared but it didn´t, and we were freezing and drenched. The steps coming down were worse than going up, very thin and no ropes or holds, very, very slippery and if you were to stand up straight and lean slightly forward you would drop off into nothing. The steps were so slippery and streams of water pouring down, the only thing to do was sit down and slide forward, it was terrifying, so steep and so dangerous.
But, we made it down and although we hadn´t seen anything were proud we had done it!
Soaked to the skin we got down into the village just in time to change and luckily catch the train to the dreaded minibus. The 40 minute train journey was lovely and it had stopped raining. When we got to the end of the track our minibus was not there, 10km down stream a bridge had broken and nothing could get across, we would have to walk! After about 2 km an old car stopped and said if we paid him he would take us in relays to the river otherwise we would never get across the river, as the water was getting worse. Three of us were squeezed into the boot and suffered agony as he took off at full speed over rocks and potholes! Arriving at the bridge we could see how fast the water was flowing, and the minibus was on the other side. We had to go then or be stranded. So, shoes and socks off, trousers rolled up we slowly made our way through the torrent. It wasn´t that deep, just above our knees, but very strong with rapids the other side, if you had have been knocked over that would have been it! One of the girls did fall but two of us managed to grab her and we all got across.
The journey back was a repeat performance of terrifying horror, except with all the rain it was worse. Again landslides, rock falls etc. Once the very worst was over the young people, everyone except Nan )the american mum) and myself started singing.. fine for half an hour, an hour, but after two hours and feeling really exhausted I could not stand it any more and decided I also had rights and asked them to stop, which they did, but I don´t think I was then the most popular person on the bus! We were then stopped by the police to see if we were smuggling Coca, so all had to get out of the bus while they searched. We got back to Cusco at 11pm. I was shell shocked and exhausted but it certainly was an adventure to remember!
Today my legs ache so much I can hardly walk, so it is a day or relaxation and sorting myself before flying to Lima tomorrow and flying home on Tuesday! I need a rest!
Thursday 9 December 2010
So.... who were the Inca´s???
After nearly ten weeks in Peru and a further one and a half intensive days seeing more and more impressive Inca sites, I think I finally get who the Inca´s were, but lets not quiz me on it!
I am exhausted, 6 hours yesterday looking at Inca sites near to Cusco and then 12 hours today looking at ones further afield in the Sacred Valley, and each was more impressive than the last. I am now really looking forward to the next couple of days and seeing Machu Picchu for the grand finale!
I am hoping that tomorrow though they put me in a bus with some other english speaking people. For the past two days I have been just with Peruvians, which is fine, but it means the tour guide says everything in Spanish and then has to repeat it all for me in English. After a while you can see that everyone is getting a little bit fed up with the token English speaking person in the group, and I have no chance of dozing off or not looking interested because I know any moment the Spanish talk is going to change to English!
Such a shame I can´t put any pics on because you too, could see numerous Inca settlements!
I now have to see if I can find out what happened to my laundry, see if I can find out what ridiculously early hour I am leaving tomorrow and get my things packed up and sorted.... and give the young boy who works here in the evening a short english lesson..... I want to go to bed!
Will report on Macchu Pichu (I know I spell it differently every time, I am just hedging my bets!) in a couple of days and hopefully by then I will spell it correctly!
I am exhausted, 6 hours yesterday looking at Inca sites near to Cusco and then 12 hours today looking at ones further afield in the Sacred Valley, and each was more impressive than the last. I am now really looking forward to the next couple of days and seeing Machu Picchu for the grand finale!
I am hoping that tomorrow though they put me in a bus with some other english speaking people. For the past two days I have been just with Peruvians, which is fine, but it means the tour guide says everything in Spanish and then has to repeat it all for me in English. After a while you can see that everyone is getting a little bit fed up with the token English speaking person in the group, and I have no chance of dozing off or not looking interested because I know any moment the Spanish talk is going to change to English!
Such a shame I can´t put any pics on because you too, could see numerous Inca settlements!
I now have to see if I can find out what happened to my laundry, see if I can find out what ridiculously early hour I am leaving tomorrow and get my things packed up and sorted.... and give the young boy who works here in the evening a short english lesson..... I want to go to bed!
Will report on Macchu Pichu (I know I spell it differently every time, I am just hedging my bets!) in a couple of days and hopefully by then I will spell it correctly!
Wednesday 8 December 2010
New hostel... phew!!
Moved out of the hippy hostel into a place where they are really looking after me. At this stage of my trip when I am feeling weary I need a bit of nurturing and that is just what I am getting. The hostel is owned by the same man that owned the one in Puno which was really nice. They sat me down and organised the rest of my time in Cusco for me, which was such a relief!
This afternoon I am going on a trip to see Inca sites around Cusco, tomorrow I am going on a trip to the Sacred Valley and the following two days I am going to Macchu Picchu and then a day resting and shopping and then back to Lima before my flight home.
There was a chance of doing a 4 day 3 night trip to Macchu Picchu which involved a day of cycling, two days of trekking and a day at Macchu Picchu, I would have done it but the rainy season is upon us and I would have got wet and cold and been miserable, so decided to go for the easy option of bus, staying overnight in a hostel and then getting up at 4am to hike up there.
Actually slept well last night which was relief. Still can´t get my netbook to connect to the internet.
Cusco is full of tourists but an interesting happening town, twice as expensive as the rest of Peru. You can see they are spending money from tourism on the infrastructure of the town which is good. Right, off to find food before my afternoon out!
This afternoon I am going on a trip to see Inca sites around Cusco, tomorrow I am going on a trip to the Sacred Valley and the following two days I am going to Macchu Picchu and then a day resting and shopping and then back to Lima before my flight home.
There was a chance of doing a 4 day 3 night trip to Macchu Picchu which involved a day of cycling, two days of trekking and a day at Macchu Picchu, I would have done it but the rainy season is upon us and I would have got wet and cold and been miserable, so decided to go for the easy option of bus, staying overnight in a hostel and then getting up at 4am to hike up there.
Actually slept well last night which was relief. Still can´t get my netbook to connect to the internet.
Cusco is full of tourists but an interesting happening town, twice as expensive as the rest of Peru. You can see they are spending money from tourism on the infrastructure of the town which is good. Right, off to find food before my afternoon out!
Monday 6 December 2010
Cusco..
Arrived in Cusco yesterday evening in the rain. Another long beautiful journey through mountains and valleys, only thing to hamper the ride was the fact that the toilet was out of action, so it meant no drinking and not moving much in a 7 hour journey!
Felt pretty low when I arrived yesterday, had booked into a hostel of a woman I had met in Iquitos and it wasn´t what I was used to and although I have to keep stepping out of my comfort zone, this was one time I didn´t feel like it. Very small rooms, shared toilets, no warm water and very cold. Also my netbook is not working on any new internet connections, so it means that is out of action, which I guess in a way is a bit of a life line.
However, I have woken this morning and the sun is shining and I feel a lot better. The people at the hostel are very sweet and friendly and today I am going for a walk in the mountains. Also there are internet cafes everywhere, it just means I won´t be able to put any more pictures on my blog.
There is loads to do in and around Cusco so will have to decide what are my priorities. OK, now off for a walk in the beautiful mountains!
Felt pretty low when I arrived yesterday, had booked into a hostel of a woman I had met in Iquitos and it wasn´t what I was used to and although I have to keep stepping out of my comfort zone, this was one time I didn´t feel like it. Very small rooms, shared toilets, no warm water and very cold. Also my netbook is not working on any new internet connections, so it means that is out of action, which I guess in a way is a bit of a life line.
However, I have woken this morning and the sun is shining and I feel a lot better. The people at the hostel are very sweet and friendly and today I am going for a walk in the mountains. Also there are internet cafes everywhere, it just means I won´t be able to put any more pictures on my blog.
There is loads to do in and around Cusco so will have to decide what are my priorities. OK, now off for a walk in the beautiful mountains!
Saturday 4 December 2010
Floating Islands
This morning went to visit some of the floating reed islands close to Puno. These islands are very commercial and now live off of tourism, but there are many islands further afield that are totally self sufficient. Even though it was very touristy I was pleased that I went. Each of these little islands houses about 8 families and are purely built from reeds, the islands are then anchored so they don’t float away. As you step on them they are really springy and the reeds are constantly being replaced as they rot from the bottom. The thing that amazed me was that toddlers are wandering around yet these islands are about as big as a tennis court and have huge holes in them! Today they do put on a performance for the daily hoards of visitors but these people do still live there and have done for centuries. They speak their own language and like so many other people obviously live a really tough life… at night it is freezing, during the day it is baking.
I spent the morning with a nice woman from Lima and it is was good that her English and my Spanish were more or less the same and we managed to have pretty good conversations mixing both languages.
I spent the morning with a nice woman from Lima and it is was good that her English and my Spanish were more or less the same and we managed to have pretty good conversations mixing both languages.
I am feeling pretty tired now and am looking forward to getting home. It is nearly nine weeks I have been away and it feels as though it has been very intense. I am looking forward to cooking the food I want to eat, having lots of vegetables, not having to search around for places to eat out all day (which I know sounds great but I just want some food that I like!) The last part of my trip is in Cusco, where I’ll be for about 8 days, everyone says it is an amazing city so looking forward to spending some time there, as well as of course seeing Machu Picchu. I am leaving on the bus tomorrow and the first couple of nights am staying in a hostel of an Australian woman who I met in Iquitos
Post script on food:: I have just been out and had a big advocado salad, a vegetarian salad, chocolate cake and herbal tea all for £3.50!
Friday 3 December 2010
Isla del Sol
I had a strange start to a marvellous time on the Isla del Sol. I was feeling bad about going to the island because I was worried about the snow at home and Jo getting to the airport and flying in bad conditions, so it wasn’t a good start. Next I was ripped off, I had wanted to go to the north of the island and paid over the odds anyway and because my Spanish isn’t good enough I couldn’t explain when I got to the south that the boat was supposed to take me to the north. (I am determined to learn Spanish when I get home!)
There was nothing I could do so just decided to get on with it and climb the incredibly long and steep Inca steps to the small town of Yumani ( I did have o sit down half way up and have a good cry but then felt a bit better!) I really don’t know how I got to the top, or in fact how anyone gets to the top! I was quickly nabbed by locals and given a room to stay in.
In mythology Isla del Sol is the birthplace of the sun and it is an amazing place. There are no roads and no noise, it is hard to explain how deafening the lack of noise was, just nothing, except my tinnitus of course! Where ever you looked there were spectacular views of the lake. My room was basic but the view was incredible. The town, well very small village, consisted of hostels and a few places to eat although because it is not tourist season only a few places were open. I ended up going into someone’s house and they cooked me some vegetables mixed with cheese, some chips and rice!
I have realised that I only need to make contact with a couple of people in a day and my social needs are satisfied, in fact just a couple of smiles even seem to do the trick! In the evening the only thing to do was to read and go to bed very early. After a restless nights sleep due to the total silence and the cold and the terrible smell of sewerage, I was awake by 4.30am and decided that I wouldn’t stay another night but would set off for the walk round the island early and get the afternoon ferry.
The hike around the island was spectacular, in a lot of ways it reminded me of a Greek island, the same smells, the heat, the beautiful azure sea, although of course this is a lake and not a sea, which still seems impossible. From one end of the island to the other is 11km and I did the circular trail, so it was 22km, with lots of hills, very rough terrain and high altitude, up to 4,300 meters. In all that time I saw one other tourist, an English lad and half a dozen locals, taking their sheep out or walking to their homes. I walked through villages which were absolutely silent and seemed completely deserted, on beaches that were completely empty except a few pigs or donkeys in the water. The terrain would change from cliff faces to arable land, to beaches, forests and mountains and all the time there was silence except for the sound of the occasional bird, insect, pig, sheep or donkey… It was a surreal experience! Towards the end I had run out of water and really didn’t think I would make it, but I did.
I was just walking and observing, but people live on this island and live such tough lives. I passed one school, so if the children go to school some of them must have to walk 2 or 3 hours each way.
I got back in time to catch the ferry, just myself and an Australian couple (Australian’s always seem to have had amazing experiences!) the more I speak to people the more places I realise I need to go, I now have a long list once I have earnt some money! Last week the couple had walked the Inca trail and I was saying that I really wasn’t fit enough to do a long hike and they said that they thought the walk round the island was no tougher than the Inca trail and they had only managed to get half way round the island so that obviously made me feel good, especially as I have been doing so little exercise while I’ve been away.
Back to Copacabana for the night and then out of Bolivia back into Peru. The little I have seen of Bolivia I really like and wish I could have spent more time here. Obviously the majority of people in Peru are very poor but in Bolivia the poverty is more striking, but the people are more unassuming. In Peru you get hassled to buy things or give money but I haven’t found that so much in Bolivia.
It is funny how the same people keep showing up. The French lad we met on the boat on the Amazon and then I met again on a raft in Ariquipa, I bumped into him in a shop in La Paz. Today on the bus I sat next to an Irish girl that I had taken a tour with in La Paz. Everyone has so many stories to tell but I don’t seem to meet many people my age. Two days ago on the road from Copacabana to La Paz there was a major accident, a tourist bus collided into a cement lorry and 5 Europeans were killed and 28 injured, it was shocking to see the bus still by the side of the road and the state it was in. Even more shocking was the fact that it was a perfectly straight road, unlike most of the roads I’ve travelled on, still, accidents happen everywhere.
Am staying at a nice hostel that the Australian couple recommended and am just doing a half day trip tomorrow to the floating islands. I chatted briefly to Jodie who has arrived on her Caribbean Island after 34 hours travelling, to be greeted by a national state of emergency. The whole Island is flooded and thousands are homeless… The Heaven’s seem to open when the Heavens arrive!
There was nothing I could do so just decided to get on with it and climb the incredibly long and steep Inca steps to the small town of Yumani ( I did have o sit down half way up and have a good cry but then felt a bit better!) I really don’t know how I got to the top, or in fact how anyone gets to the top! I was quickly nabbed by locals and given a room to stay in.
In mythology Isla del Sol is the birthplace of the sun and it is an amazing place. There are no roads and no noise, it is hard to explain how deafening the lack of noise was, just nothing, except my tinnitus of course! Where ever you looked there were spectacular views of the lake. My room was basic but the view was incredible. The town, well very small village, consisted of hostels and a few places to eat although because it is not tourist season only a few places were open. I ended up going into someone’s house and they cooked me some vegetables mixed with cheese, some chips and rice!
I have realised that I only need to make contact with a couple of people in a day and my social needs are satisfied, in fact just a couple of smiles even seem to do the trick! In the evening the only thing to do was to read and go to bed very early. After a restless nights sleep due to the total silence and the cold and the terrible smell of sewerage, I was awake by 4.30am and decided that I wouldn’t stay another night but would set off for the walk round the island early and get the afternoon ferry.
The hike around the island was spectacular, in a lot of ways it reminded me of a Greek island, the same smells, the heat, the beautiful azure sea, although of course this is a lake and not a sea, which still seems impossible. From one end of the island to the other is 11km and I did the circular trail, so it was 22km, with lots of hills, very rough terrain and high altitude, up to 4,300 meters. In all that time I saw one other tourist, an English lad and half a dozen locals, taking their sheep out or walking to their homes. I walked through villages which were absolutely silent and seemed completely deserted, on beaches that were completely empty except a few pigs or donkeys in the water. The terrain would change from cliff faces to arable land, to beaches, forests and mountains and all the time there was silence except for the sound of the occasional bird, insect, pig, sheep or donkey… It was a surreal experience! Towards the end I had run out of water and really didn’t think I would make it, but I did.
I was just walking and observing, but people live on this island and live such tough lives. I passed one school, so if the children go to school some of them must have to walk 2 or 3 hours each way.
I got back in time to catch the ferry, just myself and an Australian couple (Australian’s always seem to have had amazing experiences!) the more I speak to people the more places I realise I need to go, I now have a long list once I have earnt some money! Last week the couple had walked the Inca trail and I was saying that I really wasn’t fit enough to do a long hike and they said that they thought the walk round the island was no tougher than the Inca trail and they had only managed to get half way round the island so that obviously made me feel good, especially as I have been doing so little exercise while I’ve been away.
Back to Copacabana for the night and then out of Bolivia back into Peru. The little I have seen of Bolivia I really like and wish I could have spent more time here. Obviously the majority of people in Peru are very poor but in Bolivia the poverty is more striking, but the people are more unassuming. In Peru you get hassled to buy things or give money but I haven’t found that so much in Bolivia.
It is funny how the same people keep showing up. The French lad we met on the boat on the Amazon and then I met again on a raft in Ariquipa, I bumped into him in a shop in La Paz. Today on the bus I sat next to an Irish girl that I had taken a tour with in La Paz. Everyone has so many stories to tell but I don’t seem to meet many people my age. Two days ago on the road from Copacabana to La Paz there was a major accident, a tourist bus collided into a cement lorry and 5 Europeans were killed and 28 injured, it was shocking to see the bus still by the side of the road and the state it was in. Even more shocking was the fact that it was a perfectly straight road, unlike most of the roads I’ve travelled on, still, accidents happen everywhere.
Am staying at a nice hostel that the Australian couple recommended and am just doing a half day trip tomorrow to the floating islands. I chatted briefly to Jodie who has arrived on her Caribbean Island after 34 hours travelling, to be greeted by a national state of emergency. The whole Island is flooded and thousands are homeless… The Heaven’s seem to open when the Heavens arrive!
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