Cusco - the last days - 29th of October to 5th of November

Plaza de Armas - Cusco

Returning to Cusco after 7 weeks of travelling in the harshest country I have seen, both environmentally and socially, was how I imagine coming home will feel. As the bus rolled into the city we pointed out the familiar places, ‘Ohhh that’s where the kids library is… Maybe they could drop us off here and we could walk to WaaW… Remember when we ate there, that pollo milenasa was huge…’ Coming into the bus terminal and hearing the nasally calls of the ticket sellers and food vendors  brought back more flooding memories of our arrival in Cusco as well as heading out on short adventures and meeting friends returning from trips, sounds smells and feelings that we will never forget. It all sounds a little romantic and dramatic, but that’s exactly how it felt, even though it would only be for a little more than a week. Our bus trip took us 2 hours longer than expected, due to the dropping off and picking up passengers at some official, though mostly unofficial bus stops. So we arrived at 6:30pm, and had a date with our old friends at seven…. So we rushed to a little dingy hostel, had a quick freshen up and straight out the door to The Real McCoys, a British pub where we had spent many good times with friends. A place with comfort food, we ate there in our first week in Cusco when I was sick as a dog, I had the cheese toasties, a place where I won my first ever game of monopoly, a place where we knew the wait staff and they knew us, and nothing had changed. I guess we really hadn’t been away for that long, and I guess comparatively our time that we did live in Cusco was short, but the nostalgia that came with everything we did there on our return was overwhelming. Perhaps because we don’t know when we will return again to this city that had such a fierce impact on the way we see the world we wanted to take everything in and reinforce our memories. I’m not going to give a day by day account of what we did, because in all honesty I don’t remember exactly… it was a blur of eating and drinking, spending time with our beautiful friends Kelly and Ruben, as well as other old friends from Cusco, we visited a couple of museums, spent lots of time avoiding the sunglasses vendors in the plaza, and went back to FairServices for a Tuesday night cooking class. I celebrated my birthday with clothes shopping and plenty of cake! We were told in no uncertain terms by all our Spanish teachers that we will have to come back and visit when we have a Little Brenna and a Little James with us, but definitely no more than 2 niños or they will ruin our lives!

 

Our train to Machu Picchu.... it wasn't that small, they added more carriages!

 One of the main reasons for our return to Cusco was to visit one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was everything it was supposed to be, and more. It was an amazing place to see through your own eyes, to imagine the hustle and bustle of a city and a culture that came to an abrupt end. I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful or stunning view than the view from above the city, that classic photo you see, it was surreal to see it for ourselves. To wake up in the morning to that would be spectacular! The morning brought with it some light rain, and around two thirds of the 2,500 daily visitors, including myself, were wearing brightly coloured plastic ponchos, which gave the city very a strange technicolour vibe. The sheer amount of visitors didn’t take away from the experience as much as it could have, though the entrance and first hour or so, as everyone was grouped together, was hectic. I do think the way tourism is run there is unsustainable, an ancient city that was built to house no more than 1000 people will not survive forever with the feet of 2,500 people trampling the walkways each day.

Our first view of Machu Picchu as the fog was clearing...

 The trip to Machu Picchu was not without its hiccups, though I won’t go into them now. For anyone going there by train I do advise you to do it all independently, we weren’t quite sure what to expect so went through an agency to book our train tickets, hostel and entry into the site and 2 hour tour, though it would have been much less frustrating to do it ourselves. But, such is life, and in the end we got what we came for, to see this amazing Incan city with our own eyes. (Scroll down for many more photos!

 Leaving Cusco was tough… not as tough as last time, having to say goodbye to the kids, but saying ‘hasta luego’ to Kelly and Ruben was a sad occasion, though I’ve no doubt we will see them again in the not too distant future, somewhere in this great world. Kelly gave me a beautiful silver necklace with 4 little lucky beans, one for each of us, which will always make me smile and think of us, “The Inca and his Gringos.” I admire Kelly and Ruben so much for their strength and determination and how hard they are working to make it possible for them to spend the rest of their lives together, and I have a new respect for relationships that cross international boarders, as despite the romance of falling in love in a foreign land the reality of it is really tough. Our last 24 hours in Cusco brought with it the usual adventures… and misadventures… of our little lives there. We had a nice morning with Kelly and Ruben, then took a bus tour of the city for one last look around. We were delighted and surprised to see two of our little men from WaaW, two boys who touched our hearts more than most, in the main plaza on their way home from school. We didn’t go and chat to them, we couldn’t bring ourselves say goodbye again, we just watched with a smile in our hearts and tears in our eyes as they had a brotherly wrestle and then went their separate ways… and we went ours.

A very fitting way to close that little chapter of our lives. (Scroll down to see more photos of our last days in Cusco too!)

The Inca and his Gringos! With our beautiful friends Kelly and Ruben.

This damage was sustained during a large earthquake in 1950, it was the
only damage caused to Machu Picchu though nearly half of the buildings
in nearby Cusco were damaged or destroyed!

James sharing a moment with his favourite manky jacket, which mysteriously
disappeared the same day. 

The stonework is just amazing, it is mind blowing to think how much work
went into creating not only the city, but also the surrounding terraces.

The temple of the sun

The city gate

Postcard view!

James with a little lizard he saved after I trampled on it... oops!

This may or may not be a little misadventure of ours!

Me with some bubbles that somehow appeared in the fountain in
the Plaza de Armas in Cusco!

Our last morning in Cusco

Our last day in the Plaza

Viva El Peru!!!

A storm brewing over Cusco on our last day... the weather matching my mood.

James going clucky over a 2 day old lamb...

Cristo Blanco, dominating the Cusco skyline and welcoming the storm.

The obligatory geeky photo with the 12 angled stone! Just one of the many
marvels of Incan architecture in Cusco.

Lake Titicaca: Copacabana, Bolivia & Puno, Peru.

Lake Titicaca, Copacabana, Bolivia.

We first arrived at Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian shore, in Copacabana, on the 22nd of October. It didn't seem like a big town because arrived at night time. We checked into a hostel and went out for a quick eat before going back to our hotel to sleep. The next morning, the 23rd, we went out onto the Lake in a hired rowboat for a few hours. After lunch we went back and hired a guide and a boat to take us to another small town 30 mins by boat away. The trip there was beautiful, we were the only ones out on the lake!!!!!!!!!

When we got to our destination the guide took us for a walk around some farms and the hillside. We could see a tiny little community of about 80 houses, all made up of farmhouses. It was very scenic. We then went back to the 'floating island'. It wasn't really the floating islands we were expecting to see, just some 44 gallon drums lashed into some wood planks and covered with reeds, not very traditional!!!!! We had a meal of Trucha frita, fried trout, and it was very good, and fresh!!!! We had caught it ten minutes before we ate it!!!!!!!!

The wonderful and scenic farms and farmhouses. The farmers here grow quinoa, maiz and chocro - corn, and papas - potato's. There were also trout farms in the water.

This was the beautiful Trucha frita, fried trout, with papas fritas - chips, rice and salad. The fish tasted so fresh.

On the way back from the fake floating islands where we ate the trout. The views across the lake were fantastic, the water was so clear and the air was so fresh.

This was our 'capitan' and guide Hermando. He was a funny old fella. We asked him how long he'd lived by the lake, and he told us he had all his life. He had started work as a fisherman and sailor with hid dad when he was 7 years old.
 He then told us he was nearly 70 !!!!!!!!

A beautiful colourful sunset over the lake.

Unfortunately that night I came down with gastro. Again. I was to find out a few days later that I had another gastro-intestinal infection in Puno, on the Peruvian side of the lake.

On the 25th, after taking a day off doing nothing but watching crap tv and reading on the 24th, we set out for Isla del Sol, or Isle of the Sun. It was here that the Incas believed that Inti, the sun, first shone its rays and delivered his first son, the Inca Ayar Manco, who later became Manco Capac. His sister and wife, Mama Occlo, went with him to help him teach the people of earth how to farm, their religion and practices, and kindness and generosity to their neighbours, and the language of Quechua, still spoken today by many millions of Peruvians and Bolivians. There is another language commonly used, Aymara, but this is used remotely in some parts of the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes, near the borders, and the regions on the Bolivian shores of Lake Titicaca. Today, only the older generations of people can speak Aymara. People in Copacabana and Isla del Sol speak Aymara, while people in Puno speak Quechua. Very close by is Isla del Luna, isle of the moon. Here, as on Isla del Sol, there are temples and monuments dedicated to these two people.

We stayed in a lovely little house run by a small family. They had their house situated on the shore of the lake, and we could look at the lake all day long. Sadly, Brenna came down with the awful gastro too this day, so she spent that day just resting and lying down. 

The next day, the 26th, we went out walking and saw some of the ruins that still stand today. There was a temple that had many many door frames and walls still standing. There was a sacred alter to make offerings to the god Pachamama - Mother Nature, goddess of the earth. People come here to give offerings of cigarettes, beer, money, food, but especially coca leaves. We left Isla del Sol that afternoon, and headed by bus to Puno, Peru.

We got there that night around 10 and checked in to a cheap hostel and went to bed. The next day, the 27th, Brenna and I went to a health clinic and got our diagnosis. Brenna had what I had but only to a milder extent. The doctor loaded us up with antibiotics and antiparasitical tablets and sent us on our way. That night we went to the circus, called Circo Monte Carlo. It is rare to see a circus where the clowning is the main act, it was fantastic.

The next day, the 28th, we went on a cruise to the real Floating Islands. They were interesting, as there are a total 2000 people living on many many different islands. The families that live there live 100% off the spending's of tourists money. This is a very bad situation for them. Although it allows them to have more money then other Peruvians, they have lost quite a lot of their traditional ways. The only traditional thing I think I saw was the actual floating islands themselves and a couple of wicker and reed boats. All of the stuff they sell is mass produced, but with images of the islands and island related themes.

This was the real floating islands. All of the islands are sadly pretty much identical. The man waiting for us is the owner of the island. His family of 25 live there with him in tiny little huts.

One of the traditional types of boats that were used in older times. They are made of reeds, grass and ropes. A sail can be fixed but most are paddled along by oars.

After the floating islands we went to another island called Isla Taquite. Everybody on this island speaks Quechua as their first language, and Spanish second. Here again the economy relies on tourism as it's main income. While we were waiting in the Plaza de Armas, the town square, the mayor of the island and the community presidents orated a speech to the people of the island. All of it was in Quechea, with just a few Spanish words in between. Later, we asked our guide what was being said and he replied, 'The mayor is proposing that for the 345th anniversary of the founding of the town of Puno, the men and women of the island will make foods and gifts and make special dances and dance in Puno as a gift for the celebrations'.

Even though I wasn't able to understand what was being said at the time, it was amazing to see this whole island come out to the main square and listen to their leader speak to them, in Quechua, the way it would of been done 345 years ago, and still is done today. It certainly was a privilege!!!!

One of the entrances to another of the islands communities. There are 6 throughout the island in total.

A view of the islands many farms of quinoa, corn and potatoes. There were also many new spring lambs being walked by 6 and 7 year old kids from farm to farm.Quite a responsibility. Can you imagine an Australian kid doing the same??? I can't think of any!!!!!    

A photo of me and the lake in the background. On the other side of the cold clear blue water lies Bolivia, about 200km's or so away.

This signpost was in the Plaza de Armas. It's in kilometers. Once again we were reminded we were a long long long way from home!!!!!

We went for a lunch at a restaurant and had another plate of trucha frita, and afterwards we made our long journey back to the mainland, Puno.
The next day we set off to go back to our home and friends Kelly and Ruben, in Cuzco!!!!!!!

La Senda Verde - The Green Path

We spent two weeks at this beautiful Animal Sanctuary and Eco Resort, not too far from La Paz, Bolivia, working to take care of all of the different animals. I think photos speak louder here than words do, we had a truly amazing experience at a truly amazing place. Most of the animals at La Senda Verde have been rescued from the black market, or from family homes, many of them being mistreated and the majority malnourished. La Senda Verde, despite the majority of the animals being turned over to them by the government  receives no funding at all, except from tourists, volunteers and some international donations (*hint hint nudge nudge*), definitely a magical place that we will keep supporting when we return home.

There were 6 amazonian parrots in this aviary, two big green parrots and four of these blue fronted parrots with such beautiful colours on their wings. They had learnt to laugh like cockies learn to say 'hello', it was beautiful to sit and have a laugh with these guys!  

One of the new baby Capuchin monkeys in quarantine, where the monkeys spend up to 3 months before heading to the main area. This little guy, Chango, is super humanized and just wants to cuddle in your shirt and nap, and who could resist those beautiful eyes? Their faces are full of expression.

Joy.

Terror. This was the other new baby in quarantine, terrified of humans but craving the attention of other monkeys, unfortunately the only adult monkeys in quarantine were male and would only put up with him for about 10 minutes...

Meet Mr. Bean, my favourite animal at La Senda Verde, a little crazy 'white eyed' parrot, I'm sure if he was human he would be diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. As a result of being kept in a small cage without stimulation he started to pluck out his own feathers, which, like biting your fingernails, is almost impossible to stop once you start. Each time he pulls a feather out he squawks loudly and if he is sitting on your shoulder bites you as though it was your fault... Crazy little dude.

The macaws are terrifying! They are very territorial and don't like people being around at all. I would hate to be bitten by one, I have scars on my fingers from the smaller parrots, I think this guy would rip your fingers off!!! There were a couple of macaws who were friendly, but on the most part,  I can't see why anyone would want one as a pet... though they are beautiful to look at and to see them fly is just amazing. The macaws are all free to fly around as they please, but most of them like to hang out on top of the other bird cages, to attack any unsuspecting human who dares to try to clean or feed the other birds!

One of the baby howler monkeys...

And Rosie, the Monkey Mum... In the wild the howler monkeys live with their mother until they are around 2 years old, though in captivity a howler monkey won't take care of a baby that isn't its own. Rosie spends 24 hours a day looking after the 3 baby howler monkeys, yes, she ever sleeps with them suckling on her ears!

One of the beautiful, cheeky Spider monkeys. These guys aren't so territorial as the Capuchin monkeys, apparently they aren't quite as smart either, but I highly doubt that after our hot chocolate was stolen from our room one morning while we were still lying in bed!

And a little tiny Squirrel monkey! These little guys are great to watch play, though they are pretty vicious!

Sam the Toucan! The most amazing bird, so smart and curious.

One of the many many tortoises! In total there are over 130 turtles and tortoises at La Senda Verde, so many of them have deformed shells from living in conditions that aren't right, turtles without water and tortoises without land, dry conditions rather than humid and so on.

The Trolls..

An unlikely pair! A little red headed parrot and a macaw, mates for life! Once a macaw finds its mate they are together for life, just so happens this macaws mate is a little different.

Willy and Martin Cuatro having a chat...

Willy trying to catch a fly!

Wilson... he is just like a teddy bear!

This chica is a Koati, a very strange animal I had never heard of before, I think she things she is a dog, but she steals food from the birds and looooves a good pat behind the ears. She is kind of half cat half raccoon...

Grooming time! You can see the macaw at the top of the photos has slightly pink cheeks. When they get angry their cheeks turn bright red, then you know to get out of the way!

The Capuchin monkeys are the smartest monkeys, with the biggest body to brain ratio, an ability to use tools, share equally and with politics within their groups that rival the Australian Government!

Their hands are amazing. The Spider monkeys only have 4 fingers on their hands and 5 on their feet, as it is easier to swing through the trees without a thumb.

An unbelievable experience...