Left Arequipa at 8.30 on saturday morning, spent 6 hours on the local bus to Puno which is the same time as the tourist bus takes except 4 times cheaper and lots more interesting as its all locals! Saying that could have done without the chiuld puking in the seat in front of us. Was a very scenic drive over the altiplano which is high altitude plains that are basically desert. Mostly its just all huge flat valleys, with hills on the rims and not much there except the odd llama/alpaca/sheep farm ... these people seriously live in the middle of nothing in the middle of nowhere. There´s the odd river of green with little lakes and we saw our first flamingos!
From Puno, we got the bust to Cocabana .. well after a ritual of ´theres no bus until tomorrow´followed by ´there is a bus and its 30 soles´ followed by us saying we we leaving tothe other bus terminal and then ´miracously´ there is a bus ALL the way to La Paz for 25 soles! Saying that we had to sit on little stools for 2 hours to Cocabana (which we will stop properly at some time later as its really nice looking there). Also Cocabana is in Bolivia so we had to cross the border which is all very relaxed. Had to get off the bus and get 2 stamps in Peru, then walk over to Bolivia for 200m and get another stamp there. There´s stalls and stuff for sale all the way and locals pushing bikes both ways. From Cocabana we had to change bus to La Paz which was another 5 hours ... 2 hours of this was spent waiting for the ferry across Lake Titicaca. BTW ferry is the largest exageration todate. For the people on the buses there was little boats with a motor smaller then a lawnmower and for the buses there was large floats/barges with a slightly larger motor that held a bus each. Throw in the added bonus of nighttime and NO lights on any of the boats increased the sense of adventure lots ... especially when our boat driver couldn´t start the motor. Anyways we made it. Got into La Paz 2 hours later then we were told at 11pm so that was a bit dodgy. The police met all the tourists, get ya a taxi, take his number etc (which isn´t the safest feeling) and then we went straight to the hotel (which we actually had the foresight to book).
Stayed in Tambo de Oro which is right next 2 the bus terminal and worked out very handy for the next day. Spent another 4 hours on a bus to Oruro. The drive there is much less spectacular then in Peru or maybe I was getting tired of seeing nothing but desert with the odd llama and unbeleivably remote looking village. In Oruro booked our train tickets to Uyuni but then got ´latched onto´ by this kiwi fella - now its good meeting people along the way and I have no problem talking to someone travelling on their own BUT not if they turn out to be one of those tight arse, ´I carry 2kgs of stuff´, ´only use the toilet when its free´´ kind of blokes. We were STARVING ... seriously had no hot food in 2 days and had only eaten biscuits, bread and snacks the day before SO we wanted to get a nice hot dinner before the train. Yer man tags along and suggested this place outside the train station ... now I dont have a weak stomach but jayus the food looked like it had been frying in the oldest oil in Bolivia for 4 days continously .. so we said NO. Eventually found a lovely little pizza place open and went in there. So we ordered pizza and he said he{d have a bit of ours cos he had already eaten (ok fair enough we´re getting a big pizza). After that he vanished to the toilet for 15mins and then came back and said dont use the toilet as he stunk it out! and then he proceeded to tell us on ways to save backpack weight for the next half hour .. eg dont bring a change of clothes just wash them every night - like seriously what a muppet ... we didn´t say too much as really no point. He was ASTONISHED when Dunk ordered icecream for dessert ... like I mean how extravagant are we ... must have cost us all of 1 euro .. seriously like. Anyways in fairness he did throw in some cash for the meal and then told us to use the toilets as they were free!!!! Baffling. After that we managed to lose him on the train but did see him lurking about Uyuni today ... we made sure there was no kiwis on our tour just in case!
So ye we made it Uyuni. The train trip was really good (altho screaming brat of child was annoying but was worth it to see the bolivians telling the mother to shut him up - no words spared seriously!). It was like being in a wild west movie as the moon was full and we could see the plains going on and on and on. Uyuni is grand. Got an unbelivable good brekkie (fresh fruit and yoghurt and the best pineapple juice, Dunk got an omellete that much have had 5 eggs in it!)this morning (the kiwi would have freaked at the price) and 3 day tour to salt plains sorted so we´re all good and happy. Have had a post brekkie nap and think a post lunch nap (altho dont think there´s room yet after brekkie!).
Booked our 3 day trip with Oasis but all the tours here are allegedly unreliable so could be an interesting few days. Watch out flaming flamingoes here we come!!
PS we´ve started to met the ´extreme backpackers´ and I dont mean the ones who do extreme sports BUT the ones who harass, are rude and horrible to all the locals they met just to get the best deal ... is arguing over 2 bolivianos(about 20 cents euro) REALLY worth p1ssing off that many people. Ah well as long as the locals dont think we´re all like that!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Photos of Peru are up!
Check out the link on the side bar or
http://picasaweb.google.com/grace.cantillon
We´re off to Bolivia and the salt plains for the next week or so. More news when we get back from there!
http://picasaweb.google.com/grace.cantillon
We´re off to Bolivia and the salt plains for the next week or so. More news when we get back from there!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Arequipa, Colca Canyon and studying!
Yes so we arrived safely to Arequipa which is Peru´s 2nd city. Its got perfect weather ... seriously like ... sunny 300 days a year, cool at night so nice to sleep, no mossies, cheap beer, nobody harassing us to buy finger puppets, paintings, etc, good food and its just a normal real town which is a relief after 12 days around Cusco and mass tourism!! Staying in an ok hostel (PS in case your wondering why I keep mentioning hostels its for anyone else who´ll be along soon after us!) Hostal Nunez. The ensuite rooms were great but we´re going cheapo now so in smaller non-ensuite room. Saying that hardly any backpackers about so have the top floor to ourselves. Really nice rooftop for brekkie.
Doing a spainish course with CEICA and I have to say its brilliant. We´re doing 5 hours a day and its all beginning to make sense in shops, restaurants, etc. Would highly recommend this place to learn spanish. Its in a little house, with lovely garden and room, about $10 us per hour for us both and really good, professional and keen teachers. Did a cooking course last night with them and made cerviche (Peru´s national dish of fish cooked in lime - really nice!), cuasa papa (which is like a potato castle made from egg, spuds, avocado and mayonaise mixed in layers - its ok), and some yummy dessert made from purple-black corn syrup with fruit. Tell ya what tho - the Peruvians are seriously sweet toothed. All of them out 3- 8 spoons ofsugar in tea ... really they do!! there´s cake shops everywhere and ya its a bit of a tubby place (altho not obese just well rounded). Oh and the meals here are MASSIVE ... did I say this before? Like I can eat for Ireland and I find I leave half my food frequently as they just serve way too much.´Oh and its about 2-3 euro for a litre of beer .... yummy!!
What else is in Arequipa ... nice main square and buildings. Think its called the white city cos of the stone they use. Found awesome coffee (well for Peru) too in Manola just off the square.
Annoying things are the little taxis, buses and colectivos (hiaces with lunny drivers which are local buses really) that continously beep the horns ... and I mean all the time ... not just at each street corner but every 10 metres ... really. And if someone stops, everyone behind the car just beeps the horn even if its for a red light (all about 6 of them!!). Also the beds here are the lumpiest things ever ... I think they went out of their way to make our pillows and bed lumpy. But aside from that ... we´re happy being spanish students (altho learnt the irregular verbs today and that sucks!) until tomorrow.
Think we´re going to head to salt plains in Uyuni (Salar del Uyuni), Bolivia on saturday via either aArica in Chile or else La Paz. Will decide on beer tonight!!
Colca Canyon ... did the trip last weekend. The plan was to do the 2 day tour and see what it was like and go back for more this weekend after spanish course. Decided tho not to go back as its savage dry - suppose it is the Atacama desert for a reason - hence the plan to head south.
The tour was ... well VERY touristy. It was cheap out us$20 but jaysus they did their utmost to squeeze every last sole out of us. The drive is amazing (could also have done in public transport), over the desert, passing by ChaChani, El Misti and other volcanoes I cant remember the name of. The highest pass was 4900m and the view was incredible. The road was a bit wild tho, drove thru an (extinct) volcano at one stage, the driver was a headcase - I wouldn´t put him drivign nails, and in some parts drops of 1000 (ya 1km) straight down. Stayed in Chivay (with obligatory Irish pubs - was alright, the most irish thing was the name McElroy!), had to do tourist lunch, dinner and again lunch the next day but in fairness the food was good. Didthe hot springs as well which were really good and clean ... recommended!
On the sunday we got dragged out of bed at 5am to go and see the condors ... supposed to go early as best time of day. So off we went, and then we stopped at not 1 but 3 little villages on the way so it was 9am by the time we got to the condor lookout. I seriously thought that was pulling the p1ss like. In one place there was little boys danvcing around a fountain at 6am for the tourists ... jayus whats that about. And the usual hawkers selling stuff everywhere but I suppose at least they didn´t follow us. Its a cool drive (altho a bit scary) out to the highest part of the canyon which is 3700m or something AND we did see condors AND they did make the trip worthwile as did the scenery but we could have done with less ´sheep tourism!´ Oh also seeing llamas, alpacas and vicunas in the wild is very cool!
One last rant for the week. There´s a delicacy here called ´cuy´which is guinea pig. Now I´m no biologist (I cant even spell the word!) but dotn guinea pigs look a little like colourful rats??? We´ve all seen road kill ok (especially in Oz) and you know the flattened look it gets after a day or so ... well thats what cuy looks like on a plate except the head is fully intact and not squashed, the little paws have all the nails etc but apart from that everything is flattened as they cook it under a big stone. Our spanish teacher said check the tail before eating as if its long then its RAT!! yummo ... on that note I´ll sign off and have a good w-e all!!
We´re off to Chile or Bolivia or both .... wahoooooo!!
Doing a spainish course with CEICA and I have to say its brilliant. We´re doing 5 hours a day and its all beginning to make sense in shops, restaurants, etc. Would highly recommend this place to learn spanish. Its in a little house, with lovely garden and room, about $10 us per hour for us both and really good, professional and keen teachers. Did a cooking course last night with them and made cerviche (Peru´s national dish of fish cooked in lime - really nice!), cuasa papa (which is like a potato castle made from egg, spuds, avocado and mayonaise mixed in layers - its ok), and some yummy dessert made from purple-black corn syrup with fruit. Tell ya what tho - the Peruvians are seriously sweet toothed. All of them out 3- 8 spoons ofsugar in tea ... really they do!! there´s cake shops everywhere and ya its a bit of a tubby place (altho not obese just well rounded). Oh and the meals here are MASSIVE ... did I say this before? Like I can eat for Ireland and I find I leave half my food frequently as they just serve way too much.´Oh and its about 2-3 euro for a litre of beer .... yummy!!
What else is in Arequipa ... nice main square and buildings. Think its called the white city cos of the stone they use. Found awesome coffee (well for Peru) too in Manola just off the square.
Annoying things are the little taxis, buses and colectivos (hiaces with lunny drivers which are local buses really) that continously beep the horns ... and I mean all the time ... not just at each street corner but every 10 metres ... really. And if someone stops, everyone behind the car just beeps the horn even if its for a red light (all about 6 of them!!). Also the beds here are the lumpiest things ever ... I think they went out of their way to make our pillows and bed lumpy. But aside from that ... we´re happy being spanish students (altho learnt the irregular verbs today and that sucks!) until tomorrow.
Think we´re going to head to salt plains in Uyuni (Salar del Uyuni), Bolivia on saturday via either aArica in Chile or else La Paz. Will decide on beer tonight!!
Colca Canyon ... did the trip last weekend. The plan was to do the 2 day tour and see what it was like and go back for more this weekend after spanish course. Decided tho not to go back as its savage dry - suppose it is the Atacama desert for a reason - hence the plan to head south.
The tour was ... well VERY touristy. It was cheap out us$20 but jaysus they did their utmost to squeeze every last sole out of us. The drive is amazing (could also have done in public transport), over the desert, passing by ChaChani, El Misti and other volcanoes I cant remember the name of. The highest pass was 4900m and the view was incredible. The road was a bit wild tho, drove thru an (extinct) volcano at one stage, the driver was a headcase - I wouldn´t put him drivign nails, and in some parts drops of 1000 (ya 1km) straight down. Stayed in Chivay (with obligatory Irish pubs - was alright, the most irish thing was the name McElroy!), had to do tourist lunch, dinner and again lunch the next day but in fairness the food was good. Didthe hot springs as well which were really good and clean ... recommended!
On the sunday we got dragged out of bed at 5am to go and see the condors ... supposed to go early as best time of day. So off we went, and then we stopped at not 1 but 3 little villages on the way so it was 9am by the time we got to the condor lookout. I seriously thought that was pulling the p1ss like. In one place there was little boys danvcing around a fountain at 6am for the tourists ... jayus whats that about. And the usual hawkers selling stuff everywhere but I suppose at least they didn´t follow us. Its a cool drive (altho a bit scary) out to the highest part of the canyon which is 3700m or something AND we did see condors AND they did make the trip worthwile as did the scenery but we could have done with less ´sheep tourism!´ Oh also seeing llamas, alpacas and vicunas in the wild is very cool!
One last rant for the week. There´s a delicacy here called ´cuy´which is guinea pig. Now I´m no biologist (I cant even spell the word!) but dotn guinea pigs look a little like colourful rats??? We´ve all seen road kill ok (especially in Oz) and you know the flattened look it gets after a day or so ... well thats what cuy looks like on a plate except the head is fully intact and not squashed, the little paws have all the nails etc but apart from that everything is flattened as they cook it under a big stone. Our spanish teacher said check the tail before eating as if its long then its RAT!! yummo ... on that note I´ll sign off and have a good w-e all!!
We´re off to Chile or Bolivia or both .... wahoooooo!!
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