| DIARY 5 |
| 6th Aug 2005 Today was spent strolling round the cobbled streets of Cuzco - mainly the San Blas area - looking at all the art/gift stalls and shops.... we've seen so much stuff that we like. Of course we ate at the Irish bar and had English tea!!!!! 7th Aug 2005 Guess what we did........ shops and Paddy's - Tri Nations too - heaven!!! 8th Aug 2005 Today we had a tour of the biggest and richest Cathedral in South America (it's next to the Irish bar!!). It has a huge solid silver altar (2 tonnes) and loads of gold. Lots of paintings too - interesting to find out the meanings behind the paintings (they were painted by the Incas who had different beliefs to the Spanish, who complained about the paintings). Of course we ate at the Irish bar and watched rugby and Terry had an expensive can of Guinness!!! 9th Aug 2005 We're definitely tourists again.... walked up to Sacsayhuaman (Sexy Woman - easier to pronounce), then got a taxi to Tambomachay and walked back to Cuzco via Quenko and Puca Pucara - all the Inca ruins above Cuzco. Sexy Woman was the best and had great views of the city from above. It's amazing how they managed to move such huge stones to construct them. We then went to Bagdad Cafe for dinner (no Irish Bar today) and had Guniea Pig (Cuy)!! Was nice but wouldn't rush to have it again - expensive and hardly any meat!! Didn't taste like chicken or rabbit like they said it would. Bit off-putting with the head, teeth, claws, tail and all the bones!! Bought a lovely tapestry and Terry got a Crocodile Dundee hat - very fetching!!! 10th Aug 2005 Obviously feeling better - we've booked the Salcantay trek for tomorrow. Very hot day today so just sat in main square for a while before going to the Irish Bar for one last hearty meal and another Tri Nations game. Spoke to an English couple who have done the Inca trail and said it was snowing up there.... we're going higher.... great.... can't wait!!! Early to bed! 11th Aug 2005 Up at 4am (ouch) for taxi to bus - bit of a squash on the bus using all possible seats including fold up ones in the isles. Had breakfast at the start and met the group - 17 of us and 2 guides (Yanira and Alberto). When we started walking we got talking to Paula and Andy and ended up sticking with them (whether they liked it or not!!) - lovely couple.... well.... Paula was alright anyway (only joking Andy - know you'll be reading this!!). Walked for about 7 hours with lunch in between - very steep before lunch - I struggled a bit with a belly ache, but Paula stayed with me and when we got to the top Yan gave me some sort of peppermint thing that worked and tasted quite nice actually!! Got chatting to a few of the group (those that could speak English) - Ben (US), Anthony (Belgium), Mark & Leah (US). There were also a couple from Israel (Yossi & Kidma), three from Brazil, a couple from Spain and another couple who spoke Spanish but not sure where from!!!! Got to the campsite just before dark and it was so windy and freezing cold - had to move the tents so that they were more sheltered and we were able to use a family's hut to sit and have dinner. Dinner was delicious, with mulled wine after for the cold and we sat and played cards (Scum) for a while - Anthony was El Presidente most of the time!! We were able to choose our tents so I did while Terry was off moving more stuff, and then he moaned that I'd picked one with a hole in the roof and the zips didn't do up... oh well - don't think it made much difference to the temperature - it was freezing cold no matter what!!! Andy, Paula and I watched what might have been a meteor shower (two bright stars 'dancing' in the sky and lighting up behind the mountains in front of us), while Terry discovered that his socks glowed from static when he rubbed them together (little things and all that!!) - not sure which was more impressive!!! 12th Aug 2005 Up at 6.00am after not much sleep (our tent was also on a slope so we spent most of the night sliding into one corner and crawling out again - when weren't frozen to the spot), but the sun was out again (days so hot!!). Breakfast and pack away then the start of a long day walking. We walked up to the snow of Salcantay (4600/4800m) slowly and gradually - hard work but great scenery so well worth it. At the top we had group photos and we all made stone piles as a thank you to the mountain (an Inca tradition), then it was downhill to lunch and further downhill to the campsite (supposed to be easy - but downhill and flat aren't actually what you'd think when Yan says it!!! Try up, down, up flat, up...... and if she says it'll take another hour - treble it!!), but we were walking through cloud forrest along the valley - absolutely stunning! On the way there was a 'bush' fire - we had to run through the smoke with flames either side of us and once we were through some debris fell down onto the path. On the other side there were two children trying to get home, but our guide wouldn't let them go through so they started crying - it was so heart wrenching - they were given sweets which cheered them up a little and eventually Alberto went back through with them as the flames had died down a bit. Got to the campsite after dark, but had another lovely dinner (with fresh popcorn to start!!) and we were able to buy beers from the locals (much deserved) - interesting going to the toilet with Paula after a few drinks!!!!! Of course the four of us were the last to bed as usual!! 13th Aug 2005 Another 6.00am wake up and another great breakfast - the food and presentation is amazing considering what they are cooking on and that they have to carry it all - a porridgy drink and fruit salad with yoghurt and cereal.... Andy served ours up and made smiley faces out of it all!! An easier day walking, although again it wasn't 'flat' all the way. Saw lots of waterfalls, flowers (incl. orchids) and Yan said we might see bears and tigers, but the most we saw were chickens, butterflies, burds and a pig suckling off a dog!!!! After lunch we got in an open top truck to drive to the campsite (becuse a lot of people were suffering with blisters and dodgy knees etc) - great fun - and Yan told the four of us and Ben that we were the best walkers out of the group and very fast - not sure where she got that idea! The campsite (or rather a football pitch) was in Santa Teresa, we had the option to book into a hostal instead (only 10 soles a night) - worth it after three days without a shower and Terry's feet really stunk..... and we shared a room with P&A - another adventure!! Played cards after dinner till 2am - desperately trying to knock Anthony off El Presidente!!! |