NektaR in the World Wild Web: May 2011

After 'allowing' to acclimatise ourselves, we got in the train heading to Machu Picchu. Even though our train meant to start from Cusco, we had to take a bus for 2-3 hours and then from Ollantaytambo another 2 hours to reach Aguas Calientes, the closest village to the sanctuary. The en route landscape was fantastic. We left Cusco behind to climb up and then down to Aguas Calientes. The train went through gorges and rivers, on a slow ride with magnificent panoramic views from within the train. It was comfortable and the on board service was great! Even though it was packed with hordes of tourists, it was a nice experience, leaving the mind to travel back in time and feel you are indeed in a sacred place.

THE train route in the Andes

THE panoramic views

Last train to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, one of the -modern- seven wonders, it was daunting and mysterious. From Aguas Calientes (aka Macchu Picchu Pueblo), another bus took us up the hill on a twirly road. Walking towards the monument, I was slowly slowly getting breathless, unspeakable, not because of the altitude, this time was the views and the landscape itself. It was MAJESTIC! Urubamba river was flowing down below, and lush forested green sharp mountain peaks all around. Wayna Picchu, maybe the most photographed peak in the world, was standing there, high and mighty. In fact, someone can trek the peak in a steep 2-3 hours ascent, but they allow only 400 people per day (200 at 7am and another 200 at 10am). We arrived later than this and missed that opportunity. People we met on the road who done that said it was worth the climb, the views were amazing. Although, we walked to the Inca bridge. A pathway to/from Machu Picchu to other local places, ending up to a wooden bridge on a steep rock, a bridge which could be removed preventing people passing through. It was closed for aspiring trekkers but still we went pretty close. It was continuing to a small path on a massive steep rock, with hundred of meters free fall in case you step to the wrong place..

Machu Picchu is a perfect example of the Incas architecture and their fine masonry skills. The Incas were great engineers and empire builders. In July the 24th will celebrate its 100th anniversary since it was first discovered by Hiram Bingham, an archaeologist led by local shepherds who shown him the site. A city lost almost four centuries, never discovered by the spaniards or other conquerors in the region. The site itself is of course a Word Heritage site and the Peruvians do great work preserving it. On top of the capacity limit on the Inca trail (500 people per day inc porters and guides) discreet site staff were always there to remind us not to step onto stones that are not in the pre designed areas, the area was clean despite the thousands of tourists per day, and generally there was a sense of respect and order.

Many artefacts including several mummies, fine pottery, bones and utensils were transported in US in 1915 with the aim to study the items under the conditions that the ownership will reside with Peru and they will be returned in 1918. Bingham would have never imagined the items taken would create a major diplomatic issue between the two countries. The artefacts went to Yale University and almost hundred years later a dispute between the Peruvian government and Yale University is still ongoing.

Machu Picchu_The Black llama calling

Machu Picchu_Two floors settlement

Machu Picchu_Urubamba river

Machu Picchu_Fine masonry [the guy on the ladder played the Zorba

on his phone to Angelos!)

Machu Picchu_Wayna Picchu peak

Machu Picchu in 1911(pic courtesy of wikipedia:)

Machu Picchu_Memorial to 50 years since discovery

Machu Picchu_The Inka bridge

After a long day at the sanctuary, we trekked down to Aguas Calientes on another steep path ending at Urubamba river. We reached the village and sat to enjoy some food and a local delight.

Cusqueña_Local delight

Next day we decided to go out and about to the Sacred Valley. We met Manolis and Nefeli, chose a route, hired a taxi and off we go. First we visited Tambomachay, a ceremonial stone bath structure channelling spring water through fountains that still function today! Less touristy here but still we managed to meet a group from Greece and typically get embarrassed from our talks before realising they were speaking Greek too... On our walk to the nearby site we met those lovely llamas, they look relaxed and friendly and fluffy and I wanted to take one back home, if possible.

Sacred Valley_Tambomachay, or El Baño del Inca

Sacred Valley_We're just chilling...

Sacred Valley_...and happy to be photographed

Sacred Valley_Sacsayhuaman or otherwise Sexywoman(!)

After all the sightseeing and trains and buses and Cusco nightclubbing we got on the road on the way to the mighty jungle. An eleven hour bus ride, from the high altitudes to the Amazon green carpet. The trip was overnight so we didn't get the chance to see the views of the Amazon from above. The bus was great and they offered dinner too! We arrived in Puerto Maldonado early morning.

Palomino's bus food

We looked for our operator, arranged the itinerary and the same day got on the boat and headed to Lago Sandoval. A relatively small lake within the jungle, off the river Madre de Dios. In fact we had to hike in the jungle to arrive here, about an hour walk in the swamps wearing wellies and carrying bags. I had my sandals hanging and lost one on the way. When arrived it wasn't attached to my bag any more, so I went back to look but no luck..

The lake was simply a paradise on earth. A peaceful lake in the middle of a the jungle, home to many caimen and giant otters, the largest of the otter family, declared endangered. We took the gondola and paddle to the lake banks. The vegetation was such that you couldn't see the river banks. Trees were hanging from above to the top of the lake, birds were everywhere and ourselves paddling speechless to the beauty of our surroundings. The place was thriving of life! In the night, went out again and our guide managed to catch a little caiman to see it from close and photograph it.

Amazon_Lago Sandoval

Lago Sandoval_Young caiman

Lago Sandoval_Basic jungle lodge

Lago Sandoval_Mirador 35m high

I tried to take some photographs, of trees and plants; some were looking strange and unknown to me, some were beautiful and so massive you couldn't see the end at the top of it. Walking in the jungle was totally different comparing to mountain treks. Here you have to be constantly aware of what is happening around; insects, mosquitos, ants, spiders, snakes, birds, ferocious plants and muddy routes. We walked through swamps and canopies. A night we went out looking for anacondas which (luckily) didn't find. In one of the treks our guide arranged a football match with the team from a local lodge. It was fun, of course we have been outplayed by the locals, with the excuses blaming the heat and the tropical environment(!).

Lago Sandoval_Natural fractals

Lago Sandoval_Bats

Lago Sandoval_Fungus beauty

Lago Sandoval_Climb me if you can..

Lago Sandoval_Providing european style football lessons

Lago Sandoval_Peace in the mighty jungle

We visited a rehabilitation center, for animals with disabilities or adaptation issues. I was amazed to see the place was run by volunteers, most of them from Europe and US, dedicating time and effort to help preserving the amazonian wildlife. The place was well organised and there were plenty to do. After greeting the animals we walked through a dense jungle trek to the other side of the area. At some point the path was ending and we had to go through a swamp or turn back and go round again. With our clothes and boots at hands, we walked/swam through a mudy swamp to the other side. It was a difficult task and I felt really relieved when I reach the ground back again. Only few days before, we were looking for anacondas in a similar swamp nearby, so it was somewhere on the back of my mind :). We walked on an amazing high canopy, lead to a platform 90 meters high on top of a massive tree. From there we had nice views of the surroundings. Looking down to the ground was scarry but it felt great being up there, on a wooden platform on a 90m high tree!

(More info on the center @ http://www.amazonplanetperu.com/ )

Tambopata_Vivid mackaws

Tambopata_Take me home

Tambopata_Cool myrmecophagous

Tambopata_Playful lovely tiger

Tambopata_Over the swamps

Tambopata_Canopy fun (and fan)

We learned from the locals about the gold mining activities in the region. Cesar from ACCA Peru did also mentioned that in our dinner. There is extended mining activity in the Tambopata and north at Madre De Rios river. In fact there are so many that the impacts of their activities are noticed even by non local people. The main environemntal hazards when extracting gold is the use of mercury or cyanide to separate the gold sand from the rest. Even strict restrictions apply, miners still wash of the sand wit toxics and then dispensing it into the river water. Additionally, as they work mainly on the river banks, digging and 'filtering' the sand, the banks turn flat and the river wider and I've been told in some areas the river gets so wide, due to soil degradation, that is not considered a river anymore as the water spreads in the jungle. With our hired boat, we approached a group of miners to see from close.

Madre De Dios river_Gold miners in action

Madre De Dios river_That precious powder

Tambopata river_Perhaps the best photo of the trip

Tambopata river_Ease

After view hours of magnificent sailing at Tambopata river, we arrived to our next jungle lodge. An etnobotanical garden operated and owned by a local shaman. It was peaceful and nicely located next to the river so we could access it by boat. The shaman welcomed us in and showed us where we will sleep. that was on an under construction bamboo building with no doors or windows. We got our matresses, cleaned the floor, tighten the mosquito nets and we were ready! :) Apparently a mouse poped out of Angelos matress the next day.(!) And bats and all sorts of mosquitos and ants were all over.

From here we did some treks and using another gondola we went out for fishing piranhas. We also attended an ayahuasca ceremony provided by the shaman. Even if we didn't really experience the effects of the ayahuasca plant juice, it was worth the try and the whole ceremony in a stary night sky in the middle of the amazon jungle it was a moment to remember.

Tambopata_0 stars accommodation

Tambopata_Shaman chanting Icarus

Tambopata_Ayahuasca ceremony hat

Tambopata_Autofocus at the etnobotanical

Tambopata_Piraña

Having our engine boat with us booked enabled us to explore other adjacent areas. We learned about an indigenous community called Infierno (they told us but I can't remember how the name was derived). Two foreigners we met at the etnobotanical told us they have been there for sometime trying ayahuasca and staying with the locals. We've been told there was a Greek guy too, about our age, a doctor who was performing studies on medical plants etc. So we got our capitano and went there. We found him and had a nice chat. He was not far from where my hometwon in Greece is. We wondered around the community village and plaed with the local kids. It was a nice afternoon in the jungle. In fact, the jungle it was a highlight of this trip! It offered peace paddling in the lake at night as well as adventure, swiming in the swamps and walking on canopies, cruised our boat on the river, fished piranhas, seen amazing wildlife and biodiversity, attended a local shaman ceremony, even played football with the locals! It is said the Amazonian jungle and rainforests are like the lungs of planet Earth. The Amazonian jungle (at least a tiny bit of the southwest part of it we explored) is a vibrant, thriving of life amazing ecossytem.

Tambopata_Going down to the river

Tambopata_Local produce

Tambopata_Unstable :)

Tambopata_Funny kids from the Infierno community

Tambopata_Majestic sunset afloat - Amaz(on)ing

Plant a tree!

Nektarios~

Trying to think how to start this, what the introduction could be, a big ouuaahhh maybe would be ideal but will put it like this; an incredible journey of amazing contrasts, changing landscapes, indegenous cultures and arts, delicious food and a plethora of adrenaline pumping activities. We have been through oceanic views, dessert (like) sand dunes, high altitude Inca ruins, lush green rainforests, snow peaks, Amazon rivers and jungle, high altitude lakes and survived the Bolivian death road, all in three weeks time. An exhilarating experience to discover a part of the world thriving of beauty and secluded wildlife. This is the first part(of three), Lima to Cusco, of a story of four guys travelling that region.

Flight from London was long, in fact veeery long! (LON-ORD-MIA-LIM). We followed the earth's rotation, met our friends in Miami airport and a day after we all landed in Lima, Peru. We've been welcomed by a nice warm but humid temperature, got a taxi and through a heavy Saturday night traffic went to our hostel. This after we've found out that our backpacks did not arrive with our plane. The two of us flying from London had to wait 48 hrs for our stuff to arrive. We were excited and didn't allow this to affect us.. Bought a t-shirt and got out and about in the city.

Long flights blues

I was stunned to see how clean the city was, comparing with Kathmandu or even Athens. Citizens here seem to be responsible for their environments and I liked it. The architecture in the city centre was beautiful with lots of Spaniard influence. Old mansions (haciendas) represented the colonial impact to the city which to my opinion was beautiful and eye satisfying'. Pretty churches and monasteries with amazing sculptures and colours were all over. Lima, as the whole of Peru, is rapidly developing, the economy shows positive index in the last years and this is obvious in the architecture too. Modern office buildings with international company name logos on them, modern bus stops and telephone booths.

We strolled through avenida arequipa, a ciclodia was going on, a cycling as well as running event for 'life and health'. Families with kids, individuals, cycling groups and all sorts of people marching at one of the main avenues in the capital. Weather was hot, people were happy and a sense of happiness and prosperity was all over. Really liked Lima! Miraflores, the area we stayed, was full of party goers, local and international, and everyone seem to have fun! People were friendly and patient with our limited Spanish and almost nowhere had any problem doing what we wanted.

Lima_School of engineering

Lima_Colonial architecture

Lima_'Ciclodia' por la vida y salud

Lima_Monasterio de San Francisco

Lima_Iglesia de Santo Domingo

Lima_Modern perspectives

Semana Santa, the holy week, Christianity's most important week, was just starting. We've seen a lot of parades carrying Jesus statues accompanied by music from a following walking band and a bunch of people. People were out and the centre of the city seem to thrive of life! We visited few museums churches and monasteries. We walked through the little streets and discovered a nice baroque atmosphere, buildings with wooden balconies, an evidence of the colonial architecture.

We grabbed a local taxi and went to Parque del Amor, a Gaudi (Barcelona) style small park on the coast, overlooking the Pacific. We've seen an amazing sunset, along with a joint, and discussed the next activities.

Lima_Happy to be here

Lima_Plaza de Armas (La Catedral)

Lima_Typical shop (periptero) on wheels

Lima_Palacio De Gobierno

Lima_Nice and warm ochre (observe the provision for the wheel chaired)

Lima_Parque del Amor

We wanted to go towards the south coast and get to Paracas national reserve and then to Huacachina oasis. We had few days available to spend before heading to the mountains. It was decided, for practical and economical reasons, to rent a car so we all got in and drove on the Panamaricana highway to the south. I think the highway links all the american countries of the west coast. Good conditioned road, easy drive by the coast. After about an hour driving from Lima, on our left hand side, dessert like sand dunes, were preparing us of what we are going to see further down. We visited the national reserve of Paracas. A desert reserve, we had the opportunity to watch seals lying on the shore from above, sidespin our hire car in the sand and have the best sea food I had for ages!

Paracas Reserve_Sand dunes

Paracas Reserve_Geological manifest

Paracas Reserve_Seals on the shore

Paracas Reserve_Sea food glory (perhaps the best meal of the trip)

From there we headed for the oasis of Huacachina to stay overnight and next day do the so called 'sandboarding'! We arrived at night so we couldn't really realise were we came. Next day morning was just like we are somewhere in Africa. Massive sand dunes and a small lake in the middle, few houses and hostels and full of tailor-made buggies. I woke up by the sound of a buggy getting tested and ready for the day on the dunes. The village itself was the tourist's starting point for rides on the dunes. We waited the afternoon, so the sun to become less intense, and got our buggy and driver to the dunes. It was such a good fun!! There were a lot of them out in the dunes with lots of tourists, most of them quite crazy, attempting to slide down the dunes on boards. Some lying on the board and some of us properly standing on a snowboard board. Luckily enough, we did not have any major accident, other than silly falls. It was not so quick as I was hoping but still it was really good fun and we all had a good laugh. Our driver wanted to impress us by driving the buggy quick on the top of a dune and then head down from the other side of it. We were trying to make him to go quicker, as well as shouting to laugh and the whole activity was like grown ups playing with their toys...

Huacachina_Oasis

Huacachina_Peruvian Mad Max buggy (1)

Huacachina_(Our) Peruvian Mad Max buggy (2)

Huacachina_Mighty 'Boarders of the Sun' team(!)

(Angelos, Stavros, Nektarios, Spyros)

Huacachina_On the edge

Huacachina_Get ready, you going down..

Huacachina_Vertigo

Huacachina_Action preview

After Huacachina drove back the Panamericana and arrived to Lima late night. Next day flight to Cusco, from sea level to 3350m. It didn't feel great at the beginning and instead of taking it easy the first day or so to acclimatise to the altitude properly we did tour the city, ate a lot and walked for hours. Cusco is the ancient capital of the Inca empire. A vibrant touristy city, with loads going on, shops, restaurants, museums etc. I loved the little alleyways, the stoned walls and the sense of fiesta that was constantly going on. It became our base for the next few days to tour around the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. More about it, in the next post...