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Short but VERY sweet, Peru

Plaza De Armas, Cuzco



Cuzco, Peru. What a spectacular city! It was an absolute wonder to walk around the old Inca capital, past old palace walls and temples. We were surprised by the amount of English speaking locals and the collosal amount of foreigners in Cuzco. Having come from the Amazon, and Brazil in general, where barely anyone spoke English and where we had barely seen any other foreigners for weeks - it sure was a change. Is it possible to have culture shock with your own culture?!

Plus, it was bloody freezing there! Sea level to 3400masl sure was a shock to the system. 




Christo Blanco, Cuzco

Cuzco, view from Christo Blanco


Our first meal in Cuzco was a HUGE two course meal which cost us AU$1.50 each. So what if it was served in a tiny restaurant where a parrot would pace accross the kitchen counter and do a poo every now and then.... The price was RIGHT people (and our robust south east asia/south american seasoned stomachs can now handle this sort of thing with no worries). 

Suddenly, there was a light at the end of the "blown budget" tunnel and Brad and I were wondering why we spent so much time in the most expensive countries in South America (you know apart from the amazing beaches, jungles, wine, caipirinhas, parties and people etc etc).




A little lamb takes a liking to Brad



I must say though, I did enjoy the massive array of Western food available in Cuzco and happily chowed down on some brownies, FRESH SALAD and delicious steak sandwiches!

After Cuzco, we made the hard decision to leave Lima until next time. Yes, you heard me. I just said "next time"... And I said it as if we might actually be able to afford this again some day... I can dream...

We headed south for Arequipa, with its UNESCO listed city centre. Yet another beautiful city to explore, with a background of mammoth snow capped mountains to top it off. We were there for the lead up to Easter and witnessed the stations of the cross in the main square in front of the cathedral, which was pretty spectacular. And loud. They were blasting sound effects of nails being hammered into wood at full ball and having it echo throughout the whole city. Which can be quite disturbing when you are trying to get to sleep. 

We actually did some hiking in this area but I will include this in the next blog!




Arequipa, Peru

Stations of the cross. Arequipa, Peru
 
El Misti the Volcano, towers over the city. Arequipa, Peru.



Next on the list, Puno at 3800masl and the beautiful Lake Titicaca. Here, we did a tour of the lake and the floating islands (made only out of reeds) and gorged on cheap ice cream (75 aussie cents for 3 delicious scoops) before crossing the border and into Copacabana, Bolivia. 




Our ride on the reed boats at the floating islands. Lake Titicaca, Puno

Floating Islands. Lake Titicaca, Peru

A floating island made only of reeds. Lake Titicaca

Reed boats

Taquile Island. Lake Titicaca, Peru.
 

This town was going OFF with easter celebrations. People from all over the region flocked to the shores of Lake Titicaca at Copacabana to camp for their Easter weekend. An absolutely fascinating sight, there were ladies dressed in beautiful colors and food stalls EVERYWHERE. The local people walked up the nearby hill to witness the stages of the cross and undertake ceremonies with local shamans, and we decided to follow along and have a beer at the top with them.



The shores of Lake Titicaca are packed for Easter at Copacabana
A shaman burns incense with a family during a ceremony at Easter. Copacabana, Bolivia
Copacabana, Bolivia


We stayed one night on the Isla Del Sol (island of the sun) off Copacabana, where legend has it that the Inca supreme leader originated from. There are no cars of any kind on this island (only donkeys and mules) and we thoroughly enjoyed the hike from one end to the other, along inca pathways and through inca temples.


Isla Del Sol. Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Relaxing in the sunshine at our hostel. Isla Del Sol, Bolivia

Our friend the baby donkey
Snow capped mountains in the background (our next destination)
Local women meeting special guests at the dock. Isla Del Sol, Bolivia
The rain arrives at Isla Del Sol, Bolivia
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Comments

  1. Carlos Gabi e Mel15 May 2014 at 05:10

    Precious precious!!! Great to see it all thru you guys! Copacabana in Bolivia...had no idea!! For sure is less dangerous....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2 July 2014 at 21:33

      Haha a lot less dangerous than Brazil's copacabana! A lot quieter too.

      Delete

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