Inca Land
At the end of our last update we were about to set off for the Amazon …. Well, we didn’t quite make it. We drove through La Paz (getting lost of course …. We get lost in 9 out of 10 towns!), then started down a mountain valley along a road that drops from 3800 metres to 300 metres in about 150km. It has earned the dubious title of being the « most dangerous road in the world » (an average of 26 people killed per year) But we weren’t worried because we were assured that a new road had been built alongside the old one … no problem. Indeed, we went down about halfway with no trouble, to a village where we stayed overnight … super road. Next morning we set off again …..only to find that they hadn’t yet built the second half! ….it was still the old road. It is very narrow, with enormous drops (see picture), but the reason it is so dangerous is because hundreds of huge trucks thunder up and down it every day ….and you have to pass them!! Anyway, we got to the bottom safely, but then found that the « road » to our Amazon town, 400km away, was a diabolically bad mud trail. After adding up the days to get there and back, we decided to postpone our Amazon trip till Ecuador. So we turned round and drove back up the road again (ok, ok ….some people just look for trouble!) ….and headed for Lake Titicaca.
At an altitude of 3800metres, Lake Titicaca (see picture) is one of the highest large lakes in the world (176km long and 50km wide) To get to the town of Copacabana, on a peninsula, we took a ferry …..basically a large, flat-bottomed barge ….with huge gaps in the loose floor planks (see picture) …..great fun! We found a cheap hotel overlooking the lake, where they served free tea and biscuits all day. The tea is a herb tea ….made from coca leaves. It is perfectly legal to use the coca leaves in this way (see picture), and it’s a stimulant, and cures altitude sickness (actually, it doesn’t cure altitude sickness, but if you drink enough, you don’t care any more! …. Whoopeee!!) A 3-course meal at the hotel cost 2 euros!
We crossed over from Bolivia into Peru, and stayed in a village called Chivay in « Condor Canyon ». Next morning we drove up to a viewpoint overlooking the canyon …. And at 8am the condors arrived!!! El Condor Pasa!!! Magnificent birds with a 3.5metre wingspan, gliding on the thermal currents just a few metres over our heads (see picture). We were very excited because this was one of our main objectives in visiting South America. We watched them for about one hour, then they glided off to hunt for breakfast. We set off for Cusco over the mountains, a long, hard drive (getting lost again), and ended up sleeping the night at a toll booth on the main road. The guard at the toll booth gave us excellent advice on the route to MachuPichu ….so we drove through a beautiful green valley to a village called Ollantaytambo, where you can get a train to MachuPichu (no ….sorry ….we didn’t walk the Inca Trail) The little hotel where we stayed had an enclosure full of guinea pigs …..not for pets …..to eat (see picture) We caught the train to MachuPichu and climbed up to the ruins.
What can you say ……magnificent …..an incredible achievement by the Incas when you consider that they didn’t have any machinery or cranes ….just sheer manpower! They terraced and farmed all the mountainsides, even when they were almost vertical! One false step when you’re weeding your carrots and you suddenly find yourself in somebody else’s garden 2000metres lower down! When you look at all the Inca ruins (and there are plenty, not just MachuPichu) you realize that they are ALL built on the tops of incredibly steep mountains ….. WHY! There is plenty of land in the valleys ….but no ….they preferred to climb up the mountains and build in the most inaccessible places possible! When you think of all the hundreds of thousands of tons of stone they had to move …..
Anyway, we set off for Cusco ….with our car making more and more noise. When I looked underneath, the exhaust pipe was completely broken in two (thanks to the Bolivian « roads »). So we had to make an unscheduled stop in Cusco where a garage repaired it (one whole day’s labour by several mechanics ….and it only cost 16euros for their time ….ridiculous!) Next stop was the Nasca lines ….slightly disappointing as they are deteriorating rapidly …there is even a main road right through the middle! Then we drove past Pisco where they had the earthquake a few days ago. It’s tragic …..once again it’s the poorest people who suffer the most because their little mud houses can’t stand up to earthquakes. We saw whole families eating meals in their «dining rooms » which had no roof or walls. Some were living in tents.
The rest of the journey north towards Ecuador was uneventful. We crossed the border with no problems (the border police were even handing out tourist brochures!) and stopped in a valley called the « Valley of Longevity » because they claim some of the inhabitants are 120years old! …..its not done much for my wrinkles yet! We’re staying in a little wooden cabin on a site run by a real laid-back American. Perfect place to live if you want to opt out of society …. Just beautiful, lush green, semi-tropical vegetation with parrots, wild bananas, a river, hammocks ….and a local booze brewed from Yucca plants …..
Bye for now, I feel sleepy.
At the end of our last update we were about to set off for the Amazon …. Well, we didn’t quite make it. We drove through La Paz (getting lost of course …. We get lost in 9 out of 10 towns!), then started down a mountain valley along a road that drops from 3800 metres to 300 metres in about 150km. It has earned the dubious title of being the « most dangerous road in the world » (an average of 26 people killed per year) But we weren’t worried because we were assured that a new road had been built alongside the old one … no problem. Indeed, we went down about halfway with no trouble, to a village where we stayed overnight … super road. Next morning we set off again …..only to find that they hadn’t yet built the second half! ….it was still the old road. It is very narrow, with enormous drops (see picture), but the reason it is so dangerous is because hundreds of huge trucks thunder up and down it every day ….and you have to pass them!! Anyway, we got to the bottom safely, but then found that the « road » to our Amazon town, 400km away, was a diabolically bad mud trail. After adding up the days to get there and back, we decided to postpone our Amazon trip till Ecuador. So we turned round and drove back up the road again (ok, ok ….some people just look for trouble!) ….and headed for Lake Titicaca.
At an altitude of 3800metres, Lake Titicaca (see picture) is one of the highest large lakes in the world (176km long and 50km wide) To get to the town of Copacabana, on a peninsula, we took a ferry …..basically a large, flat-bottomed barge ….with huge gaps in the loose floor planks (see picture) …..great fun! We found a cheap hotel overlooking the lake, where they served free tea and biscuits all day. The tea is a herb tea ….made from coca leaves. It is perfectly legal to use the coca leaves in this way (see picture), and it’s a stimulant, and cures altitude sickness (actually, it doesn’t cure altitude sickness, but if you drink enough, you don’t care any more! …. Whoopeee!!) A 3-course meal at the hotel cost 2 euros!
We crossed over from Bolivia into Peru, and stayed in a village called Chivay in « Condor Canyon ». Next morning we drove up to a viewpoint overlooking the canyon …. And at 8am the condors arrived!!! El Condor Pasa!!! Magnificent birds with a 3.5metre wingspan, gliding on the thermal currents just a few metres over our heads (see picture). We were very excited because this was one of our main objectives in visiting South America. We watched them for about one hour, then they glided off to hunt for breakfast. We set off for Cusco over the mountains, a long, hard drive (getting lost again), and ended up sleeping the night at a toll booth on the main road. The guard at the toll booth gave us excellent advice on the route to MachuPichu ….so we drove through a beautiful green valley to a village called Ollantaytambo, where you can get a train to MachuPichu (no ….sorry ….we didn’t walk the Inca Trail) The little hotel where we stayed had an enclosure full of guinea pigs …..not for pets …..to eat (see picture) We caught the train to MachuPichu and climbed up to the ruins.
What can you say ……magnificent …..an incredible achievement by the Incas when you consider that they didn’t have any machinery or cranes ….just sheer manpower! They terraced and farmed all the mountainsides, even when they were almost vertical! One false step when you’re weeding your carrots and you suddenly find yourself in somebody else’s garden 2000metres lower down! When you look at all the Inca ruins (and there are plenty, not just MachuPichu) you realize that they are ALL built on the tops of incredibly steep mountains ….. WHY! There is plenty of land in the valleys ….but no ….they preferred to climb up the mountains and build in the most inaccessible places possible! When you think of all the hundreds of thousands of tons of stone they had to move …..
Anyway, we set off for Cusco ….with our car making more and more noise. When I looked underneath, the exhaust pipe was completely broken in two (thanks to the Bolivian « roads »). So we had to make an unscheduled stop in Cusco where a garage repaired it (one whole day’s labour by several mechanics ….and it only cost 16euros for their time ….ridiculous!) Next stop was the Nasca lines ….slightly disappointing as they are deteriorating rapidly …there is even a main road right through the middle! Then we drove past Pisco where they had the earthquake a few days ago. It’s tragic …..once again it’s the poorest people who suffer the most because their little mud houses can’t stand up to earthquakes. We saw whole families eating meals in their «dining rooms » which had no roof or walls. Some were living in tents.
The rest of the journey north towards Ecuador was uneventful. We crossed the border with no problems (the border police were even handing out tourist brochures!) and stopped in a valley called the « Valley of Longevity » because they claim some of the inhabitants are 120years old! …..its not done much for my wrinkles yet! We’re staying in a little wooden cabin on a site run by a real laid-back American. Perfect place to live if you want to opt out of society …. Just beautiful, lush green, semi-tropical vegetation with parrots, wild bananas, a river, hammocks ….and a local booze brewed from Yucca plants …..
Bye for now, I feel sleepy.
2 commentaires:
Was it Bill or was it Ben looking at the Inca sites? They certainly look like the flower-pot men! Enjoying folowing the adventures of the travelling Willets.
Dear friends,
We did a three weeks' travel to Holland and back home again we read your story of the Incaland. Inhabitants of 120 years old, amazing!! Ask their secret.
Enjoying of your adventures, we keep in touch.
Many greetings of HaJa.
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