PERU

PERU
Mancora, Peru

It was another long day of travelling, 12hrs+ when i made it over the border from Ecaudor to Peru to the famous surf town of Mancora. As soon as i arrived i went straight to the beach and found what i had been searching for. Perfect tubular waves, lefties, consistent and smooth. So donned on the rash vest got a board and just surfed for the next two days. i loved it. Surfing is something i have wanted to do all my life, since i was a small boy, its in my blood and heart but i never had the opportuntiy really until Abbie moved to Spain. Anyway, every chance i get on my travels i try and get a few days of surf in. Its amazing for the soul and spirit, trust me.

Huarraz, Peru
From Mancora i took an arduos 18+hr bus journey into the Andean mountains of Peru, Huarraz. I had been looking forward to seeing this part of Peru, the true Andies at 6000m +. Well i certainly experienecd it. I only had three days but i managed to find a group of friends within my hostel to come with me horesriding one day, trekking one day and mountain biking the last day. The horse riding was great and we saw some spectacular views but the mountain biking was my favourite. Me, two others and our execllent guide Pedro put the bikes on top of a taxi and drove up hill to the top of one the mounatins in the Cordella Blanca region, some 4000 metres high. Then set up the bikes and downhill mostly all the way. We cycled for about 5-6hrs downhill on dirt tracks, accross valleys and farms and some very tricky rocky parts. I just cruised, the other couple had some difficulties, it was there first time but we all made it back safely. Sadly i dont have any pics of Mancora or Huarraz, this is about the time when my small rucksack was stolen from me with all my valuables. Shit happens (some say for a reason?). Anyway if i can get some pics from those guys i will post them up here.

Cusco, Peru
Having arrived in Lima from Huarraz, when my rucksack got stolen from beside me at the bus station, well then i went to the police and then the British consulate. I chose the consulate in Cusco, not Lima, seeing as i would have to wait 10days. Cusco is a great place to have to stay for a while. Machu Picchu, party town, head HQ of the Inca civilisation back in the day and generally a very cool place. My parents helped me with money, thans mum and dad, and while i waited for my new passport, well of course i had to visit Machu Pichu, but not any old way.

The boys, ripping it in in the clubs in Cusco. Those poor girls!

The Monster bike ride to Machu Picchu, Peru

I met this Dutch guy Erik (in the brown top above) in the same hostel and he also wanted to go to Machu Picchu, but he like me also wanted to rent motorbikes to get there. Well, ....where do i start.

We rock up to this shop and after some negotiations price wise, they amazingly agreed to take me to a football pitch to learn, practice, get used to riding a 250cc off road motor bike. I have never riden a bike in my life! Erik had only ridden once before. After about an hour i was still very uneasy and nervous but we had to get back. I sat on the back of the bike through the traffic and it was a nightmare. It just freaked me out. After a few more discussoons they agreed to let me rent the bike for three days and go to Machu Picchu. You what! No bike insurance nothing. OK, game on! I did have a helmet, jacket and gloves.

We left the next morning at 6am to avoid the traffic, i was going so slowly, like 30-40k/hr on the tarmac. Man i had to get used to the bike, the roads, the traffic. Anyway, we carried on and had our first stop after about two hours to take a pic and have some water. The guy in the shop said the journey takes 6hrs. Getting back on the bike, well damn thing wouldnt bloody start. Shit man. From then on, each time we had to start Erik's bike we had to push and jump start it. Great. Those things weigh about 300kg i guess. Well we 'manned up' and got on with it finding a slope and continuing on.

The journey takes you from Cusco, up the Andean mounatins some 4500m high through very windy roads (like in the French Alps) and on into cold wet cloud cover until you get over the top and down the other side, into jungle, rain forest and no more tarmac. Dirt roads only. We stopped for some interesting food at asome local place (see my face), soup with chicken claw etc...,i do love Latin American food!

Well buy this time i was getting much more confident with the bike. We had been going some 7-8hrs by now (so much for 6hrs in total) and we were going along the final long stretch on dirt road about 1-2metres wide. Through jungle, into huge massive valley raviens with drops of over 500m on the side. Well, i was crusing at about 60km/hr on the straights by now. Just excillerating but of course extremely dangerous, absolutely no room for error. The level of concentraion is just intense. Your life literally in your hands! After about 12hrs! we finally made it to our destination, Santa Teresa. We parked up the bikes safely, ate, then got ready for the 2hr hike along the railway tracks in the dark (no trains at that time) to Agua Calientes, the twon at the bottom of Machu Picchu. We got to Agua Calientes 20mins before the ticket off closed at 10pm, bought our tickets, got a hostel and slept. We woke at 4.30am next morning and made it on the first bus up to Mahcu Picchu.

Just quickly, when driving reaching the summit of the moutinas to cross over from rain forest to snow capped peaks, our hands got so cold that we couldnt use them anymore and found this hut at the top of the moutina with two women and one Quechuian man in their 60's and 70's who took us in so we could ring out the water from our shoes, socks, gloves, jackets etc. We stayed for over an hour drying by there fire. We didn't have any money left but we gave them what little food we had to say thank you. They pretty much saved us from phnemonia.

The ride back into the busy streets of cusco was easy, over taking lorries etc. So what i am basically saying is that i will def be renting more motorbikes when i am in south east asia. The freedom of the road away from tourists, its hard to beat!

Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu, what can i say. Jeeze. The lost city of the Inca's lis ocated some 2400metres high on a flat plain saddled between two forest mountains, with a commanding view down two valleys and a nearly impassable mountain at its back.

Built in 1460, Machu Picchu meaning Old Peak (the name was taken frrm the name of the surrounding moutains because they dont actually know its real name) was discovered by the American Hiram Bingham in 1911 with the help of a local. It was completely covered by rain forest. The Spanish never found and so couldn't plunder this sacred site unlike most other sacred Inca sites they plundered, hence its pristine condintion, which i thought remarkably (the condition). It is a Unesco World Heritage listed site but actually due to the number of visitors each year (roughly half a million) it is now Unesco's list of Worlds Endagered heritage sites.

The Incas were among the best stone masons the world has ever seen apparently, and many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a knife blade fits between the stones. They the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry stone walls of regular shape in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar.

Erik and i made the hike up to Waynah Pichu some 500m higher and looked down onto the site. Its layout shaped like a condor. Look closely at the pics and you'll see. My favorite spot was where i took both the video and pics. It overlooks Machu Picchu but you also gain a feeling for its natuarl hidden location. There werent that many tourists, i expected more and i defintealy felt a very good energy from the location. Machu Picchu is a very special place, fact, and i advise anyone visiting near Peru to see for themselves. I feel fortunate.

Lake Titikaka, Peru

After finally getting my new passport and one bank card sent to me i was dying to get out of Cusco. It had been 10days and i just wanted to get on the road again, heading for the magical and highest lake in the world, Lake Titikaka. This was also the day of my birthday.

My first visit by boat was to these floating villages that literally float on reads upon the water. Bizzare. The people replace the reads by placing new reads on top when the old ones below desintergrate.

I was with small group of fellow travellers and we sailed on to another island, Amante, where we would be staying with our respective families. To be honest i expected much worse conditions, i mean we did have electirty at night! That being said the toilet was just disgustuing, a hole in the ground that stank like hell (not my first and not my last i am guessng). We walked up to one of the sacred inca citadels high up on the moutain, a beatufil place to be quiet as you will see from the video (execpt for the other bloody tourists).

That night, my birthday night, after eating our very fine home cooked delicaies NOT, we all dressed up in traditional andean dress and danced the night away with the locals in their village hall. We all had a lot of fun and i have to say, no i wont forget that particualr birthday party! haha!

The lake was actually my last stop before headng into crazy Bolivia, my last country in Latin Amercia i will visit before leaving for New Zealand, Asia and India. I can't believe its been five months, time has flewn, but i must say i do feel ready to move on. Once i survive Bolivia...