Peru – Travel Blog for Fredrik and Gunnhild

Nasca – Lima

Fredrik 28 June, 2008 Lima, Nazca

We were picked up by our guide Leo at 6.30 am. It was a bit foggy so we went to visit the Cantallo aquaducts, which are still in working order and essential to irrigate the surrounding fields. We also had time to see how the local miners are working before the sky cleared up and we went to the airport.

We had a 35 minute flight over the Nasca lines in a small Cessna (3 seats + pilot). We heard that this flight could be a rough experience, but our pilot was excellent and we had a smooth flight.

Our guide took us for breakfast in a very local restaurant, we said goodbye an had some time to walk around Nasca city centre and relax in the sun before taking the bus back to Lima at 2.30 pm. We had the front seats on the upper deck, the so-called panorama seats.

We’re very pleased with the tour from http://www.peruadventurestours.com and both our driver and our guide (Leo Reyes) were great!! We got to see a lot more than was originally included in the tour, and the knowledge of the guide was impressive.

We arrived in Lima quite late and went straight to the hotel.

Our bags are packed and we have a few hours in Lima before we are going home. We will be in Norway tomorrow (Sunday) around 4.30 pm.

Fredrik 28 June, 2008 Lima, Nazca

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Ballestas Islands – Nasca

Fredrik 27 June, 2008 Nazca

We were served breakfast in the room in Paracas before heading to the harbour and meeting our group for the boat ride to Ballestas Islands. We were approximately 30 people on the boat, and our great guide Leo Reyes made sure we got good seats. On the way out we saw a large group of dolphins, lots of large peruvian pelicans and other birds. We also got plenty of wind and salt water in our hair.

Ballestas Islands have many arches and caves and the number of birds are overwhelming. They produce nitrogen-rich guano (seabird droppings) which is used as a fertilizer. In the mid-19th century guano was Peru`s principal export! We also saw lots of sea-lions, crabs and penguins. On the way back we saw the Candelabra geoglyph, a gigantic figure etched into the sandy hills. And then we ran out of gas…

Safly back in Paracas we continued our private tour to Ica where we went to a small bodega (winery). We had a very interesting tour of the winery which still used old techniques like pressing the grapes by foot. Afterwards we got to taste different wines, piscos and marmelades, and ended up doing a little shopping.

The next stop was Huacachina, a small oasis in the desert. We attacked the sand dunes in a small dune buggy and stopped a couple of times to sandboard down the dunes. Fun!

We had lunch and a walk around the oasis before we hurried towards Nasca to visit the Palpa and Nasca lines watch towers before sunset.

We stayed at Hotel Majoro, previously a hacienda founded by the head chief of the valley. Most of the evening were used to try to get rid of all the sand in our clothes, hair, ears etc.

Fredrik 27 June, 2008 Nazca

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Lima – Paracas

Fredrik 27 June, 2008 Lima

Tuesday we arrived at Lima Airport 6.30 pm and were picked up by a driver from our hotel. We went for dinner in a very charming Italian restaurant/deli/cheese shop/bakery. We also bought some breakfast for the next mornnig here. When we got back to the hotel our guide from http://www.peruadventurestours.com had left us a message saying that we would leave at 8 am instead of 6 am. Great!

We expected to be part of a bigger group, but were picked up by the guide and a driver and will be on a private tour most of the time.

Our first stop on the way down the coast was Pachacamac, an extensive archaeological complex used as a ceremonial center since 800 BC.

We followed the Pan-American Highway to Paracas. After checking in to the hotel we went to the Paracas National Reserve where we started by visiting a small museum/information centre. We had lunch (seafood of course) in the tiny fishing village of Lagunillas where we also could see a lot of birds. We drove around the desert to visit several lookouts to see sea-lions, more birds and various rock formations. In the evening we walked around the very quiet city of Paracas and had dinner almost by ourselves in a nice, little restaurant.

Fredrik 27 June, 2008 Lima

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Colca Canyon

Fredrik 24 June, 2008 Arequipa

At 7.30 am we were picked up in the hotel and started our journey towards Colca Canyon in a private van. We had several stops on the way to see lamas, alpacas, vicuñas, viscachas, different birds and of course the spectacular landscape. At 1 pm we stopped at the highest point of the trip, approximately 4900 meters. We had a buffet lunch in Chivay and afterwards we went for a swim and a beer in the hot springs.

We arrived in our hotel in Cabanaconde around 6 pm and after a beer and updating our webpage we went for dinner in a rustic, local restaurant. There were no electricity, only candles and a fireplace. Great food, great wine, great atmosphere and lots of smoke and sparks from the fireplace.

We got up at 6 am to eat breakfast before going to Cruz del Cóndor. We went for a short and freezing cold walk along the edge of the canyon before the first condors appeared around 8.30 am. At one time we could see ten of them gliding effortlessly on the thermal air currents rising from the canyon, some of them really close. With a wingspan of up to four meters they were really impressive.

Instead of going back to Arequipa the same way as most tours do, we drove through Cabanaconde and continued on a narrow dirt road over the mountains. At noon we had a picnic lunch in the park of the small village Huambo. We continued over the mountains, through the valley of volcanoes and went up to more than 4200 meters. On the way the landscape and the colours changed dramatically, and we had great views towards several snowcapped mountains, more than 6000 meters high.

The road down from the mountain was not as interesting. It was very, very bumpy and the view was mostly sand and cactuses for hours. We arrived in Arequipa around 6 pm, and after a long, hot shower we went for a farewell dinner at a recommended restaurant.

Fredrik 24 June, 2008 Arequipa

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Puno to Arequipa

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Arequipa, Puno

After a tight schedule we decided to take it slow for a couple of days. We walked around the island of the hotel to see the alpacas living there. At 3 pm we took the first class bus to Arequipa. It was a bit delayed, but with huge recliner seats that was no problem.

The next day we started with breakfast at a terrace at the main plaza with a great view of the city’s grand colonial buildings and the surrounding volcanoes. We walked around the city with Jorgen and Kristina, visited a local market and the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. The monasterio is guarded by high walls. It has both colonial and andean architecture and is almost a citadel within the city. In the evening we had a briefing with the Colca Canyon tour organizer, and then went for a couple of beers in a so called Irish Pub.

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Arequipa, Puno

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Lake Titicaca – Taquile Island

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Puno

This small island 35 km from Puno has been inhabited for thousands of years and the people maintain a strong sense of group identity. Taquile felt like its own little world, completely detached from the modern world. The island was completely covered by agricultural terraces, and the scenery was stunning. Red soil, blue lake and Bolivia’s snowy Cordillera Real in the horizon.

Traditions are very important to the society. The men wear tightly knitted hats in colours showing if they are married or not. They take pride in knitting them themselves, and some say that a potential father-in-law would fill the hat with water, and if leaking the man would be a lazy husband.

Single women wear colorful skirts while the married women wear black. They weave colorful and very detailed waistbands for their husbands which are used to protect their backs as there are no cars or donkeys on the island, and everything is carried around.

Their handicrafts are among the best-made in Peru, and are sold at fixed prices in the cooperative store on the main plaza.

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Puno

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Lake Titicaca – Floating Islands

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Puno

Our hotel was located on a small private island and we were picked up at the private port. Our first stop was the floating islands of the Uros (Uros Islands). The islands are built using totora reeds that grow in the shallow parts of Lake Titicaca. The reeds are also used to build the houses, the boats and to make crafts. Parts of the reeds are also edible, and they normally eat approximately 15 a day. New layers of totora reeds are added on top of the islands twice a week as they rot from the bottom.

Traditionally the Uros make a living from fishing and trade this for corn and potatoes from the mainland. For several of the islands tourism is now the main income.

We bought some crafts, tasted the reeds, tried on some traditional Uros clothes and were paddled in a reed boat to another island. When leaving the Uros the ladies were singing, first some local songs, then some 80’s hits and in the end they shouted “Hasta La Vista Baby!”. Charming, but very touristic.

Fredrik 23 June, 2008 Puno

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Inka express to Puno

Fredrik 22 June, 2008 Puno

Inka Express is a guided tour from Cuzco to Puno. We stopped at Andahuaylillas – The Sixtine Chapel of America, Raqchi – Temple of Wiracocha God, La Raya pass – 4335 meters above sea level and Pukara.

In the evening we met up with the others that came by train and had a relaxing evening in the hotel. Laura organized a private tour of Lake Titicaca for the next day.

Fredrik 22 June, 2008 Puno

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Leaving Cuzco

Fredrik 19 June, 2008 Cusco

Back in Cuzco we enjoyed the pleasures of sivilization. A long hot shower, clean clothes, some shopping and a good restaurant. Again we tasted some local specialities. Cream of Quinua, Corn with cheese, Alpaca with onions and Beef with egg and banana. Strange combinations but surprisingly good.

In the evening Jorgen, Kristina, Laura and John came back from the Inca Trail, tired, happy and with hurting knees.
This morning our friend and tour organizer Adan took us to the bus to Puno. It was a bit sad to say goodbye, but we will definately stay in touch!

Fredrik 19 June, 2008 Cusco

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Sandoval Lake

Fredrik 19 June, 2008 Cusco

After a short flight to hot and humid Puerto Maldonado we were picked up by our guide Leon. We stopped at an animal conservation centre before we started our journey by boat down the river Madre de Dios. On the way we saw lots of colorful birds and a white cayman (peruvian alligator). On the boat we were served an ecological lunch served in large leaves. After about 1 hour boat ride we left the river and walked 3 km through the rainforest to Lake Sandoval where we spotted a sloth (dovendyr), a very rare anteater, lizards, birds and lots of butterflies. Sandoval Lake Lodge was located on the other side of the lake and we were paddled across in traditional canoes.

The lodge itself was beautifully integrated with the surrounding nature and could hardly be seen from the lake. At the same time it was quite luxurious and had a fantastic view. We stayed two nights at the lodge, met a lot of great people and went on several walks and canoe trips. The most facinating one was probably the night hike where we used flash lights to spot small and large spiders, tree frogs and other small animals coming out at night. The garden of the lodge was also very interesting. Two large tarantellas lived just outside our room, and in the garden we also found a lot of rainforest plants. Some of them were used for food and some for medicine, and we were able to both taste and smell them.

Most people took the same route back to Madre de Dios, but our guide asked us if we wanted to walk through the rainforest instead of going in canoes. It was a beautiful walk and we saw plenty of monkeys, parrots and macaws. We had a breakfast picnic and caught up with the rest of the group by the river.

Fredrik 19 June, 2008 Cusco

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