from arequipa to the frontera - catch-up!

Of most days, perhaps I feel I could write ten novels, but really the leaves stay inside me, the words and lessons internal. I have been more than a little lazy with the blog, so much has happened that I'm afraid you'll just have to miss out on the stories. But there is a way of making up for that... flyyyy!! Ven aqui!

From Arequipa, I left for Cusco, taking a night bus that got me into the city at dawn. An impressive sight, but the city itself I had a mixed relationship with, loving and disliking it in turns. There was one spot that I liked to consider a favourite, outside the church up on the hill breathing in the early morning. Very nice. I stayed in Cusco for about two weeks, working in Loki hostel and volunteering with Aldea Yanapay, a lovely little kids centre, where they teach the kids art and games. It's really nice actually, they're very nationalist in Peru, much like when I was in school, I remember learning about the same couple of wars and the same history of the UK over and over, here they learn about Peru all the time. But in Yanapay, it's really nice, they have a different theme every couple of weeks so the kids are always learning about a different culture, religion or language and then they put a show on every Friday about what they've learnt. It's sweet.

One day was particularly great, albeit stressful. The project that week was split between child exploitation and circus skills (yes, indeed, not themes that usually run parallel) because there is a cultural centre in the city that had a photography project with the kids. We took the kids out to a central plaza where they set up the exhibition and the kids put on the plays they'd created about the theme and showed off their by now impressive circus skills. It was really fun, but really stressful trying not to lose the hyperactive kids under my care.

Shaman in the market on Avenida Garciloso

View of the church where I liked to sit

View from the church where I liked to sit

Hospital de la solidaridad, as you can see. At the feria de Wanchaq.

A bunch of other stuff also happened. I met some really great people, but I can't go telling you about all of them, I don't have enough time. Adventures were had.

From Cusco I went to Moray and spent a couple of nights there. It's a really nice village in the Sacred Valley and from there I could go to visit Maras, a pretty site of concentric terracing, with a very nice hike to get there and to Salinas, where a lot of the community works salt panning. It's quite a spectacle, but it's also really funny. Tourists go for fun where others go for work. Then on to Urubamba por Ollantaytambo. Ollanta is incredible. It really is stunning, you feel strangely protected by the mountains. The ruins were the last stand of the Incas, they flooded the valley to defeat the conquistadores. It worked, but only temporarily. They returned with reinforcements. Still, clever use of the locale.

My new house

Occasionally I use the timer

Really funny truck journey back from Salineras to Maras.

Then started my journey to Maccu Picchu. I opted for the economico route, the so-called 'back door' route, which means taking a few different buses through little villages rather than paying a hundred dollars for a tourist train. I really liked my journey. The views from the buses were just incredible. There were no seats left on the bus from Ollanta to Santa Maria so I sat in the front cab with the drivers, chatting and asking them the names of the all bands they were listening to. Another girl got on after me and stayed in the front too. She only stayed on the bus for an hour or so, in which time she shared her food with the driver, then he let her get off at her college without paying. He then gave his lunch to a woman begging by the side of the road. There are houses in places where it seems nothing should live. Dotted everywhere.

As we continued, the rain started and it became clear how close we were to the jungle, everything was lush and there were banana trees everywhere. One combi and one taxi later, me and some other economico visitors were at the hidroelectrica, to start the two hour hike to Aguas Calientes. Really stunning walk through the clouds at points and dark by the end. The power was out in Aquas Calientes which added some much needed romance to the most touristic place I've ever visited.

Never before seen view of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was something pretty special indeed. I could wish not to be so cliche, but why lie? It was amazing. I hiked up the seemingly endless steps up the mountain, starting at five in the morning, in order to get to Machu Picchu for sunrise. I met a French girl on the way and we somehow managed to get a bit lost, walking round in circles in the dark until at last we stumbled upon some Brazilian guys more experienced/awake/sensible than we and we followed them up. Easy peasy, though my red face and sodden t-shirt would like to tell you something different. Then I was in. And.......waaaa.. I won't say too much about it, suffice to say I enjoyed myself rather a lot.

Trying to cram one month into one blog post is perhaps a bit ambitious. Your coffee is long since finished and the dog needs taking out, but honestly, we're getting closer to the Bolivian border now. Or just skip to the photos. I'll keep them to a minimum while these words just ramble on.

I returned to Cusco the same way, stopping en route in Santa Teresa for a very pleasant day and night in the thermal baths. It was really nice to have a good soak after my mini hikes and less than perfect straw mattresses. And once it got dark, it really felt magical. They're open twenty four hours but after about four hours, I felt I was probably pruned enough. Plus, some new friends were teaching me Quechua so we went back to the village for dinner and more lessons in the plaza! Chaska nahui.... ima munay sonq'o. (eyes of stars, what a beautiful heart. They wanted me to know that it was a romantic language and Antonio wanted to know how to pick up girls in Quechua (only his friend, Ronald, spoke it).

Baños Termales, lindo lindo..

Then on to Quillabamba, a jungle town. Soooo hot. Really. And for once I wasn't alone in thinking so, even the locals keep to the shade as much as possible. It has a really nice market where you can buy all the second hand clothes, socks and razors that a travelling girl could need. Mostly though, they sold chickens and guinea pigs for taking away, killing and eating. I had no room in my rucksack though.

Arriving in Cusco, I then had a quick dash from one bus terminal to another for the last bus that night to Puno. I boarded.

Puno is in Peru but being the border city, I will leave off scribbling about it until next time.

Phew. Mammoth catch up done. And I'm still about three weeks behind. Enjoying.