Peru (August 2005)

Arrival date: 22 July 2005 | Trips: Machu Picchu, Nazca, Cuzco, Puno, Suasi Island | Visa: 90 days

Diary: Check all my entries here >> http://nosham.com/tag/peru/

Intro: Why to Peru? Well I don’t know exactly how I put in my mind the south American trip, but I probably was in Canary Islands learning Spanish when I met couple of persons from Venezuela, Peru and Argentina who were very worm and nice so I started planting the trip in my mind until I finally got a flight. So, in the middle of august I flew from Canary Islands to Madrid, Spain, without even having a ticket to destination and I spent few days at the airport searching for an available seat to somewhere in south America, I found one for Peru, Lima after lots of hassles.

Hosted by: Sylvia R.
Sylvia and her family were very kind with me. They introduced me to other family members and many friends who helped me out with accommodation during my local trips: Sylvia has an uncle, a cousin or a far kin in almost each of the towns I’ve been visiting… and they all treated me like if I were a relative, giving me everything I needed, suggesting me new routes and cool things to visit. But the best present I received is being hosted on a wonderful island that her family owns: Isla Suasi.
Sylvia’s mother was as well a mother for me, and her brother Christian el bandido, was like my brother!

Puno is a very quiet city, with very low criminality and a very easy going lifestyle, it is located on the west coast of the lake Titikaka, the highest located lake in the world (4000 mts), this lake is also divided by the imaginary boundary line of Bolivia (actually you can get there in less than 3 hours and for less than 5$). The most attractive thing about the lake at less than 15 minutes by boat ride is certainly the floating islands of Los Uros: it is a series 14 very tiny islands built by the nature itself with the accumulated straw! The population there is just composed by a few families. They built very lovely huts and boats with the straw!
I stayed with some relatives of Sylvia, they had a huge mansion and from the 4th floor the view was marvelous: the lake was reflecting the sun rays over the city spreading amazing colors all around.

Lima is one of the worst city I’ve ever visited during all life and during all my trips all around the world. It has pollution, very high criminality and the weather sucks. It really sucks.

Suasi Island: When I found out Sylvia’s family was owning the island, I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to get there. This is a unique island, a rare land, surrounded by a completely peaceful atmosphere. The particularity of the Island is that it is located in the middle of the lake Titikaka and you have to know that it is situated at 4000mt of height… The weather is bizzarre: the sun was literally burn my skin and warm me up when I was under its rays ,but once I was standing in the shadow I was freezing out in a matter of seconds. The air was rarefied and after a few minutes walking, my heart was beating like crazy… It takes time to get used to this place, but if you do, you will see a few spectacular things: the colors of the sunset and the most dazzling moon you’ve ever seen, it gives you such a strong light during the night that you can even see your shadow!!!! Believe me, it is one of the most singular places on the earth! If you want to know more, visit its official website: www.islasuasi.com

Nazca: The coolest thing I have done in Nazca was to climb the highest dune of southamerica : “el cerro blanco” (2500mts) and go down with the sandboard… it was amazing. The Nazca culture can be located around 200 a.c. counts inside it various mysteries: two of them are the aqueduct and the lines: the aqueduct was built with a special technique: you have to know in that area there is a special energy during the days of full moon (if you try to cut your hair for example, they will grow up a bit!!). The technique consist in using those special powers in order to inset and cut the stones easily. It was used to bring the water in the desert and conserve it fresh and clear, and was even used for to hide themselves from the enemy (apparently they were a peaceful population). The mystery of the lines is a bit more complex: many archeologist studied those giant lines representing figures that the Nazcas were drawing/digging on the desert: how did they make it if they couldn’t fly over it, to see how their work looked like? (the technology of those time as we know shouldn’t have permit them to do it! ? or maybe not?)? how did they make such a precise work (you can see many straight lines)? And above all, why did they make such a huge work? Of course there is a scientific answer to all of these questions; when I was there I saw a video that was answering most of those questions but still a lot of inhabitants of the place still believe they were using a superior technology (alien or so) or such things…

Cuzco and Machu Picchu: Cuzco (that in Quechua language means “navel of the world”) is a small town situated at 3.300mt of height.It is the centre of the Inca’s culture and in the past it was the capital of the Inca’s emperor. The legend says that during the XII century Manco Capac and Mama Ocillo, sent by Dios Sol (the god of the sun) came out from the lake Titikaka and pointing a stick , he indicated the crowd where to fund the Inca’s empire. When I first got to the city centre I hadthe impression that I was in the most touristic place of Peru: in fact this spot is a most beaten track for visitors from all around the world and during all the year round. Visiting the Inca’s ruins. Peru is a very poor country and I think that one its main incomesis derived from Cuzco and Machu Picchu tourism. Cuzco is the city where you have to sleep at least one night before visiting Macchu Picchu. There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu: one by train, in which you can visit the ruins in one day, and one with the path used by the ancient Incas that it actually takes 4 days of walking. The biggest problem is the following: the cost of the trip: a real theft if you think that to get there by train you have to spend minimum 60$ for the train and 30$ to enter the MachuPicchu ruins; if you choose the Inca’s path they will force you to rent a guide and a place where to sleep, charging you more than 250$. I just think that the culture and the acknowledge of the history should be free… Anyway after choosing of course the cheapest way and getting offthe train I reached Aguas Caliente, a town with less than 1.000 inhabitants: there are no cars and asphalted roads. From this town (2.000mt ) you have to walk for like1 hour at 2.500mt to ultimately find the famous ruins. After passing a lot of controls and guards, and you finally get inside: you feel like being catapulted back in time, in the Incas time, the most surprising thing is when you wonder how the Incas could have been so intelligent and smart to use an architecture that was thousands of years ahead for that time: for example the stones are perfectly cut, the garden and the houses are perfectly organized and there is even a solar watch, just incredible for that time!!! I felt I wanted to spend the night there, the atmosphere was kind of magic… I’ve heard that actually they’re voting for Macchu Picchu to be the 8th marvel of the world…