The long and winding road

Up at some disgusting time. I blame the altitude. I get up and open the bathroom door and there is a huge party happening. I went back to bed but could still hear it. Only 2 hours to real wake up time. 

We showered and made our way to breakfast. We were on a mission. With another couple from the tour we had split a loaf of bread and our mission was to butter the bread. Butter curls were 2 to a plate. We had 5 plates stacked. Then the hotel breakfast employee comes out, sees all the butter missing and questions Annette who claims that we really like butter. As it was, the bread was dry and the butter hard.

The drive was long but Annette did manage to find markets on a 5 minute stop. She bartered while the rest of us waited in the bus. This was at around 4000 metres so when we got started again and ate our chip butties I believe it was a world record for consumption of such food at the highest altitude.

The scenery was spectacular. I just wish that the sun wasnt on my side of the bus the whole way.

Finally we made Cusco, had a short break and did a quick walk around the city. This is the time of year for festivals and every 5 minutes fireworks would go off.

We made our way to the restaurant and had nachos. I had an alpaka burger as a main meal.

It was here that we met our guide for the walk and got an orietation. Seems like we cant take many clothes on the walk as the sleeping bag and extra mattress take up more than half the weight.

Back at the hotel with our duffle bags for the trip we tried to figure out what to take as the weight situation had stuffed everything. We used scales to weigh our stuff and we were way over. The scales also said my sleeping bag of 1.75 kg was 3 kg. mmmm. We then discovered they had other scales that were a bit more accurate it seemed but we just dont know.

I then attempted to have a shower. No hot water or course. It could wait until tomorrow.

The Wacking Stick

After my first good sleep in ages we eoke at 6 and went over to the cooking kitchen/dining room/ little dark hit. Our job was to roll dough into balls and then stretch them. Hilda the second sister then dropped them in oil and they turned into a big puffy pastry. I stopped at 6. Should have eaten more. That is when we were summoned to the field on the hill. We or Stephanie got the 8 or so sheep out of the holding pen with rope tied to their leg. She took them all down the hill where we tied and she retied the to a metal stake. Work done. Not. 

The father was hitting a pile of reed like plants. Turned out to be nroad bean stalks. Then we got our own sticks. Slightly curved, smooth, thin at one end thick the other. We hit them rolled them over and over, maybe for over an hour. The father kept em coming and we kept hittind. The goal was to break the stalks so the cows could eat them. Not sure if it was because wr we hood or bad at it but  we got sent for a siesta.

Then to lunch. Three different potatoes,vegies with fried cheese. They eat so well. Then it was off to rhe boat for the trip to Puna. On the way we got the chance to jump into an ectremely cold lake. Four did , i didnt. No regrets. Back the hotel then shopping for food for our 7 hour bus trip tomowwow , and new head  phones for the ones she lost in our bike taxi the day before. Then off to dinner where Annette got hers for free due to the slow service. Very surprising.

After dinner it was back to bed, but not before another shop visit and alpaka purchase

Titikaka

A quick ride in a passenger pushbike dodging traffic and realising there are no rules. The easiest way to get your licence is on the black market. 

A short stop on the floating islands (hit wikipedia for this) but the people live on islands made of reeds. We were there long enough for Annette to spend money at the markets. Tick off another continent for market action.

From there we cruised for 3 hours. The lake is massive. A long way to our left, oops sorry, to our port side was Bolivia, final destination for Butch and Sundance. 

On arrival at our first destination we took a short walk up a steep hill. The red blood cells haven't done their job yet. Luckily lunch was at the top overlooking the lake. It made places like Doyles look like a corner fish and chip shop. Two courses for around $8 each. From there it was a 20 minute walk and back on the boat.

Its really hard to explain the altitude. I keep feeling like I have forgotten to take a couple of breaths. One girl on the tour collapsed as soon as she got off the plane. 

We then headed to our night with a host family.

So it was with great pain that the first thing we (I) did on arrival was play soccer against the local teenagers on a concrete field the size of a basketball court. Now I got a better knowledge of how hard it is for  sportsmen to play at altitude. The burning in my chest was big. 

Maybe 20 minutes of this and as the sun set the locals danced for us. Then we got dressed in local costumes and did the same dance. Finally we finished and left for our stay with our host. So off we walked up the rather large hill in the dark with only my trusty Aldi light leading the way. All this while still wearing the costume. What I didn't know at the time was that we were making our way through the farming land. At night you can't see the thousands of tiny little sheep, pig, donkey, cow and chicken crap everywhere.

On arrival to our room we talked to stephanie our host. She didn't speak English and we didn't speak her language. We did understand dinner.

We had a really nice meal of soup, a vegetarian stew and a hot drink. This would come back to haunt me later. Then it was off to bed............. at730. Finally a good sleep only interrupted by an angry donkey next door(or Annette snoring, not sure)

Now going to bed so early straight after soup and hot drink, and with the toilet  outside and too far to walk to in my sleepy state could only mean one thing

Chamber pot. Using the ipod as a torch, I reached under the bed, got my pottie and went, making as little noise as I could.

Its 519am

That was the weirdest sleep I have ever had. A cross between sleeping, dreaming and hallucinating. Has to have something to do with the lack of oxygen. Last night everybody was going on about how cold it was. It's not. So the bed has about 5 blankets. I kept thinking that the weight of my blankets was stopping me from breathing. Turning over was a feat in weight lifting strength. I guess its my birthday but not really sure about this differing world timezone stuff. It would have been good to sleep in but I am just sitting in the absolute quiet (apart from my tinitus) waiting for the alarm, a shower and breakfast before attempting to convince the hotel reception to get my money out or their safe. Today I get to giggle under my breath, as will every other male on the trip as we sail over Lake Titticaca. Or maybe its just an immature Australian male thing.  

Just a quick note on last nights dinner, the people opposite had potatoes in wanker sauce. Rudie our guide was previously advised of the Aussie meaning  and is quite amused. I think it means splendid in Peru.

Will sign off for this morning. Might get up and steal all the hot water before everybody wakes up and then get an early jump on breakfast. It will take all my strength to get all of these blankets off.

KFC

To bed at midnight, still awake at 2am. Woken by the garbos between then and 350am wake up. Still wonderingwhen the holiday starts.

On the bus to the airport, onto the plane and in the air by 620am to Puno at 3820 metres above sea level. Its going to be interesting to see if the altitude tablets work. Thanks ebay.

One girl from the group was sick 2 minutes after landing. Its a weird feeling but I first noticed when I carried me luggage up the stairs. As my heart leat out of my chest I could only think ahead to the 3 day trek. Maybe the stairs will be harder than the walk. I think i'm operating on 5 hours sleep since Sydney so not thinking too clear at the moment.

Now our appetite was going to drop due to altitude so of course we head out to a huge lunch. I had soup which was a meal in itself followed by an alpaka dish. 

The afternoon was free so we walked up to a lookout to test out the lungs. Its not easy without air. Coming down i slipped and put my hand on A roof, covered with cactus. Chalk up another holiday cactus incident. It only rates a 3 compared to Annettes perect 10 in Arizona with the jumping cactus.

So back to our hotel we wandered by way of the local eqivalent of K mart. Tomorrow we are doing a home stay and we are advised to take them some fruit and veggies. Made it back by 4 and caught up on a few hours sleep, so of course woke up feeling worse than before. 

And so to dinner where we saw traditional music and dancers. That is where I had my first KFC of the trip. In Peru the C stands for cuy which pretty much translates to Guinea Pig. Sitting in its entirity on the plate less tail I just ripped it apart and ate. Sort of  a cross between chicken, duck and fish. It came with potatoes. In peru, everything does. Back to the room, more repacking for our homestay adventure and to bed before midnight.

A shit of a day

All you can eat buffet. Plus I sqeezed in a little bit more. We headed out at a respectable time and checked out the ocean before joining a walking tour which of course started with a bus trip. Rocked up to see the changing of the guard but it was on downstairs so a no go for us. Checked out buildings, visited churches walked and walked and then got back to hotel eventually. 

We found out we had a tour meeting at 630pm. While waiting I watched the end of The Sting in Spanish before heading down to meet our tour buddies. So we are sitting and listening to our guide Rudie, when I can smell something. I narrowed it down to either me being so sleepy that I could not control my own natural body functions, or that the socks I had been wearing since Sydney really stank.

After getting the news that most days would start at 430am and that we all get sick and the altitude would wreak havoc with us we headed out to a traditional Pizza Hut. Great pasta and biggest dessert I have eaten since the last holiday where food doesn't matter. AKA carbo loading. 

Back at 10pm we had to rearrange our bags. That is when I had a whiff of my socks. Nothing. Of course the huge amount of dog crap stuck firmly to the bottom of my shoe was the cause of the problem. An hour later I think it was all removed. Now if everybody else in the meeting could smell it too it means I will probably get a seat by myself for the rest of the trip. 

Its now midnight and the phone will be ringing in four hours. I hope the wake up call guy doesnt forget......then again.

A New Adventure

One day we will go on a holiday with night time flights but once again we were up at 5am and out the door by 6. 

This early start coupled with the 3 hours of sleep I have had in the past 31 hours surely explains why I have had big problems spelling my name on every immigration form. So very sleepy

So we had Sydney to Auckland, including a one minute check in, followed by the killer 10 1/2 hours to Chile including screaming infants and 2.97 movies watched. Then after a 3 hour wait including 2 hamburgers worth 15,060 of the local currency the last leg to Peru.

A quick note to all international travellers. When they remind you to check your seat pockets for any personal items, do it properly otherwise you may leave your e reader on the plane, only to realise 2 hours later and thus put your final flight in jeopardy because boarding is nearly over.

Annette is currently looking for the business card from the lost property office. She has lost it. Our first South American irony.

Not too fussed with putting the used toilet paper in an uncovered bin. Good thing every flight meal included cheese so no need to worry about it for a few days.

Its time to check out local tv and get some serious sleep. Also get to try out our first batch of water and purifying pills. Mmmmmm