Welcome to Peru!

We have really only skimmed the surface of the Land of the Incas, mainly due to our extended slow motion stop-over in Bolivia. But our small taste of this beautiful country has definitely whet our appetite to return one day.

Peru seems to be a lot better equipped for visitors, and we seem to have hit many of the highlights. It is a dead-easy country to visit, and offers plenty for every type of tourist, from spectacular scenary, to fascinating history, and, to our delight, fantastic food. 10 days is most certainly not enough to fully appreciate Peru, and we hope to be back.

What have the Incas ever done for us?

Destination number 1 in Peru is the Inca citadel, Machu Picchu.

There are two ways of getting to there - by train, and an overnight stop in the little town of Aguas Calientes (Hot Waters), or via a four-day hike through the mountains along the old Inca Trail. As I was completely pooped after a short wander around Colca Canyon, we opted for the first route, and enjoyed a spectacular journey through the Urubamba valley.

Without meaning to be gushy, I must say that nothing really prepared us for the spectacle of the 'lost' city of Machu Picchu - it is quite awesome! And not for any academic reasons either. We arrived, incredibly under-read on our Inca history, architecture, farming techniques, sacrificial practices, etc. We were, however, quite overwhelmed by such an unbelievable feat of engineering. Not only is the citadel perfectly positioned on a peak but it served as an agricultural centre, which meant the Incas farmed on terraces built into the steep slopes. All of which makes Machu Picchu a wonder to behold. Those Incas were certainly clever!

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Sunburn

You'd think after a good few months travelling through very extreme climates - some of them particularly UV-dangerous to pasty northern skin - that we would now be taking relevant precautions in the sun. Not so. Being above 3000m for the last few weeks has meant cooler air temperatures. And this beguiling fact, coupled with my inate ability to make the same mistake a million-and-one times, resulted in some of my most interesting sun damage so far. For example... here's some evidence of how not to apply sunblock to your feet for a day out in your favourite footwear. And the result...

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The question is...

is this a face only a mother could love???

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Water, water, everywhere...

Before leaving Bolivia, we decided to stop over at the small town of Copacobana, the jumping off point for Isla del Sol, the largest island on Lake Titicaca, and also the legendary birthplace of the Incan sun-god. A planned easy stroll across the island very soon turned into a five-hour hike in the searing sun at 3800m altitude, up and down hills and through little villages full of farmers and their very colourful livestock - NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING OR ANYTHING! Anyway, our final destination was the port, a lovely village with the steepest of walks down to the pier, where we were met by a small army of donkeys, llamas and little old ladies all heading back up the hill with supplies brought in by the last ferry. Life moves at a very different pace on the Lake!

Lago Titicaca is the largest fresh water lake in South America, lying between two countries - Peru and Bolivia - both of which suffer from increasingly severe water shortages as their usual supplies begin to melt with the Andean glaciers. Titicaca contains over 800,000,000,000 cubic metres of water ,and receives 4 cubic metres of groundwater per second from underwater aquifers. Yet, when you visit the area, the agricultural land surrounding the lake is arid, under-irrigated and in some cases unworked entirely. The local population is poor, fragmented and in bad health. Por que??

In some parts of the basin, evaporation exceeds rainfall considerably, making the concentration of dissolved salts very high. Organic and bacterial contamination due to urban wastes and mining - sewage waste from the surrounding centres of Puno, Juliaca, and Oruro - is discharged into the lake without enough treatment, and mining activity accounts for very high levels of heavy metals in the water. This is made worse by the rustic methods employed by the mainly micro-enterprises or individuals getting the tin, silver, zinc, copper and gold out of the ground. Less than 20% of the land within the water table is suitable for crop production so soil erosion is a major problem. In addition, historical fragmentation of property following land reforms in the middle of the 20th century now means farmers find it impossible to increase their yield, and the use of modern technology is not economically viable. Of the areas that are suitable for crops and pasture, most have been overexploited. Grim stuff, so what's being done?

A bi-national authority now exists which has evaluated water resources, created a (previously absent) legal framework and management model, and is implementing a "Master Plan". This plan is mainly concentrating on an irrigation and drainage strategy, flood protection and prevention, and general conservation. Results? Difficult to say. But every voice on the subject cites the problem of acute poverty in the region, the embarrassing lack of investment in public health, and the arcane laws regarding property rights which have fragmented ownership of potentially profitable land, as the issues most in need of address. Time will tell...

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Do you take tomato sauce with your alpaca?

There is no doubt that Peruvian food is interesting, and we have really enjoyed sampling some of the different dishes on offer. Our favourite is definitely Cerviche - fish or shellfish which has been "cooked" in lemon juice, and is served cold with plenty of red onion and something to temper the lemon, usually butternut or even papaya. It's fresh and zingy, and we couldn`t get enough!

Also a must try is the "Cuy" or guinea pig. Yes folks, I'm afraid it is the very same pet many youngsters build little hutches for, and feed carrots to. If you were wondering, the traditional way of eating guinea pig is to squish it between to large stones, and roast it until it's crispy. Mmmmmmmmmm...

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A canyon is an amazing thing...

And Colca Canyon is no exception. Not only is it home to the majestic condor (see below), but it provides the most breathtaking views.

We headed into the canyon on a three-day tour, with Colca Tours, one of the more reputable companies operating from Arequipa, Peru's second city. We were joined by a great group of people: Liz (England), Helen (Ireland), Pieter and Sabine (Holland), Jan and Anne (Germany) and Rene (Switzerland). Our very able guide, Olivia, not only performed amazing athletic feats by running up the canyon at times, but was also a fountain of knowledge on all the little villages which are dotted along and within the canyon. It seems that while most were conquered by the Incas, many retain their own identity, evident in the traditional hats and skirts worn by the women.

Unfortunately for Marc, I was in no fit state to walk down the canyon, so he had to suffer fits of frustration and tears as we made our way down the often steep and rocky cliff to the oasis at the bottom. Fortunately for Marc though, Olivia volunteered a very strong mule to carry me up the next morning, while everyone else got up at 3:30am to make their way to the top. Marc made the climb in an incredible 2 hours, my brave little mule and I were hot on his heels though.

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A dedication to Desperado!

South America is a musical continent, there is no doubt about that. Wherever we have been, we have heard an array of music, from wild Spanish reggae, to the Gypsy Kings do "Hotel Califonia" in Spanish, to the ever-constant and seemingly unending stream of pan-pipe wielding Andean musos whistling that old (and rather despisable) Simon and Garfunkel ditty "I'd rather be a hammer...".

Of all the "repeated-for-tourists'-pleasure" numbers that we have heard, there is one that we have enjoyed - Il Mariachi by none other than Antonio Banderas for the movie Desperado (brilliant opening scene with him sidling down the bar on his way to bash some rednecks on the head). So, we thought we'd link to it here, for everyone to enjoy!

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Isn't it great to be 3!

Birthday celebrations were happening all over the place over the past two weeks, but never with more gusto than for our nephew Matthew who reached the grand old age of 3 on September 21st.

Below, Matthew leads the celebrations with a Spiderman cheer while his cousins, Gabby and Jonathan, and his old man and little sis Mia look on.

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Spotted... the majestic Andean Condor

During our trip into and out of Colca Canyon, we were fortunate (given the time of year) to spot a total of five of these massive birds as they soared upwards out of the canyon on early morning thermals. Unfortunately, they all escaped our camera, but we weren't too bothered as we were so stoked at seeing them. They're generally difficult to track after around 9am, travelling as they do over 300km a day foraging for food (usually the remains of dead creatures).

Feeding on carrion has meant an evolutionary adaptation - an absence of head plumage, therefore no soiled feathers to clean after dinner. The absence of head plumage, however, also means that this is a butt-ugly specimen of a bird close-up and sitting down. But who cares if you've got a 3m wingspan?

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