BA - The Paris of South America

Obelisco de Buenos Aries

Part Europe part Latino Buenos Aries is a beautiful city with tree lined streets, open plazas and renaissance style architecture providing a back drop to a city like no other in South America.  Looking past the cultured and sophisticated European cover Latino culture still thrives, albeit with an Argentinian twist of football, tango and te de mate.  It is impossible not to notice the wealth in the city compared to its neighbours despite the spiralling inflation in Argentina and current corruption allegations against the former President.   Manicured parks, boutique shops and modern apartment blocks dominate the central districts (there are 48 barrios in total) and there is a calm and serenity not present in other South American capital cities.  There are even pavements without giant holes in them or obstacles on them that might have allowed us to walk around admiring the city were it not for the vast quantities of dog shit that cover the paths – you can’t have everything!  We stayed in an Airbnb apartment in Belgrano, a nice central residential district that gave us time to relax and enjoy some comforts alien to us in the past year.  These first world luxuries were namely a bath and an oven so I could make pies and apple crumble… simple things. 

The National Congress

If we had flown from Europe straight to Buenos Aries we may have only stayed a short time as despite being a beautiful city to stroll around we felt we could have been in any of the famous European capitals (not meant in any way to be a slight.)  For us it was exactly what we wanted to experience; a little normality to rest and recover after some hectic travel.  What Buenos Aries does lack is an iconic landmark such as the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum but the central districts have some attractive architecture & plazas.  These are filled with locals drinking te de mate that is drunk traditionally in an ornate mug through a straw made of silver.  As we explored the down town we passed two of the most impressive renaissance style buildings in the city, The Teatro Colon and National Congress.  When visiting the latter we stumbled into a protest complete with opportunistic street sellers with BBQ’s.   Argentinian’s do not seem to be able to live a few hours without eating some form of meat!  Walking down the narrow streets east of the protest we found the famous Obelisco de Buenos Aries, a 68m tall phallic shaped monument erected to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city in 1936.  Just around the corner we found an excellent restaurant serving Bife de Chorizo (steak), the must have food in Argentina which rounded off a great day exploring the centre of the city.

Teatro Colon

Recoleta Cemetery

Despite the European architecture in the city centre there was still enough noise and chaos on the streets to remind us which continent we were in.  Street venders selling everything from plug adapters to leather belts roamed the streets and there was enough noise and chaos to give the central shopping street a distinctly Latino vibe.  Unfortunately for me it was the 30^th anniversary of the infamous Hand of God goal by Diego Maradona and as we strolled down Calle Florida I was accosted by the Argentinian ESPN team to give an interview about my feelings towards the cheating bastard Argentinian legend.  With all the diplomacy I could muster I expressed my most sincere respect for his talent whilst pointing out that Pele was far superior; just as Ronaldo is better than Messi and Owen’s goal against them in 2002 was far better than Maradona’s against us in 1986.   My diplomacy was at least some conciliation for me as I had to endure nearly every billboard in the city advertising Maradona’s new book showing an image of the goal on the front cover.  An essential stop to explore the political history of Argentina is to visit the famous Recoleta Cemetery in the most bourgeois district of the city of the same name.  The amazing tombs house some of the wealthiest and most influential people in Argentina’s history including Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentina’s most famous President in the 20^th Century Juan Peron.  Although a champion for women and the working class she is almost ironically buried with her class enemy’s but hers is the only grave to be covered in flowers 365 days a year.

A squadron of parakeets

The docklands

The anti-Buenos Aries is the barrio of Puerto Madero, an area which unlike the rest of the city that famously faces away from the water embraces the Rio de la Plata, the world’s widest river which in places reaches 220km in width.  The restored port looks to have been modelled on London Docks with converted brick warehouses and modern offices running along the water front.  The highlight for us was the ecological area that has been preserved along the river which houses hundreds of species of birds.  The squadrons of squawking parakeets that terrorise the city are abundant in the reserve and we spent a few hours walking on the trails enjoying an unexpected break from the hustle of Buenos Aries.   To the north of the city another escape from the bustling city is the barrio of Tigre (named after the Jaguars that used to live their) which runs alongside a river delta with the same name.  A stroll along the water front took us past the naval museum which houses some remains of a vessel destroyed by the British during the Falklands conflict – we quickly moved on.   The barrio housed a lot of rowing clubs in buildings that would not have looked out of place along the Thames River and we enjoyed freshly made empanadas watching the river traffic heading to Uruguay.

El Tigre

Ultimately our time in Buenos Aries was us trying to have a holiday from traveling, a ridiculous sounding statement unless you have travelled for long stints.  Enjoying having simple conveniences like a wardrobe, a T.V and no immediate pressure to have to run around and see as much as possible was a change in lifestyle that we needed.  We may have watched far too many box sets and a lot of football during this time (Argentina went into mourning when they lost the Copa America Final) but it gave us a chance to rest Hannah’s ankle and recover a little before our final six weeks.  We eventually managed to get our Vietnamese working VISA’s from the friendliest immigration official we have ever encountered and we left excited to cross the water for a short visit to Uruguay, the penultimate country of our trip. 

A Hobble Around Argentina's Vineyards

The vineyards surrounding Cafayate

Seconds after Chile had scored a controversial last minute penalty to win their derby against Bolivia our train pulled into Uyuni station and we were able to scramble on board, narrowly escaping the baying mob of disgruntled locals as we fled towards Argentina.  Despite the best efforts of the company to make their carriages comfy the train clunked along the old rails jolting us awake with unfortunate timing just as we were drifting off to sleep.  We eventually arrived at the border although queuing in the freezing cold for our exit stamps did little to brighten up our morning.  Having eventually reached Argentina we decided we could face no more travel and checked into a hostel for the night.  Despite the typically dishevelled border town living up to our low expectations when hot water flowed out of the bathroom taps of our hostel it felt like we had arrived at the pinnacle of human existence after three months of cold water!  Unfortunately this was the high point of our stay as I soon discovered that all the shops shut at midday. With restaurants a wishful dream we ended up eating scrambled eggs, potato and tomato for the day but at least we were clean!

Panoramic from Cerro San Bernando

Despite the best attempts of the ticket touts at the station we managed to board a bus the following morning for the correct price and set off to the city of Salta, some 6 hours south of the border.  The road wound past incredible red mountains as we gradually descended to below 2000m for the first time in six weeks.  Founded in 1582 Salta is famous for its colonial architecture and beautiful surroundings but unfortunately with Hannah still incapacitated and taking lessons from the ministry of funny walks our options were slightly limited.  With this in mind it seemed the best course of action was to savour the amazing food and wine from the region and I set out to consume as much vino tinto as possible whilst still managing to maintain the allure of a connoisseur rather than a typical British tourist.  This proved increasingly difficult when I discovered that I could get four Salteñas (delicious meat pasties) and a huge cup of local red wine for less than £2!  It was nice to be able to save some money and cook again in our hostel as well as sampling the local food although much to my amusement Hannah tried to 'borrow' some cooking oil from the staff cupboard setting off a deafening alarm.  When the owner appeared  Hannah sheepishly gave a priceless excuse by claiming that it was a natural instinct to open cupboards in kitchens in her broken Spanglish.

We failed to eat it in one sitting

Salta itself was a sprawling town of low rise colonial buildings with a beautiful central plaza lined with restaurants, crusty hippies selling junk (including chopped off dreadlocks) & small orange trees.  Continuing with our culinary themed visit I gratefully stumbled upon a number of small street stalls barbequing every cut of meat imaginable.  In a fit of excitement I ran the kilometre back to the hostel, dragged Hannah out and we embarked on what turned out to be an endurance test trying to consume the weight of food that was placed in front of us – it was epic!  Needing to burn off some meat I walked through town and climbed Cerro San Bernando (a hill) that overlooks the town and which offered panoramic views of the city and mountains beyond.  The rest of our time in Salta was spent roaming the small town centre and trying to get Hannah walking without throwing her left arm out at other pedestrians in an attempt to speed up her hobble.   Delaying our onwards journey I also managed to watch the England v Wales match with another Englishman, Paul before we set off into the surrounding countryside.

The gardens of Bodega Nanni, Cafayate

Cafayate

With my birthday fast approaching and the red wine flowing the decision was taken to celebrate in the small village of Cafayate, Argentina’s second biggest wine producing region.  The quaint village lies four hours south of Salta down Ruta 68 which provided one of the most beautiful journeys of our trip through Valles Calchaquies.  The road crisscrossed over a river that ran between towering red mountains that had been eroded into weird shapes.  As we left the valley behind beautiful vineyards surrounded us on both sides glinting red and brown in the bright winter sun as huge flocks of parakeets circled overhead.  Cafayate itself is a tiny picturesque village of single story colonial buildings set around a beautiful central plaza.  The tree lined dusty tracks around the village pass through vineyards and walking through them felt like taking a step back in time to the Roman Empire.  Our accommodation was within hobbling distance (three blocks) of five different bodegas selling produce from their own vineyards setting the scene for an epic cultural vineyard crawl.  

Birthday celebrations

FOOOOOD!!!

To make our stay less of an alcohol fuelled adventure and more of an educational journey we started my birthday celebrations with a trip to the wine museum to understand the local vineyards.  The vineyards are some of the highest in the world and with the dry climate, rocky soil and extreme temperature fluctuations at night the area is famous for producing very strong aromatic wines.  Armed with our new found knowledge we set off to do some scientific testing. With copious amounts of red wine, steak, pasties and a fantastic cured meats and cheese stall we discovered on an intoxicated stumbling it is safe to say that I was like a pig in shit.  The wine also had a healing effect on Hannah’s ankle and we discovered a positive correlation between how far she could walk and the volume of red wine we tasted.  After a successful few days however we decided that for our health we should probably move on and so with our bottles of wine we set off on the arduous journey to Buenos Aires.   Deciding to do it in two legs we spent a quiet day relaxing in a huge park in the city of Tucuman before our overnight bus to Argentina’s capital. 

A Life on Mars

Flamingos on the Altiplano

Feeling exhausted from the harsh climate of the Andes and eleven months on the road we decided to head south quickly through Bolivia to the world famous Uyuni Salt Flats.  Having researched the option of taking a train through the Altiplano we headed three hours south by bus to the former mining city of Oruro and the start of the rail network.   After a peaceful journey however we encountered one of Bolivia’s regular protests a few kilometres outside of the town where wagons had crudely blocked the road south.  To the untrained eye the blockade seemed like a standard working day for many of the workers of Latin America as they lounged about complaining about long working hours whilst accomplishing the sum total of bugger all (I love Latin American culture but having spent a total of nearly three and a half years here over the past decade I have become a little cynical about their everyday productivity).  Luckily we had spare time and we were able to walk the few kilometres through the protest, catch a minivan through town and make it in time for our train south – nothing is ever as easy travelling as it appears in the planning!

Llamas on the Altiplano

Our Chariot

The train through the Altiplano came with luxury that we thought did not exist in Bolivia and reminded us of good times on the Trans – Siberian some eight months before.  The Altiplano is the highest plain outside of Tibet and as we travelled between the two towering Andean ridges that flank the plain we passed huge lakes full of flamingos.  After dinner in the restaurant cart and a spectacular orange sunset we arrived in Uyuni at around 10pm.  The ice cold town is set 25km away from the Salt Flats in a wind sheered expanse of land.  It seemingly only survives due to the mass influx of tourists using it as a base and eating in the numerous pizza restaurants!  The wind chill was almost painful and thankfully we had only one night to survive before we set off the next morning with Red Planet Expedition on a three day tour of the area. We ended up in a Toyota 4x4 with a couple from Lithuania and a young man from Singapore, two of our favourite places on our trip so far.  After brief introductions and a slightly strange stop at a graveyard for trains that have been left to rot we headed off into the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats).

The graveyard for trains

The vast plain covers over 10,000  square kilometres and was created when a giant prehistoric lake (Lake Minchin) dried out.  This left behind a thick layer of salt crust that covers a pool of brine which contains 50% - 70% of the world’s lithium.  Flat as far as the eye can see and glowing white due to the mirror like effect of the salt in the intense sun it was one of the strangest and most captivating places I have ever seen. It felt like we had left earth and ended up on a uninhabited planet!  Although flat the salt crust is not smooth and it is covered in a hypnotic hexagonal pattern formed by convection currents.  After spending time taking strange perspective photographs that were made easy by the absence of landmarks we headed to some former islands in the centre of the lake.  The Inca Wasy Island was covered in giant cacti and provided us with a panoramic view of the flats and the mountains beyond.  These views proved a little too enchanting though and I looked around in time to see Hannah pirouetting with surprising grace having twisted awkwardly on a rock before hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.  After initially making sure the camera was ok attention quickly turned to Hannah who was in a lot of pain but she manfully got up and hobbled down the steps in some discomfort back to the 4x4.  Thinking she would be able to sleep it off we set out to the small hamlet of Atulcha where we stayed for the night in a hostel made of salt bricks, a new experience for both of us!

Inca Wasy Island

The Siloli Desert (AKA Mars)

Waking up in the morning Hannah’s foot had swollen to seemingly impossible dimensions and was almost black from her toes to half way up her calf.  With no option but to carry on and armed with a vat of ibuprofen we headed off into the freezing cold.  Passing valleys filled with grazing llama we headed higher leaving the salt flats behind as we rose into the strange Chiguanna Desert.  This area was surrounded by distinctive volcanoes which rose to 6000m, some of which were smoking.  We carried on south through the desolate landscape that seemed to be full of only small shrubs until we spotted a Lesser Rhea (a mini ostrich) and herds of what looked like deer.  During our lunch we were invaded by a gang of Squirrel – Rabbits (a rabbit with a squirrels tail) who apparently wait every day for the tour to arrive before eating the inevitable scraps.  From here the scenery grew even more spectacular as we reached the highest and apparently driest desert in the world.  Siloli Desert is at 4500m altitude and looks like every film set on Mars that has ever been produced.  It is a part of the Atacama Desert and its amazing rock formations and mountains seemed to contain tens of different colours that streaked down the sides of them to the red sand below.   We stopped at a dried lake which had been made white due to the high levels of Barium and provided a spectacular vantage point for photographs although by this point the winds had reached 70km/hr making it a little chilly outside of the 4x4.

Hannah being blown away

The fumaroles in the creator

Our final hour of the day saw us enter a national park that contained a red lagoon (due to the sediment and algae) which should have contained hundreds of flamingos but it was a little cold and there were only about half a dozen stupid birds remaining.  From here we climbed even higher to the summit of a volcano just over 5000m high where we dropped down into the crater to see fumaroles (openings in the earth’s crust emitting gases) and pools of mud bubbling at nearly 200ᵒ.  We descended 600m to our ‘accommodation’ for the evening which proved to be a freezing cold series of rooms where the other 18 inmates had bought wine to keep themselves warm.  The wine turned out to be port and due to the altitude the drinking pace was slow leading to many generous offers to share.  Sitting in the middle of the table this put me in prime position and within an hour I was suitably merry (but at least very warm) and we set off down the hill a few hundred metres to some natural hot springs.   Surviving the short dash from the changing hut in the arctic conditions we continued to enjoy the port in our 40ᵒ pool under a sky lit up by the Milky Way in the most amazing display of stars I have ever seen.

Life on Mars

Waking up with a banging headache that was definitely due to the altitude we checked on Hannah’s ankle only to discover that the hot water had not helped.  In fact it turned out the opposite was true and the increased blood flow had made her ankle swell like a balloon.  Thankfully a nurse was in the group and was fortunately carrying a sports bandage for her ankle which she kindly gave to Hannah to help with the swelling.  Our final day was spent heading back north but only after a final stop at a green lagoon where testing for the famous Mars Rover took place before it was launched into space.  After a 7 hour drive through the incredible landscape we finally made it back to Uyuni where we said our goodbyes to the other members of our tour before holing up in a restaurant with the Copa America where we waited out of the cold for our overnight train to the Argentinian border.

The City Built on Llama Foetuses & the Coca Plant

The view over La Paz

La Paz is without a doubt one of the strangest places we have visited this year and during our stay we found that if it wasn’t the altitude that was taking our breath away, the bizarre shops, markets and traditions did!  The administrative capital of Bolivia (it shares power with Sucre) sits between 3,200m and 4,100 as it gradually spread up a canyon formed by the Choqueapu River and spills over onto the flat planes of the Altiplano (high planes).  Simple red brick houses cling to the canyons steep sides as the magnificent peak of Mount Illimani (6000m) looms over the city.  Despite its less than charming exterior La Paz is an intriguing city with a lot of Bolivian tradition and culture as a lack of development seems to have allowed the city to escape extensive globalisation, for better or for worse. La Paz was founded as Spain’s centre of power in the Andes and as such traditional markets and indigenous people share the city with colonial buildings and decedents. The city often seems like a giant market and cholitas (indigenous woman) dressed in thick skirts and bowler hats line the streets with stalls full of fresh food.  Alongside the cholitas tiendas around the city sell dried llama foetuses to be buried under new houses as an offering to Pachamama (mother earth) for disturbing the land.  It is a crazy place and even with the lack of apparent tourist sites the vibrant streets and unique nature of the city made it an interesting stop and a great insight into Bolivian culture.

Llama Foetus!

Entrance to San Pedro Prison

The walking tour around La Paz was one of the better ones we have taken this year as a guide was able to explain some of the strange things you cannot help but notice walking around the city.  We started our walk at the infamous San Pedro Prison (setting for the book Marching Powder) which houses mainly drug related offenders.  Ironically the prison apparently produces the finest quality cocaine in South America and the prisoners pay to rent their rooms with the money, some of which are akin to a 5* hotel.  Some families live inside the prison with the inmates and the children leave for school whilst their mothers often run shops and restaurants inside the prison which is set on a square bloc of prime real estate in the city centre.  Tours of the prison run by inmates to earn money on the side have recently stopped after one backpacker was attacked and some had to pay extortionate bribes to the guards to be allowed out!  Jorge (our guide) also spoke about the government, led by Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous President (and according to the locals Bolivia’s first true President).  In 2008 Morales removed the Drug Enforcement Agency from Bolivia saying they fuelled the drug problem and has refused to make illegal the growing of coca due to the indigenous population’s tradition of using the leaves to combat altitude sickness and other illnesses.  The issue is very controversial as Bolivia’s coca production has increased and there is even a bar called Route 36 which is known as the world’s first cocaine bar in La Paz. 

The tourist district

As a socialist leader Morales is unpopular in the west having reversed many of the previous leader’s corrupt policies of selling off many of Bolivia’s natural resources to global corporations with no benefit to the people.  As with Ecuador the former president known as ‘The Gringo’ (he studied in America) fled to the States with chunks of the country’s wealth where he has been granted asylum with America who have rejected numerous extradition attempts to make him stand trial.  Standing outside the government buildings Jorge was keen to point out that Morales is not perfect (he does still have 67% approval ratings after 12 years despite trying to change the constitution to allow him to serve another term) but as the country’s economy has grown and indigenous rights have improved during his time he has an almost cult following across the nation.  Despite this Jorge told us that Bolivians like a good protest including over such things as removing The Simpsons from TV, closing a popular chicken and chips chain and an attempt to increase the population by banning condoms across the nation (all were successful).  Bolivia is currently embroiled in a UN law suit against Chile over her access to the Pacific (Bolivia is South Americas only landlocked nation) after they were defeated in a war and forfeited 400km of coast to them.  Flags hang from the government buildings in a show of unity with their former state and the UN has recently stated a trial must take place to determine the future of the land in 2016, a huge moment in the future development of Bolivia.

Plaza Murillo (the Presidents offices)

Cholitas

All day cholitas (women) can be seen on every street heading down from the higher red brick houses in the city to sell their products.  Locals are known as ‘potato heads’ due to their love of potatoes (coming from the Incas) and thousands of types of potatoes are sold as well as fruits and flowers by the women.  Cholitas are dressed in bowler hats because when the English arrived wearing bowler hats to make the rail network local men bought the hats without realising they were too small for them.  They were subsequently given to the cholitas as a present with men claiming they were at the height of European fashion – the women still wear them today!  An area in the centre known as the witches market sells everything from dead llama foetus’s to potions and powders aimed at improving your sexual prowess and each shop has a strange offering outside to improve their luck in business. 

Car Parts & a Lama??!!

Every Sunday in the neighbouring city of El Alto one of the biggest markets in the world takes place.  We caught the newly installed cable car (aimed to improve life for the poor and connect the two cities – 3 lines are open and 7 more are being built)  up the hill which offered amazing views across the city and the mountains beyond. It was a very strange experience travelling over multi-story buildings! Unfortunately some people have toilets on the roof of their houses with no doors leaving them to conduct their business in full view of the passing commuters!  At the top the market stretched as far as the eye could see and sold everything you could possibly need from kitting out a new house to building a new car from scrap parts.  My favourite stall sold golf clubs, crutches and toilet seats but less comical were the numerous shady people selling phones that were clearly stolen (we were told to take nothing of value with us) and other electrical equipment. 

On our final day we took a walk down to the base of the canyon and up the other side (much to Hannah’s delight) to Mirador Killi Killi which offers the best views across the city.  We sat and enjoyed a saltena (Bolivian meat pasty) at the top and gazed out across the sprawling city and glaciers beyond – even Hannah admitted it was worth the hike!  On the way down we passed back through the Presidential Plaza where I thought it would be a good idea to buy some corn to feed to the pigeons.  In a Bolivian remake of 'The Birds' they descended upon me and sat everywhere from my head to my toes. I decided it may not have been the best idea and threw corn over Hannah in a successful attempt to distract them.  We recovered with a look around the Coca Museum which was aimed at teaching tourists abut the history and use of the plant by the indigenous population and distinguishing the difference between the plant and the drug.  Without a doubt La Paz was an interesting stop over (we probably stayed a little longer than we needed!) and certainly opened our eyes to life in Bolivia, the good the bad and the bizarre!

Lake Titicaca - More Than Just a Funny Name

View from Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca

Having read a number of horror stories about the bus from Cusco to Lake Titicaca (100 dead in the past month) we decided to err on the side of caution and take the lazy safe option by catching the more expensive and pre-organised Bolivia Hop Bus.  This service arranged flexible transport (it was founded by Europeans) all the way to La Paz across the tricky Bolivian border and allowed us the luxury of not having to plan our 31^st border crossing of the year!  After a somewhat limited night’s sleep on the bus due to the winding road we arrived in Puno.  Not the most attractive town, Puno is full of crumbling buildings set along dusty streets where modified tuc-tucs hurtle in every direction through the early morning smoke of the wood fires.  I had experienced the charms of the town before so we had opted to stop for just three hours, long enough to see the town’s only real draw – the floating villages of Lake Titicaca.  The lake is the birth place of the Incas according to legend when the creator god Viracoca rose up from the lake to create the moon, stars and first humans.  It was therefore an important stop on our journey through the former ancient empire.

The 'Mercedes Benz' 

We caught a small boat to the floating villages of the Uros people that are located just inside the Peruvian border.  The islands are made of totora reeds that are harvested from the shallow areas of the lake and stacked in layers that can reach a few metres thick.  These are then pinned down with rope to stop them floating to Bolivia (they pointed out they do not have passports) and they can last around 30 years although they need constant construction with new layers every three months.  Today they also add blocks of mud to the underside to make them more solid and we were given a hilarious demonstration by a unit of a woman who cheerfully used homemade model houses to demonstrate the islands in a Peruvian style Blue Peter.  It soon became apparent why everybody had the physique of a womble as the bitterly cold morning meant the reeds were covered in frost meaning the end of the demonstration was met with relief as we were able to walk around the small island to warm up.  Obviously we were treated to an array of ‘homemade crafts’ (is it to cynical to think they were made in China?)  that are available in every market across Peru before we were able to take a ride in a Peruvian Mercedes Benz.  This was the name given at least to a boat that looked a little like a Norse funeral vessel and we took our seats praying to whatever Viking god we needed that the rickety boat did not sink into the freezing waters!  A small motor boat pulled alongside us driven by a women who subsequently clung on to our boat, started her motor and propelled us a few hundred metres to the next island – well worth the $1!

Locals harvesting the crops on Isla del Sol

Copacabana

Having returned to the main land we set off on the short journey to Bolivia where the road ran alongside the water of the world’s highest navigable lake (3,800m) and South Americas largest as huge glaciers rose up in the distance.  Lake Titicaca translates as 'Rock of Puma' as its outline apparently looks like a Puma (drawn by that of a small child learning to hold a pencil) and we were lucky enough to see flocks of flamingos as we drove around the belly of the Puma where we arrived at the Bolivian border.  Having crossed, we drove the final 15 minutes to the town of Copacabana which could have not been further removed from its namesake in Brazil.  The only similarity between the two was a beach and the town seemed to have been planned by a drunk local although it held a certain charm as it is nestled between the lake and hills.  Our hostel had an amazing terrace which provided us with beautiful sunsets and a nice place to relax for a few days.

Not quite Brazil's Copacabana

As with a lot of businesses in developing countries nobody seemed to have realised that if every shop sells exactly the same goods trade might be a little slow.  In a seemingly endless row hundreds and hundreds of battered pedalo swans sat rotting in the sun and we sat in bewilderment puzzling over who had possibly thought it was a good investment as we ate trout from the lake at one of the small kiosks.  We took a long walk along the shore accompanied by a dog that trotted with us for a few hours taking in the beautiful surroundings. Amusingly halfway along the beach two men succeeded after a farcical ordeal to push two donkeys into the lake and onto a waiting boat, much to the donkey’s annoyance.  That evening we sat down to eat dinner with Hannah crying uncontrollably with laughter as the world’s worst pan pipers/ didgeridoo players performed (like a sketch from The Fast Show gone hippy-cool) before demanding money for their diabolic performance that we had been forced to endure (a massive gripe of mine).

Counterfeit Hippies, Donkey Rides and the Round Table 

Our final voyage on to Lake Titicaca took us to Isla del Sol which legend has it marks the spot where the founders of Cusco emerged from a rock.  The two hour ride gave us amazing views of the glaciers in the distance and we were eventually dropped at a small hamlet at the north of the Island and given five hours to make our way to the south where we would be collected. We initially crossed a beach where a congregation of South America’s finest counterfeit hippies (dirty travellers rather than authentic hippies) lounged about making exclusive tin jewellery whilst one enthusiastically waved flags about as though she believed she was on a runway at Heathrow. Copacabana we have since been told by a Bolivian is known as the centre of the hippie universe!  At 4000m high the walk was a little challenging as the path ascended in the blistering sun and the barren landscape offered us no protection from the elements.  After seeing the Incas version of The Round Table we walked along the top of the hill where I got completely carried away taking photo after photo of the incredible views across the lake and glaciers.  Although we had to pay tolls to each village who maintained the path (with varying degrees of success) the walk was a real high point of Peru and gave me a jolt when I stopped to think about quite where we were in the world – one of travelling's greatest gifts.   After a final day of rest and relaxation in Copacabana we left for the four hour journey to La Paz and sadly away from the heartland of the Incas.

The Belly Button of the Inca Empire

Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Cusco is a beautiful gateway to the ancient Inca Empire that at its height spanned from Ecuador to central Chile and had an estimated 12 million inhabitants.  Although the Spanish tried to wipe out Inca heritage during the 16^th Century the native language remains in the mountains and the Quechua name for Cusco, Qosqo, translates as ‘belly-button’ to symbolise its central position in the Inca world.  As the longest continually inhabited city on the continent the city is filled with Inca culture from food and buildings to women in traditional dress selling bright textiles and an assortment of junk (generally fridge magnets and lama toys).  The downside to Cusco is that due to its huge influx of tourists the city is a watered down version of the rest of Peru and it is impossible to walk through the central streets without somebody trying to sell you something from one of the hundreds of tour or gift shops.  Despite this the centre of the town is a collection of cobbled alleys, small plazas and restored colonial buildings that are great to stroll around but often require nimble feet to avoid the herds of geriatric tourists who cause mayhem in their mass numbers on package tours. Accommodation was more expensive here and having had painful experiences in 3$ and 18$ a night hovels we upgraded to an extravagant 30$ a night where we were treated to a large roof terrace outside of our room offering fantastic views across the tiled roofs of the city to the mountains beyond.

The back streets of Cusco

First developing in the early 12^th Century the Incas based themselves in Cusco and limited themselves to a small domain with its most important region in the nearby Sacred Valley.  Under their 9^th King, Pachacuti, the Incas rapidly expanded their empire in the15th Century using his military and political talents and he has a huge statue in the Plaza de Armas (the centre of Cusco) in recognition of his great achievements.  This plaza also highlights the Spanish destruction of the Incas however and two huge Catholic Churches loom over the magnificent plaza built upon Inca ruins, as with most of the old temples in the region.  Next to the plaza we went to see one of apparently only 7 surviving true Inca decedents playing instruments he had made and dressed in traditional clothes pandering to the tourists that dominate this once great city.  Hannah at this point became more interested in the lamas and alpacas that are around the city attached to brightly dressed women who ask for money to be photographed with them. 

Meat at the market including roasted Guinea Pig

Similar to the other regional towns the Spanish sought to destroy all Inca customs but many of the colonial buildings are built directly on top of some of the Incas amazing stone walls. The most famous example of these walls in Cusco on Hatunrumiyoc where huge stone weighing as much as 40 tonnes have been cut and fitted like a giant Jenga puzzle so precisely that not even a knife can fit between them.  On top of these original walls colonial buildings have been built but at least some of the Incas incredible masonry skills still remain on show.  The city always seems to have a market or festival on and I was treated to a parade of traditional costumes, dancing and music (whilst I was in immigration having lost my immigration paper), we even managed to see fireworks that night. I managed to persuade Hannah to eat Guinea Pig at a food festival which didn’t go down very well.  San Pedro Market also had wired and wonderful fruit such as cherimoya which Hannah loved but I thought tasted of an overripe banana. 

The ruins at Pisac

Cusco is only the entrance into the amazing Inca world that surrounds it and we took a day tour around three of the famous ruins that survived the empires downfall in 1572.  Our first stop was at the amazing ruins of Pisac, set on a hillside above the Sacred Valley with huge agricultural terraces stretching down the hillside.  Above the terraces are a few remains of buildings and a strange cliff face where human skulls can be seen when the sun hits it as it was used as a burial site for the Incas.  Learning lessons from Chinese tours we made the obligatory stops at some traditional crafts shops receiving a short lecture about how the various tat was made and an overpriced buffet lunch (we hid and ate across the road at the local’s cafe) before we reached Ollantaytambo where we had caught the train a few days previously. 

The ruins are one of the few places where the Spanish lost a major battle and again contain the famous stepped terraces and a military area.  The site was not completed as the Spanish arrived first but huge rocks weighing 50 tonnes were mined high from the cliff face on the opposite side of the valley 6 km away.  There is also an Inca ‘fridge’ built on the opposite hill in the shade and built with vents to allow the cold wind to ventilate the inside!  Setting off back towards Cusco we stopped in the dark at quite a unique church covered in murals that was built on top of an Inca temple at the village of Chinchero, believed to be the birth place of rainbow by the Incas.  As we stood on the former Inca ceremonial platform with the silhouettes of the mountains behind the setting sun it had a spectacular setting!  Cusco had been a great place to stay for our trip and but we eventually had to catch an overnight bus to Lake Titicaca and continue our journey towards Bolivia.