... it's time to check in with Katie and, after a gap in updates, the news is now flooding in thick and fast. So prepare for a few installments from Comer's Corner!
EXMOUTH HARRIER ON TOUR
LEG 5: LIMA CUSCO
Day 1 – Mic woke up
with a really sore eye. Went to the hospital for some eye drops and to get it
checked. I went to the truck park to
clean Cindy and do some general maintenance. Got back to the hotel to find Mic
couldn’t open her eye and unable to go anywhere, so dashed out into Lima to
print trip notes for the next leg, book a restaurant, buy lunch for the
following day, change money and get more drugs for Mic. Got back to the hotel
with 10 mins to spare before meeting our new passengers and to take them out to
dinner!
Day 2 – Mic still
couldn’t see so one of my pax, Bex, joined me to retrieve Cindy from the truck
park and navigate on the way back. We still got lost as the route notes sent us
right instead of left, but after a small miracle (and stopping to ask a
policeman for directions) we still managed to get to the hotel on time. A short drive day took us to Huacachino,
where we set off dune buggying and sand boarding in the desert. Sand boarding involves lying on a snowboard,
and whizzing down various sand dunes which just kept getting steeper and longer
the more we did! Great fun! We then watched a beautiful sunset, camped under
the stars, drank pisco & coke and partied the night away.
Next morning, we were
back in the dune buggies and returned to Huacachino for breakfast, before
setting of along a beautiful desert road to Nazca. We stopped at the
observatories to see the Nazca lines, before continuing to the campsite. The
Nazca lines are large pictures in the desert, and are thought to have been made
by the Incas as a plea to the Gods for rain, as it typically only rains for a
total of two hours every year. The lines
have been made with volcanic rock, which radiates the suns heat thereby
deflecting the sand which blows across them enabling the lines to remain
clearly visible. Some of our passengers
then took a plane over the Nazca lines, whilst Mic & I went into Nazca to
do some work and stock up on items for Cindy.
Day 4 – Met local
guide Janssen, an archaeologist, and went to some cemeteries where mummies are
still regularly found. Macabre but fascinating, the mummies are still in the
graves and still have their hair and clothing, plus items buried with them.
Janssen is a passionate and enthusiastic speaker who helped National Geographic
locate a mummy of their own. After being offered a lollipop he also taught us
that in Peru if a man sucks a lollipop he is openly declaring his homosexuality. After dropping Janssen off we headed to Puerto
Inka, an idyllic location where we camped on the beach and spent the afternoon
relaxing, swimming and exploring, before dining over a open fire.
Day 5 – Headed off
from Puerto Inka along a beautiful desert coastal road, before heading inland
towards the ‘white’ city of Arequipa . A long drive day, we stopped for lunch en route at a yogurt factory
where we sampled a number of different flavours which were available for
ridiculously cheap prices. Arriving in Arequipa a wrong turning lead to fun and
games negotiating a tight turn at a market where a local had parked his car
right on the corner, rendering it almost impossible to get round. Cue a
Dragoman style traffic jam for 5 minutes, I finally coaxed Cindy round the
corner to applause from my passengers and locals alike. A lively evening
followed with a pleasant meal, a bar, a powercut throughout the whole of Arequipa , and eventually we found ourselves dancing the
night away in a bar which had a generator.
Day 6 – a free day in Arequipa . Spent the morning catching up on paperwork,
before taking our passengers out for a very good lunch, where they had the
chance to try guinea pig – this time a whole roasted one served on the plate.
During the evening we went to the cinema to watch the Hobbit.
Day 7 – a late start.
Finished a few last minute jobs before we left at midday to drive further into the Andes to Chivay, crossing a high pass of 4,900m en
route. A beautiful drive, we saw the
first llamas, alpacas and vicunas of this trip and the scenery became more
picturesque by the hour. Arriving just
before nightfall in Chivay, we put Cindy to bed and headed out with our
passengers to get some dinner.
Day 8 – Colca Canyon hot springs to relax before getting an early night in
anticipation of a long and challenging off-road drive day.
Day 9 – An early start
was required as we headed over the Andes towards
the tiny village of Raqchi
Day 10 – Our local
guide, Smithy, took our passengers round the ruins at Raqchi while Mic &
myself donned our overalls and got dirty in the mud under the truck. A quick review identified problems with the
connections to the starter motor which we repaired. Sadly Cindy still refused
to start, and as we were running out of time we decided not to change the starter
motor until we reached Cusco when we knew we had the time and equipment to
do it. A quick clean up and our Peruvian mummy dressed us in traditional
Peruvian clothing to watch a pottery demonstration and a Pacha Mama ceremony to
pay tribute to Mother Earth. A quick lunch and it was back to the truck to
manually released the handbrake as the air levels had dropped so the brakes had
locked on. I then experienced one of those priceless moments, sat in the
drivers seat, looking down on half a dozen Peruvian mummies dressed in the
traditional clothing, all helping to push a 16 tonne truck to get us started.
Priceless!
Finally started (and
the handbrake re-tightened) we headed on a short three hour drive to Cusco ! So excited to be back, once we had Cindy put
to bed and booked a restaurant, we got dressed up and headed out to dinner
where a local band playing traditional music turned up at the restaurant, They
were amazing! We then headed to the local nightclub, Mythology where we negotiated free drinks for
our passengers, and where they actively encourage dancing on the bar. Needless
to say it was a good night, finally getting back to the hotel at 7am to get
changed, dash out to the truck park to collect various items, then back to the
centre to buy visitor passes for my passengers and get back to reception for
10am to meet our new passengers joining us for the Inca Trail, and to get an
ill existing passenger medical treatment. Phew! Once done Mic & myself
headed down to the Andina office to pay for the Inca Trail and confirm
arrangements. A quick lunch and we were back at the truck park to arrange to
have various jobs done and do some quick maintenance before returning to the
hotel to pack for the Inca Trail and find Christmas hats for everybody. A quick
half hour power nap and shower, and I was back in reception to meet our guides,
Smithy and Paul, ready for them to go through the plan of action with our
passengers for the following day.
Finally Mic & myself grabbed a weary bite to eat, before getting an
early night.
Inca Trail day dawned…
and it was raining! Not that it seemed
to dampen spirits. An enthusiastic crowd set off to our first ruin,
Sachsayhuaman, where I discovered that Paul was an exceptionally good guide.
From a Quechuan community, he understood the mountains better than any guide I
have ever joined on the treks, he is passionate about passing on information
and it was fascinating listening to him.
A short drive on to Pisac ruins, followed by lunch and we were finally
ready to start trekking to our first community of Cancha Cancha. The weather fortunately improved for the
first afternoon and we were lucky to enjoy spectacular views on the way up.
The second day of the
trek, over the high pass of 4,900m to the community of Quishwarni started in
beautiful sunshine, but sadly not for long.
By the end of the day we had experienced four seasons in a day – sun,
rain, fog, hail and snow! Even so, the clouds parted at the top of the pass
revealing stunning glaciers, deep valleys and spectacular views. Simply
beautiful!
The third day dawned,
Christmas Eve!! After a good breakfast we helped to set up Christmas
celebration for the local children, with hot chocolate, bread rolls and a
T-Shirt. Soon afterwards we were off
again on a steep uphill ascent. Unfortunately one of my passengers had a slight
asthma attack, although she was fine after a short rest and an enforced slower
pace. Again we started in good weather, only to hit poor conditions as we
approached the pass. In the first group
to reach the pass, Mic and I proceeded to shout encouragement to those who
followed with promises of chocolate and rum at the top with amazing
results! The way down wasn’t quite so
straight forward with a couple of struggling passengers – one due to sore knees
and another due to illness. Staying with the back group we made our way down
the mountain until I suddenly realised Paul was taking a different route to the
one I had used before in order to avoid a potentially dangerous river crossing.
Putting my running to good use, I tore down the mountain to get directions so I
could safely guide my ailing group safely down the mountain – a job which was
getting more difficult with the onset of heavy rain and thick fog. Fortunately
Paul was good with his directions, and once he had got the rest of the group to
safety he made sure we on the right track behind. Lunch was welcome and the
weather suddenly improved for the last two hours to the hot springs for some rest and relaxation.
The evening brought
entertainment in the form of a Merry Christmas Peruvian drinking game called Todititito,
with a few added international drinking rules for good measure. 3am finally arrived and we rolled into our tents.
Christmas morning
dawned and I was back in the hot springs , before a traditional Peruvian Christmas
breakfast of hot chocolate and bread. Ollayantaytambo.
Truck day – pax Machu Picchu . Return – Fallen Angel, Paddy’s, back to
Mythology for a celebratory night. 6am back to the hotel or a few hours sleep. Jacks, breakfast. Truck day.
Problems – fridge taken away. Test drive – breakdown. Got her going, back to
truck park. Changed filters in the dark – Mic back to do meeting. Finally got
back at 10pm with
fridge due to arrive at 7am , nearly an hour late but it was back and it was working.
Set off to Puno and Lake Titicaca . Stopped at Sillustani ruins en route. Amazing
lightening storm in the distance. Went out for dinner – xmas celebrations and
street dancing.
Sent pax off to Uros
islands, did paperwork!! Collected truck, met pax at docks for lunch. Set off
around Lake Titicaca towards Copacabana, crossing the border to Bolivia . Stopped en route to see Indian head in rock. Fatima ’s for dinner.
Accounts and paperwork
day at Fatima ’s whilst pax went to Isla del Sol.
Set off to La Paz . Ferry crossing across the lake. Reached La Paz (translation ‘The Peace’) to find complete
chaos ready for New Year.
Katie celebrated Christmas day on the Inca Trail, but still managed to dig out her antlers!
Statues on the shores of Lake Titicaca (no sniggering in the back row!) in Bolivia.
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