Fotos: Nazca - Lima - Quito ...

starting our flight to visit Nazca lines

museum in Nazca

Nazca - on the roof terrace in our hostel

Panamericana - on the way to Lima

in Lima

Chan Chan

in Trujillo

Huaca del Sol

Huaca de la Luna

in Mancora

in Quito

Quito

at the equator

the real equator!

Quito at night - view from the hostel terrace

Las Lajas

volcano Cotopaxi

Lima – Huanchaco – Máncora – Quito – Popayan

Lima – Huanchaco – Máncora – Quito – Popayán

Lima je obrovské město s cirka devíti miliony obyvateli. Spali jsme v hostelu se sympaticky ukecanou paní/slečnou domácí v jedné z lepších čtvrtí města. Zvládli jsme prohlídku historického centra, pár návštěv muzeí (Bernie jich dal víc, já jsem mezitím v hostelu mimojiné skypovala s mamkou :), taky jsme byli v parku s fontánama, kde nás však více nadchla výstava fotografíí Machu Picchu z doby, kdy byla „objevena“ (1911?). Večer jsme se sešli s Arturem, se kterým jsme byli v Patagonii u Fitz Roy. Vzal nás do jedné vyhlášené restaurace (Lima je vůbec kulinářské středisko), stálo to za to, hlavně ty dezerty :)

Z Limy jsme jeli do Huanchaca, malého města u vetšího Trujillo, které je mimo jiné vyhlášeným surfařským místem. My jsme se sem ale jeli podívat na dvě ruiny: Chan Chan a Huaco de la Luna y Sol – obojí stály za to, staré kultury z dob před inky, navíc cesta k Huacas byla taky super: v minibusu veřejné dopravy (resp. dodávce se sedadly) pro 15 lidí nás jelo asi třicet :) V Huanchaco jsme byli v hostelu, který nám doporučil Arturo: superlevný s lokálem, který je strategickým místem pro večerní posezení u koktejlu (v akci stály jen něco kolem eura). Potkali jsme tam Ralpha a Chrise z Kalifornie, dva bratři, kteří byli v Huanchacu právě kvůli vyhlášeným „nekonečným“ vlnám. Z Huanchaca jsme to brali přes Trujillo, kde jsme se ještě narychlo sešli s Arturovou sestrou a její kamarádkou, večer předtím než jsme nastoupili do nočního autobusu do Máncory. Cesta se společností Cruz del Sur byla luxus, pohodlná sedadla, deky, ráno snídaně...

V Máncoře jsme měli jedinný program, který jsem vymyslela já, a Bernie byl nakonec taky pro: RELAX! :) Ubytovali jsme se v poklidném hostelu pár minut od pláže, kde kromě námi byly obsazené pouze dva další bungalovy (jinak je v Máncoře spíš co hostel to párty 24 hod denně, ale my chtěli fakt zrelaxovat). Zůstali jsme necelé tři dny a nedělali vůbec nic kromě polehávání na pláži, koupání, Bernie surfoval, večer dobré jídlo, pak pivo v hostelu... prostě pohoda :)

Z Máncory nás čekala velmi náročná cesta nočním autobusem až do Quita. To jsme ale předem netušili, takže jsme si v klidu koupili lístky a ve tři odpoledne nasedli nejdřív do celkem pohodlného autobusu ke hranicím s Ekvádorem, kde jsme podle slov naší „organizátorky“ měli přestoupit do mnohem pohodlnějšího autobusu dál do Quita (když jsme si lístky kupovali, tak nám bylo řečeno, že autobus má „semi-cama“ - celkem pohodlná sedadla). Zmizela včas, abych si mohli stěžovat, klasika. Autobus byl starý dodělaný křáp, navíc jsme měli místa hned vepředu, takže kolem nás celou cestu neustále nastupovali a vystupovali lidé, takže jsme si museli dávat bacha na batohy a moc jsme se teda nevyspali. Ok, jsou horší věci :)

V Quitu jsme se ubytovali v hostelu doporučovaném naším průvodcem na prvním místě. To znamená, že nebyl nejlevnější, jak jsme později zjistili, tak byl vlastně celkem drahý (v cenách nabyla započtena 12ti procentní daň). Ale měli moc fajn terasu s výhledem na centrum, kde se večer sešlo plno lidí u ohně. Ve městě jsme navštívili psycho kostel: basilika postavená v neogotickém stylu, ovšem při bližším zkoumání z větší části z železobetonu, na jehož dvě věže (a že byly fakt vysoké) se dalo vylézt po železných žebřících. Poté jsme navštívili ještě další čtyři kostely, v historickém centru jich je požehnaně. Druhý den jsme vyjeli lanovkou na vyhlídku, pak jsme byli u rovníku, kde jsme se na několika atrakcích pro turisty mohli přesvědčit, že se opravdu na rovníku nacházíme, celkem zábava. Večer pohoda na terase hostelu. Další den jsme byli nejdřív v muzeu prekolumbiánské kultury a pak v dalším, slavného ekvádorského malíře Oswalda Guayasamína (?), z jehož psycho obrazů a taky architektury jsme byli nadšení. Večer jsme si dali místní specialitu: morče! Ale musím říct, že mě to moc nenadchlo, maso takové nijaké, podobné kuřeti, a není ho moc... :)) Další den jsme se autobusem vypravili již ke hranicím s Kolumbií. Cesta trvala asi šest hodin, během posledních dvou jsem počítala každou minutu. Nastoupili totiž tři mladíci společně s jedním starším týpkem a ačkoliv jim prodejce lístků ukázal na volná místa k sezení vzadu v autobusu, oni se rozestoupili po cel délce chodbičky a začli ohlížet všechny cestující, kdo má jaké zavazadlo pod nohama nebo nad sebou, co na sobě... ufff, to v nás fakt celkem hrklo. Ale dobře to dopadlo, autobus zastavil v nějakém městě, kde vystupovalo plno lidí a ti týpci si pak nakonec sedli dozadu a byl klid. Takže jsme si oddechli a vydali se k hraničnímu přechodu, pak taxíkem do nejbližšího města – Ipiales, kde jsme na aut. Nádraží nechali batohy a jeli navštívit jeden slavný kostel. Pak jsme jeli hned dál, autobusem do Pasta, kde jsme přenocovali v jednom fajném hostelu, resp. s fajn domácím, který nám na snídani udělal úžasné palačinky s hromadou všelijakého ovoce.

Následovala cesta do Popayán, celkem malebného městečka, kde jsme si za jedno odpoledne prohlídli centrum a na druhý den už zas jeli dál navštívit slavné hrobky v Tierra Dentro. Spíme ve vesnici San André v hostelu s tou nejmilejší paní domácí, která je zároveň úžasnou kuchařkou (domácí marmelády, zmrzliny, šťávy a ty večeře!). Dneska jsme celý den putovali okolím nahoru a dolů a navštěvovali ty slavné hrobky. Celkem super výlet, až na to vedro. Jinak je tu zrovna nějaký křesťanský svátek, takže jsme teď odpoledne po cestě potkali dva v příkopě spijící a několik sotva se potácejících, kteří to očividně přehnali s oslavou :)

10.6. - 17.6. - Mancora - Quito - Pasto - Popayan - Tierradentro

10.6. - Mancora
The breakfast was good, although we were surrounded by the numerous dogs living in our hostel, all waiting to get something of our food. Still, we managed to eat everything ourselves. :) The owners of the hostel take care of some former street dogs, so there are many around. One of them is really enormous, like a calf. After breakfast we went to the beach, this time we got a big jug of lemonade to get a space under an umbrella. Later I rented a surf board and tried again. It was not as convenient as in Punta del Diablo, as here it is necessary to paddle out quite a bit. The other problem was, that there are a lot of people and as most of them are beginners or just a bit better it is quite a chaos. I managed to catch only three waves and two rides ended in a collision right after take off. I was exhausted and cold because of the strong wind and had to take a break. As Radka also felt like some more shade, we went back to the hostel and I had some time catching up with the blog. When we later went back to the beach we had a snack and a juice under one of the umbrellas and after that I got the board for another try. Paddling out I was already really exhausted again and there were still a lot of people and chaos plus quite some people who were able to catch any wave. It was quite frustrating and I gave up soon. The surf school guys where I rented the board shared a beer with me and then we returned to the hostel. Later we had ceviche, a Peruvian specialty, which is raw fish with lemon. Unfortunately, for me, it came with a lot of onion and, unfortunately, for Radka, it came with a lot of cilantro. Still it was good! The other dish we had was a sea food and rice dish which was also really nice. We had a beer in the hostel and went to bed.

11.6. - Mancora
After breakfast we bought bus tickets directly to Quito, as the border crossing is said to be a bit tricky to do individually. Then we went to a pharmacy to get some cream to treat my pretty nasty sunburn I got. Then we went for a last time for a swim and some body surfing into the sea. Nearby we noticed a dead sea lion that had just been washed onto the beach, next to a dead dolphin. We went back to the hostel where we could stay until our bus at 15:30. We went to have some lunch, a good soup and not so exciting fried fish. We checked out and went to catch our Cifa bus which was supposed to be a good company. In fact the bus was good but I had to ask why there were two different prices listed for the journey and why we had to pay the more expensive one. They told us that the other bus we would change to was more comfortable cama bus also from Cifa. After 2h we reached the border. We had to queue a bit to get our exit stamps and then had a stop in the city. After that the bus took us to the other border post and dropped us there. We got our Ecuadorian stamps and a lady put us in taxis and we went to a different bus terminal. She told us that it is not Cifa but Occidental a better company. There she bought the tickets for us and left us. Soon after we knew why she was gone so fast. The bus was one of the worst in the whole journey and far from even being a semi-cama bus. Well we were a bit pissed but what can you do. I felt a bit like returning and slapping each of the four people in the Cifa agency who all told us lies about the journey. Well, as we do not have so much time I kind o buried the plan. We had the seats in the first row and my knees had very tight contact with the wall separating us from the driver's cabin. Every time someone was entering or leaving the bus Radka had to lean over me so that people could pass. On top of that a small child was sitting behind us and constantly screaming with immense power and endurance. We got to see 2 movies to get a bit of distraction and not a lot of sleep.

12.6. - Quito
We arrived in Quito at around 8 and as they use US-Dollar since 2000 we already had money with us. Unfortunately, it was only 50 Dollar bills and noone would change these into smaller bills. 50s and 100s are usually never accepted and 20s only sometimes. We were walking around for quite a while until we found a small bank that helped us after some negotiation. Then we were finally able to take a taxi. We checked into the Secret Garden hostel which was recommended. We had to wait until 12 for our room to be cleaned and had breakfast meanwhile. In the room we got some rest before we went into the old town. First we climbed the neo-gothic basilica, which is a odd mixture of nice stone work and steel and concrete construction. Then we went to the main square where some strange guys had a camera in a cardboard shoe box with a hole and were looking at people with it. Then we also went to the cathedral, la merced and another church. Very nice ones with a lot of gold. Outside it was raining, which was the first rain we experienced since Punta Arenas. Later we were looking for a place to have dinner. After checking out some places that were more expensive than back home, we went to a local fast food place. The pictures of the food looked much better than it turned out to be. Plus, the food was served on polystyrene with plastic cutlery. After that we had some happy hour cocktails on the very nice roof top terrace of our hostel and also some beer sitting around a nice camp fire. It was fun with the people up there. There was a fun Swiss guy, who had a funny discussion with a British guy about how good different places are to live at. We also got to know Galen a nice guy from Boulder. Unfortunately, everything there shuts down at 11 pm sharp. We did not feel like big party so we went to bed.

13.6. - Quito
After breakfast we took a taxi to the Teleferico, a gondola going up a hill next to Quito. It is said to go up to 4100m but either Quito is higher than in the books or this place is lower. At least my watch did not agree at all, neither did my feeling. We walked along a path but decided to skip the hike to a nearby mountain top. Instead I found another nice mirador from where one can see the old town. The famous and nice volcano Cotopaxi was unfortunately covered in clouds. To go down it again took ages, as the gondola was going so slow as in Austria it would move just inside the station. At the bottom we refused the expensive taxi offers and looked for a bus together with a couple from Costa Rica. Soon we found one and it was a 45min ride to Mitad del Mundo, the equator monument. There I went up the monument and through the ethnological museum inside and then together with Radka to the other museums around, a geodetic and an insect museum. Then we had a burger before continuing to Inti Nan, the museum and site of the actual equator 200m north of the big monument. There we had a guided tour where they told us about habits of the native people living in the area and we also got some demonstrations of how water goes down a sink on the northern and southern hemisphere. We also got to do some fun experiments and both obtained the certificate for being able to balance an egg on a nail on the equator. Then we went home by bus where we saw Cotopaxi in the distance. We went back to the hostel and had a small pizza in a pizza place across the street. It was the best pizza we had so far on our journey. We also had some beer there and later also some on the terrace.

14.6. - Quito
After breakfast we took a bus to the Centro Cultural to see the Museo Banco Central. We had a juice and went in. The exhibition was very nice and had a lot of nice precolumbian pottery. After that we continued to the Guayasamin (the national artist) museum. Guayasamin has a very distinct style and we liked the paintings a lot. There were also precolumbian and colonial collections through which we got a fast forward tour by a Russian woman. Then we walked on to the Capilla del Hombre, the last big project of the artist. It is a chapel for all kinds of religion and dedicated to all the indigenous people and other slaves who had to die during the colonization. It is really nice and we both liked the architecture. There was also a replica of a estela from Copan there. Under a tree overlooking the complex and the city the artist is buried. A really nice place up there. We walked back down for a bit and then took a taxi to the main square of the new town. There we had a pretty expensive cocktail which was one of the worst we had so far. After that we went to eat cuy (guinea pig) to a recommended restaurant, Mama Clorinfda. It was good but actually tasted quite similar to chicken. As we got the whole cuy we are pretty sure it actually was cuy. Then we went to a place where they had the offer, 3 big beer for 4 USD. The place was completely full and noone had anything but beer there. After that we took a taxi home and had another beer on the terrace where we again talked to Galen for a while before they shut down at 11 again.

15.6. - Quito – Las Lajas - Pasto
We had breakfast, paid and took a taxi to one of the bus terminals in the north. After 30 min we arrived there and soon got a bus which would take us to the border in 5h. After 3h 4 guys entered the bus, one older and three rather young guys. The conductor told them that there are seats available in the back but they did not react and kept standing in the corridor looking around what people had put under their seats. One of the guys was standing next to us and was staring at us for quite a while. They made us very nervous and also other people looked worried. It was two very long hours until they finally took a seat and soon after we arrived at the border. Fortunately, nothing had happened. At the border we had to queue in a not very fair queuing system and wait for almost an hour to get our exit stamps. After crossing the bridge the formalities on the Colombian side were finished in a few minutes. We took a taxi to the terminal in Ipiales and left our bags there. We took a collectivo to Las Lajas to see the nicely located church there, where many worshipers come every day. We arrived back at the terminal at 6pm and took a 2h bus to Pasto, the next big city to the north. The landscape was very nice, but unfortunately, it got dark quite soon. In Pasto we checked into the Koala Inn, which was more expensive than we thought, but this was true for most things by now in Columbia. We went to eat dinner in La Merced but it was expensive and quite bad. Radka had a tomato soup which could have been used as a sauce in a burger and my small pizza was far from any quality you would get in any place in Austria. After that we were looking for water but ended up buying one in the restaurant as everything else was closed. After that we went to bed.

16.6. - Pasto - Popayan
The breakfast was one of the best we had so far. A pancake with a mixture of nicely arranged different kinds of fruit. Delicious! After that we had a nice and interesting conversation with the hostel owner, who is an inline skater, about Colombian food, attitude to sport and the government. Then we took a taxi to the bus terminal and soon got a bus to Popayan. We managed to change our seats as one one side of the bus the spacing was a lot shorter than on the other. Still it was far tighter than in any bus further south. We had a lunch break where we had a nice soup and then continued. Next to us was a funny guy who was on his way to a soccer match and dressed up for the occasion. Everything on him was green and white and out of the window he was holding the scarf of the team for hours. He was also drinking quite a lot which kept him motivated. There were quite some construction sites where we had to wait and once also an accident. When it was our turn to pass, a car tried to overtake us on the right and collided with the bus. The driver of the car insisted it was the fault of the bus driver and did not move his car out of the way. Thus all traffic was completely blocked. Our driver tried to convince him to move and in fact it was just a small dint, but it did not work. The other passengers of our bus got impatient and after arguing for a while started to move the guys car manually. That worked and he left and the journey could finally continue. We arrived in Popayan more than 1h late took a taxi to the hostal Caracol. I talked to an English girl there, who was writing her thesis there and had just lost most of it because of some problems with her computer. Then we went downtown to the main square. A really nice, really white town. However, almost everything was just rebuilt in 1983 after a big earthquake destroyed almost everything. We had dinner in a bakery place Pan Tolima. I had pinchos, some grilled stuff, quite nice, especially the platano with cheese, and Radka had a not so nice lasagne. Then we went to another place to have a beer. Later we had another one in the hostel.

17.6. - Popayan - Tierradentro
We went to have breakfast in the bakery place where they also have great espresso. Then we went back to the hostel and sorted out some photos for the blog. We also had an interesting conversation with the English girl and a Belgian girl about the guerilla fighters and the circumstances in the area. Then we went to the terminal to catch the 10:30 bus to San Andres, next to Tierradentro, an important archeological site. The bus was again very tight and a band with all their instruments also squeezed in. The road was very bad and sometimes it was raining and we were plowing through deep mud. Somehow the bus managed to get through everything. The landscapes were again very nice and tropical with tree ferns (Baumfarn) bananas and coffee all around. Again we had a lunch break and a nice soup. After a bit more than 5h and only 100km, we arrived in San Andres and checked into the La Portada hostal. The owner is a very nice woman and the room was also nice and quite ok price. We went to the local church and on to El Tablon one of the archeological sites as there was still light. Back at the hostel we had a beer and caught up writing the blog. Then we shared a delicious dinner as we were not so hungry, but had to order another one as it was so good. At some point a guy came on the terrace and laid down in a corner to sleep. The owner was quite surprised when we showed her, but then had a look at the guy and just said that he lives quite far away. So it seems he needed a break. Then I continued writing the blog and went to bed quite a bit after Radka.

Peru: Puno – Cusco – Nasca

Město Puno samotné nás moc nenadchlo, všude polorozestavěné domy (později jsme zjistili, že to je problém v celém Peru; údajně kvůli vysokým daním lidé nechávají své domy nedokončené) a jedna ulice pro turisty se suvenýry a předraženými restauracemi. Puno ovšem leží u jezera Titicaca a nedaleko od něj se nacházejí tzv. plovoucí ostrovy, které plovou na kvádrech z kořenů rákosí, a na kterých je všechno z rákosí: domy, nábytek atd. Celkem jich je asi 70, (na jednom žije kolem 20ti lidí), my jsme navštívili pouze jeden, kde nám místní pěkně organizovaně avšak mírně nuceně předvedli, jak žijou. Zajímavé životní prostředí a podmínky, jinak ale tak trochu divadlo. To jsme však netušili, co nás čeká dál. Po jednom plovoucím jsme navštívili ještě jeden již neplovoucí ostrov, na kterém žijí Quechua lidé, a ke kterému jsme se plavili přes dvě hodiny. Na ostrově, kromě pár nachystaných domorodců v krojích a dalších asi deseti skupinek turistů nebylo vůbec nic zajímavého, natož ohlašovaný velký sobotní trh. Dostali jsme předražený oběd, ke kterému nám domorodci zatancovali :) Náš průvodce s náma celou dobu jednal jako s dětmi v mateřské školce, naší skupině dal jméno „Jumbo“ (kterým se teď s Berniem vzájemně strašíme :), všechno raději třikrát zopakoval, nejdřív ve španělštině, pak v angličtině (typu Nezapomeňte se natřít slunečním krémem. A proč je důležité natřít se slunečním krémem? Protože slunce je zde na jezeře Titicaca ostré.). Z ostrova jsme viděli náměstí, pár domů a místní školu, wow :) K tomu jsme navíc na lodi zjistili, že jsme našemu „zprostředkovateli“ Edgarovi (,který se nás „ujal“ hned v autobuse z Bolívie) za výlet zaplatili o třetinu víc, než ostatní... no měli jsme dost. Druhý den ráno před odjezdem do Cusca jsme ho ale potkali na autobusovém nádraží, tak jsme mu to nandali ... :))

Cestou z Puna do Cusca jsme navštívili pár zajímavých míst (ruiny v Pukaře, nějaké kostely a mumie s deformovanými lebkami). V Cuscu se nás hned u autobusu mermomocí chtěl ujat další podobný typu Edgar, že má super hostel, organizuje výlety levně a kamkoliv, a taxík že čeká za rohem. Tak jsme mu řekli, že chceme do jiného hostelu a on, že nás tam sveze, že není problém. Pak teprv zavolal taxíka a samozřejmě nás nechal zavézt k jeho hostelu... expert :) Nakonec jsme ale přistáli tam, kde jsme chtěli – v hostelu Andrea – rodinný provoz, který vede Reonaldo, úžasný týpek, který vám pomůže naplánovat úplně všechno. První den v Cuscu jsme navštívili město samotné, druhý den pak okolní ruiny (celodenní výlet s x kilometry chůze), třetí den jsme už jeli směr Machu Picchu: Ollantatambo. Zde jsme nejdřív opět navštívili pozůstatky inckého chrámu (v okolí Cusca jich je spousta) a odpoledne pak nasedli do super drahého expresu směr Machu Picchu (na Machu Picchu se dá buď dojet vlakem nebo autobusem oklikou, což ve srovnání s lístky za vlak nestojí skoro nic, ale zabere skoro celý den, navíc poslední tři hodiny se musí jít pěšky. Původně jsme měli v plánu variantu autobus+pěší, ale Bernie nebyl úplně fit, tak jsme jeli vlakem). Trasa „Posvátným údolím“ k Machu Picchu, resp. Aqua Calientes (obec pod Machu Picchu) nádhera! V Aqua Calientes jsme se ubytovali v hostelu a vyrazili do místních termálů. Po cestě tam náhle zhasla všechna světla a trvalo asi půl hodiny, než proud opět naskočil. Takže jsme se převlíkali do plavek po tmě (jeden dobrý hlídač mi nabídnul, že mi posvítí svým mobilem :) Z bazénu pod širým nebem jsme pak aspoň měli pěkný výhled na hvězdy.

Druhý den jsme vstávali o půl páté, v hostelu jsme dokonce i v tak brzkou hodinu dostali snídani, a pak už jsme fičeli na autobus, který nás zavezl k Machu Picchu. Kolem šesti jsme byli na místě, všude už plno turistů čekajících, až je vpustí ke slavným ruinám. Machu Picchu je nádhera! Ve skutečnosti to celé vypadá mnohem šíleněji než na fotkách, fakt krása, hlavně to prostředí, ale i samotné ruiny, prostě wow! :) Strávili jsme tam celý den až do zavírací doby v pět odpoledne. V poledne jsme vyšli na Cerro Machu Picchu (náhradní program k Huayana Picchu – ta slavná špičatá hora, na které je taky chrám, na kterou je ale limitován počet turistů na 200 za den a na nás už bohužel nezbyly lístky). Z Cerro M.P. je ale taky nádherný výhled. Večer jsme byli unavení jak psi, v půl desáté jsme jeli vlakem z Aqua Calientes zpět do Ollantatambo, kde jsme přespali a na druhý den jeli zpátky do Cusca. Z Cusca jsme pak nočním autobusem jeli do Nascy.

V Nasce jsme nejdřív navštívili hřbitov Nasca kultury v poušti (ca. do roku 800 n.l.). V odkrytých hrobkách posedávají mumie pry s nejdelšími vlasy na světě. Celkem působivé, navíc sem tam leží lidské kosti, zbytky látek nebo prameny vlasů i kolem hrobů na zemi... :) Pak jsme ještě byli v keramické a zlatnické dílně, kde jsme si mimo jiné mohli koupit místní zlaté šperky za hódně levný peníz (jen kdyby to nebyly tak kýčovité kousky... :) Obojí ale bylo dost zajímavé. Druhý den ráno jsme vynechali snídani a jeli taxíkem na místní letiště. Po chvilce čekání jsme společně s třemi dalšími turisty z Kanady nasedli do malého letadla typu Cesna a vyrazili oblítnout slavné Nasca linie a podívat se na ně z výšky. Z letu i linií jsme byli nadšení. Bohužel to rychle uteklo, letí se jen půl hodiny. Pak jsme ještě byli navštívit nedaleké pyramidy v poušti. Odpoledne šel Bernie do muzea, já jsem zevlovala na terase hostelu. Večer jsme hráli karty a kostky s jedním párečkem ze Švýcarska. A teď sedíme v autobuse a šinem si to po Panamericaně po pobřeží směr Lima.

7.6. - 9.6. - Trujillo - Huanchaco - Mancora

7.9. - Trujillo – Huanchaco
The night on the bus was ok and we arrived around 7 in Trujillo. In the terminal we met Chris and Ryan two brothers from the US with whom we shared a taxi to Huanchaco, the beach town next to Trujillo. We went to the “My Friend” hostel, which was recommended by Arturos sister Melissa. It was indeed a nice and cheap place. Later we found out that it was even listed in the Rough Guide, but not as hostel but in the category night life. Soon we saw the advertisement for the cocktail night every Thursday, 3 Sol each cocktail. Well the plan for the evening was clear, it was Thursday. :) First, we had breakfast as we had to wait for a room to get cleaned. Soon after we left for the close by ruins of Chan Chan. The place is very huge and it is only possible to visit one of the numerous walled temples each several hundred meters side length. Inside there are nice wall decorations, but unfortunately several parts were closed for renovation. After this Radka was tired and went back to the hostel. A taxi driver talked me into taking his taxi to get to the other places included in the ticket and after some negotiations I agreed. He took me to the museum of Chan Chan which was quite small and run down but had some nice ceramics. Then we went on to two other nice but small temples, Huaca Esmeralda and Arco Iris. Then he took me to a bus company for buying a ticket on to Mancora. Unfortunately they only had one bus arriving at 4 am. So he took me to another bus company, as unfortunately they are spread over the city. Again a 4 am arrival we then tried Cruz del Sur which finally had a bus arriving at 8 am. We were lucky as this one is the only such bus and it does not run every day, quite expensive though. I paid the taxi and walked to the main square, where a big Corpus Chisti celebration was taking place. Many schools prepared flower carpets for a procession to walk over later. They had a band there and were singing songs to praise god with salsa rhythms and people waving their hands. Unfortunately, they had the volume on max and even some of the Peruvians had to cover their ears. So I did not wait for the procession, but bought a coconut to drink and eat and went towards the place the collectivos would leave for Huanchaco. Back in the hostel Radka and I had dinner, and later Chris and Ryan joined us. We were finishing the coconut while waiting for the happy hour to start. Then the place filled rapidly and the music got louder. It was like in a disco. The cocktails were good but one less would have been enough. We went to bed by the (late) end of the happy hour and luckily other people started to leave then too so it was possible to sleep soon after. :)

8.6. - Huanchaco
In the morning it was a bit hard to get up but after breakfast we took a collectivo to the other end of Trujillo and then changed to another one on to Huaca de la Luna. The second one was a very old mini bus and we were surprised how many people fit in. The maximum was around 30 people (including some 15 school children) in a bus the size of a VW bus. Well, after 1h we arrived at the huaca and had to go on a tour as it is not possible to walk around individually, any more. The guide was quite ok and there was a nice German guy in our group who managed to hitch hike all the way from Germany to French Guyana for free or just part of the gas. The Huaca de la Luna had really nice colored frescoes and was an impressive site. Unfortunately, the Huaca del Sol right next to it was closed to the public one month earlier due to new excavations. We visited the new museum afterwards, which showed some incredible ceramics and then went back again by collectivos. Back in the hostel we had a Avocado filled with shrimp and a salad and arranged a meeting with Melissa, the sister of Arturo who lives in Trujillo. We also had some very nice lemonade. Later, we took a collectivo to Trujillo and a taxi on to Melissas place, which took a bit longer than expected as the address was much further away as Google Maps told us. Apparently, they have more than one street named Los Angeles. We put our luggage in her place and soon after left, together with Dana a friend of hers, for the center. We went to a nice place to eat sandwiches and it was fun talking with them. After that we picked up our luggage and left for the Cruz del Sur terminal. We were already a bit stressed as we arrived just 15min before the scheduled departure, but in fact the bus turned out to be 1h late. The bus was ok, though and we went to sleep right away, as it was already 1 am.

9.6. Mancora
We arrived in Mancora at 9:30 and were surrounded by moto i.e. tuc-tuc drivers and touts. We got our luggage out of the lower toilet of the bus (I really don't know why they had to put the luggage there) and then agreed to let us show a hostel by a moto driver. The place, Guacamayo hostel, looked nice and quiet and after some negotiation the price also seemed to be kind of ok. Then we went to the beach close by and in front of the party place, Loki hostel, we met again the Australians we last met on Machu Picchu. We spent some time talking to them and otherwise just relaxed on the beach. We also had some really nice filled bread. One with banana and chocolate was especially nice! Later, back in the hostel we realized that we got quite some sun burns although we used sunscreen. Not enough obviously. Then we went to a recommended Thai restaurant, Tao, where I had a delicious tuna steak and Radka some also really nice chicken dish. We also had really nice fresh juices. Not cheap but a great dinner. After that we bought some beer in a shop, at a price you wouldn't pay in Austria in a shop, and took a moto back to the hostel. We had the beer in front of our bungalow like room and listened to music. A relaxed evening.

4.6. - 6.6. - Nasca - Lima

4.6. - Nasca – Lima
We got up early and prepared us some take a way breakfast. At 7 we were at the bus terminal, as required, but had to wait until 8 for the bus to arrive. The bus was ok and we even got a snack. Then we had a lot of time on the panamericana to catch up with the blog. We arrived a bit late around 4 and there was a lot of traffic in Lima. We took a taxi to Miraflores where we wanted to check into the Morchilero hostal, but they unfortunately only had one private which was occupied. They were, however, very nice and helpful and helped us look for another hostel nearby. We ended up in one of the hostels also in our guide book, the Explorer's House. The owner, Eva, is really a nice relaxed woman and we had a lot of fun talking to her. There was a German girl I talked to for a while and then we soon went out for dinner. We went to a place kind of in the center of Miraflores and had lasagne and some kind of cheese balls. On our way back we bought some beer for the terrace in our hostel, but we were so tired that we went to bed early.

5.6. - Lima
We got up rather early and after breakfast Radka was still tired and went to bed again. So I did some planning of our trip and also researched flight options from Columbia. Unfortunately, quite expensive. At 2 pm we finally took a bus to the center and got off a bit too late, which actually wasn't too bad as we even were closer to the main square than we initially planned. The plaza was nice and so was our walk through the center. We again had the small eggs as a snack and we also bought some rolls and mortadella, a nice lunch. Then we had a quite expensive but very good Espresso at Starbucks and then took a taxi back to the hostel. In the hostel we did some more flight research while waiting for Arturo. Arturo we met earlier in El Chalten and now we wanted to meet again. He picked us up at the hostel around 8 pm and we took another taxi to Tanta, a great place to eat, a bit expensive though. It was nice to meet him again and we had some great food. I had the specialty, Lomo Saltado, which was great and also a Pisco Sour. After that we all had deserts which they presented on a trolley where we could choose. They all looked great, and every one we chose also was really great! For desert also his cousin came. After that we left and went home, as we were already very tired (and full) and Arturo had to visit his sister in the hospital. Back in the hostel we had one beer and went to bed.

6.6. - Lima
After breakfast, I took a bus to the anthropological and archeological museum. The museum was great and had a lot of very nice ceramics. They also had exhibits about the creation of the nation and independence. Then I had a coffee and did the rest of the exhibition. Radka was sleeping and skyping with her mother meanwhile. Then I took a bus to the Mali – the museo de arte Lima. There I met Radka at 2 pm. It was very small but nice. Then we had a coffee there and continued through the park in which the museum is located. We had to walk on passed the stadium before we reached another park with a water show. There we also had a small lunch, some grilled meat with potatoes and corn. We also had a piece of cake and a coffee. It got dark and the water show became even more kitsch with the colored light. Still it was nice to watch. Then we took a taxi back to the hostel where we had our last beer and were waiting for the laundry to be ready. At a quarter to 9 we got our laundry back fro the tienda close by. We rearranged our backpacks and got ready to leave. Eva helped us find a taxi and we said good bye. Soon after we arrived at the Cruz del Sur terminal, which is also like and Airport. We again had the luxury Cruzero Suite, which even has WiFi on board! :) I had time to write on the blog and upload it! :) We hope for a good night before we arrive in Trujillo tomorrow morning.

Peru: Puno - Cusco - Machu Picchu ...

Puno - Floating Islands

on the way to Cusco

Lama princess :)

 

 

 

Cusco

Pisac

Ollantatambo

on the way to Machu Picchu

pretty tired on Cerro Machu Picchu

Huayana Picchu

Cerro Machu Picchu

on the way back to Cusco

Salinas near Cusco

Chinchero