Buying all the bits necessary to get to Machu Picchu at the last minute is a right palava. The sensible option is to have booked something like the Inca trail well in advance, however right from the start we'd decided not to be tied down by The Man and had been winging it. So on arrival in Cusco we got straight onto the job of getting ourselves to Machu Picchu. We didn't have enough time left (nor the energy and inclination) to try and get a last minute spot on a trek so we went for the train option. This is where it gets pretty complicated as we had to go buy our ridiculously expensive entry tickets to Machu Picchu itself, buy ridiculously expensive train tickets, buy transfers to/from the train (which goes from another town an hours drive from Cusco) and arrange a night in a hostel at Aguas Calientes which is kind of like base camp for Machu Picchu. Despite the effort and the huge expense, doing it this way saved us a fortune so it was probably worth it.
The massively over priced train to Aguas Calientes
After all the planning bits we got down to enjoying ourselves in Cusco which is a really nice place. We wandered up the steep sided hills to some other Incan ruins just on the edge of town. We celebrated St Patricks day in an Irish bar. We made the most of the fact our hotel room had an en-suite bathroom with an actual full size bath with hot water! And I made a secret little trip to a trinket shop to buy a stand in engagement ring for Lucy (a bargain at <£2).
Looking down onto Cusco
Breakfast :-)
The cool little bull statues on all the buildings around here - they bring good luck
From Cusco we then made the trip to Aguas Calientes and stayed in a quiet little hostel right next to the river and really close to the hot springs. Aguas Calientes is a hugely touristy spot as it's the closest habited place to Macchu Piccu. When we went it wasn't too busy so we were spoilt for choice of dismal looking places to eat. Despite everything it has quite a lot of charm, particularly with such an impressive setting and with such an angry river, and we had a nice evening going for a dip in the hot springs and getting an early night to prepare for an early start the next day.
The hot springs at Aguas Calientes - pretty skanky to be honest but nice and warm
We got up before dawn to catch one of the first (really expensive) buses up to Machu Picchu and to be able to sit and watch the sun rise up there. This was well worth the early start as the place is breathtaking and it's made even more so by the light caused by the rising sun. It also meant the place was pretty quiet so I could wait until we were on our own for my cheesy proposal to Lucy. Fortunately she said yes!
We then had a really nice day exploring Machu Picchu with the aid of an audio guide I'd downloaded onto my phone. It was really interesting, if a bit weird that because of the Incans lack of writing skills nobody really has a clue what the place is about. So you're listening to all these facts when actually it's mostly speculation.
Post-engagement
Sun rising
Cute baby alpaca at Machu Picchu
When we got back to Cusco we were pretty tired and kind of unsure of what to do next. We were left with about a week before we had to be in Lima to fly home and had to choose our route carefully so we didn't have to rush at all. On reflection we picked well in heading for Arequipa and joining a 2 day organised tour of the Colca Canyon. Basically we didn't have to think too much and we got to see a canyon that is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
The Colca valley just before it turns into a canyon
A Condor - pretty ugly and massive
The Colca canyon
One of many weird statues in Chivay where we stayed overnight on our Colca canyon tour
From Arequipa we got our last overnight bus to Lima (which this time included in-bus entertainment in the form of bingo) from where we got a transfer to the small beach resort of Punta Hermosa. This is a great surfers paradise with a really nice laid back feel and it was really appreciated to be able to spend the last few days of our South American trip surfing and sun bathing on the beach.
A good (bad) nights sleep on an overnighter
Pretty good waves at Punta Hermosa
With our flight back to the UK not leaving Lima until 21:00 it meant we got to spend a full day exploring this city too. Despite hearing largely poor reviews of the place (mostly relating to the very clear gaping divide between rich and poor here) we enjoyed exploring the downtown area and ate some great food.
Guinea pig - an undeserving delicacy
Downtown Lima
So then we headed back to the UK to continue the journey. We stayed with family in the Midlands whilst looking for work. It was pretty awesome to experience the retired lifestyle whereby popping to Morrisons forms the most stressful task of the day. It was also great to pop to see everyone in between trips to the job centre, filling in application forms and going to interviews. Thanks to all for your hospitality.
We'd decided not to go back to Plymouth as we wanted to be closer to our families, we fancied a change of scenery and we'd come to conclusion that we both love big cities. So we started looking for work in Bristol, Birmingham and London. Luckily before too long I'd found a job with Expedia and so we had to quickly rent and move into a flat in London which is where we are now. Poppa large, big shot on the east coast.
I hope to see you soon, we have a spare room in the flat so please feel free to pop by any time. Looking forward to the next part of the journey - getting married in August!
Lucy's actual real engagement ring made to order by Nicola Hurst
Love from,
Ralph x
Notes:
Two of my favourite named places were in Lima: Norky's (a fried chicken chain) and Topitop (a clothes store, presumably specialising in tops).
In Peru there are loads of statues of a chap called Ekeko who is the god of abundance. He's this moustachioed dude who chain smokes and to which the locals attach offerings. I'm not sure why but I love this little guy.
Ever lain awake at night troubled by what would happen to the colour of your jet black surfboard bag if you'd left it out in the elements on top of a campervan for 7-8 months? Well here you go:
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