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I left Bolivia behind me and arrived in Arequipa, Peru last night. I already knew that one week in Bolivia would be too short to see the many, many fantastic sights there so I guess I ‘have to’ go back one day. 😉 Still, I made the most of my days there; it has been pretty intense once again (and I love that!).

Day 21, mountainbiking the Death Road & zip-lining

One of the ‘must-do’s’ around La Paz for thrill-seekers is to descent the famous ‘Death Road‘ on a mountain bike. The road got its name in 1995 when the Inter-American Development Bank named it the “world’s most dangerous road” since 200-300 people got killed along the road on a yearly basis. Nowadays it ain’t so dangerous anymore as a new road was build causing less traffic (especially buses!) to pass the Death Road, only 2-3 people get killed per year…
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the weather last Saturday was bad; rain, rain, rain and a valley filled with clouds; I wasn’t able to see any of the cliffs of up to 600 meters! Still, it has been an amazing experience and yes, being a proud flying dutchman and cycling-enthusiast, I have been flying low to stay close to the rather experienced guide, grrrroovyyy! 😉

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, a zip-line was waiting for me to make a very long, tiring and fantastic day complete!
 
Ready, set…GO!

 
Uhhh, yes, that *IS* a bus down there…

 
The view into the valley…where *are* those cliffs?!? 😉

 
Yesssss, I survived! 😉

 
Zip-lining across the Death Road:

Edward Everett Hale: “If you have accomplished all that you planned for yourself, you have not planned enough.”

George Santayana: “Before you contradict an old man, my fair friend, you should endeavor to understand him.”

Salman Rushdie: “A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.”

Chuck Palahniuk: “Your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life.”

Yessss…I made it to Bolivia!! That is a bigger accomplishment than it seems; the Bolivians decided to arrange a bull fight at the border…literally closing the border with buses to make an arena, WTF!!! 😉

Me and my fellow bus passengers were just in time to avoid becoming a tasty dinner for the bull; the people started shouting ‘torro, torro’ just when we were standing in the arena wondering where to go!!

Day 18-20, Copacabana, Isla del Sol & La Paz

After being continuously on da road exploring Peru for nearly two weeks, I needed a day off…Copacabana (Bolivia) is an excellent place for that; there is not much to see or do there! 😉

So, my Wednesday was filled with relaxing and getting my laundry done (really needed, I will not get into details 😉 ).

The day after I went to Isla del Sol (the birthplace of the Sun according to the Incas) and hiked from the North part to the South part of the island (absolutely stunning views, again!). The same evening I hopped on the bus to La Paz, where I spent most of the Friday strolling around the city shopping. 😉

Isla del Sol:

La Paz:

Henry S. Haskins: “The time to stop talking is when the other person nods his head affirmatively but says nothing.”

After the magical town of Cusco I moved on to Puno, starting point to explore the highest navigable lake in the world (navigation by large boats), Lake Titicaca (3812 m).

Day 16&17, Puno – Lake Titicaca

I arrived early morning (04:20h…oof!) in Puno and had wait some hours in the bus terminal before I could hop on to my next tour; a 2-day trip on Lake Titicaca visiting the floating Uros islands (made of reed!?) and a overnight homestay at a local family on the island of Amantani.

It was pretty amazing to see how the Uru people live on islands made of reed, although it was pretty commercial and felt as if they did a performance for ‘us tourists’ rather than giving an authentic peek into their lives.

Lake Titicaca…wow!

The beautiful Amantani island, an incredible experience!
Despite my ‘no hablo espangol’ I was able to get a good idea of how the people live.

Sunset, oof!! (and yes, that is me 😉 )

‘parents’ for one night:

On the ferry back to Puno…SO cute!

Lane Olinghouse: “Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address.”

Crappy WiFi has an advantage; I am able to disconnect and unwind from my online-life which is great; it enables me to really enjoy and suck up all the amazing experiences in Peru & Bolivia! That said, and despite the unstable WiFi in La Paz, Bolivia, I am able to push some posts through (scheduled over a few days as I will be in the middle of salty nowhere the coming four days 😉 ; Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest ‘Salt Flat’ in South Bolivia yayyy).

Day 15, last day in Cusco

So, after returning from Machu Picchu last week Saturday, I had one day left in Cusco before traveling to Puno. Most of that Sunday was filled with actually booking the upcoming days, yet I still found time to stroll around Cusco, be pleasantly surprised by a music festival parade through the streets and visit THE most important Inca site (at least as far as the Incas themselves are concerned); Saqsaywamam (also known as ‘Sexy Woman’ 😉 ). By the end of the day I realised I was halfway my trip…time flies when you’re having fun!

Below the day in pictures.

Cusco main square (Plaza de Armas):

Saqsaywamam:

Woman in Chinchero show how they make cloths:

Surprise! Roads are blocked as a music festival parade passes by (for an hour orso 😉 ):

Benjamin Franklin: “Anger is never without Reason, but seldom with a good One.”

John Barrymore: “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.”

And there I am (/was): Machu Picchu!!

The magical, mystical, spiritual Inca town that is seen as the most important place for them…well, seen by ‘us’ as it is the ‘Lost city of the Incas’, the one the Spaniards did not find and therefor did not destroy…(actually, the Saksaywamam (‘Sexy Woman’ 😉 ) site just out of Cusco was the true most important site for the Incas, and that one got for 80% destroyed by the Spaniards…)

Day 14, Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

As I wrote yesterday; on Day 4 of the Lares Trek, we took the first bus from Aguas Calientes and were among the first 50 people to enter Machu Picchu on Saturday (at 6am). A truly amazing experience to walk around at one of the New7Wonders of the World, being constantly amazed by the the fact that the Incas made these structures between the 14th and 15th century, without the help of any modern tools, while still able to lift stones weighing more than 15 tons (!!) and shape/polish them so precisely that no mortar was needed to keep the construction in place!

We got an early morning history lesson by our guide Hector, who deconstructed some myths around the Incas at the place he believes was an University city for the Incas. After that we got the rest of the day off to wander around and we decided to hike up to the Sun Gate to see what we missed out on (not that much) by doing the Lares Trek instead of the Inca Trail. I also had entrance to the Machu Picchu mountain (after which the Inca site was named) which proved to be a tough hike to 3082m, coming from 2430m. The hike was especially tough since the entrance closes at 11:00am while we arrived 12.05pm, uhhh. We talked our way in (the fact that it was a lady behind the entrance-desk helped 😉 ) and promised to be back before 2pm, as the mountain would ‘close’ by that time. That meant less than 2 hours for the hike up and the rolling down. As most people use between 2,5 and 3 hours for this, we knew we were up for a challenge! Well, we kept our promise with 3 minutes to spare and made it in a whopping 1h50 (!) which includes 10 minutes at the top to enjoy the view, take pictures (and catch our breath 😉 )…oof, I think I lost 5 kg weight in sweat! 😉

All in all a breathtaking day, being there gave me a lot of energy!

The Lares Trek team:

Our guide Hector:

What do I have hanging between my legs?! 😉

Sexy Llama at the top of the Machu Picchu mountain:

Lillian Hellman: “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.”

It has been an intense week; I left Cusco last week Wednesday for the Lares Trek, a 4 day / 3 night hike to Machu Picchu and have been on da road since. I made today a rest day to relax a bit and get my laundry done (really needed! 😉 ), and…a blogpost filled with photos! I divided the Lares Trek trip experience into two blogposts due to the amount of pictures, which means that the fourth day of the Trek, arriving at Machu Picchu, will come tomorrow!

Day 11-13, Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

As the classic Inca Trail was fully booked (6 months ago already!), I decided to go for the Lares Trek, one of several alternative hiking trails to Machu Picchu (the classic Inca Trail is mainly marketing boosted anyway, as there are actually seven trails leading to Machu Picchu 😉 ). The advantage of the Lares Trek is that it is a LOT less crowded on the trail…as a matter of fact, I haven’t seen any other trekking groups! Campsites are also not regulated, so instead of spending the night on a campground with 500 others, we were the only one and camping out in the farmland (yes, that could mean in the llama poop 😉 ). We only did not enter Machu Picchu via the famous Sun Gate, but instead took the first bus from Aguas Calientes and waited for the entrance like everybody else (including the Inca Trail groups btw.).

You can read the full Lares Trek itinerary here if you are interested, for now I will let the pictures do the talking… 😉

Lares Trek Day 1, breakfast at the starting point

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Lares Trek Day 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Lares Trek Day 3

Edward Chapin: “Do not judge men by mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy.”

William Shakespeare: “Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners.”

Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jed Whedon: “I am interested in the homeless, but they’re a symptom. You’re treating a symptom and the disease rages on and consumes the human race. I’m talking about an overhaul of the system: putting power in different hands.”

Seneca: “Let tears flow of their own accord: their flowing is not inconsistent with inward peace and harmony.”

John Ruskin: “When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”