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Salkantay trail is mountain beauty beyond belief. There maybe more that are even more beautiful, but for being in the Andes in the Peruvian mountain side hiking and camping is amazing. Day one starting off with a bus ride from Cuzco to the starting location for the hike being dropped off and having lunch. Got an idea of where and how long to the first campsite during eating. The hike was nice and easy. Mostly road way to the campsite and along the way local huts along the mountain with an occasional truck or vehicle that passes by. There was also a small hotel that we passed by as we hiked to the campsite. The campsite consisted of a simple wood rods, metal sheets for the roof, and tarp walls which is really warm considering how cold it got that night. There was no more than a mile or two distance from the snowy tops of the mountain nearby and the campsite. Night time got to feel about 32 F. It as warmer in the camping hut then outside which I thought was amazing because of how simple and thin the structure and material is. That night at the campsite had dinner and tea. Afterward stayed up for a little bit before than going to bed after a quick easy hike. (continued.....)
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Machu Pichchu
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Machu Picchu is definitely a site no one should miss in their lifetime if they have a chance and the means to be able to go. Once on site and seeing it from the opening vantage point entering it is beyond the very breath one takes to hike their way into. It truly is magnificent! If one has time while being here I recommend not taking the tours that are given when first arriving, but instead explore it for oneself first. Experience it for yourself before having someone else flood you with information and other things to not be able to enjoy the site. The other thing to is that one can overhear whatever is being said from the tours so one won't really miss out. Explore and experience Machu Picchu how they would have when it was first discovered except for everything being well managed. Then after been on your own exploring and experiencing it for oneself , but want information about the site then take the tour. With the knowledge then learned from the tour one can compare and contrast first experiencing it by oneself with the information taken by the tour known of Machu Picchu.
Just as your trying to wrap your mind around finally being at Machu Picchu, the site itself metaphorically is wrapping around you as going through the maze of different routes and levels to get around in this vast monstrous city. Not only is it a maze of courtyards, structures, houses, and terraces; but many different levels of mysteries unknown to the actual physical visualization of Machu Picchu. History and historical evidence from the past of thousands of years that are still here today are beyond belief and intrigue. The idea that man with primitive technology and comprehension built not necessarily as an achievement; but for something in and of their cultural heritage well being, a sort of manifest destiny to put in Northern Industrialized term. The fact that the site still stands, is monstrous, was self sufficient, is as old as time, being able to see (touch, smell, etc.) physical remains of the original structure in tact, and to feel only closer spiritually in some sense of what they were trying to do without actually knowing for sure is definitely gratifying as the site itself. The rough and yet perfectly cut out rock to match together to build structures, the growing vegetation, and significance of how the site was built really amazes one, but more importantly empowering it is of what the ancient Inca civilization did only make people appreciate it today till there hearts are content. Machu Picchu can be seen as a physically geographical plus for choosing it as it is meant to be coming from a photographers point of view due to the countless high and different vantage points one can see Machu Picchu from. Only one location for such a wonderful site and the site is completely different depending on how one sees it from. Just when one thinks everything is on the same playing field of a three dimensional space your wrong and are amaze that there is more than one playing field at work on the site. Having known that from seeing the different vantage points. It truly is astonishing!
Starting from the winding wrapping around the river side to the climbing puma of rigid rock along the cliff side to the open freeing air where the condor flies. Ever so empowering of a site to be.
Cuzco
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Cuzco is a smaller more local village collective of a city than LIMA. Meaning most who want to live in a city in mountain region and who don't have the money to go to LIMA would move to Cuzco. It's definitely more manageable to get around then in LIMA and has more of the traditional Peruvian character to the city. When I say manageable I mean walkable and if need be taxi or public transport whereas in LIMA it's a huge city and is divided into different city sections. LIMA also being pack with motorized vehicles that traveling in that way could take a while and walking takes a while too because of how spread out everything is along with traffic flow both on the sidewalk and roadways. As I was saying in the LIMA section before about animals, well here in Cuzco there might be more than just cats and dogs that one might see. Another possibly is pig, chicken, Alpaca, and sheep (goat), but mostly throughout the city it will be lose dogs roaming around. The animals as roaming and lose as they are about the city the are well behaved and mannered. The biggest thing about Cuzco is food and restaurants. Than there are shops, vendor booths, and markets. Throughout the one square of the city (section with two churches in a plaza near Plaza San Francis) there are nice and high end looking restaurants which are all really good and fairly priced spread all throughout even in the parallel and adjacent streets off the plaza. There is some of variety of places like Italian, Irish Pub, Peruvian, sandwich & soup place, and cafe style places. So there is always something and a new place to try every time. Just like home they have Happy Hour every night to get people to come in. The food and edible stuff one will want to stay away from is street vendors with food, especially the ones that grill on the street. Also sandwiches for the most part that will have mayo and depending somethings from the San Pedro market which is the locally grown and managed vegetables and meat.
Cuzco is a smaller more local village collective of a city than LIMA. Meaning most who want to live in a city in mountain region and who don't have the money to go to LIMA would move to Cuzco. It's definitely more manageable to get around then in LIMA and has more of the traditional Peruvian character to the city. When I say manageable I mean walkable and if need be taxi or public transport whereas in LIMA it's a huge city and is divided into different city sections. LIMA also being pack with motorized vehicles that traveling in that way could take a while and walking takes a while too because of how spread out everything is along with traffic flow both on the sidewalk and roadways. As I was saying in the LIMA section before about animals, well here in Cuzco there might be more than just cats and dogs that one might see. Another possibly is pig, chicken, Alpaca, and sheep (goat), but mostly throughout the city it will be lose dogs roaming around. The animals as roaming and lose as they are about the city the are well behaved and mannered. The biggest thing about Cuzco is food and restaurants. Than there are shops, vendor booths, and markets. Throughout the one square of the city (section with two churches in a plaza near Plaza San Francis) there are nice and high end looking restaurants which are all really good and fairly priced spread all throughout even in the parallel and adjacent streets off the plaza. There is some of variety of places like Italian, Irish Pub, Peruvian, sandwich & soup place, and cafe style places. So there is always something and a new place to try every time. Just like home they have Happy Hour every night to get people to come in. The food and edible stuff one will want to stay away from is street vendors with food, especially the ones that grill on the street. Also sandwiches for the most part that will have mayo and depending somethings from the San Pedro market which is the locally grown and managed vegetables and meat.
The shopping places mix from: grocery, street markets, street vendors, high end/ nice jewelry, high end Alpaca products to more lower priced product shops, street booth vendors, instrument shops, and the list goes on. But for the most part ever place you go to in Peru for souvenirs will have the same thing. Within Cuzco there are just so many places and great things to check out. Of course for club or party goers there are a decent amount and looking clubs and bars to enjoy. Of course there are a lot of hotels too, ranging from two star to five star hotels. Regardless of stars they are all stay able and nice, don't need the nicest looking one. One of the most exciting and best things to wittness to also be apart of is when a country does their traditional holiday and festivity celebrations the same time one is there for it. I was able to and check out what it was like both during the day and the night of one day of the week celebrating. It was interesting seeing the social difference from home to here in Peru. That being from a social stand point, economic stand point, status (occupation) stand points, and daily living value stand point. They were not too different then back home in some respects; although I can say police in Peru don't look for drunk people to ticket like our police back home do.
Even if one does not want to travel far from Cuzco, but want to get out of the city for a while like a day trip there are sites and things to do outside the city too. Everyday is different and interesting even after two weeks in being in the same place.
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