early morning llama traffic jam at MP
orchid on Waynhu Picchu
the classic shot!
me with little llama
us at MP!Sunday, May 10, 2009
trying to put up some photos
early morning llama traffic jam at MP orchid on Waynhu Picchu the classic shot! me with little llama us at MP!
Machu Picchu Indeed!
Well, Pete here again. I must put in my two cents worth about the trip to Machu Picchu... It was good to get on a train again, and the couple from Toronto were very cool. Pharmacists. Anyhow, I tried out a fairly new peice of card material which involves having a person shuffle a deck, and then taking about 5-7 minutes to memorize the order, position, and value of every card in it. NO TRICK... it´s an old vaudeville technique that Simonides would be proud of! They liked it, and we became friends... The next day we got up at about 4:30 in order to be in line for the first bus to the ruins. We made the second. There is quite a lineup for this experience as only the first 400 visitors or so get the chance to climb up the mountain, Waynu Picchu. Anyhow, I got the tickets for this, and Ev and I perused the foggy, exquisite ruins for several hours, stopping for a snack on an old rock overlooking a precipitous and spectacular canyon, before I embarked by myself on the arduous trek up and around this mountain. The Llamas in the ruins were of particular interest to Ev, and itr was clear that some prize specimens had been selected for the honor of grazing aesthetically about in the Lost City. Then I got to climb the mountain. It was very tough. Quicker than a jaunt around Gross Morne, but steeper, and with many many many more uphill stairs... I mean, one MUST admire the dedication that it takes to build a complete 3 hour circuit of stone steps around a steep, jutting rock like this, and to cap it with lookouts and terraces... wonderful. Our Ozzie friend, Steven, remarked that the Bandwidth of these Incans must have been very narrow, and focused to a degree that our own modern-postmodern world in all of it´s lateralizations simply cannot even comprehend... most remarkable, and stirring... I continued my tradition of juggling in odd places, so now I have juggled (amongst other places) at Waynu Picchu, at the home of Philo T Farnsworth (inventor of the Farnsworth Fusor; which became the Television), Signal Hill, Cape Spear, Grosse Morne (of Course), and the Neolithic mounds of the Bruin-a-Boyne Valley in Ireland. Oh, and also for the Statue of the Virgin Mary in the plaza of Notre-Dame cathedral, who features in a fabulous peice of folklore known as Le Jongleur De Notre Dame, wherein a juggler´s efforts bring her to life. Anyhow, back to Machu Picchu. I also left a peice of corral on top of the mountain (sure to confuse future geologists) that we picked up from the beaches of the Northern Peninsula by LÁnse Aux Meadows, thus rather oddly connecting the world of Leif Erickson´s Vinland, with the Incan civilization... Anyhow...The cost of this particular jaunt to Machu Picchu was quite a bit, about $70 each... the Peruvian commision in charge of it knows very well the draw that this place has, and so we decided to invest the gift that Puppa D gave us into this, as well as into the train and accomodations that got us, and sustained us there. So big thank you for this gift of spectacular meaning and memory, and we will be sure to share photos once we either get home, or crack the techno-code for uploading directly from here.
Oh, and I just read David Abram´s The Spell of the Sensuous, and must say that it is one of the most truly brilliant and valuable books I have ever encountered... It sits alongside Dame Yate´s Art of Memory, as true keys to how we think and who we be... So, enough rambling from me... love to you all!
-Peter
Oh, and I just read David Abram´s The Spell of the Sensuous, and must say that it is one of the most truly brilliant and valuable books I have ever encountered... It sits alongside Dame Yate´s Art of Memory, as true keys to how we think and who we be... So, enough rambling from me... love to you all!
-Peter
Friday, May 8, 2009
wow! MP!
Hola
we´re back in cuzco from Macchu Picchu and it was amazing! the town near by was a total tourist town but the site was incredible!
Peter even climbed Waynu Picchu and loved it, tho it was very exhausting.
while he climbed I hung out with the resident llamas and wandered around a bit more. I didn´t do the climb as apparently there are alot of sheer cliffs and i´m a bit afraid of heights.
On Tuesday we went to a little town in the Sacred Valley called Ollantaytambo and went to the very impressive ruins there. The INka really had urban planning down. On one hillside they had the religous area which are the ruins we visit today. then in the valley between the hills they had the village living space and agricultural areas then on the other hillside they stored food. We took a collectivo taxi to the village and tho I swear I had been clear that it was 15 soles por dos (for two) it suddenly became 15 each when we arrived. oh well! i´m just learning to bargain here. We went to the market in Ollantaytambo and listened to a blind harpist. That night we meet an international couple (oz-finland) who were traveling for 5 months in South America (SA). They were a blast and we played the frog game that was in our hostel. There is a golden frog on a stand with holes around it and a drawer underneath. You attempt to toss golden coins into the frogs mouth and or other holes. We almost won but not quite!
The next morning we climbed the hill with the food storage areas and hung out up there for a while. The village was really neat with water diverted from the river to run through the streets and Inka type houses and people leading their cows and sheep around. We discovered a local cheese which is full of whey and kind of like feta but not crumbly.
That afternoon we took the train to Agua Calientes (hot water- there are hot springs but they aren´t upkept). This is the town for Machu Picchu (MP) and the only way in is to either trek for a fe wdays or take the train. On the train we met a Canadian couple from London Ontario and went for pisco sours with them. Later we went out for the menu touristica (set menu) and had grilled alpaca - quite good. We were joined by an older couple from Costa Rica. Sylvia used to be a pianist but she now runs a craft colelctive in costa rica with her own designs which was really neat.
Okay I have to change rooms. More about MP coming up! stay tuned!
we´re back in cuzco from Macchu Picchu and it was amazing! the town near by was a total tourist town but the site was incredible!
Peter even climbed Waynu Picchu and loved it, tho it was very exhausting.
while he climbed I hung out with the resident llamas and wandered around a bit more. I didn´t do the climb as apparently there are alot of sheer cliffs and i´m a bit afraid of heights.
On Tuesday we went to a little town in the Sacred Valley called Ollantaytambo and went to the very impressive ruins there. The INka really had urban planning down. On one hillside they had the religous area which are the ruins we visit today. then in the valley between the hills they had the village living space and agricultural areas then on the other hillside they stored food. We took a collectivo taxi to the village and tho I swear I had been clear that it was 15 soles por dos (for two) it suddenly became 15 each when we arrived. oh well! i´m just learning to bargain here. We went to the market in Ollantaytambo and listened to a blind harpist. That night we meet an international couple (oz-finland) who were traveling for 5 months in South America (SA). They were a blast and we played the frog game that was in our hostel. There is a golden frog on a stand with holes around it and a drawer underneath. You attempt to toss golden coins into the frogs mouth and or other holes. We almost won but not quite!
The next morning we climbed the hill with the food storage areas and hung out up there for a while. The village was really neat with water diverted from the river to run through the streets and Inka type houses and people leading their cows and sheep around. We discovered a local cheese which is full of whey and kind of like feta but not crumbly.
That afternoon we took the train to Agua Calientes (hot water- there are hot springs but they aren´t upkept). This is the town for Machu Picchu (MP) and the only way in is to either trek for a fe wdays or take the train. On the train we met a Canadian couple from London Ontario and went for pisco sours with them. Later we went out for the menu touristica (set menu) and had grilled alpaca - quite good. We were joined by an older couple from Costa Rica. Sylvia used to be a pianist but she now runs a craft colelctive in costa rica with her own designs which was really neat.
Okay I have to change rooms. More about MP coming up! stay tuned!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Gone to Machu Pichu
We´re off for a few days to the Sacred Valley and then to Machu Pichu. We return to Cuzco on Thursday night with many stories to tell!
One quick cute one is that there are jugglers in the plaza square here in san blas and peter has been juggling with them. But then a very happy little dog (bision freise) was running around and grabbed one fo the balls when it fell. Me and the dogs boy had to chase it all over the square to get it back. From then on the balls were a happy target of the dog!
IN other dogs news they are not all happy. we were all kept up last night to multiple dog fights outside our windows.
Yesterday we went to a ruins at the top of Cuzco (3600m) and the route we took was through the alleyways and we ended up going up 450+ stairs! eek! the ruins were great tho! a local man gave us wild sage to smell to help with alitutude but i don´t think it was that so much as the many many steep stairs!
Ciao
Evelyn
One quick cute one is that there are jugglers in the plaza square here in san blas and peter has been juggling with them. But then a very happy little dog (bision freise) was running around and grabbed one fo the balls when it fell. Me and the dogs boy had to chase it all over the square to get it back. From then on the balls were a happy target of the dog!
IN other dogs news they are not all happy. we were all kept up last night to multiple dog fights outside our windows.
Yesterday we went to a ruins at the top of Cuzco (3600m) and the route we took was through the alleyways and we ended up going up 450+ stairs! eek! the ruins were great tho! a local man gave us wild sage to smell to help with alitutude but i don´t think it was that so much as the many many steep stairs!
Ciao
Evelyn
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Happy Birthday Peter
Happy Birthday Peter! its his 33rd and we´re in Cusco.
We slept 12 hrs last night and are feeling much better!
Last night at about midnight the festival was ongoing but we were too tired to get up. It was right outside our door and sounded amazing!
Its the festival of the cross where all the families bring their crosses to get blessed. Apparently if two family crosses meet they ahve to stop and drink and make the crosses bow to each other and kiss them. I´m sorry we didn´t see it but it sound good with a brass band and lots of firecrackers. we were so tired that the firecrackers didn´t even keep me awake!
We´re not sure what we´´re doing today but we´re finally starting to meet other travellers. There is another girl in the hostel having her bday and they´ve got balloons and hats for her (not the hostel but her friend).
Ciao
Evelyn
We slept 12 hrs last night and are feeling much better!
Last night at about midnight the festival was ongoing but we were too tired to get up. It was right outside our door and sounded amazing!
Its the festival of the cross where all the families bring their crosses to get blessed. Apparently if two family crosses meet they ahve to stop and drink and make the crosses bow to each other and kiss them. I´m sorry we didn´t see it but it sound good with a brass band and lots of firecrackers. we were so tired that the firecrackers didn´t even keep me awake!
We´re not sure what we´´re doing today but we´re finally starting to meet other travellers. There is another girl in the hostel having her bday and they´ve got balloons and hats for her (not the hostel but her friend).
Ciao
Evelyn
Saturday, May 2, 2009
breathless in cuzco
I know Peter posted earlier but i thought i´d add this bit from an email to my parents and a few friends just now...
not sure if peter wrote you earlier but we´re safe in cuzco and getting used to the altitude. the streets are cobblestoned where we are but not that steep considering st. john´s. but if you took st. john´s and shot it up into the sky 3kms i guess the hills would be similar.
the bus ride -tho luxury with big seats was brutal and we just found out that that route takes you over three 4000m passes! sounds about right! mom those ginger candies saved me from actually getting sick in the middle of the night. it was the whole thing with dizzzziness, bad headache, puffy face and nausea 0oops! Ed you were right about buses but we couldn´t fly and we did get to see alot from the bus. anyhow a few hours of sleep when we got in set us straight after that altitude and a bad nights sleep. I figure that that has got to be good for us getting used to cuzco which is lower.
we came here to see the festival of the crosses but cuoldn´t find it so we sat down for a beer and processions of families with crosses started just passing right by us! ç
anyhow I¨m still a bit out of it but its getting better
Hola!
Evelyn
PS to add to this Cuzco is lovely and its so relaxed!
not sure if peter wrote you earlier but we´re safe in cuzco and getting used to the altitude. the streets are cobblestoned where we are but not that steep considering st. john´s. but if you took st. john´s and shot it up into the sky 3kms i guess the hills would be similar.
the bus ride -tho luxury with big seats was brutal and we just found out that that route takes you over three 4000m passes! sounds about right! mom those ginger candies saved me from actually getting sick in the middle of the night. it was the whole thing with dizzzziness, bad headache, puffy face and nausea 0oops! Ed you were right about buses but we couldn´t fly and we did get to see alot from the bus. anyhow a few hours of sleep when we got in set us straight after that altitude and a bad nights sleep. I figure that that has got to be good for us getting used to cuzco which is lower.
we came here to see the festival of the crosses but cuoldn´t find it so we sat down for a beer and processions of families with crosses started just passing right by us! ç
anyhow I¨m still a bit out of it but its getting better
Hola!
Evelyn
PS to add to this Cuzco is lovely and its so relaxed!
Pete here! So we are now in Cuzco. After arriving in Lima, we spent a day there and got accostomed to the general vibe... We were blessed by a fransican monk while having lunch... and we saw these catacombs filled with geometrically arranged bones... very artistic... Saw a parade and a baby llama (pronounced Jama). I had heard of a wacky catholic festival in Cuzco from may 2nd to 4th, and since I am turning 33 on the 3rd, it felt like an amusing place to be... now, when they tell you that the altitude is difficult to get used to, they´re not lying...´We have been dizzy and short of breath since we caame up here... most notably during the three 14000 ft mountain passes that the bus took us through... the scenery is breathtaking and the town is very nice... Ev is thanking Louise for the ginger candies which saved her stomach in those high passes. Cuzco has cool markets and stuff too.. might get some funky clothing... Much love to everyone reading this blog:
-Peter
-Peter
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