So I arrived in Buenos Aires to a protest blocking the airport access road, which delayed my arrival into Palermo district of the city where Id be staying for one night whilst I waited for Karen to fly after we got confused about which flight I was on. With a day to kill, I met up with Natalie one of my coursemates from Bath, and went for ice cream a bit of shopping and a walk through a couple of parks. It was then time to head back to shower and get ready to go meet my Mexican friend from Santiago, Rupe, for dinner.
After walking the wrong way from the hostel, then the Subte (Underground) ticket office being closed, and going to the wrong hotel of the same name and the same distance from the main square, I finally made it and met up. We went down to Puerto madero where all the best steak restaurants are right on the waterfront. The whole experience was amazing and it was one of my best meals in my whole life-such good beef!!! The next day it was up early to head to Aeroparque and meet up with karen to catch our flight to Iguazú.
Secretly (or not so) I have been extremely excited for this part of the trip-for some reason I just love waterfalls. Well we arrived and it was so humid and hot- the day we arrived temperatures rose to 50 degrees. Luckily we had air con in the room but it was still incredibly hot. The next day we got up to head to the national park where the waterfalls are. You will see when I upload photos just how spectacular it was, we were left speechless before bursting into giggles and screams like little kids. We managed to easily fill our time before it was the hour to head on our tour we had booked. First we went out in a 4x4 into the jungle to learn about the flora and fauna. We saw creepy crawlies and giant spiders hanging in golden webs above our heads-I really took a dislike to the driver when he stopped so one was hanging above my head!!! Unfortunately we didnt get to see any Toucans, and we had already seen some monkeys and other birds earlier in the day. Next we donned our lifevests and headed into a speedboat down the rapids and into the waterfalls...it was mental. We have never got so wet in so little time in our whole lives!
The next day we headed over to Brasil just a 10 minute bus ride away to the border, and headed to their national park to see the falls from a different view. On the Brasilian side you get an overview of everything, and it was then that I realised the massive scale of these waterfalls... just awe inspiring. Also you get to walk right up to the waterfall in the Devil's Throat just a few inches away from touching the water- AMAZING. We decided we'd head back as we didnt know what time the buses left to Argentina nor where to get the bus. After some asking around in Spanish, as our Portuguese is just terrible we got on the bus, dropped off at the border and then waited an eternity to get the next bus into the town. Our time in the jungle was over but what an amazing time it had been. I went back for one night in Buenos Aires still mesmorized before heading for a week in Uruguay whilst waiting for mum to arrive-she will be here soon!
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Lima
So Karen and I arrived in Lima after along 17 hour bus journey through the night from Arequipa. Some fab films onboard kept everyone occupied, laughing and crying. I remember being woken up a couple of times in the night and looking out the window to see severe drops into the ocean with the bus hanging over the edge- scary but pretty fantastic views! So we arrived in Lima and had the usual shower and sleep, before heading for a fantastic lunch of cerviche and seafood risotto with a drink for just 4 pound! Then we went for a stroll around Miraflores for a chilled afternoon before heading out for dinner and some drinks.
The next day we took the metro-bus into the centre and was surprised by a carnival style parade in the Plaza de Armas, before catching changing of the guard at the presidential palace and then another parade inside the Palace ground to inaugurate the Tacna carnival for that year... all of this by chance and best of all it was free. We then headed for a random walk and stumbled across a church which we visited. Part of the visit including a trip to the catacombs underground- well it was so eerie. When the restorers were working on the church they found the remains of some bodies and as they dug more realised that the church had been buried on top of the main cementery for Lima... they decided that they would organise all of the bones of the broken corpses into sections. As we walked through we passed mass graves of tibias fibias, pelvices and then skulls- all staring at you and in such well preserved conditions! It was interesting but pretty scary! We then went for lunch followed by a long walk through parks and the required Starbucks frappuccino stop-off. The best park was the Park of Fountains... dozens of fountains that moved to music and which at night are lit up with LEDs to create a whole show, which we unfortunately couldnt stay for.
The Sunday was just a chill day whilst I waited for my flight to Buenos Aires, so we headed to the beach. It was RAMMED being a Sunday, including flaite kids playing music out really loud right next to us. And then it was time to shower and head off to the airport to head to Buenos Aires :) So BAires and Iguazu will be the next blog when I have chance... trying to keep up with the blogging as I go but sometimes it's quite hard to have the time or the computer in a hostel to sit down and write about the adventures! Till next time xxx
The next day we took the metro-bus into the centre and was surprised by a carnival style parade in the Plaza de Armas, before catching changing of the guard at the presidential palace and then another parade inside the Palace ground to inaugurate the Tacna carnival for that year... all of this by chance and best of all it was free. We then headed for a random walk and stumbled across a church which we visited. Part of the visit including a trip to the catacombs underground- well it was so eerie. When the restorers were working on the church they found the remains of some bodies and as they dug more realised that the church had been buried on top of the main cementery for Lima... they decided that they would organise all of the bones of the broken corpses into sections. As we walked through we passed mass graves of tibias fibias, pelvices and then skulls- all staring at you and in such well preserved conditions! It was interesting but pretty scary! We then went for lunch followed by a long walk through parks and the required Starbucks frappuccino stop-off. The best park was the Park of Fountains... dozens of fountains that moved to music and which at night are lit up with LEDs to create a whole show, which we unfortunately couldnt stay for.
The Sunday was just a chill day whilst I waited for my flight to Buenos Aires, so we headed to the beach. It was RAMMED being a Sunday, including flaite kids playing music out really loud right next to us. And then it was time to shower and head off to the airport to head to Buenos Aires :) So BAires and Iguazu will be the next blog when I have chance... trying to keep up with the blogging as I go but sometimes it's quite hard to have the time or the computer in a hostel to sit down and write about the adventures! Till next time xxx
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Cusco 2 and Arequipa
So the first day back in Cusco and we spent a full day in a taxi touring the other Inca sites in the area- Pisac, Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexy woman), and Q'enqo. On the Sunday we decided that we should go out as it was our last night all together, and although it started slowly we somehow managed to stay out till 4am having a great time. Next day after saying bye to Maya and her friend Briana, Karen and I spent a long afternoon sitting in Starbucks waiting to head for our overnight bus to Arequipa.
When we got to Cruz del Sur's private bus we were amazed at how professional the service was after being on some interesting bus rides. We entered the departure lounge, very airport style-esque, and then were invited to board through Gate 2. Next we had our passports checked, our bags searched and a body search whilst being filmed- very safe for just a bus journey. Then we boarded our bed bus. WOW, the two of us burst into fits of excitement at how nice the bus was. Large leather seats that reclined 160° with a fleece blanket and pillow. We were then filmed once again for safety reasons, and watched on in-ride safety video before being served our hot meal and drink, and watching our movie. I dont think Ive had such good service even on an airline let alone a bus journey! We arrived to Arequipa a little tired but nonetheless checked into our hostel and explored the city after having a very cheap but delicious lunch. That night we decided we would go to visit the convent by candlelight! Well we have never been so scared! Despite candles being dotted around this large convent that has been shrouded in mystery for years and which was known for strange and mischievious going-ons amongst the nuns, there were many areas that remained in pitch black. After being scared too many times we decided to navigate using our camera flashes. It was a really interesting convent, and the whole nighttime atmosphere really added to the trip.
The next day we were up at 2am to head to the Colca Canyon. Unfortunately it was a misty and cold day, so we didnt get to see any Condors that the canyon is famed for. However we still had a great time sitting above the layer of clouds feeling like we were on top of the world. The views were amazing!
Thursday, we headed on our luxury bus service to Lima, where I am now writing this blog as I wait to head to the airport for my flight to Buenos Aires! Lima shall make the next little blog x
When we got to Cruz del Sur's private bus we were amazed at how professional the service was after being on some interesting bus rides. We entered the departure lounge, very airport style-esque, and then were invited to board through Gate 2. Next we had our passports checked, our bags searched and a body search whilst being filmed- very safe for just a bus journey. Then we boarded our bed bus. WOW, the two of us burst into fits of excitement at how nice the bus was. Large leather seats that reclined 160° with a fleece blanket and pillow. We were then filmed once again for safety reasons, and watched on in-ride safety video before being served our hot meal and drink, and watching our movie. I dont think Ive had such good service even on an airline let alone a bus journey! We arrived to Arequipa a little tired but nonetheless checked into our hostel and explored the city after having a very cheap but delicious lunch. That night we decided we would go to visit the convent by candlelight! Well we have never been so scared! Despite candles being dotted around this large convent that has been shrouded in mystery for years and which was known for strange and mischievious going-ons amongst the nuns, there were many areas that remained in pitch black. After being scared too many times we decided to navigate using our camera flashes. It was a really interesting convent, and the whole nighttime atmosphere really added to the trip.
The next day we were up at 2am to head to the Colca Canyon. Unfortunately it was a misty and cold day, so we didnt get to see any Condors that the canyon is famed for. However we still had a great time sitting above the layer of clouds feeling like we were on top of the world. The views were amazing!
Thursday, we headed on our luxury bus service to Lima, where I am now writing this blog as I wait to head to the airport for my flight to Buenos Aires! Lima shall make the next little blog x
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Cusco and Machu Picchu
So we arrived in Cusco, our most developed location of the trip so far, and headed straight to find somewhere for breakfast after a long overnight bus arriving at 6am. We found an Irish/English pub called Nortons Rats, and had a full English- well Peruvian style. Then we headed next door to Starbucks for a good coffee- so cultural of us. We later checked into our hostel, booked up all our tickets for Machu Picchu which involved lots of running around the city and queuing. We also visted a couple of art museums and the really interesting Chocolate Museum! The day after we took a taxi to Ollantaytambo to connect to our train, Peru Rail. It was quite a posh train with airplane style safety instructions, windows in the ceiling to get a panoramic view of the scenery and a snack and hot drink, we all got a little too excited but it was a nice ride to Aguas Calientes- gateway to Machu Picchu. The day after we hiked up from Aguas Calientes in the pouring rain and at a humidity of 85%. We made it in just over an hour to start exploring Machu Picchu for the day- it was just incredible! Hopefully my photos will do some justice. After khiking back down to Aguas Calientes, which was actually more technical, we went out to a posh restaurant to celebrate Karen´s birthday then early to bed ready to hike Huayna Picchu the next day.
Huayna Picchu is the taller mountain which overlooks Machu Picchu. The climb was interesting. The usual Incan steps made an appearance aswell as ropes we had to pull ourselves up, and caves filled with water we had to climb/crawl through. But it was all worth it, sitting on the precariously pearched rocks at the top, we waited a long time for the mist to clear to get some very brief glimpses of Machu Picchu. It felt like we were on top of the world!!! The climb down was pretty scary, with staircases which seemed to go straight into the clouds, and with the rain it was pretty slippery- but we made it!!! Showering at the hostel, going out for 4x1 happy hour and some food, we said goodbye to Aguas Calientes- the mystical little town covered by mist with the constant roar of the river running through. Catching the train back to Ollantaytambo we stayed overnight before exploring the Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo, before heading back to Cusco a couple more days! Cusco and Arequipa will make up my next blog when I have time :)
Huayna Picchu is the taller mountain which overlooks Machu Picchu. The climb was interesting. The usual Incan steps made an appearance aswell as ropes we had to pull ourselves up, and caves filled with water we had to climb/crawl through. But it was all worth it, sitting on the precariously pearched rocks at the top, we waited a long time for the mist to clear to get some very brief glimpses of Machu Picchu. It felt like we were on top of the world!!! The climb down was pretty scary, with staircases which seemed to go straight into the clouds, and with the rain it was pretty slippery- but we made it!!! Showering at the hostel, going out for 4x1 happy hour and some food, we said goodbye to Aguas Calientes- the mystical little town covered by mist with the constant roar of the river running through. Catching the train back to Ollantaytambo we stayed overnight before exploring the Incan ruins in Ollantaytambo, before heading back to Cusco a couple more days! Cusco and Arequipa will make up my next blog when I have time :)
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