Looking for Tarzan (...or George, George , George of the Jungle...)

Like any kid growing up I watched Tarzan on Saturday mornings on TV. When I saw the opportunity to actually go to the Jungle, I couldn't resist.  I didn't find Tarzan (Jack) but maybe I can portray what it was like.

We were fortunate enough to spend 3 days at the G lodge in the Tambopata National Reserve near Puerto Maldonaldo. After a short flight from Cusco, an hour long bus ride down a bumpy dirt road and a then two hour ride up the river my motorized canoe - we arrived at our destination.

 Friends have visited Machu Picchu but opted out of the jungle experience for fear of bugs, critters or mosquitoes. A viable tour company, like G Adventures,  will limit that risk - our guides always took a machete whenever we walked about the trails and alerted us to any potentials dangerous areas. They all grew up in the jungle and know it well!

The cabins had no electricity - candles are the sole light source (but we had full washroom and shower facilities) and I slept like a baby. In the morning there is no sleeping in as the birds and animals like to chat in the AM !


 We were taken on nature hikes, lake rides and night-time ride up the river looking for caimans (Peru's version of an alligator). We got to see 400-year old fig trees that were so huge you could stand in them. Monkeys, tarantulas, birds of every sort, snakes - yes they are all there !



We also visited a farm that supplied our lodge with fresh fruit, meats and vegetables that were served daily on the dining hall. It was only 10 minutes up the river. Talk about FRESH !

I wish I could show more but in the interest of space, my last image will be a short video of our group heading back up the river to catch the bus back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life (sorry, the video keeps twisting sideways so just tilt your head a bit lol).  It was a blast!

Machu Picchu - World Heritage Site

Our tour of Peru continues with an early morning wakeup call (4:30AM) in our Aguas Calientes hotel. Starting at 5:30AM, buses begin the 25 minute drive up the mountain to allow crazy tourists like us to not only beat the huge crowds that descend on the citadel all day long but to have the added enjoyment of watching the view unfold as the sun rises. Armed with a banana and package of crackers from the hotel lobby, our guide leads us to a downtown street where we queue up and fortunately get the third bus heading out.


It is a cloudy when we arrive and cannot really see anything but we keep our fingers crossed.  Eventually, the sun rises and we begin to catch a glimpse of one of the most famous South American landmarks - the recently (1910) rediscovered 'Lost City' of Machu Picchu.

Everyone is quiet, almost in a state of awe as we take in the stone buildings, grass ledges and the surrounding mountains and skyline from our vantage point. The thought that kept running through my mind was - how the heck did they build that? Originally constructed in the 15th century without the use of steel, iron or mortar it is an engineering marvel.  Like many other sites we came across in Peru, its' construction is best described as the "Lego-Effect" - with stone pieces carved to snap together to perfection.

Our guide from the Lares Trek, Percy, provides an informative lecture on the history the the site as he takes us through the various temples, terraces and structures. Every section seems to be perfectly aligned to catch a ray of sun, a drop of rain or annual calendar event. For example, the Inca Cross gets created on one of the temple floors - in perfect shadowing, at 7:15AM.

After about 5 hours, between the hot temperatures and the high altitude that creates a buzz in my head, it is time to catch a bus back to town. Later that day, we take a train to Ollantaytampo and then a bus ride back to Cusco where we have a free day to relax and prepare for the next leg of our journey- the Jungle !

Hiking the Lares Trek

As your can may know from earlier blog posts I climbed Kili two years ago, so I thought that the Peru experience would be a bit easier but I was proven differently. It was challenging but still an absolutely incredible experience and much different (in a good way) from our last G Adventure tour in Africa. Why you say?

This tour involves the interaction of more groups, more guides, more transportation links but hanging out with a wider group of fellow hikers.  The Inca Trail is the primary attraction in connection with Machu Picchu and requires a permit. The Lares Trail is less travelled and not as familiar to everyone. So when you sign up for a tour, ours being 'Amazon to the Andes', you will end up with people who could be doing Inca or Lares treks for a portion of the overall tour package so they switch you and you have a new family for awhile.  Then you go back to your original group for the next section of your tour. We found our original group in Machu Picchu on Sunday and it was great to see them again! Germany, Ireland, England, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all represented in our groups.

Our trek took us through a mountain pass that is still used by farmers and llama, sheep and alpaca herders. We were encouraged to keep extra food in our packs for children we would meet who were very poor and hungry. They are the cutest kids ever ! 

  

You sleep in tents, enjoying a hot cup of coca tea on those cool mornings (about 0 degrees). Full breakfast, lunch and dinners are prepared served by a fantastic group of cooks and porters that travel ahead of us with their teams of horses and alpacas.

Our guide, Percy, played us a tune for motivation as we drew closer to the peak. We reached the peak of Mt. Pumahuanca at 4800 meters on Day 2 in the early afternoon. The air was very thin and the inclines very steep but the view at the end made it all worthwhile!

Off to the Amazon Jungle tomorrow so we'll check back on Friday or Saturday with some updates  from Machu Picchu.

Lares Trek is Finished - Time to Check In

Hi All. It is Sunday night and it has been a crazy couple of days since I last checked in.

Me and my computer are again re-united. Peru is a wonderful place - people are so kinds. Hardest thing to get used to - no TP in the toilet - ANYWHERE!!

We arrived back in Cusco tonight after hiking the Lares Trek Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday night we took a train to Agua Caliente, AKA Machu Picchu Town.  It is the small tourist town at the foot of Machu Picchu. This morning, we had a 4AM wakeup call to queue up for one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu in time for sunrise. I will give more info on these events in separate posts when I have a chance to review my pictures.

In my last post, I mentioned the women's co-op we visited earlier in the week. Here are a few pics from that visit (you can click a picture to expand larger).

Afterwards we continued our tour around the Sacred Valley and came to realize that there are some spectacular ruins in the valley - not just at Machu Picchu. Here are a few pics from towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Hope to post some Trek pictures tomorrow.

Ever Try an Alpaca Burger

Hi. We are now into Day 3/4 of our tour, taking an early flight Tuesday to Cusco and spending the day visiting all the sights and sounds of that old town. Cathedrals, narrow streets and markets made for a great day. I had my first alpaca burger and it was quite good! Then we had to repack duffle bags to weigh no more than 8 kg - in preparation for the upcoming hiking trek. So, I have no computer as I had to leave it behind until after the trek so I have no pictures to share today :(   (trying this on my phone!)

Wednesday morning, we travelled by mini-bus to the Sacred Valley where we were able to purchase beautiful, warm alpaca products such as scarves and hats made on location by a Pervian Women's co-op. The Co-op was provided with funding by Planeterra and G Adventures (our tour company). We got to see how they dyed the alpaca hair and then weave it into all kinds of great products. Then we had a chance to see what we can expect at Machu Picchu by visiting the ruins at Pisac before the best meal of the week.

Our guide took us to the Pawra Restarant in the village of Calca where we had a five-course meal that was pretty incredible! We had breads, spinach soup, little mashed potato appetizers with chicken, quinoa salad, lettuce and cheese and stuffed chili peppers (real spicy!). Then dessert was corn cake with icing and chocolate squares. The restaurant is community run and was also provided with funding and support by Planeterra and G Adventures.

We then moved onto Ollantaytambo where we had a short walking tour of the town and ancient ruins here after checking in at our hotel for tonight.

Tomorrow, we begin our three day hike  of the Lares trail so I will be off the grid until the weekend sometime. We are having a fantastic time and seem to be acclimating to the high altitude of Cusco and Ollantaytambo OK. We are psyched for our big trek !

Day 1 - G Adventure - Amazon to Andes Tour - Explore Lima

The official start of the tour was Monday, June 1st. We had all day to explore the city of Lima on our own before meeting with out tour co-ordinator and fellow tour members that evening.

Lima is a large city divided into many principals, each with their own council and mayor. Our hotel is in the principal of Miraflores, a nice high-end neighbourhood which translates to "look at the flowers".  We walked the main drag called Jose Larco which has all the major retail and food outlets. If you continue walking down Larco you will come face-to-face with the Pacific Ocean.

It is a great spot to hang out, watch the hang gliders and look admire the view. The boardwalk has all the high-end North American stores i.e. Puma, Nike and coffee shops.

The Green Coast Highway is quite spectacular, hugging the ocean far into the distance - similar to the coasts of southern France.





We made our way back to the crazy city traffic and up to Kennedy Park where if you were a "cat lover" you would be in your glory.  There are hundreds of cats that are healthy and well cared for.

Kennedy Park is where people go to read, hang out, indulge in some snacks, admire the flowers and of course play with the cats.