Be sure to check out the photo section as well!
Lima
27th June 2011After our flight to Lima we still had a few hours before we could check in for our flight to Amsterdam, so we arranged a van to do some highlights of Lima while we were there. We visited a few squares and the cathedral and also witnessed the change of the guards at the presidential palace. We also went to the Pacific Ocean and chilled a bit at a park there. Then it was time to had back to the airport to check in for out slightly delayed flight, still I had a great KLM experience on the way back and after saying goodbye to the rest of the group at the luggage belt I was greeted by my family at the airport. All in all it was a great trip with a lot of spectacular experiences.
Comforts of being back home: drinking tap water and throwing toilet paper in the toilet. Best food on the trip: Steak in Buenos Aires and empanadas. Best view: Machu Picchu site from the top of the Machu Picchu mountain.
Inti Raymi
27th June 2011Our last day in Cusco the most important day of the year was celebrated, Inti Raymi, the day that the sun returns closer to earth. It's a great spectacle with visitors from all over Peru and the rest of the world attending an acted Inca ritual that was performed during this feast. The ritual takes place at several locations in Cusco, starting at the temple of the Sun and then going to the Plaza de Armas in procession. We went to this square early in the morning to get a good spot to see all the actors. The costumes, dancing and acting was nice to see and the ritual at the square was a bit harder to follow but still fun. After this, the ritual would continue in a ruin just outside Cusco and everybody ran up the hill to this spot.
Since Cusco is still at around 3000 meters, a lot of tourist had trouble getting up the hill fast, however for us it was the third week around this altitude, so we were used to it by now, meaning that we could walk by most people on their way to the ruin. It was possible to by tickets for stage seats, but we thought it would be more fun to sit between the locals on the hills around the ruin. We had an amazing spot on the second hill right in between the locals with only very few tourist. The ritual and dancing was more impressive than at the square, but since we were farther away, it was a bit harder to see it all. We left just before the end to beat he massive crowd on the only way back to the city. Now it was time to pack our gear for one last time because the next day we would fly to Lima and from there on to Amsterdam. It was also our last opportunity to go out, so after dinner we went to a nice bar with live music. It was fun to reflect on the trip with the rest of the group and everybody had a great time. For some however getting up the next morning was a challenge and would the transfer to the airport not have been late, they would have missed the it.
Machu Picchu
27th June 2011The most famous Inca site in Peru and probably in the world is without any doubt Machu Picchu. There are several trails running towards this amazing site with different routes, lengths and durations. The most famous of these is the Inca trail, a 4 day hike that is very popular. It is also possible to hike only the last part of this trail, sleep in Aguas Calientes, the village at the foot of the Machu Picchu mountain, and then visit Machu Picchu the next day. This trail is called the Camino Real and it a optional excursion for me, however due to the popularity of the trail there is an maximum of 500 people allowed on the trail, including guides and carriers for the multi day hikes. Therefore you have to book on time if you want to be able to hike this trail and 20 days in advance is not even close to being on time. For me hiking this trail was not an option, an other guy in the group had the same problem while the two oldest group members decided not to hike the trail since the rest of the group is quite young and the pace would maybe be to high for them.
So on this day the group split up, ten would be hiking the one day trail while the four of us would be going to Aguas Calientes. We would all take the same train towards this town and the hikers would get off a few kilometers before the village to start the hike. Aguas Calientes is a very touristic town with a lot of bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and also thermal baths giving the town its name. There are also a few short hikes possible from this town and after lunch we had the plan to do the steep trail towards the top of the Putucusi, Happy Mountain. This is a mountain just opposite of the Machu Picchu site and gives spectacular views over the complex. I'd read on the internet that a few months ago some ladders that are part of the trail were destroyed by massive rain and we got mixed reports on weather or not these ladders were fixed already. The only way to find out for sure is to go there yourself! So we set of after lunch and after a short 15 minutes we saw the first ladder, completely intact, however a few minutes later we arrived at the longest and steepest of the ladders and this was damaged badly and without proper climbing gear it was not safe to ascend there. So far for that program.
We then decided to just do the one hour hike to the gate of the Machu Picchu site because the plan was to hike Huayna Picchu mountain the next day which also has a fixed number of allowed hikers. This mean that if you want to hike this mountain you have to get up early in the morning, around 4 am to hike up and beat the crowd at the gate that comes by bus. We wanted to explore this hike but were stopped at the bridge since we only had access to the park the next day. The remaining part of the day we just chilled at Aguas Calientes and waited for the other ten to arrive. They had an awesome time during the trail.
For the next day a few guys of our group got up early to get they stamp for Huayna Picchu, me and an other guy from the group decided not to hike this mountain, but instead we would do the Machu Picchu mountain, a mountain at the opposite site of the park and with about twice the ascend also more spectacular views on the site. This meant that we could sleep in for a bit and get up at 4.45 in the morning to be on time for an early bus to the gate. We first had a guided tour on the archeological site and the sheer size and build quality of the site is very impressive. The stories he told were interesting although most of them are more guesses than proven facts, there still needs to be done a lot of work on the history of the Inca's at this site, why did these people not write?
Anyway, after the tour we got something to eat at way to expensive prices and then went towards the summit of the Machu Picchu mountain. The way up was very steep and all stairs, so we could not really choose an own pace. Still we made it up quite fast in 80 minutes, the view at the top was amazing and a real reward for the exercise. After some pictures and chilling we wanted to go back when some guy stepped in the backpack of my hike buddy and his backpack went off the cliff. All this stuff was in there so we we both quite tense, fortunately there was a small tree in the way that stopped the bag and a Belgium girl just climbed after the bag and gave it back, now that's cool!
The descend was a relief compared to the steep ascend, but still took some time due to the steps. At the end of the trail we chilled in the sun and then went back to Aguas Calientes where some girls of the group were waiting for our stories. We had to wait for our train back to Cusco where we arrived satisfied and very tired.
Cusco
27th June 2011After arriving in Cusco, we checked in to our hotel and got ready to get some dinner. It was already around 9.30 pm so we were hoping to go to a place to get a quick meal. We walked in the direction of the Plaza die Armas, the main square of Cusco with a lot of bars and restaurants, and were greeted by masses of people attending a concert of some very popular Peruvian band. The athmosphere at the square was amazing, but unfortunately the restaurant we wanted to go to was at the other side of the square and it took us some time to get through the crowd. After just over half an hour we walked in the restaurant, situated just behind the stage, so we had an amazing view over the crowd on the balcony and also an amazing sound in the restaurant. The food was very tasty however we also found out that the prices in Cusco are more tourist orientated and therefore almost twice what we were used to pay in the weeks before.
After dinner some of us decided to check out the party scene in Cusco, the concert was already over and we first explored some of the side streets of the square. We ended up in Mama Africa, a bar at the square with an awesome DJ and nice cocktails (although not everybody agreed on that). At the end of the evening we played pool against some Americans, but they didn't have so much to drink, therefore they kicked ass.
The next day in Cusco we took it easy and did some sightseeing. We visited the Inca museum, some churches and cathedrals and the Temple of the Sun. Some were more impressive than others, but in non of them it was allowed to take pictures, so if you really want to see what I saw you have to go there yourself. In the afternoon we visited a few markets and there was also a carnival like parade on the main square. It was nice to see how much people participated and even more impressive when we found out that it would go on until 2 in the morning. We finished the day with some drinks and bitterballs in a Dutch bar close to our hotel. It was nice to share the Dutch food and music with the rest of the group and even the Belgium guys had a great time. We went to bed in time because the next day we would go to on of the highlights of the trip: Machu Picchu!
Titicaca lake: Puno
21st June 2011In Puno we changed the program a bit since we already spend much time on the water the day before, we only went to the Uros Islands, floating islands made from reed. Although it's very touristic, it was still worth the trip and it was impressive the see how these islands are made. In the afternoon we visited Sillustani, an site with old Pre-Inca and Inca tombs. Many of the tombs are destroyed nut still the craftsmanship is visible in the way the stones fit. The next day we took our van to Cusco, due to roadblocks we had to take a detour of 4 hours extra over dirt roads and the last few hours before Cusco we drove in the dark, which would have been fine if the lights of the van would stay on all the time, but these lights had a mind of their own.
Titicaca lake: Copacabana and Isla del Sol
21st June 2011After a late dinner in La Paz and an early breakfast we hopped on the bus to Copacabana, a small but important town at the Titivcaca lake. This lake is considered to be the highest lake in the world that can be sailed with big boats. After a few hours driving we arrived in Copacabana where we lunched and explored the town. The town is known for it's daily blessing of cars by the local priest, people from all over Bolivia come to Copacabana to get their new car blessed. Unfortunately we missed this spectacle and since the town does not have that much to offer we just chilled at the hotel. In the evening we climbed on of the hills surrounding the bay to get a nice view of the sunset. With at lot of clouds that was not so much to see.
The next day we had an early breakfast and some of us went to the market to get everything for a nice lunch. Then we got onto a boat to sail to Isla del Sol, on of the bigger islands in the Titicaca lake and an island with a lot of mystical Inca stories. On the island our guide had some interesting stories to tell and after that we had a three hour hike to the hotel. The hike was very nice even though we had to pay toll to the locals, their way of making some money of the tourism. A the hotel there was some confusion about the program from there one, since the original plan was to go to Puno in Peru the next day by bus, but there are a few road blocks between the border and Puno due to political tensions in the region. Finally it was decided to get up early in Isla del Sol to get back to Copacabana and then to cross the border with Peru early in the morning. After crossing the border we got on a boat to sail to Puno, thus avoiding the road blocks. This trip took us for nine hours over the lake and unfortunately there were not enough seats for everybody, I was lucky enough to find a wooden folding chair stowed away in a corner.
Takesi trail
16th June 2011On Monday we started with one of the highlights of the trip, the Takesi trail. This trail runs from the old San Francisco mine over a 4670 meter pass (according to the GPS receiver) into a more eastern valley with lots of green vegetation. We started the hike at an altitude of 4200 meters and went gradually up to cross the pass. The hike up was intense and very satisfying at the same time. At the top of the pass the view was spectacular and from there the hike was manly down. We had a great guide with us and a crew with cook that prepared all meals. Apart from our day packs, our stuff was carried by lama's. It was a funny sight, but also a bit inconvenient since it was the first time for the lama's and they were very suborn, so each night at our camp sight we had to wait for the lama's with our stuff.
The first night we slept at around 3600 meters, but the temperature was not below freezing as we were told in advance. The second day we descended to 2400 meters, with a few more ups and downs in between. The more tropical like vegetation was very nice and what surprised me the most was how fast the vegetation changes when descending. We camped next to a river fed by melting snow but the water was not to cold to prevent some of us to take a refreshing dive. A great dinner and campfire ended the day.
On the last day of the hike we only had a half day of walking to the village of Yanacachi. This part of the trail was mostly flat, but the aquaduct that normally is part of the trail was partly destroyed buy a landslide a few weeks earlier, so we had an extra deviation. When we arrived a the village the plan was that we would have lunch and than go back to La Paz. However the main road connecting Yanacachi to La Paz had a few landslides as well in the last few weeks, meaning that the road was closed between 7 and 18 hours for the crew to do some patching. We were not told this in advance and we had to wait for our van to arrive and than for the road to open. When the road was finally open it was already getting dark and our van was not equipped with proper brakes and lights. This made the way back to La Paz quite an adventure on a narrow road with steep cliffs, much like the famous death road. In the end we made it home safe with only two counts of tires getting off road on the cliff side. The trail was a awesome experience and definitely a highlight of this trip. The way back was spectacular but I hope to never do that again.
La Paz
16th June 2011On Saturday we left the Indian village for the airfield where we took a flight to La Paz! The flight over the Andes was beautiful and the view when driving from the airport to La Paz was spectacular. After lunch we explored the city by foot, manly the area around the witch market where they sell all kinds of stuff for good luck, good health and such like. The most remarkable were the dried lama fetus, ranging from very young to complete with fur. In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant with the entrance at the back of a youth hostal, so it took us some time to find the place.
The next day in La Paz we did something the most tourist probably won't do, some of us went to play golf on one of the most high golf courses in the world! Our taxi also had a hard time finding the place, but finally after half an hour driving we arrived at the golf course. The setting was awesome with snow peaks in the background and fletcha like mountains nearby and in the golf course itself. I never played golf before so first we practiced a bit at the driving range and then it was time to do our nine holes. We were advised to do holes 10-18 since the scenery was the most impressive, but the holes were also harder than the first nine. We had great fun and our caddy's gave some helpful advice in Spanish now and then.
Sucre and the Indians
16th June 2011After our visit to the mine of Potosi we got ion the bus once more to drive to Salta, the capital of Bolivia, even though most people think it's La Paz, where the government seats. After arriving late we only had time to bring some cloths to the laundry and go for dinner. The next day we shopping spree to get some souvenirs and at the same time see more of Salta by foot. It's a beautiful city build in a nice colonial style and the city is not hectic at all. In the evening we had a nice patio at the hotel were we could enjoy a few drinks.
On the 15th day of this trip, we went to Yampara, an Indian village close to Salta. Here we visited the local school which was closed because the teacher was in Salta to collect her salary, something she does every Friday and therefore the school is always closed on Fridays. Still some of the 15 kids attending the school were at the school grounds and we played a friendly football match, tourists vs kids, the kids won big time.
After a great lunch we got a tour through the village, which was a bit to touristic for my taste, but still interesting. We visited a chiceria, a place where chicha is served, a kind of alcoholic drink made from corn. In the evening we played card games by candle light, since the village has no electricity, or running water for that matter. A nice campfire marked the end of the day.
The mine of Potosi
16th June 2011On Tuesday we got op early to take our bus in the direction of Potosi. This town used to be the largest city in the world a few centuries ago when the Spanish used slaves to mine large quantities of silver. Nowadays it is still considered the highest city in the world, being around 4060 meters above sea level. On our way to Potosi we stopped at another mine town, now almost deserted since the mine closed a few decades ago. Another stop was made to do a picnic lunch where a few local kids watched how these strange looking people were preparing a meal. The scenic drive to Potosi was impressive with all it's hair-pin turns and steep slopes, but also high flat areas where a lot of lama's were wondering around. We even spotted a few condors circling around looking for something to eat.
The next day in Potosi, we visited the mine that is the main economy driver of the region. First we stopped by the mine market where you can buy all the stuff you need when you're a miner: coco leaves with catalyst, 93 percent alcohol when you're thirsty, TNT dynamite with fuse and of course headlamps and other supplies. With some supplies bought to give to the miners we went to the mine itself. Some went in the mine to experience the daily routine of the miners, while me and some others stayed outside of the mine to look around and talk with miners of duty. The whole experience was quite impressive and it also give a whole other insight into the conditions under which miners have to work. We ended our visit at the mine with a bang by igniting a bar of dynamite.
To Uyuni and the salt flat
6th June 2011The day after the horseback riding, we went north in the direction of the border with Bolivia. On our way we took several stops, the first one at the 7-colored mountain near Purmamarca, where we also did a short hike. We also visited a pucara, some kind of archeological site, near Tilcara. The cacti at that place were amazing. We stopped at Humahuaca for the night to continue the trip the next morning. We took the van to the border with Bolivia and crossed the border by foot, since motorized traffic is not allowed to cross the border. We entered Bolivia in Villazon, a hectic border town where we spend a few hours changing our money and waiting for the train that would take us to Uyuni.
The train ride was amazing and very comfortable as well. For our entertainment music videos for the 70's and 80's were shown during the ride, along with some movies that unfortunately were in Spanish. We arrived in Uyuni just after midnight an after a nice breakfast we went on the salt flat by 4x4.
Driving over the salt flat is amazing. The view over the completely flat white mirror is spectacular and driving without seeing any other cars is special. We visited an island in the middle of the flat called Isla del Pescadores (fish island). This island provides with awesome views over the flat, but is also spectacular itself since it's covered with many many cacti. We continued our trip to an other island in the flat that is and old volcano. Here we had an amazing sunset and we slept in a simple hostel on the volcanic island. The next morning we got up before dawn to see the sunrise. The color of the sunlight reflected in the clouds and the salt and water on the salt was surrealistic. We did a 3 hour hike on the volcano where we visited a few villages and walked in between the lama's. We even spotted a flock of flamenco's near the salt. After lunch we went back to Uyuni and we stopped for some pictures on the salt, to visit a hotel made out of salt and the place where the salt is dried to be sold. In Uyuni itself we finished the day with a visit to a train graveyard. Here a bunch of trains and locomotives is deserted and completely rusted, making it a surrealistic site.
Salta and Cafayate
3rd June 2011On the third day we took an early flight to Salta in the north part of Argentina. From now on, we'll be going higher up in the Andes. In Salta, we had lunch at a traditional style restaurant the vaguely reminded me of Zorro and in the afternoon we hiked a short stair trail to prepare for the longer hikes we are going to do in the next weeks. The hike was around half a hour up 1070 stairs and at the top we were rewarded with a beautiful sight of the valley in which Salta lays. The next morning we hopped on our bus for a ride to the south to visit Cafayate.
During this trip, we took the dirt road south and drove through several beautiful landscapes. I'll upload some new pictures soon, be sure to check them out! On the top of a pass we also saw a few condors flying. Onwards we drove over a road build by the Inca's, I believe the road is about 21 km in length in a complete straight line with only a 1 cm deviation, that's impressive! The road was flanked by fields with massive cacti, much like the ones that I saw in Arizona. Just before dawn we arrived at the arrow fields, this part of the Andes used to be the bottom of the ocean and has several layers of sediments. When the Andes was formed, the bottom was pushed up, thus sloping the bottom under an angle. Erosion then shaped the different layers of sediment in the amazing arrow shapes.
We arrived in Cafayate in the evening. The next morning we went to a goat farm where they keep the goats for both cheese and meat. Afterward we went to two vineyards where we got a tour and also did a whine tasting. On our way back to Salta we had an amazing picnic and did a few short walks through beautiful canyon style landscapes. During our trip was passed by a truck filled with bottles of whine that had been in a accident. The wine could not be sold anymore so they gave it away for free, nice!
On our full day in Salta we had a chance to sleep in and relax for a bit before we visited the museum where a well conserved mummy of an sacrificed Inca child is displayed. The whole tour was quite short but very impressive. In the afternoon we went horseback riding with the gauchos! Since I never rode a horse before I was really looking forward to the new experience and I was not disappointed. When the gaucho gave me my horse he warned me that she was a fierce one and that I really needed to show her who's boss. During the part in the hills this wasn't really a problem, but on the last flat bit, my horse wanted to take off had gave me a bit of a bumpy ride. I was able to stay on the horse though. On of the other guys in the group was less fortunate and fell off, but it wasn't his fault. On a steep uphill section his saddle got loose and he slid of the horse backwards, and of course exactly at that spot stood a cactus. Luckily he was alright and so was his horse. We ended the day with an Argentinean BBQ and lasso throwing games.
Buenos Aires
31h May 2011
In Buenos Aires the trips kicked off. After a comfortable flight from Amsterdam over Paris to Bueons Aires, I met with the rest of the group taking the same trip. It's a nice bunch of people, ranging in age between 18 and 78, but all looking forward to a active trip to never forget. Unfortunately I lost my iPod on the airport in Paris, so I'll have to sing the songs myself for the next month.
After checking in at the hotel, we headed into the center of Buenos Aires where we lunched empanadas with the locals and walked past several landmarks, see the photo's section to get an impression. We visited the San Telmo area, where a tango show was performed on the square. For dinner we headed to a Argentinean steak house (was there any other option?). The steak was perfect and went really well with the Argentinian whine.
The next day we decided to explore the city the Dutch way: by bike! It was a great way to explore the north part of the city, there the distances between the landmarks are longer. In the several parks they have in the north part, all the locals working out was impressive. We payed a visit the grave of Evita, took the obligatory pictures of La Boca, visited a special Russian orthodox church and cruised over the market of San Telmo. We ended the evening in style by attending a tango show, the music singing and dance was impressive to see.
My travel blog
27th May 2011It has been a long time since I've posted something on my site, but finally a new post! At lot has happened that past year, I've been to Markkleeberg to coach our junior and U23 team during the European Champs and afterward we drove to Sault-Brenaz for our annual club camp with the VKC. The remaining part of the summer I spend at the university working on my thesis. In fall were traditional races but also a new VKC sprint race which was a great success.
The whole working on my thesis part ended in March when I handed in the final version of my thesis. If you want to find out more about my graduation work click here. I had my defense in April and I'll start my working life at BCG in September, so plenty of time to do some traveling!
Today I'll be caching my plane to Buenos Aires and then the trip continues to the northern part of Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. The plan is to keep you posted with (short) updates of my trip and also some photo's the the photo's section.