The Big Chill

After my Peruvian adventures I flew to Santiago, Chile for a week of sunshine and rest.  Chile is beautiful.   The minute I stepped out of the airport I knew I would like it here.   It is beautiful, modern, peaceful, cleaner and what a great vibe! 

On the plane as I flew over the Andes, I read the book "Miracle In The Andes" about the Uruguayan soccer team that crashed their plane on the way to Chile.  You may know the story from the movie "Alive".  The book is written by one of the survivors - Nando Parado.  At first I was a bit leery about reading of a plane crash while I was flying over that very same location.  However, they were in a small private plane that had to fly through the mountains - I had a big plane that went over the mountains!  I was bawling like a baby in the airport, on the plane, in the line-up for customs.  I highly recommend this book as I appreciated Nando's perspective on the meaning of life.   I was deeply affected by what they went through.  Thanks Regan - this book was a fantastic recommendation. 

Sunset over Santiago (brought to you by LAN Flight 093)

Santiago is nestled at the base of the Andes mountains, and San Cristobal Hill and the Metropolitan Park were 10 minutes from my hotel.  This hill gives you an amazing view of the entire city, and the mountains.  It was quite hazy but I could still see the outline of the mountains - what a gorgeous view. 

View from San Cristobal Hill.

I approached a section of the park that I assumed was a children's playground.  It turns out - it was an adult playground.  Instead of slides and swings - the park had workout equipment.  It was so much fun to workout under the sun!!

Elliptical Trainer.

And membership is free!

I visited a park that has over 35 sculptures.  I had fun trying to interpret what the artists put together. 

Dancing birds???

Ummm...what's the Spanish word for...?

A beautiful water fountain was along the main street to the park.  I would often sit here and read (and people watch).

I rode the Funicular up San Cristobal Hill to the "Sanctuario Immaculada Conception" and the big statue of the Virgin Mary.  I found irony in seeing a  huge religious statue with an even bigger cell phone tower next to it.  Kind of ruins the view.  I guess when you are done praying you can phone your mom. 

Statue of the Virgin Mary.

"Hello?  Are you there God?  It's me...Zanner."

Most days were heavenly and hot (probably high 30s, could have even been in the 40s!) and the sky was a perfect blue.  The weather here is amazing.  It's very hot but there is a lot of shade (big trees everywhere) and there always seems to be a cool breeze.  It's very dry which makes it a nice combination.  The sky is a crystal clear blue - everyday!  I didn't seen one cloud in the entire week.  The sun stays out until 9pm so the evenings are wonderful for eating and drinking on a patio.  There are no bugs to bother you - it's quite relaxing. I got emotional on the hill just thinking how lucky I am to be in Santiago with the perfect weather.  It's snowing and cold in Canada - and I heard that even Dallas and Houston have snow.  I would definitely come back to Santiago.

Sunset in Providencia, Santiago

I stayed at "Meridiano Sur Petit Hotel".  They have converted an old house into an 8 bedroom hotel.  My room was really small but the guests can use the patio and the livingroom.  It's like being at a house - the livingroom has books, DVDs, a stereo and computers for those who don't have laptops.   

Meridiano Sur Petit Hotel in Providencia, Santiago.

My little hotel has poetry on the walls, and I really like the poem along the staircase that guided me to my room:

Thanks to Life by Violeta Parra

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.  It has given me two eyes, and when I open them I clearly distinguish black from white.  And in the high sky, its starry depths, and from the crowds, the man that I love.

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.  It has given me hearing, which in all its breadth, day and night records cricket and canaries, hammers, turbines, barking, dark clouds, and the tender voice of my beloved one.

A Walk In The Clouds

Machu Picchu day!   I took the Peru Rail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Caliente.  It was a 2 hour ride along the Rio Urubamba.  You could only see the Inca Trail in one spot, and we only saw one hiker from afar.  Aguas Caliente means hot springs, and is the town at the base of Machu Picchu.  Once we got off the train - all I saw was souvenir shops for blocks and blocks.  Aguas Caliente is a pedestrian town - there are no cars, motorcycles or taxis.  Just a train station and bus station. 

Train from Ollantaytambo to Agua Caliente.

Your fist view upon arrival.

We walked in the pouring rain to the Machu Picchu museum.  We learned that Machu Picchu means 'Big Peak' and was discovered by Hiram Bingham of Yale University in 1911.  It was all covered with grass and trees, so he began the excavation work in 1912 (the locals knew it was there so Hiram didn't really 'discover' it...did he!).  Many of the artifacts are still with Yale, but some were available to see at the museum. 

A bus took us up 400 meters in elevation via many switchbacks along the mountain.  We hand in our tickets at the gate, and don't see much but the hotel and gift shop.  As soon as we turned the corner - WOW!  There it is...the ancient city that is on top of Machu Picchu.  It is amazing, organized, clean and intact.  Thank goodness the Spanish didn't find this place and destroy it!

Zanner at Machu Picchu.

There are many terraces built up from the steep slope of the mountain.  The Incas began by building a rock wall straight up from the side of the mountain.  They then filled in between the mountain and the wall with gravel.  The top was packed with sand and then soil.  This allowed them to farm and grow their own food. 

View of many terraces used to increase the area of farmable land.

They also used these rock walls to set the foundation for their homes and temples. 

Housing built from rock walls on terraces.

The rocks in the homes are somewhat jagged.  But the rocks used on the sun temple are perfectly smooth.  The lines are perfectly straight, and all stones are polished.  You can use these features to distinguish where the important buildings are.

Outer wall of the Sun Temple.

The sun came out and the clouds were kissing the tops of the mountains. 

For the wet season - it was a perfect day.  Not too hot and not too cold (and not wet!).  We did the complete tour and Wilfredo, my tour guide, explained each area to us.  When we completed our tour and were leaving - the skies opened and it started to pour.  I cannot believe how, once again, we are the luckiest tour group ever!

To experience Machu Picchu is a gift.  And my gift to you is to leave the rest to your imagination until you can see it for yourself.

La Bamba

Today we moved from Cusco, through the Sacred Valley and ended up in Ollantaytambo.  The trip through the Sacred Valley of the Incas was by bus and it was a very memorable cultural experience.

Our first stop was in Chichubamba (bamba means valley in Quechua, the language spoken in this part of Peru).  The community has a union or co-op where 60 families work together for food, shelter, and clothing.  We had a local woman explain to us how the weaving of sheep, llama or alpaca wool into textiles is done. 

Our guide at Chichubamba demonstrating weaving wool preparation.

They now use detergents, but in the olden days they used a root vegetable to clean the wool.  The wool is then died and spun.  The wool gets colored with natural dies from plants.  The red color comes from a parasite that grown inside a cactus.  They use salt and lime juice to made the colors lighter (red to pink, purple to blue).  Black is the color of happiness in Peru - opposite from what you see in North America. 

The natural plants and seeds that create the colors.  Red comes from a cactus parasite.

The wool is dyed by boiling in pots of colored natural dyes.  I love how beautiful and colorful their clothes are.

We saw the cleaning, spinning, coloring, looming and finally weaving.  Each pattern that they make is done by hand, and has a meaning.  Each border is intricately woven separately and then joined to the main piece of fabric.  I purchased a lovely hand woven belt.

Peruvian weavers.

Our second stop was at the top of the valley to get a view of the bamba.  The rolling hills are very green, and there were mist filled clouds on all the mountain tops.  The mountains are not rocky, and are very different from the Canadian Rockies. 

View of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Our third stop was for lunch with a local family in Urubamba.  The daughter, Nari, is working with Agroturismo and that is how her family was chosen to host the tour.  We sat in her kitchen at a big table with a Peruvian woven tablecloth.  To drink we had a sweet juice made from black maize.  Our first course was pan bread with avocado.  They also had a spicy chili relish if you were brave enough (it was yummy!).  The second course was a wheat soup with potatoes, cheese, broad beans and coriander.  The third and main course was rice, chicken and tomatoes.  It was all nicely flavored and not spicy.  I had a feeling the chicken was very fresh (if you know what I mean!)

My tour group at Nari's kitchen table.

For dessert we walked 2 blocks to a house that makes chocolate.  Monica showed us the chocolate tree and fruit (the fruit is picked when orange).  Each fruit contains seeds that are first marinated for 2 days.  Then the seeds are dried for ~6 days.  Once dry, the seeds are roasted in a ceramic pot over an open fire for 10 minutes.  They are now ready to be peeled (a paper-like cover similar to a peanut comes off).  In a metal grinder Monica mixed the peeled seeds and 2 big spoonfuls of sugar.  The grounds are then melted and pressed into molds and placed in the freezer.  The chocolate has a wonderful smokey, nutty flavor and is pure and rich. 

Monica, my favorite chocolate maker.

Another few blocks away we visited a family that makes ceramics.  Alsihwonay showed us how the clay is spun on a wheel (powered with your foot), painted and then cured in an oven.  She paints the ceramics with Inca symbols, and uses a very smooth rock to polish the engravings and paint on the clay.  

The ceramic artist.  Notice the house is made of mud walls, this was very common in the Valley.

We visited a house filled with guinea pigs (which are a Peruvian delicacy called Cuy).  The house was dark and had about 60 little guinea pigs, as well as cats, ducks and hens.  The house was decorated with old carvings, skulls and Inca stonework.  Hanging from the ceiling they had dried meats, fish, and a llama fetus (dried like jerky).  Nothing goes to waste and the dried meats are saved for soups when required in the dry season.  Each home is made up of 4 buildings to create a square with a courtyard in the middle. 

Typical row of houses in Ollantaytambo.  The Inca irrigation system provides fresh water outside the door of every home.  They simply step out and use a pail to get water from the canal.  Very efficient.

Typical home with a plethora of Guinea Pigs.

Courtyard and the son of our host.

Our final stop was Ollantaytambo where our hotel was an Inca ruin made of stone with tiny cute rooms.  Although rustic, the bathrooms look like they are out of Modern Living with funky square sinks and cool faucets!

Courtyard in my Inca hotel in Ollantaytambo.

The Rock

After leaving the jungle I flew from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco, Peru.  This town is full of Inca structures and architecture.  It is truly amazing to see.

Cusco, Peru.

When I got to Cusco I went on a walking tour.  There are vendors everywhere and they are quite aggressive:  "Ezcuz me, laydee, hat for 2 soles..".   I met a young boy and he told me his name is Pablo.  I said "Hola Pablo".  He then told me I was sexy and his name is Pablo Picasso and I should buy one of his paintings.  Nice try, kid.

No shortage of souvenirs to buy.  I was informed that many of the goods are made in China.

The streets are very narrow and have amazing stone work.  The Inca walls are amazing and words cannot describe the amount of work that went into these structures.  Each stone was hand carved and the walls were built by putting the stones together like puzzle pieces.  There are no gaps between the stones and very slight erosion after hundreds of years.  How they were able to get such a perfect fit I can only imagine.  It was likely a delicate blend of genius and art with a dash of science. 

Perfectly straight streets and walls that extend for kilometers.

Hand placed stones decorate the streets.

The Incas were very artistic as we even saw stones placed in the shape of flowers and llamas. 

The diamond shaped rock is the centre of the flower.

Can you spot the Llama?

I took a bus to the 4 ruins above Cusco at 3765 meters in altitude.  Due to the lack of oxygen, I felt like an old lady!  I was slow and sluggish and had to gasp for breath after a few stairs.  I saw alters, waterfalls and an amazing canal system to handle the water.  Puka Pukara is a big rock with a semi-circle around it.  When we entered the rock, it was a cave full of carvings and 90 degree corners.  It had a big altar and very dark corners.  From the outside, it looks like a normal big rock.  I never would have guessed there were secrets hidden inside.

Inside the big rock, altar on the left.  Mummified bodies were found in the cave...freaked me out a bit.

Then I went to Saskiwaman (pronounced Sexy Woman!) which was a huge rock structure of multiple tiers - all zig zagged.  We were told that the Inca's built the  town of Cusco in the shape of a Puma, and the theory is the zig zags at Saskiwaman are the Puma's teeth.  There were carved stones there, perfectly in place, that were 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide. 

Photo of an aerial shot of Saskiwaman as anything less does not do justice.
 I am amazed by how perfectly sized everything is.

I also made a new friend, who I call Mr. Paca.  He has a very cute face.  Needless to say for dinner I chose not to have alpaca which unfortunately was on every menu.

My new friend Mr. Paca, first name Al.

Curious George

Day 2 in the Amazon Jungle was a very fun, perfect day (so far the best of the trip!).  It only rained at the very end of our day hike.  I thank Mother Nature for being so kind to me because when it rains, it pours, and you cannot see anything.

We started out by visiting Monkey Island upriver.  We had no luck seeing any monkeys on this island, because it is wet season and there is plenty of food for the monkeys.  They do not need to check out the visiting humans. 

We had to put on rubber "gum" boots because last night's rain made all the trails really muddy.  I am not kidding - we were crossing huge puddles where the water was above our ankles.  With my pants tucked in and full rain gear I made quite the fashion statement.

Amazon Fashion.

We used the piqua piqua to go downriver to Tamborin National Park to hike 3 kms to Lake Sandoval (the hike felt more like 7 kms with the dodging of puddles and all the mud).  Luckily the trail was not slippery clay mud like we have in Canada.  The park had large tree cuttings (cross sections) to step on and many were floating in the gigantic puddles. 

I saw beautiful colorful parrots.  In the distance, there were 2 yellow and blue macaw parrots kissing in a tree.  The male gets oil from the females tail to make his feathers shiny.

We saw armies of ants creating trails and carrying leaves.

After slogging in the mud for 2 hours we got to a small wooden canoe.  TooToe paddled the entire group through a narrow gap and we saw a baby cayman (crocodile).  This was pretty neat but I sure wanted to make sure we stayed in the boat - no tipping! 

Little canoe for the trip to Lake Sandoval.

Judy sat next to me on the canoe.  She does not swim and as a result she was very nervous as the boat was very tippy.  I sang her a song to help calm her or distract her "Just a boy and a girl in a little canoe…".  I wonder what she thought was scarier - my singing or falling into the crocodile filled waters?!

Judy and Suzanne in the canoe.

After the narrow pathway we came to an opening - a beautiful, calm lake!  The lake was surrounded by trees and was serene, peaceful and like glass.  The lake has  800 lb black cayman, piranha, electric eels with 600 volts, and 2 meter long giant otters.  Needless to say, we opted not to go swimming.

Lake Sandoval.

We canoed across the lake to an opening where we docked and stopped for lunch.  We sat on logs in the clearing and TooToe served us lunch.  The lunch was served hot! Here our guide was packing all our hot lunches in his pack in the extreme heat and humidity, plus paddling us out across the lake.  The lunch was a traditional Peruvian jungle meal wrapped in banana leaves (rice, hard boiled egg, chicken drumstick).  It was fresh and tasted awesome. 

Traditional Peruvian meal wrapped in banana leaves.

Lunch is served!

Then...what we thought was a log about 30 meters from shore started swimming.  It was a big black cayman.  I was in disbelief until Margi let me look through her binoculars - sure enough it was 100 % croc!  It swam right where we canoed.  TooToe wasn't worried so neither were we.

I swear - it's not a log!

We hopped back in our little canoe and paddled along the shoreline for the MOST AMAZING jungle show ever!  Red Howler Monkeys in full view started howling a deep thunderous roar.  If I had been there on my own I would have had a heart attack it was such a scary, loud sound.  It sounded like a monster - not a medium sized monkey.  The red howler monkey makes the loud noise because it has a big goiter looking thing on it's neck.  It expands with his breath and kind of reminded me of bagpipes.

Red Howler Monkey.

The red howler calls got all the squirrel monkeys excited and I saw them jumping, climbing and running in the trees.  They have the cutest little faces. 

We also saw the giant otters playing and a huge white and grey heron.  Red capped cardinals were about 5 feet away, as were cormorants and many shore birds.  Little bats were sleeping attached to the bark of trees.  It was an amazing show that I will never forget.    Both TooToe and Wilfredo, the tour guides, said it was a perfect day.

We hiked back in the rain, but were well protected by the jungle canopy.  At the lodge we showered (wow - did that feel good!) and went to the main lodge for a beer to look  at pictures and recall our amazing jungle adventure.