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Cuzco to Lima via Machu Picchu and Choquequirao |
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Friday, 15 August 2008 |
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Elise has gone, Mema has arrived. We quickly visit Cuzco and leave the following day for Cachora where Walter is waiting for us for another 2-week long trek. After spending another night with the cuys (massive guinea pig), we start early in the morning; there is Walter, Mema and myself and 3 horses.
The first day is intense and Mema already finds a trick: using a horse every time we have to go uphill… We quickly reach the archeological site of Choquequirao on the second day, the first destination of our trek. The ruins are really impressive and rainbows pearcing a slight mist give another dramatic dimension to the scene.
The following days are a mix of rain, sport, tiredness, hunger, wonderful landscapes and too many mosquitos' bites. Mema discovers the Machu Picchu for the first time. I enjoy visiting it another time. Back to Cachora by a pass at 4500m after 10 days of walk and delights.
We spend the following week to rest in Abancay whilst waiting for some hydroge toys I ordered on internet a few weeks before. I make the most of it to completely redesign the website. The customs office turns out to be a pain but the manager of the post office in Abancay is helpful and resourceful.
We eventually decide to go to Lima via Ayacucho… Big mistake; there are no roads between those 2 regional capitals… One of the many punctures is another opportunity to exhibit the hydrogen toys.
A quick diversion by Pisco: a year after the earthquake, works haven't made much progress and so the city is a disappointment. The next day we go to visit the ecological reserve of Paracas. Carlos our tour guide makes this day even more interesting; we see birds, islands, seals, deserts…
A few days later we arrive in Lima. |
