Cusco, Machu Picchu and Nazca

There were several options/classes of bus from Puno to Cusco and it's safe to say we made a mistake. We opted for the cheapest option instead of one of the several 'tourist only' operators whose trips include a buffet lunch and several stop offs at places of interest on route. We figured we were in for a rough ride when instead of the mini bus we'd been promised, the agent we bought the tickets off turned up in a cab to take us to the bus station! Sitting on the bus we found the painted on air vents didn't open but were relieved to have opening windows. Our concern deepened when we were handed tickets for our luggage although they didn't attach anything to the actual bags..?!?! This meant that at every stop (there were lots of them, David spent his time next to the luggage hold keeping an eye on things)!

Once the bus left it took only an hour or so before it broke down leaving us stranded for over an hour. Once fixed, the bus filled with the locals, mainly the women (bowler hats included!). Each seemed to bring with them several large bags of maize that filled the bus's hold and meant the sitting area was filled with the excess! The bus was then stopped for a search by Peruvian police who between the 15 of them performed the most lack lustre effort at searching we've ever seen (a far cry from those Brazilian amazonian patrols we experienced months ago!) and we were especially entertained by the fact as soon as the other passengers realised the police were boarding there was wide spread panic as they all ran around the bus hiding bags of who only knows what!! To delay us even further a lorry had broken down in one town jack knifed across a junction!!

When we finally arriving into Cusco we jumped in a cab to the San Blas area of town where we headed for The Sami Wasi II Hostel. Central Cusco is really beautiful, with small cobbled streets stretching as far as one would want to walk up the valley hills it is built on.

It was soon evident that it was a very touristy city but one where you could really relax in and enjoy good food, drink and views on every street! We were also very happy to find that Machu Picchu was to open it's doors to the public once again after being closed following serious landslides several months before. This was an unexpected surprise and we made it our immediate mission to book on a trek there asap. We were introduced by the hostel staff to Pepe, a tour guide whose “office” was just down the road. Pepe was to prove a bit rogue but his pitch for his jungle trek to Machu Picchu worked on us! After checking out a few other high street tourist agencies who offered the more popular alternative Inka treks we opted to go with Pepe. Initially we were set to leave on the 28th but due to the ineptitude of the Peruvian Government who decided to delay the opening to the public, we ended up leaving on the 1st April. This meant that we had seven nights in the city before embarking.

The first night there we enjoyed an evening out with Eduardo and Carolina (the Mexican couple from the Salt Plains tour) who we had caught up here. The next day was spent exploring but unfortunately after eating eggs David contracted a bout of food poisoning. It hit in the evening and didn't really clear up until we started the trek on the 1st!

After some expert nursing from Lynne, he was ready to leave the hostel after a few days and we celebrated by taking Pepe up on his offer to go off and explore the immediate surrounding hills of Cusco and some recently (three years ago) uncovered Inka and Pre-Inka ruins. We went with a couple of other Swedish girls (one whom Pepe has a history with) and enjoyed our first glimpse of the kind of temple ruins that surround the city and the Sacred Valley. Pepe proved to be an interesting guide who was very spiritual and knowledgeable about the ancient rituals and temples. This cemented our decision to go with him for our trek to Machu Picchu. Unfortunately before long, the weather closed in and we started to make our way back towards town. Arriving back in town, Pepe invited us in for a coffee and tea, David accepted on behalf of us both so he could investigate where such a random soul lives. His place was covered in drawings he had done of his past girlfriends and others he had taken on tours. In between these were many other pictures and drawings. After one cup of cocoa tea and some random conversations it was evident that Lynne needed to get out of there!!

The next day we met up with Jen & Joe who had moved into the hostel next door. After introducing them to Pepe we had two more signed up for the hike, to celebrate we enjoyed a few drinks down on the Plaza de Armas. With one day to go before the hike we rested up, as David wasn't feeling too great once more, and spent some time buying essentials before briefly meeting with Enzo (from Montevideo).

So the 1st April came round and we set off for our hike at 5pm-ish. We initially met at Pepe's office and sheltered from the pouring rain. The driver was meant to meet us here but Pepe had to go running off to find him when he wasn't answering his phone- a sign of things to come. Once he did return he ordered us to head around the corner to the van..so we did this and when a driver outside herded us into his brand new huge Mercedes van we thought it was too good to be true......it was! We had infact jumped into another tour's bus and realised as soon as we saw Pepe walking away from us down the street ahead!! So we jumped out the van and pursued him down the street to the van which we were actually taking! Luckily, it wasn't too bad at all! So began the “five” hour journey to Santa Maria...the journey in fact took us seven hours but included a dinner stop and a few night time tours of Inka ruins on route! That night we stayed in a hostel in Santa Maria, we were a bit apprehensive getting on the van on the dirt road as the hostel seemed half finished and the owner didn't seem to be expecting us, however it worked out fine and we all found a bed for the night!

2nd April: In the morning we awoke a little later than planned and after enjoying an excellent breakfast (bananas in pancakes with honey and plenty of fruit and hot drinks) We set off at 8:30. Our driver for the first part of the journey informed us he'd only be able to take us a short distance because of a landslide that occurred early that morning! After five mins in the car we were facing the landslide and we had to climb not only over this but another few smaller ones past it before we able to enter the jungle path. This would be a sign of things to come.

Pepe was soon in his zone teaching us about all the plants and fruits of the jungle letting us try them as we went. This was how the morning went until 1pm where we stopped for lunch at a local farmers house, a friend of Pepe's since he lived in the area many years ago. Here we enjoyed some fantastic food and yet more local fruit concoctions. The afternoon took us higher up onto an original Inka trek that offered some incredibly beautiful views of the valley we were walking. At some of these beauty spots it also allowed Pepe to teach us about meditation and some ancient Inka rituals. Interesting, although each time we had to sit and wait for him to finish his own meditation session!

It was later in the afternoon that we started to realise that Pepe wasn't so sure what state his usual route was in following the worst rainy season in a decade that has meant all these areas have been closed for the past two months. It really hit home as we crossed two very recent landslides in succession before we met a fast flowing river, looking across the rushing rapids we could see the road on the other side we had to get too – the bridge had been destroyed in the recent rains!!! By this time is was approaching 4:30pm and darkness would soon be upon us. With Pepe looking further up stream and then talking about hiking to the top of the mountain behind us to find a road we took a group decision and decided to attempt a crossing using the logs on the rocks around us. After an immense group effort we lifted a huge log up and over and threw it across the rapids....unfortunately it fractured ¾ across. It did however give us a stable-ish platform against which we could lean against and plough through the stomach high rapids. Well, it enabled Pepe, both of us and Kaysie to cross before it suddenly broke under the strength of the water and disappeared down stream – very luckily no-one was crossing when it went! With Jen & Joe still stranded on the other side we had to find a new plan – the best and only really option was to form a human chain across the water at a point further up with Pepe and David in the middle and using another smaller log Jennie & Joe would hold onto us and cross behind us...it worked and soon enough we were all across, very wet but very relieved!! What an adventure this was turning out to be!

It was now past 5 and Pepe told us that the we just needed to walk the road for 1 ½ hours to arrive at our destination for the evening – Santa Theresa. Unfortunately for us, Pepe was absolutely useless at timings (the fact he doesn't have a watch suggests we should have seen this coming). We were soon enough walking in pitch darkness with no town in sight. By 6:45 we had found room in passing vehicles for the girls which left David, Joe & Pepe walking. We gave up listening to Pepe's estimates but were fortunate enough to be picked up by a passing truck that got us into town before 8pm. We were all exhausted after a long day and ate very well in the restaurant of Pepe's friend enjoying a few beers. We were supposed to be camping this night but we told Pepe there was no chance of that now it was dark and the campsite would require a walk out of town, so he found us lodgings in a hostel. That night the rain returned with even more force!!

3rd April: After breakfast we found a driver for the morning's drive but were not surprised to hear that there had been two more large landslides only a few hours earlier which meant we would walking further than planned once again, today with our rucksacks and tents! Initially however, Pepe wanted to go down into the bottom of the valley to inspect the damage to the Hot Springs during the major landslide that destroyed so much of the area. This was where we were meant to camp for the previous evening! From the photos we have seen of it it looked like an amazing place to relax so we were gutted to hear of its destruction. Jennie and Kaysie decided to give it a miss so we left for the one and a half hour walk with Pepe and Joe. Down on the valley floor we crossed loads of boulders that had fallen during the landslides and watched the cliff sides as many more crashed down either side of us. When we arrived at the hot springs there was nothing but rubble – everything had been destroyed, the pools, car park, road, restaurant and lodgings. We did however find two small puddles of the crystal clear hot spring water that had found its way up through the rocks. Following Pepe's pitch about its health benefits it didn't take David long to roll out the speedos and give it a go! The walk back up the steep valley side was very tough and we made it back to Santa Theresa just in time for lunch!

The Peruvians are very relaxed about timings and so it wasn't a shock that we left the town almost an hour late. Exiting the car we had to walk over the landslides before making our way to the public river crossing in the hot, hot sun!! After an hour or so we arrived at the crossing and joined the queue. This is a river crossing we have never seen the likes of before. It was like a theme park death slide where three people sat in a metal crate and after the initial momentum ended you helped pull yourself in with the aid of some locals at either end! Lynne was fairly unnerved by it and didn't particularly enjoy the ride across!! The queue was almost an hour long due to the slow manual process but by the time it was our time the queue was much larger than when we arrived! At least it gave us a rest and some enjoyment watching some of the daredevil locals stand on the edge as they travelled across.

On the other side we were meant to be picked up by car once again but as you may have guessed due to the destruction in the area the area was not accessible by car anymore. So onwards we marched in the roasting heat to Hydro where the train line to the town of Agua Caliente and Machu Picchu starts. The extra weight of the bags, distance walked and heat meant everyone was feeling tired now and with the approaching darkness we were looking to Pepe for guidance. He didn't seem to have much more clue than us unfortunately and after narrowly missing a train and the realisation we would be walking in darkness for the second night running and would have to pitch our tents in torch light meant Pepe wasn't the most popular person in the group!

After an hour and a half walking along the train track we arrived at the camp site to become further frustrated with Pepe! The owner of the campsite was not at home – he hadn't told her we were coming and just assumed she'd be there! This meant that we had no dinner as she was the cook when you stayed there! After a slightly heated debate about what to do, either set camp and stay or to walk a further hour to Agua Caliente and stay in a hostel, we opted to stay there as we were all tired and settle with bread, tuna and cheese for dinner. It was almost unbelievable how oblivious Pepe was to our disappointment as he maintained he wanted to show us the beautiful gardens of the camp site and waterfall before telling us a story – we swiftly pointed out that it was pitch black so we couldn't see anything and that we weren't interested in any story at the time!!

Luckily, we had brought along our own tent even after Pepe told us he had a two and a four man tent, when in reality he had two three man tents but his had a broken pole which meant it was half the size inside and not waterproof!! Just another example of how unorganised he really was, the fact he never checked the tent or more likely he forgot about it or just couldn't be bothered fixing it – in short if we hadn't had brought ours I doubt any of us would have got any sleep!! We realised soon enough we weren't the only ones hiking in dark as a trail of some 20 or so hikers passed in the darkness as we prepared for bed. For all these lost and tired souls we provided a top up of water from the fresh water pipes the site had available. These poor guys heading for Agua Caliente must have reached town very late at night!

The other dilemma we had was returning to Cusco. Initially all visitors to Machu Picchu required a return train ticket to Cusco and we had purchased these with Pepe. However, as soon as the Government changed their position on this, Pepe had sold them back but now this meant we would have to walk back (due to the landslides) the way we came or face an alternative seven hour hike. This went down very badly with the group as it became very evident that Pepe is completely disorganised and clueless!! Pepe tried to rectify the situation by walking alone to Agua Caliente to pick up food for breakfast and to try and purchase train tickets to Cusco whilst we nestled down to sleep.

4th April: We had planned to get up at 4am to start the hike to Machu Picchu, however when we woke in the morning to rain Pepe decided that we would delay our hike an hour as we wouldn't be able to see sunrise through the clouds. We eventually set off around 6am, the walk there took an hour and a half, the first 30 minutes were a leisurely walk along the train tracks, followed by an hour of intensely steep climbing to the main entrance in high humidity! At the top other tourists were laughing as we sat there catching our breath and quite literally steaming!! After recovering our breath we headed inside and were greeted with the amazing views of this unique place. Being there early we were able to enjoy it with relatively few people around.

The first stop was the trek to the top of Wayna Picchu - the tall sacred peak that towers over the site. Before this, Pepe told us about Machu Picchu and the many different theories surrounding its purpose. The walk to the top of Wayna Picchu took one hour and was steeper than anything we had walked before. Quite how the Inkas built this staircase and the buildings at the top is astonishing! By the time we reached the peak we were once more absolutely shattered (especially as we hadn't eaten a proper meal since lunchtime the day before!) but the views are simply incredible. Not only the town of Machu Picchu but the surrounding green valleys and mountains are truly dramatic. The clouds form several thin layers and created a very mystical feeling. Pepe had made the climb with us but he left as soon as we reached the top so he could head to Agua Caliente to pick up some hot lunch for us and find out if there were any spaces on the trains to Cusco – we arranged to meet him at 2pm. This gave us a few hours to climb down and explore the town (but first we headed to the cafe outside for some much needed snacks!).

Walking round the ruins it's hard to comprehend just how this place was constructed, particularly after witnessing first hand how hard the climb is! The site was gradually becoming more busy with the arrival of the large tours but it was easy to find fairly secluded places to relax and take in the views. The brickwork was really astonishing, similar to that found in Cusco and is testament to the industrial minded people of the Inkas.

We returned to the cafe outside the park to meet Pepe who had actually come through for once with hot food and a replenished supply of water. He also had news regarding our return to Cusco; there were no trains for several days but the landslides between Santa Maria and Cusco had been cleared and so the way was clear to return the way we had come. There was always the risk of further landslides the next night but we decided to camp again at the same campsite (with the promise from Pepe the owner would be there to cook us dinner) and early the next day head off back to Santa Teresa from where we would get a bus all the way back to Cusco.

The walk back was very relaxed and all down hill with us returning to camp, before dark for once! We were relieved to meet the owner of the site and before settling down for the dinner she had cooked we all had a brief power nap! We ate dinner in her house but because of the threat of powerful neighbouring river destroying her home she keeps all her furniture in a storage shed during the rainy season, as a result we ate off plates on our knees sat on tree logs using our headtorches for light...but after such a wonderful experience we happy just to have warm food and drink whilst discussing the days adventure.

5th April: Spirits were high as we set off early to head back knowing we'd (hopefully) be back in Cusco with a warm shower, beer and good food by evening! The walk back to Hydro along the train tracks and then onto the cable car crossing took under 2 hours and we were very relieved to find no queue at the crossing. Once across the river we had to negotiate a fresh landslide from the morning and there was a brief panic when Kaysie fell waist deep in the mud and got stuck with the looming overhang of rocks cracked and ready to fall, fortunately there were several locals walking near us who ran in and pulled her out before any of us could react. The road we walked on a few days from Santa Teresa had also been badly damaged this morning ans so we were forced to walk back to town through the valley bottom. This was aided by a few locals we hired for a few soles to guide us and get us across another cable car crossing. With the town in site we sensed the end and after a short steep climb into town from the valley bottom we headed straight for a restaurant and ordered a well deserved beer!!

It took a frustrating hour to chase our driver to get going by 2pm in order to avoid a large storm we could see approaching slowly from down the valley – with the number of landslides on these roads we did not want to be on the mountain side in the rain!! We shared the mini bus with a group of Peruvian students – the poor boys must not have enjoyed our accompanying smell!! We won't ramble on about this journey back but it provided the worst three hours of our trip so far. In daylight you could see just how much damage these landslides cause and the road is built into the steepest rock faces we have ever seen. When approaching some corners you could see cracks beneath the road and on several occasions we were stuck in mud where a landslide had been cleared and the back tyres skidded towards the edge of the cliff – we were all on edge and close to screaming! The stretch between Santa Maria and Santa Teresa is frequently closed because of landslides and one that most tour operators tell you to avoid due to how dangerous it is – we only found this out upon our return to Cusco! There were two instances where the van became stuck in mud/water and we slid precariously close to the edge as the driver tried to correct things! This was two instances too many.

We were very relieved to arrive back in Cusco and after saying our goodbyes to Kaysie we all made our way to the same hostel to escape the tiring Pepe and get ready to head out for some food at Jacks Cafe!! We were all so tired that after one beer we were ready for bed and departed with the promise of a celebration tomorrow!!

6th April: After a well deserved lie-in we met Joe and Jen early afternoon to head down to the Plaza De Armas and settle in Nortons Pub for some food and beers during some Champions League action! After the game we made use of the darts boards before enjoying a few drinks at the hostel and a night out on the town!

7th April: Returning from the night out at a very ungodly hour today was spent sleeping it off and filling our faces with some good food!

8th April: The day of our departure from Cusco. Leaving in the afternoon we spent the day doing a few chores in town before meeting Joe and Jen at Paddy's Pub for a farewell meal. We were sad to leave Cusco after a fantastic time but looking forward to moving onto the Nazca for some sunshine!

9th April: The bus journey was slightly delayed so we arrived by mid morning. Nazca is a very small town and appears to be dependent on the tourist trade which the near by Nazca lines attracts. The heat was the first thing we noticed and it felt good to be back in flip flops and vest weather after the chilliness of Bolivia and Cusco. Deciding that we'd check out the Nazca lines tomorrow we headed for Brabants Hostel and settled in. Strolling round the town centre didn't take long so we enjoyed spending some time sampling the local cakes and empanadas before heading back to relax and cook dinner, a pleasant change after too much time spent in pubs and cafes.

10th April: Up early we jumped on a local bus to the nearby Mirador where you can view several of the famous lines. This was after deciding against the airplane trip due to the expense and the fact we have been warned about the lack of safety and comfort. The Mirador however was one of the most unusual and disappointing attractions of this trip. It consists of a rusty old tower at the side of the road that isn't actually that high and to climb you have to pay a small amount for the privilege. We laughed about it with a couple of British travellers who also made the journey.

Spending no more than ten minutes at the site we flagged down a local bus and returned to town before midday. The rest of the day was spent at the Nazca Lines Hotel (the only posh hotel in the town) where for 20 soles (~ £5) we enjoyed lunch, drink and use of the pool for the rest of the day, this was a great way to relax and escape the heat of the day! That evening we relaxed with a home cooked meal and looked forward to starting our volunteering in Pisco.