We arrived on the afternoon of the 13th November in San Pedro de Atacama absolutely exhausted from the 2 overnight bus trips and ready to stay in the 1 spot for a few days. We new we had until about the 18th to explore this place before we had to head towards Santiago. What a luxury. We checked straight into a hostel and crashed in the heat of the afternoon. We had decided to splash out and rent a car for the few days we were here, so in the afternoon we headed down to the local place and booked it in for the following day.

We spent a bit of time wandering around this amazing little desert town. It was quite incredible the number of tourists packed into such a small town. Practically every building was a hostal, a tour company or a restaurant. All of the building had 8foot high mud brick walls onto the street and we were soon to learn why when the afternoon winds began to whip up the dust and sand. As a strange contrast to most cities we´d been in, this town seemed to be dominated by cats as opposed to dogs, though there were still plenty of dogs to be found wandering the streets.

Street of San Pedro de Atacama

The following day, we checked out of the hostel as we had decided with the adition of a set of wheels, that we´d go for a spot of desert camping and stay in a small place about 3km out of town called Pozo 3. We went down and pickup up our Nissan Tarrano ute and headed straight to Pozo 3 to check out the huge swimming pool which was constantly filled by a spring. It could have used a creepy-crawly, but we were far beyond being picky and after setting up our camp (the only one in the whole place) we made good use of the pool.

Pozo 3

We then set off to find Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). The valley is part of the Cordillera del Sal (Salt) where the red rock is covered in a layer of white salt crytals, supposedly making it look like the moon... I thought it was more like a red mars personally. The first stop was at the salt caves. These were probably the highlight of our time in S Pedro. Exploring and crawling through the pitch black caves with our torch and then popping out into valleys or above the caves was amazing fun. Next we headed to the 3 Marias. Some impressive rock formations formed by wind erosion, then it was on to climb the great dune to watch the sunset. By the time we reached it the wind had really picked up and was intermittently pelting us with dust and sand... not very nice, but we reached the top and watched the orange sunset behind the mountains. What I found more impressive were the 2 distant volcanoes with small clouds perched on the top of each one... purple in the diminishing light.

Mucking around in the salt caves

The 3 Marias

Sara on the Great Dune and views of the sunset and volcanoes in the dimishing light

We returned to our campsite to find the gates locked, so had to go on a bit of a mission to find a way in, then get the caretaker to come and unlock the gates for the car.

The following day we decided to head South from S. Pedro and check out some of the sights that way. First stop was at a small desert town called Toconao and down into the Valle Jere. It was a small valley with a beautifully clear creek running through it. Fruit farms and a few sheep were crammed down into the valley. It was a bizarre contrast to the sand dunes and salt flats just meters away. We went for a walk up along the creek as far as we could and (I think) got in trouble from a local woman with her sheep for going where we weren't supposed to.

Valle Jere

Next stop was the Laguna Chaxa to see the flamingoes. The laguna was a strange salt lagoon in the middle of the salt flats... I say "flats" however the ground in covered in jagged rocks/salt crystals that makes it anything but flat and would be hellish to walk on without the man made paths. It was interesting to see the flamingoes... wierd birds. There were 3 types here, the Andean, Chilean and the James Flamingoes. We didn't stay too long as it was in the heat of the day and there was no shelter out there.

Flamingoes at Laguna Chaxa

Next on the path was the little town of Socaire where we stopped in the pretty little plaza for some lunch. It was interesting the sudden temperature drop between down on the salt flats and then being slightly higher and catching the cold breeze.

Socaire

Finally we headed on into the mountains and to the 2 lagunas Miscanti and Miniques. These are 2 blue/green salt lagoons nestled high in the mountains with volcanoes perched just behind them. Apparently on a still day they mirror the mountains magnificently. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky, but we were entertained by the regular willy willys or mini tornado like swirls of dust and salt kicked up by the wind on the waters edge.

Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques

Finally it was back into S Pedro to pick up some supplies and off to the campsite to make a bbq dinner. Once our bellies were full we backed the ute out to the clearing and lay in the back to watch the stars and enjoy the clear sky that the desert afforded... 9 shooting stars in a short time.

The next day we had planned to take it easy in the morning and go sandboarding in the arfternoon - see my previous blog for the events of that day. We also had to move campsite as Pozo 3 didn't open on Mondays and hence we couldn't camp for Sunday night so we headed back into town and found a place that allowed camping up the back of the hostel. The following day we also did very little as we decided to have a day of rest to recover from the Previous day.


On the Tuesday, 18th November, we got our buts up at 4 in the morning and headed up to the geysers at El Tatio, which are supposed to be most spectacular just pre-dawn. After a very interesting 2 hr drive on rough roads with limited visibility from mist and dust and following the countless tour buses heading that way, we arrived. It was definitely worth the trip to see the steaming, bubbling geysers and the massively tall plumes of gas rising up into the air.

El Tatio Geysers

Once we'd had enough appreciation of the geysers we headed back to S. Pedro, a short snooze, packed our stuff, took the car back and were ready to jump on the 2pm overnight bus to Santiago.... time to go get our bikes!

Puno, Lake Titicaca and Isla Taquile

After arriving back in Cusco from Aguas Calientes, we decided to waste no time and head to Puno the next time, however this time we thought we'd take a suggestion from the guide book and pay a little extra for a tourist bus that stops at a few sights along the way.

We boarded the bus on the morning of Sunday, 9th Nov for the full day trip. We had stops in: Andahuaylillas to see an amazingly ornate church that the locals take turns to guard with spectacular paintings and a gold & silver sculpture on the wall (can't think of the name for it); Raqchi to see the remains of what they think was an Incan temple; La Raya, the highest pass between the 2 cities; and Pukara in the altiplano to visit a museum with some acient pre-Incan sculptures; before finally reaching Puno on the banks of lake Titicaca.

The Church in Andahuaylillas

The Ruins at Raqchi

What amazed me most about the information that we got from this journey was how little is really known about the Cechua (Incan) society even though it existed only a few hundred years ago, the Spanish and particularly the Catholic church really did a superb job of completely erradicating the culture. Down to the fact that the most ornate catholic churches were placed over the ruins of the most important Cechuan temples. Since then it has been a lot of guess work to try to understand what the culture was really like.

Puno was probably the least attractive of the cities we had visited. Most of the houses were incomplete due to the tax laws. You don't have to pay tax on the building, just the land, if it's still under construction, so everyone leaves their buildings unfinished. It has a very industrial feel and is busy and dirty. We did, however find a cosy pub in the main street and settle in for a few cocktails on our first night.

The next morning we headed down to the port and grabbed ourselves a boat which stopped at the floating Uros Islands and then on to Isla Tequile where we planned to spend a night. We jumped aboard and headed off in a little wooden boat with a couple of charming local guys with their beanies with the extra long point and bobble on the end (nightcap style) and their colourful pouches around their waist to keep their cocoa leaves in, at the helm. They blesssed the voyage with their coca leaves and threw a couple over the side, then proceded to shove large handfuls of them into their mouth to chew. Lake Titicaca is the worlds highest navigable lake at 3812m and the coca leaves are supposed to help with the altitude.

I was supprised at how close the floating reed islands are to Puno. We arrived there and departed on a small island of 5 families. 1 of the guys gave a a short talk about the island which we managed to understand a little of with our limited Spanish and the assistance of another Aussie who has been living in Rio de Janeiro for a few years. Apparently these floating islands exist almost purely for the tourist dollar these days and we had to pay an entrance fee to visit. They also make several craft items to sell to the tourists.

The Floating Reed Islands of the Uros (yes, that's a solar panel for to power their tv)

It was then on to Isla Taquile. It was a slow 2 hours or so over to the island. Isla Taquile is onlyh 7 sq kms and although it is a reasonably popular tourist detination now, it remains relatively untouched. The islanders still wear traditional clothes and speak Cechua (the language of the Incas). The traditional clothes usually consisted of a red woolen top and black pleated, frilly skirt for the women with a piece of black cloth worn over the head, similar to a nuns habit, for sun protection. The men wear white with a small white & black waistcoat and a brightly coloured waistband, made for them by their wife, and either a beanie with a long peak or a leather hat (slightly Indiana Jones style.... I want one!!).

The island itself has some 500 stairs from the port up to the peak in the middle of the island. After arriving we headed straight up and were chased by a young lady who caught us about half way up, offering us a room for the night. We accepted and followed her to her home.

The whole island is cover in terracing and small stone houses. Most of the pathways are made of stone with chaotic stone fences lining them. They also have a love of stone archways which adorn the paths here and there.

Isla Taquile

We spent a beautiful night and day on the island exploring and just generally relaxing after being on the move non-stop for a week or 2 now. So beautiful! The lake was an amazing blue and in the distance you could see mountain peaks with snow on them.

Finally at about 2pm the following day we jumped back aboard the boat for Puno. Rather than spend another night in Puno, we wasted no time booking an overnight bus to Tacna on the Peruvian border with Chile. Unfortunately, as had been the case before a couple of our long bus trips, my stomach started playing up and I had the contents emptying out of both ends for the first few hours of the bus ride... it's nice to know I left my mark on the Peruvian roads....

After Arriving in Tacna, we jumped in a Collectivo headed for the Chilean border where we sat for 3 hours in the heat to get through customs. We learnt later that Chilean customs have been striking, so it may have been a go-slow or something. Then we arrived in Arica in the early afternoon. We immediately booked another overnight bus to San Pedro de Atacama, then jumped in a taxi to the city centre to explore Arica in the few hours we had. We ended up having a "rocket" of beer (we walked past and couldn't resist... see pic) and then went to the church (built by Eiffel of tower fame) and ended up sitting outside it watching some local skateboarders for most the afternoon.

The Rocket!

Finally it was on an uneventful bus to S. Pedro de Atacama.

Machu Picchu!

Back on track now. It was the 6th November when we set off for Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu).

Now, there are 4 ways to get to Aguas Calientes (excepting chartering a helicopter).
1. take the train from Cusco. Normally there is a backpackers train as well as the ¨Vistadome¨, but it´s still very expensive (over $100 AUS one way).

2. Get to Ollantaytambo and take the train from their... still fairly expensive.

3. Hike the Inka trail. You have to take a tour and book months in advance to do this as they only let certain numbers per day on the trail...

4. Go the locals way, which we found described here: http://travelvice.com/archive/2006/10/machu-picchu-on-shoestring.php
This was ouyr path.

We had arrived in Cusco the day before and had a brief look around and caught up on some sleep before getting up and hauling arse to the Paradero de Paso Santiago to catch one of the local buses to the small town of Santa Maria. We arrived at about 7:45, just in time to grab the 6:45 bus (good old Peruvian time) and the bus set off with many passengers shouting ¨VAMOS!!¨ and banging on the side of the bus.

What a ride. This has to be one of the most fantastic bus journeys I have ever been on. The scenery was amazing. We started going through farming land land with red soil and houses made of the same red mud and, strangely eucalypts everywhere... It could almost have been outback Aus except for the cold and the altitude. We learnt later that eucalypts had been introduced by the Spanish because they grow quickly and are marketable for their oil and as firewood for the many tile factories, but that they are sucking the nutrients out of the ground and damaging the soil in the region.

The views then changed as we dipped into a valley and followed a small stream all the way to it´s mountainous roots. Mountains covered in forest with waterfalls and small creeks running down their side everywhere. Small farms were dotted around on the mountains and the evidence of Incan / pre-Incan terracing was everywhere. As we wound through the endless switchbacks up into the mountains on the beautifully smooth road, I LONGED for my motorbike.... god I can´t wait to see Dot again.

Views from the "bus to the clouds"

Lunch Stop!

Eventually we reach the pass, way up in the clouds, then it was down the other side. Past many rockfalls and creeks. Then a short break at a roadside stall where we picked up some chicken and rice for lunch for about $1.50 and on into the valley. We passed through a couple of rough looking little towns at the base of the valley before coming to Santa Maria.

As soon as we arrived, we were offered a collectivo, along with the other 2 gringas that were on the bus, to the Hydroelectric dam which was at the very end of the railway line that passes through Aguas Calientes. This was a somewhat scary ride on a 1 lane dirt road that ran along the side of a cliff, with the river below us.

Once we arrived at the Hydroelectric plant, we had 2 options. Catch the train or walk the tracks, so we strapped on our packs and set off on foot along the railway tracks. We crossed a rickety old railway bridge over the river and caught our first glimps of Machu Picchu perched on top of the mountains above. The hike turned to difficult as we both struggled with the weight of our packs and what we thought was supposed to take about 2 hrs was actually more like 3, but we got there and were proud of our achievement and how cheap it was.

Walking the Tracks

The first view of Aguas Calientes

Our savings were well appreciated when we reallised that the cost of everything in Aguas Calientes was about double of that elsewhere in Peru... the power of the tourist dollar. Luckily for us it was low season, sop many of the restaurants etc were willing to negotiate on prices to get your business.

We checked into a hostel and got settled for the evening. We had decided that we´d grab one of the 1st buses in the morning to Machu Picchu to catch the sunrise up there.

We had found directions on sneaking in (from the previous link) to avoid the extremely expensive admission charge, but there were 3 things that deterred us. 1 - it´s difficult to do in the morning because there are many guards on and to see the sunrise is supposed to be spectacular, 2 - you can´t see Huanyu Picchu, which was high on my list of to do´s and 3 - if we got caught our Spanish skills were definitely not sufficient to talk our way out of trouble. So, buy a ticket we did, and joined the mass of tourists in the morning.

Well... Machu Picchu... WOW!! We arrived with much of the mountains covered in mist and cloud and watched as, for the first hour or so, it lifted off the mountains and out of the valleys... beautiful! The surrounding mountains covered in jungle looked almost as amazing to me as the massive Incan city itself.

The Amazing MP!

Some of the Llamas wandering around MP

Then we made the precarious climb up to Huanyu Picchu, the little peak up behind Machu Picchu which has ruins on the top also. We climbed up the stone steps using the cables bolted into the walls for safety ans through small caves under rocks in the ruinsa itself to the top... OMG WHAT A VIEW!! Not only down over Machu Picchu itself, but the surrounding mountains and the river, all the way round to the hydroelectric plant. Absolutely worth the extra effort!

Yes that's real... the view back to MP from Huanyu Picchu

Huanyu Picchu

Finally we made the slog half way down the mountain, down ladders and stairs to the temple of the moon, or great cave. More amazing ruins... then it was back up to Machu Picchu. We were exhausted from the hike, so instead of hiking down the mountain as planned, we grabbed a $7 cup of coke and jumped on a bus.

The Temple of the Moon (Great Cave)

Some Local Wildlife

We decided to stay this night in Aguas Calientes before attempting the return journey, but decided to sus out the trains as our exhaustion meant were weren´t keen on the hike back to the hydroelectric plant. We managed to find out that the train back there left at 7am, so we crashed for the night and made our way to the tracks early in the morning.

At a bar in Aguas Calientes... no we hadn't been drinking... :-P

We made the return journey fairly smoothly, assisted by a couple of American guys who helped us organise the bus from Santa Maria back to Cusco. It was a whirlwind and tiring few days, but the most amazing we´d had to date in my book.