Oct 2007

Oups, j'etais certaine d'avoir envoye ce texte. Le voici donc. Il date d'il y a 3 jours ...

Je suis en retard... encore plein d'aventures passees a vous raconter. Ca viendra!

Mais en attendant, on voulait vous dire que nous sommes arrives en Bolive aujourd'hui. Ca fait deja donc 3 pays et ca va si vite...

On est sur le Lac titicaca (partie Bolivienne), le soleil chauffe et on se laisse bercer par le mouvement de l'eau...

Bisous tout doux a vous!
Patsyta et Brelou entoures de lamas

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We have crossed our 3rd border today and made it into Bolivia. 3 countries already and less than 2 months to go.
Lots of adventures along the way and I promise to catch up with the late entries.

Enjoying the Bolivian side of Lago Titicaca.
We miss you all.
Kisses of blue waters!
Patsyta and Brelou

J´aime le llama pour son long cou, sa façon de se dandiner en marchant,
ses sauts de kangourou(j´ai vu un atterissage à Macchu Picchu)et leurs
différentes coiffures.

les llamas font partie de la famille des chameaux.Ici (Perou)on peut aussi
voir,rencontrer et parler à ses cousins nommé:
ALPACA ET VICUÑA.

Cest 3 cousin sont très mais bien TRÈS
important dans la vie des indigènes
voici pourquoi:

- La laine ( il y a + de laine d´alpaca que de lama,
la lainede vicuña est la plus fine. Malheureusement il est interdit de la tisser à cause que ca prend 5 vicuña pour tisser 1 chandail )

- Le transport de truc
ATTENTION
SI VOUS LUI DONNER + DE 25 KILOS
IL S´ASSEOIT ET NE BOUGE PLUS!!!!

Maitenent que je vous ai dit pourquoi j´aime le llama.
à vous de penser si vous l´aimer aussi.

La VALLE SAGRADO ...
High altitude Andean villages, breathtaking countryside changing colour from one place to the next, from greens to yellows, to browns ...

The Rio Urubamba, loads of indigenous people in traditional dress (which changes from one pueblo to the next), always accompanied by their animals, cows, sheep, llamas, alpaca, pigs and of course man's best friend...the dog.

First stop-PISAQ -
We skipped the ruins at this site and preferred going to the supposedly crazy sunday market. It is a colonial village which greets indigenous people from surrounding pueblos selling their things (all the same from one stand to the next) in chaotic colourful stalls - ceramics, textiles, jewelry, pottery, old coins ....

I have so many pictures of women's braids...it's become an obsession. Here are a few of the pIsaq ladies ... (most always from the back because I'm too shy to take them from the front) -

And Brel finally got his zampoñias at this market. He had waited so long!!!! They came with a little sheet and notes and all by himself he figured out how to play EL CONDOR PASA. Now he really confuses the other turistas who think he's a local boy ...

We ran into a really nice guy who was willing to show him how to blow into the instrument -

And some real local children. Really beautiful. Too bad that they are always attacking us to sell something.

And this group was irresistible. I had to take this picture. Check them out. Their facial expressions, the colours.....

On the way to MORAI-

MORAY -
Amphitheatre-like terraces used by the Incas as an agricultural laboratory. Parts have been replanted with various crops. Everything is circular and everything is deep. There is a special energy there. I felt it. I cried. Ok maybe it was PMSing but I was emotional none the less...

That's Brel in the middle... connecting with himself...

SALINAS (MARAS) -
MY FAVOURITE SIGHT (ok, ok, with Machu Picchu). This place was a complete surprise. I have never seen anything like it before. Thousands of saltpans that have been harvested since Inca times. Really, really crazy!

OLLAYTAYTAMBO
is supposed to be the best surviving ex of Inca city planning AND its narrow cobblestone streets have been continuously inhabited for over 700 years. You really feel like you have gone back in time when you arrive here. Wish I spent more time amidst the snow capped mountains, the water that seemed to flow everywhere (small Inca passages of H20 in the middle of the street- and what a nice sound...the sound of water constantly flowing...ENERGIZING). And the people- men and women and the most colourful "costumes" seen so far...shades of pink, reds, oranges and these flat hats with a rim (so it becomes like a little bowl on their heads) in which they deposit fresh flowers....I mean really, why don't we dress like that??? There would be more beauty, more poetry... And the men are as dressed up as the women and in the same shades. Soooo exquisite!!! Sorry, no pictures.

And lots more pictures but no time to download more.

That's all for now folks!
We miss you
xo

Even though I am backtracking to the past 2 weeks, thought I should still write about this fabulous place called Cuzco.

From Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, Brel and I set off to Cuzco. My Lonely Planet says that Cuzco is the heart of what was once the mighty INCA EMPIRE (Cuzco actually means NAVEL OF THE EARTH in Quetchua). It is a beautiful colonial city (with its famous red roofs) built on hefty Inca stone foundations.

Check out the view from our hotel with the Main Plaza in the middle:

All the churches are built on top of old Inca temples (thanks to the Spanish who wanted to colonize the indigenous and therefore get rid of their temples). The streets are of cobblestone (you can feel that each stone was placed precisely) and they twist all over the city and always seem to be climbing up and up and up. Soooo steep!

We puffed and puffed our way around the narrow passages and mysterious streets, climbing up and up ... all the way to the CHRISTO BLANCO who sits on top of the mountain, protecting the entire city. Check out the real llama who happened to be there when I passed by ...

Brel did some horse backriding up here (of course!).

The view of Cuzco from here up is quite amazing (definitely worth climbing all the stairs):

The indigenous are the majority here but still must constantly fight for their rights. We arrived in the middle of a demonstration (seems very common in the big Latin American cities).
I am of course, as always, fascinated by the women ...

and the llamas that are all over this city. Women bring them along , with their kids (dressed in traditional costume) so as to make money with the tourists who want to take pictures. Nothing is free in Peru, evrything has a price.

And one night we were walking and walking and found this wall of cactus. Anything is possible here. Lots of surprises ...

I'm sorry, but more roofs. Ok I am obsessed!

There indigenous women and children in full costume. Yes, they actually wear these incredible "clothes" everyday. And you see them working their piece of land, walking their animals and doing everything they do, dressed like this.

Could not resist this pose:

And coming down from the mountain we had an encounter with a llama. He was running away and I was able to catch him. Such funny animals.

Even the llamas (females) wear big earings! The indigenous make up most of the population, the tourists the rest I think. Lots of tourists here!!!! The street names are being switched back from spanish to Quetchua spelling. So great! (The Spanish had changed everything to Spanish, of course).

There are still Inca walls present all over the city and they are really incredible!!! Large stones that fit into one another (like puzzle pieces). They didn't use any cement of any sort. The stones were just fitted into one another.

We have read so many legends and stories of the Incas and their gods, the sun (Inti), the mountains and la Pacha Mama that it almost feels like they are still present here in Peru. There are traces of them everywhere, walls, stones, hiden symbols. Those are my favourite. Something called SINCRETISMO which is the fusion of two cultures, the Spanish and the Inca, indigenous. When the Spanish arrived in Peru, in Cuzco, they wanted to catholicize the people and so aside from building churches to cover all Inca temples, they asked indigenous artists to paint saints, the Virgin etc. And so these indigenous artists did it but always managed to insert their own symbols...SO GOOD!!!! I took a tour of the Cathedral in Cuzco where there are a lot of these paintings, the most famous one being the LAST SUPPER. If you look at it carefully, you can't help but notice the big plump guiney pig in the center of the table. The guiney pig, or CUY is part of the indigenous people's diet (still today. All indigenous kitchens have live guiney pigs roaming around). There are a lot of CYUERIAS where you can eat the little rodent.... I tried it. They like to tell us tourists, that there is no cholesterol!!!

Also in the Cathedral I saw the virgins always painted in the shape of a mountain (their Pacha mama), traces of corn in the decorations and even the red crest of the condor disguised as ribbons....

Cuzco is also the place where I have had the best Capuccino. I know, i know it sounds crazy but Brel and I mostly go local when we eat but once in a while a good capuccino can't hurt. The yummiest, with lots of foam (heavy enough that it doesn't sink) sprinklled with chocolate and served in a gorgeous handmade ceramic cup ....ah the little things ....

Hasta luego Cuzco.

Oh, THE Canyon trek...
I shouldn't have waited so long to write up the details of SUCH an adventure! It's been 3 days already and we've moved to a different place, a new landscape and a whole new adventure has begun. Hopefully I can reccount it with exactitude ...

ACTUALLY NOW IT'S BEEN LONGER. I LOST THIS TEXT WHILE EDITING AND SO HERE I GO AGAIN (OCTOBER 27).

I think the Canyon was one of the most amazing experiences so far, definitely a highlight. It was tough and grueling (physically) and so awe inspiring (the landscape, the people met along the way....). And I can't tell you how good it felt to make it up all the way, on my feet. I really didn't think I could make it. Gracias Alvaro (our guide)!

And Brel...
The guide encouraged him along the entire way, telling him stories and legends about the incas, never letting go of his hand (when he needed it) and often even taking their own way, off the beaten track... an adventure of their own. Brel was in heaven (and will be changed forever I am convinced).

15 km of walking up and down tiny little paths of sand and gravel (slippery I tell you) in 2 days. I understand why people get all decked out in special shoes (so as not to slip all the way down- Brel's converse were not ideal), clothes made of special breathable materials (soooo hot under that sun!). I have to stop here and tell you all about the sun. Brel noticed it first. It was a full circle sun with a black "aureole" all around it and then a thin ribbon of rainbow colours. Really spectacular, I must say. Apparently it has a name and 1 of our fellow trekkers (from Manitoba) said that we, Canadians, are also lucky to experience this kind of sun. Not in Montreal.

A taxi picked us up for the trek at 5 am. We made it to the terminal and for some strange reason, and with no apparent warning whatsoever, just before we got on the bus, Brel started puking his lungs out. A long and wet stream of liquid ... oh, oh, bad start I thought. Couldn't even run to the bathroom to wash him off as we would have missed the only bus to our 6 hour destination...Just had time to buy 2 plastic bags on the way, just in case ...

Got on the bus and we had to fight for seats. The tourists (sadly and unfairly) always win. Each guide had saved seats for his group while the locals, (often the most loaded- corn, kids, live animals...) get to stand for hours ....often falling asleep standing up. Quite an amazing feat as the road is so bumpy....

After a few hours, in the middle of nowhere (just a gorgeous Andean landscape) the bus decided he couldn't go any further. Shit ... And so people started running out to pee. Loads of women included. Easy for a man to pee on the side of the road but how do 15 women do it at once??.... they all ran to the river...and poor Brel who had stop puking but had to go #2 so badly...I ran out with him and found an abandoned house wall he could hide behind, so as not to be "the show" for a loaded bus watching .... Poor guy had diahrea. It's never fun but even less on the road, and really bad timing off to a trek ...

Anyways we made it to our first destination. People were filming along the way, the landscape was so crazy. Finally some green in Peru... And you should have seen the women who hopped on the bus along the way....GORGEOUS in their traditional outfits, so different from the previous ones I had seen.

Check it out ...

Nice vegetarian lunch. I had warn the tourguide that I was vegetarian so as not to have to eat chicken at every meal. Just can't seem to digest Peruvian chicken (nor Ecuadorian chicken for that matter).

Then off to the first part of the hike. We got a little briefing and when we looked down at the "road" and all that we were to accomplish just on that first day, it was a little scary. Brel seemed a little worried ...

Check out a little village in the Canyon. There are 4 in total....

Brel is happier now ...

Even though this first day is all down hill (5 hours)... Hard to breath at first as we just had eaten a lot and had to adjust to the climate and altitude ... After an hour I was fine. Making my way down nicely, although trying not to slip and wearing a t-shirt on my head so as not to get sun burned. Made it all the way to a bridge (thank god it didn't swing!) and continued for about 3 hours. the final hour was the toughest. Brel had no more energy (neither did I) and it was all the way up for an hour. Climbing over rocks....But the guide was persistent with both of us and we made it to the family with whom we were to spend the night. Brel's tiredness came out in tears and so we both cried at the top before enjoying a nice cooking session by a fire, the way they still do it in indigenous families here. Our guide was the cook and we were his assistants and the warmth felt so nice. The guiney pigs were running around the kitchen floor (mud) and it all felt so special ...Off to bed by 9.

Day 2.
I was afraid and worried. I had heard and read other people's accounts of that day which was to be a 3 hour walk UPHILL .... The first 3 hours were pretty smooth. We walked through a typical Andean vilage and were lucky to run into the eldest woman of the village (89 years old and she keeps on walking (no choice in this canyon where there are no cars) and you should check out her feet...

The eldest church tour ...

Then a visit to a little museum, created by one of the villagers to show the daily life, instruments and food of the indigenous living in th canyon. Interesting and nice. Beautiful woman ...

And another one met along the way. And I thought I was loaded. The women here are soooo courageous, tough and hard working.

Then walking to a natural pool. Here it is from the top.

We walked and walked until we finally made it IN ...

Brel had slipped a few times and hurt himself. he wasn't in the best of moods. But we made it. The swimming was really cold but so nice. My calves , thighs and ass were in pain from day 1 and I thought the water would help me heal and get me ready for the hardest part .. it did! Lunch and 2 hours to relax before attacking the monstruous walk up. At this point we could decide if we wanted to ride a mule up rather than use our feet. I thought about the mule but felt like it would be cheating... It was decided that Brel would ride up (with my backpack- at least I removed the load off my back which didn't help). I started and the first hour was ok (aside form the heaviness of the heat). We started the journey up at 3:30 because apparently the sun is at its hottest at noon here... I was sweating like a pig and my own smell made me want to run away...There was no way to run UP...

Check out part of the path we had to take up....SO CRAZY!!!

I lost the group, each of us going at his/her own space and then was rescued by the guide who took my hand when needed. I felt like Brel the day before...The hand was reassuring and I felt accompanied, really nice. Brel passed me on his mule. He had a big smile and his guide came beside me and told me "your son is really good". Youpie, more encouragement.

Made it up to be reunited with the entire group. Heaven!!!!!

Then we walked back to the village where we had lunch on the first day as we were to be lodged for the second night. It was around 6 pm , the sun was coming down , the light was changing, the mountains were turning orange, the mules were resting, the kids were playing in the streets, and the women, dressed in their crazy colours were walking home slowly ...like me. Magical atmosphere, magical re-entry into civilization (ha, ha, ha). The hottest shower I've had in SA (sooo good on the aching muscles, less on the crazy sunburn) then supper and bed early.

Day 3
Up at 7 to take a bus to the Cruz del Condor, a condor lookout. We were so lucky, we arrived and there were 3 gliding majestically....

And the landscape on the way back o the city ...OUT OF THIS WORLD.

I want to do more treks!!!!