As was custom, we stopped at the Pisco vinery tour - The second time for me as I blagged it a few days before. Same guide, same script, same jokes, same great quality Pisco and wines. Pisco is the Peruvian spirit....they absolutely love it over here - and I don't blame them. A favourite cocktail here is the Pisco sour, made with lime and egg white..its a bit of alriiiiiight.
Anyway, after a few shots we jumped back on the bus for the long old voyage to Arequipa (over night...yaaaay). I tried to do the old trick of placing all my stuff on the seat next to me, guaranteeing double space and a better sleep. I noticed an older English guy, who was quite hyper and full of dad jokes..he was looking for a seat near the girls he was flirting with - and mine was the closest. I stared straight out the window, hoping he'd move on....nnooooope. I slept for ten minute intervals, interrupted by the feel of his hairy arms against mine. Brilliant.
Got to Arequipa and stayed a couple days, mooching about and relaxing - not much to report here; there's a canyon tour but I didnt fancy it.
Within a few days I was back on the bus - this time, a 12 hour journey to Cusco, and my own double seat oooooosh.
There was a stop for lunch and another for the Nazca lines: shapes drawn in the ground by ancient people...now this sounds impressive, buuuut when you turn up and climb a 'viewing tower' which is really more like the climbing frame on cherry hinton rec, you can only make out little bits of the shapes. I was breathtaken, but only because it was windy.
On another stop, I picked up a baby sheep, Llama or Alpaca for a pic...not quite sure what it was but its a weeellll cuuuute pic.
Back onboard and to sleep - which didnt last long as I woke up with a splitting headache, and soon worked out I wasn't the only one. The drive to Cusco steadily climbs to a few thousand metres above sea level...the altitude causing poor circulation and sometimes some bad-man-illness.
I visited the onboard Shaman, Mark. He isn't really a Shaman...he's an English animator...but he seemed to know what he was doing. He prescribed me Coca leaves with a calcium catyliser. You basically just chew it all and stick it between your gum and cheek - the alkaloids absorb into your bloodstream, sped up by the calcium. This, in turn,
thins
your blood and increases circulation, and therefore oxygen delivery....apparently. It worked....and yes, its legal.
The rest of the journey was broken up by movies: The Call, starring Halle Berry (not bad, had promise but lost its way towards the end, 6/10) and The Dictator (mingin, 2/10). Also a little drama: the driver decided to drive over a speed bump at a million miles per hour which sent Mark, who was laying on the back seat, up into
the air - smashing his head, then returning back to his seat - crushing his chest against the arm rest. He could'nt breathe properly for a bit, and some fuss was made...but he was ok.
Arrived in Cusco safe and sound. Cusco is the base city for Maccu Pichu, which Ill come to later.
I've been here a week now, so I'll just go for the highlights;
Walking tour: These are free, and last around 2 hours - the guy runs on tips as his living so they put in a good shift - explaining everything in detail. Did you know that Tupac was named after a Peruvian revolutionary? Did you? Nooooo neither did I. They took us to a musicians shop, where he played some quite beautiful little ditties with his ugly guitar made of an Armadillo. He then played a Pitbul + J-Lo number on a pipe. Was just as shit as the real thing.
The tour concluded in a bar, serving free Pisco sours and displaying all the pics their covert mate had been taking the way round. I looked either bored or serious in all the ones I was in so I didnt bother buying any.
After deliberating with the others over how much to give as a tip (not wanting to look tight - but at the same time not wanting to overspend) we agreed on something like 3 quid each and left.
Football: Another highlight of Cusco was going to watch the local team Calcieno play in a league match. Due to the fact it was an 11am kick off on a Wednesday, the 42,500 capacity stadium had about a thousand in it. Mark the Shaman and I arrived a little late so we bought a ticket off a tout - this tout wasn't some cockney geezer smoking a Camel - it was a little Peruvian lady. Still could'nt haggle her though. The original ticket booth was a tiny little square carbed out of the wall - the punters pop their cash in, then a little hand pops out with the tickets. Bit like a Flinsyones vending machine. The crowd were great, a barmy-army behind the goal kept the drums and chants going throughout. The game finished 1-1 with a red card for the home team's left back. They all looked knackered in the second half, the heat and altitude taking their toll. We got out of there as soon as the whistle went as we were starting to fry in the midday sun - Stopped in a market on the way home to buy traveller pants (kind of like Harem) and a wooly jumper for the evenings. I proper look the part now with my headband and pants...great look.
Had a cheeky couple nights out, and visited some very interesting bars owned by some strange characters - one being a rasta-man as high as the sky above us.
I really like Cusco, a town with beautiful architecture and a rich history...but its time to move on...
My next adventure is the trek to Maccu Pichu, the top of my bucket list (alongside high-fiving a chimpanzee). There are many ways to get to Maccu Pichu: the most traditional being the 4 day Inca trail - 8 hours a day of walking , sleeping in tents etc. This does appeal to me, however you have to book months in advance and comes with a price tag of about 500 squids. Im choosing to do the Inka Jungle Trek - a 4 dayer that includes zip-lining, mountain biking, rafting and trekking. Absolutely buzzing my testicles off for it!
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