Cusco, the City in the Clouds

I arrived in Cusco (Cuzco in Spanish) on Thursday morning. I'm here for two weeks of volunteering, which starts tomorrow, and for sightseeing. Cusco is the closest big city to Machu Picchu, so has quite a large tourist population.

The thing about Cusco is that it's in the mountains. And I mean, high in the mountains. At an ear-popping 3,400 metres above sea level, it's easily the highest I've been in my life. It also means that altitude sickness can be an issue for many visitors to this fine city (which is so much nicer than Lima by the way). 

First off, altitude sickness can be fatal, so it's a fun bugger. There are some horrible possible symptoms, including fainting, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, insomnia, death... You know. 

So it's recommended not to fly here from sea level, but to gradually acclimatise as you ascend. This didn't work with my schedule, so unfortunately I had to fly. And I have to say, I have been fine so far. I did take precautions though. I bought some Sorojchi altitude sickness pills in Lima and took my first one on the plane. A box of 20 pills cost 40 soles. I also drank two cups of coca tea (mate de coca) at Lima airport. They sell it for 3.50 soles. The locals drink it to stave off the effects of altitude. I also drank a lot of water, because the headache associated with el mal de altura can be caused in large part by dehydration. 

When the plane opened its doors and I made my way out I had the oddest sensation. I felt like I, and everyone around me, was moving in slow motion. My legs were heavy, as if I were wading through treacle. And I was a bit lightheaded. The air was noticeably different. 

But within a few hours I felt relatively normal, but very tired. I slept very well on Thursday night. 

I think I've pretty much acclimatised to the thin air now, without too much heartache. But walking is hard work, especially uphill. I get out of breath very quickly. 

But I tell you what, it's worth it for the views. Cusco was built when its founder decided he had found 'the naval of the world'. It's nestled in an Andean valley surrounded on all sides by rolling mountains, and snow-capped peaks stand sentinel at one end of the city. You can see the mountains wherever you can see the sky in Cusco, which is lovely. 

The climate is really nice here too (at least it is at the moment, as the last clutches of rainy season lose their grip). The days are warm, but the sun is really intense so it feels much hotter than it is. And the nights are quite cool, if not cold. It's the best of both worlds, because you get the pleasant weather without the uncomfortable sweaty nights. 

This morning my housemate Sarah (I'm doing a homestay for the next two weeks, with an incredibly sweet retired couple) and I took a minibus to Pisac. Pisac is a small village about a 45 minute drive from Cusco. We went to the huge market they have there on Sundays and spent the morning wandering through the alleyways perusing the souvenirs, jewellery, alpaca hats, dolls and food. I ticked two Peru essentials off my list - I bought a bracelet and an alpaca hat. My excuse for the hat is that I'm going to autumnal New Zealand soon, and I'm going to need a warm hat. And for 10 soles, who can argue with the Peruvian price? 

And now I'm going to go to sleep (lack of oxygen, you know...) and get up early to try and book train tickets for Milena and I to go to Machu Picchu next weekend. (Milena is currently in Bolivia after we went our separate ways in Argentina but her flight to the US leaves Cusco next week so we're going to the big MP together before she leaves). 

Then I've got my first morning volunteering at the animal conservation centre, so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly! 

Lima Ain't So Bad

I have been in Peru for less than 24 hours. Or rather, just Lima. For less than 24 hours. But I feel this gives me the right to make some snap decisions about the country and publish them. First impressions count, right? 

Firstly, I judged Lima too harshly. It does have a bad reputation for crime and being a bit dirty and boring. (Yay for Lima). But the area I'm staying in, near the Historic Centre, is actually very nice. It doesn't have the excitement of Rio, or the beauty of Buenos Aires, but it has charm. Just across from my hostel there's a wide park with European-style lampposts, a large art museum in a beautiful old building, and a row of street vendors selling everything from corn on the cob to churros. Lima is also famous for its food, so I'm going to take a wander over to the river later and see what I can rustle up. It's also the second driest capital city in the world, after Cairo. 

So here are some other observations from today: 

Summer is drawing to a close here, but it's still not as hot as I expected it to be. I'm now further north than Rio, where it was boiling hot. The sun is intense, but it's only hitting about 27 degrees. I'm sure the Amazon will be a different story though. 

Lima  is not as cheap as you want it to be. 

A lot of people look Peruvian. As in, the Quechua look - dark skin, dark, wiry hair, relatively flat noses. Don't quote me on this, but I've heard about 45% of Peru's population have close blood links with the indigenous population of the country. 

The fashion is generally quite chavvy. It's like Peru is aiming to be a nation of Miami gangsters and Hildas from Ugly Betty. 

Tess Daly's twin is on TV here. 

Every city I've been to in South America has the same street names. They're either named after dates, countries, cities or people. The amount of Venezuelas I've walked down is insane. 

People seem to think car horns are respirators. Give it a rest, people! 

Avril Lavigne is still alive, apparently. 

The green man at pedestrian crossings actually runs. Amazing. 

Evidently it's acceptable to put a small woman in a metal box on stilts in the middle of a busy road intersection, and give her a yellow flag and a whistle to direct traffic. That's what London's doing wrong! 

But all sarcasm aside, I think Lima's a perfectly fine city. Just choose where you stay, and go, carefully. I've made it my base for the first week of my Peruvian travels, as I fly out to Iquitos (the Amazon city) tomorrow, and return on Tuesday. Then I fly to Cusco (the closest city to Machu Picchu) on Thursday morning. Originally I was intending to take the bus to Cusco, but after reading up on the journey I decided against it. Lonely Planet warned not to take overnight journeys, as bus robberies can occur. With a 21-hour bus trip, night time is kind of unavoidable. It also said that landslides due to rain at this time of year (rainy season in the Andes lasts until March/ April) can cause fatal accidents. And flying was only £17 more. I think my decision was made for me. The only downside of flying is the enhanced altitude sickness. Going by bus is still bad, but at least it's a gradual climb. I'm going to go from 0 to 3,400 metres in an hour and ten minutes. Pass me the coca leaves! 

Hopefully I'll have more of a chance to explore Lima next week, but to be honest I'm not in Peru for its capital city. There's a lot of excitement coming up in the next few weeks! 

Don't Cry For Me

See how much thought I put into these witty titles!? I treat you guys so well.

So yes! I have left Argentina. I finished my stay there with an amazing Argentine steak last night. A guy I met in Iguazu and I went to a place called Desnivel, at Defensa 855. It was absolutely the best steak I have ever tasted. So I did the tango, and I did the steak. I did Buenos Aires.

Today was a very long day, starting at 6am getting up to go to Buenos Aires airport, and then a flight to Santiago, and then a connection up to Lima, Peru. But the second flight was delayed by three hours! We got into the plane and then a group of technical looking men with moustaches got on and we all had to get off. Technically making this the second day in a week I've been to three countries in one day. Boom. 

For European readers of this blog, you might be interested to know that the interior of the faulty plane was EasyJet. Their branding was all over the shop. I chuckled to myself amid the devastated sobs as we filed back to the departure lounge.

I flew with Sky Airline, and they were fine. We got food at least. And if you ignore the plane change. They kind of are the budget airline for South America, minus the budget. My flight cost me just over 300 pounds, and that was the cheapest I found the Buenos Aires to Lima route. This continent is not as cheap as you think! But long bus journeys are the norm, and South American citizens get cheaper rates on airfares, so they probably make a lot of their money from foreigners. 

Eventually I got to Lima! Which is kind of gross. Or at least the parts I drove through in the taxi. Get a taxi! Lonely Planet recommended Taxi Green, which is right there when you come out of the Arrivals hall. It was expensive (60 soles) but worth it for the peace of mind. 

My hostel is gorgeous. I can't fault it so far. It's in a converted mansion opposite an art museum, and is called 1900 Backpackers. The road is very loud outside, but I'm exhausted. I think I'll sleep anyway. 

As an aside, people cannot drive here. It's insane. It's not exactly filling me with confidence for getting up to Cusco in the Andes when I emerge Tarzan-like from the Amazon next week... 

Oh! We flew over the Andes. Holy Moley they are beautiful. And they just rise up out of the Chilean plains so suddenly. I'm looking forward to going to Santiago properly to take a closer look. 

Anyway. This post is kind of frantic so now, on the one-month anniversary of my leaving the UK, I'm going to sleep! Buenos noches and all that jazz.