It wasn't the most pleasant of journeys, crossing the border from Bolivia to Peru. As we knew, it was the night of the General Elections, as well the last day that the border was easily open. We crossed the border without issue, but were unfortunately left stranded in an unknown town just inside Peru, by our unhelpful tour company. It turned out that they had not been able to booke us a seat on a bus, and their gamble didn't pay off when there were no more buses at the border for us! We were infuriated but also terrified, as we had no peruvian money, no idea where we were, and it was half nine at night on election day. Fire crackers were going off and people were parading in the streets. It was now our turn to gamble, and jump in a taxi, all five of us sticking together for safety, and hoping that we weren't going to be mugged!
It was a long, cramped, nerve racking journey, but we made it to Puno, on the edge of Lake Titicaca and stopped over for the night. Ollanta won the elections, by 51.5% which was good news, at least for us, as there would be less chance of rioting, than if Keiko had won it. So by morning, we were off to our initial destination: the colonial white city of Arequipa.
Arequipa is one of Peru's most attractive cities, surrounded by moutains, volcanoes and the worlds deepest canyon at Colca. We headed to Arequipa without expectations, but were pleasantly surprised by how lovely the city was. We checked into a great little hostel, which was quiet and friendly, which is just what we wanted! We explored the city in the glorious warm sunshine, visiting in the plaza, the churches and the museum of the legendary Inca ice maiden, 'Juanita'. About twelve years ago, scientists climbed up to the summit of Mount Ampato, not far from Arequipa, and discovered three mummies, that had been frozen in the snow. Juanita was found at the very top, and is most famous due to how remarkably preserved she is. At five hundred years old, Juanita still has her own skin, fingernails, hair and internal organs intact! She is kept frozen, in the Museo Santuarios Andinos, and has revealed so much about her Inca culture. Juanita and the other mummies discovered, were child sacrifices by the Incas, who offered the chosen children to the gods in order to appease them. Every extreme weather condition, was considered by the Incas as a punishment from their gods, and so they would sacrifice beautiful children, chosen at birth in a ritual on the top of the Andes mountains (closest to their gods).
It was absolutely fascinating to see Juanita so well preserved, through the glass of her freezer cabinet. Her head injuries are visible to see, as well as the sun damage to her skull from when she was first exposed to the sun after the snow melted. Also in the museum were Inca artefacts, such as pots, carvings, and pins made of gold, all found around Juanita, signifying her importance in Inca culture. She is Peru's Ice Princess, and one of the most amazing relics left behind from Inca civilisation.
From our few days of exploring Arequipa, we tried some classic Peruvian dishes. We sampled our first Peruvian ceviche, which was delicious. The fish was so fresh, and the zesty lemon and coriander marinade was beautifully complimented by the sweet potato (we were to have a lot more of this in Peru!). One evening we had a Pisco Sour with our dinner, which is the Peruvian coctail made from Pisco alcohol, lemon and a raw egg. This was surprisingly tasty! Of course, as we were near the sea, we sampled and Arequipan speciality of Chupa de Camarones, a kind of prawn soup, with tomatoes, rice and potatoes all mixed together. Very filling!
I was excited for Peruvian food, as Bolivian food had been very basic. Bring on ceviche, seafood and plenty of potatoes!
Unfortunately, our exploration of Arequipa was restricted to the city itself. We discovered while we were here that we had to shell out for an expensive flight from Lima to Rio, which we'd not anticipated. This meant that we had to change our plans, to allow for an even tighter budget than before! Therefore, travelling to explore the Colca Canyon was scored off our list, which we were devastated about. We decided to get to Cusco quickly, and maybe look into getting a job in a hostel for our last 3 weeks. This was not good.
We arrived in Cusco early one morning, and checked into Loki hostel, where we had booked our Inca Jungle Trail to Machu Picchu from for six days later. Here we faced another major setback in our fun seeking...Tash was admitted to hospital, suffering from her Death Road injury which turned out to be a lot worse than just a bruise.
For the next three days Tash was in hospital, having had an operation on the bruise that turned into a blood clot. It was a horrible few days, with me being alone and worried in the hostel and Tash being scared and emotional in the hospital. This was NOT what we had planned for Peru!
Still, Tash survived, and all was covered on insurance. The hospital was wonderful, and Tash was in great hands with an English speaking consultant, and friendly nurses at her beck and call. She was discharged and given the all clear to do Machu Picchu - but without the biking!
So, Cusco hadn't got off to the greatest of starts, and we had yet to explore the cultural city and the crazy nightlife! This was hindered due to Tash being on antibiotics, but we also wanted to be on good form for our trek! Instead, we chilled out, treating ourselves to good meals in some of the many great cafe's in Cusco. As one of the most touristy and expensive cities in Peru, we had an abundance of dining and shopping at our feet! If we only had the money! Job hunting didn't go down very successfully, so after MP we'd have to go back to the drawing board...Come on Peru, show us the good stuff...
