Valparaiso continued

We have spent several days here and have not done anything particularly exciting. mostly have just walked around and rode some of the ascensors up the hills. They are one of the things this town is known for. The area close to the ocean is relatively flat and the hills get steep as you go away from the water about a half mile. The ascensors are like a small train car on a track that is pulled up as another comes down from the top. I have taken no pics but Tiffany probably has.

We have been trying to save money by eating in mostly but have had some food out including some seafood. Nothing to write home about. Other than walking around, shopping and taking boat rides around the harbor there seems to be nothing much to do here. We are leaving today to go to Bariloche, Argentina.

Yesterday we rode the train to the neighboring city of Viña Del Mar which is a prettier, more touristy town with better beaches. Unfortunately it was cool and overcast when we left but it did warm up. However we had no swim suits. The water is cold here anyway, so you can´t really enjoy the ocean. We mostly walked around, looked at the sights and got some ice cream. Ice cream is really big in all the areas we´ve been and it´s pretty good. There was a nice park as well(see pics) but we got warned of the hill by a security guy saying it was dangerous because of thieves. We have been warned several times of this but have had no problems.We did talk to some Australian girls who had some things stolen by a thief who ran off. One gave chase but could not catch him. We try not to carry much money and try to stay aware but have not noticed any sketchballs yet. Tiffany did get some attention from a drunk at the bus station while I went back for more money. Security eventually sent him away.

It has been somewhat hard adapting to the Peso which is 500 to the dollar. It´s the first time I´ve ever said ¨ I´ve got nothing less than a ten thousand.¨ Hearing the prices can be hard at times and the Chileans aren´t always good at annunciating or even saying the whole words at times. It´s definitely harder to understand then Peru . Chileans apparently pride themselves on Speaking ¨Chilean¨ not Spanish.

All in all, I´m ready to leave and see something new with more nature to explore. That will hopefully be Bariloche and El Bolson.

Valparaiso

We got into Valparaiso yesterday afternoon. It´s a much smaller city than Santiago but still pretty big. It is a port town for huge cargo ships and has a couple small beaches but the better beaches are in the next town Viña Del Mar which is right down the road. We can take a short ride on a train.

We didn´t end up doing a whole lot in Santiago other than walk around and chill out in some parks. We saw separate movies and the prices and theater were up to American standards. We also rode the subway which was clean and efficient. Didn´t really take many pictures. The Hostal we stayed at after the first 2 nights was party central and the earplugs were a necessity at night. People came and went constantly. I would have preferred the hotel but it was $20 more a night. We were able to save some money by cooking in the communal kitchen. We were there for some elections which unfortunately shut down the whole town. The weather was very hot and the sun was blistering. Luckily it is much more comfortable here in Val. but not the best beach weather I guess.

The Hostal we are at now is much more subdued. It´s an old building with lots of character and 12 foot ceilings. Hope to have some pics tonight.

Santiago

We are now in Santiago, Chile facing a rude awakening of near American prices. The last few days have been a whirlwind of buses, cabs, planes etc. I have had little time or internet access and spent one day sick in Arequipa on our way here.

The rest of the Mchu Picchu trip was a mix of awesome views, rain, misery at times, glaciers in the distance, high mountain passes, jungle, biting flies, mud, physical exertion, camaraderie and a lot more. We spent an evening at some awesome hot springs too. After getting back and the subsequent travel, I have not had the time to fully update the blog and the internet places can be very uncomfortable and the computers very slow. I regret not doing the whole details but at this point am too far behind. I will post some pics soon. Have already posted some on facebook.

Santiago is a mix of modern and old and definitely has more character than any city we´ve been in so far. We haven´t been here long enough to get much of the flavor but definitely close to American standards on most everything. Much less car pollution compared to Peruvian cities but a lot of people smoke and they smoke everywhere. Trade on thing fore another I guess. Had a great meal of rabbit last night. We are currently trying to find a cheaper place to stay and to plan our next move to a beach town. Maybe Valparaiso. Will update as time and access allow.

Cusco in search of a MP trek

We spent the morning looking for a trek to Machu Picchu. We went to about 5 agencies looking for the best deal and the most professional company(which we found out doesn´t matter but more on that later). After listening to all the spiels we decided on a Salkantay trek for a little over $220 for 5 days 4 nights.

After lunch and a nap for me we set out walking around the city alone to get some alone time and see parts of the city we had not seen. I headed up towards a church that overlooks Cuzco and took a pic. I found the Inca ruins that sit outside the city(Saqsaywaman?) but did not go in becuse of the cost(70 soles)(M.R.)took a couple pics and headed back.

We met back up and got some average Indian food. The guide met us at the Hostal for our briefing and after that we packed and headed to bed. We are getting up before 4 A.M. to catch our bus.

Cusco Museos 11/29

Tiffany was feeling sick so I met up with Ariel, a girl I met on the first rafting trip and her friend Adam who had just gotten in. We had a great brunch(she took him to I high end place because she didn´t want him to have problems on their Machu Pichhu trek) then went to a museum dedicated to Incan and pre-Incan artwork dating back to 800 BC or more. The Incan empire lasted around 100 years but there were many civilizations before that were even more advanced. Some interesting pottery. The better stuff is pre-Incan. In fact, I didn´t take many pics of the Incan stuff because the other was so much better.

I went back to see if Tiffany was feeling better and we got lunch but she wasn´t up for more museums. So she went back to the hotel and I met back up with Ariel to tour a former Incan temple that that the Spaniards had usede for there own ends after stripping it of gold and silver of course. The sun temple was thought to be completely covered in gold leaf and the moon termple in silver. It was thought to be seen for miles. Most of the Incan history was written on wood which was burned or rotted so we don´t know much from the horse´s mouth. We had a great guide who explained things well and we were able to help her by telling her that sheet(on a painting of Jesus) is not pronounced : shit. 2 different things. Apparently Incan painters were forced to paint religious paintings but were able to slip in little rebellious differences with reference to Incan gods.

Cuzco continued

Sorry for the long lapse between posts. We have been on a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. I will post on that later, I am a bit behind.

Anyway the raft trip on the Urabamba was pretty good. Only certain sections of certain rivers can be run because of the rainy season. At this level the river is a chocalte milk 3-4 river with few rocks but some big holes and waves. It was only me, a German girl a girl from Luxembourg the guide Gilbert and a safety kayaker. I have no pics because I don´t have a waterproof camera(MR). The girls did great and we were able to maneuver a full sized NRS raft where we wanted it. No flips but almost lost one girl out of the boat once. It was a cold windy day and I wish I´d had my cold weather gear from home. It was a much larger canyon and river than my last one. Much more open. We stopped halfway through to meet up with our driver in a Toyota SW for some hot chocolate. After the second half, we ate a good hot meal and drove back to Cuzco. All in all, pretty fun. Could have been warmer and sunnier. Water was cold too. Gilbert and the safety kayaker both were excellent and spoke great english. Got back around 4:30.

Later we ran into Morten, our buddy from the Salkantay trek at yet another Mexican restaurant. He had booked rafting for the following day. I tried pizza again(had a craving) but not up to Pies and Pints and not much cheaper unfortunately. Most Peruvian food is good but they seem to eat white rice and potatoes with everything and not too many veggies. We have to find other things to eat at times.

Cusco

I slept almost the whole time on the bus, waking up about a half hour out. Tiffany didnt do quite so well.

We caught a cab to get close to the hostal we had reserved. We had to walk the last couple blocks because the streets of the Sanblas neighborhood are too steep and narrow for cars.

The hostal was a craphole so we resolved to move. We wandered around Cusco for a while and found some good brunch. Cusco is a neat and pretty town but the tourist focus is immediately felt. We were offered massage, restaurants, handicrafts etc. at least 100 times within a few hours. It is the low season so the locals are scrounging for every dollar from the tourists. It can be very tiresome. We looked for new boots for Tiffany because hers killed her on our trek in the canyon.

A guy named Gustavo homed in on us and showed us a better hostal. He seemed a bit of a scammer but spoke good english and offered to help us. He took us several places but no luck on any good deals on trekking boots. Either no-name brand or American prices for good boots.

We finally ditched him, moved our stuff to the new hostal and took an offer for massage. Their flyers offered all kinds of massage but it ended up being fairly generic swedish. Still a good deal and relaxing for $15 for both.

Later we grabbed Mexican and listened to Gustav´s spiel on a Machu Picchu trek but decided to wait.

Went back and got some boots she had looked at. American prices but at least they are comfortable.

I ran into Gustav one more time and booked a rafting trip for tommorow. I wanted a multi-day but the rivers are up because of the rainy season and only part of the Urabamba is still being run. Wanted to get on the apurimac which is class 4-5.