Two Travelling Bags

28th April to 2nd May 2017

Day 5-8

Peru to Cusco to Puerto Maldonaldo

Up in the air – down to Cuzco. Suffered altitude sickness in Cuzco and this time didn’t even get out of the plane! 25 minutes on the tarmac while it was refuelling and got a bit crook. Up in the air again and down to Puerto Maldonado – the entrance to the Amazonas from the Peruvian side.

The tour we booked for our Amazonian experience was with Intrepid. We were collected by Emperatriz and taken to the office and given a duffel bag to put our clothing in for 4 days. Then a longboat for 2 hours to the Caymen (means Amazonian alligator) Lodge. A beautiful setting hidden amongst the lush rainforest. The rooms had shade cloth covered windows and no electricity so at 5.30 we lit candles. The showers were cold but that didn’t matter much after what the guides put us through and each bed had a mosquito net. After settling in we went on a night walk. Emperatriz (Empy) told us to turn our torches off and the darkness was incredible. The sounds of the jungle were heightened and what was more disturbing was that we had already sighted panther prints.

The stars from the jungle lit up the sky with the milky way and the Southern Cross standing out.

A boat trip to the Clay Lick, a naturally forming wall of clay on the riverbank. It is where Macaws go to get their salt supplement or to neutralise their dietary toxins. Quite a phenomenon. We took off in the long boat at 4.30am and travelled 2.5 hours down river to the special spot where we waited on plastic stools that were handed to us on leaving the boat.

Travelling down the river and watching the sunrise was stunning.

Macaws mate for life so one pair would come to the tallest tree and check out the situation. When they were happy that all was safe they would travel to a shorter tree. In this way, they gave other birds the signal that it was safe to fly to the clay lick. By the end of the session there were about 20 Macaws on the cliff. This was a small group on the day.

Later in the afternoon we went for another walk where we tasted more delicious fruits that can only be found in the Amazon jungle.

Our amazing guide Empi

Afruit that tastes like mango custard but is related to the cocoa tree

Day 3 was a 14 kilometre round hike to the lake. Sounds easy but it was very muddy and we wore gumboots as sometimes the mud went up to your calves and you needed to be pulled out, hopefully not leaving your gumboot in the mud. Long pants and long sleeves, heaps of mosquito repellent for Dengue, not Malaria and lots of sunscreen. The dilemma was which one to apply first.

Into the jungle we went with a renewed admiration for the soldiers that bunkered down in the mud.

try walking over this

There are very interesting trees in the jungle. The Kapok tree which produces a cotton like substance that was used when we were young to fill pillows. The Walking palm that sets out new above ground roots so that it can slowly move towards a break in the canopy. The erotic tree that speaks for itself – picture confiscated due to its R rating.

After 7 muddy kilometres we arrived at the lake and after a fantastic lunch tht we carried from camp, we took a canoe to seek out the wildlife.

Accomodation near the lake

Vals new hat

Our friend Bicki

lunch wrapped in banana leaf and tied up with string

Passionfruit

It was a bit of a slow wildlife day but we did see Otters, bird life and beautiful scenery.

P1040538 — Our transport for the anaconda hunt

While we were fishing for the non-existent piranhas and the elusive anacondas under the canopy of a large tree, a hoard of squirrel monkeys came screaming down to our sheltering tree to feast upon the berries. Squeaking and squawking and picking the berries like professional grape pickers but instead of storing them, sticking them in their mouth until a huge shriek from the boss monkey had them jumping from limb to limb and disappearing into the forest again.

This tour was made even more special because of the people that were with us and my birthday celebration. The lovely Bicky from Bega and a fantastic couple – Carol and Joffrey form the UK. (Empy’s names for Vicki and Geoffrey). Val was Bal. Peruvians don’t like using V’s too much.

P1040612 — Carol, Vicki,Empy, Val and Louise

We were very impressed with our time here. It was simple accommodation but our guide Empy who is now a friend and the few people that were with us were great. The meals were fantastic especially since they were cooked in very simple conditions. There was a special chili called Fish Eye that was mixed with lemon juice and red onion. Yum

This tour is highly recommended but my goodness you get very hot, sweaty and filthy.

BACK IN LIMA

Carlos again met us at the airport. We all went to dinner and visited a beautiful place called Calleo which is the port where the cruise ships come in and is very close to Lima airport. We were surprised that a lot of the beautiful seaside homes were empty because of the threat of another tsunami even though the last one was in the 70’s. It would be the equivalent of St Kilda or Manly.

Pisco and dried beans

Dinner with Carlos

No one begs in Lima. They all sell something even if it is lollies or cheap jewelry on the street. Avery proud race.

Last night in Peru. Off to Colombia.

OFF TO LIMA

25th April to 29th April 2017

Day 1-4

We love Lima. This is our 2^nd time here in 2 years. Our lovely Carlos was there to greet us again and it was it was great to see a familiar face. Peruvians are so good at tourism because they are very efficient, proud and have a wonderful eagerness to please. Carlos was our guide last year and this year he was our friend.

P1040349 — The lovely Carlos. The angel of Peru

We stayed at the Britania in Miraflores as we did last year. The hotel is close to Kennedy Parque where you can get a Mixto Sanguch for dinner for 10 Soles = $3 and they are delicious. Hot turkey, beef and pork on a bun with red onion, salad and Aji which is the most fantastic hot chili sauce.

The food market presents fruits and vegetables from the Amazon and other regions. Peruvian cuisine uses the entire animal. Nose to tail. We had cow lung – Peruvian/Indian fusion from a lady selling the meals out of a box on wheels. Another great dish is Leche de Tigres which is a bit like Cerviche but served in a cup with milk. Sounds revolting, looks revolting but is delicious!

Pop up food stall

Leche de Tigris

meals on wheels

A memorable excursion was walking to Barranco with Carlos, a Bohemian area next to Miraflores. This whole area is pretty nice with its art galleries, cafes and town square. From there we walked across to Larcomar shopping centre. We are not into boutique shops but the bars facing the Pacific Ocean are fabulous as they are set on top of the cliffs. This is a must see for an afternoon Cerveza.

From Miraflores it is a 7 kilometre walk to Lima. The day we walked, there was a huge but peaceful demonstration although, there was at least 50 police with riot shields leading the way. Apparently, there is a demonstration every week from gay rights to corrupt judicial systems.

Lima is a beautifully historic city. Our walk included the Monastery of San Francisco. We went to the Catacombs last year which are worth seeing. The whole atmosphere of Lima is all enveloping. Its history and the mix of local ethnicities is presented.

At night, we went to Parque de la Reserva. A series of 13 illuminated fountains that were built to commemorate the people who fought in the defence of Lima during the war of the Pacific. It was impressive but not worth a tour. A taxi would get you there and back for a quarter of the price.

Our next day was the Community tour which is unfortunately marketed as Shanty town tour through Haku tours- info@hakutours.com. This was worth every cent as our guide Jimmy took us to the town known as Villa El Salvadore and introduced us as a friend to the local market vendors. He told us that we should always accept food if offered without offering to pay for it. Always greet people and look them straight in the eye. We met an apothecarist that was scraping the flesh from the biggest Aloe Vera leaf we had ever seen. He had a variety of potions in coke bottles to cure every ailment.

We passed a volunteer hospital that was made out of shipping containers where the locals can go for free.

The fruit and vegetables in the market would be classed as 2nds or 3rds by Australian standards however our guide was so proud of the produce you couldn’t help but think that we are all a bit to finicky when it comes to our fresh food. The passionfruit were bigger and tasted like passionfruit, the lady finger bananas were dodgy looking but tasted delicious.

With the money from our tour fee, Jimmy, our guide, purchased a quantity of fruit and vegetables and as we struggled up the steep yellow stairs to the top of the town we gave away the purchases to the local people who needed extra support. This tour was an eye opener as staying in Miraflores, we were sheltered from the poverty that laid just South of the city. The yellow stairs signify the political party that built them. The way up to the top poorer houses is steep and initially the area was sand dunes so everything is carries up by hand.

The people here are happy and friendly. They don’t have much in the way of material things but the community is a family that we don’t often have at home.

The community from above