Peru

Yarapa

Another 6am and we were up a creek without a name. Well, I am sure it has a name but it is not marked on my map so I have no idea. The creek was small, meandering and choked with weeds. We spotted a nose looking at us from a hole in a tree trunk. Probably a Nutria (coypu) a type of Amazonian rat. He watched us carefully as we drifted past but showed no sign of coming out. There was a brightly coloured tanager bird and then, at the base of the tree, some proboscis bats. This time we got close enough to see detail. Although only a couple of centimetres long, they are cute and furry. And they do have big noses. All bats are covered in fur, except for Batman. He wears a bat suit, to look bat like, but it has no fur.

We passed some kingfishers and a heron then someone spotted a monkey. Turned out to be a tamarin monkey although it looked to me like a stuffed cat hanging in the tree. There were some colourful aracari birds and sleeping sloth. The sloth was just a big ball of fur in the top of a tree. It never moved in all the time we watched it. At the end of the navigable part of the creek we saw some black-headed night monkeys. They were huddled together in a large tree hole. Each monkey was about the size of a squirrel. They peered out at us nervously. Amongst monkeys, these are the only truly nocturnal species. They are also particularly susceptible to malaria. Apparently, the presence of night monkeys is a good indicator that there is no malaria around. Still plenty of mosquitoes though and we had both applied a good layer of chemical warfare before we came out.

On the way back to the ship, we passed a fisherman who showed off the armoured catfish he had caught. These are not good eating. The locals occasionally make a soup. We saw some soup the following day and everyone thought it looked horribly unappetising. Quite possibly he threw it back into the river after we had passed.

After the first shower of the day and breakfast we went out for a hike. This was in a cultivated area with many fruit trees, yucca and banana trees. Bananas are not really trees. They are in fact, herbs, and the fruit are berries. There were also grapefruit trees. Not so remarkable but I had never seen one before. The real reason we were here was a troop of Pygmy Marmosets. Tiniest of all monkeys and a native of the rainforests of the upper Amazon basin. They are remarkably cute but also very shy. They feed on the gum from trees. With sharp little teeth, they bite a hole in the bark. The gum pools in the hole from where they lap it up. After half an hour of trying to photograph the little blighters, I had a collection of pictures of part of a marmoset. The rest of the photograph being the tree, branch or leaves that it was hiding behind. We were not allowed to shake them out of the tree and pin them to the ground to get a good photograph – so this was going to have to do.

Early afternoon the ship moved quite a way upriver and in the evening, we went out in the skiffs to hunt caimans. The plural of caiman is not caimen. We drove out past a small settlement and were greeted by a small girl. She was showing off the piranha fish she had caught. These are not so dangerous as the films project. Unless you are bleeding, they are unlikely to attack. Even so, it is a special sort of young girl that handles one like a toy.

Into the small channel and the first things we saw were several types of monkeys. Again, photography was difficult. For a start there is not much light. It was early evening but even during the day, the thick canopy is remarkably effective at blocking the sun. The birds and animals tend to stay in the distance. Using a long lens, in low light from a small boat is not a good recipe for success. A while ago, I invested in a Canon 500mm f4 lens. This is a bit of a beast and heavy. An hour spent hoisting it around can get to feel like an upper body workout. Fortunately, it handles the conditions quite well. Even so, I often found that the light so low that I had to turn the camera sensitivity right up. This makes the images very grainy. Our guides were very good at identifying all creatures we saw but I could not remember all the names. I have resorted to Google so quite possibly some of the names of birds and animals are wrong.

Dark fell and our guide produced a powerful spotlight. Apparently, the way to hunt caimans is by looking for the light reflecting from their eyes. Like cat’s eyes, they appear to shine in the dark. Round a corner in a particularly weed clogged channel we came across several. Bright eyes on a small face lurking motionless in the water. We all looked at each other for a few minutes and the headed back to the ship for dinner.

Yanayacu

The sun rose to find us bobbing around on the main river on our pre-breakfast skiff ride. Early in the morning is as cool as it gets and the mosquitoes are not too bad. Evening is the mosquito happy hour when you really need to cover up. Except in some places, deep in the forest which appear to be thick with mosquitoes any time of the day. Our morning ritual, before breakfast, now included mosquito repellent and sunscreen. Out on the river, the trick is to keep moving. Stay in one place too long and the little biters will arrive. Keep moving, every few minutes and everything is fine.

We met a raft drifting down the river. Three guys on a home-made construction of logs tied together. They were on their way to Iquitos. Tied at the front of the raft was a large net full of catfish that they had caught. A small motor on the back was to stop them drifting into a bank. After several days drifting down the river with their catch, they would be able to sell the fish and sell the wood they built the raft from. Then they would take their net and other possessions, head back upriver on the ferry, and start again. For now, they were sitting on the raft watching the world drift by.

After breakfast, we were back in the skiffs and heading up a small creek. First thing we saw was an iguana. This was a green iguana, amazonian cousin to all the iguanas we saw in the Galapagos. Further on we spotted some tree houses. Apparently, these are available for rent. This looked wholesome fun. A room high in the treetops. For me, however, on balance, I’ll stick with the air-conditioned cabin. Next, we saw some brown titi monkeys. This is not what our guide called them. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what he said so I used Google. This is what Google calls them.

There was a group of Kiskadee nests hanging from a tree and a sloth doing some sort of slow, strange early morning sloth exercises. Our guide shouted to stop the boat and back up. There was an anteater. This surprised me on two counts. First, I never expected an anteater to be up a tree. Secondly, I could not see it. Eventually, I took several photos in the indicated direction and then zoomed into them on the camera screen. Sure enough, there was an anteater, up a tree, in a dark corner. It looked to be asleep. How our guide spotted it is beyond me. Amazing. On the way back we saw a classic green parakeet and some more proboscis bats. These look like so many little scabs on a tree trunk until you get really close to them.

In the afternoon, we went to visit a village. First, we went to a pond with giant lily pads on it. Victoria Amazonica can grow leaves up 3 m in diameter. This impressed me and also brought back a memory. I had seen this sort of lily before. After pondering where I might have encountered a bit of Amazonian jungle previously, I recalled looking at giant lilies with my mother. This was many years ago at Chatsworth House, a historic stately home in the Peak District. The lilies date back to Victorian times when people cared little about invasive species but were very keen on impressing their nobility friends with the exotic plants they could grow.

In the village came the inevitable presentation of craft goods which we looked at politely. We also looked at a partially built canoe, sugar cane press made from a tree trunk and some macaws. Very brightly coloured birds which, we were assured, were not pets but simply chose to hang out round the village. We also found an annatto tree. Locals use the bright red colour from the seeds of this tree to paint themselves so that they will look fierce. As well as a strong colour, the seeds also have a slightly nutty taste. This is why they are used, in the UK, as the colouring agent in Red Leicester cheese.

Pahuachiro

Up at dawn again for another short boat trip before breakfast. This time we visited the Pahuachiro Creek. The water here is very dark, a result of tannins from the vegetation along the bank. It is the start of the rainy season. This close to the equator it is hot and humid all the time. There are only really two seasons: wet and dry. At the peak of the wet season much of the forest is flooded. We could clearly see the high-water mark on the trees. A good two or three metres above the current level. This makes the jungle almost impenetrable. With a small canoe you can travel a short distance from the river course but it is slow and difficult.

The water in the main river is a chocolate brown colour because of all the silt it is carrying. Where the black water from the creek meets the main river the two types of water do not mix immediately but swirl around each other in intricate patterns. This is the place for the river dolphins. They hunt fish that have been confused in the merging currents. The dolphins use their echo location to hide in the murky, silt laden water and then dart out to catch the hapless fish. The Amazon River Dolphins are pink and have a bulbous head that is part of their echo location system. Slightly smaller are the Tucuxi dolphins which are grey and look a little like Bottlenose Dolphins. We saw both types but they are very hard to photograph. You need some sort of precognition to guess where they are going to pop up next.

After breakfast, we went for a walk. Every time we walked in the jungle, we were warned not to casually touch things, not to lean on the trees and to be careful where we placed our hands and feet. This is seriously important advice. Shortly after setting off, we were shown a judgement tree. This is a tree that has become infested by fire ants. The trunk is riddled with holes and few ants can be seen running around. However, if you bang the tree then loads of ants come out. Traditionally, bad people would be stripped and tied to the tree. The village shaman would then hit the tree with a big stick. This “judgement” could be fatal. Shortly after pondering this lethal tree I came across a fuzzy blob on another tree trunk. This turned out to be a mass of caterpillars. What I didn’t realise at the time is that these can be equally fatal. The caterpillars of the Lonomia obliqua moth possess a uniquely potent anticoagulant venom. Wikipedia says “A typical envenomation incident involves a person unknowingly leaning against, placing their hand on, or rubbing their arm against a group of these caterpillars that are gathered on the trunk of a tree. The effects of a dose from multiple caterpillars can be dramatic and severe, including massive internal hemorrhaging, kidney failure, and hemolysis. The resulting medical syndrome is sometimes called lonomiasis. Death may result, either rapidly or after many days following envenomation”.

At the end of the walk, we spotted a sloth. In typically sloth fashion it was hanging from a tree looked like an abandoned bag of wet fur. Photographing sloths requires patience. They do not move very much and it sometimes hard to determine where the sloth ends and the tree begins. Eventually this one did move and not only did I managed to get a picture of its face but I could also spot that it was carrying a baby.

After lunch, while we were all snoozing, the boat moved further up the river. Here was a small village where we had been invited to see the release of some turtles. The yellow-spotted river turtle is one of the largest turtles and has been on the endangered list for a while. It has been hunted for food and was also exceedingly popular as a pet in the USA. Fortunately, now some work is being done to protect the turtles. The villagers collect turtle eggs and then protect them while they hatch. Once the baby turtles’ shells have hardened, they can be released into the wild with a much better chance of survival. We arrived at the riverbank by the village to find buckets full of baby turtles, all ready to be set free. Diane loved this. She carefully carried a bucket to a marked area by the water and tipped them out. The turtles knew exactly what to do and headed straight down the slope for the water. It was great to watch.

Nauta

From Arequipa we flew back to Lima, yet again, for the New Year celebrations. The party was typically Peruvian and involved a massive and completely unorganised firework display on the clifftops of Miraflores. It was rather magnificent and chaotic. The park area was packed with people and colourful ordnance exploded all around us. Great fun. Two days later we flew to Iquitos to join an Amazon River trip. From the plane we could see the vast tracts of jungle with the river winding its way through it.

The Amazon basin is huge. Seven million square kilometres. The Amazon River is the largest in the world by discharge volume. It is also the longest, depending on how you measure these things. Near the head of the river, in north-east Peru, is the city of Iquitos, population 50,000. This is the world’s largest city that cannot be reached by road or rail. Average temperature 32°C with 80% humidity. Hot and sweaty. Not really my favourite environment but we wanted to experience a rainforest, or at least, I did, so we just had to put up with it. One of the selling points of the river boat we were joining was air-conditioned cabins. At least would have a cool refuge.

From Iquitos we were driven, on the only road, to the small town of Nauta, population 2,000. Nauta is located on the north bank of the Marañón River, a few miles from its confluence of the Río Ucayali. On maps, the point where the rivers join is the highest place that is named the Amazon River.

The river boat, called the Delfin II, operates several long, narrow, steel hulled boats that they call skiffs. Each of these has two rows of seats for a dozen people and two outboard engines on the back. The boats have to be quite tough because there is a lot of wood and other debris floating in the river. We were collected and taken to the Delfin which was holding station just offshore. Here we were introduced to our cabin. The accommodation was rather nice. A large picture window, good sized bed, nice bathroom and the all-important air-conditioning. It seemed like a significant part of the design of the river boat was to support the generators and heat exchangers necessary to run all the cooling systems. I was struck by the same contradiction that we experienced in Thailand. The general approach to dealing with global warming is to try and use less energy. But the way to deal with living in hot places is to use more energy so that you can keep cool. We had an excellent dinner and then went straight to bed with the warning that we were going to be up before sunrise the next day.

The best time to explore the jungle is early in the morning. I had to reluctantly admit this. Neither of us are really morning people but the advantages are clear. It is a bit cooler but perhaps more importantly this is when most of the birds and animals are active. By lunchtime the rainforest is relatively quiet. Earlier it is buzzing with creatures all going about their business. So, up early, before breakfast and off in the skiffs. We saw many birds including Red-capped cardinal, Kiskadees and some hawks. We also saw a pair of Hoatzin birds. These are unusual amongst birds in that they only eat plants. To consume the vegetation, they have unique digestive system, which contains specialized bacteria in the front part of the gut. This ferments the food, mostly leaves, a process that produces a lot of ripe methane. Locally they are known as “stinkbirds” and are generally avoided by hunters. Apparently, they not only smell bad but also taste bad. Clever birds. Another clever aspect is that the chicks have claws on their wings. This allows them to climb around the tree where they nest. If attacked by predators such as great black hawks, the chicks will jump into the water and hide under the nest while the parents distract the attackers. Later, they can use their claws to clamber back into the nest.

After breakfast, we went for a walk. Walking in the rainforest is not entirely straightforward. We were equipped with Wellington boots, waterproofs and bottles of water. We also applied mosquito repellent and suns screen. It was hot and sweaty. Within a few minutes my shirt was soaked and after an hour my hands were going wrinkly as if I had been in a swimming pool. The forest was dense and reached high above us. So much so that there was not much light. Taking photographs was difficult. No just because of the low light but also because of condensation forming on the lens. We had a local guide who tended to wander off into the forest and then reappear with interesting things. First up was a red backed poison frog. These secrete poison through their skin to deter predators. The frogs are only small but the poison is nasty. Not necessarily fatal to humans but it will kill smaller mammals. Our man was careful to just hold the frog by its leg. Next up was a tarantula spider. Not sure exactly what type but it was enormous, for a spider. Maybe 12 cm long. Then we were shown a Boa constrictor which hissed at me and finally an Anaconda. This looks a little strange in the picture because it had just eaten something. After a couple of hours of walking we were more than happy to get back to our lovely cool cabin for a shower before lunch and an afternoon siesta.

Early evening, we were out again in the skiffs. This is the happy hour for mosquitoes, so we applied extra repellent. Even so, they munched on Diane quite a lot and she came up with many lumps and bumps. We saw Black-capped donacobius, several hawks and a few White-eared jacamar. There were bats on trees. These were a little hard to see. Proboscis bats are only small and blend into the tree bark. From any distance they look like leaves but get closer and you spot the details. Finally, there were monkeys. Squirrel monkeys. A big troop of them. Tricky to photograph because they are small, tend to stay far away and also like to stay hidden behind the leaves and branches. Terrific to watch as they leap around in the canopy. As dusk fell, we headed back to the Delfin II for another excellent dinner and another early night.

Colca Canyon

Our hotel, in Chivay, sits in roughly the centre of the Colca Valley. The valley goes SW about 80 km from Callalli to Huambo becoming increasingly deep and steep sided. Beyond there it becomes known as Colca Canyon. This section is one of the deepest chasms in the world with a depth of over 4,000 m. The gorge is not only spectacular but also home to many Condors. The Andean Condor is an endangered species although it is an integral part of Andean culture. The birds, with wingspans up to nearly 3 m can live to 70 years old. They can often be seen swooping up the down the canyon. A phenomenon that has become an important tourist attraction.

We took a steady drive down the lower part of the Colca Valley. Driving in Peru is interesting. There are no rules. At least, none that anyone appears to care about. Lane markers are completely ignored. Traffic lights are for guidance, at best. Priority at junctions is determined by forcing your way into the traffic. Any space between vehicles of more than half a metre is considered fair game to attempt to drive into. I have seen cars going the wrong way around roundabouts to gain an advantage. If a vehicle comes up behind you with flashing blue lights then it is probably just a vehicle with flashing blue lights. They seem very keen on this. Emergency vehicles use a siren as well, not that it appears to help them make progress. Indicators are often used, although their meaning is typically obscure. It is common to see a car indicating one way while turning another. Hazard lights are also regularly used. As best I can tell they suggest the driver is about to do something seriously unexpected like cutting across four lanes of traffic at right angles or stopping in the middle of a roundabout to onboard passengers. Pedestrians must be especially careful. One car accelerated, hard, to ensure they got to the middle of a pedestrian crossing before us. We were forced to make a rapid retreat. My best advice for walking around cities is to ignore any preconceptions you might have and just follow what the locals do. Stay in the middle of a group for safety.

Fortunately, the Colca Valley is not too busy. Once we were out of town, I could relax a little. Historically the area has been important for agriculture and livestock farming. Thousands of man-made terraces adorn the hillsides along with drainage channels and irrigation ditches. Ruins and remains dating back thousands of years have been found here. We stopped at various vantage points to take in the views. A significant amount of rural depopulation appears to be happening. Many deserted farm buildings and fields growing wild. After an hour or so we had made our way to the start of canyon proper.

We had a walk along the canyon edge. Quite aware of the altitude here, well over 3,500 m, so we took it steady. The views were remarkable. Mountains reaching up to 6,000 m and the chasm wall dropping vertiginously down to a river way, way below us. We came across some wild horses. I photographed some cacti. In a leisurely fashion, we wandered up to the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor, a series of observation platforms for watching the condors.

There were a lot of people here. Coach loads of tourists all hoping to see condors. Obviously, since there were crowds of visitors there were also many souvenir sellers. Large assortments of brightly coloured craftwork laid out on plastic sheets. One person was dressed in a rather large and impressive condor outfit. He hopped around on the wall and posed for photographs with the visitors. The only thing that was missing were the condors. There was not a hint. Scores of eyes were peering upwards, vainly searching the skies for the great birds.

Time passed. Lunchtime came and went. The tourists started to leave. The sellers began to pack up their wares. Eventually there were just a handful of people left and our guide was asking if maybe we should press on. I wanted to wait a little more and passed the time photographing some of the small birds that were fluttering around. I also photographed some tiny lizards and more cactus blooms. Wandering up and down I tried to find angles for a picture that would convey the enormity of the chasm and the vast drop below us. This proved to be remarkably difficult.

The wind began to pick up. It even became a bit chilly. Suddenly a condor appeared. Later we considered that maybe they needed the wind to be able to soar on the up currents. Big birds tend to avoid the effort of flapping their wings a lot, preferring to use air currents. Condors are the masters of this and in the right conditions will fly for hours with little apparent effort. Rising from way down the valley, the bird swooped up above us and glided into the distance. Then came another and another. In all we saw eight or nine birds majestically swooping around the viewpoint before slipping off into the distance. It was great. We had been patient and had our just rewards. I managed to get a few good photos.

Feeling satisfied we drove back towards the shallower part of the valley. We checked out a church and walked down into a much smaller gorge to see some pre-Inca remains. In the distance loomed Ampato, an extinct stratovolcano which towers to 6,288 m in a classic volcano shape. Clouds forming over the cone looked ominous. As if the monster was coming back to life. Eventually we were back at the hotel. Las Casitas is based on little houses. Each hotel room, or casita, is actually a small house containing a bedroom and bathroom. The casitas are set in a large garden area with ponds, waterfalls, flower beds and lawns. It was all very tranquil and relaxing. Our room had an open fire in it which we were invited to light. This would have been lovely but, to us, the room was more than hot enough already. Wandering around the gardens, we came across a grazing alpaca that Diane talked to for a while.

This was the end of our Belmond trip. An indulgent dollop of luxury for my birthday and xmas. Also some interesting ways to travel. Next day we headed to Arequipa and the airport for a flight back to Lima. Lima again and this was still not the last time we would be there.

Andean Explorer

We were about to embark on a two-night train journey. I have always liked the idea of sleeper trains. Rushing through the night while tucked up in bed. Diane and I took a sleeper from Innsbruck to Hamburg a few years ago. It was great fun. Essentially for motorcyclists. You load your bike on the back of the train and then get in a little couchette. One bench seat and a small closet with a sink in it. Later, the guard comes round to turn the seat into bunk beds. We brought some food and a bottle of wine. In the morning the bunk went away and the guard appeared with coffee and croissant. At Hamburg we all disembarked. The train was turned around so that the bikes could be ridden off the back. Saves a two-day autobahn slog from Austria to Northern Germany.

This train in Peru however was a very different matter. Check-in was in the hotel bar and the first thing that happened was that, despite being only mid-morning, we were offered champagne and snacks. It would have been churlish to refuse, especially on boxing day. Our luggage was whisked away and a little later we were taken to the station. Onboard, in the first of two bars, we were introduced to the train and then taken to our compartment. Each car had two compartments containing beds, chairs and a bathroom with a shower. I have been in smaller hotel rooms. The whole train is an echo of a different, earlier age. A fantasy of sumptuous travel and attentive service. It felt like we had stepped back in time. Fortunately, on the practical side, everything worked and was spotlessly clean.

The train rattled off into the countryside. We had a pleasant lunch and then sat out in the rear car for a while. The back of this is open to the air. Ideal for photography and a fun place to watch Peru rolling past. It was not a fast train. There was plenty of time to watch the villages and fields of llamas. Mid afternoon we paused to look at some ruins. These were grain storage built by the Incas. Not the most fascinating but it was nice to stretch our legs.

As the afternoon went on, we climbed higher in the Andes. The scenery became more rugged and the settlements more sparse. Early evening we stopped at the train’s highest point. 4,430 m. There is a little station here and some locals selling craftwork. Back on the train we had an excellent dinner. I wore my new alpaca scarf in an attempt to look more stylish. The train rolled on towards Puno while, back in the privacy of our cabin, I indulged in one of the highlights of the trip, a shower in a moving train. Snug in bed we listened to the clacking of the wheels on the track as we fell asleep.

Get up at five in the morning and come to watch the sunrise over Lake Titicaca, they said. We did. I figured we could go back to bed and get another hour in before breakfast. It was dark when we got up. The train was parked on a pier right at the edge of the lake, so it was just a short walk to the water. At 3,800 m, Lake Titicaca is often called the world’s highest navigable lake. What they mean by this is that larger, commercial boats can sail on it. The sunrise was pretty good but more importantly, it felt like a special location. An hour later we did indeed head back to bed.

Much later, after breakfast, we headed out in boats to visit the floating islands. The islands are built by the Uros people although it is not completely clear why. Possibly to escape the Incas, or the Spanish, or other, more warlike tribes. Whatever, these days they are built to attract tourists. The islands are made of totora reeds which grow abundantly in the area. Although and island can last several decades it requires constant maintenance and replacement of the reeds that rot in the water. On the islands they build houses and reed boats. Each of the 120 or so islands is home to between two and six families.

When you arrive, they do a little dance, sing songs, show you inside the houses and try to sell you craftwork. Look closely and you can spot modern influences. Solar panels, electric lights, TV sets. Apparently, it is now possible to rent a straw room via Airbnb. We stood around politely with the rest of the group and were genuinely impressed with the reed boats. They seemed quite sturdy and stable.

Lake Titicaca has been shrinking over the past decade as successive droughts take their toll. At the same time, the increasing numbers of people living around the lake is causing problem with pollution, especially in the Puno area. We were warned about drinking the water or eating raw food.

Lunch was on the island of Taquile, population 2,000. When spoken, this sounded a lot like Tequilla, but sadly there was no connection. The men of Taquile are famous for knitting. In fact, it is how they prove their manhood. A well knitted item is essential when wooing a bride. It is only the men that knit usually starting at a very early age. The work produces a very tight knit item. We saw some hats that were probably waterproof so dense were the stiches. Also, bags, shawls, toys, socks, gloves and all manner of things. Women get to do the weaving.

We had a walk on the beach and got back to the little restaurant just in time for some more singing and dancing. Vegetarians are not really catered for so we ended up with some fried eggs and rice. Then it was the 45 km trip back to Puno where pretty much everyone fell asleep on the boat.

The train left late afternoon by rolling straight through the marketplace. This was quite a remarkable sight. Everybody stepped out of the way to allow the train to pass within inches. People seated at tables adjusted their seats. Stallholders pulled back the awnings of their stalls. Children and chickens hopped off the line. Then, as soon as the train has passed, they all crowded back again. The train passed through the massing throngs like a finger drawn across a plate of gravy. It would have been enough to give and Health and Safety officer a heart attack but nothing went wrong. Nobody got hurt. No produce got damaged. Before long we were in the suburbs and then out again into the countryside as night fell.

Five o’clock next morning just three of us were up to watch the sunrise. Diane never even tried to get out of bed. Just told me to be quiet when I came back in. On balance, it was probably not worth the effort. I got a couple of interesting photos but the sky was overcast and we never actually saw the sun. It was interesting to see where the train had parked for the night. We were between two lakes with a handful of settlements dotted around. Here the people are mostly busy with managing shellfish in small, netted off areas. As the pre-dawn light began to lift the darkness I could watch them coming out in small boats to check their nets.

Later, after an excellent breakfast, the train was pushing on into the Andes and we could see volcanoes looming in the distance. A few llamas dotted the landscape and also some vicuña, wild mountain brothers to the llama. Just after crossing an excellent bridge of rivetted ironwork, we stopped to visit some cave paintings. This involved a short trek down into a gorge. A local guide unlocked a steel fence and proudly presented the paintings. Apparently, these are six thousand years old. Cynically, they looked to me like something some kids might have scratched on the wall one weekend when they were a bit bored. This is probably why I have never aspired to being an archaeologist.

Back on the train we travelled for another hour or so across the increasingly desolate landscape before arriving at the km 97 marker. Here we were told to get off. Not everyone, just me, Diane and a handful of others. The rest of the train would arrive in Arequipa by early evening. We, however, were off to another Belmond hotel. Las Casitas hotel is set in a little oasis to the south of Chivay. In the meantime, we had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. A single building in the otherwise barren semi-desert of the altiplano. Fortunately, the sense of abandonment did not last long. Cars and minibuses arrived to collect us. Twenty minutes of dirt track took us to a tarmac road and then on to Chivay.

On the way we passed through a national park area and saw many vicuña. Also a few ponds with some sort of black duck. The road rose over a pass at 4,900 m. This is Diane’s altitude record. We stopped at the viewpoint from where you can see multiple volcanoes. This is also the site of Peru’s highest toilet, a magnificent stone built building where, for a modest fee, you can also wash your hands out of a bucket. From here came the long descent to Chivay and our hotel. Beyond that lay the formidable Colca Canyon.

Machu Picchu (again)

Next day we visited Machu Picchu for the second time. This was so different, and so much better, than the first trip. Two days later, we really felt like we had explored Machu Picchu whereas previously we had just rushed through. For a start, we did not need to get up at silly o’clock and listen to a monotonal monologue that drilled into my skull while being bounced along in an uncomfortable minibus. No. This time we had a leisurely breakfast before a short drive to the train station at Ollantaytambo. Here we boarded the train, but not the crowded tourist train with water and a dry bread roll. Today we were on the Hiram Bingham. This is the name of the guy who discovered Machu Picchu (sort of), it is also the name of a Belmond train that runs once per day. We were welcomed on board by a three-piece band. The coaches were spacious and comfortable. Then we got served an excellent lunch as the train slowly rattled down the valley. Living the life.

At Agues Caliente, the Machu Picchu train station, we were ushered into the same sort of minibus as before. There are only a limited number of vehicles that can use the dirt road. Thirty minutes later we were at the same entrance as before but now we were fresh, comfortable, not struggling with the altitude and we had a guide with a sense of humour.

Obviously, the ruins were just the same ruins as before. We were feeling good and the weather was better. So much better was this that I actually paid attention to what the guide was saying. I was also in a much better mood to get some proper photographs.. The joints in the Inca stonework was far more interesting as was the solar calendar. I enjoyed photographing the window where Hiram Bingham had erased Agustín Lizárraga’s note of 1902. I even photographed a few flowers. In summary, the day was delightful.

Since our previous visit we had been doing some homework. In particular, watching films that feature Machu Picchu. The earliest, Secret of the Incas, 1954, staring Charlton Heston is a classic and the basis for Indian Jones. Much later came Transformers, Rise of the Beasts. I spotted the field that Monkey landed on and the terraces that the ensuing fight destroyed. We skipped Dora and the Lost City of Gold but may yet watch The Emperors New Groove. With great anticipation we are awaiting the release of Paddington in Peru.

Tour finished; we went to our hotel. Not all the way back down into valley, but to the Sanctuary Lodge, another Belmond hotel, right next to the entrance to the ruins. We watched the sun set behind the mountains and listened to a Peruvian ensemble playing some traditional music. Most tourist sites, coaches, bars and so on play a background loop based on El Cóndor Pasa. Originally this was an orchestral musical piece from the zarzuela El Cóndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía Robles , written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean music, specifically the folk music of Peru. Since then, it is estimated that over 4,000 versions of the tune have been produced worldwide, along with 300 sets of lyrics. In 2004, Peru declared this song as part of its national cultural heritage. It is now considered the second national anthem. Diane was convinced that the song originated with Simon & Garfunkel from their best-selling album, Bridge over Troubled Water, 1970. Their version, with their own lyrics is called El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could). Google was the eventual arbiter in resolving this disagreement.

In the morning, we were up early for a walk. 7am we started the long plod up Machu Picchu. The ruins, usually called Machu Picchu are actually set in a saddle between two mountains: Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. The latter is the mountain with steep looking steps and terraces near the top. It often appears as a backdrop to the ruins. Machu Picchu is the less photogenic but higher mountain behind the ruins. 650 m of steep steps take you to the summit. We got a little over halfway up but were happy with this and enjoyed the views. On the way back down we got to visit a previously unseen part of the ruins which was fun.

Eventually we ended up back at the Sanctury hotel where we had a lazy afternoon. Sitting at the restaurant table I could look, through an open window, at a birdfeeder for Hummingbirds. It was red and contained sugar water. I spent a very happy hour, with a glass of wine, photographing the birds that arrived.

Late afternoon, we headed back down the hill to meet up with the Hiram Bingham again. On the way back the train stops at Ollantaytambo but then continues almost to Cuzco. A three and a half hour trip. It was xmas eve so our table was set out with a little nativity scene. I liked that the brown baby Jesus was represented as a small corn cob wearing a chullo, an Andean style of hat with earflaps. Joseph, another cob, was similarly adorned. We set the scene up on the windowsill where the donkeys could look over us as we ate. Terrific meal and then we wandered up to the bar. Here a band were playing and bit of a party was going on. Great was to spend xmas eve.

We got back quite late. The hotel staff suggested we go down to the town square to watch the fireworks at midnight. I assumed some sort of organised display. But this is Peru. Everyone brought their own fireworks down and then simply let them off where they stood. It was a glorious chaos. Fireworks exploding left, right and centre. You needed to keep your wits about you as jumping jacks bounced through the crowds and the occasional badly launched rocket shot along the cobbles.

Next day, in the afternoon, we had another short tour of Cuzco. In particular, we were taken up to an Inca fortress above the city. Here we could marvel, again, at the incredible Inca stonework. We also got some great views of the city on the way back down. In the evening we packed ready to join another train the next day.

Hiram Bingham – 10 cars long

Lima

We flew back to Lima. Again. This would be out third visit to Lima but not our last. We were joining a trip organised by Belmond. They are a global travel and leisure company. Our interest was that they operate several hotels and trains in Peru. Our trip, which would cover my birthday and xmas, was going to involve a couple of trains, Machu Picchu (again) and a few hotels. It began at the rather lovely Miraflores Park hotel in Lima. I was particularly impressed by the pond full of turtles just outside the front door. Here we also reacquainted ourselves with Paddington at sunset.

Next day, my birthday, began with a city tour. First stop was a museum. I have mentioned several times before that we are not really museum people. The idea of celebrating reaching 64 in a museum is not one I would have chosen. In the event, the tour actually proved to be quite interesting. We learnt about the Cusco school of art that developed during the colonial period and is characterised by religious paintings that incorporate Inca themes. The Cuzqueña painting style freely mixed traditional Inca colours, llamas, depictions of Pachamama (Inca earth goddess) with baroque style images. To me this feels like a subversive cultural revolution hidden in plain sight from the European Catholics. My favourite painting, The Last Supper, 1753, by Marcos Zapata, depicts the usual last supper stuff but with a guinea pig centre stage on the table. Jesus eats guinea pigs – I have proof. To my delight, we later saw the original painting in Cuzco Cathedral. The tour ended with an unexpected glass of sparkling wine in a richly decorated side room. On balance, as museum tours go, not so bad.

After that came a walk around the historic centre of Lima and the main square. There are some fabulous buildings and churches here. The weather was nice. The trip did not take too long and the day ended with an excellent pizza not far from the hotel. Next morning we flew to Cuzco.

This time we were getting a bit more used to it. Not only had we started to acclimatise to the altitude a little but also the day did not involve a silly early start. We left Cuzco immediately and were taken off on a small tour that began in a textile museum. This was a place we knew from the Hx trip, so we skipped past the main display and went straight to visit the llamas. Next, we were driven in the direction of Pisac and the Sacred Valley past an interesting hotel at Pachar. The accommodation here is a series of pods slung high on a cliff. After climbing a sheer wall for a couple of hundred metres you can sleep cosy in a pod with, presumably, excellent views along the valley.

Pisac is an ancient Inca town with narrow streets and amazing stonework. We wandered round some of the ruins and took in a few of the tourist attractions including tuk-tuk taxis, many colourful shops and the Incabucks coffee bar. Clambering up onto the remains of an old fortification we were reminded of the altitude here. It was well worth the effort for the view down the valley.

Next stop was higher up the side of the valley, 3,500 m, at an archaeological site called Moray. Here there are Inca remains, predominantly, several terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is 30 m deep. The depth, design, and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates temperature difference of as much as 5 °C between the top and the bottom. This has led archaeologists to speculate (guess) that the different terraces were used to study the effects of climate on species of plant. By growing potatoes, for example, they could determine which conditions favoured each of the 3,000 potatoes varieties that are cultivated in Puru.

Penultimate stop of the day was the Maras Salt Mines. Here, naturally occurring saline water from a deep spring is led into evaporation pools. The pools are built like a series of terraces on the hillside. A system of small dams control how the water is fed into each pool. Once a pool is full it simply sits in the sunshine, evaporating, until eventually the salt can be scraped off. Archaeological research suggests that the salt mines were used over a thousand years ago.

Finally, we arrived at our hotel for the night. The Rio Sagrado hotel by the Urubamba River in the heart of the Sacred Valley. This hotel is built of a series of detached small houses set in a beautifully manicured garden. We got to end the day drinking white wine while watching the humming birds flitting around the bushes.

Machu Picchu

Up at 4am for a quick breakfast before jumping into a minibus. The breakfast spread was very impressive. Sadly, at such an early hour of the day, my stomach had almost no interest in food. At 3,400 m the effects of altitude are not too severe. Some people might get a headache. Most people will feel a bit breathless and tired. I have been at altitude many times and always found the best way to deal with it was to get plenty of sleep. Hurtigruten had other ideas and we were finding the schedule brutal. Judging from the look of everyone else in the minibus, so were a few other people. The trip to the train station at Ollantaytambo station was almost two hours. Our guide talked without a break for the whole trip.

We queued a while for the train and were then guided to our allocated seats. The train journey to Aguas Calientes was considerably more pleasant than the minibus. Relatively smooth and with some increasingly interesting scenery. We were served coffee and a bread roll. The servers, two of them, then put on national costumes and did a play. I think that is what it was. We were sat at the end of the carriage looking the wrong way. I was mostly aware of them running up and down the gangway behind me.

At Aguas Calientes we were led out of the train station, across the road, and put into another queue for another minibus. The road up to Machu Picchu is a steep track with 14 switchbacks. It is steep, up to 27%, narrow and challenging especially in the rain. The road is listed at dangerousroads.org. It was raining but we made it to the top and the small carpark where a sign announced that we had finally arrived at Machu Picchu.

The Lost City of the Incas is considered one of the wonders of the world. A mountain citadel built in the 15^th century on a mountain ridge at 2,400 m in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru. There is some uncertainty about why Machu Picchu was built. The Incas had no written language so records are sparse. The site was abandoned in the 16^th century, possibly because everyone died of smallpox brought by travellers. It remained unvisited by Europeans until the 19^th century. Currently the leading theory is that Machu Picchu was a private city for Incan royalty. A holiday home on a grand scale. Back in the day, there would have been up to 750 people here working the land and supporting royal activities.

Hiram Bingham, a Yale lecturer, could easily have been the original Indiana Jones. Right down to the hat. In 1911, he explored the area looking for the lost capital of the Neo-Inca state. He was led to Machu Picchu by a villager, Melchor Arteaga. Bingham found the name of the Peruvian explorer Agustín Lizárraga and the date 1902 written in charcoal on one of the walls of the Temple of the Three Windows. Despite this disappointment, he led an expedition to Machu Picchu the following year and spent four months clearing the site which was heavily overgrown. The full scale of the citadel started to become apparent and over the next few years was excavated multiple times. Many of the significant artifacts ended up back in Yale and in his final version of the story, Lost City of the Incas (1952), Bingham claimed to have found the site himself.

From the carpark you can see very little. However, after presenting a ticket, you walk a short way round the shoulder of a hill and the entire site becomes revealed. It is very impressive. Terraces and walls and buildings and steps all set in the most amazing steep mountain scenery. The place is a massive tourist attraction, very crowded and highly controlled. Over a million visitors each year. Not only do you need to have a guide but the route around the ruins, one of several, is pre-booked. It was spectacular and interesting. It was also a bit of an ordeal because we were both desperately tired. It was difficult to summon any energy or enthusiasm. If you are planning on visiting, then I strongly suggest you check the proposed schedule and avoid this sort of Hurtigruten ordeal. Frankly, it just spoiled the experience.

The weather was a bit dull but I quite enjoyed watching the clouds swirling round the surrounding mountains. It rained a bit as well. This added suitably to our sense of dejection as we trapsed round after our guide. As my old English literature teacher used to explain “sympathetic use of nature”. We had lunch in the restaurant next to the carpark. It was pretty good and restored a small amount of energy. The bus ride back down the steep, slippery and narrow track gave me an extra jolt of adrenaline to further wake me up. We spent an hour or so in the souvenir shops of Aguas Calientes before the long return trip. Back at the hotel, we ate a minimal supper before collapsing into bed ready for the 6am start.

Two flights later we were in Quito, Ecuador. The Mariott hotel there is lovely but we had very little time to enjoy it. Dinner and bed was all we cared about. In the morning, which seemed to arrive far too early, we were bundled into a coach for a tour of the city. A succession of churches and old buildings went past my rather glazed eyes. There was a bit of a pause while a street parade went past. No idea what it was about but it was very loud and colourful.

Finally, we were then taken to a rather strange monument to equator. A sort of theme park which had a sense of being abandoned several years ago. Diane and I found a quiet bar here were we sneaked a glass of wine. This was not was not only very pleasant but helped me doze off on the coach back. Next day we were up early, again, to fly to the Galapagos Islands.

Cusco

From Buenos Aires we flew to Lima. A couple of days later we joined up with another Hurtigruten trip. This time to the Galapagos Islands. The complete itinerary included a visit to Machu Pichu. The trip began with a silly early morning, before 6am, for a flight. Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, is now listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. It took our breath away. Literally. At 3,400 m the altitude was a bit of a shock to the system. It is quite a place in many other ways as well. The centre is a crushed together hotch-potch of buildings. Some very old and others looking like they had been slapped together yesterday. Our hotel proved to be a rather lovely old building right in the heart of the city. Although we did not get much time to appreciate it.

After just enough time to drop our bags, we were off on a walking tour of some of the remains in the city centre. The Inca empire arose sometime in the 13^th century. It covered a vast tract of what is now Peru, Ecuador and Chile and ruled some 12 million people. In 1532 the empire came to a crashing end when the Spanish invaded. Cusco was the Inca capital. Today many remains of Inca buildings can be found. We wandered around a couple of the main sites. As usual, when looking at Inca ruins, I wondered about how they made the big blocks of stone fit together. It is not magic or aliens but it is an awful lot of hard work. The walls all lean in slightly and use rounded corners and trapezoidal doorways. The stone blocks are fitted together without mortar. The facing surfaces often have a hidden protrusion that fits into a corresponding hole. A little like Lego blocks. The result is incredibly earthquake proof. During a small or moderate earthquake, the masonry is stable. During strong earthquakes, stone blocks have been observed “dancing” and settling into their original positions afterwards. This is one reason so many of the ruins remain today. Some of the very best walls have blocks which are perfectly square and horizontal – remarkable.

Next, we were bundled into a coach and taken to a carpet shop. Not really a carpet shop but I was reminded of the way that in Morocco, any tour would inevitably take you to the guide’s brother’s carpet shop – “just for looking”. Here we were in a textile museum which also had a large shop of textile products adjacent to it. There were also some llamas and guinea pigs that I talked to for a while. I was reminded of the fact that in Peru, guinea pigs are not pets.

Another short drive took us to Sacsayhuamán. These are the remains of one or more fortresses on a hill (3,700 m) overlooking Cusco. After the Spanish invasion, much of the rock from these forts was taken to use as building material. Only the largest blocks, too large to move, remain. However, there are still an awful lot of these and entire site is very impressive. It was raining. Heavily at times. This did make for a rather soggy visit although some of the views with cloud and sun were quite dramatic.

Back at the hotel, we did a historic tour of the hotel That was very boring although a presentation of an Inca ceremonial routine was fun to watch. Then came a presentation of how to make Pisco Sour, the Peruvian national drink. Moderately interesting and we got to drink the cocktail when it was finished. Finally, to bed. Very early, breathless and tired knowing that we would be up at 4am.

We had a sea day with a lovely sunset and then arrived in Lima. A cute little, red tugboat helped shunt us into place at the dockside. Diane and I joined a group on a tour of Lima. We are going to be in and out of Lima quite a bit over the next couple of months. A guided tour seemed like a good way to make our initial acquaintance. As guided tours go, it was pretty boring. The traffic is terrible. Lima does not have any sort of mass transit system and it certainly felt like we spent most of the day in a traffic jam. The central square was closed because the president, Dina Boluarte, was in her office and did not want to be disturbed by demonstrations. Everyone got off the coach for a walk around. Diane and I found a small café for beer and pizza. Then there was confusion about where to meet which wasted a lot of time and some people got quite grumpy. We drove down to the Miraflores area. Popular with tourists who enjoy the walk along the cliff tops. This is where most of the larger hotels are. We also spotted a statue of Paddington Bear – who, as is well known, originates from “deepest, darkest, Peru”. In the evening we enjoyed a fabulous sunset over the docks before setting a course south.

Next morning we arrived early at Pisco. The national drink of Peru and Chile, takes it name from this city. Peruvian Pisco Sour uses pisco with freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. In Chile it is made slightly differently. But we were not here to drink, we had come to see the Nazca lines. I have known about these lines for years. Ever since reading Von Däniken’s best-selling book “Chariots of the Gods”. He speculates about ancient astronauts using the lines for navigation, or a landing site, or something like that. This is, of course, complete nonsense but nonetheless it instilled a lasting sense of awe into my pre-pubescent brain. Now we were going to take a flight over them.

A half hour drive brought us to a deserted airport. Very strange place. A brand-new airport. The bollards at the entrance still had protective plastic film on. Obviously built to be quite a big airport but, apparently, only used by a couple of small aircraft flying over the Nazca lines. Despite the size, there was then a lot of confusion. We waited around for the best part of two hours but eventually got put into a small group, assigned seats and walked out onto the tarmac. The plane was not my ideal for sightseeing. A dozen small seats. Small and very scratched window to look out of. Diane and I were flying on Aerodiana airlines. We sat back and tried to enjoy it.

The weather had improved since the morning. Sadly, it was still rather hazy with a flat light. This combined with the plastic windows meant that my photographs were really struggling to show any detail. It took quite a bit of post-processing to make them look anything other than featureless desert. The flight out, across the desert, was interesting. There is virtually no rainfall here. Less than a millimetre last year. Where the ground had been irrigated it appeared to be very fertile. A stark contrast to the dry, hard dessert right next to the fields. The first thing I noticed as we started to get closer to the Nazca lines is that there are lines everywhere. Not all of these were ancient lines with arcane meaning. Some were simply vehicle tracks, or footpaths, riverbeds and even a modern tarmac road. Most Nazca lines run straight across the landscape, but there are also figurative designs of animals and plants. This is what we had really come to see. Our co-pilot announced when we turned onto the first of the figures and I am fairly sure than many of the passengers could not see it. Only when we had passed several of the shapes could we really begin to see them. The plane did a well-planned dance so that we flew over each figure, first to one side and then to other. There are about a dozen main figures. They are all quite close together. In total the flight was well over an hour but I think only about fifteen minutes of that was actually flying over the shapes. On balance, it was interesting to see the lines and flying is the best way to do it. Nonetheless, I felt a sense of anticlimax. The photographs were not very good but I suspect the real problem was that it was never going to live up to my childhood expectations.

Máncora

Advice from the British Foreign Office was to avoid Columbia and Ecuador. Not the whole of each country but certainly the bits we were intending to visit. Instead, we had two sea days. Life was quiet. We crossed the equator. Naturally, Poseidon came on board to gives his blessing to the initiates. Diane and I stayed well out of the way. I felt there should have been some sort of party for those doing pole-to-pole. Didn’t happen. We had a couple of nice glasses of wine in the bar.

Then we arrived at Máncora in northern Peru. Later, I discovered that we were the first cruise ship to ever call at Máncora. Of course, we don’t think of ourselves as a cruise ship. It is an expedition ship. But with three nice restaurants, a bar and comfortable cabins it could easily be mistaken for a cruise. There was nowhere to moor up. We had to anchor off. First task of the day was whale watching.

The whale watching boats right came up to the Amundsen so that we could step on directly. About forty people to a boat. It was cramped. A bit too cramped for me. I need a bit of space to swing the camera around. Felt like every shot I took had someone or something in the way. In the end I did manage a few photographs but it was awkward. There were whales. That was the main thing. Over the course of a couple of hours we spotted two humpback whales with calves. They behaved very differently from the humpbacks we had seen in Iceland. The mature animals were very sedate unlike their offspring who both kept leaping into the air. A breaching humpback whale, even a smaller young one, is quite a sight. Difficult to photograph in the best of circumstances. I needed to guess where they were going to pop up. If I stood up it was a lot quicker and easier to bring the camera to bear. But then someone would complain that I was in their way. It was great to see some whales. It always it. But this particular trip was also a bit frustrating.

In the afternoon, we could use the RHIBs to go ashore. There was a little jetty which made landing easy enough for Diane. We had a short walk down the beach. Máncora, population 10,000, is a resort town. The Pan-American Highway is the main street. It is a popular surfing destination amongst Peruvians but not so well known further afield. The beach was busy. People were swimming, driving jet skis, surfing and just lazing around. We had a beer and wandered back to the jetty. Waiting for the RHIB back to our ship I saw frigate birds, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, and large turtles. A fisherman was cutting up fish at the end of the pier. He was throwing unwanted fish bits alternately to the local dogs sitting patiently around him and the giant turtles swimming under the deck.