cigar Archives - Page 20 of 25

Africa Ethiopia Ethiopia Trip 2015

Village Life & Camels outside Harar

Today i left behind the charming bustle of Harar and went into the countryside. We drove for about an hour in a taxi. (I don’t think I’ve mentioned the taxis here and they’re great. You have blue tuk tuks and then these gorgeous bright blue and white Peugeots, some with fins. They look like they are from the early 1950s, but they have driver’s side air bags, so obviously not. I really like them though.)

Anyway, we drove for about an hour in this vintage looking Peugeot. It was a beautiful day and i watched the scenery go by, past deserty expanses and villages, as well as many herds of goats, sheep, cows, and camels. There were lots of people outside by the road, selling apples or tending to the livestock. It never fails: everyone we drove by who looked up either shouted, waved, smiled, or stared at me. Mostly the responses were friendly. Often the children will shout “you you you” or “faranji” (foreigner) until you pay attention to them.

Anyway, we drove through the “valley of marvels” where there are unusual rock formations perched on the top of small hills.

We then drove to Babile (a town) and onward to a village. We parked and walked through the village, which was great. It was hot and sunny and we could see people’s homes and, to some degree, how they live.

We crossed a field and then began hiking down the rocky slope into the valley below, past cacti, large flying insects, and then yet more herds of grazing livestock.

The people here, of whom i took few photos, looked and dresed differently than most in Harar. I was sold they were Somali. They spoke Somali and dressed in a slightly more traditional way (actually, for all i know, it is progressive, but it looks traditional). The wore colorful scarves and load of necklaces, and the men wore tartan sarongs.

We walked across the valley past ant hills – really more like towers – some more than 5 feet tall, until we reached the other side, where we started climbing. The climb wasn’t terribly difficult, but it was blazing hot and i, not knowing we were embarking on such an adventure, had left my water in the car. It was all worth it however when we reached the top and found about two dozen camels grazing.

I was so happy to see them just hanging out, not working, or dressed up for riding or show. I love camels, i have always found them to be sweet and peaceful and i love their kind faces.

We rested there for a while before hiking back. When we got back to the village, i took ff my sweat drenched army coat and cardigan (listen, it was cold when i left the hotel and i didn’t know i’d be scrambling over rocks); this attracted a lot of attention from the women who were surprised snd concerned about my tattoos. I covered up as soon as i cooled off. I get enough attention as it is.

Back at the car, we (me, my guide, our driver, and some random guy we picked up) were stopped by two policemen. The conversation sounded angry, but it was in Amharic, so i couldn’t tell. I did hear the word “Canada” twice, which made me nervous. I noticed that the cops were armed only with sturdy wooden sticks, not guns. Anyway, as it turned out, the driver’s cell phone was stolen while we were hiking. This led to a bit of a detour as we drove back to Babile to go to the police station. Now, to me the police station looked like a cafe. It was just a dingy two room building with a porch on which a bunch of guys were drinking coffee.

This suited me just fine. I had several coffees and cigarillos, chatted with a few strangers and just watched life go by. That should be an option that guides offer in addition to taking tourists to noteworthy places – they should just take them along as they run errands. It’s great. You get to see stuff you wouldn’t ordinarily. Just regular every day stuff.

We drove back to Harar, apparently not recovering the phone, and i went to a person’s house for a typical Ethiopian lunch (50 cents). It’s weird in Harar. There are lots of places that call themselves restaurants, but serve only coffee and beer. There are few legit restaurants, but most of the places where you can enjoy a meal is in the yard of someone’s home, where they cook and serve fresh food and coffee to locals and travelers lucky enough to be shown the way.

That was it for me today. I’m exhausted and enjoying a cigar and a parade of tiny coffees with a cigar outside at my hotel, watching lightening in the distance.

Africa Ethiopia Ethiopia Trip 2015

Hyenas in Harar

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Harar was because every night, just after dark, there is a man who feeds raw meat to wild hyenas. He had been doing it for years, as his father did before him, possibly as a way to keep them from eating his livestock. The hyenas live all around Harar and have a close relationship to the city – sometimes coming in to the city at night to scavenge scraps left over from the market. And there are annual rituals where hyenas are fed porridge as a way to secure a good year ahead. But the really cool thing is, you can go and watch the hyena man feeding the hyenas, and for a small donation you can feed them too. This has become a popular tourist activity.

I went, with a guy i paid to show me the way to the hyena man’s house. I was so glad i had him with me because i never would have found it on my own. We left the old city and walked down a dirt road into the countryside. The walk was fairly long and was made difficult by the fact that it was pitch black. No street lights, lights from houses, cars, etc. nothing. Just stars and a rough road to contend with. It felt very unsafe, but was also slightly scary, due to my fear of the dark and the horrible sounds of hyenas in the distance. They really do may horrible noises. Fears aside, it was nice to be outside, hearing all the nature sounds and seeing the stars. Finally we got to the hyena man’s house and there he was, surrounded by hyenas, with more lurking in the shadows, with only their eyes shining out of the darkness. He had a big basket of meat and there were a few other tourists there (who had prudently arrived by van) who were taking turns feeding the hyenas. They each looked so scared as they went that i was sure it would be mildly terrifying.

Finally it was my turn. I kneeled down next to the basket of meat and the hyena man must have held some meat over my head, because while i was distracted by the 2 hyenas near my face, another hyena jumped in my back and stayed there for what seemed like forever. It was heavy, which was not surprising, given that they are fairly large and solid muscle. (Did i mention that they are second only to crocodiles in terms of their jaw strength and that they can pulverize bone with their teeth?)

I then took a small stick and put it between my teeth and the hyena man hung raw meat on it and in moments, a hyena snatched it away, coming inches from my face. Weirdly, it was not intimidating at all. The walk there was far scarier. It was just very cool. And watching them interacting and laughing their horrible hyena laughs was amazing.

The walk back seemed far less scary.

After that, i just went for some lentils and injera, had a cigar and went to bed, reflecting on the adventures of the day.

Africa Ethiopia Ethiopia Trip 2015

Hararian Hospitality

Today in Harar started with rain but quickly dried out leaving the air cool and perfect for walking.

I returned to the old city and embarked on a new route. I visited the other church in Harar (there are 2 churches and countless mosques – well, actually someone told me there are 99 mosques, but i have not fact checked that) and several tiny mosques, which were virtually hidden behind walls and houses.

I could wander here for ages. It’s like a medieval Muslim maze. You turn down these tiny alleys with no idea where they will lead: to someone’s house, a dead end, a bustling market, one of the gates into the city, a mosque…it’s endlessly fascinating.

I visited the Harar coffee roasting company, where the coffee smelled amazing, but coming in 1 kilo bags, i don’t think I’ll be bringing any home. I went to the Shoa gate, which is now my favourite of the six gates into the old city. It is a crowded market place with people selling vegetables and fruit, bread and meat. There are also a few women cooking and serving food while seated on the ground. One woman saw me looking and said “ful”, which i have only ever has as a breakfast dish in Egypt. It is mashed beans cooked with tomato, onion and spices. After some communication issues i managed to ask and understand that it was 5 birr (about 25 cents). The woman mashed the ingredients in a tiny pot over hot coals and then it was ready to eat with a piece of bread for dipping. Delicious.

I hadn’t seen much in the way of street food here until that. Just samosas, French fries, and a few sweets.

After lunch i went back to the coffee place to meet up with a guy i had met there as we had made plans for coffee and shisha. We went to his friend’s house, which was basically two rooms with an outdoor cooking area and toilet. Inside, 5 guys were reclined on a cushion covered floor, chewing chat. Chat is a plant, or rather the leaves of a plant, that is ubiquitous here (in other countries as well – and especially Yemen, I’m told, but Harar is the first place I’ve seen it). It is sold by the bagful on the streets and everywhere you see people chewing it, often while reclined, the effects are reportedly increased wakefulness and pensive thought and if you chew enough of it you achieve ‘merkana’ (spelled phonetically), a peaceful and relaxed state. The guy whose house it was gave me a handful to try. It tastes awful, bitter, like a vegetable that you shouldn’t eat. Often they chew peanuts with it to kill the taste. One handful was enough for me. I did not notice any effects.

Then they started the coffee ceremony. There was a young woman who did all of the work (of course). She took a pot of hot coals and sprinkled incense on it. Then she took another pan of coals and, using a shallow pan, roasted fresh coffee beans. This smelled amazing. Then she took the pan outside and pounded the beans into a fine powder with a heavy metal rod. Then, very slowly, the coffee was mixed with water in a clay pitcher and heated over a fire. The coffee was served in tiny cups ad, oh my god, it was the best, freshest coffee ever. This was repeated until everyone had 3 cups – they said you need 3 cups: one for the eyes, one for satisfaction, and one to think “all of the thoughts”.

All if this occurred while we smoked shisha and listened to music – a mix of traditional Egyptian, Swahili hip hop, and Lil Wayne. The whole experience lasted about 3 and a half hours and was very relaxing, a great experience.

Africa Ethiopia Ethiopia Trip 2015

The Road to Harar

I got up insanely early this morning to catch a taxi to the airport. It was still dark out but there were men out…exercising. I saw guys doing pushups off the sidewalk and groups of men out jogging – some while carrying rifles.

Security at the airport was a breeze and the flight was short. To get to Harar, unless you are driving, you fly to a city called Dire Dawa and then catch some vehicular transport from there. I took a taxi from the airport to the train station in Dire Dawa.

The trains haven’t run in years, but the station was a good starting point for a walk around. I couldn’t leave without taking a look. On one side of the river (well, the river no longer has water in it. It’s just a dusty thoroughfare for goats and a dumping ground for trash) the town has nice leafy streets with a few good cafes and an orderly feel.

On the other side the town is a bit more chaotic and distinctly Muslim, with hints at the sort of architecture i will see in Harar.

I enjoyed the wander at first, but then i realized i had no idea where to catch a minibus out of the city. So i just kept walking, with my backpack, dodging 3 wheeled tuk tuk type things, donkeys pulling carts, dudes who were a little too friendly, kids who kept trying to hold my hand, and people on the streets selling random items, sewing clothes, and making furniture.

Just when i started to get hot and tired, i broke down to ask directions, having no luck in Amharic, i walked into a cafe and said “does anyone speak English?” One guy put up his hand and he offered to walk me to where i could catch a minibus. Very kind. The journey was just over an hour and cost about $2. The scenery was more deserty, with dry green shrubbery and people engaging in the necessities of rural life.

Finally i was let off just outside the gates to the old city. I am not staying in the old city, which i am staying near to. My hotel is the Ras Hotel, which is old but decent. The only drawback though is that there is no water. The man at the desk was not sure when the water would be restored, but they have put a nice big bucket of water in my room with a ladle, so i guess that works. Plus, i now know the Amharic word for water. The power has already gone out twice and there are vultures outside my window, but it is all just fine. I am now having a cigar before i head back to the old city to look around.
All is well.

England Ethiopia Trip 2015 Europe United Kingdom

No Place Like London

When I was booking my flight to Ethiopia, i chose the one with the longest possible layover, which was through London. I had about 10 hours. Not a leisurely visit, but more than enough for a good afternoon.

I lived in London briefly from 1994-95 and loved it, but have not been back since. The idea of being back there was exciting and actually being there was awesome. In some small way i was able to tap into the excitement of young me arriving in London for the first time. I couldn’t stop smiling and i just wanted to walk around and see everything.

Of course though, i didn’t have time for everything, so i planned a strategic walk past some key sights and old haunts. I took the train to Westminster and caught a glimpse of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, before walking up to Trafalgar Square.

I was struck by how lovely everything was and how thoroughly British everything is. Almost to the point of cliché. The architecture, monuments, flags, black cabs, red phone booths and double decker buses, chip shops, mind the gap, and every wonderful variation on the British accent you could imagine. Delightful. Trafalgar Square was teeming with people, but the inside of St Martin-in-the-Fields was serene.

The streets were busier than i remembered and there seemed to be more advertising and you can’t smoke everywhere anymore, but all of the stuff i cared about was the same. I wandered in all of the squares and parks i passed, enjoying the flowers and sculptures and meandered through the streets, enjoying the bustle.

Then, I turned down a street and was met with the Dunhill shop. For those of you who don’t smoke, it is a famous tobacconist shop. I went in and it was beautiful and I suddenly became very conscious of the fact that i looked very shabby. I apologized for my attire and immediately began prattling on about cigars and Dunhill and the man working there – with a posh accent and nattily dressed in fine tweeds – could not have been nicer. I picked a Partagas from the walk-in humidor and settled into the lounge, for a smoke and espresso.

The only other guys there were two very handsome and super fancy looking young men, smoking Cohiba Behikes and playing cards, immaculately dressed. We chatted a bit and then i was on my way and discovered that there are in fact 3 more cigars stores on that block. If i hadn’t had a plane to catch i would have spent all day there, but instead i walked past Buckingham Palace, through Piccadilly Circus, the theatre district, Leicester Square, Soho, and Chinatown, before ending at Covent Garden. I didn’t really do anything; i just walked and took everything in. Finally it was time to head back to the Airport.

Peru South America

The Belen Market, Iquitos

I never do this, but i am writing this post from Vancouver. I wrote my last post on the Peru trip in Peru the day before we went into the internet-free Amazon and then i was so sick the one day we had back in civilization before heading back that i didn’t feel like writing anything. So as i write this i am am nestled in a leather chair, with a cigar, back in Vancouver. But for now…back to Peru…

The morning before we went from Iquitos back into the jungle i went to the Belen market. I had tried to go the previous day but by the time i got there it was packing up. The next morning however i had no such problems. Belen is an area in Iquitos, partly made up of a floating village and partly made up of the sprawling market. It is unquestionably a poor neighbourhood and much of what i had read about the market before leaving for Peru was that it was too dangerous to visit alone. Of course i have heard that before and i know enough not to listen to such advice (which is usually just borne out of irrational fears and racism).

The market (a short walk from the main part of the river boardwalk) was intimidating on first arrival, only because the entrance is thresholded by a large pile of garbage and ankle deep mud. Oh well, i wasn’t clean anyway. Once inside, the market is a sensory experience, with all of the sights, smells and sounds of a jungle market (including raw meat and fish sitting for hours in the hot sun). Sure, there are the usual fruits and vegetables, plus those of the tropical variety. Then there are sacks of peppers, spices, grains, and flours. Women sit at booths and on the drier parts of the ground, selling their wares while wrangling their children.

Then there were fish – so many varieties and many so large, fresh from the amazon – being sold raw and being grilled over barrels for eating.

There were tables of outdoor, makeshift eateries, mostly with rice, fish, chicken and eggs. Then there was the butchery section, where the ground was slippery with blood and water and i was almost hit in the head with a half a dead hog being carried down a narrow aisle. I wanted to and did take pictures, but so as to not appear like a judgmental douche-bag, i smiled at all of the women and tried out my Spanish on them, identifying various body parts and smiling with approval before snapping pictures. I did see some large alligators getting butchered, but didn’t feel right taking a picture.

Then there were the aisles selling Amazonian medical remedies for everything from diabetes to impotence, depression to cancer. The remedies themselves consisted of brown powders to incense to bottles of amber liquid filled with vegetable and animal parts. There were also skulls and bones and feathers for sale and various parts of endangered creatures. Fancy a jaguar pelt? You could buy one for $40. I didn’t buy anything like that, but i did pick up some small cigars, which were allegedly rolled of locally grown tobacco.

I could have wandered around there all day, but i had to be back at the hotel to get picked up to go into the jungle, so i slowly found my way out of the merchant maze and walked back down the boardwalk to the hotel. If i had more time i would have taken a canoe tour through the floating village, but the schedule did not allow it and the jungle awaited.

Peru South America

Iquitos

Our trip to Iquitos should have taken about five hours. A short flight from Cusco to Lima and then short flight from Lima to Iquitos. There are no direct flights from Cusco to Iquitos at this time. We arrived at the airport at 5:30 am for our 7am flight, but at just after 7:00 we were told the flight was cancelled. We had to pick up our bags and check in again for another flight. The problem was, so did everyone else. The line, had we stood in it, would have kept us queued up for 3 hours. Some fast talking (and a few lies) got us out of the queue and on to a 12:00 flight to Lima and a 3pm flight to Iquitos…but the 12:00 noon flight was delayed by an hour. We did make our 3pm flight but it involved running at top speed through the airport to make the connection, which we did. Miraculously, so did our bags.

We stepped off the plane in Iquitos onto the tarmac and were hit with a wonderful blast of thick, tropical air as well as the first drops of a fantastic downpour, complete with lightning. Thankfully, shortly after checking in to our hotel the rain had stopped.

We stayed in Iquitos at the Casa Morey. It is a historic building, built originally as a mansion residence for a rubber baron at the turn of the 20th century. Iquitos was founded in the 1500s as a Jesuit missionary, but in the mid 1800s it was transformed by the rubber boom and consequently the city is filled with faded and crumbly buildings which once were splendid but now are only dim reminders of a time long past. Casa Morey has however been lovingly restored. It is covered with beautiful ajuelos and the common areas are filled with period furniture, including the lobby, breakfast room and library. The rooms by the pool are a bit more simple in decor but they are massive. Our room, which opens onto the courtyard pool, is gigantic and has 20 foot ceilings.

After checking into the hotel, we walked – in the dark – along the streets, which seem quite dangerous. Iquitos is the largest city in the world not accessible by road, so there are very few cars, but the streets are electric with tuk tuks (called mototaxis here) and motorcycles, none of which stop for pedestrians. In this and other respects it feels more like a South East Asian city than a South American one. The streets, like the buildings, are in poor repair, so we stepped carefully.

There is a marvelous boardwalk along the Amazon however. It is wide and pedestrian and lined with a mix of restaurants and civic buildings. At night the side along the river was black. We could see nothing but an inky black void. By day however the river side was revealed as the verdant, river landscape that it is.

That first night we had dinner in the oppressive humidity along the river on the patio of a restaurant and went to bed, tired after our long day of travel.

The next day before breakfast i went for an early morning walk. I crossed a wooden pedestrian bridge high above the river below. On the river was a cluster of very poor looking floating houses of wood and corrugated metal. At this time of the day many children climbed the steep stairs out if the village and up to the bridge in their school uniforms, which were impossibly clean, considering the state of the houses that produced them.

I walked along a busy street to where i saw cluster of tuk tuks and people and found that a market of sorts had emerged. People cooking and selling food for breakfast (rice, fish, chicken and eggs for the most part). People unloading fish and chickens and thousands of bananas, still connected to the tree limbs for pickup or sale. Women sitting on street selling chilies, potatos and other vegetables. It was busy and delightful. I strolled along for a while, politely declining the numerous taxi offers and headed back for breakfast at the hotel. I didn’t take many photos, because i felt so conspicuous, but i took a few when someone gave me an ok.

We spent the day in Iquitos walking and looking at the buildings and streets. There really aren’t any sites per se, aside from one building designed by Gustav Eiffel and shipped over in pieces from Europe (a building which is, in all honesty, not particularly attractive). So we just walked past shops and squares, and along the riverfront. We went to the Mercado Central and to several huts selling handicrafts and souvenirs. And we stopped a lot of fresh juices, to help with the heat and humidity. Our hotel had AC but few other places seemed to. The city is definitely run down, but it is interesting and there are reminders of its glory days past.

We enjoyed the wonderfully colorful graffiti down by the boardwalk.

In the evening over dinner at Dawn on the Amazon, a popular restaurant on the boardwalk, we eaves-dropped on various conversations, most of which had to do with ayahuasca ceremonies. A lot of travelers come to Iquitos to partake in ayahuasca ceremonies overseen by shamans and they are keen to discuss their experiences and how it has opened their minds. (Just take any 1967 era conversation about LSD and substitute ayahuasca for LSD and you’ll get the idea.) A number of westerners seem to have given up their lives back home to move here and follow this way of life. Ayahuasca is such a big thing here that many restaurants have special menus to cater to people on the drug/following the lifestyle. Probably needless to say, we did not partake, but we enjoyed listening in.

Our first whole day in Iquitos really allowed us to see everything, but we still had a half day more before going to the jungle lodge. I’ll save it for a new post.

Peru South America

Market Day in Pisac

Our final day in Cusco was spent mostly in Pisac. Pisac is a town of about 900 people about 30 kilometers from Cusco. We took a taxi through the scenic countryside, past various Incan ruins. The sacred valley is dotted with such archeological sights that a person could spend days visiting and hiking them all.

We went to picturesque Pisac because it was supposed to be a pretty little town with a renowned crafts market. The market did not disappoint. Rows and rows of stalls selling textiles, knitted goods, jewelry, paintings, and other various odds and ends. Most were simple wooden and tarp stalls but there were also some regular shops and lots of eateries – mostly street side eateries – specializing in Peruvian cuisine. A couple of places had cute guinea pig huts were you could pick your preferred pig (cuy, in Spanish) and have it roasted to perfection for lunch.

We walked and browsed and bought some things – me, haggling for the best price; Betty-Lou paying precisely what was asked or rounding the price up where she felt the item was worth more. (I can’t explain it; it’s just her way.)

The market was crawling with adorable little girls carrying baby llamas in colourful blankets asking for their pictures to be taken for a few coins. Of course we couldn’t resist. Particularly adorable was watching the girls feed the baby llamas from bottles. The llamas were delighted and wagged their tails excitedly, falling over each other to get to the milk.

Pisac has become something of a new age mecca for people interested in yoga and crystals, and there are a number of hippies there (Peruvian and from abroad) selling beaded bracelets, books, and vegan treats.

In the food area of the market we had some empanadas and stuffed peppers at the tables temporarily erected next to outdoor grills. Everything was delicious.

As the market started to wind down we decided to head back to Cusco. We first boarded a bus, but realized quickly that we would have to stand the whole way, which, given the twistiness of the road seemed like a bad idea – even at 3 soles for the ride. We got off the bus and a man and a woman in a car called out “Cusco?” Betty-Lou and i looked at each other, shrugged and got into the car. We paid them 10 soles for the ride. The couple spoke no english, but we offered them chocolate and they offered us bread and all was well. We learned that she was a nurse and he a policeman. We listened to Peruvian music (curse those panpipes!) and clapped along to the peppier tunes. At one point they stopped and pulled the car over at a certain spot and the woman poured out a bottle of Inca Kola (the local soft drink) onto the ground for mother earth (or ‘Pachu Mama’).

They dropped us off at the Plaza de Armas, a few blocks from our hotel.

We went for dinner and packed up our bags, ready for our early morning flight to Iquitos and the next portion of our journey.

Peru South America

Aimless Wandering in Cusco

The day before yesterday in Cusco was our ‘extra’ day. The day when i have seen and done all i wish to see and do. The day when i have time for relaxing or just wandering aimlessly. We had a leisurely breakfast at our hotel and then went for a walk, nowhere in particular, but it took us through less touristy neighborhoods, down and then up again streets and stairs so steep that at times they gave us pause before we proceeded. We visited a crafts market on the San Blas square and generally saw people going about their ordinary lives.

It was a warm day and nice for being outside. The weather actually has been lovely on the whole trip so far. A couple of brief rain showers, but that was it. The evenings are quite cool here and one definitely needs a jacket, but it is very pleasant.

Anyway, we walked. We visited a church high over the city. We saw yet more llamas and followed them around with our camera.

We had lunch at, of all places, an Israeli restaurant; a cozy hole in the wall place busy with Hebrew speaking, young patrons. We had hummus and felafel and salad, which was a welcome change from the Peruvian cuisine.

Peruvian food is fine enough and there seems to be more here for vegetarians than in Ecuador or Colombia, but i am a bit tired of vegetable soup and avocados and spaghetti with only the faintest whisper of tomato sauce. We have had some nice pizzas. One thing i will say is that everywhere the food is very fresh. Every meal is prepared when you order it – like the wood oven pizza we had for which the dough and sauce were made fresh, the cheese grated and the vegetables sliced before our eyes, while someone else chopped wood for the fire.

After lunch we parted ways for a while and i went off in search of a book to read. I found two places with single racks of used English books – mostly an inexcusable collection of John Grisham and romance novels, but i did find a beat up copy of ” Gone Girl”‘ which i bought. I settled in at a cafe of a busy pedestrian street just off the main plaza for a cigar and some reading. I had an espresso and a fishbowl of fresh pineapple juice. It was difficult to get much reading done though when every couple of minutes a man or woman, boy or girl comes by to sell paintings, jewelry, dolls, etc, or offer shoe shines – the last of which i admittedly really needed, but even at the asking price of 1 sole (40 c) i couldn’t be bothered to be bothered to buy. Little urchiny looking children came by and sat down, eyeing my cigar with curiosity before taking sugar from the dish on the table and running off while emptying the packets into their mouths. It was a very nice place to sit, outside, in the beautiful weather and i stayed for an hour or more before starting the steep walk back to the hotel.

In the evening we had a great meal of Thai curry at an Australian-owned restaurant. Not very Peruvian but very delicious and inexpensive. We killed the evening doing crossword puzzles before bed. Overall, a very relaxing day in which nothing extraordinary happened, but it was perfect nonetheless.

Peru South America

Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes is a small town at the base of Machu Picchu sitting astride the Rio Urubamba. The town exists, it seems, for the purpose of housing the throngs of visitors to Machu Picchu.

You can only reach the town by rail or by foot. We arrived by Inca Rail and are leaving by Peru Rail (the latter is better choice, in hindsight).

The town, despite its diminutive size is crammed with restaurants, hotels, and souvenir/craft shops and stalls. The restaurants and hotels are all overpriced and mediocre, banking on the facts that if you want to visit Machu Picchu, you have to pass through. It’s a nice place to spend a night though and it is fun to walk the steep streets and over the bridges crossing the river.

We arrived in the evening and checked into our accommodations: the Supertramp Backpacker Hostel. For the money, it was the best choice as far as i could tell. We had a private room, but with (uncomfortably public) bathrooms. It was comfortable with a good restaurant and a pleasant terrace bar. The place was packed with young backpackers from all over, trading tales of Machu Picchu hikes had and anticipated.

I went out for dinner and a cigar and watched tourists dodge the restaurant and massage touts and dogs playing in the street. (An alarming number of dogs here wear clothes. I cannot explain this phenomenon.) The weather was warm in the evening and perfect for a stroll.

We awoke this morning at 4:30 am and readied ourselves for Machu Picchu. Breakfast on the square during a short lived but torrential rainstorm. Queuing up for the buses to the top. Zigging and zagging our way on the bus to the top, at each turn coming what seemed to be perilously close to plummeting down into the valley below. The mountains – sharp, green shards exploding out of the earth were covered in puffy foliage and surrounded by shrouds of mist that were simply magical.

At the top we were in the sun and we commenced exploring. We hired a guide for the first couple of hours, which was a good choice as we got to learn about the history and engineering of the site, as well as the many practical aspects of the architecture. The other bonus of hiring a guide is that it took away any stress i may have had of trying to navigate the nooks and crannies to see it all. We took lots of stops for photos.

Once we were on our own we continued exploring, climbing up and down very steep and jagged stone stairs, which were generally unsecured on one side by walls, meaning that a misstep could lead to a serious fall. We were careful – Betty-Lou being averse to heights and i being prone to falls. It was exhilarating though and each level climbed led to new discoveries. There were llamas lazing on the top of the grass terraces and we saw a chinchilla sleeping in a window of an Incan temple.

The place was amazing. The ruins and the spectacular setting.

We descended from the mountain and spent the late afternoon hanging around and relaxing and fending off sleep.

Currently we are on board the Peru Rail train to Poroy (the closest station to Cusco). The train is quite fancy (they just fed us dinner and drinks) and although it is too dark now to take in the view through the huge windows, the ride is relaxing. Tonight we return to our hostal in Cusco and tomorrow is a mystery.

I am pleased that Machu Picchu did not disappoint.
dale

Wandering North

Tag: cigar

Village Life & Camels outside Harar

Hyenas in Harar

Hararian Hospitality

The Road to Harar

No Place Like London

The Belen Market, Iquitos

Iquitos

Market Day in Pisac

Aimless Wandering in Cusco

Machu Picchu