Feeling Salty

Sadly, about half the time I've spent in Bolivia has been on some form of public transit, and half of that time something has gone wrong. But I managed to find the time to see the one thing I wanted most, the famed Salar de Uyuni, or salt flats. I won't bother repeating the information I've just reviewed on wikipedia (which you'd think I would've learned on the tour, damn language barriers), but I will say that they are spectacular. The tour began at the Train Graveyard, where engines no longer needed for the region's booming mines were sent to rust. It was pretty neat.
And then came the salar!! Because it's the rainy season in Bolivia, the whole thing was covered in a 3-4 inches of clear, briny water. It was unbelievable, a miles-around mirror that reflected bright blue and puffy clouds above and ended in mysterious dark hills in the distance.

We drove right onto it.

Reppin' the SK.

Lunch over an elegant tablesetting.

The standard jumping picture.

Salty legs!

Sunset over the hostel on day one.

Day two began with some alien-looking rock formations created when the strong desert winds buffet small rocks over larger ones.

My cozy new home.

Laguna Colorada. Ideally would have been bright red or pink, but today was more of a muddy orange.

Tree rock.

The desert, framed by snowy mountains on all sides.

Flamingos!!

A flamingo!!

And then this happened. It's rainy season even in the desert.

Second night wine with my German, Swiss, and Japanese tourmates. (Favorite word in German: schnookelputz, which means male hottie)

We were up at 4 the next day to see some geysers.

And an undersea vent OMG. Just kidding. It's another geyser with the flash on my camera.

And the real kicker, bathing in the aguas thermales while looking out on the frozen (as in ice on the ground) world at sunrise. The pain of removing our clothes was well worth the reward of a hot outdoor soak.

And finally, a visit to the Chilean border. One German and one Japanese will get you an Italian for the ride back.

Oh hey

Just a toucan. In my hostel.

The Yavari

Before coming to Peru, I was given some travel tips by a pair of intrepid adventurers who were here last year, Nina's parents. One of the things they recommended in Puno was the Yavari, a ship that was comissioned for the Peruvian Navy in the mid-19th century and had fallen into disrepair by the late 20th, when a restoration project began.

After arriving at 3 am to rain and cold (there's a pattern here), I awoke again to a warm, sunny day, and headed out to see what I could see. I hopped a cab with a driver who, it soon became apparent, had absolutely no idea what or where the Yavari was. And I could not for the life of me come up with the word for "boat." He let me off at the main waterfront, and I was directed to another point along the shore, about a 20 minute walk away.

My walk led me along some train tracks.

And then to the wrong boat. Comissioned at the same time, now a restaurant.

There she is! Across this very squeaky walkway.

The Yavari was built in England, then disassembled, shipped to Peru, and carried up to Lake Titicaca by men and mules, where it was rebuilt. The whole process took over ten years! When it was actively patrolling the waters, there was a fuel shortage and it ran on dried llama dung. Fascinating!

It's now back up to running capability; the engine is fired up once a month and it actually sails the lake twice each year.

When I stepped here the warped metal moved with a BOOM and I thought the boat would sink.

The ship's wheel and compass, both original. (I think. My tour was in Spanish)

Looking pretty good! Restoration continues with visitor donations.

Nothing to do with the Yavari, just some pretty tiles in a plaza near the city center.

Arequipa and the Cañon de Colca

Having knocked Machu Picchu off my theoretical bucket list, it was time to leave rainy Cusco for what I hoped would be a warmer, dryer climate. Arequipa is Peru's second largest city and sits at the end of a massive canyon, popular with trekkers and condor-watchers, and those of us who just want some sun. Travelling with a couple of people I'd met in Cusco, I decided to spend a couple of relaxing days in the canyon itself, in a lovely little town called Cabanaconde.

Alas, after a couple of long bus rides, we arrived to heavy rain and a temperature only slightly higher than the one we'd just left. Luckily there was plenty of booze and hot soup, and a warm bed to follow them. The next day was cloudy, rainy, and beer-filled again, but the next day was beautifully sunny and clear.

A foggy look across the canyon.

A better view.

I came back into the city to see some of the sights and mail home a box of the souvenirs (not all for me) I can't stop collecting. The center of Arequipa is lovely, full of well-maintained colonial buildings and colorfully landscaped plazas where you can sit and enjoy the sun (!) and the views.

I also made a stop at the Monasterio Santa Catalina, a convent founded in 1579 that lived its first few centuries rather extravagantly with the daughters of wealthy locals bringing in new construction, fancy china, and plenty of luxury goods. Opened to the public in 1970, it still houses a cloister of about 20 sisters who live fully equipped but somewhat more modest lives than their predecessors.

I spent a morning touring the peaceful and beautiful grounds with a nice sunny sky overhead and soaked in the meditative, historically rich atmoshpere, then stopped for lunch in the cafe.

Some sort of succlent in front of a bright blue wall.

Carved wood doors. Lots of decorative touches to brighten the cloistered life.

Dazzlingly blue courtyard.

A large kitchen off a shared apartment. Sisters after my own heart.

The novices' courtyard. Novices spent 20 hours a day alone in their rooms for their first 2 years at the convent.

One of the "streets" within the complex, painted a gorgeous brick red. I think I've found a color scheme for my next home.

Part of the tongue in cheek menu at the cafe.

I had the Salad of Diligence.

And then the passionfruit tart. I never knew those seeds were so pretty.

Diligently savoring my dessert.

A papaya arequipeña, a smaller and more fragrant local cousin to the larger version we know and love.

What could be a huge mistake: fresh jugo de papaya arequipeña at the public market. (But it wasn't)

Strippers

The embarrassment I felt when saying "uhh, los Strippers, por favor?" was no match for the unending joy I knew they would bring my future life.

Cross One Off the Bucket List

If I kept a bucket list, and now I'm thinking maybe I should, Machu Picchu would probably have made the top twenty. I'd say that now I don't have to add it to my list, but I probably will anyway just so I can have something that's already crossed off.

After a few lovely sunny and relaxing days in Cusco, the rains came. But ever the intrepid traveler (and with train tickets already booked), I set off for Machu Picchu anyway! The train normally leaves directly from Cusco, but in the off season you have to bus to the next stop at Ollantaytambo, a town well worth visiting in its own right. The train company offers a direct bus service, but I opted to save the sawbuck and take public transport. After a few failed attempts at restarting the engine on the first big hill out of Cusco, my first bus finally gave up and let all the passengers off to try for another one. I made most of the 2 hour trip to Urubamba squeezed into the aisle, but it's kind of fun trying to keep balance with the curvy roads and old ladies with heavy bundles leaning on you, and besides, my arm muscles needed a bit of work. Then it was into a smaller van to get the rest of the way to Ollantaytambo.

I spent some time at the ruins there, with some classic terracing, old fortifications, and even a little pre-Inkan structure!

Trying something new in self-portraiture.

The steeeeep climb past the terracing.

My lovely umbrella, which the winds at the top of the terracing promptly blew apart.

Waiting to board the train!

After a short sleep in Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo (town), I woke up at 4am to get my ticket and hop the bus to the site. I took a tour with a fellow traveler from my hostel and learns all kinds of facts which I forgot immediately.

Misty morning overlooking terracing.

Me and the classic postcard view of Machu Picchu.

Llamas! Climbing stairs!!

And having the funniest little feet I've ever seen!

Sadly, I was unable to get one of 400 spots to climb Wayna Picchu, a mountain overlooking the ruins which offers spectacular views, but I was assured by my guide that climbing up to the Inti Punktu, or Sun Gate, would get me to the same elevation and possibly even better views. So after wandering meditatively around the ruins on my own for awhile (read: taking pictures of llamas), I set off.

Stone trail made hundreds of years ago by real Inkas. Neat!!

The view about halfway up. Looking pretty good!

And the view from the top after the clouds and rain came in.

And now, a photo series of my reaction to the heavy rain:

Grr, it's raining.

Well, I guess there's not much I can do about it.

And besides, I'm at Machu Picchu, I feel great!

And now, some pictures of me jumping in the ruins:

You can see more pictures on my picasa!