Well I will keep things short. We are in
We are quickly wrapping things up in anticipation for our comeback to
We will have a final wrap-up that will include our opinion about all the destinations we saw this year. This should be a fun exercise.
Stay tuned.
The Great : The second day of our Salkantay Trek. Seeing the towering
The Hidden : Koricancha. We were pleasantly surprised by the mixed architecture coming from the inclusion of the old sun temple into the convent.
The Overrated : The city of
The Ugly : Well, housing in
Machu Pichu was the last great monument we saw during our trip. A perfect closure to our one year trip - the most famous monument in South America and some of the most famous ruins in the world (Machu Picchu has been voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World). So after a four day hike we were quite excited to finally see Machu Pichu.
I have to admit, Machu Pichu has to be one of the most beautifully situated ruins I have ever seen. From above, it looks as if it was carved directly in the mountain, an integral part of the landscape.
Once we started walking between the buildings, we also appreciated the size of the site. Surprisingly we spent a full 9 hours in the ruins and had to leave only because we had to catch a train back to
Nevertheless, I should put things in perspective. Ever since I started reading about
It is also worth noting that I had visited a number of Inca ruins in
Well, as I said, urban planning in Machu Pichu is truly impressive, mostly because it is in total harmony with the surrounding environment. When it comes to Inca masonry, however, I must admit that I was slightly disappointed.
Inca architecture is known for stones carved and fitted so perfectly that they would hold in a wall without any cement. One can see examples of this technique in Machu Pichu. I was disappointed to see that only a handful of buildings are constructed using this method. The vast majority of city constructions are just ordinary buildings with fairly irregular stones held together by mud. Not quite what I had expected after reading about the architectural masterpiece of Machu Pichu.
Moreover, even the buildings proclaimed to be the most sophisticated constructions in Machu Pichu, such as the temple of the sun, were quite underwhelming if not for the walls made of finely fitted stones and the marriage of the structure with the environment. There are no carvings on the stones, no statues, no other form of artistic expression that I had expected from the supposed masters of masonry in the pre-Columbian world.
Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe the Incas were just more warriors and administrators than artists. And maybe it is unfair to compare different developments of different cultures in different times, using the same aesthetical standards. Or maybe Machu Pichu is just magical for some and not so magical for others.
Well, for myself, I spent a fantastic day on the site of Machu Pichu and I definitely think it is a must-see for anybody interested in pre-Columbian cultures. But I would hardly call Machu Pichu one of the New Seven Wonders of the world. And with regards to artistic values (or the degree of mystery involved, for that matter), I will take the half-destroyed Tiwanaku site over Machu Pichu any time. Tiwanaku is not half as picturesque as Machu Pichu but, in my opinion, it displays a degree of achievement in stone carving and in the scale of its masonry that exceeds that of Machu Pichu.
P.S. I am sorry if I offended the feelings of Machu Pichu lovers. Feel free to disagree!Trekking to get to Machu Pichu is increasingly popular. Since slots for the traditional “Inca Trail” are booked months in advance – if not a year in advance – that left us exploring other options. A popular alternative is the Salkantay Trek.
The main attraction in this four day trek is the Salkantay pass, a high altitude pass at 4655 meters that can really test one’s ability to trek a in high altitude environment.
The first day was fairly easy. We started out in Mollepata, a small village in the
The first day was nice but unspectacular. We reached our camp for the night at 3800 meters at the end of the afternoon. Much to our amazement, the camp facilities were permanent with a shelter to protect the tents. There was no doubt in our mind anymore: Salkantay trek is VERY accommodating to beginners.
The second day was by far the most challenging and spectacular. Our first objective was to reach the mountain pass before noon. Now this was challenging. The lack of oxygen gave us all a heck of a challenge, and a few unfortunate had to go back because they felt sick. It was difficult but rewarding, as Salkantay exposed itself in all its glory. What an achievement!
After lunch we descended a staggering 1700 meters, which saw us going from the high and dry altiplano to our camp down in the lush cloud forest. Our camp site had a spectacular view. The second day was definitely the highlight of the trek.
The third day was uninspiring. We trekked for about 6 hours before we took a ride to get to our destination, the
At the end of the day our guide proposed us a deal: an alternate trek for the fourth day since the fourth day is considered a waste of time by many. In fact, the morning trek fourth day goes alongside a road to the hydroelectric station, which is anything but interesting. The afternoon trek is slightly better, as trekkers walk 14 kilometers from the hydro station to Aguas Callientes, at the foot of Machu Pichu. Our guide suggested we skip the walk to the hydroelectric station and climb another mountain where we could see Inca ruins on top and enjoy a top down view on Machu Pichu. The program appealed to all of us and we all agreed to do it. Then my stomach started having problems…
A bit now about our tour operator. The price of our trek was cheap, but so was all the service that came with the trek. We had only one guide, which is nonsense when a group is mountain hiking. Since the likelihood of someone feeling sick or unwell is high when hiking at such altitude, we should have had a guide in front and one behind to close the group. We did not.
Also the food was disappointing. Of course I don’t expect gourmet meal when I hike in the mountains, but I expect 1 – enough food to replace burnt calories 2 – somewhat tasty food. The food served was insufficient and not tasty at all.
But that’s not the worst. The worst is that the tour operator also skipped on proper hygiene. Vegetables were washed with running water and the cook didn’t wash his hands before preparing the meals (I saw him). The result? I was sick twice in four days (as well as a few other hikers), the second time the worst. Before that Ania and I had been almost two months in
And then there is the booze. Call me old fashion, but mountain trekking and drinking are two very respectable but different activities. Alcohol - a limited amount of it - can be enjoyable at the end of a tough day in the mountains. But in limited quantities.
The best analogy I can give you is this one: The Salkantay trek is to trekking what Costa del Sol in
Ohh that was fun until it was time to go to bed. Of course the few of use who wanted a restful night had to cringe and accept that the majority were still out there partying. Our group was getting up at 5 AM the following day and I had no intention to get hammered the night before.
Also, the trek plans for 4 days of trekking. However, three days would be largely enough to reach Aguas Callientes. There is ground transportation on the first and third day. Only the second day is really punishing.
Luckily for us, our guide proposed an alternate track for the fourth day: climbing a different mountain to get a nice top-down view of Machu Pichu before going back to the main track. The alternate hike was a very nice touch in this otherwise uninteresting fourth day.
The stats for the trek are the following:
Total kilometers walked in four days:74.29 km
Total elevation going up:3043 meters
Total elevation going down: 4081 meters
Would I still recommend the Salkantay trek? Probably. However, if we were to go back to
Here’s my recommendation: if time is short or you are new to hiking, choose Salkantay or any of the treks in the
A few days ago in another post I claimed how travelers have different opinions about the things they see and do. Case in point, the city of
From friends who had visited
Plaza de Armas (main square) is definitely the highlight of this otherwise unremarkable town. The Cathedral of Cusco and the Church La Compañía de Jesús are fine examples of colonial architecture. I wish I could comment on the interior of the buildings. I’ll have more on this subject in a minute.
The main square is a very pleasant place to hang out. There are countless cafes, bars, restaurants that can satisfy the needs of every traveler.
That being said, if the traveler ventures outside the main square the picture changes – radically: houses are in pitiful condition with roofs rotting and plaster coming off the walls. The interior of houses reveal obvious poverty.
This realization amazed us quite a bit, considering how much money
So
I think that I found a new champion this year. If I should grant awards to the different countries we visited, then
There are a lot of things to see in and around
I was fine with opening my wallet until I saw how wide it needed to be open: 28 USD to be able to see four average colonial churches (and the ticket does NOT include the main cathedral, which costs a whopping 20 USD alone). Another 28 USD to see a few museums. Another 28 USD to see the
Wow.
Milk, milk, and milk the tourist dry.
After careful research – and consultations with those who had bought the overpriced tickets – Ania and I decided to buy the ticket for the
We saw the
For its part, Koricancha is special because it was the most impressive temple of the sun in the entire Inca Empire. The Spaniards, after plundering much of the wealth in the temple, decided to build the
However, the world economy is headed for another recession and tourists are becoming more and more budget-conscious. If you push your luck too far,
It’s okay to make money off tourists. It’s a risky affair to rip them off.
In some countries government regulations can create serious hurdles to businesses. The fact that sometimes these new regulations have been proven to produce little or no benefit at all should not surprise the reader. What is surprising is that governments can sometimes sanction regulations that produce unintended – an in this case ugly – consequences.
Let me use the housing sector in
We’ve always known that
We arrived in
Welcome to the Unfinished Houses of
The result? Ugly towns with half finished houses.
This should be mentioned in every classroom that discusses bad government regulations.
The Great :
The Hidden :
The Overrated : Copacabana. The town is supposed to be uniquely pleasant, but it lacks real charm and the main attraction, the lake, is seen from beaches covered with trash. As I said in a previous post, the only reason to come to Copacabana is to visit Isla del Sol, which has more to offer in practically every respect. Copacabana is overhyped.
The Ugly : The “incident” involving one overly excited Mashaquipe manager in the Amazon. To make a long story short, we paid for two nights in a private room. However, a possible activity on the second night was to camp out deep in the jungle. On the morning of the second day, the manager told us that we had to evacuate the room and put our stuff in a storage room because we were going to camp that night. Well, I objected that I had been ill for a week and that I wasn’t going to go out camping if it rains heavily, which is a real possibility in the jungle. So I wanted to keep the room. The guy got furious. He told the two other tourists who were waiting to take our room that they had to go to a dorm instead and that it was our fault. The two clueless tourists, not really understanding what was going on (overbooking the rooms), got angry at us as well. Since I paid much more money for a private room, I wasn’t ready to let go the room for nothing. I tried to approach the manager and cut a deal with him (you refund me half and I’ll put my stuff in the dorm), but he refused to have any word with me. Well, in the end we did start walking in the jungle to our camping destination. 30 minutes after our departure, it started to rain heavily. We walked some more but eventually decided to go back to the camp. Thank God we kept the room because we were totally drenched. When we went back to the office in Rurenabaque, I asked to speak to a supervisor (who was extremely apologetic) and had only one recommendation: fire the Neanderthal who does not know how to speak to his customers.
Other Observation : Well we’ve had quite a change of schedule in
When we planned our trip a year ago, Ania and I had decided that ten days in
When you plan your own around-the-world trip, make sure wait until you are on the ground to decide on your schedule. Not everyone agrees on the must-see's and must-do's.
There are two possibilities to visit
There is no denying that Copacabana is highly touristic and a bit bland. The town is fairly small and Ania and I needed no more than a day to see it all. We chose to spend our second day on the
We reached the northern part of Isla del Sol by boat by noon. There are Inca ruins scattered all over the island and a nice trek that covers it all, from north to south of the island. With a background of snow-capped mountains and great 360 degree views on the lake, Ania and I fell under the charm of Isla del Sol. Mind you, the island isn’t the most beautiful I’ve seen. But the great views and a nice trek made Isla del Sol the best story of our journey in uninspiring Copacabana.
About 71km from
When the Incas first stumbled upon the city of
When the Spaniards first discovered the city, they concluded that it was an abandoned pilgrimage site of some old civilization. They simply couldn't believe that a city could exist in such a dry, cold climate over 3900 meters above sea level. They destroyed most of the ruins because, well, the Spaniards believed that pagan worshiping had no place in a Christian universe. The finely carved stone blocks were removed from the ancient constructions and used to build a local church and houses, and some of the stones even found their way in the cathedral of
In late 19th and 20th century serious archeological research began but it brought more questions than answers. The carbon dating of organic remains found on the stones suggests that the main structures were built around 1500 years ago. This is the leading theory regarding Tiwanaku today (supported by so-called “orthodox” archeologists). However, several archaeologists (“romantic” archeologists) argue that carbon dating may not be a determining argument. One of the monuments, the gate of the sun, has a kind of astronomical calendar carved on it. By deciphering the symbols of the calendar, some astronomers concluded that it reflected the astronomical conditions of over 12000 years ago! This would make the Tiwanaku civilization the oldest in the world.
There is also no agreement as to the reasons for the sudden collapse of the civilization. The "orthodox" archaeologists believe that a drought happened sometimes around 1000 ad, which caused food shortages and, consequently, the collapse of the civilization. The "romantic" archaeologists claim that it was a massive flood, the description of which appears in many traditions (recall Noah's Arc). The two main arguments supporting this theory are the findings of fossilized marine life all over the area, and the fact that about 90% of Tiwanaku ruins still remain about two meters underground waiting to be excavated.
While the orthodox archaeologists still argue with the romantics,
The reason for this lack of international interest might be the fact that the site of Tiwanaku was first partially destroyed by zealous Conquistadors and then progressively looted for hundreds of years. Nowadays, one needs some imagination to appreciate the size of the ancient city. But I must admit that even in the present state, the ruins impressed me more than any Inca site I have seen in
Some walls of the former temples remain intact and are a visible proof that Tiwanaku masonry was at least as advanced as that of the Incas. Huge stones are shaped in perfect squares and fitted using iron keys. They are placed so tight, that in some places it is impossible to fit a match between two stones. One temple is adorned with carvings of dozens of heads, each different from the others. There are several giant humanoid monuments, also richly adorned in carvings, the meaning of which has been lost. And, finally, there is the gate of the Sun, on which the astronomical calendar was carved. While there are arguments about the interpretation of it, none disputes its aesthetical value.
Most archaeologists agree that the Tiwanaku civilization flourished between 700ad and 1000ad, that its power extended over Lake Titicaca and in its immediate region, and in parts of
Beware,
September 9 2011 – October 8, 2011
Summary of the eleventh month of our trip
Number of countries visited: 1 (we love Bolivia too much to leave it!)
Number of flights taken: 2
Number of marital conflicts: 0
Best overnight stay: Surprisingly, it would be our hotel (El Molino) in Torotoro. Torotoro is a small village far away from cities and not too may tourists venture there. However, an entrepreneur from Cochabamba decided to build a luxury accommodation there. The hotel looks like a rich ranch building situated in a huge garden. As we were the only guests there, we had the whole place to ourselves. After the day's trek we relaxed with a drink in a leather sofa in the living room, played a game of billiard or two, and in the evening we watched DVD's a huge screen. This may not sound as the ultimate luxury to some of you but keep in mind that this place is in the middle of nowhere and costs as much as a simple hostel in Chile.
Worst overnight stay: Ironically, the worst place we stayed was also in Torotoro, on our first night before we found El Molino I described above. This place is also probably the worst we stayed in during the whole trip, it beats even the horrible, horrible hostel in Singapore. It also explains why we loved the later hotel that much :-)
We arrived in Torotoro about 1am and didn't know where to look for a place to sleep. We asked the lady who worked at the bus office and she pointed to her own "hotel". She was quite impolite but it was late at night, we were tired, and I had stomach problems so we just took it without checking the room.
The room in itself was not the worst I have ever seen. The floor was not too disgusting, and I didn't notice any bugs. In terms of furniture there were only two beds and imagine my disgust when I saw that the bed sheets were still dirty! We tried other rooms but they were all locked. The lady who gave us the key also disappeared in the meantime. So we decided to stay there for one night, sleeping in our clothes answer trying not to touch anything.
When I went to the bathroom, I had another surprise. It didn't surprise me that it was VERY dirty - I kind of expected it after seeing the room. I didn't surprise me that the toilets didn't flush - it happens quite often in Bolivia. What surprised me was that there was no water AT ALL. Not running water in the sink and not even some water in a barrel, which is a common practice in places that have problems with running water. Can somebody tell me the point of a bathroom with showers (!) when there is no water at all?
We survived the night and got out of that place as early as possible in the morning. When we returned our key, the lady was VERY surprised and asked us why we were leaving so soon :-)
Best Call we made: We made quite a few good decisions this month :-) I'm very happy that we found time to visit Torotoro and the Amazon, for that matter. But the best last minute call was probably to spend some time in Cochabamba. A lot of people told us that there was absolutely nothing there to see and most guidebook advise travelers not to spend more time than necessary in the city. However, I found it to be a perfect place to unwind, with its pleasant climate, smiling people (I find it rare in Bolivia) and tons of nice cafes and restaurants. As a matter if fact, I liked it much more than La Paz.
Worst Call we made: Certainly going to Torotoro with the public bus. See Marc’s post for more detals. Phew, Torotoro sure made an impression on us!
After our three days of adventure in the jungle it was time to get back to civilization. We still had one day in Rurrenabaque before taking our fight back to La Paz. Rurrenabaque is halfway between a really big village and a really small town. It has a local market, as all the communities living along the river come here once a week to exchange their products for wares that they cannot locally produce - clothes, sugar, some crops. But the town is increasingly a significant hub for tourists - a place to chill out before or after a jungle adventure. It is not a particularly beautiful village on its own but, to our own surprise, we spent quite a magnificent day there.
We started our day by going to a lookout point for a great view on the town. When we climbed up the hill, we discovered a great restaurant that had a swimming pool with a view on the town. We started talking to the waitress, and we found her to be very nice and the place so relaxing that we spent half a day there. We swam in the pool, talked to the waitress, drank some fruit cocktails and played a couple of games of pool. We felt like in a resort somewhere in the Caribbean. Such a nice change after months in a rather cold and harsh environment!
And to top it up, we discovered a really great restaurant, with the best food I've had since I left Poland in June. The chef was Tunisian, the ambience was very cozy and I had the best service in Bolivia. I ate a local fish in a Roquefort sauce - mmmmmmmm delicious!
It was a very un-bolivian day but it felt so good to relax after the jungle experience and before going back in the Andes. So if you ever go to see the jungle in Rurrenabaque, I recommend to you an extra day to pamper yourself. You will not regret it!
In the Amazon Basin, at least in Bolivia, people usually don't construct villages; they live in one or two-family households scattered in the forest, always close to a water source. After a short boat ride we arrived at the first household. Now, one thing has to be told about our guide. He is absolutely incredible in the forest, spotting wildlife, imitating animal voices, knowing about all kinds of plants. But he severely lacks communication skills outside the forest. Interactions with other human beings seemed to be kind of a punishment for him. When we arrived at the first house there was only one lady present. I discovered that our visit was not organized in any way. We just "dropped by" at her household. Our guide encouraged us to talk to the lady and then he sat down on a bench and focused on contemplating the view.
We started talking to the lady and she was nice enough and fortunately spoke Spanish, but she limited herself to politely answering our questions without venturing any questions or providing additional explanations on her own. At least she didn't seem bothered by our presence. After some fifteen minutes we ran out of questions. Our guide asked us if we wanted to walk further to meet another family. He seemed very disappointed when we enthusiastically agreed...
In the second households our experience was quite different. We were lucky to find quite a few members of the family at home, including a lot of children running around. The guy who was the head of the family proved to be extremely enthusiastic about living in the jungle. We had a great long conversation with him, he showed us around the household, where every single plant served some purpose. He told us how different plants help to prevent illnesses or heal diseases, he showed us a natural mosquito repellent (palm tree heart smoking slowly inside an abandoned termite nest). We talked a lot with the whole family about lifestyles in the city and in the forest and about daily occupations in their household. Then they decided to let us try peeling the rice and as a goodbye gift I received some grass and leaves that would make an excellent herbal drink.
Ironically, the fact that our visit was completely unstaged (and, lets be honest, completely unprepared) made it such an exceptional experience. I didn't feel that I was intruding on anybody; it was simply the exchange of information for the benefit of people who were very interested about life in the jungle. So I suppose that I should be grateful to our guide after all: if he had prepared and organized our visit better, I would not have gotten such an authentic and exciting experience!
Walking in the jungle is very different from other kinds of trekking. It is usually not that important to get from point A to B. It is much more crucial what one sees on the way. Sometimes one can walk twice the same path and still see very different things.
Walking in Madidi Park allowed me to feel a little bit like a hunter (without being forced to put bullets through animals). We followed our guide closely and tried to be as quiet as possible. This proved to be a challenge for Marc, especially if we didn't talk for more than half an hour! We walked slowly and our guide was looking around and stopping to listen to the sounds of animals every now and then.
At some point the guide would stop, tell us to be very quiet, and motion us to come closer. Then he would whisper the name of the animal he spotted. Sometimes it was a toucan or a paradise bird or different sorts of monkeys or something still different. Sometimes the animal would escape before we could see it. But other times we were rewarded with views on all kinds of interesting creatures.
Funnily enough, my best experience was with spotting wild pigs. Now, there is nothing exotic about them but the experience still gave me a lot of thrill. Our guide heard wild pigs but honestly, I don't know how he did it. The jungle is NEVER quiet. All sorts of insects and birds and animals create a relentless concert day and night. And yet our guide was able to make sense of it. He was able to tell us how many of the pigs he had heard, how many of them and how far they were. However, Marc and I were barely able to recognize the noise and there was no question of seeing the animals. Then, finally, our guide stopped us once, told us to get down and listen. This time even I didn't have doubts, the noise was unmistakable. First we could only see some leaves moving at a distance. The guide told us to stay still and the pigs would walk in front of us. After a few minutes the noises became louder. They were coming from all around us. We were surrounded. And then, surely enough, the wild pigs started a parade directly in front of us. If we were Asterix and Obelix we couldn't have had an easier job :-)
Some animals are extremely hard to see in the jungle. But one day after heavy rain our guide showed us numerous fresh tracks of different animals, among them the leopard and the tapir. Seeing how easy it is to find them (at least for the guide...) made us realize that the Madidi National Park truly is truly rich with wildlife.
When I looked closer at the trees I realized that a lot of them had many big and sharp spines on the trunk. Not at all innocent-looking, after all. Then I learned that the cute tiny caterpillar at my feet is in fact poisonous, and the beautiful little lagoons are full of bloodthirsty piranhas. And walking back to the lodge in the dark after dinner I almost stepped on a snake. Upon these and a few other incidents ( such as an encounter with an army of dangerous ants that destroy every living thing they encounter on their way), I was forced to revise my earlier impressions. The jungle might look innocent but nobody should be fooled by it.
For me, it was back to Australian drill: always watching the ground before stepping, NEVER walking in the dark without a flashlight, always shaking my shoes before putting them on, etc. However, after camping for two months in Australia I felt fearless and invincible. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I survived the encounter with the jungle and remained intact. I was never bitten by any poisonous reptile, and I wasn't eaten alive by the malicious ants. My Waterloo turned out to be the flying insects. I was bitten by all kids of them - sand flies (I never stayed in the sand), mosquitoes (I always used a mosquito repellent), wasps and all other kinds of other insects, the names of which I don't care to know. I may be itching like crazy and I may look like I had smallpox now but I proudly report that the insects didn't manage to ruin my experience - I would do it all over again!
It didn't want to finish my year trip without an adventure in the jungle. I chose to go to the rainforest in the Amazon basin (if you want to do it, do it right!). The easiest (and cheapest) place to organize such a tour is in Rurrenabaque, a small town north of La Paz. And a few hours boat ride from Rurrenabaque is the Madidi National Park, one of the richest park in flora and fauna in the world.
In order to avoid a very long and bumpy bus ride, we took a plane from La Paz to Rurrenabaque. The cheapest tickets were sold by the TAM, the Bolivian military airline. Two armed soldiers checked our taxi driver's documents at the entry to the military airport. However, once we got to the terminal, it all looked surprisingly informal. The terminal reminded me more of a small local bus station, and the check-in was only about looking at our tickets and weighting the luggage. No security control whatsoever, no rules about taking liquids on board. When the plane was ready, we all just casually walked out of the terminal to board our ride.
It was a no-frill tiny plane and I can only hope that TAM does a better job maintaining the engine than the interior. But the flight itself was spectacular. The flight started among white-capped mountains at 4000 meters above sea-level and then descended through highlands all the way to the jungle. Seeing the rainforest from above really gave me an idea of the size of the Amazon basin. It was forest as far as I could see.
The airport in Rurrenabaque was even more casual than the one in La Paz. The plane landed on an asphalt strip (finished a year ago) but then it just turned left directly on the grass and after a few minutes it arrived at a small house surrounded by trees. Welcome to the Rurrenabaque airport!
Cochabamba is the third largest city in Bolivia and it is called the city of the eternal spring, due to its mild and pleasurable climate. However, most of the guidebooks and a lot of people I talked to recommended we stay in this city only as long as we absolutely needed to because there was nothing to see there.
It is true:
And
Here’s my suggestion for those who are short on time in
