Cliff Crossing and Ruin Stomping

Baja Cusco!
After our marvolous month+ in Arequipa, we moved into Javier´s penthouse apartment in Cusco. Thank you CouchSurfing.org. In the following 13 days, we made our way around the Sacred Valley and Peru´s nightlife capital. On day 7 Ms.Kate Bratrude joined our travel troop, and we headed straight to Machu Picchu!


Maybe a traditional tour would have been a better route, however, we dont do that. We hopped on a 6 hour bus to Santa Maria, and were forced to stay there the night due to ´bad roads´(a very common theme in our recent travels). In the morning we horrified our new mom with a slippery, if-you-swerve-too-much you fall off the cliff, watch out for falling rocks overhead road. The rest of the day we spent walking in the rain til MachuPicchu/Aguas Calientes town. In the morning, we awoke at 4:30 and walked up a million stairs to Machu Picchu. The ruins were everything we expected and more, especially after 11 when the morning fog had cleared and the sun came out! The hike up to Wayna Picchu (the big mountain behind Machu) was lacking sun, but still one of our ruin highlights!







From Cusco we made our way south to the mystical Lake Titicaca, stopping in the less than attractive city of Puno. We left the city to see the Floating Islands of Uros and Taquile, observing the long-lasting traditions of island life. We bused around the Lake the next day to Copacabana, for a little Bolivia-Peru comparison.








BOLIVIA!
As quick as we could we hopped on a ferry boat sailing to the Sun Island, the rumored birthplace of the first Incas and central landmark for both the ancient Quechuas (Peru side) and Aymaras (Bolivia side). We walked the length of the Island, taking in the peaceful energy and enjoying the complete absence of cars, cellphones, internet, modern technology. We stayed the night, allowing us to watch the sunset, stars, and sunrise, and ultimately understand how the magic of this place captivated the ancients.






After a quick pause in the mineral-rich land of Oruro, where we ate Salteñas (chicken or beef and potato, vegetable filled pastries), toured a mine, and then headed to Uyuni in the Southwest.


The entire region was once a huge lake, which has since dried up, and left behind natural wonders like: the biggest salt flats in the world, high altitude geysers, microorganism colored lakes(inhabited by lots of snacking flamingos), and rolling hills that appear painted. We saw all this and more on a bumpy 3-day Jeep tour.







Kate´s time was running out quick, so we returned to Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our lady of the Peace) the northern administrative capital of Bolivia. There we spent our days shopping, and then sending all our souvenirs home in duffel bags with Mom. Every street in La Paz is stacked with tents of street vendors selling everything and anything they can, from bananas to nails, cell phone chargers to second hand clothes. We stayed in the midst of the ´Witches Market´ full of vendors selling love potions, natural herbal remedies, sacrificial and ceremonial pieces- like llama fetus´s to be buried under new houses. All offerings to the Pachamama (Mother Earth).
Bolivia has been a unique place, still very faithful to pre-Colombian traditions, with a majority indigenous population unified by similar dress, dance and ritual customs.




We left La Paz by bicycle, riding down from 4000 meters (cold with snow) to 1500 meters (humid and tropical) on the ¨World´s Most Dangerous Road¨. We´re glad not to be driving here where the rule is you pass on the left side, so the driver has the best cliffside view of his outer tires, on a road no wider than 3 meters at times... Lisa has moved south, Courtney and Emily moved northeast into the jungle! Currently we are still trying to arrange our jungle transportation, as all the roads are nearly washed out. Hopefully we´ll get a sweet boat ride up to Rurrenabaque today :)
Still, we are loving the tropical climate, fresh fruits and spectacular mountain views that greet our eyes every moment here!
With Love,
Emily and Courtney