Tuesday 26 April 2011

Machu Picchu - The Lost City of the Incas



 
We flew into Cusco from Lima and did a day trip to the Sacred Valley before our 5-day trek to Machu Picchu.

On the first day, I underestimated what was waiting for me and I cursed through the 10-hour trek. I didn't take a single photo as I was just trying to make it to the camp in one piece!!! I finally calmed down when I started meeting other people from our group and I learnt to laugh again.

The second day, as expected, was a bitch! It was a constant uphill to 4,600m altitude. Again, I had no interest in the scenery until I reached the top alive. On my way back down, I realized I was surrounded by a beautiful scenery and I became stronger through the afternoon.

The third and fourth day were really easy, 5-hour trek each day. We ended the fourth day in Aguas Calientes where some of our group went to the hot spring which was pretty fun...and strange. Haha...everyone there probably hadn't had a bath for over 3 days but no one cared. It was a blast!

The fifth day was one of the most unforgettable days of my life. We got up at 4am and had to race up 2,500 steps (400m up) in order to get a pass to go to Wayna Picchu (there is a daily limit of only 200 people at 7am and 200 people at 10am).

It was harder than the previous 4-day treks and the 4,750m Santa Cruz trek because there was nothing other than darkness and 2 or 3 steps ahead of you. It was still dark and we had to trek with a head light. You know it's game over once you stop as there were tons of people behind you trying to get your spot.

I was really concerned with Rupert as he was really struggling. I, surprisingly, was getting stronger and stronger as we ascended. I still don't understand how I did it but I'm very proud of myself for achieving this.

I had tears in my eyes when we reached the top and were one of the first 200 to be there. I never thought I would make it and this had made me believe in myself more.

Machu Picchu was stunning. It's located in the middle of nowhere and its magnificent stonework and craftsmanship were just unreal. It was worth the all the hardwork, tears and sweat. No words or pictures can describe Machu Picchu. You have to be there to experience it. The Lost City of the Incas should lives up to it's title as the New Seven Wonders of the World.

To top such crazy day up, we went back in town only to realize our agency hadn't reserve Rup and my train ticket. No one know who to call to solve the problem and we were really stressed out!!! What made things worse was no one spoke English and no one gave a shit.

Thanks to my 3 angels - Menno, Tobias and Sven - who helped us translate, ran around from hostal to hostal and to the train station with their bloody backpacks! Somehow, we finally were able to get on a later train on the same night.

Thus, all in all, the 5-day trek to Machu Picchu was very adventurous, fun, challenging and rewarding. It was one of the most memorable experience of my life.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Huaraz, Peru - Trekking to 4,750m alttitude


The first day in Huaraz, we visited Chavin, a 3,000-year-old temple next to a small village. It's an impressive temple built from stone with a maze of tunnels, chambers and alleys that you can explore (really cool stuff).

We rested for a day before we embarked on our 4-day Santa Cruz trek in the mountain range of Cordilleras Blanca, which is the second highest mountain range after the Himalayas.

Every day, we woke up at 6am and would start trekking by 7am. It's the hardest thing I have ever done. I recently blogged about the hard work required for surfing, well it's nothing comparing to trekking to 4,750m altitude.

It's one of the best things I have ever done in my life.

I was worried about not being able to shower or wash my hair fo 4 days, but that was the last thing on my mind. The weather was so unpredictable that one moment, it's sunny, another it's pouring, then it's hot, then it's cold.

You could be trekking in your T-shirt during the day and you would be sleeping with your ski pants, thermos, beanie, gloves and fleeces at night.

Every step upward required so much strength and determination at such high altitude.

Breathing was one thing, hanging on to dear life was another. There were points when I thought I wasn't going to make it. But thanks to my husband who was my motivational angel and a great team of people we were trekking with, I finally made it.

And once you open your eyes and see what's around you rather than worrying about a shower, the coldness and wetness, fatigue or having a congested nose, it was all worth it.

The beautiful scenery of snow capped mountains, icy water falls, bright and colorful flowers, horses eating grass next to you, cows and donkeys strolling around, gorgeous valleys, river, lakes, trekking on peddles, stones, grass and mud, was just unbelievable.

We saw the Artesonraju which was said to be the Paramount Picture logo! Now that's amazing in itself.

I'm very proud of myself for doing this 4-day trek to 4,750m altitude. It's one of my biggest achievements in life and something I will share with my children.

Friday 15 April 2011

Trujillo, Peru - Moche and Chimu

From Mancora, we took an 8 hour bus ride to Trujillo, then we visited the Huaca de la Luna and del Sol by the Moche and the Chan Chan by the Chimu, and took a night bus to Huaraz on the same day.

There wasn't much in Trujillo so there was no point in staying overnight.

The Huaca de la Luna and del Sol by the Moche was built around AD600 and the Chan Chan by the Chimu was built around AD1300. To be honest, after seeing all the ruins in Mexico, these ruins in Trujillo were rather disappointing.

Of course, I understand many ruins are reconstructions but for that very same reason, I expected to see...something. Since both the Huaca de la Luna and del Sol and the Chan Chan were built by mud, sand and clay, whenever it rains, everything gets washed away. They looked rather like a huge pile of sand in a construction site to me.

It's heart breaking when you see how big the sites are, they were massive and possibly bigger than Palenque in Mexico. But mother nature hasn't been kind. It made me sad to see that what once was a great empire is now a fallen and destroyed site with nothing but piles of sand.

Mancora, Peru - my first surf


Peru has so much to offer - the jungle, the coast, the mountains, the dessert...

Our first stop was at a small town called Mancora. Nice clean beach with killer body surfers, crazy waves and the best ceviche (tuna) in the world!

We took an hour of surf lesson and headed out to do our first surfs. Surfing looks so easy but it's bloody hard work! The paddling out with waves slamming directly at your face already took up most of my energy! I was glad that I stood up once and did a proper surf but the whole experience was rather scary!

Surfers were everywhere and I had seen at least 2 close calls where beginners were paddling out while another surfer just managed to surf above his head! And when you fall in the middle of a wave, you have no idea how long or deep the wave would drag you and whether you would be hit by someone's surf board. You just have to close you eyes and pray.

Having said that, I'm glad I did it but when we went back on the next day and the waves were crazier and we saw 3 broken surf boards, we decided we should practice more at a beginners beach later in our trip.

If you are there, you have to have their ceviche! So fresh and chunky and mouth watering, the best ceviche we have had so far and rather cheap! Only USD 3 for a huge bowl of fresh marinated tuna. It's healthy and tasty.

We felt like total athletes when we were in Mancora!

Montanita, Ecuador - the Loose Town

One word to describe Montanita - LOOSE!

Some say they have great beaches but to me, it was too over-crowded with beer bottles and cigarette buds everywhere.

Having said that, it was worth a visit and we stayed there for 2 nights. I would recommend anyone to stay over the weekend so you get the craziness on Saturday night and chillness on Sunday night.

Such cliche with cocktail streets, hash pipes, jugglers, dread locks, people wondering mindlessly on the streets.

It's a loose place I tell you! We finished dinner at 10pm, started partying and the next thing I knew, it was 3am!!! There were still tons of people on the street like it was 9pm so you don't even realize how late it is! We danced some more and it was 8am!!!

I don't even drink or dance and I hate parties, but there was something about Montanita that would make you loose and party like there is no tomorrow.

Thursday 7 April 2011

The Galapagos Islands - wildlife paradise


The Galapagos Islands are nothing like you have ever seen. It's bloody expensive but it's worth every single penny.

The wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is unreal - giant tortoise (bigger than me), land and marine iguanas that look like mini-dinosaurs, Sally Lightfoot crabs that are bright orange, sea turtles, sea lions, sting rays, manta rays, white tip sharks, Galapagos sharks, hammerhead sharks, blue-footed boobies, flamingos, penguins, Frigate birds with heart-shaped red pouches, over 1,500 species of birds and much more.

The best way to get around the islands is by taking a cruise where you do island hiking with knowledgable English-speaking guides and snorkeling and get fed like a Queen each day.

To dive and snorkel with sea lions who come up and blow bubbles in your face and hammerhead sharks, is such a privilege and amazing experience.

It's the best biology class I've taken.

Did you know that 'sharks attack' is NOT due to the fact that they mistake humans as seals due to poor eye sights? In fact, their eye sight is as good as their smell (senses); Sharks attack because when we splash water, it sends magnetic waves to the sharks that resemble the ones caused by distressed animals, like something is injured? So sharks come up and check you out or take a nibble.

Humans are not in their food chain, tests has been done and proven that sharks move away when they smell human blood, even when they can see a tuna but with human blood around it. Also, they belong to the ocean, not us, after all, we invaded their territory at our own risks, it's not the shark's fault.

I have dived with a good number of sharks (not aggressive ones like great white or tiger or bull shark but still...many other species of sharks) and they are not threatening at all. In fact, they are phenomenal and one of the most beautiful creatures in the world.

It breaks my heart when people hate on the Chinese for eating shark fins. I promise you, it's because many of them are not aware of the process and they need to be educated. Just like you don't question how baby lambs are made or cows are slaughtered. The younger generation is more aware but if you are reading this, tell everyone you know (but please be polite and aim to bring awareness, don't challenge them and become a nightmare because how would you feel if someone had a go at you for eating meat)?

There are over a billion Chinese and we need to start somewhere. We can make a change, maybe small but we can. I have started a while ago, if you haven't already, start now.