To Cusco...

Feeling pretty comfortable with the altitude, we headed for the airport en route to Cusco.  Our cab ride was not quite as expected, sharing a small cab with two other Canadians after neither of our pre-arranged transfers arrived as ordered.   Luckily, even encountering an unexpected road closure due to a parade, we still made it in time.

Cusco, a UNESCO heritage site, was the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th to the 16th century, until the Spanish Conquest.  The English translation of the Quechuan word, "Cusco", is navel.  The city was named as such because it was located in the center of the Inca Empire and was considered the heart of the territory.

Cusco's flag is a rainbow design

Cusco and the Incan Empire were conquered by a small Spanish army in the 1500s, due to inferior weaponry, the mighty spread of Smallpox and many of the Incans belief that they were demi-gods due to a fairy tale that pale-skinned gods riding beasts would come from the sea to lead them to great things.

The Spanish were impressed with the Inca's skillful city planning and stonework.  To assert their dominance, they destroyed many Inca buildings, temples and palaces (worshipping the sacred aspects of nature such as the sun, puma, condor...) but used the walls as the foundation for the new Spanish-controlled city.  These Inca foundations were exposed as a result of earthquakes that hit the city in the early 20th century.  As such, the exquisite stonework can be now seen (still standing strong) at monuments around the city such as the Church of Santo Domingo.

The city felt much busier than Puno, packed with hikers and backpackers eager to see Machu Picchu. The city streets were lined with hiking shops (offering both real and not-so-real versions of the big brands), souvenir kiosks, cheap laundry services and lots of restaurants, including several delicious vegetarian options. It also had a seemingly limitless number of hotels and hostels, including the Palacio Del Inka, our beautiful hotel (where we enjoyed a "triple upgrade" thanks to booking.com) built over Inca foundations, with parts dating back to the 16th century. 

Out for lunch one day at Green Point, we met a Norwegian and Danish girl. The Norwegian had Beth's dream job - she was a graduate student at Yale studying climate change's effect on local farming techniques. However, as she was researching a potato plantation, her real job was to eat potatoes all day, every day.

It was at the Palacio Del Inka where we met our Mountain Travel Sobek hiking group to begin our trek to Machu Picchu.  The first day started with a walking tour of Cusco, checking out the Plaza De Armes, including the dramatic Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin (aka. Cusco Cathedral).

In the Cathedral are two important local figures.  The first is the Lord of the Tremors.  This statue is a depiction of Christ, which is said to have saved the city from earthquakes back in the 1600s.  The statues of him are designed to represent the local people, with darker skin, a humble expression and slightly bowed legs. The second is Saint James, the patron Saint of Spain, who was believed to have descended from heaven to help the Spanish conquer the Incas and whose representations show him riding on a horse and stepping on a fallen Inca.  How they can reconcile these two sacred figures in one church is still a mystery to us.

Confusion aside, we were pleased to meet a group of fellow travellers who seemed friendly and eager and a really good bunch of people to spend the next week with.  And so we were ready to head out to the hills...

Cusco Restaurants:  Greens, Green Point and the Inka Grill were three of our favourites.

Out on Lake Titicaca

After visiting the Floating Villages, we hitched a ride to Luquina on a "high speed" boat to do some kayaking.

The small rural community of Luquina is located on the Peninsula of Chucuito and offers fertile farming land and stunning vistas of Puno. The community has recently turned its attention to tourism, offering cozy homestay opportunities, various water activities and some very welcoming relaxation benches that were being built along the shoreline as we arrived.

Although it has made many strides, the community feels virtually untouched by foreigners.  It is not unusual for the infrequent tourists (we were seemingly the only ones to visit the community that day) to be approached by the local pigs, chickens and some very aggressive cows checking out these odd foreigners.

After receiving a briefing from our guide about kayaking technique (that would have certainly resulted in injuries, if followed) we headed out onto the open water.  During our paddle, we were followed very closely by a rowboat being navigated by the middle-aged woman who housed the kayaking equipment in her storage shed.  Whether she was following us to make sure we were safe or instead to make sure her equipment was safe is still unclear.  Whatever the reason, we were blown away by her ability to manoeuvre this rickety old rowboat with such ease and speed. Perhaps she is the one who should have been giving the boating technique lessons...

After a few hours of paddling, we arrived back at the mainland and headed up the hill to a local home for lunch.

The panorama from the home was exquisite, with views of the local farmers harvesting potatoes and carrots and tending to their animals. The quinoa soup, tortas and potatoes we enjoyed for lunch were just a preview of the delicious food we would encounter throughout our trip. We also learned of the Peruvian appetite, as our 115 pound guide scarfed down twice as much food as us, and seemed disappointed that he we had to leave so soon, lest he manage another bowl.

And as we headed back down to the water to hitch a ride home we felt totally content.

Home on the water...

Puno's main draw for tourists is as a launch point for Lake Titicaca to visit the 40 floating villages scattered around the lake.

The floating villages are inhabited by the Uros tribe, who pre-date the Incan people. The Uros tribe originally lived on the mainland but moved to boats and then floating villages primarily as a defensive move to avoid being conquered by the Incans.

The tribe makes each floating village out of totora reeds, stabilized by cork-like mounds of soil which act as a base.  The soil is tied to the lake floor by other reeds to stop the village from moving.  As the reeds rot over time, fresh layers of reeds are added every two weeks.  Huts and boats are also built out of these reeds, and must be replaced with heavy frequency.

Each floating village generally supports between 3 and 10 families, although one village is said to house about 100 people.

Each village has one President, and the title is rotated among the families to ensure fairness.

A new village is sometimes created to maintain harmony if families suffer unresolvable differences. To do that, they literally cut a village in half and the two parts float away from each other.

The families live almost all aspects of daily life on these floating villages - sleeping, cooking, eating, washing etc.  In addition, many of the villages have recently installed solar panels to generate electricity and enable the use of lights, radios and televisions as well.  Now only schooling and trade require them to travel to the mainland.

It would certainly be a different and hard life to live on these floating villages.  But the tribe seems very content and has been very resourceful in creating ways - such as tourism - to ensure its continued survival and success.

High in the sky...

In preparation for our hike to Machu Picchu, we headed to Puno and Lake Titicaca for a few days to get acclimatized to the high altitudes of Peru.

At 3800m above sea level, Lake Titicaca (on northern end of the altiplano of Peru) would be a great spot to relax and get used to the thin air.

Although nervous, we were lucky to suffer few effects of the high altitude besides a slight headache and unexpected "spins" the first day, and some slightly troubling dreams throughout our trip.

Puno city is not known as a major tourist hub, sporting a large number of unfinished buildings and roads, many "aggressive" stray dogs, and a good deal of garbage lining many a street.

Nonetheless, the city did have its charms, offering an attractive main square, very friendly locals and a surprisingly delicious vegan restaurant, The Loving Hut (part of the U.S. Chain).  Puno's main attraction for tourists, however, is as a launch point for trips onto Lake Titicaca (pronounced Lake Titi-haha), the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable lake in the world.

The altiplano of Peru

Another great surprise was our hotel, The Libertador, which first greeted us with throngs of police in riot gear (protecting a dignitary, we were pleased to find out) but later proved to be an incredibly relaxing and picturesque retreat.  Throughout our stay, we sipped coca tea, ate lots of quinoa soup and took advantage of the spa's hot tub (free after 4pm) to watch the sun set around the llamas grazing on the lawn outside.

A new part of London...

On the weekend, we explored a different part of London, taking a crowded walking tour called "Burnel's London".

The tour started with a boat trip along the Thames to look at the different bridges designed by the Burnel family before getting off in the Docklands and Greenwich to wander around and go to the site where they built the world's largest boat of the 1800s, The SS Great Eastern.

From there, we made a stop to see Wapping Station, home of the Thames Tunnel.  The Tunnel is the world's first under-river tunnel and was considered the Eighth Great Wonder of the World when it first opened.  

Our next stop was to the Brunel Museum to learn more about the making of the Thames Tunnel.  As part of the museum, you can descend into the Rotherhite Tunnel, a brilliant brick tower that was sunk into the ground by the power of its own weight and provided the launch pad for the workers to carve out the Thames Tunnel.  This building of the tunnel used a completely new way of tunnel building by relying on a reinforced moving wall that enabled workers to carve out small sections at a time and building a support structure all around it.

Although sunny, the day was very cold. The large tour size and a cancelled rail connection resulted in the tour moving at a glacial pace and by the time we finally got to the museum, we were absolutely freezing.  Thank goodness for the 400-year old Mayflower Pub just steps away.  It provided excellent vegetarian options and some deliciously warming beverages.

We really enjoyed exploring another part of London and are convinced that it is virtually impossible to run out of things to do in this incredible city.

Whenever we can...

It is always a treat to do a quick stopover in London - to see old friends, take in the magnificent city and gorge on theatre.

In between our work meetings and Geoff's conference, we were able to reconnect with Sarah, Dave, Janna, Steve (aka.Esteban) and the Assayags for a good catch up.

We also managed to fit in more theatre than was likely wise, seeing:

•  The Audience (starring Kristin Scott Thomas)
• Everyman (starring Chiwetel Ejiofor); and 
• Gypsy (starring Imelda Staunton).  

Each play had its own vibe and feel but the acting in all of them was magnificent.

Can you ever get enough of London?

They Do!

We made a quick stop back in Toronto to celebrate friends, Paul and Wendy, who were getting married on the weekend.

The day was bright and warm and perfect for their intimate and loving outdoor ceremony.  The heartfelt day was a beautiful reflection of their lives together as a couple and as a family and we were honoured to be a part of it.