Los turistas

train to Machu Pichu

Machu Pichu from Putucusi

Market of Urubamba

Salt baths

After a short trip through the Peruvian air I was picked up at the Cusco-airport by some nice people: my family.
Cusco is the old capital of the Inca-kingdom; that means a lot of culture.
The first two days there was a strike (again, second in two weeks), but that was allright, because all the ruines were for free.
So I took advandtage of that and visited three in one day. On my walk I met some nice people, so we were in a small group. That was fun and save: a bit later we saw an American who was going alone and got robbed, so...

It was very nice to stay with my family in Cusco! It's amazing to experience such a hospitality!
On sunday we went for a family trip to Tipon: some more ruines, very nice one though. Old terraces of the incas with a large water system, it brings water from 40km far.
The day ended with some traditional Peruvian food: Chicharon

The week after I took the train to Aquas Calientes and climbed there Putucusi. It's a mountain right in front of Machu Pichu and a good alternative if you want to enjoy the beauty of the ruines, but not have to walk in line with the other tourists.
(for example: everyday there are more then 500 tourists at Machu Pichu and on Putucusi there were just 3 of us.)

I went back to Cusco via some small villages and local transport, very nice and cheap! (tourist train to Machu Pichu: 50US and back with local transport: less then 2US)
I really enjoyed the little towns Ollantaytambo and in Urubamba I hiked up a hill wich is used for gaining salt, it's a take over from the incas and there are over 5000 little baths where -really salty- water evaporates and salt gets left behind.

I arrived back to my private litlle hostel on friday and took a day of to relax.
The day after I invited my family for a pizza and afterwards I went to town.
It was the start of an amazing night.
Start whole alone and end up between lots of nice people: English and Dutch volunteers.
A night to remember! (veel schoenverkoopsters!)

That weekend the family trip was to an old hacienda. Very nice, the surrounding aswell as the old building. Too bad of the small, little flies that loved me apparently and could not stop biting me. ( 5 days later I still have, very itchy, leftovers! )

For so far the Inca Culture in Cusco.

That night I took the bus to Arequipa.
And that's where I'm right now. I going tomorrow for a 3 day trek through the Colca Canyon and afterwards do a downhill with a mountain bike: from 4800m, 7 hours pulling that breaks!
After that I will go and conquer some new territory: Bolivia!

So that's all for now, keep up the good work, I'll do the same!

un abrazo para todos,
Andries,x