Reed Islands and Inca’s

I thought that I had missed the chance to see the islands of Lake Titikaka, but the enforced move proved to be a blessing in some ways. The smaller reed islands are easily reached from Puno, and a thee hour tour let me see some of the images from the school books of my childhood up close and personal. It’s mainly for the tourists today that the people of the Islands dress up and either invite you in to look at their homes or even to stay overnight, but the reality is that they have been living there for thousands of years and it’s still a sight to see.


The Reed Islands & Boats


The Tuk Tuk's are back!!

The next target was the city of Cusco and from there the ancient Incan city of Machu Pichu. The hotel I had booked online had been overbooked and when I arrived they apologised profusely and arranged for another hotel for the first night free of charge. The next morning I met a couple of American lads, Doug and Eric, that had also suffered the same fate. The harp that Doug was carrying is another story, but after returning to our original hotel we then all caught a cab up to the top of the Mountain at the back of Cusco to the Incan ruins of Tambomanchay then walked all the way back to the city centre taking in three more sets of ruins on the way. I expected a walk, but not 10km!!


Cusco is a beautiful old city

The next day I had booked to go to see Machu Pichu. The cab was ready at 05.15 to take me to the rail station, where because of landslides that had blocked the track they were busing passengers to Ollantaytambo (a two hour ride) where we would then pick up the train to Machu Pichu. This is the only way to get there as private vehicles are not allowed. The ancient ruins are then another 30-minute ride up a very steep, very twisty, dirt road.


It's a long twisty road to the top

It’s a spectacular sight when you get to the top and see the extent of what was a huge city that the Inca’s built in the fourteenth century. The block work is so incredibly accurate that you can't slide a piece of paper between them, and there were no modern tools available to achieve this. The ride back started at 17.00 with the train and by the time I got back to Cusco it was 22.00. All in all a very long day, but worth it.


Perched on the top of the mountains


It was quite a sizable city


Built on some of the steepest mountains I've been in


Somehow it just doesn't seem right with the Christmas tree!

The next day was a long one too with a tour of the Sacred Valley. Visiting the towns of Pisac, Urabamba, and again Ollantaytambo. But the end I was pretty much all Inca’d out.




The terracing at Ollantaytambo


The Spanish even used some of the Inca stone work to build there Churches on

One thing to say in the defence of the Hotel. I don’t think I have ever encountered better service anywhere. The Torre Dorada not only is a comfortable place to stay, the staff go over and above what is necessary to make sure you have everything you need including giving you a mobile phone to call for one of the three cars any time of day or night.

One final day catching up on the final bits and pieces in the town and then it was on to Nazca. The road fro Cuzco to Nazca is 650km and I think there is about 20km of straight road in the lot!! On any normal day any part of this road would be a bikers dream. Good tarmac and switchback bends all the way up the mountains and all the way down. But when you are trying to get the distance done it was very hard work. Plus at one point over the Altiplano because I was that high and the storm hit, the rain turned to hail and settled. I was then trying to ride though two inches of ice on the road!!


Ice was the last thing I expected

I arrived in Nazca and after getting something to eat I fell immediately asleep and didn't wake up until the following morning. When I did I have been aching all over from the previous days ride, hard work.

Instead of paying $150 for a half hour joy flight over the Nazca Lines, myself and another couple caught the local bus out to a viewing platform to get a taste. The lines are an enigma, and there is no logical explanation. You always keep coming back to the visitors from outer space!! They are located in the middle of a very large, hot, dusty desert plane, about 10km north of the town.


Either the Frog or Hands in a tree depending on how you look at it


The lines are so straight and go for quite a distance. Why??