Machu Picchu w pełnej okazałości

Machu Picchu - z innej strony vol. II

7:10 a.m.

Before 7:10 a.m.:
From Arica (the city on the chilenian side of Peru-Chile border) we went after 2 p.m.. The weather was perfect, (25C and no clouds, even a one) we all had cold water in the portable fridge, the girls were very nice (I was told that boys also weren't bad) and the food was the best. And paradoxicaly we neaded to stay a bit longer - our tire had a hole. After siesta the tire garages where again opened and the tire was fixed (it was a small screw). After big lunch we left Arica.
A bit closer to 7:10 a.m.:
My dad and my uncle said that they feel good. They bought few red bulls, cocks but after some time we needed fuel, like every car all the more our burn 20-22 l. per 100 km. After passing few towns with no gas station we wondered what's going on. Finally we asked someone for one. He asked if he can go in the car because it's quite far. A second later he was in our car on the main road. And ten minutes later our car was in front of a house with no windows on ground flour and with garbage as neighbours. The guy claimed it's a gas station. A while later a old man opened the doors and ask how much do we want to tank. Answer "50 liters" didn't suprice him at all. The all gas mess took an hours but we tanked.
Finally 7:10 a.m.:
I woke up. We slept in the car. The road was not sand and stones but real cement black road so I slept without any problems. I had a great dream but when I opened my eyes I thought it's still not finished. OR... That I woke up after a month. We were at the level of 4300 meters on a desert with... snow everywhere. It was more or less 0C'. And when our lovely car got stuck in the snow and we asked someone can he help he said straight away "no" which was really rude on a desert full of snow, ice and lamas! That's San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (the first thing you think about this place after entering it is: "o my, it's the end of the World! It's a hole which was forgoten by God and people", but after two hours you say: "o my God, this place is heaven for travelling people"). And at the end - we made our promise become true - we did sleep at the desert in our tent (today will be the second night).

Bye Peru, hello Chile

The group of ours were waiting for Chile. Ofcurse Peru is wonderful but it's quite expensive compering for example to Ecuador (the lowest gas price from USA). In Lima they gaved a bill for 40 kg of meat, when we took only 40 dag. Be carefull. In Peru there is a rule that if you show your passport or ID and it will prove you're not from Peru you can ask for cating the 18% tax. We asked for that and the recepcionist did it, but she caunted 20% of hotel service which is normally included - so one day, and two situation when they wanted to rob us. Not really a good memory. Later on was the Machu Picchu which I wrote aboute few days ago.
Yesterday we made the first border not at day time. Normally we were always around 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and yesterday it was 10 but p.m. The Chilenian border is the most similar to the European ones. Border guards are in the oficial uniforms (not like in Central America), they speak in English (not like in Central America) and if you don't understand the spanish fillout paper they help right away. The even let the police dog inside our car, but he wasn't in a good shape because he didn't find our holiday suvenirs - coca candies from Arequipa. They only took our cheese but they sprayed it with something green so I guess they won't eat it. In Chile it's six hours of diffrence (one less then in Peru, Ecuador or Colombia).

Puno - Arequipa (day 55)

We left Puna in the morning. The lake Titicaca didn't make us stay. It was dry and the city around it, was ugly like any other. Yesterday evening, when we were driving to Puno we thought it's beautiful. The lights made it look from the hill like Acapulco or better. But then we didn't see any paths just sand roads with wild dogs in garbage. After an hour of driving around we come to a hotel with lights and windows. We took it straight away.
The next day we started the part of the trip to Arequipa. There were two roads to this city - a shorter one and a longer one. It seams easy which one to choose, but we did pick the longer one, because half of the road was just beside the deepest canyon in the world! The views were incredible, and we did beet our record. We were on the level of 5000 meters. And at the end of the the first part of the road we saw three condors. They're so smooth, so stylish, they can wait hours without moving theirs wings - just let the wind blow in to the 3 meters wide wings. I would try to made other people to ride this fantastic road, but letter one it changes to a disaster. From Huambo to El Alto there is 65 miles. That seams like an hour, maybe even less. But because this part is made from sand and stones it took us 3 hours. But that was the only minus of this longer road.

Machu Picchu z innej strony

8 sierpnia przyjechaliśmy do miejscowości Ollantaytambo, z której wyjeżdżają pociągi do Machupicchu Pueblo, skąd autobusy zabierają turystów na Machu Picchu. Jadąc tutaj czytaliśmy o tym miejscu - że kilka lat temu dołączyło ono do światowego dziedzictwa UNESCO itd. Jednak nie było nic o cenach - sądziliśmy, więc, że nie mogą być wysokie. Jedyna informacja to taka, że Peruwiańczycy płacą 10 razy mniej za wszystkie bilety. Jak dojechaliśmy okazało się jednak, że bilet w jedną stronę pociągiem (czyli jedna z czterech opłat) kosztują 69$ od osoby. I nie ma szans żeby bilety kupili nam tutejsi, bo bilet kupuje się na konkretną osobą - numer paszportu, czyli nie da się nic zrobić. Nie będąc nawet w połowie drogi do Machu Picchu mieliśmy już trochę dość - 1980 złoty za bilety za naszą grupę w jedną stronę do Machupicchu Pueblo. Następnie pani sprzedała nam bilety z możliwością wspinania się na okoliczne cztero tysięczniki, ale jest zakaz na wspinanie się po 13, a my je kupiliśmy o 14. Mówiliśmy tej pracowniczce, że nam się nie przydadzą te t r z y  razy droższe bilety. Kobieta jednak powiedziała, że na Machu Pichcu jest 5000 osób i nie może nam sprzedać już tych normalnych. Jaasne. Kolejne 45$ od osoby. Autobus był stosunkowo tani, i jadąc po drodze mającej 20 cm pobocza od 500 metrowej przepaści wjechaliśmy na górę. Tam wbicie do paszportu pieczątek wejścia i upragnione przejście bramy. 200$ od osoby. Jednak widoki niesamowite, budowle z kamienia zrobione pod perfekcyjnym kątem. Nawet 2500 osób obecnych w tym samym czasie co my nie przeszkadzało nam. Piękne tarasy, na których kiedyś się uprawiało róźne rzeczy np. kukurydze. Ogromne miejsca sakralne i dwie tafle wody, który ustalały termin pracy rolnikom, którzy stanowili ponad połowę miasta. Tajemniczą sprawą jest, że Hiszpanie, którzy zdobyli całą Amerykę Południową w XVI wieku w 28 lat jądąc tylko na koniach nie zdobyli Machu Picchu. Jeżeli ktoś będzie chodził po tym pięknym miejscu bez przewodnika tłumaczę - flagi kojarzone z Pokojem i Społecznością Homoseksualną w tym regionie czymś innym. Otóż są flagą Cusco, dawnej stolicy Inków. Osoby odpowiedzialne za organizację ruchu i wysokość biletów do Machu Picchu wykorzystują to co przez pięć pokoleń robili ich ojcowie i matki i  pobierają ponad 500 000 $ dziennie. Te liczby przeszkadzają w oglądaniu tego miejsca - 4200 złoty za 4 godziny Machu Picchu, ale co zrobić. Miejsce piękne i nie do zrozumienia w XXI wieku, że wszystko może się kręcić w okół religii i słońca. Dodatkową atrakcją dla zwiedzających są dziesiątki lam chodzących samowolnie po terenie Machu Picchu.

More of San Blas

San Blas (Carabian Sea)

Central point of North America

Thereabout day 50

We are now in Lima, Peru. We did from yesterday morning 1500 km (from Milagro, Ecuador). We will stay here for two days and two nights. After making 1300 km in Peru I can say in the name of the group that quide was wrong about the routes. It is writtin' that the roads are mostly dust roads, the gas station are infrequent and that the drivers are more or less terrible. The gas station are in cities and towns, the roads are the same quality as the country roads in USA, and the drivers... in the day they're fine. But when the night comes they change - when it's dark everybody have to put the car lights on. They also do. But the put the long lights, which are use to drive in the fog and they don't care. And after few hours of driving around long lights you get really tired.
Lima is in the process of building the day and night life zone on the beach. They already did a great, wide path, and few high level standard tennis clubs but the restaurants and bars are not ready yet. There are many of apartaments, not older then few years but no, for example... hotels. While drving 2,5 h around Lima we saw four hotels and two hostels. Thats not enough for a city with this big ambitions.
The most expencive and elegant region of Lima is Miraflores where you can find many seciurities making sure everything is ok. In the ATM machines you have an option of choosing between american dollars and peruvian sols. Choose sols, because it's really hard to pay in USD. More information about Lima and Peru soon (pictures too).