Chile and Peru trip.

Well, we just got back from our 3 week trip into Chile and Peru over the girls Christmas break. Our mode of transport was mostly buses like this. Fancy bus like this cost about a dollar or two for every hour you are on the bus, and you can usually find a somewhat express to where you are going. No worries about going hungry on an 8 hour ride. Eventually someone will get on the bus and sell you fried llama meat, or fresh hot corn on the cob with slice of cheese, or a bag of somewhat fresh rolls.

A total of 58 hours of bus riding in 3 weeks.

Pop a motion sickness pill an hour before the bus rolls, make sure you have a roll of toilet paper for the infrequent stops, an extra sweatshirt to prop your neck, and get ready for the possibility of 3 consecutive Arnold Swartzenager movies in spanish on the ceiling mounted 12" screen as you careen through the Atacama Desert.

Chile.

I'd always heard that parts of Chile were a lot like Alaska. But here in the very north, in the Atacama Desert, they only get a few mm of rain a year, so its completely different, but with similar ocean life.

Arica, Chile is a desert on land with rich marine life in the ocean.

Seiners anchored up outside the harbor of Arica.

Pecking order in the harbor.

We watched, fascinated, for a couple hours as fish scraps were thrown into the harbor and the pecking order was revealed. This is how it went: On land… Dogs (on the large side) over Pelicans and Pelicans over cats, cats over very tiny, skinny, wormy kittens. In the water…Sea Lions (called Lobos) rule. Pelicans over gulls and herons and invertebrates get the scraps.

Hostels for accomadations were mostly great.

Frances and Tom plan the next move in our favorite hostel common area and kitchen in Arica.

Good morning, dear.

Franny on the way to the shared bathroom across the courtyard at a Cusco hostal we stayed in.

Maggie has alien invade inner eye.

We think something from the ocean invaded Maggies eye, and she was very brave and fought it off with antibiotic eye drops.

Its not in the guide book.

Tom heard of a beach that was not on most maps, couldn’t be found on the web and wasn’t in Lonely Planet and was determined to go. He offered to scout without us, but we got into the spirit. Here we are in Boca del Rio (the mystery spot) having a tamale and a coke 5 min after arrival waiting for the next bus out of town. I did however find this shrine to San Pedro when I walked around. (above) Looks to me like he must be the patron saint of fishermen, at least in Boca del Rio. Oh well, we were only out 3 hours of bus riding and Maggie made friends with a lively group of fellows in the back of the bus who asked in Spanish, among other things, how much pot costs in United States, if she had a boyfriend, and if she had friends without boyfriends. They were on their way to dive for sea urchins.

Strange New Years Eve traditions.

We were told you must buy yellow underwear and change into it after midnight for good luck in the new year. Here we are in a local market and Tom didn’t think the South American XL was going to do it, and the vender was adamant that, yes, it would fit just fine. He offered to show her on the spot it would be too small, but in the end we all bought a pair. Some with lace.

Eat one grape and make a wish for every month of the year.

Really loud and not pretty firecrackers all night.

We are in the main plaza and all cringing as our ears are blasted with random acts of gun powder. . My right ear is still suffering from one labeled: “Daddies Big Voice” Maggie lit off next to me. Oh, and confetti is big here, yellow for New Year’s.

Cusco, Peru

Stairs near our hostel in Cusco, San Blas zone. We visited many ruins, browsed artisan shops, ate “cuy” (guinea pig), hunted Alpaca yarn, spent probably too much time in an Irish Pub awaiting a late night bus departure, and said “No gracias” a lot to street venders in Cusco. Amazing, wonderful city.

Cate at a ruin puzzling over the many Incan mysteries of stonework.

Trapezoidal niches

The Inca liked trapezoids. Windows, doors, street layout and many of these niches are all trapezoids. Niches in the walls could have been used for shelves inside houses, for idols or statues, or for mummies. Amazing that these granite rocks were worked over 400 years ago.

Incan profile

We had an incredible experience at Machu Picchu in part because of our well educated and hilarious guide Horacio. He spoke English with, what we think, was a French accent. He had some great analogies and comments. When talking about the rock building technique being strong, he concluded with: “They built it this way in case of earthquakes or crazy Arabs.” Here he is, showing us his Quechua profile and how it matches the skyline of Machu Picchu.

Happy New Year to everyone, from the top of Wayna Picchu above Machu Picchu!!!