‘Half way’ July – with a certain someone turning up!

Still here!

This month went very quickly as we focused a lot on work and getting a new place to stay. The end brought and old friend for Ian and a new friend for Cat! Morby came to town...

Crazy June – with a certain someone’s birthday!

Still in ‘the white door’ and working away we took a little break, starting with homemade Marucuya Sours, a traditional drink in Cusco, made with passion fruit, pisco and egg white!! Yummy. It also happened to be the month of celebrations in the city of Cusco. The rainbow flag of Cusco was hung from every possible window and the city had events on practically all month, it was like they knew it was Ian’s birthday! Young and old got involved…

Ian also worked this month in an orphanage teaching a class of girls who were living there. We were invited to a charity fundraiser during his time there and the children put on performances for the audience.

This was Ian's class of young ladies

Everyday something was happening on the main square, so it was no surprise when one day we headed down and the plaza was full of over decorated statues of deathly Christ’s and virginal Mary’s.

Sticking with the traditions of Cusco we ate the customary dish for the month, it wasn’t the most delicious plate I have tasted but when in Rome. It consisted of Cuy (Guinepig), salted pork, cold chicken, sausage, deep fried omelette and fish eggs to top it off, and it was called Chirriucho!





Then Mr Mckeags birthday came around and so did the cake and karaoke!

Finally we ended the month with the big Incan traditional ceremony to the sun, held to celebrate the return of the sun and end of winter in south America

There was lots of dancing, lots of different costumes, and lots of processions                                                

Macchu Picchu

Aguas Calientes

The road to Machu Picchu began with a much looked forward to stay at a previous hostel in Ollantaytambo, due to the hot and fast gas shower! After two showers that day and a long shower the following morning we left in the darkness and rode the shaky narrow gauge train through the Urubamba valley. Following the river to Aguas Calientais, we arrived in the strange town, sunk in the middle of jungle covered mountains rising steeply on each side. There was only one reason for this over priced shabby town, and we were it… tourists.

      

View from the balcony

We found a cheap(ish) room overlooking the wide and rapid Urubamba river, then spent the rest of the day wandering around before bed at 7pm, ready to get up at 3am. Originally planning on walking the 1,400 or so feet up to the ridge where the ruins sit, we were told the gates at the bottom didn’t open until 5am and it was an hour walk, and as only the first 400 visitors get an extra permit to climb another part of the ruins, we decided to take the bus! So at 3:10am, we sat in line for the buses, and by my counting we’d be on the first. 5 o’clock came round both slowly and quickly, and at 5:30am we snaked our way in the darkness up the 15 or so switchback hairpin bends until finally joining the 100 or so walkers who were already making their way in. After getting the necessary permits to climb Huayna Picchu we entered (unsearcherd and keeping our lunch) into the ruins!

The first view was indescribable, it was nothing like I’d imagined or seen in all those pictures. The location where this city has been built is unbelievable and it is what really makes this place so special and impressive. It perched  2,430 meters on a ledge which must have seemed uninhabitable before the terraces were carved and the top of the ridge flattened enough for the citadel.

 

The sun rose as we entered Huayna Picchu, the mountain which rises above the city and the backdrop to most pictures of Maccu Picchu. This is where the priest and chosen women lived. We climbed the steep path 1,180 feet above the city where more buildings and sacred areas were built on an even more impossible looking place than below. 

We sat on a small terrace, legs dangling, for a Ritz cracker and pate breakfast looking over the site and on down to the river which circles and rushes on past. Walking back, I wondered when the last Quechua Incan had walked the same steps, which hadn’t changed since they did.  

We spent the whole day exploring everything we could possible fit in, walking to the SunGate which offered another incredible aspect, the Inca Bridge which is very isolated and easy to imagine 500 years ago, and flicking the pages of our borrowed self-guide at every building, monument and feature we came across. It was soon 5 and the guards were trying to usher the remaining tourists back down. The site was nearly empty by now as we sat again on a terrace, legs dangling, watching the sun set behind the snowy mountains opposite from the ones it rose from 10 hours ago.



Sunset




  

Pizza and wine!

We walked back down, crossed the river we’d heard all day, and looked back up to the few buildings you can see from the bottom. Now getting dark, we headed back to the hostal for a box of wine and a pizza on the balcony, before getting the train back to our temporary home of Cusco. 

The tea break reading is back!!

So it has been too long since I have up dated this and sorry if you haven’t had anything to read in your tea break but I am back and now you have a 24 page spread on what we have been doing!! Only joking but should keep you going while you dunk you biscuitsJ

I will start with an update about what has kept us so distracted, in one word, work! You know the story I am sure, but we were employed in May by a school in Cusco to teach English and it has been a dream. A great collection of students and teachers has made our first teaching English job really enjoyable. One of the best invitations we had in our first month of teaching was to the main square to watch a traditional dancing competition performed in front of the whole city! Little did we know the invitation included a little dance with the performers also!! Check out the outfits…

Also we checked out of our hostel and managed to find an apartment for awhile, it was in a cute little street, I say 'was' because it has all changed now and we have moved but for a month and a half we lived behind ‘the white door’ where we managed to hold the best official sock skating contest ever!

(the jury is still out on who won!!)