Saturday 28 April - London
As I write this on Sunday morning I'm still amazed at how well I've pulled up. Last night I was as rotten as I'd been for quite a while. The reason (read excuse) was the World Cup Final at the Walkabout Inn in Angel, Islington. The rain delay didn't help either, extending the session well into the night. The killer was a couple of warmish VB cans I started hooking into halfway through the Sri Lankan innings, in celebration of the pending Aussie victory. Yada yada yada, outside I ran into a friend I hadn't seen for a fair while, the champion Hawthorn CHB, Chris Mew.
A few familiar faces joined us around 6 - Becky, Jon and Jess, part of the now disbanded Boston crew, who were staying in London overnight and came to experience a part of the real London - a pub full of expat Australians. I actually left before the cricket had finished (but by which time the result was known) to have a beer elsewhere with them, as they had earlier gone for a feed with Libe but couldn't get back into the pub. In the meantime, I'd been celebrating the game with Tim, Brendan and Simon.
Libe spent the arvo with An and her boyfriend Mark down in Richmond, including a float down the river on a rowboat. I'll get a picture up here a.s.a.p. Pictures of me during the day are best not posted and (thankfully) non-existent.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday 27 April - London
Finally got out at 1pm and saw London. We elected to buy an Oyster Card (like Melbourne's Metcard) and to use the bus system, as opposed to the Tube (subway), given you can't see much of the city when you're below ground. The buses take a little longer than the Tube, but the bus system (for which all buses used are double deckers) is really good and takes you to pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Jumped off the 91 bus at Trafalgar Square and headed to the Thames, to walk between the Jubilee Bridge and the Tower Bridge along the Queens Walk, which runs along the river. The heritage of the city is very well preserved. One of the first things that immediately jumps out at you is that there's very few skyscrapers in London. The result is that the city area itself is spread over a wide expanse and scattered in a number of different areas.
Something else that's also evident is that the local men are a lot more fashionable and take more care in their appearance than those in the US. It's like Australia in that there is almost a competition amongst the males.
Finished up after dusk at the Shepherd's Market, which is a small area just north of Green Park & the Buckingham Palace where a number of pubs are close by. People, predominantly the after-work crowd, stand outside on the street and drink the night away, although there's a different drinking culture here - it's about drinking more often but probably not in as big a quantity. The Australian way is more about binge drinking i.e. the massive Saturday night. The Pommy way here is a few beers after work during the week on manybe two or three occasions. This might be the reason why the pubs close at 11. Brendan, Jen, myself and Libe were joined by their friends Sarah & Tim and a couple of familar faces from oz - Messres McWilliam & Thompson (not Bomber), with whom we traded travel stories with for quite a few pints.
It's tough when at the bar here. There doesn't seem to be any etiquette where if the man next to you at the bar has arrived there before you, you handball the bar staff's attention to them. It's more about whoever gets the staff's attention gets a beer. A couple of times during the day I wanted to give a couple of middle aged women (who appeared to be the Toff type) a spray for clearly jumping in front of quite a few people, but then got the notion that it's the practice here.
Fosters is surprisingly popular here. I've seen more Fosters ordered and drunk than any other beer. Costs about £2.80 to £2.90 per pint, and certainly tastes better here than back in the Outback Steakhouse in the states.
Finally got out at 1pm and saw London. We elected to buy an Oyster Card (like Melbourne's Metcard) and to use the bus system, as opposed to the Tube (subway), given you can't see much of the city when you're below ground. The buses take a little longer than the Tube, but the bus system (for which all buses used are double deckers) is really good and takes you to pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Jumped off the 91 bus at Trafalgar Square and headed to the Thames, to walk between the Jubilee Bridge and the Tower Bridge along the Queens Walk, which runs along the river. The heritage of the city is very well preserved. One of the first things that immediately jumps out at you is that there's very few skyscrapers in London. The result is that the city area itself is spread over a wide expanse and scattered in a number of different areas.
Something else that's also evident is that the local men are a lot more fashionable and take more care in their appearance than those in the US. It's like Australia in that there is almost a competition amongst the males.
Finished up after dusk at the Shepherd's Market, which is a small area just north of Green Park & the Buckingham Palace where a number of pubs are close by. People, predominantly the after-work crowd, stand outside on the street and drink the night away, although there's a different drinking culture here - it's about drinking more often but probably not in as big a quantity. The Australian way is more about binge drinking i.e. the massive Saturday night. The Pommy way here is a few beers after work during the week on manybe two or three occasions. This might be the reason why the pubs close at 11. Brendan, Jen, myself and Libe were joined by their friends Sarah & Tim and a couple of familar faces from oz - Messres McWilliam & Thompson (not Bomber), with whom we traded travel stories with for quite a few pints.
It's tough when at the bar here. There doesn't seem to be any etiquette where if the man next to you at the bar has arrived there before you, you handball the bar staff's attention to them. It's more about whoever gets the staff's attention gets a beer. A couple of times during the day I wanted to give a couple of middle aged women (who appeared to be the Toff type) a spray for clearly jumping in front of quite a few people, but then got the notion that it's the practice here.
Fosters is surprisingly popular here. I've seen more Fosters ordered and drunk than any other beer. Costs about £2.80 to £2.90 per pint, and certainly tastes better here than back in the Outback Steakhouse in the states.
Thursday 26 April - London
We've only got a total of 7 days in London. You can make that 6 now as we didn't leave Brendan & Jen's house today until the early evening. Having only had about 3.5 hours sleep on Wednesday, and 6 hours (max) for each of the two previous nights, the lack of sleep kicked in, and I didn't arise until 12 and Libe until 3pm. Once we finally did get going, we made it down to the local pub for a feed of Thai & participation in the weekly Thursday night trivia, where, if we'd actually handed in our answers, we would have finished last out of about 10 or so teams.
At least we found out that the largest part of our brains is used to control the hands - you learn something new everyday.
The poms are allowed to smoke in their pubs here, which doesn't happen in either the US or Peru. I didn't realise how much I appreciated this actually - looking forward to the smoking ban being enforced in Oz.
Getting about 2.45 dollars to the pound. Fair to say that the bank balance might take bit of a hit here.
Good to see the Aussies smash the Saffas in the Carribean. Now off to the Walkabout on Saturday with Brendan to hopefully watch the boys claim their deserved title over a few pints.
We've only got a total of 7 days in London. You can make that 6 now as we didn't leave Brendan & Jen's house today until the early evening. Having only had about 3.5 hours sleep on Wednesday, and 6 hours (max) for each of the two previous nights, the lack of sleep kicked in, and I didn't arise until 12 and Libe until 3pm. Once we finally did get going, we made it down to the local pub for a feed of Thai & participation in the weekly Thursday night trivia, where, if we'd actually handed in our answers, we would have finished last out of about 10 or so teams.
At least we found out that the largest part of our brains is used to control the hands - you learn something new everyday.
The poms are allowed to smoke in their pubs here, which doesn't happen in either the US or Peru. I didn't realise how much I appreciated this actually - looking forward to the smoking ban being enforced in Oz.
Getting about 2.45 dollars to the pound. Fair to say that the bank balance might take bit of a hit here.
Good to see the Aussies smash the Saffas in the Carribean. Now off to the Walkabout on Saturday with Brendan to hopefully watch the boys claim their deserved title over a few pints.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Monday 9 April - Cuzco
Free day - nothing scheduled. Thus didn't leave the hotel until midday.
Had a look at Coricancha, a Spanish catholic cathedral built on top of Inca ruins after the Spanish came and took control of the town in the 15th century.
I suppose you get what you pay for in life, as a general rule. The meals here have been fantastic quality at a very low price (when considered in AUD), however Peru hasn't been the best place to get a quick sit-down meal. True to form, lunch arrived in front of us probably an hour after ordering. The same would happen at tea.
Tonight's feed was at a really cool bar called Mama Africa, which overlooks Cuzco's main square (Plaza de Armas). I'm sure all of us here have really loved the atmosphere in Cuzco, and in Peru for that matter. You don't feel threatened at all and the people are friendly and helpful. Unlike the US, there appears to be few ID checks. And the fact that I've been hooking into AUD $5 620ml Cervaza's can't be a bad thing either.
This is where the fun begins tonight. Libe was wearing her NY-bought Kenneth Cole flat shoes which provide as little grip on the sole as any shoe could possibly do. Couple this with a very slippery cobblestone road around the Plaza and, like me with raw fish, you've got a recipe for disaster.
I actually didn't see her fall; all I saw was Libe lying on her back, having hit the ground like the proverbial sack of spuds. She'd fallen on her back and her elbow, and made a fair thud in the process.
Within half a minute of having put our heads on pillows in the Inka's Dream Hostel, we'd (or should that read I'd) made the decision to head off to the hospital, via a short cab trip. Now I don't think that the Cuzco public hospital is the most comforting of places at the best of times, however approaching midnight on a Monday night in what probably were 3rd world facilities it really wasn't the ideal location for spending time on a vacation.
We think the two spanish GPs, one from either gender, might have been taking the piss out of the Aussies; whether or not they were will never be known due to our lack of handle with the Spanish dialect. We can't knock their efficiency though. Within an hour, we'd had an x-ray done and read for about 5 AUD, and were heading back to the hostel in a cab. The x-ray came back clear (we assume), despite Libe being a very sore girl.
Free day - nothing scheduled. Thus didn't leave the hotel until midday.
Had a look at Coricancha, a Spanish catholic cathedral built on top of Inca ruins after the Spanish came and took control of the town in the 15th century.
I suppose you get what you pay for in life, as a general rule. The meals here have been fantastic quality at a very low price (when considered in AUD), however Peru hasn't been the best place to get a quick sit-down meal. True to form, lunch arrived in front of us probably an hour after ordering. The same would happen at tea.
Tonight's feed was at a really cool bar called Mama Africa, which overlooks Cuzco's main square (Plaza de Armas). I'm sure all of us here have really loved the atmosphere in Cuzco, and in Peru for that matter. You don't feel threatened at all and the people are friendly and helpful. Unlike the US, there appears to be few ID checks. And the fact that I've been hooking into AUD $5 620ml Cervaza's can't be a bad thing either.
This is where the fun begins tonight. Libe was wearing her NY-bought Kenneth Cole flat shoes which provide as little grip on the sole as any shoe could possibly do. Couple this with a very slippery cobblestone road around the Plaza and, like me with raw fish, you've got a recipe for disaster.
I actually didn't see her fall; all I saw was Libe lying on her back, having hit the ground like the proverbial sack of spuds. She'd fallen on her back and her elbow, and made a fair thud in the process.
Within half a minute of having put our heads on pillows in the Inka's Dream Hostel, we'd (or should that read I'd) made the decision to head off to the hospital, via a short cab trip. Now I don't think that the Cuzco public hospital is the most comforting of places at the best of times, however approaching midnight on a Monday night in what probably were 3rd world facilities it really wasn't the ideal location for spending time on a vacation.
We think the two spanish GPs, one from either gender, might have been taking the piss out of the Aussies; whether or not they were will never be known due to our lack of handle with the Spanish dialect. We can't knock their efficiency though. Within an hour, we'd had an x-ray done and read for about 5 AUD, and were heading back to the hostel in a cab. The x-ray came back clear (we assume), despite Libe being a very sore girl.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Sunday 8 April - Inca Trail 4th day to Machu Picchu, Agues Calientes to Cuzco
Up at 4am to a strong fog. Still pitch black, and with very few hours sleep behind us (probably just over 6), we eventually got moving at 5:30. Unfortunately the fog hadn't lifted by 6:30 when we reached the Sun Gate - on a clear day, from here we would have had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. This morning, we saw only slightly more than what Ray Charles did when he completed the hike.
From 6:55 until 7:30 we walked in anticipation of arriving at MP. It was almost a surprise when, still in the fog, we found ourselves actually in Machu Picchu, for there was no real signage when coming in via the Inca Trail that the one has arrived. The fog also did not allow us to appreciate the true grandeur of the view. It would clear within the hour anyway.
Summarising the trip to MP, it's just an unforgettable experience. The ruins are just amazing and a real reward for completing the trek. When the fog cleared and the surrounding landscape unveiled itself I think everyone was quite awestruck. Although we'd passed and seen plenty of ruins along the trail, these were many times bigger and generally in better condition. I'll admit to being quite sore this morning during the final morning's hike, particularly in my left knee, however only having access to this place for such a short period of time (only half a day) somehow conjured up a sufficient amount of energy to climb Huanya Picchu, the extremely steep mountain behind MP which offers the best overall view of the lost city.
I've taken a million photos of this scene so I'll let them paint the picture.
After MP, it was onto Aguas Caliente for what would could have been a little feet-up time, however Libe wanted to haggle at the local markets for some scarves thus it was pretty much all business down there. Late in the arvo it was on the train from AC to Ollantaytambo, running along side the magnificent River Urabamba and its amazing, inhospitable rapids, where hardly a word was said amongst the Intrepid crew. The silence was either due to being enthralled by the river or due to justifiable exhaustion. This silence continued on the bus trip from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco, briefly interrupted by the maniac tendencies of our bus driver, which included the decision to overtake a tip truck (which had 6 people riding in the open air in its tray by the way) on a cliffside with a right hand turn a couple of hundred metres away. We eventually made it back to Cuzco safe and sound.
Fair to say we all hit the sack tonight; no partying for us. But certainly a satisfying day.
Up at 4am to a strong fog. Still pitch black, and with very few hours sleep behind us (probably just over 6), we eventually got moving at 5:30. Unfortunately the fog hadn't lifted by 6:30 when we reached the Sun Gate - on a clear day, from here we would have had our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. This morning, we saw only slightly more than what Ray Charles did when he completed the hike.
From 6:55 until 7:30 we walked in anticipation of arriving at MP. It was almost a surprise when, still in the fog, we found ourselves actually in Machu Picchu, for there was no real signage when coming in via the Inca Trail that the one has arrived. The fog also did not allow us to appreciate the true grandeur of the view. It would clear within the hour anyway.
Summarising the trip to MP, it's just an unforgettable experience. The ruins are just amazing and a real reward for completing the trek. When the fog cleared and the surrounding landscape unveiled itself I think everyone was quite awestruck. Although we'd passed and seen plenty of ruins along the trail, these were many times bigger and generally in better condition. I'll admit to being quite sore this morning during the final morning's hike, particularly in my left knee, however only having access to this place for such a short period of time (only half a day) somehow conjured up a sufficient amount of energy to climb Huanya Picchu, the extremely steep mountain behind MP which offers the best overall view of the lost city.
I've taken a million photos of this scene so I'll let them paint the picture.
After MP, it was onto Aguas Caliente for what would could have been a little feet-up time, however Libe wanted to haggle at the local markets for some scarves thus it was pretty much all business down there. Late in the arvo it was on the train from AC to Ollantaytambo, running along side the magnificent River Urabamba and its amazing, inhospitable rapids, where hardly a word was said amongst the Intrepid crew. The silence was either due to being enthralled by the river or due to justifiable exhaustion. This silence continued on the bus trip from Ollantaytambo to Cuzco, briefly interrupted by the maniac tendencies of our bus driver, which included the decision to overtake a tip truck (which had 6 people riding in the open air in its tray by the way) on a cliffside with a right hand turn a couple of hundred metres away. We eventually made it back to Cuzco safe and sound.
Fair to say we all hit the sack tonight; no partying for us. But certainly a satisfying day.
Looking over ruins in the upper sector of the city, which was largely used for residential and worship purposes. On the right are the huge terraces built by the Incas which was used for agriculture. It is believed that the Incas constructed these terraces, fortified through rock walls, to (1) stabilise the hill and to (2) create the different conditions necessary to grow different crops (for example, there has been up to a 60 fahrenheit degree difference recorded in the temperature between ledges at the top and bottom of one of these terraces).
The Intrepid Group.
Back - Larry from Washington DC, Ryan from Middle Park TAB, John from Melbourne in the white floppy, Michael the Brit, Catriona (I think from Ireland), Andrew and Paul (both from Seaford, although they travel that much they could well be classified as nomadic).
Front - Lisa from Melbourne (Larry's missus), Simone checking out Libe, Libe from Shailer Park, Jo the Brit, and Lauren (brother to Andrew and daughter to Paul).
Absent - Marybelle (from Ireland).
John tries to squeeze through a tiny tunnel that one had to pass through to reach the peak of Huanya Picchu, the mountain behind Macchu Picchu.Despite a sore knee I took the 35 minutes to climb up (and the 40 minutes to climb down) to reach the peak of this mountain. I might not have, bar for the insistence of Don Rankin before I left mountain that 'you've just got to climb this mountain'. It was certainly worth it.
A few of the inclines on the climb of Huanya Picchu were certainly more steep and demanding than anything we'd encountered on the Inca Trail. Libe had opted not to do this climb, and I was glad she did - I'm not sure if her knees would have fully held up here.
Aguas Caliente. This name might sound familiar - it was the name of the last race won by Phar Lap before he was murdered (like an Iraqi civilian) by the Septics. This train line, played on by kids and running right next to shops and a busy pedestrian footpath, is frequently used by an express between AC and Ollantaytambo. Fair to say this wouldn't be seen in oz.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Sat 7 April – Inca Trail, 3rd day
A big day was needed given we were 3 km short of our intended 2nd night camp. Half an hour in (just after 8), we had climbed to 3.76km and reached the Runkurakay ruins, one of the many sites, particularly archaelogical, that are scattered along the trek and provide welcome mental breaks.
By 9:20 we reached the second pass (elevation 3.9km), Sayaqmarka by 10:45 (3.6km up), and lunch at Chaquicocha at 11:40 (3.5km, 29km down, 16 to go).
Shortly after lunch we passed through the first Inca Tunnel. These tunnels sit in the side of cliffs. Going through, I swear I heard a familiar beep or two; fair to say I’ll be filthy if I see that one appear on the Citylink bill.
The terrain changed to the jungle after lunch, leading up to the Third Pass which we reached just after 2 (3.65km elevation; 32km distance). Just the other side of this pass were the ruins of Phuyupatamarka. The afternoon trek was all downhill, which was very tough on already worn knees. Despite the delays experienced yesterday, we were able to reach our scheduled 3rd night camp of Winay Wayna just before 6. This is the traditional last night spot, which includes a hostel-like building where you can drink and, for 5 soles, grab a “hot” shower. I say “hot” as it couldn´t have been any colder. Not even Leigh Colbert walking back into Catland for the first time after he left invoked such a feeling of cold as this.
We said goodbye to the hard working porters tonight with a very ordinary singalong. Lucky we’d already handed them their tip because it was pretty disappointing; not that we (the hikers) were any better. We eventually hit the sack just before 10am in preparation for a rough 4am wake up call, for the final morning’s work.
A big day was needed given we were 3 km short of our intended 2nd night camp. Half an hour in (just after 8), we had climbed to 3.76km and reached the Runkurakay ruins, one of the many sites, particularly archaelogical, that are scattered along the trek and provide welcome mental breaks.
By 9:20 we reached the second pass (elevation 3.9km), Sayaqmarka by 10:45 (3.6km up), and lunch at Chaquicocha at 11:40 (3.5km, 29km down, 16 to go).
Shortly after lunch we passed through the first Inca Tunnel. These tunnels sit in the side of cliffs. Going through, I swear I heard a familiar beep or two; fair to say I’ll be filthy if I see that one appear on the Citylink bill.
The terrain changed to the jungle after lunch, leading up to the Third Pass which we reached just after 2 (3.65km elevation; 32km distance). Just the other side of this pass were the ruins of Phuyupatamarka. The afternoon trek was all downhill, which was very tough on already worn knees. Despite the delays experienced yesterday, we were able to reach our scheduled 3rd night camp of Winay Wayna just before 6. This is the traditional last night spot, which includes a hostel-like building where you can drink and, for 5 soles, grab a “hot” shower. I say “hot” as it couldn´t have been any colder. Not even Leigh Colbert walking back into Catland for the first time after he left invoked such a feeling of cold as this.
We said goodbye to the hard working porters tonight with a very ordinary singalong. Lucky we’d already handed them their tip because it was pretty disappointing; not that we (the hikers) were any better. We eventually hit the sack just before 10am in preparation for a rough 4am wake up call, for the final morning’s work.
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