Bye-bye Peru

Our Peru trip was near its end for this time. I couldn’t say how much I understand about the humanity & culture there. I noticed in many places the walls had been covered with graffiti. Some places provided three bins, for paper, plastic and trash. There was a little story, when we were in Lima airport waiting for our delayed flight to Cusco (also spelled Cuzco). I had sat for too long and I stood up to stretch my body in front of Steve’s seat. A young Peruvian guy was talking on his cell phone and came to sit in my chair. Steve tried to mention that was his wife’s chair, but I thought it was okay and stopped Steve. It seemed that young guy realized it, but he still sat and talked on his cell phone. I was walking around the small boarding area. Many people came in and I didn’t see any empty chairs. I came to Steve’s seat several times and he asked me whether I wanted to change and sit for a while, I shook my head. I walked to a place I thought there was an open chair but there wasn’t. A middle aged man knew that I was looking for a chair. He stood up and asked me to have his chair. I didn’t know what language he spoke, but I guessed he was Japanese and it looked like his wife was in the seat beside his. It would be a shame if I took a seat from an elder person, so I shook my head and hand. So, I walked around again. About an hour later, eventually I saw that young guy stand up, but he put his things on the chair. I wasn’t mannered and moved his things to one side. I sat down by Steve. I didn’t care if I was overbearing (or the young Peruvian guy not much a gentleman).

We were in Lima airport again. We were annoyed when we knew our American Airlines flight departing to Miami was delayed 5 hours from the original 11.40pm. But we felt a little consoled, as we got compensation from the airline for the airport tax and a US$36 meal voucher for Papa Johns pizza. Ha-ha…I was greedy and ordered a lot of food and packed some to bring back home. Why not! Even if we just spent $1, we couldn’t change the remaining balance to money. I regretted I spent only about $25 of the $36.

It was hard to kill time; we went to the internet center for a while. We heard someone phone a hostel that he stayed in to request them to send a copy of their passports, as his wife’s handbag was stolen in the airport with both their passports inside! Ah, it seems there really are many robberies.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. HAPPY NEW YEAR! We counted down to welcome in 2009 in the Lima airport!

秘鲁旅行就这样告一段落了，谈不上对当地的人文了解多少，只是观察到很多地方的外墙壁都被涂鸦。有不少地方都没置三种垃圾桶供纸张、塑胶和杂物。另外说个小故事，话说在Lima在机场等延迟的Cusco (Cuzco)班机时，我坐得太久，所以站起来到Steve座前舒舒筋，有位秘鲁年青男人边用着电话就来坐了我的位子，Steve想示意是他妻子的座位，我阻止Steve，说没关系，那年青人大概也知道但坐着继续谈他的电话。我在这小候机厅走来走，人已很多，已没空座位。我不时走到Steve面前，Steve问我要不要坐下换他站，我摇头。我走去一处以为有空位但发现不是，有位中年男人，看我找座位，他起身要我坐他的位子，也没听清楚他讲的语言，我猜他是日本人，旁边坐着似乎是他太太，我不好意思要比我年长的人让座，我忙摇头又摇手。这样子我又走来走去，大概已有一小时，终於让我看到那年青人站起来但他用一物件摆在座位，我老实不客气的把物件移开坐下靠向Steve。我也不理我是否太霸道（还是秘鲁年青男人没风度）。

又回来到Lima机场了，得知原本11.40pm起飞到Miami的美国航空班机却要延迟5小时之久，有点欣慰的是有给我们补偿机场税及US$36的Papa Johns pizza 餐卷。哈哈…我很贪心买了很多食物，打包带回，反正不买白不买，即使若只买US$1，也没得换钱回，我还后悔只买了约US$25而已啦。

时间很难打发，到纲络中心付钱上纲一会。在那儿听到有人电话给旅店要他们的护照复印，他妻子的手袋在机场被人偷了，他们的护照在手袋里！啊，还真是有很多偷窃者。

10，9，8，7，6，5，4，3，2，1，0。HAPPY NEW YEAR！我们在Lima机场倒数迎接2009年！

Peru - Lake Titicaca, Uros, Taquile Island

We joined a boat excursion on Lake Titicaca, going to Uros and Taquile Island. Remember to put sun block and wear sunglasses and a hat or scarf. If you have problems with motion/sea sickness, also bring some medicine, like Bonine or Dramamine. The swells on the lake can get quite high if the wind is strong.

Uros is a group of floating islands on the lake made from reeds by the people there. Let’s see their demonstration about building the floating island and houses; they need to re-build all the structures on the islands every three months. The ground must be covered with a new layer of reeds every two weeks, and when the island becomes so thick that it touches the bottom of the lake, it must be abandoned, and a new island is created! Men fish by boat, and women will take their goods like salted fishes and weaving to the peninsula to exchange things and tourist business. They invited us for a ride in a reed boat for S/5 per person. Our tour guide told us not to give candy to the kid as the dentist is far away at the shore and is expensive for the people there. Uros people are friendly and allow taking their picture.

If you take pictures of people on Taquile Island, they will show a finger up means they are asking you to pay S/1. Taquile Island is like a small mountain. Our boat arrived there and the tour guide wanted us to walk to the other side where the boat would pick us up. It was good to leave our little backpack in the boat as we needed to walk very slowly up hill at such a high altitude…. We walked about 40mins to the town square, and then followed the tour guide to a place to have lunch. It had two choices: either trout or an omelet, served with quinoa soup and tea (a local herb). Steve didn’t like his omelet much, and I couldn’t help him to finish it - too salty.

It took about 3 hours by boat to get back to the shore. Most of us, including the tour guide, had a good nap on the boat.

我们参旅团游Titicaca湖的Uros和Taquile Island。记得涂上防晒膏及戴上太阳眼镜、帽或头巾。如你有晕船的问题，最好用一些药，湖可能会起高浪如风太大。

Uros是由居民用芦苇制成的浮岛，看看他们在告诉游客，如何建立浮岛及居所，岛上的结构每三个月要重建，地上须每两星期重披上新一层的芦苇，当越来越厚碰到湖底时，这岛就被遗弃，然后重做一个新岛喔！男性划船去捕鱼，女性们会用他们的收获如咸鱼、编制物等到岸边交换食物及做游客的生意，其中有邀我们坐芦苇船，划回时向我们每人收S/5。导游说不要给糖果小孩，要到很远至岸边才能找到牙医，也要花很多钱。Uros居民亲切可让游客拍照。

在Taquile Island如你拍照那里的居民，他们手指一，即是向你要S/1。Taquile Island如一座小山，导游要我们从船放下的地方走到另一瑞，船会在那儿载我们回，还是把小背包放在船，要在这高原的山慢慢走… 走约40分钟来到小镇。导游安排在某处用午餐，只有两种选择，煎鱼或煎蛋，配一碗quinoa汤及一杯茶（当地的一种植物）。Steve不喜欢他的煎蛋，我不能帮他吃，煎蛋太咸啦。

船载我们回程到岸须约3小时，很多人都在船内昏昏欲睡，包括导游。

Peru - Puno

Puno is a city on the shore of Lake Titicaca, and is about a one hour ride by minibus from/to the Juliaca airport. Here is a suggestion: the minibus stops to pick up local customers at a few places in Puno and drop them on the way, so it is better to ask the minibus to come to your hostel to pick you up 3 hours before your flight departs. Puno is at 3,800m altitude, which is higher than Cusco (also spelled Cuzco). The weather is warm in the afternoon, but changes to very cool at night. The altitude headache still had a tight grip on me.

After the train returned from Machu Picchu, I found I had lost my departure card. A staff person in Cusco airport told me to get a new one in the Lima airport. When we walked down a street in Puno, Steve saw an Immigration office near the Plaza de Armas. We went in to ask about it, the staff checked something on the computer and filled out a paper for me. She told me to go to pay S/8 at a bank down the street, and then come back again. We paid and took the receipt back to her. I needed to fill out a form, which was the same one as when we entered Peru. The staff recorded my info in a computer. She told me to go to photocopy my passport (she knows little English and was afraid I did not understand her instruction, so she showed me another person’s passport copy) at a shop opposite the Immigration office, and then come back again. We took the photocopy back there, and finally I got a new departure card.

我们坐小巴士约一小时从Juliaca机场到靠近Titicaca湖岸线的Puno市。这里有一建议: 小巴士会在Puno某处等载当地乘客然后沿途放下他们，所以最好在你起飞时间的3小时前要小巴士来旅店接你。Puno比Cusco（Cuzco）更高每拔，在3,800米。下午还暖暖的，晚上却很冷。高原头痛症又死不放过我。

我在Machu Picchu乘回程火车后发现我的出境卡不见了，Cusco机场职员告诉我到Lima机场时处理。当我们走在Puno某街时，Steve看到immigration办公室，我们就进去探问，该职员在电脑查看之后，填写了一张纸，要我们拿着这纸到街尾的银行付款S/8，然后倒回。付款后拿着收据回去，我须重新填写如入境Peru时的表格。该职员在电脑记录了后，要我到对面的店复印我的护照（她只懂少许的英语，怕我不明白，拿别人的护照复印指示我如何做），然后倒回。复印后回去，终於重做好出境卡。

Peru - Koricancha, Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, Pucapucara, Tambomachay

The city tour from 2pm – 6.30pm went to 5 places, with a tour guide speaking both Spanish and English:

Cathedral-Koricancha (also spelled Coricancha)

Sacsayhuaman (also known as Saksaq Waman)

Q’enqo

Pucapucara

Tambomachay, seemed like we needed reach there by walk through a path. I walked few steps, it felt so hard to move forward. My legs were so sore and I had a headache from the high altitude. We gave up visiting that place; we waited for everyone else by the bus. Steve asked Joe what’s there, he said, “Stones.”

You can plan to go to the above places by yourself if you prefer not to join the tour.

The last day in Cusco (also spelled Cuzco), Dec 29th, I bought a postcard, and thought to send it to someone. Besides our own home’s address that I could remember, I couldn’t remember any other addresses…. I wish you all receive this postcard that I sent to you in spirit! You knew the message, I was thinking of you all. I hope you received it!

The postcard we sent to our home address still hasn’t arrived yet!

旅团的2pm-6.30pm半日游是由一位导游口操西班牙语及英语带我们到5个景点:

Cathedral-Koricancha（Coricancha）

Sacsayhuaman（Saksaq Waman）

Q’enqo

Pucapucara

Tambomachay，这里要走一段路，只走几步，我的脚酸疼又高原头痛症，实在步步难行，放弃参观了，我们在巴士停处等他们回来。Steve问Joe那里有什么，他说，“石头。”

若你不喜欢参旅团，可以计划自行去这些景点。

在离开Cusco（Cuzco）的那一天，12月29日，买了明信片，想要寄给人，但除了记得自己家的地址外，根本写不出其他人的地址…你就心灵感受我寄了这明信片给你吧！我想你已收到我在思念你！

寄给自家地址的明信片还没收到呢！

Peru - Pisac (also spelled Pisaq)

We paid the price! What was the price? The day after our challenging climb up Waynapicchu, our leg muscles were sore. We weren’t happy to see stairs…

From our research, Pisac is a town in the Sacred Valley and has a busy Sunday tourist and local market. Dec 28^th was a Sunday.

The corn kernels are huge here, but the taste is so so.

A girl holds a few designs of clay whistles, walking around selling them to tourists. Joe chose one and gave her a bill. The girl said in English to Joe, “You take my bag and wait for me.” She passed her little plastic bag with goods as a ‘pledge’ to Joe, and she went away. A little while later, she hurried and came back.

Steve searched for his favorite stone carving in several stalls, and we came to a quiet place with few tourists. He asked the price for the stone carving, and we got a much lower price than other stalls. We bought two things there and paid with a bill. The adult stall owner took some kids’ school homework papers to wrap the stone carving for us. He took our money and ran off to get change. A little while later, he hurried and came back. He looked a little short of breath; he was jogging on his way…. We felt sorry; we would have prepared small bills for payment if we had known that. However, they are nice and didn’t express their annoyance at all. Seems they are fulfilled even though they just have a little business.

代价来了！什么代价呢？挑战Waynapicchu后隔天，双脚肌肉被折磨而酸疼得很，很不想看到楼梯…

从资料得知Pisac市是在圣谷（Sacred Valley）中，星期天有热闹的游客市场及当地的菜市场，12月28日正好是星期天。

这里的玉米很大颗粒，味道却淡淡无奇。

一小女孩手拿各款小瓷口哨玩意向游客兜售，Joe选了一个并给她一张钞票，小女孩用英语说，“你拿着我的袋，等我一会。” 一小胶袋的货交给Joe作‘抵押’ ，她跑去换小钱。一会后她急急回来了。

Steve在各摊物色他喜欢的石雕，来到一处少游客较冷清的摊，问了价，竟比其他摊的便宜多，我们买了两件东西并给了一张钞票，成年的男摊主用了小学生的作业纸包好石雕交给我们，拿了钞票跑去换小钱。一会后他回来了，看他有点气喘，他是来回跑步… 我们真不好意思，若知道是这样，还是准备一些小钞购买。可爱的是他们不会表示不高兴，他们很满足即使只是赚一点小钱。

Peru - Machu Picchu

In order to get the earliest bus to Machu Picchu, which departs on 5.30am, we got up very early. After a quick breakfast provided by the hostel, we locked our backpacks and put them in a corner of the hostel. Here, I would like to give you some advice – if you are DIY trip planner and you would like to climb Waynapicchu (also spelled Huayna Picchu), which is one of the mountains at the Machu Picchu complex, besides water and a camera, take as few things as possible, so you have less of a burden. We regretted taking a little backpack with us. We were each afraid carrying it would be hard for the other, so we tried to grab this little ‘baby’ from each other. Moreover, please remember to put on sun block and have a hat or scarf to avoid sun burn as you are at high altitude.

There were three places we had to line up.

Waiting for the bus up to Machu Picchu’s entrance. I was proud we rode in the first bus.

Waiting to enter Machu Picchu. There were already many people lined up, who came there a different way!

Waiting to enter Waynapicchu.

Machu Picchu is open 6am-6pm, with no limit on the number of people. We entered and came to the entrance to Waynapicchu, which is open 7am-1pm and is limited to just 400 persons per day - two groups, each with a maximum of 200 people. The first group of 200 can enter at 7am; the second group of 200 persons can enter at 10am. If you line up and can’t get in either group, you will miss the chance to climb that mountain. In fact, it is tough climbing Waynapicchu; some of the paths are steep, wet, and it is high altitude.

Climb slowly and stop often to have a look at the scenery…. There is a whole view of Machu Picchu when you reach the peak. The early morning when we were there we had drizzle, and heavy fog covered most of the views. So, I imagined the views I saw are like the places for immortals…

What’s the wonder of Machu Picchu? The thousand year old dusts rise and fly with wind, telling the stories here to every passerby…

I could only receive a significant Machu Picchu’s stamp…. The Machu Picchu entrance also is the exit. There is a small office there, where you can get a stamp in your passport by yourself before you go out. A memory for I had been here.

为了赶在最早的5.30am巴士，我们很早起床。匆匆用了旅店提供的早餐后，将背包带上小销头，存放它们在旅店的某角落。这里给你一个建议，如你是自助游及想攀登 Machu Picchu内的一座Waynapicchu（Huayna Picchu）小山，除了水及相机，尽量减少负担在你的身上。我们后悔带了一个小背包，我们彼此怕对方辛苦，不时‘抢’ 着背这小‘婴儿’ 。还有记得涂上防晒膏及戴上帽或头巾，总之避免高山上的阳光为妙。

接下来是三次的排队，

等巴士载去Machu Picchu入门口。很得意上了第一辆巴士。

等进入Machu Picchu。已有很多人在排队了，他们应该是从不同处来到此吧！

等登记进入Waynapicchu。

Machu Picchu的开放时间是6am-6pm，没有人数限定，进入后来到Waynapicchu的入口，Waynapicchu的开放时间是7am-1pm，每天只限400人攀登，第一批限200人，第二批限200人是在10am。如你排不到第一批又拿不到第二批的号码，那你就没机会去那座山啦。其实攀登Waynapicchu是有点难度，山路斜陡又处高水平线。

慢慢爬吧，看一看景色…登上顶是可看向Machu Picchu的全景，但因凌晨有毛毛雨，雾太浓都摭盖着大部份的景色，就想像是看到神仙的居所好了…

Machu Picchu到底有何神奇？千年的尘土随着风飞扬，在对过路者诉说着这儿的故事…

我收取到的只是象征式的Machu Picchu印章…Machu Picchu的入门口也即是出口，在旁边有一小办公室，未出门去前到那自行盖个印章在自己的护照上留念，我到此了。P/S - We thought they were a couple of wild rabbits, but they are not, they are chinchilla. 我们以为这是一对野兔，非也，他们是毛丝鼠，已是一种极危物种。