JUNE 10
PERU-Cuzco
Tuesday 1st we went into town at 0900
to visit the Tourist Information. They did not know of the camp
site. We took an early tea break in the Papillion Hotel and then
hired a taxi to try to find the site. He took us a different
route to the top, no luck, as a last resort we took a lane signposted
Hacienda Llaullypata, it is better known as The Hotel Inca Tambo, we
were told. We were installed by 1200, lunch time. The
afternoon was a time for relaxation. As we now have electricity,
showers and water we felt at home. Our hostess Gonna, was very
helpful. Wednesday
we started to walk down to the town. Before we had reached the
road a taxi stopped for us. He took us to the train station to
book our tickets to go to Machu Picchu, we booked for Saturday, we next
tried to book a Machu Picchu hotel on the internet, no luck. We
shopped in Mega Supermarket and then the French bread shop before
returning to the camp. Thursday
a complicated day of travel. We started by walking downhill to
find a bank, it was closed there is a big procession in town. The
next step was to take a taxi to Overland Travel, a garage that worked
on overland vehicles. The chief told us to bring in the caravan.
A taxi took us back to town to Pantiacolla where we arranged for a
seven day trip to the Rainforest. Another taxi returned us to the
camp and we set off to drive to Overland Travel. We were tangled
up in the traffic jams caused by the road closures, and had to have two
policemen to reverse us out on a one way street. We finally
arrived at the garage where they set to work on our clutch and fitted a
second battery for the caravan. We stayed overnight in the van in
the garage. Friday
an early start at 
the garage. The electrician arrive by
0830 and worked for most of the day, the other mechanics continued
working on the clutch. We were back at the camp by1600.
Saturday 5th we had ordered a taxi for 0745, it arrived at 0730. We were almost ready. We arrived at the train station and were soon in a minibus for the detour around the landslide that had closed the railway line. At the train station, after a two and a half hours drive we found that we had an hour to wait. The train took an hour and a half to reach Aguas Calientes, where we were met at the station and escorted to the Inca Inn. We had a lunch in a local café, bought bus tickets and rode up to Machu Picchu. At the entrance we were told that we should have bought entry tickets in Aguas Calientes. We were allowed to pay and entered the site through the Storage Area. We walked
through the Lower Agricultural sector to the
Torreón and then through the western Urban Sector to the
entrance to Waynapicchu. We returned through the Eastern Urban
Sector and Lower Agricultural Sector to the exit, entrance. This
took two hours. Gonna recommended a restaurant, Indio Feliz,
where we had a superb meal. Sunday we set off early for
Machu Picchu, remembering to buy all the tickets we needed. We
followed Saturday’s route via the Temple of the Condor to Waynapicchu
and then climbed the astronomical Observatory where we saw “Intiwatana”
the hitching post for the Sun. We then continued on down where
Mervyn climbed to the highest temple hoping to film the classical view
of Machu Picchu. He was foiled by the mist. Howard returned
to the exit and waited for Mervyn. This tour took three
hours. The weather was dull with occasional rain. The site
is impossible to describe, having many rooms and buildings. We
had a hot Chocolate before we returned to Aguas Calientes and the Indio
Feliz for another fine meal. The train journey back was
uneventful, but the bus journey involved a two mile drive along the
railway lines, together with forty other vehicles. We soon were
in a taxi which returned us to the camp for an early night. Monday we made an early
start to arrive at the electricians by 0800. We were soon in the
yard and the work of reinstalling the air heater began, as the printed
circuit board was faulty, two manual switches replaced the board.
The work took all day and we returned to the camp in the dark, and lost
our way, again, in the town. Tuesday was a fairly
restful day. Helmie took us into town to another electrician, who was
not interested. There was no heat from the heater. He then
took us to a supermarket and returned us to the camp. After lunch
he again said he would take us into town to an electrical shop where we
bought a heater. We had afternoon tea, coffee, in Helmie’s
favourite café, before returning to camp. Wednesday we returned to
the electricians as the heater was not giving hot air. He checked
the split charger and found that it was not working. He then
checked the heater, cleaned the Glow Pin and we now have hot air, so
far. On the return to camp we called in to the jungle tour’s
office to find there were not enough people and the tour was
cancelled. Thursday
when we awoke we found that the heater was still not working.
After breakfast we took a taxi 
to the town and found Peruvian Safaris who sold
us a four day trip, by air, to Puerto Maldonado starting Saturday at
0540. Mervyn stayed in town with his camera and Howard returned
to the van. Mervyn arrived back for a late lunch. Friday we
relaxed in the morning. Mervyn did some washing. We went
for a walk in Cusco and visited the Coricancha. We packed in the
evening.
Saturday 12th as our plane to Puerto Maldonado left at 0740 we got up at 0430 and left at 0600, the taxi was waiting for us. We booked in at the airport, had a Chocolate Croissant and took off at 0745. A bus was waiting when we
landed at 0845, but it did not leave until
0930. After 45 minutes we transferred onto a boat for a ninety
minute trip to the Explorers Inn. The boat slowed down for us to
get a good look at a Small White Caiman, 12 Capivara, one of them being
over four feet long. Our next stop was for 12 Turtles, 9 in a row
on a log. We settled in and had lunch at 1300. We met our
guide Bertha, who took us for a short walk to Laguna Chico. No
wildlife was seen but we did see a Walking Pine and a Kapok Tree with
huge Buttresses. We completed the circular route of three km in
two hours. At 1815 we received a short talk on Caiman and then
went for a search light search for them. We saw five
Caiman. On returning to camp Bertha used her torch to show four
Tarantulas. Dinner was at 2000 followed by bed. Sunday we were up again at
0430 for breakfast and a boat ride to a nearby clay lick for the
birds. The birds coat their stomach with clay so that they can
eat poisonous berries safely. We saw three Blue Headed Macaws in
a tree and two Scarlet Macaws flew over us. Among numerous small
birds we saw a Yellow Tufted Woodpecker. There was a background
noise from Dusty Titi Monkeys. We were back by 0800 and relaxed
until 0945 when we had tea and biscuits, this was followed by a short
walk 
on various trails where we saw a troop of Red
Saddle Back Monkeys. After lunch we relaxed, it was very, very
hot. At 1630 we walked to a mediocre sunset. Monday yet again a 0500
breakfast and a visit to the clay lick where we saw forty plus Green
Parrots using the lick. Back at the Inn we saw a Howler Monkey
and many Yellow Rumped Cacique clustering round a tree. After tea
break we took a boat trip to a local farm where there was a tame
Capivara. We saw Papaya Trees, sampled a ripe Papaya, and moved
on to a Banana plantation, an Avocado plantation and a field of
Yuccas. The return trip was broken for a visit to a huge Kapok
Tree with a diameter of forty feet. Howard did not go he returned
to the bungalow. Tuesday
started with a 0500 breakfast for a 0900 flight to Cusco. From
the airport we took a taxi back to camp for tea break, followed by a
relaxed day. Wednesday
Howard did his washing and then we went to The Plaza De Armas to buy a
multi ticket for the local sites. We continued on to a
supermarket, shopped and returned to camp for lunch. A relaxed
afternoon followed. Thursday
it was Mervyn’s turn to do some washing, while it was hanging up to dry
we had a tea break and then visited Saqsaywaman, taking our lunch with
us. In the afternoon Mervyn went down town, Howard worked on his
photos. Friday
we booked a taxi for the day to visit seven sites. The first site
was Chinchero which was interesting. Unfortunately the roads to
the other sites were blocked, the aftermath of Thursday’s general
strike. We returned to camp in time for lunch.
Saturday 19th the taxi arrived at 0840 and we left to complete our tour. We went the other way, first to Q’enqo, just up the road, then to Puka Pukara 3km further, and to Tambomachay another 2 km. The journey to Pisaq was 24 km and we spent a long time there. We had a meal before the final visit to Ollantaytambo at 40 km, it was a huge site on a very steep hillside. Mervyn climbed to the top, Howard stayed near the bottom. As it was near sunset we missed out Moray and returned to camp for a light meal. Sunday we left Cusco after chatting to an Australian couple Chris and Elayne Clash and
saying “goodbye” to Dagmar
& Dieter Schaper-Schulz our German neighbours. The trip to
Aguas Calientes was uneventful, we arrived by 1400. Monday after a cold night,
at 15000ft, without electricity, we left by 0730. the journey
south-east passed rapidly until we reached the turn for
Sillustani. The road was in poor condition and we proceeded
slowly to Sillustani, a group of burial towers. We climbed up the
hill to see the towers. The entry is at ground level and only
large enough to admit the body. After lunch we continued on to
Puno and soon found The Sonesta Posadas Del Inca, where we booked
in. Tuesday we
arose in a warm caravan and breakfasted. We ordered a taxi for
0900 and went to the port for a boat ride on Lago Titicaca to visit the
floating islands. The boat motored down reed fringed channels to
land us on the first island, there we had a long talk in Spanish on the
history of the islands. After photos we went across to a second
island, with a restaurant for elevenses. We were returned to the
mainland by 1230. After lunch we took a taxi to a money changer
for some Bolivian currency, followed by a small shop and returned to
the van to relax. Wednesday
a rest day, photos, jigsaws and cooking. We had an evening meal
of Guinea Pig in the hotel restaurant, it was excellent. Thursday we left on the 
journey to Bolivia, all
went well until we arrived at the Peru Border. There was no
indication of the border and Howard drove through it. At the
Bolivian border two Peruvian police told us to return. All the
officers told us differently, parking for example. The
immigration was simple, the vehicle as usual took longer and then we
went from office to office, delaying tactics. Howard spent twenty
minutes in the last office where the officials kept talking Spanish,
Howard explained “no sign of Stop, Customs, Police, Immigration” they
eventually let him go. By this time the Bolivian Customs was
closed for lunch, but the immigration was open and admitted us, we had
our lunch and as soon as the customs was open passed quickly
through. The 8 km drive to Copacabana soon passed and we booked
into The Hotel Gloria. Friday
we walked down into the town to enquire about a boat trip to the Isla
del Sol. We were told that it meant a seventeen km walk between
landing and embarkation for the return trip. We decided not to
go. We shopped in the local market and went back to the caravan.
Saturday 26th we left for La Paz at 0830 and had a leisurely drive to El Alto, just before La Paz, we arrived at 1230. This is where the problems started. With no direction signs and roads very congested by street markets, we did not leave La Paz until 1530. We finally found The Hotel Oberland in Mallasa 12 km south of La Paz to settle in at 1700. We met Belinda & Dom from Puerto Inca who have had a lot of big problems with their van. We decided to eat in the hotel, Belinda and Dom came as well and we were joined by two Germans, Dirk & Andrea who we had met at Ischigualasto, they brought three of their friends. The meal was excellent. Sunday after yesterday’s traumatic drive through the towns, we relaxed. We did go shopping to a superb Supermarket and tried to sort out a problem with the toilet. The problem had solved itself. Belinda & Dom left this morning. Monday we relaxed in the van. Mervyn went for a morning walk, Howard sorted out his pictures and did some Banking. We had another excellent meal in the hotel. After dinner Howard had a short chat with two Dutch campers, Coen & Karin-Marijkke and two Irish campers. Tuesday we left by 0800, we could not find the way south and ended up on the entrance to La Paz. We asked and took the turning directed, asked a few more times and eventually a motorist said “follow me” we did and found ourselves in El Alto, north west of La Paz. This was the road to Oruro, we had started on it on Saturday only to return to get to Mallasa. We followed the road to Oruro but were unable to find a place to camp, we continued south to Pazña. We were stopped by a police road block and were told to park next to the police station. Wednesday Mervyn arose at 0445 it was very cold and we were on the road at first light, 0630. The trip to Potosi was very slow due to steep, twisty mountain roads. We arrived by 1200. Howard took a taxi who immediately lost Mervyn, he did put Howard back at the pick up point and then searched for and found Mervyn. Howard was returned to Mervyn. Another taxi driver took us to the Residencia Tarija but the entrance was two inches too low. A señor from the Residencia found us a space in a parking garage. After lunch Mervyn left to tour the town.
the garage. The electrician arrive by
0830 and worked for most of the day, the other mechanics continued
working on the clutch. We were back at the camp by1600.Saturday 5th we had ordered a taxi for 0745, it arrived at 0730. We were almost ready. We arrived at the train station and were soon in a minibus for the detour around the landslide that had closed the railway line. At the train station, after a two and a half hours drive we found that we had an hour to wait. The train took an hour and a half to reach Aguas Calientes, where we were met at the station and escorted to the Inca Inn. We had a lunch in a local café, bought bus tickets and rode up to Machu Picchu. At the entrance we were told that we should have bought entry tickets in Aguas Calientes. We were allowed to pay and entered the site through the Storage Area. We walked
through the Lower Agricultural sector to the
Torreón and then through the western Urban Sector to the
entrance to Waynapicchu. We returned through the Eastern Urban
Sector and Lower Agricultural Sector to the exit, entrance. This
took two hours. Gonna recommended a restaurant, Indio Feliz,
where we had a superb meal. Sunday we set off early for
Machu Picchu, remembering to buy all the tickets we needed. We
followed Saturday’s route via the Temple of the Condor to Waynapicchu
and then climbed the astronomical Observatory where we saw “Intiwatana”
the hitching post for the Sun. We then continued on down where
Mervyn climbed to the highest temple hoping to film the classical view
of Machu Picchu. He was foiled by the mist. Howard returned
to the exit and waited for Mervyn. This tour took three
hours. The weather was dull with occasional rain. The site
is impossible to describe, having many rooms and buildings. We
had a hot Chocolate before we returned to Aguas Calientes and the Indio
Feliz for another fine meal. The train journey back was
uneventful, but the bus journey involved a two mile drive along the
railway lines, together with forty other vehicles. We soon were
in a taxi which returned us to the camp for an early night. Monday we made an early
start to arrive at the electricians by 0800. We were soon in the
yard and the work of reinstalling the air heater began, as the printed
circuit board was faulty, two manual switches replaced the board.
The work took all day and we returned to the camp in the dark, and lost
our way, again, in the town. Tuesday was a fairly
restful day. Helmie took us into town to another electrician, who was
not interested. There was no heat from the heater. He then
took us to a supermarket and returned us to the camp. After lunch
he again said he would take us into town to an electrical shop where we
bought a heater. We had afternoon tea, coffee, in Helmie’s
favourite café, before returning to camp. Wednesday we returned to
the electricians as the heater was not giving hot air. He checked
the split charger and found that it was not working. He then
checked the heater, cleaned the Glow Pin and we now have hot air, so
far. On the return to camp we called in to the jungle tour’s
office to find there were not enough people and the tour was
cancelled. Thursday
when we awoke we found that the heater was still not working.
After breakfast we took a taxi to the town and found Peruvian Safaris who sold
us a four day trip, by air, to Puerto Maldonado starting Saturday at
0540. Mervyn stayed in town with his camera and Howard returned
to the van. Mervyn arrived back for a late lunch. Friday we
relaxed in the morning. Mervyn did some washing. We went
for a walk in Cusco and visited the Coricancha. We packed in the
evening.Saturday 12th as our plane to Puerto Maldonado left at 0740 we got up at 0430 and left at 0600, the taxi was waiting for us. We booked in at the airport, had a Chocolate Croissant and took off at 0745. A bus was waiting when we
landed at 0845, but it did not leave until
0930. After 45 minutes we transferred onto a boat for a ninety
minute trip to the Explorers Inn. The boat slowed down for us to
get a good look at a Small White Caiman, 12 Capivara, one of them being
over four feet long. Our next stop was for 12 Turtles, 9 in a row
on a log. We settled in and had lunch at 1300. We met our
guide Bertha, who took us for a short walk to Laguna Chico. No
wildlife was seen but we did see a Walking Pine and a Kapok Tree with
huge Buttresses. We completed the circular route of three km in
two hours. At 1815 we received a short talk on Caiman and then
went for a search light search for them. We saw five
Caiman. On returning to camp Bertha used her torch to show four
Tarantulas. Dinner was at 2000 followed by bed. Sunday we were up again at
0430 for breakfast and a boat ride to a nearby clay lick for the
birds. The birds coat their stomach with clay so that they can
eat poisonous berries safely. We saw three Blue Headed Macaws in
a tree and two Scarlet Macaws flew over us. Among numerous small
birds we saw a Yellow Tufted Woodpecker. There was a background
noise from Dusty Titi Monkeys. We were back by 0800 and relaxed
until 0945 when we had tea and biscuits, this was followed by a short
walk on various trails where we saw a troop of Red
Saddle Back Monkeys. After lunch we relaxed, it was very, very
hot. At 1630 we walked to a mediocre sunset. Monday yet again a 0500
breakfast and a visit to the clay lick where we saw forty plus Green
Parrots using the lick. Back at the Inn we saw a Howler Monkey
and many Yellow Rumped Cacique clustering round a tree. After tea
break we took a boat trip to a local farm where there was a tame
Capivara. We saw Papaya Trees, sampled a ripe Papaya, and moved
on to a Banana plantation, an Avocado plantation and a field of
Yuccas. The return trip was broken for a visit to a huge Kapok
Tree with a diameter of forty feet. Howard did not go he returned
to the bungalow. Tuesday
started with a 0500 breakfast for a 0900 flight to Cusco. From
the airport we took a taxi back to camp for tea break, followed by a
relaxed day. Wednesday
Howard did his washing and then we went to The Plaza De Armas to buy a
multi ticket for the local sites. We continued on to a
supermarket, shopped and returned to camp for lunch. A relaxed
afternoon followed. Thursday
it was Mervyn’s turn to do some washing, while it was hanging up to dry
we had a tea break and then visited Saqsaywaman, taking our lunch with
us. In the afternoon Mervyn went down town, Howard worked on his
photos. Friday
we booked a taxi for the day to visit seven sites. The first site
was Chinchero which was interesting. Unfortunately the roads to
the other sites were blocked, the aftermath of Thursday’s general
strike. We returned to camp in time for lunch.Saturday 19th the taxi arrived at 0840 and we left to complete our tour. We went the other way, first to Q’enqo, just up the road, then to Puka Pukara 3km further, and to Tambomachay another 2 km. The journey to Pisaq was 24 km and we spent a long time there. We had a meal before the final visit to Ollantaytambo at 40 km, it was a huge site on a very steep hillside. Mervyn climbed to the top, Howard stayed near the bottom. As it was near sunset we missed out Moray and returned to camp for a light meal. Sunday we left Cusco after chatting to an Australian couple Chris and Elayne Clash and
saying “goodbye” to Dagmar
& Dieter Schaper-Schulz our German neighbours. The trip to
Aguas Calientes was uneventful, we arrived by 1400. Monday after a cold night,
at 15000ft, without electricity, we left by 0730. the journey
south-east passed rapidly until we reached the turn for
Sillustani. The road was in poor condition and we proceeded
slowly to Sillustani, a group of burial towers. We climbed up the
hill to see the towers. The entry is at ground level and only
large enough to admit the body. After lunch we continued on to
Puno and soon found The Sonesta Posadas Del Inca, where we booked
in. Tuesday we
arose in a warm caravan and breakfasted. We ordered a taxi for
0900 and went to the port for a boat ride on Lago Titicaca to visit the
floating islands. The boat motored down reed fringed channels to
land us on the first island, there we had a long talk in Spanish on the
history of the islands. After photos we went across to a second
island, with a restaurant for elevenses. We were returned to the
mainland by 1230. After lunch we took a taxi to a money changer
for some Bolivian currency, followed by a small shop and returned to
the van to relax. Wednesday
a rest day, photos, jigsaws and cooking. We had an evening meal
of Guinea Pig in the hotel restaurant, it was excellent. Thursday we left on the journey to Bolivia, all
went well until we arrived at the Peru Border. There was no
indication of the border and Howard drove through it. At the
Bolivian border two Peruvian police told us to return. All the
officers told us differently, parking for example. The
immigration was simple, the vehicle as usual took longer and then we
went from office to office, delaying tactics. Howard spent twenty
minutes in the last office where the officials kept talking Spanish,
Howard explained “no sign of Stop, Customs, Police, Immigration” they
eventually let him go. By this time the Bolivian Customs was
closed for lunch, but the immigration was open and admitted us, we had
our lunch and as soon as the customs was open passed quickly
through. The 8 km drive to Copacabana soon passed and we booked
into The Hotel Gloria. Friday
we walked down into the town to enquire about a boat trip to the Isla
del Sol. We were told that it meant a seventeen km walk between
landing and embarkation for the return trip. We decided not to
go. We shopped in the local market and went back to the caravan.Saturday 26th we left for La Paz at 0830 and had a leisurely drive to El Alto, just before La Paz, we arrived at 1230. This is where the problems started. With no direction signs and roads very congested by street markets, we did not leave La Paz until 1530. We finally found The Hotel Oberland in Mallasa 12 km south of La Paz to settle in at 1700. We met Belinda & Dom from Puerto Inca who have had a lot of big problems with their van. We decided to eat in the hotel, Belinda and Dom came as well and we were joined by two Germans, Dirk & Andrea who we had met at Ischigualasto, they brought three of their friends. The meal was excellent. Sunday after yesterday’s traumatic drive through the towns, we relaxed. We did go shopping to a superb Supermarket and tried to sort out a problem with the toilet. The problem had solved itself. Belinda & Dom left this morning. Monday we relaxed in the van. Mervyn went for a morning walk, Howard sorted out his pictures and did some Banking. We had another excellent meal in the hotel. After dinner Howard had a short chat with two Dutch campers, Coen & Karin-Marijkke and two Irish campers. Tuesday we left by 0800, we could not find the way south and ended up on the entrance to La Paz. We asked and took the turning directed, asked a few more times and eventually a motorist said “follow me” we did and found ourselves in El Alto, north west of La Paz. This was the road to Oruro, we had started on it on Saturday only to return to get to Mallasa. We followed the road to Oruro but were unable to find a place to camp, we continued south to Pazña. We were stopped by a police road block and were told to park next to the police station. Wednesday Mervyn arose at 0445 it was very cold and we were on the road at first light, 0630. The trip to Potosi was very slow due to steep, twisty mountain roads. We arrived by 1200. Howard took a taxi who immediately lost Mervyn, he did put Howard back at the pick up point and then searched for and found Mervyn. Howard was returned to Mervyn. Another taxi driver took us to the Residencia Tarija but the entrance was two inches too low. A señor from the Residencia found us a space in a parking garage. After lunch Mervyn left to tour the town.
BOLIVIA-Potosi