Peru - Postscript

The anticipation of this trip had been almost overwhelming.
This was my first serious overseas trip with Machu Picchu being my #1 dream destination. 
It was a bittersweet experience.
The joy and exhilaration of visiting Machu Picchu  - not only lived up to expectations but surpassed them!
The Sacred Valley, Lares Valley, Cuzco and The Colca Canyon were also spectacular destinations
Being able to cruise Lake Titicaca by boat, motorcycle around Cuzco, dance on the Orient Express train and white water raft on the Rio Chili - definite highlights.
The spectacular landscape - volcanoes, canyons, river valleys, cloud forest, but it was the Peruvian mountains that were breathtaking in more ways than one!
Exploring historical Inca and Andean cultural sites
Travelling with a group and sharing the journey with friends
The downside - on reflection, health issues certainly took their toll. I was frustrated that I was in Struggletown for some of the trip and I was conscious that I was not always a happy camper or travelling companion. I regret I was not able to enjoy some of the holiday because of this!

On the upside - I am looking forward to returning to Peru - I have some unfinished business.....

If I have to choose 4 of my favourite photos of the trip, here are my "Frank Hurley's"

Homeward Bound

Rain this morning in Valparaiso.
Picked up at 0930 for 2 hour drive back to Santiago airport. Jack purchased some cheap whiskey specials, advertised by a lone piper playing the bagpipes in duty free

13 hour Qantas flight flight back to Sydney - watched 3 movies and only dozed a little. - so nice to hear a familar Aussie accent after 5 weeks of listening to and trying to translate Latin American Spanish 

Back on home soil - short detour in customs to show off my hiking boots to the officials, no further detainment required. 2 hours stopover and then back to Adelaide!

Looking forward to......finally being able to use jetlag as an excuse!

Valpo (as the locals call it)

After breakfast, we headed down to the port to do a walking tour.

Run by a mob called Tours 4 Tips, they give you a 3 hour tour with the guide identified by a Where's Wally shirt and you pay whatever you think it was worth.

Our guide was a 22yo girl from San Francisco who had studied in Valpo for 12 months and then stayed on.

Today was Sunday and also Heritage Day in Valpo, so a few museums that were not usually open to the public were open and freeof charge, so the guide took advantage of this.

We looked through the Naval headquarters down near the port and also had a trolley bus ride. The electric trolley buses have been in Valpo since the 1930's imported from the US and Switzerland. Very retro!

At one point on the tour we stopped, literally someone's house, and bought an empanada (pasty) and a sweet treat, similar to a Wagon Wheel - very tasty. The tour was great, mainly because we walked around the more arty parts of town, and also that the sun had finally made an appearance.

Met up with the Camerons afterwards and walked around the streets of Concepcion looking at galleries and shops. Played cards in the afternoon and then dinner at a restaurant with fabulous views in Bellavista Hill, finishing with a final drink and toast to a fabulous trip together

Valparaiso

Jack not feeling well this morning, so mooched around until after lunch time.

Ventured out for an afternoon walk. Valparaiso is famous for its brightly painted buildings and its street art. A few sights along the way including the Pantheon, an old cemetery, and some street art around Bellavista Hill. Not overly impressed by the sights and as the day was overcast and dreary, that probably didn't help. It is amazing how the weather can make you look at things differently.
I would describe Valparaiso as like on old Hollywood movie starlet - great in her primetime, but now has lost her lustre!

 

Cards with the Camerons and then dinner. I had trout served on a bed of risotto - delicious! Can't complain about the food here in Chile or Peru.... have hardly had a bad one, and all very reasonably priced!

Adios Peru!

Fitful sleep with a 4.45am alarm. Speedy check in. Enquired at security office about lost property, but no phone matching mine had been handed in .

Smooth flight, managed to nap a little. Magnificent views of snowcapped mountains coming into Santiago, including Aconcagua -an amazing sight

Able to share transport with Camerons down to Valparaiso. Nice drive down, through countryside reminiscent of the Adelaide Plains market gardens bowl in the Virginia area and vineyards not unlike the McLaren Vale district.

Checked into hotel, on top floor with great views of the famous Valpo hills and coastline.

Went for a short walk and had my first funicular railway ride. I wasn't too sure about it to start with, but enjoyed it. Valparaiso has 9 of the funicular railways still in working order.

Had dinner at Cafe Turri which had great views of the coast from it's hillside location in the suburban enclave of Concepcion. I ordered a lamb shank meal ,followed by a dessert platter of icecream and sorbet! My appetite had well and truly returned! Time to put some weight back on...

Cuzco - Lima

Feeling a little seedy this morning, like a few others. Think we may have had a bad batch of alcohol last night!

Decided to cancel plans to stay in Santiago and try and travel with Camerons to Valparaiso instead.
Managed to book into a guesthouse and were hoping to share the airport transfer transport. 

Checked out and transferred to airport. Managed to get on an earlier flight and arrived in Lima 1 hour than expected. Had my nose pressed up against the window for most of the flight enjoying the views.

Back at the same hotel in Miraflores. Strange to be back in a big city again. Already yearning for the Peruvian mountians...

Nice hat, my friend!

Jack about to devour a dessert the locals call Mt Vesuvius!

Checked out some markets close to the hotel, then dinner. Early night - 5 am pickup in the morning for flight to Santiago.

Peru - By Any Means

Lazy morning. Met the Camerons at lunchtime who arrived back in Cuzco having spent the last 4 days in the Sacred Valley.
Afternoon was spent riding motorbikes through the southern valleys of Cuzco with Andrew and Barb.
Great fun but thankful we had a guide to help negotiate our way through the mad traffic.

Enjoying the sights of the Southern Valley circuit

Didn't arrive back in town until 6pm in the dark.

Dinner and cards at the English pub to celebrate our last night in Cuzco