Cusco
On Monday, January 11th as of 8:30 I travelled by a taxi to Plaza de
Armas. It had rained all during the night and the sky was still
covered with clouds. At Dicetur/Cosituc I bought the boleto
turistico as well as the circuito religiso. I walked in the city
between 3400 and 3600 meters high; it was a true challenge. But alas
great was my disappointment in all the visited sites No Photo, and
the cerberi were damned vigilant. Furnishing, sculptures, tables,
frescos and altars of the churches are of any beauty. Moreover
Google and Wikipedia do not present any photo of interior. I gave up
seeing the museums not registered in Boleto and in circuito. The
photos of the gallery-Cusco-1 are as a consequence of outsides. The
day remained gloomy. I returned to the camp-ground of very bad mood
against the municipal officials of the city refusing that tourists
take pictures knowing that extranjeros pay a very high tariff.
Visite de Cusco-1, click the picture
Aguas Calientes
On Tuesday, January 12th I left the Quinta Lala campground to go to
Aguas Calientes by traversing the Sacred Valley crossing the
villages of Pisaq, Ollantaytambo which I will visit back to Cusco.
The road is asphalted up to Santa Maria then becomes a ground track
in rather bad condition during several kilometers while passing
under the vault of a cliff. Sometimes the crossing of the vehicles
require vigilance. From Santa Teresa the track crosses several
bridges to reach Hidroelectrica where I left my truck in a carpark
located at approximately 150 meters on the line after the bridge.
Then the train station is at five minutes of walk on foot. I caught
the train of 14:50 for Aguas Calientes where I went down in Los
Caminantes Hotel recommended by Lonely Planet. Then I bought the bus
ticket to go the following day to Machu Picchu as well as the ticket
of entry of the site. I visited the city under the sun before
returning to the hotel.
Machu Picchu Pueblo, click the picture
|
| Parqueadero, Hidroélectrica |
On Wednesday, January 13rd I took the first bus for Machu Picchu at
5:30 a.m. in the rain. While arriving at the entrance of site a
compact crowd always expected the opening at 6:00 in the rain and in
the clouds. For the description of Machu Picchu to follow the bond
here.
It is interdict to use sticks of excursion. I had not
taken mine. On the other hand I noticed that some tourists had one.
I bitterly regretted not having taken mine. It was a painful trip in
the raining slipping staircases. Harassed I gave up the site around
10:30 to be back to Aguas Calientes around 11:00, always in the
rain.
Machu Picchu, click the picture
Aguas Calientes, click the picture
Salineras
On Thursday, January 14th I took the train at 6:55 a.m. right in
front of the hotel Los Caminantes for Hidroelectrica where I arrived
at 7:30. After having put my truck in functioning order I left for
Santa Teresa where I sought a Taller de Llantas to repair a more
puncture, this time of the right back wheel. The repairer pointed
out me that the threading of the pins as well as bolts were damaged,
of whom it fault! Only the left back wheel never had puncture.
During the change of tire I could note the state of the pins and
determine the responsibilities. As with the outward journey I
crossed a wood bridge, very slowly, because the announced limit is 3
tons. I continued my way up to the archeological site of
Ollantaytambo which I visited after lunching. Then I begun again the
road with the intention to visit Salineras as bivouacking there. At
the exit of the village of Urubamba I was passed by a Man truck of a
Swiss couple of whom I had become acquainted at the Quinta Lala
campground in Cusco because I had seen their vehicle in Chavin de
Huantar. I followed them up to Salineras which salt works are
exploited since the INCA time.
Sacred Valley, back to Cusco, click the picture
Ollantaytambo, click the picture
Salineras, click the picture
Renate & Bruno
After the visit of Salineras Renate & Bruno invited me to dine and
gave me much useful information for Bolivia, Brazil and French
Guiana as well as alternate roads in the event of delay or of
impossibilities due to the bad weather in the rain season. Indeed
they travel in South America since nearly twelve years.
Cusco, Quinta Lala
On Friday, January 15th accompanied by Renate & Bruno I visited the
site of Moray which is composed of three immense funnels whose
concentric circles were cultivated to profit from the different
temperature on the successive levels as well as returned heat in the
night by the supporting rocks. How the pre-Columbian people were
brilliances engineers! I left my Swiss friends back to Cusco by
stopping at Pisaq to visit the site after the departure of the
tourist horde at the beginning of afternoon. Renate & Bruno left for
Bolivia while stopping in Paz where they made me promise to go. I
returned to the Quinta Lala campground to do the administrative job
and to have rest during the weekend before entering Bolivia the next
week.
Moray, click the picture
Pisaq, click the picture
