Lima- Cusco... 7. Day

Now the next part comes along and I already had started to drink my coca tea every mornin'.
In the airplane we've been shaken up a view times and again, the food was more something like ..what the f.. is this.. no thank you.. I said it again.. but it's just an two hour flight. 
And again you see not much then clouds and hills and some hills with snow and then the town Cusco and you wonder...is this the right town..? And the airport with it's runway... is in the middle in the town... well, Cusco- the town lies in a valley. 
One runway... no more, a very little airport and old and they seem to change this airport into a modern one... this is in my opinion very necessary... older luggage treadmills did I never saw... stone time old... 

can you see the runway/ airstrip? in the middle of Cusco

When we got up to get off the plan a women immediately had a lack of blood pressure and went to ground of the plan... well this happens... better to remember starting with a coca tea and take a chewing gum while you fly.. the difference of the highs is much... from next to the sea level to 3300 meter over the sea level... the air is thin, the sun is stronger, and so your body has to fight a bit, although for the most it is just to slow down a bit and after a day you should be alright.. mostly you feel it when you look around or inside your body.. it's like having problems with seeing, or a tingle in your bones or just you must breath stronger... you need more to rest then to walk fast... 

looks better then it actually was

view from my hotel room

Cusco does not at all look like the pics from the prospects you got home... they seem only to catch the hidden beauty... somewhere here.... it was much like "Are you kidding me?!" in my mind.... and most of the faces around me looked the same.... Cusco is poor, that's clearly to see and nearly the most houses are unfinished... 
Simple, but I am no one to give up to soon... the day just stared... let's see what it brings... It's warm and now I am back in Germany I can also tell you it's cold there... in the nights... from 27°C on the day to 9- 10°C on the nights... cold, cold, cold and if the hotels did not had something to head up the room, it would not pleased you you stay a night longer... 
Let's walk to the centrum of Cusco, we are just about 15- 20 minutes away.. Well, first day and your body is still fighting with the new area, it is a challenge, but we made it and there we saw the first signs of the Incas... and of course, because of the time and history, the spanish people destroyed a lot but could not all... so they build a church above the Inca buildings... leveled out, painted over...half destroyed and half year... There it is the monastery Santo Domingo, with it's colonial arches and paintings, with it's frescoes and under and around the Koricancha- the Inca temple in honor for the sun god Inti.....It is said this was the richest Inca temple... golden, with statuaries... lifesize art of the animals... well we just saw the walls, the gold is stolen and somewhere.. no one knows... The conquistadores did all the work...

inside the S.D., part of the temple

the patio

cyclamen... did not expect them there in Cusco

Inca wall... very good work...

Inca and spanish as one...

After this long visit and a lot of people/ tourists with us we went to the "La Catdral". The first christian sign in Cusco and big as possible... typical catholic church. 
It's full of gold everywhere, a lot of very big altars and of course this church is not only so famous here, because it is the first thing from the spanish people in Cusco, it also is known for the school of Cusco.. what does this mean... well the spanish people could not take enough artist from Europe to Peru, so they though the peruvian to paint and like this... but so it became, that on the holy pictures you always find flowers and plants and animals of Peru... So the Jesus eats and guinea pig at his last communion instead of the bread. Next pics shows you part of my traveler book, so forgive that it's not so good and one pic I took by myself...

After all, for me it was interesting to see all this inside, but it all was so big, so much, so kitschy, so unreal and had nothing to do with christ or what Jesus said.. no feeling of spirituality, no feeling of some holy.. it was -and for the time when they build those churches and cathedrals- it was the! way to talk to people- for me just and all about propaganda. A very big propaganda in gold for the "better" people, the spanish.... I mean, all faces looks european, all good is white and all those morality on the paintings... Interesting, but I was happy when i stepped out of this big and oversized building... a power thing... to rule... people... O.K: done with it..:-)
The afternoon rises.. as everywhere... it's getting colder... and we went back to the hotel.. alone... me as always.. watched TV and eat a bit I bought on the way back to the hotel... Shoppin' is never hard to do for me... ;-)

LOVE & LIGHT

Iquitos- Lima... 5. Day

Last day in the jungle and I'm not really feeling the way of going today... 
Not hungry, but happy for the last hours with my new friends Carlos and Christopher...
They go fishing, while I go on packing my suitcase. 
9:45 o'clock and the boat with around ten people is going out, back to Iquitos... and on the way we see... white storks, many, many Butterflies, people washing and fishing in the Amazonas... see old Ships laying on the ground.. a graveyard of ships... and again, all the wood houses and the rain forrest, the rice fields.... sand banks and finally the harbor, where the bus is waiting for us up the stairs...
My guide in Ceiba Tops and I ... at the end, we did had it good together... everyone tried his best and so we understood better and better and it became nicer and nicer... good man he is..:-))
In Iquitos, the same bus, but other stuff and typical the german tourist, did not trust 'em, had to take a look back on the bus to check the luggage.. getting afraid and panic a bit, but then it was found... so the journey to the airports starts.. again, feeling like being in India... and yes the circus is still in town.. yes a circus in the rain forrest! Can you imagine? Crazy.. with some things to enjoy around, like a ferris and shooting was... and above of the lovely sun, the smog get's in our eyes and it's like being back to modern world from somewhere far far away....

the name of the flower? I don't know..

RIO AMAZONAS

in da jungle

tried to catch the magic from the jungle

just have your mind and eyes open... then...

a lizard... one of many...

living on the river...

Iquitos is down on the left and Ceiba Tops is in the middle of the plan...

Cieba Tops and the INDIANA village with the marketplace

it's the little white boat on the right, next to the green tent...

oh dear, it's climbing up a hill with heavy luggage...

part of the circus who passed our way.. or better we passed it...

The flight back was nothing special, same bad food, but the friend of my first guide in Lima picked me up and that after a long waiting for my baggage...again... seems this will be something I get used to here in Peru...;-)
My new Hotel in Lima is also in Miraflores, but this time just about 15 min away from the beach and around 10 min. from Park Kennedy... a little part and marketplace, with restaurants, coffees and shops and also money change on the street, which are actually good, but just into dollars, which is no problem to pay with in Peru. No Problema! :-)
Oh by the way, it is very common that the luggage you check in will be controlled manuel from the stuff/ security... on the little airports, like in Iquitos, Cusco, Juliaca....
But only that, the handbags and "little" backpack you take with you into the airplane will not be controlled and it is allowed to have a bottle of water or so with you... with more than 100ml...
Just I wonder.. what people call a little hand baggage..! The most surly have more then 8 Kilo... which is the limit allowed to take with you to your seat... but still, no one really controls this..
Back to the hotel... it's still a nice area and oh the view from the window shows me, that Lima has also skyscrapers. Mostly houses are just two or three floor high..it is said that one of the reason is the climate. It is very warm, and not much rain, and if it rains, it does not wet that much, if it's cold, it's not that cold, and mostly just at nights and then they have the dry sand storms... but another reason is money.. to be exact..taxes... a house which is ready build cost taxation. 
And again in a hotel a new way to shut a door or better to close one.. they all look so similar but are so different to close... never enough to learn in the world.

.... and so the day ends, with TV and something to eat i bought and the guys I will make the next part of the tour and time in Peru.. I will met them after a nice sleep...

LOVE & LIGHT

Lima- Iquitos... 3. Day

Breakfast with something which has the name coffee.. it was more hot water with a bit of coffee taste.
But then I got the lucky card again and got real good coffee. My Detour (that's the name of the traveler agency) Guide comes and pics me up and drives me to the airport. Her german is so very well.. I really enjoy being with her and so we change numbers too... Again the sky is cloudy but typical for this season. But there are moments I ask myself if this could be more smog then cloudy fog? On the way from the south of the town to the north I pass the cliffs on the beach and am so grateful. On the way it is clearly to see, that they started with Miraflores to make the beaches beautiful. And the Tsunami stairs are mostly new... but needed maybe on time too. It's maybe 25 meters high to climb from the beach to town... Then at the airport we make the deal that a friend of her should pic me up when I come back to Lima. Feels much better, then lookin' for a taxi with just tourist spanish. The stuff on the airport is very nice and lovely in it's attitude. The airport self is not that big. On the journey, which started in time, the food was horrible and not much to see, then clouds, sometimes the hills and then came the sun through and I could see the rain forrest, the River- Rio Amazona... Oh what an adventure... I have absolutely no idea how it will be, but am so exited. 

the Anden

airport Lima

By the way, when it is about the restrooms on the airports or the hotels... dear male Tourists don't think the toilet is broken, they use to be so full with water and it's not an automatic flush, you have to push a button or do it other way ... but it does not go on without your help... For the south american people.. for us in Europe.. the toilets have much less water inside and we are not afraid of wetting our best friend... and the other thing is.. it is not allowed to throw paper or anything then what comes out of the body into the toilets. You have to throw in a bucket. Forgive us south american people that we don't remember this all the time. A habit is not so easy to deny. :-)
Well before landing on the little little airport in Iquitos, I could see little villages all around, see streets, see poor villages, see fire going on- it's the "burning" time.... 
First thing after showing your luggage number and passport.. again... we make a tour with our guides from Iquitos through the town, which once was a little village and became a very important place in the marketing of the jungle and to keep people alive, and away from terror and illegal things, like cutting trees, drugs and other stuff. It's not so long ago, that the times where unsure, even for the indians and peruvian... but now we have a good time, with a lot going on, but don't expect a town beautiful like in Europe... it's more like India... a lot of those tuk tuks, which they call here bikecars... smog worse then in Lima, but we sit in a big old bus, without windows, it's really warm, sunny and we see how people live... taking their kids on the bike or driving with much more on the car to bear then we would allow back in ol' Europe... The people live near the streets and so a long time this town looks like those typical villages we have in Europe too, which goes along just on a main street... but then we reach the centre and the marketplace and the harbor.  A lot of people bustle around. A lot of bananas, melons and fish are going to be sold. 
And.. Dogs, dogs, dogs... like in Lima and the rest of the country.. dogs are very typical and they walk around, like the cows in India, sometimes more or less dirty and some have an owner, some are free and yes a lot of them are mixed race. 
My guide in Lima, she said, they love dogs, not cats... just in Lima, the most dogs have an owner... mostly are they little once - like pugs, terrier, peaks... 
The most tourist are Americans, some French and me the German... The time the most german comes, is the autumn time... Don't know why this is like this, but it is... anyway...

After about 45 minutes we arrived at our harbor, where several boats where waiting for the white mans.. and some colored..;-)
I take a little boat with two Americans who come with me along the way and get to another Lodge... My Lodge has the name "Ceiba Tobs Lodge". It's about 40km away from Iquitos and so we have to go out by the little boat on the Rio Amazonas... and because we are just three people coming in and don't have that many cases, we are permit to take all of it with us... The river is low and the rain times will start in a few weeks... tourist have to reckon, that they are permit only to take luggage of 5 kg with them. The life vast was on board, but they said we just have to take them if we must... they don't take it so... exactly with the rules... they also try to never be so far away from the beach.. 

here you see how low the water stood...

the boat we have to take to come in to the rain forrest 

While we are on the river, we see the harbor in the beginning with a lot of very old and dented and scratched ships, but all of them are still on the water, taking people, food and wood... Can't imagine one of those here in Germany... Would surely be not allowed... :-) Then we pass oil industry, which makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable.
The rain forrest, how does it look from the water...? Big and well to be true, like every wood looks from far away.. green, big and beautiful... and this was the picture.. wood, wood, wood, some beaches, some people in little boats, some fishing, some washing cloths on the beach, some children playing, and a lot of little wood houses, sometimes colored, mostly not... rice fields, corn fields... water and wood again... never thought so many people would live here... Well, documentation just gives you a little part of what is truly here... of course you see some garbage too and the Rio Amazonas is warm, but nothing I would like to swim in, not because the snakes, which can be there, it's because the water is not very clear... Don't know if my immune system can deal with this... 
My Guide in Ceiba Tops, does not speak very well english or german and has problems with walking, but he tries to be nice and has patience.. I have to have them too.. cos I gotta ask him a lot times to repeat what he was saying... 
The Lodge however was very nice, some place you can fall in love with... embedded in the jungle... and that is the first thing after arriving.. We take a walk into the jungle to big trees, very big.. and I have the luck, the big luck of two guys who become my company... one is Carlos from Lima and his friend Christopher from Chile... from the first moment we have direct contact.. we feel really good with each other and have so much fun immediately. 
The rain forrest is exactly like you dream of and the big tree we are able to see, looks a bit like those from Avatar or the trees from Avatar- the movie - looks much like them, just much bigger... Of course we were swinging on a vine. :-) Not that sporty and elegant like Tarzan...
Through with sweat we have the ability to do in the afternoon what we want, so we dive into the pool and talk, talk, talk... The view from my window is romantic, especially in the night, when the lights are on... The Mosquitoes comes out in the late afternoon, but we just see maybe two or three of them, just flying around us, but we discover very soon, that not only did it help to have impregnated cloths, it also helps a lot to put your feet on a chair or stool...with a towel under or around your feet. The main time for mosquitoes comes later.. much later.... But this is why it feels like being on a fantasy island... Just a bit music in the evening is missing... and I don't mean those traditional flute music, which you can and must hear next to everywhere as a tourist. 
Staying out late is not an idea..gotta go up very early, because I gotta watch birds in the very beginning of the day, before breakfast time....

one of those giant trees

Christopher.. just him and the tree :-)

inside the tree trunk

Rio Amazonas is in sight

the houses we sleep in...

Carlos and Christophers view from the window... River Amazona

LOVE & LIGHT