tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121822922024-03-06T19:50:46.752-08:00Escape the Good Life: The World: 2005-NowAmmon Watkins continues the journey and life started with family members Maggie, Savannah and Breanna in May 2005. In one daring move, this family decided to escape the good life in a story of epic proportions. Join us and see - there is a <i>better</i> life.The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.comBlogger627125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-77360888353522251192019-11-02T12:05:00.002-07:002019-11-02T12:05:39.791-07:00Campeche and UxmalAs a quick stopover between other destinations in the Yucatan,
Campeche feels like a quiet, safe provincial city but as a unesco site destination, Campeche is relatively uninspiring, especially compared to what we had been seeing recently. Campeche`s claim to fame and reason for being was as a major port stop for the Spanish
treasure fleet on the northern route that brought back treasure from the mines past Mexico City, down to Veracruz where it was loaded onto ships that stopped in Campeche on route to Havana and then Spain. It's just
another piece of the colonial history that we had been following for most of our trip away. <br />
A half a day is enough though we made it a stopover for the night and a nice little airbnb a short walk away from the centre.
The historic centre is cute but very small and unfortunately has too
much car traffic to be as pleasant as I'd prefer. For a small tip to a gate keeper you
can walk on a section of the walls. They have been haphazardly preserved and restored along with much of the rest of the colonial core inside the walls. Looking down you realize that many
of the painted buildings are still hollow facades with nothing but ruins
behind them and a tree poking out the top. There were 2 defensive forts built along with the fortified town but unfortunately Fort San Miguel (the main one) was closed for renovations
so we didn't even get to see the part I had been most looking forward
to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqLLNTvWRaMfng7YPZmZ9_oiTRCKMqiGGTMBBfAhEJh_3vzKz1gx2eWu0q_DIaLWRoEABsKpCnA4PaSqrKH7Js1Wa4K0Ulc52-gr99E9DGSrUI2ErY99QNwxqqGWr8z3w_rIC/s1600/IMG_0226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqLLNTvWRaMfng7YPZmZ9_oiTRCKMqiGGTMBBfAhEJh_3vzKz1gx2eWu0q_DIaLWRoEABsKpCnA4PaSqrKH7Js1Wa4K0Ulc52-gr99E9DGSrUI2ErY99QNwxqqGWr8z3w_rIC/s640/IMG_0226.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The land gate to old town Campeche</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMrHAvBOBsjsIuf5_wlhV9KOiWYlQ_h00nuAhdI4jrP_kYmyQ7n2_TbM64zGDki7ahkunfk1a89JvpDjU_Si_zD6OJql51H2NKcPc5FpLRvhDvP-WTi50NldBdxyADjAurHJK/s1600/IMG_0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMrHAvBOBsjsIuf5_wlhV9KOiWYlQ_h00nuAhdI4jrP_kYmyQ7n2_TbM64zGDki7ahkunfk1a89JvpDjU_Si_zD6OJql51H2NKcPc5FpLRvhDvP-WTi50NldBdxyADjAurHJK/s640/IMG_0229.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All prettied up and colourful</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u2mC1eFZekgm3eQrBxLAFvt6p-NbBT3kN0uOrIzEGp0WH6j99mC1l81zqULld4qsK_D1fc6GxZBYtKqQ_lXtfNO2oI7tizEdW3POvVkX0pnw60ZLEVVQH1NoiT6UUtJkoe-d/s1600/IMG_0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u2mC1eFZekgm3eQrBxLAFvt6p-NbBT3kN0uOrIzEGp0WH6j99mC1l81zqULld4qsK_D1fc6GxZBYtKqQ_lXtfNO2oI7tizEdW3POvVkX0pnw60ZLEVVQH1NoiT6UUtJkoe-d/s640/IMG_0233.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a lighthouse for belltower?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqW6fYXQf55R5WhzMbcIDRbnx9X_IAIK9YGxjOIdp597NA1tTrgFn4DGmlMss2Vi913BbBCUDMB_cwhzrpvItEGsXc_ITm4TdhL2NipuWMCOY0Biw28DXWYqYvK3MpeT1Iyiz/s1600/IMG_0241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqW6fYXQf55R5WhzMbcIDRbnx9X_IAIK9YGxjOIdp597NA1tTrgFn4DGmlMss2Vi913BbBCUDMB_cwhzrpvItEGsXc_ITm4TdhL2NipuWMCOY0Biw28DXWYqYvK3MpeT1Iyiz/s640/IMG_0241.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The central plaza is very relaxing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A repurposed bastion from the old walls</td></tr>
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The following day we moved on to Merida, another provincial capital a few hours farther north. It is much bigger and busier both in general and as a tourist hub. It was also built by the Spanish and boasts a nice colonial heritage with a fairly typical central plaza, though this one was quite busy and at night there was even a demonstration of the ancient Mayan ball game in front of the cathedral. Yes, it is that kind of town. The Mayan ball game was central to Mayan ceremonial culture and the ball courts are usually one of the most identifiable and prominent ruins at any given site. Now I know what was going on at least.<br />
We enjoyed Merida though, especially when we found a restaurant packed with locals serving what was probably our favourite meal of the entire trip, nachos al pastor. I`m not the type to go on and on about food but this was heaven on a plate and became our only meal for the last few days of our trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79mG0t2mdsM_w3S3JwJOyduJQxIWlOpVpd1JIuPEypVE3NX-bwGvpJFjJAf8eBlb8d04q84Rtt6a32v76hfJBNO51m7xJT9ryaQYH-33uWhE-NE6j-4OQPdsXkGujVwLbT0g1/s1600/IMG_0275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79mG0t2mdsM_w3S3JwJOyduJQxIWlOpVpd1JIuPEypVE3NX-bwGvpJFjJAf8eBlb8d04q84Rtt6a32v76hfJBNO51m7xJT9ryaQYH-33uWhE-NE6j-4OQPdsXkGujVwLbT0g1/s640/IMG_0275.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merida cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-ird8y2EqftTx4zLOavTqGedlKK1WTgoDm9-Q9sqP7XvTyfBfWtmlEY6Y72bTjNtZylW0LtVz49oSYigHvDeKj3baC8zSNa_5pBhxH1FpAmTXizhQZ6c73GSD1n5CGduyCmf/s1600/IMG_0277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-ird8y2EqftTx4zLOavTqGedlKK1WTgoDm9-Q9sqP7XvTyfBfWtmlEY6Y72bTjNtZylW0LtVz49oSYigHvDeKj3baC8zSNa_5pBhxH1FpAmTXizhQZ6c73GSD1n5CGduyCmf/s640/IMG_0277.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The central plaza of Merida</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old colonial building now a bank</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGABmn9VrV5NNNFP9rZl84-Ud7vC3cSwX02OCJ3VpaldyerQ0yx-rZ_PikxJU8khin0wCY57S3coWQjbTZXZv5VcsXQ0VMpin7RrtAo1HIgAtog2QqHMhdzJpj47sjGsbsQ9n/s1600/IMG_0296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGABmn9VrV5NNNFP9rZl84-Ud7vC3cSwX02OCJ3VpaldyerQ0yx-rZ_PikxJU8khin0wCY57S3coWQjbTZXZv5VcsXQ0VMpin7RrtAo1HIgAtog2QqHMhdzJpj47sjGsbsQ9n/s640/IMG_0296.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another colonial building, now part of a university</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzQh6PQ8zkedVjYUgU9heq_Z7qOY_K1Ldes96vywGnM2Au4QMpoo6M-XwoVQ52WFAj1LbIeluNnOH0v-4pdSZNZYLnrG5QxZnc3XKePbei-i3-1cOkSEMgWwX4DZdNq_pfGEj/s1600/IMG_0296a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzQh6PQ8zkedVjYUgU9heq_Z7qOY_K1Ldes96vywGnM2Au4QMpoo6M-XwoVQ52WFAj1LbIeluNnOH0v-4pdSZNZYLnrG5QxZnc3XKePbei-i3-1cOkSEMgWwX4DZdNq_pfGEj/s640/IMG_0296a.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best food ever.</td></tr>
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But Merida wasn`t our real destination, it was simply used as our base for taking a day trip to our final site, the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. Having come from the southern Mayan sites of Palenque and Calakmul it is
hard to believe this is still the same culture because the style and
decor are so different. It is much more similar to Chichen Itza and attracts many of the same visitors as they really aren't too far apart. Uxmal is well restored and there was a good
photo display in the tiny museum showing before and after pictures of a
lot of the site. Very interesting. They continue to work on it,
especially around the Governor's Palace, judging by the most recent
photos taken in 2012. It's not really as large a site as it looks but we
spent a couple hours to see it all. Unfortunately the overpowering
stench of guano prevented us from getting too close or inside many of
the structures and at 413 pesos foreigner entry fee now (compared to 197
and 111 pesos for Calakmul and Palenque respectively) it is overpriced
and feels like a money grab.<br />
We also ran into a German guy at Uxmal that we had met in Xpujil and had taken the bus to Campeche together with as well. We ended up visiting the site together, the first time in ages we'd actually done anything with another random traveler. We had been traveling opposite to so many people for so long I'd stopped expecting such things to happen anymore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXeEt5dyedg62HO8my7CI94bnD5xoP9w97kCZH_ghqy7eFPJcybItU-_kmOCv71Zw7Qq200qSKmrPw8bcqyjM57QVtHg58F3WCXnwd1jeWhtAYNPmvmqNoNP3Zti9OQHcb9qj/s1600/IMG_0309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXeEt5dyedg62HO8my7CI94bnD5xoP9w97kCZH_ghqy7eFPJcybItU-_kmOCv71Zw7Qq200qSKmrPw8bcqyjM57QVtHg58F3WCXnwd1jeWhtAYNPmvmqNoNP3Zti9OQHcb9qj/s640/IMG_0309.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faces of the rain god Chaac</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuALCL0uWTMDGICG1hRF2yUwDceglLiBtdGgimxqustg2Tvi4HC6JPF4dxP9klbDdzfR28uxAPJzkKBX8KP03TLj04y11VYsGuoUnc_vRBhtSZ237u8rRST37BsV9g7uRZfM_/s1600/IMG_0313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuALCL0uWTMDGICG1hRF2yUwDceglLiBtdGgimxqustg2Tvi4HC6JPF4dxP9klbDdzfR28uxAPJzkKBX8KP03TLj04y11VYsGuoUnc_vRBhtSZ237u8rRST37BsV9g7uRZfM_/s640/IMG_0313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A courtyard in Uxmal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QWLyuVSr2Si_JBuo5rFDXSuSMFOeNhXTfK9Rtqb2g32KC8PxVkvs5awIM_k-c3I43Tng8aT4uNT9j0IKVBvF4e9MDYtc63-0vWhTqQwfDq-5_a54IFqQqa3A49D7TvwA-15l/s1600/IMG_0321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QWLyuVSr2Si_JBuo5rFDXSuSMFOeNhXTfK9Rtqb2g32KC8PxVkvs5awIM_k-c3I43Tng8aT4uNT9j0IKVBvF4e9MDYtc63-0vWhTqQwfDq-5_a54IFqQqa3A49D7TvwA-15l/s640/IMG_0321.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The so-called Magician's Pyramid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzXwXOJvmkeuanKu1YmxJTRYXCgAci8Xk-DRkkusc8qpPxQ3ZcxTD2hWaPyUrsIif8dd7QVVn2nJFixQ5MzcS56zFvWssEzkdh6C_6O1pZJwrVhwItEQPPttkbwwQCaolFI9X/s1600/IMG_0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzXwXOJvmkeuanKu1YmxJTRYXCgAci8Xk-DRkkusc8qpPxQ3ZcxTD2hWaPyUrsIif8dd7QVVn2nJFixQ5MzcS56zFvWssEzkdh6C_6O1pZJwrVhwItEQPPttkbwwQCaolFI9X/s640/IMG_0334.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grim decor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Governor's Palace"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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With Uxmal done it was time to finally head home. Our flight was out of Cancun and luckily enough we were able to catch a very early morning bus directly to the airport from Merida in time to catch our flight. Mexico is still very much on my radar for a return someday. Let's just hope they can get their troubles under control between now and then...<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-49523952984509835502019-10-28T10:47:00.001-07:002019-10-29T16:42:58.726-07:00Palenque and CalakmulMaybe it was the perfect weather or the howler monkeys or the thousands
of butterflies, but Palenque ended up unexpectedly being our favourite
Mayan site on this trip and second overall (after Tikal). It has
probably found the best balance between restoration and jungle setting,
protection and letting you climb/explore, while being large enough to
explore for a couple hours without having to get lost or walk long distances
through areas of no interest. It is touristy but not too crowded also.
Unfortunately we visited on a Monday and the site museum was closed.<br />
Palenque was at it's peak about 1400 years ago and was built in the southern Mayan style (ie. more similar to Calakmul that we would see later, but also Tikal and Copan) and is situated in an elevated location above a plain to take advantage of natural water sources. There are even remnants of an underground water channel that passes beside the central palace and under the plaza. There are quite a few large temples with faded inscriptions inside but nice views over the complex. There were lots of bats in the tunnels under the central palace too but I didn't venture in far.<br />
It was hot though so we roasted our way through the site, thankful for the sections still hidden in the jungle and taking long breaks to enjoy our surroundings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grand palace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Palenque town is a few km away from the ruins and is nothing special. There was little of interest after a very brief walk around and we'd been told by multiple travelers that Palenque was a bit known as a hotbed of food poisoning so we played it conservatively and weren't too disappointed to be moving along quickly.<br />
From Palenque we went to Xpujil. Ya, I wasn't sure how to pronounce that one either but we made it after another long day, first on a minibus to the main highway junction and then catching a passing bus. Calakmul might be considered way off the beaten path but it isn't unheard of and
Xpujil has become a mini tourist hub for the couple dozen tourists that
visit the site. It felt like most foreigners were eating at the pizzeria
(with budget accommodation in the back where we were staying) at the corner of the main
roundabout and this place should probably be considered ground zero for
getting local info for the region. We might've even been able to find
someone with a rental car already but as it turned out the pizzeria knew
a guy with a car that could take us to the ruins the next day at a very
reasonable rate. In the end we were a group of 6 in 2 cars.<br />
It is a long but not unpleasant 2 hour ride to Calakmul from Xpujil. Once off the main
road the scenery is pristine wilderness and you can't help but strain
your eyes searching and hoping to see some wildlife cross the road.
Aside from the checkpoints there really isn't much along the way but our
driver pulled off to the side around 27km in (it was unmarked and had room for maybe 3 cars) where we walked along an unmarked trail for ~45
minutes and saw howler and spider monkeys, deer, toucans, etc.Finally a good look at a toucan.<br />
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We were given 4 hours at the ruins and chose the long trail, climbed
the 3 climbable temples, loved the views of emptiness and reminders of
our experience in Tikal, had to rush the last part and finished just
under 4 hours as the last of our group to return. The only downside of
the day and maybe it was just the time of year, but the mosquitoes were
so bad we used an entire big bottle of repellent trying to keep them off
and still couldn't stop long enough to read through a whole info sign
(of which there were many). There are some very large stele but they are quite worn and impossible to make out. In general (especially for Mexico) this is still a largely unrestored site, which is part of the appeal of course. We saw maybe 2 dozen other tourists there
and the site is huge so you end up spread out well which can actually
make following the furthest sections of the long route more confusing
with a lack of coherent direction markers and nobody else to follow. There is literally nothing else out there in the jungle and views from the top of the temples show nothing but a sea of trees in every direction. Apparently on a good day it is possible to see the tops of some ruins in Guatemala in the distance but it was too hazy for us to make anything out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same view in all directions.</td></tr>
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Wandering the jungle in a humid 30-something degrees for hours is hungry work and we ate an entire family pizza for dinner that night before collapsing in bed. There are a handful of lesser ruins around Xpujil for the very dedicated, including ones right on the edge of town but we didn't have time and left early the next morning for another slow bus ride directly to Campeche.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-56208634998814592372019-10-19T19:12:00.003-07:002019-10-28T09:01:47.075-07:00Antigua and San Cristobal de las Casas<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though the tourist shuttle between Copan Ruinas, Honduras and Antigua, Guatemala is one of the most popular in Central America, that doesn't mean it is comfortable. It was an 8 hour ride made unnecessarily long by the fact that the shuttles leave at noon and are perfectly timed to get stuck in Guatemala City's evening rush hour. I had wanted to do it another way and stop off in other parts of Guatemala but alas, we were still very short on time and unfortunately a certain level of ruthlessness was required to balance the itinerary. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Antigua is a must-visit in Guatemala. Everyone already knows that though and it is easily the most visited town in the country with many visitors lingering much longer than planned. It is one of the more famous spots to stop and study Spanish before or during a trip through Latin America as well so it draws all sorts. Antigua was the original Spanish capital of this region <span style="color: #333333;">until successive destructive earthquakes forced the Spanish to relocate elsewhere. W</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">e arrived at night and the first impression was of how wide the streets are. Totally unlike other old towns which usually feel so cramped. It is beautifully preserved and maintained and the historic area is much larger than I expected.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> Although other places try to make a claim, c</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">ompared to other colonial towns in Central America and even much of South America, Antigua has no equal. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Make no mistake, this is a well-oiled tourism machine used to lots of visitors passing through but rather than going the overly tacky route, they cater to foreigners with nice hotels, pretty cafes, good food and clean streets. There always seemed to be something pleasant around the next corner to find and even with only a single rainy day to visit (we couldn't even see the volcanoes which so famously surround the town) it was easy to see why so many people end up spending longer here than initially planned. We would have stayed an extra day or two as well I'm sure. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">As far as things to do, in town the main attractions are the plethora of ruined convents and churches which seemed to pop up around every corner. Most are quite ruined but still standing and because of limited time and the high fees associated with each, we contented ourselves with simply strolling the streets and seeing what we could see through or over the fences as we came to them. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many ruins are still in use</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The classic Antigua shot. There is supposed to be a volcano behind this.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iglesia de la Merced</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has seen better days, and a few earthquakes too!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Templo de San Jose Cathedral</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrCfygHDRRFbcoPYZ434hJuaGzg9Jg7L7MsSJm1TfQ4n5pxGEAmP529dFrcTiJHT-QcEVD5yf6DXqNafCSJ1DIj6x3otknsEVb34LrUt8TbtWjIy5Zn3uqFJc4puS4N86ut8Z/s1600/IMG_9973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrCfygHDRRFbcoPYZ434hJuaGzg9Jg7L7MsSJm1TfQ4n5pxGEAmP529dFrcTiJHT-QcEVD5yf6DXqNafCSJ1DIj6x3otknsEVb34LrUt8TbtWjIy5Zn3uqFJc4puS4N86ut8Z/s640/IMG_9973.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBvAeAK4PGZ05S7rGsCXfXy62I9rPLCIwgjKN5-Toj_idd918clvCZh2mjELT1agh2ehWoPOcVAv6okkTE68FLTTKaI5zFCgraDHBMnkr-npaEYzl1ZAr2Eqc8DkLjWxEXw6e/s1600/IMG_9980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBvAeAK4PGZ05S7rGsCXfXy62I9rPLCIwgjKN5-Toj_idd918clvCZh2mjELT1agh2ehWoPOcVAv6okkTE68FLTTKaI5zFCgraDHBMnkr-npaEYzl1ZAr2Eqc8DkLjWxEXw6e/s640/IMG_9980.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Colourful buildings and wide cobbled streets</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relaxing in the central plaza</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">That night we said goodbye to mom as she was finally flying out of Guatemala the next morning </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">(9 days late) </span></span>and we would be leaving </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">before dawn on yet another tourist shuttle, this time to take us all the way to San Cristobal de las Casas, over the border in Mexico. I hadn't really heard of this town before but it obviously had to be popular since it is definitely on the shuttle route. I was simply looking to get into Mexico quickly and easily and if we could find somewhere nice to stop over along the way, so much the better. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">It was a 13 hour ride with a couple stops for dropping off/picking up people coming/going to other places along the way. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">It was not the most pleasant journey. I still think buses are more comfortable than shuttles, especially when the shuttles contain loud and drunk/high backpackers. We had an embarrassingly intoxicated pair of guys with us and I really don't know how they got across the border in the state they were in. The whole group of us had a bit of a hold-up as the Guatemalan border was temporarily closed when we arrived because of a protest. Something about refugee rights and anti-Trumpness. I'm sure he cares...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Mexico in general was a shock we were not expecting. Mexico might still have a reputation for being chaotic and dirty but it is downright first-world developed when you are coming from the rest of Central America. Crime has taken a turn for the much worse in the last few years but we were to see little of that in the regions we would be in and overall we felt much more comfortable than we had in a while. It was also nice to be in a travel system that was developed and organized. Bus stations, tourist information, schedules, etc. And wow was it busy. The level of tourism jumped dramatically, now including all sorts of visitors, from families to backpackers. The part we were most excited about though was the food. Contrary to popular misconceptions, other Spanish-speaking countries do not eat Mexican food. It is very different. We were in Mexico a little over a week total, and I'm pretty sure we just lived on nachos al pastor. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Arriving with no expectations, San Cristobal was nicer than we thought. We only had a full day and two nights to visit which was enough if you aren't planning on any excursions outside of town. It is another well-preserved and prettied-up colonial town in the mountains so the weather was cool and wet but not unpleasant. We wandered about taking in the plazas and churches, always looking out for the next meal. San Cristobal is a little out of the way unless you are traveling to/from Guatemala but somehow there were quite a few tourists around anyway, certainly more than we'd seen in a while. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delicious Mexican food!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">San Cristobal felt much busier</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The central plaza</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">San Cristobal Cathedral</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkOjLW2P6TgKLfBVNRhXGDvtjZi1GAE0_WQURG9XbxTxIwxmyDXDjNwHTIKc5QNfH8xxBsOkQVU0ZHIp0y2SS-ZXwxAl-An0Ch2xKW873KdKgXKPubjfuLC_xHHTa1RKw5vaH/s1600/IMG_0039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkOjLW2P6TgKLfBVNRhXGDvtjZi1GAE0_WQURG9XbxTxIwxmyDXDjNwHTIKc5QNfH8xxBsOkQVU0ZHIp0y2SS-ZXwxAl-An0Ch2xKW873KdKgXKPubjfuLC_xHHTa1RKw5vaH/s640/IMG_0039.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ornate Santo Domingo church facade</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">The next closest major attractions to San Cristobal seem to be Oaxaca to the west, or Palenque to the northeast both of which are a few hundred km away. We were heading to Palenque next. Rather than take a 9 hour bus the long way we opted to take a quicker but more "risky" minibus route via Ocosingo. This took a little over 5 hours and the risk came from the potential for roadblocks by unhappy locals which have caused enough disruptions in recent years (with an associated uprising) that the scheduled buses avoid the route altogether now. Seeing as things were considered quiet at the moment, we went for it and had no issue. It is a pretty but windy drive down and out of the hills as well. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Ammon</span></span>The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-67483454989601581452019-08-28T14:10:00.001-07:002019-08-28T14:26:59.395-07:00El Salvador and Honduras (in a hurry)As I mentioned in my last post, we were trying to get to El Salvador by boat from Nicaragua because my passport situation required it. Mom's passport situation required us to start moving very quickly because we now had less than 3 weeks to get all the way to Cancun for our flight home and even less time than that to get to Antigua, Guatemala for mom's flight home first.<br />
With a new temporary passport in (mom's) hand we finally returned to Potosi, 10 days after having had it stolen on our way there. There is no really good information about this marine crossing and we were pretty sure there was no regularly scheduled transport between the two countries. A few tour/transport agencies claim to be able to arrange something, usually a much more expensive private transfer that doesn't appeal to anyone as it is significantly more than the van options to get to the same place.<br />
We had arranged transportation through an online travel agency and despite repeated assurances that everything would be taken care of, I can't say I was very surprised when on the morning of our boat departure, we got a message saying that the company failed to find any more passengers and it would suddenly be much more expensive if we still wanted to go. This is not the way to win me over.<br />
Once again we were rescued by the amazingly friendly and helpful guy at the guesthouse we were staying at. He made a few calls and within an hour had come up with a solution to get us across. Fishermen. We had to walk over to the little port area and get ourselves through immigration first though. We were the only people there and the whole thing was surprisingly very easy. There might be only 2 buildings and a broken pier that isn't even used anymore but the officials were nice and were also making sure our ride was legit. We had to wait a while for the 2 fisherman to show up (he'd been loading his little boat with buckets of fish in another area nearby) but eventually he pulled up on the empty black sand beach and we jumped in. It was a tiny open boat with 6 buckets of small fish covered with cloth. We threw our bags on top of the buckets, sat 3 across on the only bench available and started the crossing. The Gulf of Fonseca is not very large and has one small opening to the pacific ocean. El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua are all easily seen from any point in the water, with a few islands and volcanoes dotted around the bay. It was a bit hazy but still very picturesque. The only other boats were of other fishermen and the whole crossing was a relatively easy 2 hours with a brief stop at a village on one of the islands along the way to drop off a few things.<br />
Our entry into El Salvador was less than glorious. I was already wet from water splashing all over me and when our boat pulled up to the busier port in La Union we had to wade through dirty, knee-deep water full of garbage and fish guts to get ourselves ashore. It didn't look like a wonderful town to hang around in though everyone we met was helpful and friendly enough. We stayed just long enough to get stamped in, hit the atm and catch a bus out. We spent the night in San Miguel, the largest city in the east/south of the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxjQPVMwMHVLFxJYBtTo7aY59BgIeFx1TjdLZAPm0txQBSsLiXXfkHt4stk1jP1HH3a8slUaQmR5l4nKh4HBOGt8yHZh5sJ5KN-fBcDxtD26LP5VJag2QxLxXA0wgAEAUj6bg/s1600/IMG_9739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxjQPVMwMHVLFxJYBtTo7aY59BgIeFx1TjdLZAPm0txQBSsLiXXfkHt4stk1jP1HH3a8slUaQmR5l4nKh4HBOGt8yHZh5sJ5KN-fBcDxtD26LP5VJag2QxLxXA0wgAEAUj6bg/s640/IMG_9739.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black sand at Potosi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival port in La Union, El Salvador</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The buckets of fish successfully offloaded.</td></tr>
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El Salvador looked similar to the rest of the countries in Central America at first glance though it is smaller and therefore more densely populated. Most tourism revolves around surfing and volcanoes but the country has a terrible reputation for serious gang-related crime and boasts one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world. We only stayed 3 nights in El Salvador so could hardly claim to know the country, but where we were and what we did didn't feel any more dangerous and threatening than anywhere else we went. I think the people were the friendliest and the national food (pupusas) were the best that we experienced in Central America. There was a noticeable increase in security everywhere and barbed-wire is definitely the national decor so I have no doubt that crime is a serious problem. But the overall impression is that things could be so much better but I have also seen poorer. Though they overlap a lot, there is a difference between no money and totally undeveloped poor vs deteriorated, corrupt and crime-riddled poor. Parts of Africa or Bolivia where people live in huts and there are no paved roads feels like the former while El Salvador (and its neighbours) with its western chains, skyscrapers, paved roads and shopping malls is closer to the latter.<br />
With a reduced schedule we were forced to prioritize our experiences down to the essentials which in our case meant mostly Mayan ruins for the rest of the trip. In El Salvador there is only 1 unesco site, Joya de Ceren, known as the Pompeii of the Americas. We relocated from San Miguel to Santa Ana and from there visited Joya de Ceren on a day trip. Unlike the more famous Mayan tourist sites, this one is not based on huge temples and religious structures but is a simple village that was abandoned during a volcanic eruption about 1400 years ago. It was only discovered in 1976 and archaeologists have had to dig through 14 layers of volcanic ash to expose the original buildings. It isn't a large site and the village only existed for about 30 years before being abandoned, but there are several simple residential buildings to look down on. This site is more for the serious archaeologist than the casual tourist but it is interesting to see something of how the simple Mayans lived long ago. The lower temperature of the ash that covered the village helped it preserve everything so well including organic material such as food, giving researchers valuable info not found elsewhere. From there we caught a local bus to the town of Chalchuapa to visit a small temple site but it had been over-restored and wasn't of particularly high quality. It was a warm up for what was to come but it is probably not unfair to say that El Salvador is not going to become an international archaeology powerhouse anytime soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joya de Ceren</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Tazumal pyramid at Chalchuapa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The theatre at Santa Ana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Ana cathedral</td></tr>
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Our next destination was Copan Ruinas in Honduras. The normal and most direct route between Santa Ana and Copan is actually through Guatemala, but due to my passport being too full we needed to take the long way. We also had to do it on our own. There are no tourist shuttles or direct buses that don't go through Guatemala. Getting up really early we left Santa Ana at 6am for a bus back to San Salvador where we had to change bus terminals to get another bus directly to the border at El Poy. It was pretty scenery as we climbed up into the highlands that would make up the western corner of Honduras. Once we crossed the border it was interesting to see how the vegetation would change from corn and banana crops and a more tropical look at lower elevations and in the valleys to coffee and pine trees at the highest points of the ride. The border crossing was quick and simple and after a 10 minute van ride to the nearest town, we caught another bus to the highway junction at La Entrada. We knew another bus would eventually come by for the final stretch to the village of Copan Ruinas but unfortunately we ended up waiting for an hour and a half before the final bus of the day came by. In all it took us 13.5 hours but we made it. We didn't want to get stranded half way. If there is a country with a worse reputation for danger than El Salvador it is Honduras, though that is mostly in the big cities and the people we met along the way were all helpful and friendly. They just don't see many independent travelers moving around by public bus anymore.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honduras highlands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrival in Copan Ruinas</td></tr>
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The Mayan ruins at Copan are well known as one of the best in the world, often compared with those at Tikal in Guatemala. While I personally think there is no comparison (I liked Tikal much better), Copan is a superior site for those interested in carved detail. The stele found there are arguably the best ever produced by the Mayans. The site is a large one with a large central plaza, several temples and residential areas and of course a ball court. The most impressive and unique part is the huge hieroglyphic staircase that climbs 21 meters up the outside of one of the temples. Considered by many to be the largest ancient text in the world, it describes the royal lineage of Copan and the accomplishments of its 16 kings. It is partially restored and has been covered by a canvas tarp for decades now to prevent further deterioration by the elements. We spent a couple hours wandering around and checking out all the ruins. It was hot as usual but fortunately shade wasn't too hard to find since the ruins are still in the jungle. Even better than the shade, the jungle provided us with animals. We didn't see or hear any monkeys but even better, the entry area is full of released scarlet macaws. There were dozens of these beautiful birds and we spent quite a while watching them. Animals have definitely been a highlight on this trip overall and the macaws were no exception.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hieroglyphic staircase</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grand plaza with ball court</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the huge trees growing out of the ruins</td></tr>
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There are other touristy attractions nearby including more ruins, waterfalls and bird parks but we only had the one full day and spent it all at the main ruins. Also due to our limited time frame we had to save time by leaving Copan Ruinas by tourist shuttle to get to Guatemala rather than making our own way. Fortunately we were able to use the deposit we'd paid toward our failed boat crossing out of Nicaragua on a shuttle arranged through the same company.<br />
Ammon<br />
<br />The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-66098680302703248312019-08-23T08:14:00.001-07:002019-08-23T08:14:55.560-07:00NicaraguaI'd have never guessed we'd end up spending more time in Nicaragua than any other country in Central America. It wasn't by plan and ended up becoming a necessity as we ran into a few problems.<br />
Nicaragua is a bit of a mixed story depending on who you talk to. On one side, it is more politically aligned outside of the US-axis than any other country in Central America having been good friends with Cuba, Iran and the rest of the "other side" in recent history. This all stems from a leftist revolution and take over back in 1979 which led to further messiness and a civil war with US-backed rebels throughout the 80's. Not that they invented corruption and incompetence (there is a reason the Somoza regime was overthrown in the first place) but like most revolutions worldwide, leadership changes but crappy conditions mostly just stay the same for the little guy.<br />
Despite all this, in the last decade or so Nicaragua had been gaining a pretty solid reputation as the next "Costa Rica" with much better prices and a lot of growth potential on a stable and safe tourism front. Many Americans and Canadians were buying up land for retirement and things were generally looking good. Last year all hell broke loose with a whack of political instability, violent protests, mass repressions and human rights violations by the authorities and suddenly most of the foreigners ran away and tourist-oriented businesses shut down. It was yet another thing to keep my eye on as it looked more and more likely that we would get there this year and it seemed that things had stabilized enough on the safety front and visitors were starting to trickle back in.<br />
We got a direct bus from Liberia to the border. Generally I make a point of taking more obscure and interesting routes and border crossings through countries and have avoided a lot of scam and hassle this way. With Nicaragua we didn't really have much choice but to take the most popular crossing and although it wasn't particularly difficult or obnoxious, it was probably the least pleasant border post of our trip. The exit fee for Costa Rica is just stupid and scammy in the way they have a broken official payment machine so you have to pay extra to pay the fee at other booths and of all the people we were to meet and deal with in Nicaragua, the touts and bus drivers at the border were the worst. Not the best start to the day.<br />
Our first destination was Granada, arguably the most touristic place in the country and with a large expat community. If they aren't living on the beach, they are probably living in Granada. Granada is one of the oldest Spanish settlements in Central America and bills itself as one of the best preserved colonial towns in the region. True. It is cute with its colonial plaza and many of the streets have been repainted in multiple colours so it is all very photogenic and makes for a nice stroll. The churches are looking a little run down but that just gives it a bit more character. It was pretty, quiet and noticeably suffering for a lack of visitors though we saw more here than anywhere else in the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkvBvYf4wSlT2kGQz7hJPKllk5MWfTZ-i9hRLrzb9bOBD8O_ckH1ixcT__TEMOh0uisE3tpd7FQjUUpPi-27u4OzQPNshnluMMN06rU6xe-tEbEjOal6t6XUTyYnBq2KvnCQc/s1600/IMG_9626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQkvBvYf4wSlT2kGQz7hJPKllk5MWfTZ-i9hRLrzb9bOBD8O_ckH1ixcT__TEMOh0uisE3tpd7FQjUUpPi-27u4OzQPNshnluMMN06rU6xe-tEbEjOal6t6XUTyYnBq2KvnCQc/s640/IMG_9626.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granada cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzQA9Xco-2sqZm5szIHPyrChSJjnqYVDtFT4G42mnutFEwNPFnDblQZrvkkH0YL-kgLjD0JFsjYGavzg9OX7VJqJ_5uIzl36zkbpUI6SyBruIycoXaeOveQEKksmLTseZv5iQ/s1600/IMG_9627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzQA9Xco-2sqZm5szIHPyrChSJjnqYVDtFT4G42mnutFEwNPFnDblQZrvkkH0YL-kgLjD0JFsjYGavzg9OX7VJqJ_5uIzl36zkbpUI6SyBruIycoXaeOveQEKksmLTseZv5iQ/s640/IMG_9627.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granada's central plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz7NMiioAWShemB5NOuxHAcmFIMjAONtRvfnjz3Z6PaPmgFmnLf3lJJ0opBx7QeCKjSFWQtdKCC7gUPJsNQnXJfSyUWQBIWJ0L1oZuu7Vo4-WNtDK09lvEEZ_Yo_SlT3lWQcB/s1600/IMG_9635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz7NMiioAWShemB5NOuxHAcmFIMjAONtRvfnjz3Z6PaPmgFmnLf3lJJ0opBx7QeCKjSFWQtdKCC7gUPJsNQnXJfSyUWQBIWJ0L1oZuu7Vo4-WNtDK09lvEEZ_Yo_SlT3lWQcB/s640/IMG_9635.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colourful homes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DuxgTCegRHad6TVJ8RdxQbzC-txtDXw1ZRnr_hkP53dqhEGFUW2oOSeUi5YraSgaeFLetOAiUfEumjSCRnW1D58QbNrP-1yFM6XMA1yiJ12PyWh7KVGt5oDbDB1JA7VVgza9/s1600/IMG_9645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DuxgTCegRHad6TVJ8RdxQbzC-txtDXw1ZRnr_hkP53dqhEGFUW2oOSeUi5YraSgaeFLetOAiUfEumjSCRnW1D58QbNrP-1yFM6XMA1yiJ12PyWh7KVGt5oDbDB1JA7VVgza9/s640/IMG_9645.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guadalupe church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNJFkPwev_iLq9Q1HpkjW-wIB3JS9taDCFU5PkLehrydJ9jFXT7i3-C15bIopfON26u7Bz3CklK9BYxAz3PbOMNj1_j1Z7v0JSZpBDutqpumPBk3T3vRzwv5xygAdUJ_vvaaJ/s1600/IMG_9651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNJFkPwev_iLq9Q1HpkjW-wIB3JS9taDCFU5PkLehrydJ9jFXT7i3-C15bIopfON26u7Bz3CklK9BYxAz3PbOMNj1_j1Z7v0JSZpBDutqpumPBk3T3vRzwv5xygAdUJ_vvaaJ/s640/IMG_9651.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xalteva church</td></tr>
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We planned on giving ourselves a couple nights in Granada to see it and then move on. What we didn't realize until the morning of our departure was that our chosen departure date was a major holiday in Nicaragua and that this one was very politically motivated, having to do with the Sandinista revolution by the (somewhat) current government. With all the troubles lately I guess it was a good excuse for them to really get some serious self-promotion on and so all public bus licences were revoked for the day and suddenly Granada felt like a ghost town. There was virtually no traffic on the roads and the little bus station was completely deserted. What was supposed to have been a simple "get up and relocate a few hours northwest" kind of day became much more interesting. First there was the initial panic of "we aren't going to be able to get out of this suddenly ghost town and I have a place booked to get to" which was solved when our Granada host suggested a tourist shuttle.<br />
Tourist shuttles are just that, a much more expensive door-to-door service used by most travelers now because of their "ease, safety and comfort". I would never consider a tourist shuttle under normal circumstances, finding the vans more uncomfortable than buses and lacking in any kind of local flavour. Nevertheless they are faster and were running when nothing else was that day. Our plan was to get to Leon, normally only 2-3 hours away. It took us over 5 hours because shortly after leaving Granada we found all the missing buses and people. It seemed like almost everyone (certainly everyone that wanted to) was in these re-purposed buses heading toward the capital for.....something. We don't know and never did find out. From the looks of things most were never going to make it in time anyway. The "highway" was gridlocked and our shuttle driver at one point resorted to driving at oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the divided road. This was done at the suggestion of the traffic police until we got busted by a different set of traffic police a while later. The other tourists didn't complain when were forced to turn around, backtrack to the nearest roundabout and rejoin the crowds. A few were fairly convinced they were going to die. Highly amusing...<br />
Nicaraguan buses are "chicken buses", converted North American school buses, in rough shape, usually with a personalized paint job and surely a new engine because I don't ever remember a school bus at home that could drive like that. Now fill the buses with thousands of excited locals to the point they are riding on the roof waving red and black FSLN flags (from the political party). They'll spend hours travelling to the capital and maybe get there but it didn't really look like they cared where they were. Not the way I hope to spend my holidays but maybe Nicaraguans are short of entertainment options.<br />
We made it to Leon in the end. Maybe it was the long weekend or maybe it is always that way, but we found it to be much quieter and more relaxed than Granada. The majority of visitors that come to Leon come for the volcanoes and the cathedral. The cathedral is a unesco-listed one and unique in its fusion of local and colonial styles. It sits on the dusty main plaza amidst other colonial buildings, the likes of which we have grown very accustomed to this past year. It didn't take long to wander from church to church to check out the various facades, some of which were rather unique (one had dice? carved into it).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTp_PvclyhfueG5AcOTBIA7HnWF1n8y65C_rO2GJu3jeJ0oMPbTQYz03lTxQxsmUaaqrbOn7f-lNgTYt-aSVIdcnXvz4sQuC3CE7y_0xqq3kOm5EU7pkaBMJjS7b6h4eP8EZo/s1600/IMG_9692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTp_PvclyhfueG5AcOTBIA7HnWF1n8y65C_rO2GJu3jeJ0oMPbTQYz03lTxQxsmUaaqrbOn7f-lNgTYt-aSVIdcnXvz4sQuC3CE7y_0xqq3kOm5EU7pkaBMJjS7b6h4eP8EZo/s640/IMG_9692.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church of the Recollection, Leon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN14f1J6aOWD0Phl91Q_D7f2eZgMeq0q89y0epq05yZh-Cx5LFt6kuzv4xWD85AZoNzKo_VPAulOnUOc2YxUWH3Gtj2YkMuLIYtu4jlXlzqexMAvyJuS7ClLLe_rbnOk1AFwd2/s1600/IMG_9693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN14f1J6aOWD0Phl91Q_D7f2eZgMeq0q89y0epq05yZh-Cx5LFt6kuzv4xWD85AZoNzKo_VPAulOnUOc2YxUWH3Gtj2YkMuLIYtu4jlXlzqexMAvyJuS7ClLLe_rbnOk1AFwd2/s640/IMG_9693.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leon cathedral</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0IcvnlmboSzRXxeKdzLYU4zobjmUArMKHPJ_5IQESB9j6DGAc8y-1xWrgQMef-IbhaTwtAibnvBMGKzd4lai6KdPLgXPqHeyV3qHYN23w74yDhKiY127kwxtpUghKjvRpaw/s1600/IMG_9696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK0IcvnlmboSzRXxeKdzLYU4zobjmUArMKHPJ_5IQESB9j6DGAc8y-1xWrgQMef-IbhaTwtAibnvBMGKzd4lai6KdPLgXPqHeyV3qHYN23w74yDhKiY127kwxtpUghKjvRpaw/s640/IMG_9696.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Volcanoes, on the other hand, are very much a part of Central American geography with a long string of them on the west side of the isthmus at fairly regular intervals from Costa Rica all the way into Mexico. We were always within site of one it seemed and climbing or other activities are offered at many in each country. Leon advertises volcano boarding which seems to be more or less sand boarding down a volcano (on the outside). We had ruled out any volcanic activities not only on account of the oppressive heat but also because during the rainy season the tops of the volcanoes are usually covered in cloud. Laziness had nothing to do with it I swear. Instead we made a little day trip to the ruins of Leon Viejo, the original settlement of Leon, one of the oldest in the region having been founded in 1524. It was abandoned in 1610 after multiple earthquakes and issues with the nearby active volcano which subsequently buried the site. It wasn't rediscovered until 1967 and parts of it have been uncovered and partially restored though it is mostly just the general layout and the bases of walls that remain. It lies beside the second largest lake in Nicaragua and has nice views of the nearby volcanoes as well. The ruins are obviously not as popular as volcanoes to most tourists these days because we were the only people visiting and the village beside the ruins was incredibly quiet with almost nothing catering to possible visitors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7enkTXGFPAs0vJqlT6iMkLhy3eXh7U_qPGIb1kzHY4bkdVKSye76wJYXkIXVae1yGbLnvLgfBzoPcBfmR1StHhhYhRcyZGZcVyNQ-KL8o-Fn8T6X9do_oEv3UlSsHUgjH90a/s1600/IMG_9665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7enkTXGFPAs0vJqlT6iMkLhy3eXh7U_qPGIb1kzHY4bkdVKSye76wJYXkIXVae1yGbLnvLgfBzoPcBfmR1StHhhYhRcyZGZcVyNQ-KL8o-Fn8T6X9do_oEv3UlSsHUgjH90a/s640/IMG_9665.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leon Viejo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLaA3i8P7ncwVh9A6oVIuBtvYG62a3_eB0Lsd1XN7474y38vXrG9YpahMhHWISEEl73ETL0P0C2ZtZHERIzUJrCACMw7qsa0w3Df5QH70d9spQGde1LxeOsf3KocKbhfLmcLg/s1600/IMG_9672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLaA3i8P7ncwVh9A6oVIuBtvYG62a3_eB0Lsd1XN7474y38vXrG9YpahMhHWISEEl73ETL0P0C2ZtZHERIzUJrCACMw7qsa0w3Df5QH70d9spQGde1LxeOsf3KocKbhfLmcLg/s640/IMG_9672.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leon Viejo. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIzNqdzFBHTIkpWEAu1P5Oxc3s_YZr9lLJsUAXH88cPYdDVKWB3Qugzw4xCgork2HlW3OULdaFYnZ8CxK3bvh8xHUXyRcBQsj0OtnF6Z3VPhJLbzakeAGhh6Kbeqn591iuKWa/s1600/IMG_9686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIzNqdzFBHTIkpWEAu1P5Oxc3s_YZr9lLJsUAXH88cPYdDVKWB3Qugzw4xCgork2HlW3OULdaFYnZ8CxK3bvh8xHUXyRcBQsj0OtnF6Z3VPhJLbzakeAGhh6Kbeqn591iuKWa/s640/IMG_9686.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momotombo volcano from the lake shore near Leon Viejo</td></tr>
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From Leon we made our way to Potosi, a tiny village at the end of a peninsula in the northwest of the country. Our plan was to take a boat from Potosi across the small Gulf of Fonseca to reach El Salvador. We needed to do this route because I was rapidly running out of space in my passport for anything but the bare minimum of stamps to finish our trip and this was the only way to avoid entering Honduras without flying. Unfortunately, after checking into our little guesthouse in Potosi, mom discovered that her bag had been rifled through on the bus and her valuables had been stolen, including her passport. They warn you about this kind of thing and it sucks, but the worst part of it is that the process of replacing a passport ends up more costly (in money but especially time) than what was actually taken in the first place. Let's just say that I was not happy and the whole ordeal put us about 10 days behind schedule before we got back to Potosi and on track again. So close to the end, and having just bought our flight home based on a different schedule and itinerary, there was plenty of frantic planning on my part to come up with something new. In the meantime we had to backtrack to the Canadian embassy in Managua and after applying for a new passport, returned to Granada again to sit and wait a week for it to arrive.<br />
We had to spend a little time in Managua so got a chance to see it as well. There is not much in Managua that is very exciting to be honest. There was a ton of heavy security lining the streets while we were there though I got the impression it was for a political event and not the usual amount. The only really potentially touristic area is along the lakefront but it was closed for security reasons. The most interesting attraction ended up being a partial viewing of the old cathedral which was abandoned after an earthquake damaged it in 1972.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfhf5tneVnUVYgvxmj9AcBFk4JSZMQzOFk2WGnK1Yz-TXqr4EP9o8HcjM_9K7ok3kceHlg7ABXXB7zBX_jSz0l1ekr8lZqDq1ZtYPQE1rlA9SWSkED0tuAhf6raKXahup0Tii/s1600/IMG_9718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfhf5tneVnUVYgvxmj9AcBFk4JSZMQzOFk2WGnK1Yz-TXqr4EP9o8HcjM_9K7ok3kceHlg7ABXXB7zBX_jSz0l1ekr8lZqDq1ZtYPQE1rlA9SWSkED0tuAhf6raKXahup0Tii/s640/IMG_9718.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The abandoned Managua cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8JJzsI-lgATzC7Iy5nuYs0ZiRZvK9-YQyHqfcQ1V-80BGCEm-FubAqazqYTHvsfBVKPph93YrrrMeiwgIJm5vPEQIffSfumuz4IxkJgrlEzmj-oqqn2hqHNxaIv-EtZYLf7X/s1600/IMG_9724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8JJzsI-lgATzC7Iy5nuYs0ZiRZvK9-YQyHqfcQ1V-80BGCEm-FubAqazqYTHvsfBVKPph93YrrrMeiwgIJm5vPEQIffSfumuz4IxkJgrlEzmj-oqqn2hqHNxaIv-EtZYLf7X/s640/IMG_9724.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central Managua. These giant "trees" light up at night.</td></tr>
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AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-46396806874608864472019-07-29T08:10:00.000-07:002019-07-29T08:10:42.154-07:00Caribbean Side of Panama and Costa RicaAlmost everyone I've talked to that has been to Panama has told me that I must visit Bocas del Toro. Such consistent (and insistent) recommendations should not be ignored, so with the limited time we had we prioritized a visit to this archipelago of small islands off the northwest coast of Panama. Fortunately, they are easy to get to and although we got dropped off at the small coastal town of Almirante at 4:30am we didn't have to wait too long for sunrise and the first of the small speedboats to begin the crossing to the islands. We first passed through a narrow channel of huts on stilts (it's the kind of place where kids take canoes to school) before hitting more open water and crossing to Bocas town, the largest of the settlements and main tourist hub for the area. It is rainy season in Central America now so we have been under constant threat of rain and thunderstorms. Brief, strong showers are not uncommon, especially in the afternoons and the high humidity is inescapable.<br />
This is for the most part clear, warm Caribbean waters and Bocas has a lot of tour agencies and activities on offer. It's a backpacker to mid-range vibe, no big resorts and fly-in packages. There are a few beaches outside of town on the main island. We crossed the island on the local bus and visited Starfish Beach which was pretty though tourists have killed most of the starfish at this point so there weren't many to see. If you like your beaches with warm shallow water, a thin sliver of sand to lay on and a lot of palm trees then look no further.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking out to Starfish beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starfish beach</td></tr>
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With the limited time we had, rather than using the little inter island boats to independently try to visit other beaches in the area, we opted for a cheap day tour that would take us around to a number of sites quickly. It started with dolphin watching in the bay, a bit of snorkeling, relaxing on a beach on a small uninhabited island, observing sloths in the mangroves and finally more starfish. None of these things blew us away but it is pretty and we enjoyed the day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little tour boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deserted Zapatilla island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop on tour</td></tr>
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I can see how people could spend longer than planned relaxing at Bocas but that wasn't an option for us. Not only was time a factor but also money. Panama is definitely more expensive than the last few countries we've been in and that also had us motivated to keep moving along. From Bocas we caught a morning boat back to the mainland and from there negotiated a shuttle to the border where we walked across a little bridge into Costa Rica. It is the quieter border crossing side of the country and we got through and on the next bus without any hassle or too much delay.<br />
Our first stop in Costa Rica was Cahuita and we knew right away we would not be spending long in the country. Costa Rica is ridiculously popular, much more so than the rest of Central America, mostly because of its reputation for safety, stability and natural beauty. If you want to have a safe, family-oriented tropical vacation and not have to worry too much and have money to burn, it's great. For us, not so. Outside of Patagonia, Barbados and Antarctica, I think Costa Rica was the most expensive place we went this year. I'm not always against spending money (despite what the rest of my family will tell you) but I am only willing to do so when there is perceived value in doing so. I don't feel the need to spend random time on beaches or in national parks just because they are popular, so we specifically targeted certain activities we knew we could accomplish quickly and successfully and left the country in 5 days.<br />
The first activity was to see sloths in the wild. This was a major bucket list item for Sasha and while we had seen a sloth in a park in Cartagena and just a couple days before on our boat tour in Bocas, neither had been good enough to leave us feeling truly satisfied. Sloths are very common in Costa Rica. You can pay lots and go see them at some "rehabilitation" sanctuaries and even hold them I believe, or try your luck with seeing them in a national park somewhere while hiking. We'd heard that it was pretty much impossible to not see them at Cahuita National Park so decided to take our chances there. Unlike almost all other parks in Costa Rica, Cahuita NP is easily accessible without a vehicle, doesn't have an entry fee (it is by donation only) and doesn't require a guide (though having one can make wildlife spotting much easier). The entry to the park is at the edge of the town of the same name and we spent several hours walking the 8 km trail through the park. It is described as a loop but is an incomplete one as it leaves you at the other end of the park on the main road where you can easily get on a local bus or shuttle back to town. The trail parallels a nice beach which seemed to be what most local tourists were visiting for. There were 2 places where we had to walk through small streams but otherwise the trail was mostly shaded and well laid out, at times just a sandy path and at other times an elevated boardwalk over flooded land. We saw (and heard) howler monkeys which we love, capuchin monkeys, sloths and a variety of birds and smaller critters. We had a great day and would definitely recommend it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandy trail through Cahuita NP</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cahuita beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stream to cross</td></tr>
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It seems that most people rent a car or use shuttles in Costa Rica. We were on the public buses as always and it wasn't difficult or uncomfortable though we often had to hold onto our luggage because there was nowhere else to put it. We made it from Cahuita to Tortuguero village in a long day using a combination of 4 buses and a boat. Tortuguero is a small village on a sandbar built between a river and the remote northeast coast of Costa Rica and not accessible by road directly. It is a popular destination however, especially during various turtle seasons when sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Fortunately for tourists there are 4 species of turtles here and they lay at different times so there is usually something going on. The green turtle laying season starts in July and we were right at the beginning of it. As planned.<br />
Tortuguero National Park lies just outside the village and is dense jungle cut by waterways and canals on their way to the sea. Wildlife is also abundant here but the only way to visit is by boat tour or on a short muddy hike along a limited trail paralleling the coast. We started the morning with a two and a half hour canoe tour into the national park. We saw birds, a caiman and some more howler monkeys. This is a very wet area, especially in the rainy season so it's not surprising we got poured on. Maybe that is why we didn't see as much as I expected. That afternoon we got poured on again as we went stomping around in the national park on a flooded and muddy trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boats to Tortuguero</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuguero port</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother and baby howler monkeys</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuguero beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortuguero village</td></tr>
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Just after sunset we met with our guide for a final foray into the park, this time with a walk back along the muddy trail to a staging point where we would wait until the local turtle spotters found a turtle for us. It is done this way so that the tourists spend a minimal time on the beach itself where they could damage nests or scare away any turtles that haven't committed to laying yet. Once a female turtle is finished digging her nest and and begins to lay her eggs she goes into something of a trance and it is safe for us to approach. Only a red light is used and no photos are allowed so we don't have any but if you get a chance it is a pretty amazing thing to see. The lightning was good for viewing the turtle but when it finally started pouring we ended up heading back a little early. It was a 2 km walk back to the village in the strongest downpour I've been in. Usually these only last a couple of minutes at such strength but it was ferocious the entire walk back. I've never been so fully clothed and that wet before. My rubber boots were full of water by the time we got back. Fortunately it was warm enough and we weren't eaten by jaguars (apparently lots of turtles get eaten so it could be a thing) so we had a good but busy and wet day overall.<br />
The following morning we had the unpleasant task of packing up our gear (still wet) and traveling all the way across the country to its second largest city, Liberia. This entailed taking the boat back out of town (the water level had risen significantly in the 2 days we were there and several homes were flooded in the village and surrounding area) and 3 bus rides and took about 11 hours. It was our final night in Costa Rica and we were merely staging ourselves for the main, western crossing into Nicaragua the following day.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-10684801329556639712019-07-27T09:05:00.001-07:002019-07-27T09:05:58.021-07:00Panama City and the CanalPanama City. Round 2. We'd passed through and had an overnight stopover near the beginning of this trip but didn't have time to visit any of its tourist attractions. This time we gave ourselves 3 days to give it its due. My strongest memory and impression of Panama City will probably be of shopping malls. We seemed to have spent most of our time in them eating, shopping or simply transiting (the bus terminal is beside Albrook Mall). There is a lot of money here and an impressive skyline of skyscrapers. From a distance it looks very much like a tropical city in the US. We never lost that impression and overall found Panama (and for the most part the rest of Central America) to be extremely "Americanized". I had thought Central America would be like a mini South America but found it much more closely aligned with American culture and practices instead. I'm getting ahead of myself a bit but for example baseball instead of football, more fast food chains and taxes not included in the listed price. Small things but they add up and the source of the influence is obvious.<br />
Panama is best known for its canal and we couldn't come and not pay a visit. Fortunately it is easy to make a trip out to the Miraflores locks to see the ships passing through and visit the onsite museum. The building of the canal is a pretty messed up story of tragedy, arrogance, political intrigue and eventual engineering triumph. Many don't realize that the successful separation of Panama from Colombia as an independent nation is directly related to US interests in building the canal. It all started with the French though. Hot off the success of building the Suez canal, French engineers started planning for a canal across Panama in the same style. What worked in Egypt will work in Panama right? Ha! Egypt is flat and dry so a sea level canal made sense. Panama was undeveloped disease-ridden jungle covered mountains and the stubborn and arrogant French wasted 20 years and thousands of lives trying to cut a sea level path all the way from coast to coast. The Americans eventually took over, built some locks, flooded the central section with an artificial lake and finally opened the canal in 1914. The canal is mostly used by ships traveling from the west coast of the Americas to Europe or the east coast of the US to Asia and saves about 3 weeks of travel time compared to going around South America. As ships have gotten larger over the last 100 years, in 2016 Panama finally completed an expansion upgrade to allow for the newer, larger ships to pass as well. Somehow we ended up easily spending 4 hours out at the Miraflores locks before they closed and sent everyone away. The important thing is visiting at the right time. Traffic is all one way because of the narrowness of the canal so in the morning traffic flows east and in the afternoon it flows west with a couple hour gap of quiet in between.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the canal on the left, city on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miraflores locks and the mechanical "mules" that pull the ships through the locks</td></tr>
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Well before the establishment of the canal, it was obvious that the area was the shortest land crossing between the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Perhaps it is unsurprising then that the first Spanish settlement on the Pacific was at Panama Viejo. This original site lies just outside of downtown and is a set of ruins left behind when the colonists abandoned it following its destruction by pirates (led by the famous Henry Morgan) in 1671. A new settlement was started a few km away and has become the restored touristy colonial neighbourhood of Casco Viejo. Now the most touristic part of the city, only 20 years ago it was 5% preserved and considered too dangerous to visit. Today it is a mix of destroyed building shells sitting between restored buildings with little restaurants or souvenir shops and while far from the nicest colonial centre we've been to, was safe and interesting enough for a short wander.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panama Viejo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panama Viejo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break in Casco Viejo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casco Viejo</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5snlKb66dkZBTW729lQjAA-LUz5S5PnWtvS-rLDsjKslO3wX5FeojTf-DBq7wPrKJd5pw4hjLavYLZTelPnot5N97yb3d3Pc2VX9otpR2iC7SBqRwgQmwC4nhX8XHRHCOR1P8/s1600/IMG_9473+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5snlKb66dkZBTW729lQjAA-LUz5S5PnWtvS-rLDsjKslO3wX5FeojTf-DBq7wPrKJd5pw4hjLavYLZTelPnot5N97yb3d3Pc2VX9otpR2iC7SBqRwgQmwC4nhX8XHRHCOR1P8/s640/IMG_9473+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbitUoN7o7safsBO0iGl-JFoqNdgTrU0ZKsqUQ_YrNimdRo08UMe-BOXnzYfDnT1Hc_WErL2aftiHfUX1iW7aOyYCeY66NzDmJFGOrlZC7UlTcnhERIrNKQ15iP5CGiHT3kRJ/s1600/IMG_9459+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbitUoN7o7safsBO0iGl-JFoqNdgTrU0ZKsqUQ_YrNimdRo08UMe-BOXnzYfDnT1Hc_WErL2aftiHfUX1iW7aOyYCeY66NzDmJFGOrlZC7UlTcnhERIrNKQ15iP5CGiHT3kRJ/s640/IMG_9459+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruined monastery, Casco Viejo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monument to the French canal builders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown view from Casco Viejo</td></tr>
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Of course the other side is also important so we couldn't neglect the history of the Caribbean side of the trade route equation. While Panama Viejo became a port for the collection of goods (gold but mostly silver) coming up from Lima and other parts of northwest South America it still needed a departure point on the Caribbean side. Enter Portobelo and the Spanish treasure fleets.<br />
After a brief journey overland from the Pacific coast, the treasure would be taken to Portobelo where huge trade fairs would be held, the ships loaded and left to sail back to Spain, hoping to avoid pirates along the way. Portobelo has a deep, natural harbour and quickly became the main port for the export of silver from the mines of Peru and Bolivia. Obviously this needed protecting so a few forts and other defensive structures were built. Despite this, Portobelo was sacked on multiple occasions by pirates or the British (often the same thing) and Sir Francis Drake is even said to have been buried in a lead coffin somewhere in the bay after his death.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8DLAS-drHSsFl9f1gh-WWiwcW9x0Txeekg9kM4sH0LsdzR45gPW2SgnLshWPUsGqh0evLasRlmtQtsG079m5kZMDEU3YQF2FgtzxZiGwj9i670ECZlZJJaYoTL5o5uEwSm-l/s1600/IMG_9493+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8DLAS-drHSsFl9f1gh-WWiwcW9x0Txeekg9kM4sH0LsdzR45gPW2SgnLshWPUsGqh0evLasRlmtQtsG079m5kZMDEU3YQF2FgtzxZiGwj9i670ECZlZJJaYoTL5o5uEwSm-l/s640/IMG_9493+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santiago battery, Portobelo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portobelo bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Jeronimo fort, Portobelo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQHpSMFjkfnZlovJBHqiISv1Epnd9dKgl25Q1mRJl84E83mUhVjyr6at14fBU95Q4a7qj_OEVe_jx07UJEmoKtGDHuZhea3HCCN5AnT9iCqD4XnzSHEYMnrdiCAj5TyqpTiEF/s1600/IMG_9505+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQHpSMFjkfnZlovJBHqiISv1Epnd9dKgl25Q1mRJl84E83mUhVjyr6at14fBU95Q4a7qj_OEVe_jx07UJEmoKtGDHuZhea3HCCN5AnT9iCqD4XnzSHEYMnrdiCAj5TyqpTiEF/s640/IMG_9505+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These local buses are known as "Red Devils" and drive like maniacs.</td></tr>
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The canal was later built with its Caribbean entrance some 50 km to the west of Portobelo at a city called Colon and today Portobelo is a very small and sleepy town quietly neglected in its decay. No effort seems to be put into the maintenance, restoration or even promotion of the fortifications but they are a free open area for those that want to explore. A few rusted cannons pointed out to sea are all you get to help your imagination recreate the glory of days long gone. On our way back from a day trip to Portobelo we went all the way into Colon to change buses. Colon has a terrible reputation for being dirty and dangerous and in all honesty I have seen war zones that look more inviting. We had to walk two blocks to get to the bus station and that was more than enough. It stands out as a perfect example of the bizarre duality of Panama. There is money in the country and Panama presents itself as a modern global country but it all seems to be in the city. Everywhere else we went (granted it wasn't many places) looked very run down and poor which isn't unusual for us but the contrast stood out more than we expected. We left on a night bus headed west (Panama runs east/west not north/south like most people believe) to our final Panamanian destination, Bocas del Toro.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-23965609720508501502019-07-25T21:42:00.001-07:002019-07-25T21:55:35.814-07:00Bogota to CartagenaWith mom now in tow we wanted to make a nice impression. Unfortunately Bogota was not the place to do that. Of all the capitals we visited Bogota was our least favourite. It is a huge city (one of the most populous in the western hemisphere) so it must have a bit of everything and I'm sure there are very nice areas if we went out and looked for them, but we didn't. Why? Because we did what we always do, we were tourists doing the tourist thing for a couple days and as such we can directly compare with everywhere else we've been. The conclusion we came to was that if you wanted to visit the historic centre, see the central plaza and cathedral and the most recommended museums, you were going to be exposed to something that felt dirtier and sketchier than your norm on the continent. I'm not saying it is the worst, and we didn't have any problems, but we were happy to leave. It didn't really help that the weather is often cold and misty which it was for us most of the time we were there as well.<br />
Although Bogota became an important Spanish administrative capital early on, it lacks the same architectural grandeur and beautiful plazas to be found in Quito, Lima or Buenos Aires. One thing for which Bogota has become a world leader at is cycling. Every Sunday and holiday the city has the "Ciclovia", a time where the city shuts down 120 km of streets and the cyclists and pedestrians take over. They've been doing this since the 1970's and it is now copied to some degree by dozens of cities around the world. We were in Bogota on a holiday and I was shocked at the scale of the shutdown and the level of public participation. I remember hearing about it long ago, and I was glad we were able to witness it. Also impressive in Bogota is the Gold Museum, the world's largest collection of gold artifacts, mostly of pre-Columbian indigenous ornaments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykllRu6j_qV9TDD4uGCZeLm2huZwcda1-WkpyWwsN7KtZlqExRQ6oX91gKpZvlVrYAOst8emyEy_tNAlTDBbnWNLJx5ILwkmMmQ36m2aRBQQfp3Wv5uBkgoU4bW0A_ejgjNz-/s1600/IMG_9271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykllRu6j_qV9TDD4uGCZeLm2huZwcda1-WkpyWwsN7KtZlqExRQ6oX91gKpZvlVrYAOst8emyEy_tNAlTDBbnWNLJx5ILwkmMmQ36m2aRBQQfp3Wv5uBkgoU4bW0A_ejgjNz-/s640/IMG_9271.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The National Capital, Plaza de Bolivar, Bogota</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cathedral on the plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty courtyard in the Museo Casa de Moneda</td></tr>
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Leaving Bogota we got back into the small town life with a first stop at Villa de Leyva. It is a small colonial town only a few hours north of Bogota so unsurprisingly the most touristic of the bunch we visited. It is quite well preserved and underwent very little development after the initial colonial period when it was a distribution hub for the region. Its main plaza is the largest in Colombia to this day. We had 2 nights and 1 full day to explore. Whitewashed walls and narrow streets lined with flower pots. It is all very cute and must make a lovely weekend getaway for the locals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villa de Leyva</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEakkbf5iQBuuxj-GirsF56uQK8qULYhi0t3otR3q9OOVp7xzuE9bDHZzmDHwSOHhi6khnbBRjKtuXUlEE6HXVy-hKQMnWCOdv4C7iGKhuNBtrhBpdRybn19wNlieU58HvFR6V/s1600/IMG_9296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEakkbf5iQBuuxj-GirsF56uQK8qULYhi0t3otR3q9OOVp7xzuE9bDHZzmDHwSOHhi6khnbBRjKtuXUlEE6HXVy-hKQMnWCOdv4C7iGKhuNBtrhBpdRybn19wNlieU58HvFR6V/s640/IMG_9296.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The biggest plaza in Colombia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty, touristy streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you build a house on drugs it becomes a local tourist attraction...</td></tr>
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Another half day north we found ourselves in San Gil, the "adventure tourism" capital of Colombia. Plenty of tours were on offer to bungy jump, river raft, etc but we were there to see another nearby colonial town. Barichara is one of the prettiest and best preserved of Colombia's colonial towns and we really liked it. It has the typical grid layout and is perched on a ridge overlooking a nearby canyon. While the town itself is pretty with its whitewashed walls and tiled roofs, we were also there for a little hike downhill to the tiny village of Guane. The path follows the remains of a colonial path built over the indigenous paths linking many villages around the region. Because modern roads have largely bypassed this area, it remains very sleepy and undeveloped and it is still possible to follow these paths for days and make something of a full trek out of it. I don't think anyone actually does yet though. Tourism has still not realized its full potential here. The 2 hour hike to Guane is the lazy tourist version and we enjoyed it, especially since we had it pretty much to ourselves. The path is usually uneven cobblestones and lined with a low rock wall and scrubby pasture land on the other side. The only problem was the heat. We were starting to get into lower elevations which meant more heat, something we were still trying to get used to. The good news is that of all the countries we've been to on this trip, Colombia has consistently had the best fruit juices so rehydrating became enjoyable and we found a nice location with a view in Barichara for pre and post hike drinks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barichara</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Barichara</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the hike to Guane</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering Guane</td></tr>
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We went to Mompox next, arriving in the early morning after a direct overnight bus from San Gil. Our first impression of Mompox was not the best. It was rather smelly and run down on the outskirts of the village where we were dropped off. A few blocks in though and we found the little historic area that parallels the Magdalena river, the biggest in the country. Mompox was an important river port for traders along the only route between Cartagena and Bogota before roads through the interior were finally built. In the 1800's its prosperity started to decline and by the early 1900's the river had shifted, along with the main trade routes and Mompox was left in a sleepy state of decay. Rocking chairs are a thing here. It was hot and humid so we found an open cafe along the waterfront (actually rather difficult because tourism is minimal and most of the buildings are shuttered up these days), sat in a rocking chair and sipped our drinks and watched the world slowly float by. If you weren't in a hurry, it was kind of a perfect set up, so we ordered more drinks and continued to rock... Mompox has a few small churches on a few small plazas but there was little else to see and do. We didn't complain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The quiet waterfront streets of Mompox</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The former market building</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Barbara church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique cafe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocking chairs and drinks. Enjoying the lazy life :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Magdalena river</td></tr>
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Our last stop in Colombia was Cartagena, easily the most touristic place in the country. Cartagena was of critical importance to the Spanish as one of its main ports and trade centers in the new world. Cartagena sits on a protected bay that makes a huge natural harbour, encouraging its growth and importance during the colonial period. This also made it a very attractive target for pirates and the city was successfully attacked on numerous occasions. This necessitated the building of what would eventually become the most extensive military fortifications in South America with a string of fortresses around the bay and 11km of defensive walls and bastions around the old town. There is also a huge central fortress, San Felipe, that we visited. It was interesting for the views and its extensive tunnel network within.<br />
Cartagena is very popular on the cruise ship circuit and we were lucky that there weren't any in port when we were there but there were still more tourists than we'd seen in a long time. I actually liked Cartagena more than I thought I would. It was very much more Caribbean in look and feel than South American. Unfortunately Sasha was sick and couldn't join us for all of our exploration of the city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichwb6r2JeznY-6ZHt5dirmj9d9RYNo5yA0y5BkGP1YVLVA5Ep8Rxoabqwn4LlFnU-QFTICD4FfLiGmDsNNZfjmNfs4F3RasJ3wOP9ZGXiHlOgXSzsAxqsAewoyOz1tXUVsx3h/s1600/IMG_9421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichwb6r2JeznY-6ZHt5dirmj9d9RYNo5yA0y5BkGP1YVLVA5Ep8Rxoabqwn4LlFnU-QFTICD4FfLiGmDsNNZfjmNfs4F3RasJ3wOP9ZGXiHlOgXSzsAxqsAewoyOz1tXUVsx3h/s640/IMG_9421.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much of the walls around the city of Cartagena still stand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clock tower gate into the old town.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The former slave trading squae</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Felipe fortress</td></tr>
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Overall we were making good time and felt that with about 6 weeks left we would be able to quickly pass through Central America. There is no overland route from Colombia to Panama because of the Darien Gap, a wild and dangerous stretch of jungle separating the two countries. There are ways to quasi-overland the journey by taking sail or speedboat tours between the two but these are multi-day trips that island hop along the coast. The scenery looks beautiful but for the most part sounds like obnoxious party trips, prone to poor service and overpriced overall so in the end we ended up flying from Cartagena to Panama City instead.<br />
Ammon<br />
<br />The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-83208237608055671382019-07-21T18:24:00.001-07:002019-07-21T18:24:14.242-07:00The Coffee Region and MedellinOur next stop in Colombia was the small touristy town of Salento. Salento is very pretty with restored buildings in many colours and a very active central plaza. It feels like every shop within a couple blocks of this plaza is tourist oriented, as a bar, restaurant, guesthouse or selling souvenirs. After Cartagena, the Coffee Region of Colombia is the 2nd most popular tourist destination and Salento is the most popular of the towns in the region. We started out there on the weekend and it was packed with Colombian tourists day tripping in from the nearby bigger cities and things got quieter later in the week. For such a popular place there was surprisingly little hassle and we enjoyed our 4 days there. There is a lot to do in the area to fill your time and we could have easily stayed longer.<br />
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One of the days we went to Filandia, another colourful colonial town. It is so similar that after the 45 minute ride from Salento we were dropped off in the main plaza and for a second thought that they'd just driven us around the block a couple times and dropped us off back in the same spot. Filandia was nice with more colourful buildings and a tall wooden lookout tower with views over the surrounding countryside. The land is green and hilly and apparently perfect for growing coffee. We certainly saw lots growing all over the countryside and many of the small coffee fincas (plantations) are open for tours or even to stay overnight. We visited one of the small family run fincas within walking distance from Salento and had a quick private tour. I learned lots I didn't know about coffee, picked a few beans and followed it through the process in preparation for export. The free samples of coffee were nice as well. Apparently the area around Salento is not just the perfect temperature but also close to the highest altitude for coffee growing giving it a richer acidic flavour. I dunno, coffee is still mostly just coffee to me but it is always interesting to learn more about one of the world's biggest commodities.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty little Salento</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu6pw0vQT5seZMghF0bi0omB23z0rnGoFhwM6I9YBpOrYWNNLiWrqmEwi3D8luYauM_c4uJCTTekxVanzi359HFvuMFhXJAvsK6k1RuYk2MIVNf4nvDUvBM32w8Gga90c7l0V/s1600/IMG_9124+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu6pw0vQT5seZMghF0bi0omB23z0rnGoFhwM6I9YBpOrYWNNLiWrqmEwi3D8luYauM_c4uJCTTekxVanzi359HFvuMFhXJAvsK6k1RuYk2MIVNf4nvDUvBM32w8Gga90c7l0V/s640/IMG_9124+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh fruit juice in Salento's plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salento</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dsTtVaa7zUczuH_dM6R7R07J-5aF9pBgNK6BrwkhJdoH9DCkYEsA5SF3Z6G-ILbQkVVXwHiWejfABqiWmU5f55RX6NcKv3MmNVawnHeycIG01s9eKDjEYgRX4GMfPTAY_Jwq/s1600/IMG_9138+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dsTtVaa7zUczuH_dM6R7R07J-5aF9pBgNK6BrwkhJdoH9DCkYEsA5SF3Z6G-ILbQkVVXwHiWejfABqiWmU5f55RX6NcKv3MmNVawnHeycIG01s9eKDjEYgRX4GMfPTAY_Jwq/s640/IMG_9138+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filandia. Also pretty</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filandia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfncdWiJC-_rSm6AwnBe5zzGONRLl7fRW914WgqghVqFD7yHEhX9UdZ_7_Oa2OFnugquW0TtnDAH8jHoV_1VzBHuVrqMCdj4TGDXLxlKwB3hgpOPz_Dck60-eY71sLBc89-UF/s1600/IMG_9136+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfncdWiJC-_rSm6AwnBe5zzGONRLl7fRW914WgqghVqFD7yHEhX9UdZ_7_Oa2OFnugquW0TtnDAH8jHoV_1VzBHuVrqMCdj4TGDXLxlKwB3hgpOPz_Dck60-eY71sLBc89-UF/s640/IMG_9136+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the wooden watchtower in Filandia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCoa9wQn4Pjlo0hXtSrHSOTc3wCC5t7QFrqlvX9SzLEgfQZY31fxBQhDFwBFfswMQeHzDW4-zvGQRj8gA6xlMLwQxFj5kctlQ6MmMWSV6_w45Y1EPE5SXm6wdA8IcpvU1jSxA/s1600/IMG_9134+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1000" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCoa9wQn4Pjlo0hXtSrHSOTc3wCC5t7QFrqlvX9SzLEgfQZY31fxBQhDFwBFfswMQeHzDW4-zvGQRj8gA6xlMLwQxFj5kctlQ6MmMWSV6_w45Y1EPE5SXm6wdA8IcpvU1jSxA/s640/IMG_9134+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of Filandia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fFEyzpCosnKO9i7gG9ZkIBBT1-BjewPRQTWFXZ-TmrYvwhTdGydaCO48dfCuA5rpjx69KLOUOxTDAlYLKUeD31KTROKxkx0M5p6OcNw5NzODO9arKRdFAdD4inocCROU3GIa/s1600/IMG_9148+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fFEyzpCosnKO9i7gG9ZkIBBT1-BjewPRQTWFXZ-TmrYvwhTdGydaCO48dfCuA5rpjx69KLOUOxTDAlYLKUeD31KTROKxkx0M5p6OcNw5NzODO9arKRdFAdD4inocCROU3GIa/s640/IMG_9148+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small coffee plantation. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking her next cup of coffee...</td></tr>
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One of the reasons Salento is more popular than other small villages in the area is its proximity to the Cocora valley, full of Colombia's national tree, the wax palm. We also did a day hike through the valley. It is a loop that takes you past the wax palms (the world's tallest palms that reach up to 60m) on one side and through some cloud forest in a lower section of the valley where you get to cross a few rickety bridges over a little river and can make a short detour to a house surrounded by hummingbirds. It was a beautiful hike of around 5 hours and even with a little rain it was one of our highlights in the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM0sEi5fwGzgm8lDCKB__x-W2CQ7U8wKwqRXokC-KRSrcKxLRJC8geWi2OlNTUhwXIPOsem9AtUx_nkJLWebdwLw1F1iHUSSR_5vcbYvCAV7fUJb9I-y6QwPcis4OVzgy9fmx/s1600/IMG_9153+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM0sEi5fwGzgm8lDCKB__x-W2CQ7U8wKwqRXokC-KRSrcKxLRJC8geWi2OlNTUhwXIPOsem9AtUx_nkJLWebdwLw1F1iHUSSR_5vcbYvCAV7fUJb9I-y6QwPcis4OVzgy9fmx/s640/IMG_9153+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up the Cocora valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nK1A_E3uKeJSrvoC4-onvst42gEDz3R4QqkPyehAsSIYjydXtoEgalDN1rRcu_YF0kPvUlf66VaAISQi_gCFx1qJBAaVAChk4aQ8O6cEPfzmJ4KIuUqJ2a-1qT5w9JUeChml/s1600/IMG_9164+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nK1A_E3uKeJSrvoC4-onvst42gEDz3R4QqkPyehAsSIYjydXtoEgalDN1rRcu_YF0kPvUlf66VaAISQi_gCFx1qJBAaVAChk4aQ8O6cEPfzmJ4KIuUqJ2a-1qT5w9JUeChml/s640/IMG_9164+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the forest and over the stream...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL-C3VknGP2edvVc3aHydogDab1OO-brG-N1xXhZ-sEg3b2MqZ0DxNxv0x9J6Vp4aF8GjWb3RKPF7vARKSbNDsCUwUeoKGkObfdEUQDSqmnhoIb_K2znA1zf_kX8ZaHJkwWEC/s1600/IMG_9168+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL-C3VknGP2edvVc3aHydogDab1OO-brG-N1xXhZ-sEg3b2MqZ0DxNxv0x9J6Vp4aF8GjWb3RKPF7vARKSbNDsCUwUeoKGkObfdEUQDSqmnhoIb_K2znA1zf_kX8ZaHJkwWEC/s640/IMG_9168+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_F4-ACkgqWsps39AjLtCDmRC8lPj2HUDvgZs8bYQrgqrqViJe7hvoDc7sE1T6JfYNFhidG4lmplUsFvh8IJ5IBKeMdyQ8IBRneyndXdqXkWBXira0q0xRcg7C_Gi6UmIm4lX/s1600/IMG_9169+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_F4-ACkgqWsps39AjLtCDmRC8lPj2HUDvgZs8bYQrgqrqViJe7hvoDc7sE1T6JfYNFhidG4lmplUsFvh8IJ5IBKeMdyQ8IBRneyndXdqXkWBXira0q0xRcg7C_Gi6UmIm4lX/s640/IMG_9169+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummingbirds!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM2qwIqkHC7jHhZrxCv2JwDm-pqCFv39EodUTQD7FDUGF01fQs7m4HEv-BrRb8PcSEhsidids6QiTZFHJCU9uu2OOi1Q2Z_AWopFU8J-H5rJe3lspWDOdYJUre_RXXGEYWc0M/s1600/IMG_9195+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM2qwIqkHC7jHhZrxCv2JwDm-pqCFv39EodUTQD7FDUGF01fQs7m4HEv-BrRb8PcSEhsidids6QiTZFHJCU9uu2OOi1Q2Z_AWopFU8J-H5rJe3lspWDOdYJUre_RXXGEYWc0M/s640/IMG_9195+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on the Cocora valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4WFLfFO4Nuf9-Zthp8FQkvtxF2B4FkTQD751r7QyHsNo8ZkRV161IrBn7PDXdh7qX9GmkFM3ksZzJDJrsg3d_N2OdU_UObQxSKatgovJLb9oLo744Kq4Su-81vNoHMOzAN9w/s1600/IMG_9198+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4WFLfFO4Nuf9-Zthp8FQkvtxF2B4FkTQD751r7QyHsNo8ZkRV161IrBn7PDXdh7qX9GmkFM3ksZzJDJrsg3d_N2OdU_UObQxSKatgovJLb9oLo744Kq4Su-81vNoHMOzAN9w/s640/IMG_9198+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very tall and skinny Wax Palm. (It might be related to me...)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcr6WaMIs2ECXjV-T5DODPhyphenhyphenP6AD3iu2vU1LrsH7ylWq6pWI2yd7Gkdg9YGrwFRInLksiCKa2uSFr9pXrPuKcpFQkwULdarcQSpvqn8atTIpqwpgh4a8WPxro4o6NUr_pOMCB/s1600/IMG_9199+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcr6WaMIs2ECXjV-T5DODPhyphenhyphenP6AD3iu2vU1LrsH7ylWq6pWI2yd7Gkdg9YGrwFRInLksiCKa2uSFr9pXrPuKcpFQkwULdarcQSpvqn8atTIpqwpgh4a8WPxro4o6NUr_pOMCB/s640/IMG_9199+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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From Salento it was a long but beautiful drive to Medellin, made longer by the constant construction traffic we were to experience on every major highway in the country. Weather and war are unforgiving in a place like this and there is a lot of rebuilding to do. Medellin is a prime example of this. Not long ago it was considered to be one of the most dangerous cities on earth. The reputation for drugs and violence lives on though conditions have gotten much better in recent years and those that know Colombia well tell us that it has the potential to be the nicest in the country in terms of climate, culture and livability. I won't say that we liked it, but then we didn't fall in love with any of the big cities in Colombia. It is busy, it is dirty and we limited our time and exposure to a lot of it. Oddly enough, the biggest tourist attraction in Medellin isn't a tourist attraction, it is the public transportation system. Medellin has Colombia's only metro, but that isn't the highlight. It is the cable car system linked from it going up the mountains and connecting some of the poorer neighbourhoods of town. This was the first city to adopt this type of transit model and was the inspiration for the much bigger network that we rode around on in La Paz. There is also a huge escalator system somewhere in other poor neighbourhoods of town but we didn't ride on those. We made it to the centre of town and the plaza Botero where there are a number of sculptures by the local artist Botero. His specialty is the comically obese, often making a mockery of other famous works. There is a museum at the plaza too but we didn't have time for it. We visited a smaller museum of his in Bogota and were highly amused.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NfNhGJy-oe5x4Lvke1OmwBZp9LZMSlK1HM0MLevIfz8RvDrM4B0j5LhAeImQ5u_JOkTFntR0yLmvzsIZeCM2ZKUioAkqj7v28qXWISZRvXRvcnMMKr-pK7Rd08kWjY3oNDZW/s1600/IMG_9260+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NfNhGJy-oe5x4Lvke1OmwBZp9LZMSlK1HM0MLevIfz8RvDrM4B0j5LhAeImQ5u_JOkTFntR0yLmvzsIZeCM2ZKUioAkqj7v28qXWISZRvXRvcnMMKr-pK7Rd08kWjY3oNDZW/s640/IMG_9260+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the cable car in Medellin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Botero's version of a roman soldier</td></tr>
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What we did from Medellin was a day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia. This is a small colonial town, the oldest in western Colombia and far less touristy than the other colonial towns we were to later see. In fact, we got quite a few stares while we were walking around. It was small but pretty and had a nice plaza. Unfortunately the construction traffic was so bad getting there that we were delayed arriving and didn't have much time to relax and enjoy ourselves. We still had time to jump in a tuktuk and visit the nearby suspension bridge, the Puente de Occidente. It was built in 1895 by a guy that worked on the Brooklyn Bridge and modeled this one after it. It is kind of random as it is such a nice bridge and in a beautiful setting but has only ever been upgraded to allow for light vehicles (motos and tuktuks) and foot traffic. It was an excuse to get out of the city and we had a nice day doing it. This was also the end of our free time together because we flew from Medellin to Bogota and met up with mom at the airport to start our travels together for the next 5 weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAHJ9mpqVgWSA4ZnvHkZre6rO8J0PqdbFllFmr5IX6C_AxzqWm7_eyMmMys20rKKL3Nyf1j4FjWh15wpWwXmlg1vBeLb1nPG3Cj4T7djRWUqa_dA_CE4lwvgy7eaNlAz8Orbj/s1600/IMG_9234+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAHJ9mpqVgWSA4ZnvHkZre6rO8J0PqdbFllFmr5IX6C_AxzqWm7_eyMmMys20rKKL3Nyf1j4FjWh15wpWwXmlg1vBeLb1nPG3Cj4T7djRWUqa_dA_CE4lwvgy7eaNlAz8Orbj/s640/IMG_9234+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting in Santa Fe de Antioquia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Fe de Antioquia </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puente de Occidente</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdJogkGpT2PvhngbAcsvk3R9HuGc29owSIxqZCdsADj55UaYpHZvu-XQVY5hoBminaVKfAerDRpdqq-hz9lUtXIoENHqzNX_itI-xzBX-L1uoreheu2KexpSGUX2_3Q_2aGWZ/s1600/IMG_9246+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdJogkGpT2PvhngbAcsvk3R9HuGc29owSIxqZCdsADj55UaYpHZvu-XQVY5hoBminaVKfAerDRpdqq-hz9lUtXIoENHqzNX_itI-xzBX-L1uoreheu2KexpSGUX2_3Q_2aGWZ/s640/IMG_9246+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge surface is still wood</td></tr>
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Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-31863919815982141512019-07-18T06:48:00.000-07:002019-07-18T07:59:06.354-07:00Southern ColombiaThere is only 1 usable border crossing between Ecuador and Colombia and some guides still recommend avoiding it because of safety issues in the region. As I researched Colombia I found a lot of contradictory information and unfortunately for Colombia its reputation as a dangerous place will linger long after the reality has changed. Governmental travel advisories still suggest avoiding most regions of the country entirely, while at the same time Colombia has become very popular on the South American tourist itinerary. We met lots of people that had spent considerable time in Colombia and loved it, and many more, like us, that were on their way there. I've found that current advice from other travelers is more reliable and the general consensus is that all the main travel spots are not only fine, but overland travel between all of them is currently easy and safe as well. We weren't going to do anything way off the beaten path so didn't really have much to worry about and simply forged ahead like we always do.<br />
Having said all that, southern Colombia is more remote and less visited by tourists generally and we enjoyed the sense of adventure that comes from doing that little bit extra.<br />
As a quick side note, visiting mainland Colombia completed the South American portion of our trip. The only country we didn't enter was Venezuela which should come as no surprise given the terrible situation there at the moment. I have been to Venezuela previously back in 2002. It is a beautiful country and it is a shame we were unable to visit. We have seen some of the spill over effects of the Venezuelan situation throughout the continent as we have traveled around, mostly in the form of Venezuelan beggars or small restaurants started up by refugees. Locals in countries from Colombia to Chile will generally tell you that crime is on the increase and blame it on the refugees as well. This is a common global theme that I won't get into here other than to say that the stats generally don't back up those claims but large numbers of refugees do have big impacts (many negative) on the host countries, especially initially. Of the estimated 4 million Venezuelans that have fled their country recently, nearly half are in Colombia and many of the others first started there and have slowly spread south. Crossing into Colombia was the first time we really came face to face with this reality as we saw long lines of refugees trying to get into Ecuador and UN aid tents and services set up between the immigration checkpoints as well.<br />
Border towns are generally not the most pleasant and we wanted to get as far into Colombia before dark as we could but at the border town of Ipiales we had to make a short detour to see a very interesting and surprisingly not well known (yet) church, the Santuario Virgen de las Lajas. It is not very old, the current church is only 100, but its position on top of a bridge over a canyon is amazing. It is a popular local pilgrimage spot and the path down to the church is lined with shops selling the usual <span style="font-family: inherit;">icons and crucifixes but to date it sees few foreign visitors. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpoML6hZ1EvShKifodY5vSQkxRxay1rsC1DZu3DaNdEsgk9xxkN-sNpWkDjmOBhsmfv4o_4pWemzTuBDZd7IJzh9j2jUjzBtBmUBTzK3_fAkIHgVMc7bOF7Dwj_rHvUOAJThJ/s1600/IMG_8964+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpoML6hZ1EvShKifodY5vSQkxRxay1rsC1DZu3DaNdEsgk9xxkN-sNpWkDjmOBhsmfv4o_4pWemzTuBDZd7IJzh9j2jUjzBtBmUBTzK3_fAkIHgVMc7bOF7Dwj_rHvUOAJThJ/s640/IMG_8964+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You don't see many churches like this.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDMUCWJ9IZBnlH7BRNUW9OyFWaoT2VKIXfE3LQMW91SepwSwyHh3Ze8E17qMxVDzYTsWRhe8TQKSFbV15olpjRUBo4b1qe1hcT_B1guPNG65BWBDPQNYbOF6huMqTxiKyOYcj/s1600/IMG_8965+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDMUCWJ9IZBnlH7BRNUW9OyFWaoT2VKIXfE3LQMW91SepwSwyHh3Ze8E17qMxVDzYTsWRhe8TQKSFbV15olpjRUBo4b1qe1hcT_B1guPNG65BWBDPQNYbOF6huMqTxiKyOYcj/s640/IMG_8965+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two days later, after overnight stops in Pasto and Popayan we finally made our way to San Agustin. San Agustin is a site of an archaeology park (we can't really call them ruins because there aren't many of those) with the remains of some sculptures from the San Agustin culture. <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Not a lot is known about the San Agustin culture but </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">they were clearly very skilled artisans. The main attractions are the numerous statues on display, each one unique and displaying various human and animalistic features and symbols, the meaning of which archaeologists are still debating. I enjoyed them more than I'd expected but found the sites a little hard to grasp and connect with since they consist of scattered burial chambers all carefully fenced off and covered for protection with manicured lawn between them. There is little sign of any connecting life, villages, buildings or "ruins" suggesting a community or culture other than a few clay pots in the museum. The civilization really started to get going about 2000 years ago and went through several periods during the following centuries before finally disappearing not long before the Spaniards arrived. We also did a day tour around the area to see some more of the San Agustin statues and a couple of nearby waterfalls. It is interesting because the area is still very mountainous but low enough that it is warmer and with more vegetation than we'd been used to in much of the rest of the Andes. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzoU6dExDOQJtoD5SPbVBZJnnrdj6HdypfodFiSn31tSqHKKMCkGZjS9nPgxrsnKijZveSvr7HrR3PAblrshUq81QfIcJ7wuhGyc6xTlgdeKF2ZL0pAJF1kOyAyk3CVhHruSd/s1600/IMG_9002+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzoU6dExDOQJtoD5SPbVBZJnnrdj6HdypfodFiSn31tSqHKKMCkGZjS9nPgxrsnKijZveSvr7HrR3PAblrshUq81QfIcJ7wuhGyc6xTlgdeKF2ZL0pAJF1kOyAyk3CVhHruSd/s640/IMG_9002+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Agustin archaeological park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw3PraQ_pMN3cCravuANt7HZVAR2y3-3hXEIzO37dUxJJhtE4PXR3whZGGJVYEqnU6yeOnuLYiuutUWr0WLpe2SZgmGxe8x80PAMmT3Ia0qy3uxb2M7u_Ep29v1EDVwTdPmu1/s1600/IMG_9016+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQw3PraQ_pMN3cCravuANt7HZVAR2y3-3hXEIzO37dUxJJhtE4PXR3whZGGJVYEqnU6yeOnuLYiuutUWr0WLpe2SZgmGxe8x80PAMmT3Ia0qy3uxb2M7u_Ep29v1EDVwTdPmu1/s640/IMG_9016+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tombs with guardian statues</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCY6Lysl7cqPkiA1FIK2MSS1-QZRKCaSGfe6HmUXf-4CMALlqa5sHBipfiY3L14VU1iEQjrDa0QVrVRCa6E2QqG0bWD0BIm3yKjXDmcntBNtIP0oZG0c5PVfudxSYFTGWu3Vr/s1600/IMG_9015+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCY6Lysl7cqPkiA1FIK2MSS1-QZRKCaSGfe6HmUXf-4CMALlqa5sHBipfiY3L14VU1iEQjrDa0QVrVRCa6E2QqG0bWD0BIm3yKjXDmcntBNtIP0oZG0c5PVfudxSYFTGWu3Vr/s640/IMG_9015+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creepy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3MZA2W-tUKVBoyG8sqJgYnOcCFz-kAYvyk0Vj-A6ieW6j4UlYZLtHt0j0VtWCSHLgzdEI63nVaP3XRKXNusaCFg6sLhgbIdRPYUysjS4TTavbufFz75qGjIiHXga4-vx-OrA/s1600/IMG_9020+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3MZA2W-tUKVBoyG8sqJgYnOcCFz-kAYvyk0Vj-A6ieW6j4UlYZLtHt0j0VtWCSHLgzdEI63nVaP3XRKXNusaCFg6sLhgbIdRPYUysjS4TTavbufFz75qGjIiHXga4-vx-OrA/s640/IMG_9020+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All shapes and sizes</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqgey_EqAsphY0rXkdsFOvC-iM1lCM_qTxJfaZjrNEP2ZygvR-J5mgCityMH_k6hsKXOLZAD6yxOF4pK_9LJWnvwZPiWy1qEgQmbWuZhPTjojmdkW0M0_wuWO-4tMqnf7Hncw/s1600/IMG_9021+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqgey_EqAsphY0rXkdsFOvC-iM1lCM_qTxJfaZjrNEP2ZygvR-J5mgCityMH_k6hsKXOLZAD6yxOF4pK_9LJWnvwZPiWy1qEgQmbWuZhPTjojmdkW0M0_wuWO-4tMqnf7Hncw/s640/IMG_9021+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg184SKh0qHHfBCrv7ZWMvXof84GvP0Z2BgN0Fo5pRfo2c46HcAxmRryXTEAcOPaydVqNx-T54NpdHfKqzjbdgr-UpITzt4mQqU6VBAI2uUD86ODwsC3efKzRCdwd8UATcp_2ju/s1600/IMG_9022+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg184SKh0qHHfBCrv7ZWMvXof84GvP0Z2BgN0Fo5pRfo2c46HcAxmRryXTEAcOPaydVqNx-T54NpdHfKqzjbdgr-UpITzt4mQqU6VBAI2uUD86ODwsC3efKzRCdwd8UATcp_2ju/s640/IMG_9022+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What were they thinking?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z02OUaGCbcaBt-HR2OJz2HmcY61j-tQGUBc83digRjszylWOjejaNbsz_ZlQpoX2osITu-OH-4jNjuNhBddbxsSPQJi6IfG7Ff1d9iFM91WosY-Pnhb8rr6Of7_zeUoE458w/s1600/IMG_9050+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z02OUaGCbcaBt-HR2OJz2HmcY61j-tQGUBc83digRjszylWOjejaNbsz_ZlQpoX2osITu-OH-4jNjuNhBddbxsSPQJi6IfG7Ff1d9iFM91WosY-Pnhb8rr6Of7_zeUoE458w/s640/IMG_9050+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfall near San Agustin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnru3iQV-mz9I4E0_2kq67McakItEZsF-KL6EkEUHdt_EIoZNxr1WjHhn_2wyKLfi_P8KyKJE4apXC4bhv6ciyM9ZvL_ACVWZF_NimCblwF1uqiiWSGOebiEN6ofJiV3I5saMb/s1600/IMG_9028+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnru3iQV-mz9I4E0_2kq67McakItEZsF-KL6EkEUHdt_EIoZNxr1WjHhn_2wyKLfi_P8KyKJE4apXC4bhv6ciyM9ZvL_ACVWZF_NimCblwF1uqiiWSGOebiEN6ofJiV3I5saMb/s640/IMG_9028+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upper Magdalena river (Colombia's largest)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">With a travel day in between we made it to Tierradentro next. This is another "archaeological park" by another poorly understood culture that also mysteriously disappeared before the Spanish arrival but instead of statues, these guys left behind some very impressive hypogea (tombs). Tierradentro is a little younger than San Agustin being only 1000-1500 years old and with some signs of influence from the former civilization. These tombs were carved down into the rock as much as 6 meters and then painted with a variety of symbols and some even have pillars with carved faces on them. It looked and felt more like something you'd find in one of the Mediterranean countries or the Middle East, not in the Andes. There are dozens more we couldn't access but we still saw a total of about 20 tombs spread out in a couple of clusters with short trails through rural hilly countryside to connect them. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk with excellent views and we saw maybe 4 or 5 other visitors while we were there. </span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZMuBaeMgtjbVjaJzJs0pqhgs1OIkyFG5AQE2OumGHOPIdIxA4RbIf62Fs9PPzdLbyNohx4j_y1Gkk23WguHL3luSMA67G_AKYiAvXObd5oTSrmEzsH1R4rS1YlKdezos9XxJ/s1600/IMG_9070+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZMuBaeMgtjbVjaJzJs0pqhgs1OIkyFG5AQE2OumGHOPIdIxA4RbIf62Fs9PPzdLbyNohx4j_y1Gkk23WguHL3luSMA67G_AKYiAvXObd5oTSrmEzsH1R4rS1YlKdezos9XxJ/s640/IMG_9070+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to Tierredentro</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfAJQT-prCmPmzs7IpR-Qq9YeQHU369mJCGrCgsK2lU9WwP6lex3I6ni0DeV23Xygzt75kwdZF0vtiTl0iAAUkdBG2zXqV61khQy0KTkF6xRsLmm1KQeCw61Fp4QAVkswT3IO/s1600/IMG_9099+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfAJQT-prCmPmzs7IpR-Qq9YeQHU369mJCGrCgsK2lU9WwP6lex3I6ni0DeV23Xygzt75kwdZF0vtiTl0iAAUkdBG2zXqV61khQy0KTkF6xRsLmm1KQeCw61Fp4QAVkswT3IO/s640/IMG_9099+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful rural area around Tierradentro</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPvEYU80GXJVXq3cyy-9klRGmutpNdluWgIhllU9NKoMpmYXrvqJLJcQby7W2NPF1xT1lM6KWvWxjQVx1BP5rTuvICb5MRJLsHjdU91D4x5Lkf7GszsPnO1_56gcrv0TT25V7/s1600/IMG_9090+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPvEYU80GXJVXq3cyy-9klRGmutpNdluWgIhllU9NKoMpmYXrvqJLJcQby7W2NPF1xT1lM6KWvWxjQVx1BP5rTuvICb5MRJLsHjdU91D4x5Lkf7GszsPnO1_56gcrv0TT25V7/s640/IMG_9090+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The largest of the tomb clusters, Segovia</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKb3ZCxIDR-LXrnJ9oVB6VM7C4kD9tfaFtt4XA2zz7q09vgG84zbS2FlWiBzkQwqxLzUYHEveG4uUhUzFTWxlcpGPeyu5XXCq3ngh2CyccEJJBPzXuSUPcSI8g7f02WFEtnol7/s1600/IMG_9073+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKb3ZCxIDR-LXrnJ9oVB6VM7C4kD9tfaFtt4XA2zz7q09vgG84zbS2FlWiBzkQwqxLzUYHEveG4uUhUzFTWxlcpGPeyu5XXCq3ngh2CyccEJJBPzXuSUPcSI8g7f02WFEtnol7/s640/IMG_9073+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What does it mean?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sYkKPbnfRBcVjDjcvxzK7lF72Ey-2wZjzm94PKSUHPFToOeQzepTMxpGiTK76fcw1yjOeit9fns8K_kmYRKbwgIMO8p5XMKQMyxyk4cHL1gZWKr_WTHAuX1rFDAfjIpo9NYv/s1600/IMG_9081+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sYkKPbnfRBcVjDjcvxzK7lF72Ey-2wZjzm94PKSUHPFToOeQzepTMxpGiTK76fcw1yjOeit9fns8K_kmYRKbwgIMO8p5XMKQMyxyk4cHL1gZWKr_WTHAuX1rFDAfjIpo9NYv/s640/IMG_9081+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see the faces?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVwEUEl21QHCjw8iHFYtQTqwYlUNcRrPDqRR8hqDVxSUHXI_-d9DOMFfpl9GDpq_6iWvej35LuoTJF07RlYLnfz-HlQoP4C6RSMcNTtP-nLqnUR-9RMXe-eD-9p0tKsMTD58j/s1600/IMG_9084+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVwEUEl21QHCjw8iHFYtQTqwYlUNcRrPDqRR8hqDVxSUHXI_-d9DOMFfpl9GDpq_6iWvej35LuoTJF07RlYLnfz-HlQoP4C6RSMcNTtP-nLqnUR-9RMXe-eD-9p0tKsMTD58j/s640/IMG_9084+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7A881SKKlQjUzlXcYpVckaDpRSQHH6h7qIb80AzXC8_ZuExR0lgbMLJKgUg84lCbV2cl_LVZtSzlFtJO4mraTCnr0FXxPEy1-Qw_Romm2_w6NktEQzlmX6BU7mzn66N-MTUu/s1600/_20190613_185209+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7A881SKKlQjUzlXcYpVckaDpRSQHH6h7qIb80AzXC8_ZuExR0lgbMLJKgUg84lCbV2cl_LVZtSzlFtJO4mraTCnr0FXxPEy1-Qw_Romm2_w6NktEQzlmX6BU7mzn66N-MTUu/s640/_20190613_185209+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing back out of a tomb</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjkYADPZnzOCKQCdHwEwesl7csdkEOEJtRfvPEJQQx2T8RrSNxlm_iaJTEo7nMJdJkkmClFH4WdoJaJDZIalT_8lHjYV_Q2NQEII30EtGHuMqtBLAMdCTd_AE6dEqhyphenhyphenIbn6N/s1600/IMG_9105+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjkYADPZnzOCKQCdHwEwesl7csdkEOEJtRfvPEJQQx2T8RrSNxlm_iaJTEo7nMJdJkkmClFH4WdoJaJDZIalT_8lHjYV_Q2NQEII30EtGHuMqtBLAMdCTd_AE6dEqhyphenhyphenIbn6N/s640/IMG_9105+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional old church in the village above Tierradentro</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">This area is rough, rural and remote. The transport was a little tougher to find and in some cases the road was practically non-existent. Heavy rains means lots of landslides and we often found ourselves trying to not worry about the stability of the dirt we were bumping over or the distance to the river below as we wove between bulldozers and dump trucks still rebuilding the road we were on. Exciting stuff but slow and we were forced to backtrack and sleep in Popayan once again. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">Fortunately, Popayan is a nice enough city for a stop over with a historic core of white colonial buildings and a nice central square. Heavy police presence too. Something we were to get used to in all the bigger Colombian cities as we moved around. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pw5Vbpc6sXjDDNgC8W6D6V_4mX3DUnXiIDraVlaU3wFAtk9u7gZD3J3ox_CTLu-ia_JSdmbXMji0A8ho0CUn_00FA0fd4zEdhloJjz8zo2MQZ3eLXm0ds7xMglvyCJc9YPD9/s1600/IMG_8984+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pw5Vbpc6sXjDDNgC8W6D6V_4mX3DUnXiIDraVlaU3wFAtk9u7gZD3J3ox_CTLu-ia_JSdmbXMji0A8ho0CUn_00FA0fd4zEdhloJjz8zo2MQZ3eLXm0ds7xMglvyCJc9YPD9/s640/IMG_8984+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popayan, the white city.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cPecwx1ApsgjtFkZRytBSmEkiTQhrKp-A4aGqnY4kMV_uu5snhH1Ursi_Ff-RC2iI4yWkdYMrbbljdmvejwZzqibCmmIhMyV05e549cotkk45u5YXKhqSfdCa6Ienb3u318Z/s1600/IMG_8989+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cPecwx1ApsgjtFkZRytBSmEkiTQhrKp-A4aGqnY4kMV_uu5snhH1Ursi_Ff-RC2iI4yWkdYMrbbljdmvejwZzqibCmmIhMyV05e549cotkk45u5YXKhqSfdCa6Ienb3u318Z/s640/IMG_8989+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPwftWJgtuz2BsSVeVLyriElNc8iwOh0uLPRtkocR71wAl3c7e1ghMIERctXm5cPH4-1tfrF0QWLqrYmtj6NPnAvenLERqgwq97yoWLE0fMLhvNQvkYXDEU25Bmh_5bEoxo6w/s1600/IMG_8990+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPwftWJgtuz2BsSVeVLyriElNc8iwOh0uLPRtkocR71wAl3c7e1ghMIERctXm5cPH4-1tfrF0QWLqrYmtj6NPnAvenLERqgwq97yoWLE0fMLhvNQvkYXDEU25Bmh_5bEoxo6w/s640/IMG_8990+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The central plaza, Popayan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Ammon</span></span>The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-40724223387730700062019-07-17T14:00:00.002-07:002019-07-17T14:00:45.905-07:00Quito and OtavaloFlying into busy Quito after the peace of the Galapagos came as quite a shock. We were back at significant altitude again (2500+ meters) and chilly once more. The old town of Quito is considered to be one of the nicest and most significant in South America. We spent a day looking around and checking it out, popping into a couple of the churches as well. The Jesuit church is ridiculously gaudy and gold. We overheard a tour guide explaining that this was considered necessary to convert the Incan heathens in general because they were so used to decorating with gold as it was symbolic of the sun and sun god. In any case there was a lot of gold nearby so they used it liberally. The central plaza is smaller than I expected but busy and pretty enough.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlR1oA6Mza68hyphenhyphenmEZmSg7_Qxrl00rJ26xozt5PAHBdw_4L5cr98ZZ6MsmRyw_wIIz_xTbHajO3tvgSoxclC3LgwPfVZ-xfPQGYGXEaREg9XK0_1qZiMqjpDAZatCH0fagCVKci/s1600/IMG_8852+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlR1oA6Mza68hyphenhyphenmEZmSg7_Qxrl00rJ26xozt5PAHBdw_4L5cr98ZZ6MsmRyw_wIIz_xTbHajO3tvgSoxclC3LgwPfVZ-xfPQGYGXEaREg9XK0_1qZiMqjpDAZatCH0fagCVKci/s640/IMG_8852+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carondelet Palace on the Grand Plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNyl-b0iYfcfqQIsxcdE3xO-7fLyFRJavcQlPIBN6rgkuVEBuU503B0ijmSjYsp0zpbXV-RI-vVMNtAJpDojbEqsp_TrpAZGktzcJ8jlle_uCgZ45KZvaRpg2o1Hhgv0dyEhm/s1600/IMG_8883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNyl-b0iYfcfqQIsxcdE3xO-7fLyFRJavcQlPIBN6rgkuVEBuU503B0ijmSjYsp0zpbXV-RI-vVMNtAJpDojbEqsp_TrpAZGktzcJ8jlle_uCgZ45KZvaRpg2o1Hhgv0dyEhm/s640/IMG_8883.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Plaza and the cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi1WvFniv9oVsVEgmQkJGCRLGiFYn0PHb1wV5YhLvx4ogYHD7DuirDl-uzw0atYxcI9OyOFf4a8viIwDqi-On7BYYdPq-NESeWM0OcYaBGUlOBqrmr_ysn2CXg0tfDGcLsa10/s1600/IMG_8858+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi1WvFniv9oVsVEgmQkJGCRLGiFYn0PHb1wV5YhLvx4ogYHD7DuirDl-uzw0atYxcI9OyOFf4a8viIwDqi-On7BYYdPq-NESeWM0OcYaBGUlOBqrmr_ysn2CXg0tfDGcLsa10/s640/IMG_8858+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facade of the Jesuit church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito3V7C5o53FjeKObFJB25RK1js1NubSrao2g51be0VqhohpfG7HOz98z6uDes7PYst2ddVKYL569bZBrwds9U4llvOZud50AFpww5YRorOggfna8fwX69XitBNVP4miy4zSiW/s1600/IMG_8860+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito3V7C5o53FjeKObFJB25RK1js1NubSrao2g51be0VqhohpfG7HOz98z6uDes7PYst2ddVKYL569bZBrwds9U4llvOZud50AFpww5YRorOggfna8fwX69XitBNVP4miy4zSiW/s640/IMG_8860+-+Edited.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peek inside the Jesuit church. This level of gold continues throughout the interior</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8HONCbWclQpDT3zLSXXt7FlylJu3SxrBIWUD4xr9F4j1zzbkcfqfDSik8cAnn_bfVQ0dAZMbmCV5XtggGj-drzQHPoRwwa1qa4dDZo20akSxHXwdZ3JDfqTmJIzuNCPqxBXe/s1600/IMG_8874+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="997" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8HONCbWclQpDT3zLSXXt7FlylJu3SxrBIWUD4xr9F4j1zzbkcfqfDSik8cAnn_bfVQ0dAZMbmCV5XtggGj-drzQHPoRwwa1qa4dDZo20akSxHXwdZ3JDfqTmJIzuNCPqxBXe/s640/IMG_8874+-+Edited.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun and games on La Ronda street.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJmIHfp46xpSffHk40IddZrI-IYGXMv-dFAVIxaJU0njmSeCI0W77ivq8yY-Y8PrjR6wO8vGq7tkgYVrhEJTLb0808mYb_rkeKQy0oif0GkqOqNU7mP7HCj_xX2gTnO-u10ON/s1600/IMG_8909+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJmIHfp46xpSffHk40IddZrI-IYGXMv-dFAVIxaJU0njmSeCI0W77ivq8yY-Y8PrjR6wO8vGq7tkgYVrhEJTLb0808mYb_rkeKQy0oif0GkqOqNU7mP7HCj_xX2gTnO-u10ON/s640/IMG_8909+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view over the historic quarter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksKAh_OjtNNBIIsdfetTQ6l64lqxeywRqXwzJCJInazXpBpkQ6XARCzyb1nwnyFlnVnlnRiz3j_v61MN2MhWlJc6zqLHhPNeJ-ULFf90GB8wERxDU3ibUeWy-5uX7YXk_LKYU/s1600/IMG_8918+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksKAh_OjtNNBIIsdfetTQ6l64lqxeywRqXwzJCJInazXpBpkQ6XARCzyb1nwnyFlnVnlnRiz3j_v61MN2MhWlJc6zqLHhPNeJ-ULFf90GB8wERxDU3ibUeWy-5uX7YXk_LKYU/s640/IMG_8918+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quito is huge.</td></tr>
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We struggled to find the motivation and energy for it though. Maybe it was the change in altitude. I strongly suspect it was more due to the let down of coming back to the "real world" after 2 weeks in paradise. Quito is usually thrown in as a first or last stop by most visitors to the Galapagos so I suspect this is a common thing and perhaps Quito's reputation unjustly suffers as a result. Either way, we weren't going to force ourselves into ambition in another big S. American city just for the sake of doing something. We were there 2 days and on one of them made a short trip out to Mitad del Mundo, a large park built on the equator line. It is actually something of a tourist trap with a giant monument to the equator and a handful of museums, but it suffers from a bit of competition and indecisiveness. There is another, smaller ethnic museum a few hundred meters away that also has an equator line and monuments to pose in front of. A sign nearby states that the gps 0'0 point can vary by as much as a couple km so anywhere within that wide band is fair game. While this may be true on a massive time scale (though you have to wonder how navigation works in the meantime), there should be at least a geographical centre that is less variable. In any case it just adds to confusion that you don't see at other equator monuments around the world. In the end we went to the smaller of the sites with fewer people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO19x-3cNW1jVQ2QzPKTrju-_7T-z0GLJYOp5OmNxy4UGhP_QGNOOp75IvrtxkUBpuql7HRG2TyYVD7Z_ie4jWiGzdfpNbgODsQIN6v58WJLeobAUC9cUqUlOAtndYqc8Xw9F/s1600/IMG_8890+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO19x-3cNW1jVQ2QzPKTrju-_7T-z0GLJYOp5OmNxy4UGhP_QGNOOp75IvrtxkUBpuql7HRG2TyYVD7Z_ie4jWiGzdfpNbgODsQIN6v58WJLeobAUC9cUqUlOAtndYqc8Xw9F/s640/IMG_8890+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The equator... Possibly... lol</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhG_3VtcH2SfDDTBSs9NuXZs8UdsjE7MaXMYPmxkvZK3-Z8pfvNOaACIY_fcmpFu5o7ga9OBh2Jh_aIhsLqU9mm55zAX4sJK95jbMzfL4a57vn-oy2lfPXBp81r5iKzI_6zBt/s1600/IMG_8897+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1000" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhG_3VtcH2SfDDTBSs9NuXZs8UdsjE7MaXMYPmxkvZK3-Z8pfvNOaACIY_fcmpFu5o7ga9OBh2Jh_aIhsLqU9mm55zAX4sJK95jbMzfL4a57vn-oy2lfPXBp81r5iKzI_6zBt/s640/IMG_8897+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitad del Mundo monument. The equator... Again... Possibly... lol</td></tr>
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We weren't planning on visiting anywhere else in Ecuador until we realized that our crossing into Colombia would be a lot easier/faster if we started that long day from further north so in the end we spent a night in Otavalo. It is only a couple hours north of Quito on the main highway so we had time to check it out briefly as well. It is a small city well known for having one of the best handcraft markets to visit in South America. We were not there on a Saturday, the main market day but there was still enough going on in the market plaza to get an idea. Lots of colourful fabric, blankets and clothing were on display and for the first time in Ecuador we saw some indigenous people wearing traditional clothing. The market and its goods are quite tourist-centric now but being there midweek we found it rather quiet and without much hassle at all. There is also quite a bit to do in the surrounding area, hikes and lakes and whatnot and it is all very mountainous and scenic but we were in a hurry to get moving north again right away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Otavalo market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Otavalo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit market, Otavalo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon Bolivar Park, Otavalo</td></tr>
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AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-49714627220516599142019-07-06T19:04:00.003-07:002019-07-06T19:04:27.587-07:00GalapagosThe Galapagos. It's one of those places you hear about all your life. Everyone knows of it even if they aren't sure exactly why. Maybe something about Darwin, or "those big turtles" and other special animals. It's almost a place that has developed its own legendary aura. For me it will most likely end up ranking as the top destination of this trip, not just because it is a great place in its own right, but because it was also something of a pilgrimage of sorts on 2 fronts.<br />
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1. For anyone serious about biology and the natural sciences, there is something special about following in Darwin's footsteps and trying to ignore the really cool animals to make note of the finches as he once did. A lot of how he developed the Theory of Evolution has taken on simplistic, mythological-type dimensions, but there is no denying that his experience in the Galapagos played an important role in a humanity-changing revelation. </div>
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2. As a previously mentioned Unesco WHS geek, it is interesting to note that the Galapagos Islands were part of the first batch of 12 inscribed locations in 1978 and actually has ID #1 making it the first of all world heritage sites recognized.<br />
Nowadays, tourism in the Galapagos is booming, so much so that the unique ecological experience and conditions are being threatened. As always, conservation is complicated by many factors, especially economic, political and demographic ones. There have been rumours for ages that the Ecuadorian government will try to limit or cap tourist numbers some day but so far it has mostly been economic influences limiting visitors more than anything. In theory immigration to the islands has been stopped as even mainland Ecuadorians are not permitted to move there freely and tourists must have a return ticket out to go there in the first place. Although it is a domestic flight, visiting the G's feels very much like going to another country. There is a special check-in area at the airport for flights to the islands where you purchase a transit card (purely an official money grab) and go through an extra luggage check for contraband items. Technically plastic bags and fresh food are banned but enforcement of many rules is lax at best and even on the islands themselves we were given plastic bags at the store. Introduced species has been an ongoing problem as well and they are still trying to rid the islands of various plant and animal species intentionally introduced a hundred years ago. They even search your bags at the ports when you travel between islands. We should've tried to steal a penguin in Antarctica because it would be much harder from the G's.<br />
The G's are known as an expensive destination. While that is very strictly true in a relative sense compared to most of the rest of South America and especially mainland Ecuador, a lot of the reputation has more to do with the cost of access more than anything. There is a $120 US entry fee to the islands and the short domestic flight is eye-wateringly expensive, especially for most budget travelers in the region. We were lucky enough to be able to use frequent flier miles for our flights to save us quite a bit overall. Traditionally, tourism has been done via small cruise ships which travel in small circuits around some of the islands in 4, 5, 8, etc. day loops. As these are all-inclusive and of limited size and availability, prices can get astronomical during the busy season or on some of the nicer ships. Many people still think last-minute cruises are still the only way to visit on a budget. Yes, you can save money this way but in the last several years, land-based packages or day-trip tours have become much more popular and are significantly cheaper. These can either be full guided-tour setups or DIY.<br />
Before going any further there are a few misconceptions to clear up:<br />
1. The G's are a group of islands and they are not all equal. Different species and different activities are found in different areas so it is important to know what you want to see/do before committing to any course of action.<br />
2. The G's are not a remote, uninhabited, isolated destination without any amenities. There are 3 "towns" on 3 of the islands and the area is a big tourist destination. Sure, there is no Hilton or big resort vibe but it is most definitely not Cast Away either. These villages are like any other anywhere on the mainland, complete with pollution, garbage and traffic.<br />
3. Most visitors take the "safari" approach to the animals and islands believing that this is the only way to see anything. With this mentality you spend big and start ticking off the list. But if you only care about the most popular animals, (penguins, sea lions, sharks, turtles, tortoises, blue-footed boobies, etc) you will see them without going anywhere or doing anything. They are everywhere and easy to find, basically for free.<br />
4. There is free stuff and independent activities to do. It is true that there are many islands you can't get to without a tour or without being on a cruise, but this is why it is so important to know why you are going in the first place.<br />
Having a hunch but not full understanding that all this was the case, we booked 2 weeks on the islands, intentionally giving ourselves plenty of time to see each of the 3 independently-accessible islands ourselves and/or having enough wiggle room to find a last-minute tour if we needed/wanted to. Our mentality was that this was going to be a vacation within the vacation to relax and enjoy the fact that it also had more wildlife than most other tropical island getaways would. This worked out really well for us and we left feeling great and not like we'd missed out or gone way over budget either.<br />
Fortunately for us, the month of May turns out to be a great time to visit. It is still technically the low season so things weren't crazy busy, the weather was still good and transitioning to the cooler time of year, and it is a good time for wildlife as well. There were lots of sea lion pups, baby marine iguanas and the blue-footed boobies were in mating season and doing their dance. There are 2 airports in the G's and the best plan is to fly into one and out of the other because they are on different islands so less backtracking is required.<br />
We flew into the smaller of the 2 airports and started our visit on San Cristobal island. It is the easternmost and geologically oldest of the islands in the archipelago. In all honesty you could visit the islands much faster than we did but we took it slow and had 5 nights on each. San Cristobal is pretty laid back and friendly and we really enjoyed it. The whole waterfront area of the town is overrun by sea lions, much more so than elsewhere in the G's. They took over the small beach and even up onto the sidewalks and in the playground. The pups are very noisy but fun to watch though they seem rather mistreated and ignored by their parents. A short walk out of town there are a few other beaches that were largely deserted and it was nice to just sit in the sand and watch the wildlife pass by. Sea lions have no sense of personal space and on several occasions we or others nearby were forced to move when a sea lion would exit the water and clumsily hop up the beach and try to lay right on top of your stuff (or you if you'd let it). Officially there is some rule about staying 2m away from all the wildlife but this is impossible because the wildlife doesn't care so it becomes more of a "don't touch them, but if they touch you...". This even applies to the small birds and lizards around the islands. Everywhere else they usually scatter at the first sign of movement but we were constantly having to adjust our walk to not step on little lizards as they were so slow to move out of the way.<br />
Beyond a little interpretation centre on the edge of town with some interesting information about the history of the islands (and there is a lot more than you think) we found a small protected bay (Tijeretas Bay) that is great for snorkeling on your own. This became our go-to activity. Rent a mask and snorkel for $3 and jump in. It is probably the best $3 you could ever spend. There aren't that many fish, but with half a dozen juvenile and very curious sea lions swimming around you it is intense. They swim right up to your face and veer away at the last second. It is funny to see snorkelers getting spooked all the time but after a while you realize that they won't actually touch or attack you and then it becomes simply amazing. We also saw a couple turtles in the same area and were able to follow and watch at very close range for a while. Day tours are expensive and we just didn't see how it could provide 40x more value and experience. We'd heard that the visibility was a bit iffy further out so stuck to doing our own thing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They took over the main beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Tijeretas Bay</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good luck getting your shoes back...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with a stick</td></tr>
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When we finally left San Cristobal I was reminded again how much I dislike boats. Inter-island transport is via speedboat and takes about 2 hours. Even when conditions aren't bad I find boat travel tedious and I seem to get nauseous much faster now than I used to. So unless it was going to be completely mind-blowing, I wasn't too keen on spending most of the day on a tour boat.<br />
Our second island was Isabela, the largest of the islands with the smallest of the 3 communities. It is the farthest west so is very young geologically and still very much volcanically active. All of the islands have inland tours and the volcano tours on Isabela are potentially the most interesting but we decided early on that our interest and focus was going to be on coastal/water based species/activities so we didn't go. Isabela was easily the most laid back and beautiful. There is a huge, mostly empty beach stretching for at least a km heading out of town with many roped off areas to protect sea turtle nests.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isabela island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't believe we have this to ourselves. Except for all the iguanas in the foreground.</td></tr>
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We'd been told that the best tours were from Isabela so we actually signed up for 2. One was a kayak and snorkel trip around the bay close to the port where we saw lots of sea turtles and a few penguins (the only place to be really sure to see penguins is on Isabela). This trip was short but we got unlucky with it as we ended up doing the tour in the roughest and worst weather conditions of our time in the G's. The next day we did the highly recommended Tuneles snorkel tour. Conditions were much calmer and we saw white-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles, a school of golden rays, penguins, and sea horses in the water. You couldn't get any closer to any of them without touching. On land we explored the rock formations caused by old lava flows forming some interesting tunnels to swim through and even found a couple blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance where the male shows his blue feet to the female and spreads his wings to woo her. We were lucky enough to see a dance-off with 2 males competing for 1 female. That is usually a pretty high bucket-list event for visitors to the G's. On the boat ride out to the tour site we also saw tons of manta rays and sea turtles, usually as dark shadows beside the boat but a few were clearly visible and one manta even jumped.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPqnNejI3qh8FJIzDyG2rwMS0ofCVvBDuWXHLN0tzMwWS3SwhS8uHJEBjMmgfKM4w29YL4RN1xN3T8y-Ceba6XuDDDUlBDLw0ruFdtzhhoxOGMoSqIoVPDaXOKzbVMy7YuTb0/s1600/IMG_8774+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPqnNejI3qh8FJIzDyG2rwMS0ofCVvBDuWXHLN0tzMwWS3SwhS8uHJEBjMmgfKM4w29YL4RN1xN3T8y-Ceba6XuDDDUlBDLw0ruFdtzhhoxOGMoSqIoVPDaXOKzbVMy7YuTb0/s640/IMG_8774+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-footed Boobies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Tuneles tour</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Rays</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So close</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXEqi6G0f-YGUsraTE_5T3_FUgKkrbMIHExzfcwwEPwcSL44QdpXei8QQDFtDL7GUMRjFlI58UGf-M-zoz-aXyW8AQX_tfTX0KbugmWp1z6yPfvCWlEIY7QokAcwuvQQtNG0G/s1600/_20190522_145445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="1600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXEqi6G0f-YGUsraTE_5T3_FUgKkrbMIHExzfcwwEPwcSL44QdpXei8QQDFtDL7GUMRjFlI58UGf-M-zoz-aXyW8AQX_tfTX0KbugmWp1z6yPfvCWlEIY7QokAcwuvQQtNG0G/s640/_20190522_145445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos penguins</td></tr>
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Each island has a Galapagos Tortoise breeding centre and the one on Isabela is a short walk from town through a lagoon with multiple flamingos. I didn't realize there were 11 surviving sub-species of tortoise, many specific to their own little island. Numbers of some have been decimated by humans or introduced predators over the last 200 years so now there is a concerted effort to breed and reintroduce them throughout the archipelago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVccMazk2I2f7LClkHZrzcmzbamKZCr_MxHmnxb3oq-q4GCzvG0yzUdoHi0VYICFXQJJ7OqPPeU-EYc8qxT3Mm3EuhHicrYDdPvDgOTrFriSubPUOw8UbxiunY_DeraoZdxWAU/s1600/IMG_8757+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVccMazk2I2f7LClkHZrzcmzbamKZCr_MxHmnxb3oq-q4GCzvG0yzUdoHi0VYICFXQJJ7OqPPeU-EYc8qxT3Mm3EuhHicrYDdPvDgOTrFriSubPUOw8UbxiunY_DeraoZdxWAU/s640/IMG_8757+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTEabEm0fPgl4nQJp7iLAoqEaIAToVHe5kSUXxp43K7pOHimU1IDTLVTecYXeMzawWblwV1arJKz5vPN3gKqncQhmfl1yKWcJpS6O1HZCiVVkstg3Brz6c1-F56H4O_eK9nNt/s1600/IMG_8735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTEabEm0fPgl4nQJp7iLAoqEaIAToVHe5kSUXxp43K7pOHimU1IDTLVTecYXeMzawWblwV1arJKz5vPN3gKqncQhmfl1yKWcJpS6O1HZCiVVkstg3Brz6c1-F56H4O_eK9nNt/s640/IMG_8735.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When life is too exhausting...</td></tr>
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Our last stop was on Santa Cruz, the main island with the biggest town of Puerto Ayora. It was much bigger than I expected and is the main hub for tourist arrivals and has more on offer in terms of tours, cruises and diving. Having seen pretty much everything we really wanted to see already we opted to forego the snorkeling activities from Santa Cruz and visit the local beach, the Darwin Research Centre to see even more tortoises including tons of hatchlings and their feeding time (so tiny and cute) and the local fish market where the sea lions and birds get right up in the vendors' way begging for food. The local seafood is also delicious and relatively cheap so we had to splurge a little on that too. One other thing I had to do was at least one day of diving so I went out and although the conditions weren't the best, managed to see a school of large hammerhead sharks :) Another done from the bucket-list! I'm sure there was a ton of things we missed out on but as an example of how good things can be without trying, from the main pier in Puerto Ayora in our last 10 minutes before leaving for the airport we saw swimming marine iguanas, a sea turtle, sea lions, baby sharks and a ray of some sort. Not a bad farewell!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Cruz harbour</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moochers at the fish market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to get a seat at the pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqFuyvO8FjopB03MroXs1O0CJLjVGEqOXG6ZvXyzHJHHbfm9z_N1TspDDCudm3nYYYbcsKMUHd0lH41yYXepPlYCdDXrKShc-nhd-unOX_yFYqcOr6K8c-kuh3MEbc3Jh1csz/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqFuyvO8FjopB03MroXs1O0CJLjVGEqOXG6ZvXyzHJHHbfm9z_N1TspDDCudm3nYYYbcsKMUHd0lH41yYXepPlYCdDXrKShc-nhd-unOX_yFYqcOr6K8c-kuh3MEbc3Jh1csz/s640/DSC_0086.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh fish!</td></tr>
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Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-65480891401649285702019-06-07T20:47:00.000-07:002019-06-07T20:47:26.604-07:00Into EcuadorFrom Chachapoyas the closest border crossing into Ecuador is the one at La Balsa, the least visited of the 3 crossings between the 2 countries. It is so rarely used that until late last year there was no cross border transportation service and the only way to and through the border was by hopping along using a series of local vans and rancheros (trucks with benches), until eventually getting far enough into Ecuador to find the regular bus services. We started on this route by van but eventually caught up to the one and only daily bus across the border and took it the rest of the way to make our lives a little easier. I don't think this service will last very long, we were 2 of the 7 total crossing the border on the bus. So quiet is this crossing, literally a bridge across a river, that there was only 1 little shop open and nowhere to change money. I didn't get the impression that anyone wanted to really inspect us very hard either other than the nurse standing by with yellow fever vaccinations. She got 2 people from our bus, but not us.<br />
The area is beautiful, and we had descended enough that we were officially in the Amazonas region of both Peru and Ecuador and the jungle vegetation in the narrow valley we were following convinced us of this as well. The Ecuadorian road from the border was a narrow dirt road with only occasionally enough width for 2 vehicles to pass and barely enough room for our bus to turn the corners without plummeting a long way down. It was nerve-wracking to say the least!<br />
Fortunately we had the wisdom to only book a ticket to the first small town, called Zumba, still barely inside Ecuador and called it a night, having finally arrived just after dark. Driving those kinds of roads in the dark seems like a very bad idea.<br />
The next day the long journey continued, winding slowly up and down and around the mountains, finally gaining enough altitude that the jungle disappeared and we were back into our more familiar Andean environment. The views were beautiful and the road got progressively better as we went along until we could finally breathe easily once again. We passed through the popular hippy destination of Vilcabamba, the only really popular area in this corner of Ecuador, continuing to the regional hub of Loja. We only just passed through Loja and changed buses but it was a slap in the face after Peru and Bolivia. It looked civilized and organized. Were we in the first world again? Officially no, but there is a huge, very noticeable difference when you get to Ecuador. In some ways at least. Things looked a little less run down and more organized with more rules and more money. No doubt that is not the case everywhere but it was our first impression and it generally held true from what we saw. It has a higher standard of living. It wasn't all for the better though. Prices were higher (as expected) but easily the most annoying change is that buses in Ecuador don't have working toilets on board. Sure, the distances generally aren't as far but 5 hours without stopping is a long time when you gotta go... Suddenly we found ourselves back on water rations again, intentionally dehydrating ourselves every other day in preparation for another bus ride.<br />
From Loja we got a bus to Zaruma, our actual destination. Nobody we have mentioned Zaruma to has ever heard of it. Perfect :) We are still very much on the "gringo trail" in general but do things in weird enough ways that we haven't been swamped with other travelers most of the time. Zaruma is an example of that. The only reason I know it is because I'm a self-confessed Unesco geek and saw it on the tentative world heritage site list. If a whole historic town is on the tentative list, that usually means it is more interesting than average. If it is already on The List, it usually means it is quite nice but already on the tourist radar with package tourists and inflated prices. Catching somewhere unknown on the tentative list can be the secret to finding something special before everyone else does... There are exceptions but this is my general rule of thumb and we took a chance on Zaruma.<br />
Zaruma liked us and we liked it. It is a small historic colonial town built in the mountains and formerly important as a gold mining centre, adding significant amounts of gold to go with the silver the Spanish were shipping back to the old world back in the day. Unlike Potosi, Zaruma didn't locally prosper from this wealth and build grand monuments and structures which are left to see. It remains quite small and modest but still retains much of its original wooden architecture and town layout, both of which are unique for the time and place. To us, in a practical sense, it was a cute, hilly town with wood buildings, pillars and even sidewalks in places. I imagine it could have fit in somewhere in the wild west actually with the odd gunslinger roaming around. Except the geography made no sense. We had beautiful views of green mountainous countryside all around instead of sandy tumbleweed.<br />
We got quite a few curious stares and didn't see any other foreign tourists while we were there. We were confirmed in our suspicions that we had really ventured off the tourist radar when we walked past the tourist info office and were spotted by the guy working there who promptly jumped up and ran out to call us back in for a chat. He was so excited to see foreign tourists that he didn't know where to begin, offering us all sorts of official gifts like bracelets, pens, notepads, magnets, etc. along with the usual maps and local tourist info. Then we had coffee together (Zaruma is also known for some of the best in Ecuador) while watching a historical video about the town. I'd say Zaruma is ready and eager for the tourists but is still a long way from being discovered. It is still possible to tour the remains of the gold mine as well but we didn't do it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTjHyuBDortD-keP5Xb8MxRL9FGmSWXWqqXrz3wHpySw7JH9fhHEtyhQqa-wPFOby4Vkq0kLnQvJ8fNcEP5u08iT8-kvE3_CCzbUZcjXUW2IlDC91nXqln6jFyPPivaX-nR_u/s1600/IMG_8603+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTjHyuBDortD-keP5Xb8MxRL9FGmSWXWqqXrz3wHpySw7JH9fhHEtyhQqa-wPFOby4Vkq0kLnQvJ8fNcEP5u08iT8-kvE3_CCzbUZcjXUW2IlDC91nXqln6jFyPPivaX-nR_u/s640/IMG_8603+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are some great views over town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIvFIOGdobnH_0jk6mSgz6ynxPUQxFJyYNM6fnmf1eb17tIJZsjU0KXz2p1vmRGlCb82pb4yJ2aWN7tgL6v48P69be-XhJyAoT2zRTqBJCnXMuUnZxew9Wb7SWMm26F4Bq8Pg/s1600/IMG_8610+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIvFIOGdobnH_0jk6mSgz6ynxPUQxFJyYNM6fnmf1eb17tIJZsjU0KXz2p1vmRGlCb82pb4yJ2aWN7tgL6v48P69be-XhJyAoT2zRTqBJCnXMuUnZxew9Wb7SWMm26F4Bq8Pg/s640/IMG_8610+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In town it's all about the wood and columns</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small central plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't forget the gold miners...</td></tr>
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From Zaruma we went to Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador and a popular visit for its Unesco-listed old town. Again, it is all about the colonial old town which looked the way we have become accustomed to. The Spanish were definitely consistent in the way they built. It was pretty with the usual church-centric plazas and pretty buildings but unfortunately for us it rained or threatened rain the whole time, most of the museums were closed as was the main cathedral for it's annual cleaning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsisZGoc9wwPaQLB_DSgPom54r0Tpf4TJnrUzAKR-rsdknMIdNDk8oDw1zFrCHGAEdLWHFRzHUoFJzs2w3xjow8q4X5ZKZWCSq0_8OvXEaX6Rid4PjmafonOyiJQLIswvnd83/s1600/IMG_8624+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsisZGoc9wwPaQLB_DSgPom54r0Tpf4TJnrUzAKR-rsdknMIdNDk8oDw1zFrCHGAEdLWHFRzHUoFJzs2w3xjow8q4X5ZKZWCSq0_8OvXEaX6Rid4PjmafonOyiJQLIswvnd83/s640/IMG_8624+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Cuenca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpH6UepRnmNT9b__PrzZLXJoIHJjcxwpwf5EGTtX11nh6GGvHIWZTpy2agx2V5WIiLHuySM8pDI8j6-DrIkVaGK1ttZ2c82t14KiCbJXOdgDIs0aWHvTh-iHj2nasjubQuWI4/s1600/IMG_8628+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1250" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpH6UepRnmNT9b__PrzZLXJoIHJjcxwpwf5EGTtX11nh6GGvHIWZTpy2agx2V5WIiLHuySM8pDI8j6-DrIkVaGK1ttZ2c82t14KiCbJXOdgDIs0aWHvTh-iHj2nasjubQuWI4/s640/IMG_8628+-+Edited.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuenca cathedral</td></tr>
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We only stayed a day because we had to get down to Guayaquil, Ecuador's biggest city for our flight to the Galapagos islands. We had an afternoon and night in Guayaquil which was just enough time to do a little shopping and check out the Malecon 2000. Generally speaking, Guayaquil has an unsavory reputation but the city has been trying to clean itself up a bit and completely redeveloped the riverfront area into a fenced-off 2.5km long boardwalk with a number of attractions and enough of a police presence to declare it safe. It's not the cleanest river but it was nice to have something to do and see instead of hiding in our room. Another well known curiosity in the city is the so-called Iguana park, a small plaza known for its resident iguanas, some of which are huge. Pigeons and iguanas together and kids feeding both. For the most part though Guayaquil was just a necessary stop and not somewhere we had any great interest in and wouldn't be coming back to.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qJIYIwAhh5GJoNFcqofImHXSs81tgjPdCjqu1VRaVohJAn32L1inHU4Wk0fNdZjcBmtK19MLKd6pg_S_7eyyux70-OCs46oBWodBIFjzaZrCrs5hG0s0k7SwhFOldliyj_i3/s1600/IMG_8645+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qJIYIwAhh5GJoNFcqofImHXSs81tgjPdCjqu1VRaVohJAn32L1inHU4Wk0fNdZjcBmtK19MLKd6pg_S_7eyyux70-OCs46oBWodBIFjzaZrCrs5hG0s0k7SwhFOldliyj_i3/s640/IMG_8645+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Malecon 2000</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monument to South American liberators Bolivar and San Martin who only met once. Here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslhLKgGm4n3XX-03l17TK4bbRVzNbIs_waNnt1wM38WOaY5vAhgZhJZSEsCJe1NUs7RrVceqLLgu5w6SLsyuTvjioaFWNAaomUewwTEItBuxobVhhqiO85bJLyTbhcVa_pU_q/s1600/IMG_8641+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslhLKgGm4n3XX-03l17TK4bbRVzNbIs_waNnt1wM38WOaY5vAhgZhJZSEsCJe1NUs7RrVceqLLgu5w6SLsyuTvjioaFWNAaomUewwTEItBuxobVhhqiO85bJLyTbhcVa_pU_q/s640/IMG_8641+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iguana park</td></tr>
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AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-86030353982320752792019-05-08T20:51:00.000-07:002019-05-08T20:51:01.951-07:00ChachapoyasHaving others come and join us is an awesome experience but one of the differences and difficulties associated with that is a lack of flexibility in the schedule. They have flights to catch and routes and timing generally need to be adhered to. Both of us had been feeling unwell off and on for the past month or so and rolling into Chachapoyas at sunrise after a terrifying overnight bus through the mountains from Cajamarca, we had to admit we were probably pushing ourselves too hard and risking a burnout. The long windy mountain roads and high altitude was probably taking its toll on us too. <div>
Fortunately for us, Chachapoyas is a pretty little mountain town and not too high at 2300m. It is also cheap and we managed to find a quiet hostel that was the most comfortable that we'd seen in weeks. I wouldn't usually be happy about rain, but with a pretty dismal forecast we decided to pause and rest. We ended up staying for a week and only did activities about half of the time. On the worst of the rainy days we had a good excuse to sit and rest or research. On the marginal days we made a few day trips out. Chachapoyas is a great little hub for visiting a bunch of sites nearby and will become a popular tourist hub eventually. It is already starting to feel the increase in visitors and developments are underway in some areas. For now it remains pretty relaxed and friendly and easy to do things on your own. </div>
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The most popular and world-class of the attractions nearby is Kuelap. It is a ruined sacred city of the Chachapoyas civilization sitting on a mountaintop with amazing views (of course) and hardly visited or known yet outside Peru. It used to be accessible only by long rough road or a 5 hour hike up the mountain but 2 years ago they opened up Peru's only cable car system to take you up there instead. It is high and steep and made us a little nervous but we wouldn't have made it to the ruins otherwise. They are still working on preserving/restoring the ruins so once you are inside the city walls (it looks like a fortress and is often called such) most of it is still overgrown with vegetation and has that authentic Indiana Jones look :) There is a set path though so we couldn't just go running around poking our heads in everywhere. At its peak it had 3000 or so residents in little stone circle huts and a few small temples. Really though this is just a very atmospheric place and gave us the impression that we were discovering the next big thing in Peru. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt7hs44hel6zI5h4CIa1Z9HQsXNOchcegm1gDur-Owb5xZhYJLD9Ov4EEHOQXIuSU8UDlZaxuIIRqJnHWdSHIKrcxUzPQQtUXtd0hdTCoMVLrkLtaTqTYnDmXfBzdpKyKNYPq/s1600/IMG_8431+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt7hs44hel6zI5h4CIa1Z9HQsXNOchcegm1gDur-Owb5xZhYJLD9Ov4EEHOQXIuSU8UDlZaxuIIRqJnHWdSHIKrcxUzPQQtUXtd0hdTCoMVLrkLtaTqTYnDmXfBzdpKyKNYPq/s640/IMG_8431+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outer walls of Kuelap</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The narrow entry through the wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasEW2V36mGHuWWXMurUvW31d_GXEaKn8w5aUSMq9FlX_pSFF4Wgw0D4Gv5fBKcM_xphOpuHYsTzS7CgIvKXWVtaaGl4Sr_i-QlauD5RcH6nUs9ba5pdn-A069GzI42HAuaTpa/s1600/IMG_8438+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasEW2V36mGHuWWXMurUvW31d_GXEaKn8w5aUSMq9FlX_pSFF4Wgw0D4Gv5fBKcM_xphOpuHYsTzS7CgIvKXWVtaaGl4Sr_i-QlauD5RcH6nUs9ba5pdn-A069GzI42HAuaTpa/s640/IMG_8438+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love overgrown ruins</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadFuUyXeVXBnNTa8xha8m_Hyee-fId59MMlGTb8sc80FIbuZCG3r40RLw5UeCGHpyIm4MykCg1SYHwtGLE6ooCRCdutRTn9dnaNWgS_vjl16MDE7Sb6i_jzyZ751ir3ABp5XK/s1600/IMG_8445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadFuUyXeVXBnNTa8xha8m_Hyee-fId59MMlGTb8sc80FIbuZCG3r40RLw5UeCGHpyIm4MykCg1SYHwtGLE6ooCRCdutRTn9dnaNWgS_vjl16MDE7Sb6i_jzyZ751ir3ABp5XK/s640/IMG_8445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DsjqF_mQtEaet1mw8TtZ5gw_4MJhyphenhypheno6YoPTY3VELus96qPTV-gV5YuZ4oRKIqdiikem8CwX-FY1jBjn6TRCZMu697jT1pByU4C0x5htBW2xbSJEWtZvgiQkTYVXMc3g0iYzu/s1600/IMG_8453+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DsjqF_mQtEaet1mw8TtZ5gw_4MJhyphenhypheno6YoPTY3VELus96qPTV-gV5YuZ4oRKIqdiikem8CwX-FY1jBjn6TRCZMu697jT1pByU4C0x5htBW2xbSJEWtZvgiQkTYVXMc3g0iYzu/s640/IMG_8453+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeOfQ39TFs-0t9467EFTJ_i4_oHIizUWoUrKFKWpspKZuz1o5kpuwvX53sJKn9UJAYqCsHI8ofzv1Beq5ps9LNEIIZXa8XXRMIQJThzuniaeeCs94QNWDFhJPrBegL305veXL/s1600/IMG_8468+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeOfQ39TFs-0t9467EFTJ_i4_oHIizUWoUrKFKWpspKZuz1o5kpuwvX53sJKn9UJAYqCsHI8ofzv1Beq5ps9LNEIIZXa8XXRMIQJThzuniaeeCs94QNWDFhJPrBegL305veXL/s640/IMG_8468+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each circle was a residence</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuC6E0vfYJJNHfz2bTBSKZVMC0RbV-cAkRKw0gkPDRbzQMAGg1vsq9SI_EmJow5MsleBvAZPUezmSd49dOuGRDo0hfJsCwBynGJz3UEn4OibUM0fVQtMKXhc7kTsdiQnZ_VV5/s1600/IMG_8469+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuC6E0vfYJJNHfz2bTBSKZVMC0RbV-cAkRKw0gkPDRbzQMAGg1vsq9SI_EmJow5MsleBvAZPUezmSd49dOuGRDo0hfJsCwBynGJz3UEn4OibUM0fVQtMKXhc7kTsdiQnZ_VV5/s640/IMG_8469+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also nearby and somehow the symbol of Chachapoyas are the sarcophagi of Karajia. We made our way to a nearby village to make the short hike into a little canyon to see them. They are a group of now 7 Chachapoyan mummies sitting in the side of a cliff and dating from the 15th century. They look cool but are of mysterious purpose and you can't get very close to them so it was a relatively short visit. Mummies are not an uncommon thing in the area and there is a museum in the nearby village of Leymebamba that has hundreds. We didn't go there though. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFCDzej-7xEMPKrqhgCP6Jsoj-I22JQwxX2IwUpzna1zjZBeOPGqvzPEyipdgapglOYp-Da2amejyZ3yW0l5ZJQHnLS6VuUiIhmSAqB4onvGnoTuUyu0LU_I0eoh3uYZLCddY/s1600/IMG_8501+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFCDzej-7xEMPKrqhgCP6Jsoj-I22JQwxX2IwUpzna1zjZBeOPGqvzPEyipdgapglOYp-Da2amejyZ3yW0l5ZJQHnLS6VuUiIhmSAqB4onvGnoTuUyu0LU_I0eoh3uYZLCddY/s640/IMG_8501+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the trail to the Karajia sarcophagi</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8vUPNWIflAcnD9jATPnEznTxSdemmUEkhcT7t_Y77KmnvkqoFzInAcF2KSE8lDegg-YLb27DGfAIvVga9OiCtEjup11aOMv3NUygVpCtQ3tES59db0BvawRhOF_0-U49-Sc7/s1600/IMG_8507+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8vUPNWIflAcnD9jATPnEznTxSdemmUEkhcT7t_Y77KmnvkqoFzInAcF2KSE8lDegg-YLb27DGfAIvVga9OiCtEjup11aOMv3NUygVpCtQ3tES59db0BvawRhOF_0-U49-Sc7/s640/IMG_8507+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found the cliff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcbkBzIz0ud05TiGLVc-edClAYGO90DiUuiT2CfBMBoZ2XRsQ70MKooESmZTrI3agq41GZeZwBL3r4Z9TUUuAHbEReso4mVGxY1R7VzYB-ZyEwybPkpnZ6IOpqHWcKWUpblXq/s1600/IMG_8506+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcbkBzIz0ud05TiGLVc-edClAYGO90DiUuiT2CfBMBoZ2XRsQ70MKooESmZTrI3agq41GZeZwBL3r4Z9TUUuAHbEReso4mVGxY1R7VzYB-ZyEwybPkpnZ6IOpqHWcKWUpblXq/s640/IMG_8506+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, those are real skulls on there too</td></tr>
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Each time we went anywhere it was an adventure on the roads. To get anywhere it seems you have to drive down windy mountain roads and then back up another. Many of the roads are in pretty rough shape and landslides are very common here. We were constantly being delayed by work crews clearing away rocks and dirt and it was a little disturbing to go out on a road and come back a few hours later and see a new mess on the road. It is beautiful green scenery though. The area is the east side of the Andes and covered with wet cloud forest which eventually drops down into the Amazon, similar to Machu Picchu. </div>
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Just outside of Chachapoyas, beside a village called Huancas is the Canyon del Sonche. You can stand at a viewpoint just on the edge looking down on the river nearly 1000m below. There were some nice waterfalls across the way as well but the best was Gocta Falls, a 771m waterfall that we saved for our last day of activities (our only day of real sun). Making our way to the village of Cocachimba we ended up doing a 10km (~4hr) round trip hike to the base of the falls. You can see it from the beginning of the hike but it is so tall you really have to get up close to appreciate it. There isn't a lot of water but the falls and especially the landscape around it are beautiful and we had a really great day. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXEJa9Qz_YRzbiQ-mZlfNdbseX45Xf8OajJn0sE7l5NJttUAwCae6AkLSboCjciccI5vgBrrL3G7FT8zntsrr8VlS7sCWlHztQgOfLEW_WesuU7oXPOLUgXmBXzuOyHCYLDMC/s1600/IMG_8495+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnXEJa9Qz_YRzbiQ-mZlfNdbseX45Xf8OajJn0sE7l5NJttUAwCae6AkLSboCjciccI5vgBrrL3G7FT8zntsrr8VlS7sCWlHztQgOfLEW_WesuU7oXPOLUgXmBXzuOyHCYLDMC/s640/IMG_8495+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon del Sonche</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARdE4V8iO4ajL2Jb-G_SHNk1sQWu-TGhDu51pO6rkC5y20_xc1KzVJ1F8NpwLIM00aO71-CCuOAE9l6TQeIHQA-012dkX9oeZjfhDNyTDZ578nTaqF9AyO3SHWjpo0z-v1rE3/s1600/IMG_8496+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARdE4V8iO4ajL2Jb-G_SHNk1sQWu-TGhDu51pO6rkC5y20_xc1KzVJ1F8NpwLIM00aO71-CCuOAE9l6TQeIHQA-012dkX9oeZjfhDNyTDZ578nTaqF9AyO3SHWjpo0z-v1rE3/s640/IMG_8496+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon del Sonche</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCLQgYXJK66wKjCepO0I-4Y-l2pULeKZqZAz3QhjyO4sKb1vZ9o9cSaeiwcxT6yNBa8Zjr4zyCgG9Fkr78O7FxGIBtVxOJYQmgE0iAfFyondigVM2jlqBI-mAPFlzJELX53jU/s1600/IMG_8548+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCLQgYXJK66wKjCepO0I-4Y-l2pULeKZqZAz3QhjyO4sKb1vZ9o9cSaeiwcxT6yNBa8Zjr4zyCgG9Fkr78O7FxGIBtVxOJYQmgE0iAfFyondigVM2jlqBI-mAPFlzJELX53jU/s640/IMG_8548+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cocachimba village</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdDz9jz0ADxHsDyCnurmkwXEd-78ErX1-PIEQf6Xvp93-6K0BiYEavVQiHrjCysc5FYBnC-zicYSp4LTTle-EDBN-K6NWi0wUzvGiYUkK8UMPcHvh7Brx-hHQUQ0RzLMqRnKd/s1600/IMG_8523+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdDz9jz0ADxHsDyCnurmkwXEd-78ErX1-PIEQf6Xvp93-6K0BiYEavVQiHrjCysc5FYBnC-zicYSp4LTTle-EDBN-K6NWi0wUzvGiYUkK8UMPcHvh7Brx-hHQUQ0RzLMqRnKd/s640/IMG_8523+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our destination, Gocta Falls, upper falls 231m, lower falls 540m</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTduOBEBSE1usSO_VQYUmKgDVl_qmmpHLpQ0BMEdJi_9PxL30nRDl3XUTweWaXHGIEfQ8rsbmsd8vE4bZv5fg4sedhW2ORvOexL7wAa5K6hrs1KqHLsA0WIlV4IZzacw0gIoGp/s1600/IMG_8524+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTduOBEBSE1usSO_VQYUmKgDVl_qmmpHLpQ0BMEdJi_9PxL30nRDl3XUTweWaXHGIEfQ8rsbmsd8vE4bZv5fg4sedhW2ORvOexL7wAa5K6hrs1KqHLsA0WIlV4IZzacw0gIoGp/s640/IMG_8524+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEQTQoX_G0Xe59O8WQzv6vRVaVV10YVlPxjF-uK_4zk497XKNC2SaJoGKMQEGEtQ24qP2QsUru86U_3sBMXNm93MEq0wpbmfVfhjg9eeVb0odvh8b5MaVwHG8MmDOBf3_E3PE/s1600/IMG_8530+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEQTQoX_G0Xe59O8WQzv6vRVaVV10YVlPxjF-uK_4zk497XKNC2SaJoGKMQEGEtQ24qP2QsUru86U_3sBMXNm93MEq0wpbmfVfhjg9eeVb0odvh8b5MaVwHG8MmDOBf3_E3PE/s640/IMG_8530+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzWhGsubSRzE2uolR7fgeweD-eByJLl_b5_CSmePnhDwRAwoS8qOgyg8sqPleh5v9pHqE89r1htrTMB7dzonu-ffhhiFxc5gMxSc7j3d_QtszPD3VjfAL3BpZ6rBrtvtt0460/s1600/IMG_8545+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzWhGsubSRzE2uolR7fgeweD-eByJLl_b5_CSmePnhDwRAwoS8qOgyg8sqPleh5v9pHqE89r1htrTMB7dzonu-ffhhiFxc5gMxSc7j3d_QtszPD3VjfAL3BpZ6rBrtvtt0460/s640/IMG_8545+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCdVDnFWLCNcbK-c9iDHZRwGSPtMmblTHmozzq7W2Go11F1RtuOkpGWJmSfgM8odkQhyS928INY8tt-CUZ-yINqsNs1gnCZxi8FHBFcC9CKufuM8-9-4uLLtU6ZOevyBOzhaK/s1600/IMG_8543+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCdVDnFWLCNcbK-c9iDHZRwGSPtMmblTHmozzq7W2Go11F1RtuOkpGWJmSfgM8odkQhyS928INY8tt-CUZ-yINqsNs1gnCZxi8FHBFcC9CKufuM8-9-4uLLtU6ZOevyBOzhaK/s640/IMG_8543+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lower falls</td></tr>
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Now that we are rested and feeling better it is time to move on. Ecuador here we come!</div>
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Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-74238923602629059172019-05-08T09:55:00.000-07:002019-05-08T09:55:04.594-07:00Trujillo and CajamarcaFor Ricardo's last remaining days we took yet another long and windy bus ride back down to the coastal city of Trujillo, Peru's third largest. It has an attractive and well restored historic core in its own right, one again revolving around a Plaza de Armas, but this was not our primary motivation for visiting. We were in search of more ruins from different ancient civilizations we hadn't seen yet, namely the Chimu and Moche cultures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwvQ4zIyj2MRcsxaJEUMe0Wog90wU87k7jnuNr0C4PSWkMagE_2XDSbaO5gbgAhztgSeZgQCZEybcrorY-KTI-V94R6sz1KN4dynLwNrnW3yGX8odnIXCoA07ovYM2XvPszl7/s1600/IMG_8284+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwvQ4zIyj2MRcsxaJEUMe0Wog90wU87k7jnuNr0C4PSWkMagE_2XDSbaO5gbgAhztgSeZgQCZEybcrorY-KTI-V94R6sz1KN4dynLwNrnW3yGX8odnIXCoA07ovYM2XvPszl7/s640/IMG_8284+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas, Trujillo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcbcn2Ai6DJwKvHFFeYXBqspX2l6mmPxZd2Mth-Ma1bb3i_pJHKGlSlBL8p61mmnBB3p87FL6yMWd0JO2rnvV8GWvKWPrckA6g7iFqwl0URel0G8j5b2SMHKsbOvrOl3UjNS3/s1600/IMG_8285+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1600" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcbcn2Ai6DJwKvHFFeYXBqspX2l6mmPxZd2Mth-Ma1bb3i_pJHKGlSlBL8p61mmnBB3p87FL6yMWd0JO2rnvV8GWvKWPrckA6g7iFqwl0URel0G8j5b2SMHKsbOvrOl3UjNS3/s640/IMG_8285+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trujillo cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqm4tJQ9PwslxFo3xlIW2LeBeJ4orEhvNxJU31RhWfyxw-AL17BlvbDrpCmihoglXLbpmXOzwfNkziyZ-9bxQG4ioa7txbcKvLtDUQMV9z8wNChAzpYmg_E4yoEbw0S-8ccYg/s1600/IMG_8336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqm4tJQ9PwslxFo3xlIW2LeBeJ4orEhvNxJU31RhWfyxw-AL17BlvbDrpCmihoglXLbpmXOzwfNkziyZ-9bxQG4ioa7txbcKvLtDUQMV9z8wNChAzpYmg_E4yoEbw0S-8ccYg/s640/IMG_8336.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trujillo's historic centre.</td></tr>
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<div>
The Chimu were the newer of the two, building their capital city, Chan Chan, just a few km outside of Trujillo. The Chimu began around the year 900 and were conquered by the Incas just 50 years before the Spanish arrived. Not to be outdone by other ruins in Peru, Chan Chan can claim to have been the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and the largest adobe city in the world. It is in very rough shape now with most of the former city just mounds of mud brick rubble.<br />
One of the unique features of Chan Chan was that each ruler built his own walled palace complex within the central core of the city. These walled off areas were mini cities in themselves complete with large courtyards, temples, water reservoirs, storage rooms, residences, etc. There are 9 of these complexes, but only 1 has been restored enough for tourists to visit. There is one main entrance through a very high and thick wall (11m and 5m respectively) and from there you follow a set but limited path. There isn't a whole lot to see and we moved through quickly. The Chimu seem to have loved sea-themed decor with fish, pelican and fishnet symbols predominating.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAppzWCp5fp3aw1Zr-IDeOAVZD_Hvjsv3JsBPzlW4koVZxMW_k4fiplofHpTfcf2pNNcRg7jtFdDA8TR6maAlBifdrZ0m1FMJObAEVMA1pJ1ArQMrCU_lO5DEQBWol6fHpbYRI/s1600/IMG-20190501-WA0089+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAppzWCp5fp3aw1Zr-IDeOAVZD_Hvjsv3JsBPzlW4koVZxMW_k4fiplofHpTfcf2pNNcRg7jtFdDA8TR6maAlBifdrZ0m1FMJObAEVMA1pJ1ArQMrCU_lO5DEQBWol6fHpbYRI/s640/IMG-20190501-WA0089+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wandering through Chan Chan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt-peB0THbRO1Afg99WwBix2BqNOl3txloQl_JFWYUlCeQgLk8PvXbdfRL7E7fkG6LrsIgKruO03m-XYF6pnR7WSkYHiMFLjJm9-MmwFU2mORkhWMgLMeK837nW_gDFFTBtxY/s1600/IMG_8291+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt-peB0THbRO1Afg99WwBix2BqNOl3txloQl_JFWYUlCeQgLk8PvXbdfRL7E7fkG6LrsIgKruO03m-XYF6pnR7WSkYHiMFLjJm9-MmwFU2mORkhWMgLMeK837nW_gDFFTBtxY/s640/IMG_8291+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the courtyards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpatpQQaKExbRxeHpxnWpYbOfpLyl3DO9UWuerOoMBYnXnxt3X1d_HokRFQOC459-psnxiNEleQEIy89xhhlCnOJsqJM1ZhThwwuE213sm9CoraWbzX40X4hrtD8QbXfgndC4/s1600/IMG_8295+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpatpQQaKExbRxeHpxnWpYbOfpLyl3DO9UWuerOoMBYnXnxt3X1d_HokRFQOC459-psnxiNEleQEIy89xhhlCnOJsqJM1ZhThwwuE213sm9CoraWbzX40X4hrtD8QbXfgndC4/s640/IMG_8295+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish and pelicans</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd4aJACVRQOp7q49sjfJgWGWLjQr6uaNtTzAxRryHxr_uU32c7yKpwhFLVOcR5B8N-TP4WebtYyEm1sHM8bYdCH1JW1qEF1LQvX4hyphenhyphenputeaiXFQnOXgna3qwP-2RNAgARi1Vg/s1600/IMG-20190501-WA0097+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd4aJACVRQOp7q49sjfJgWGWLjQr6uaNtTzAxRryHxr_uU32c7yKpwhFLVOcR5B8N-TP4WebtYyEm1sHM8bYdCH1JW1qEF1LQvX4hyphenhyphenputeaiXFQnOXgna3qwP-2RNAgARi1Vg/s640/IMG-20190501-WA0097+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After a quick lunch in town we went to visit the Huacas del Sol y Luna just outside of the city on the opposite side of Trujillo. The huacas are temples built by the Moche, a relatively small culture that lasted from about 100-700 AD along the northern coast of Peru. What it lacked in widespread influence it made up for in ambition, having built the largest single adobe structure in the pre-Colombian Americas in the Huaca del Sol. It was most likely administrative in nature and is significantly destroyed and currently off-limits to visitors as archaeologists continue to study the site. 500m away and on the other side of where faint traces show the Moche capital city to have been, is the Huaca de la Luna. This is what we visited and how it isn't a Unesco site as one of the most interesting ruins in Peru is beyond me. It is smaller but still massive and much better restored. This was the religious and ceremonial temple and where you learn that the Moche must've been a little nuts. Human sacrifice was a very important part of functions at the temple and the walls were decorated with murals of creepy-looking Gods, prisoners and symbols. It must have been quite terrifying back in the day. It was a really cool temple actually and although you have to enter with a guided tour, we quickly ditched and ran around on our own. It is interesting to note that while there aren't a lot of info signs at these ruins, since we left the Incan ruins and the southern Peruvian tourist circuit there have at least been some which only strengthens my belief that there is a tourist guide mafia or some kind of conspiracy going on in Cusco.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpOTn_G47lV2gT1HfTI6TDaPEGd_O09gJU7dIgWXll7iqeCFfnv5LFJ0p-e3eLKrFBlte-smV2no79b1TzkFZoKyGjlNjb8NVm5mHL7HC5mcd92huCiIQQUZf8mYuAMq3T6Zy/s1600/IMG_8343+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpOTn_G47lV2gT1HfTI6TDaPEGd_O09gJU7dIgWXll7iqeCFfnv5LFJ0p-e3eLKrFBlte-smV2no79b1TzkFZoKyGjlNjb8NVm5mHL7HC5mcd92huCiIQQUZf8mYuAMq3T6Zy/s640/IMG_8343+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that is left of the huge Huaca del Sol</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huaca de la Luna</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the murals</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsywrRX7P8uH26GHJ9uxr16GZAYrW5Y0EjlM-fnTCopD5tYDmsvsQln_XxFzIixfX5VOgltjOMkCAQ0Z0H4F5KfSp9rqPw1YirMY4AV9Zvq7mPLETjvABHETD4G79amSU0vQp/s1600/IMG_8353+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsywrRX7P8uH26GHJ9uxr16GZAYrW5Y0EjlM-fnTCopD5tYDmsvsQln_XxFzIixfX5VOgltjOMkCAQ0Z0H4F5KfSp9rqPw1YirMY4AV9Zvq7mPLETjvABHETD4G79amSU0vQp/s640/IMG_8353+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creepy</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWe00xUbWA7K3BeiBlTBLJ8lQpXXHL2bSNWJJVFkAzP_rCNELl-BXqVcfsd6XNnAq1dfe-pmNG6WUJnzPShVCvxneftX44xItWqfYc1TO9WNwx3L969dr8_59Z19Tbjyp3nPz/s1600/IMG_8367+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWe00xUbWA7K3BeiBlTBLJ8lQpXXHL2bSNWJJVFkAzP_rCNELl-BXqVcfsd6XNnAq1dfe-pmNG6WUJnzPShVCvxneftX44xItWqfYc1TO9WNwx3L969dr8_59Z19Tbjyp3nPz/s640/IMG_8367+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjF7TNZVn5bdv86H_bTH47aaaha8go9-BBgmiqJ9siuI0g-7hXSSJXYeXHlPsYMGHbIztLtINWShU_FXwFOyLvHlzvwfCQj_fFdCVA5e7C6Ua5Dv_ad0dIsalUvu4-ArFIT4ZC/s1600/IMG_8374+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjF7TNZVn5bdv86H_bTH47aaaha8go9-BBgmiqJ9siuI0g-7hXSSJXYeXHlPsYMGHbIztLtINWShU_FXwFOyLvHlzvwfCQj_fFdCVA5e7C6Ua5Dv_ad0dIsalUvu4-ArFIT4ZC/s640/IMG_8374+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge mural section on an external wall</td></tr>
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Back in town that evening we had to say goodbye to Ricardo. He saved us the trouble of a teary farewell by giving us a panicked one instead. Somehow during the day he lost his ID and we were running around all over town trying to find it before he had to catch his overnight bus to Lima. We never found it but he managed to get home by getting special papers at the Brazil embassy in the morning before catching his flight in the afternoon. It's every traveler's nightmare and I hope to never go through that level of stress. I have serious doubts about the Canadian embassy being so helpful or efficient...<br />
Back on our own for the first time in a month, the following morning Sasha and I were back on another bus winding our way up into the mountains again to the small colonial town of Cajamarca. I wish I could say I had a good experience in Cajamarca but I must've eaten something bad in Trujillo because I was feeling terrible and weak by the time we got there and went straight to bed. Due to limitations in onward transport we also ended up with only 24 hours in Cajamarca and had to leave the next evening on a night bus.<br />
We did spend one quick afternoon in the colonial centre though and found it to be very clean, quiet and relaxing. Cajamarca is worth a visit but far enough off the main tourist trail that it is still hassle-free and we didn't see many non-Peruvian visitors. The Plaza de Armas has 2 pretty cathedrals with nice facades and there are nice views over the city and valley from a hilltop nearby. The most significant event to happen in Cajamarca was the defeat of the Incan empire. It was here that the last Incan emperor, Atahualpa, was captured, offered his huge ransom of gold and silver and later executed by the Spanish conquistadors. There is only one Incan structure remaining in town and that is the room claimed to be where Atahualpa was held for ransom. There are also a number of ruins and things to do (hot springs) in the valley around town but we had neither the time or energy to venture out that far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ49N_clyzKSrlhqDGa8_rYE8m0hw5Jz4S2_7k2viOoUkTm8BLo2zIvR0c_PcAVLoSVPNRRGkSUFRx_ebcNmJzLRht1goKSCRNePROWe0dFUVKn3zpPf3T9qiC2X3VZIuJpHy/s1600/IMG_8403+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1600" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ49N_clyzKSrlhqDGa8_rYE8m0hw5Jz4S2_7k2viOoUkTm8BLo2zIvR0c_PcAVLoSVPNRRGkSUFRx_ebcNmJzLRht1goKSCRNePROWe0dFUVKn3zpPf3T9qiC2X3VZIuJpHy/s640/IMG_8403+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas, Cajamarca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6G7tYA88bgrznDTBMQXPLnY7N2H9XnuCpNv64i-YYWSWfZC_KHaXaL8cAj4SozDxnXQpvyvwxPFvCulth89AeFc6eEy0Za-hhpqgxhPAsQ6VOLdofTGC5vXmPTo8aBWIecne/s1600/IMG_8383+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6G7tYA88bgrznDTBMQXPLnY7N2H9XnuCpNv64i-YYWSWfZC_KHaXaL8cAj4SozDxnXQpvyvwxPFvCulth89AeFc6eEy0Za-hhpqgxhPAsQ6VOLdofTGC5vXmPTo8aBWIecne/s640/IMG_8383+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Incan "ransom room"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_S5rkqVYhO6sFpgR3iJ1YAWTLPwEGy0Ie2YETbagWw6yB9D2Z0xR66yjhXI85kaWUT0s1WP-s_kC5iv6JhXa5LXselsYp5ct63T3jWfNhq-VhGRGFY3O6l_hDj2GD1-PsQEh/s1600/IMG_8387+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_S5rkqVYhO6sFpgR3iJ1YAWTLPwEGy0Ie2YETbagWw6yB9D2Z0xR66yjhXI85kaWUT0s1WP-s_kC5iv6JhXa5LXselsYp5ct63T3jWfNhq-VhGRGFY3O6l_hDj2GD1-PsQEh/s640/IMG_8387+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finely carved facade of the Iglesia Belen. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful core</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMf6E-Dx1PBRFzpMe8P4D74sRpyEVaNLYfSKYxfVLwXJ-faxliA2BBxveFVDM4b1lFZtRuwRgBadhJW_qrEDgTosDmpH7RrQqJM8X2SnS3WNrQVBPqFbJJJ1__0J-3h7YrGus/s1600/IMG_8395+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMf6E-Dx1PBRFzpMe8P4D74sRpyEVaNLYfSKYxfVLwXJ-faxliA2BBxveFVDM4b1lFZtRuwRgBadhJW_qrEDgTosDmpH7RrQqJM8X2SnS3WNrQVBPqFbJJJ1__0J-3h7YrGus/s640/IMG_8395+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over Cajamarca from Santa Apolonia hill.</td></tr>
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Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-83420429421182638112019-05-05T15:06:00.000-07:002019-05-05T15:15:13.333-07:00Caral-Supe, Chavin and HuascaranOur journey out of Lima only took us 4 hours north to a little-known city called Barranca where we stayed the night. The following morning we bumped our way up a nearby valley in an old minivan to the little village of Caral. As you head inland from the coast of Peru you quickly end up in the foothills of the Andes Between these hills are little fertile valleys with sometimes permanent rivers flowing to the ocean so even though the coast is desert, early civilizations were still able to survive and thrive. Peru has a ridiculous number of ruins and I can't believe how many cultures were part of that. Follow the coast and at pretty much every valley or stream there will be some evidence of an ancient settlement. Some are obviously more important or in better shape than others but on this day as we drove up this little valley we were in search of the most significant of them all, Caral-Supe.<br />
"Caral-Supe?" You ask. I hadn't heard of it either until recently and while Peru is trying to bring attention to the site and its potential it won't ever attract the same attention or become a household name the way Machu Picchu has. That's a shame too since it is Peru's most important historical site. Machu Picchu is 500 years old. Caral-Supe is nearly 5000 years old. Yes, you read that right. Caral is the oldest known city in the Americas and is believed to have been the centre of a civilization that existed in and around the valley at the same time the Egyptian pyramids were being built. They have found evidence of up to 26 more sites nearby but this was the hub. Evidence also suggests that all the other Andean civilizations are branches from this mother civilization. Surprisingly, no evidence of warfare or violence has been found here so maybe peace once had a chance. What they have found is a handful of pyramids sitting in the sand. With our early start we got there ahead of any tour groups from Lima and had the place to ourselves. A short guided tour is mandatory but relatively cheap and although our guide only spoke Spanish (very enthusiastically) we were able to enjoy our stroll and try to wrap our heads around something so ancient.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUYh1VoHRQNvyXeh0D4ttsWKZ0dwdN0hP-Y5cu-RkJSMZSgpUSTRJCqsw1pOXzUDfh2eRkHyxJ5wWvNePvCP37edZzbFjMgzqXZ470R57qxW8dv-f-N6irwZEF07un2kDUPS_/s1600/IMG_8080+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUYh1VoHRQNvyXeh0D4ttsWKZ0dwdN0hP-Y5cu-RkJSMZSgpUSTRJCqsw1pOXzUDfh2eRkHyxJ5wWvNePvCP37edZzbFjMgzqXZ470R57qxW8dv-f-N6irwZEF07un2kDUPS_/s640/IMG_8080+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caral valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caral-Supe pyramids</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxTDX5vXQ2jZk7L8MtL4_z-AfFkmqoYcjtDhkw4YFNuu_SLWZvxamLsI_N5xiFdY6umlqDQQX55kq8WPBkLHph1cLmKxOzT4zswK6FKcBo0dWzbr3kBXot3-yaGeR-MRCBG4J/s1600/IMG-20190430-WA0044+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxTDX5vXQ2jZk7L8MtL4_z-AfFkmqoYcjtDhkw4YFNuu_SLWZvxamLsI_N5xiFdY6umlqDQQX55kq8WPBkLHph1cLmKxOzT4zswK6FKcBo0dWzbr3kBXot3-yaGeR-MRCBG4J/s640/IMG-20190430-WA0044+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Two days later we were back in the cold, wet mountains at 3100m contemplating one of the branch cultures to come out of Caral-Supe. We were standing in the middle of the ruins of Chavin de Huantar, a major ceremonial centre of the Chavin civilization, which is still one of the older ones in Peruvian history having existed from about 3200-2200 years ago. The Chavin ruins are mostly of a temple and courtyard complex which were involved in various religious rituals which are still being debated. Unlike many other ruins, these ones show significant skill in diverting water into underground channels passing below the temple and courtyard and there is quite a bit of labyrinth action in the middle of the temple, some of which you can see. We visited as part of a day tour and although I couldn't understand much of what the guide was saying (in Spanish again), I couldn't help but notice that the ancient people here once again nailed the location factor in choosing a site to build on. Unlike other ruins we'd seen to this point, the Chavin actually had carved decorations on their walls and pillars too.<br />
The site made a little more sense when we finally visited the museum, found some English explanations and could see all the carved heads that once would have decorated the site. With so many cultures overlapping in both time and geography in the area there is a lot of cross influences and similarities which ultimately peaked in the Incas but I'm no expert and won't pretend I know what came from who. Nevertheless, if you like ruins, Peru is probably the best place in the world to get your fix. We weren't done yet either.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyNIL5uGyDClyw7KLl1cp-0wl19s3BL2PW6Fa7A0rNyhqcCQm2FGvfdJC5kvAYkwTiSoHGhoQMsE6AucUXsvPX801hJIGT55WctzOXWU1Wkcblu_sBcdCeiihoiPiuns6qWiW/s1600/IMG_8140+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyNIL5uGyDClyw7KLl1cp-0wl19s3BL2PW6Fa7A0rNyhqcCQm2FGvfdJC5kvAYkwTiSoHGhoQMsE6AucUXsvPX801hJIGT55WctzOXWU1Wkcblu_sBcdCeiihoiPiuns6qWiW/s640/IMG_8140+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main temple at Chavin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The central courtyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These would have been on the walls of the temple</td></tr>
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Chavin was an easy day trip because we were already in the mountains at Huaraz, the tourist hub for visits to Huascaran National Park.<br />
Huascaran is the tallest mountain in Peru at 6768m. The peak of the mountain has the lowest gravitational force on Earth because it is located so close to the equator. The national park encompasses the mountain and most of the surrounding mountain range, known as the Cordillera Blanca, the highest mountain range in the tropics and the largest area of (rapidly shrinking) tropical glaciers. If you want to do some pure trekking or hiking in Peru this is probably the best place to do it as it is easy to organize, there are tons of options and it is cheaper and much less crowded than any Inca treks in the south. We'd been delaying most of our Andean hiking up to this point and now was our chance, though we'd decided to stick to day trip stuff only and no serious expeditions.<br />
Unfortunately Sasha was fighting off some kind of a cold and with Huaraz sitting at 3100m and hikes in the park starting above 4000m and often reaching 5000m, we scaled down our ambitions even further. This was also the part Ricardo was looking forward to the most and his enthusiasm for the mountains helped keep us motivated. In the end we did the day trip to Chavin and 3 other visits into the park. The first was to the Pastoruri glacier which amounted to a long drive, a short hike (but at 5000m a short hike feels 10x longer and harder anyway) and a view of a glacier that is melting so fast you can practically see it dying before your eyes. Water was pouring off of it and the markers showing how far it has receded in the last couple of years alone are depressing, yet it didn't stop the local tourists from blissfully posing for selfies like all was right in the world. There is a whole range of flora and fauna found in the park though we saw very little wildlife in our time there. We did see a totally bizarre plant called the Puya Raimondi, which grows up to 15m tall, lives 100 years and is considered the world's largest flower. The best description I've heard of it is that it looks like an upside-down palm tree. It is quite rare, even here where it is found and we only saw it on this tour to the glacier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgChO8yWugpOW_TOwmCBuklT3d4vDfH9FRVRD00ZI6dZNkyBDJr74GBigN6mKEkMeGazHUm3HtvOQrN2ZKZXxTOA-EMnH3gPFs8vtl5qu8Z6f7lzMIxTYqwH3I6VZmKk5gKhE/s1600/IMG_8185+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgChO8yWugpOW_TOwmCBuklT3d4vDfH9FRVRD00ZI6dZNkyBDJr74GBigN6mKEkMeGazHUm3HtvOQrN2ZKZXxTOA-EMnH3gPFs8vtl5qu8Z6f7lzMIxTYqwH3I6VZmKk5gKhE/s640/IMG_8185+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full size Puya Raimondi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puya Raimondi before it starts to flower (could be 40-50 years old here)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD6jSTzDMr2sGlXIPNJOq7MCS5SUuyiQRk5FLgEJ3Alq0vcIjkaKrDoqGsw9H7LtCsVvg_NW6_Oeyhmv5z57x3FJKGQXjv2oTgKm2n4n9bYZ3zLG8_Xg1WhPrnNIo9HSplSJl/s1600/IMG_8197+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD6jSTzDMr2sGlXIPNJOq7MCS5SUuyiQRk5FLgEJ3Alq0vcIjkaKrDoqGsw9H7LtCsVvg_NW6_Oeyhmv5z57x3FJKGQXjv2oTgKm2n4n9bYZ3zLG8_Xg1WhPrnNIo9HSplSJl/s640/IMG_8197+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5000m and still going strong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5788vnYNMiYq2zujLS3x23so6BaefVLa1lTFnI-me_gqFCLvPBl5ak4z6VZTh5hNgy2EgbVHPXJUoNqV_X_9-dIGElH0Bn4imASjnktjO18i_iviiDFtSJS8TRXNdXXlHoVC_/s1600/IMG_8207+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5788vnYNMiYq2zujLS3x23so6BaefVLa1lTFnI-me_gqFCLvPBl5ak4z6VZTh5hNgy2EgbVHPXJUoNqV_X_9-dIGElH0Bn4imASjnktjO18i_iviiDFtSJS8TRXNdXXlHoVC_/s640/IMG_8207+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastoruri glacier. </td></tr>
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We also made a ridiculously long 4.5 hour one-way trip to Laguna Paron to see a pretty turquoise glacial lake below a mountain that is said to be the one Paramount uses for its logo. We were at the wrong angle to check for the logo view but it was still a beautiful day. It reminded us a lot of home. Each of these trips was by cheap day tour in large vans. There were probably 6 vans at each site. Not overly crowded but we knew we could do better. Actually, Ricardo knew we could do better. On our final day we ended up hiring private transport through our hostel to take us to the Laguna Tambillo trail head. From there we would hike for a few hours up a narrow valley to reach the lake. This trail and hike is not offered by the local tours and yet is close, easy and beautiful. I don't understand it. Even the round trip private transport cost about the same as another tour for the 3 of us. Anyway, we had the whole trail and valley to ourselves but had to start the trail further from the lake than planned. The dirt track leading above the nearest village (Macashca) had been washed out and in the end we didn't have enough time to make it all the way to the lake. It was still our most enjoyable day in the park though because the trail followed a small river fed by the lake created by the glacier at the end of the valley. We only shared the area with cows and songbirds and not even a light rain could ruin our mood. We walked about 14km round trip and if not for the short daylight hours I'm sure we could've gone for much more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1J23LEDxPaaPAaNEaVwpWx5595eDHULTrfZWZ_H05QTyrlOcmJPAG4oW4LrV4pFfq1V2A4R5ReR82oep8c29Q3YOSDMS3AM5dtzTj8CD4DuQ3qdv9f54pjSefGwkugiTafN3/s1600/IMG_8222+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1600" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1J23LEDxPaaPAaNEaVwpWx5595eDHULTrfZWZ_H05QTyrlOcmJPAG4oW4LrV4pFfq1V2A4R5ReR82oep8c29Q3YOSDMS3AM5dtzTj8CD4DuQ3qdv9f54pjSefGwkugiTafN3/s640/IMG_8222+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huascaran peak</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJojFmnasrnKTr2G19YSiSGOEl9n3AiY6QqTunswGr9gvLhPNc8Bdu1CfJK7lmVHrHLTKdELrm87aNyQRDn0RR3J_YEtmy4_ZbTpkHy6lcEthkooHuDd5z2QkfWykLapg4vgeq/s1600/IMG_8242+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJojFmnasrnKTr2G19YSiSGOEl9n3AiY6QqTunswGr9gvLhPNc8Bdu1CfJK7lmVHrHLTKdELrm87aNyQRDn0RR3J_YEtmy4_ZbTpkHy6lcEthkooHuDd5z2QkfWykLapg4vgeq/s640/IMG_8242+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laguna Paron</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21yq8FaUQrfctiS1ndasRFtVdKclH67px0CnY6YyHemX1RMwzICTZhN_LzWrZmoV5dJBQImRoIKWGhHz2y9rnZ1tm8YYqUG6Gy70K7QEEdnEmiyJKQHUKrc5CB0lmEuUH01iD/s1600/IMG_8241+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1357" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21yq8FaUQrfctiS1ndasRFtVdKclH67px0CnY6YyHemX1RMwzICTZhN_LzWrZmoV5dJBQImRoIKWGhHz2y9rnZ1tm8YYqUG6Gy70K7QEEdnEmiyJKQHUKrc5CB0lmEuUH01iD/s640/IMG_8241+-+Edited.jpg" width="542" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking to the lookout over Laguna Paron</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PM7WsV1caHLUCZiq4epUekbhkKY3OmFrrplap6X3U8FO50Vd4zJvYYav_OThuro206DXN75wOGOhyOTnpkuNxVJ-LgrzBzVR1rjt91qu27exTFXiYh-6qvCkIFv1yPTxeGXd/s1600/IMG_8237+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PM7WsV1caHLUCZiq4epUekbhkKY3OmFrrplap6X3U8FO50Vd4zJvYYav_OThuro206DXN75wOGOhyOTnpkuNxVJ-LgrzBzVR1rjt91qu27exTFXiYh-6qvCkIFv1yPTxeGXd/s640/IMG_8237+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems so similar to home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnW6CGm8dooacyaxMhAKw0YZRifvwbxOBZm5QvtG_5FHT_ktIOS_5Iz62k9R1vTTSob9z4Q-JKPjyC2cqhhC8Uz0nvWEf3bOhCg514zgtfI_qCCINeLFe3LbL4cQcnc_0KmXC/s1600/IMG_8248+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnW6CGm8dooacyaxMhAKw0YZRifvwbxOBZm5QvtG_5FHT_ktIOS_5Iz62k9R1vTTSob9z4Q-JKPjyC2cqhhC8Uz0nvWEf3bOhCg514zgtfI_qCCINeLFe3LbL4cQcnc_0KmXC/s640/IMG_8248+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of our hike toward Laguna Tambillo</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAfKrlMggofCM1T6ymOanw2EVXvodqbrjywW3qhB5Wq-O_RL6ID0InYl63umdp-MMgUKPhGWm8cH2LExyoOwxeCkDsYGsMkPPcnJAKcOAwSNfIX5biaThvn9d4dUtKOY8nqIO/s1600/IMG_8260+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAfKrlMggofCM1T6ymOanw2EVXvodqbrjywW3qhB5Wq-O_RL6ID0InYl63umdp-MMgUKPhGWm8cH2LExyoOwxeCkDsYGsMkPPcnJAKcOAwSNfIX5biaThvn9d4dUtKOY8nqIO/s640/IMG_8260+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMAv9QR2KimtSvaknrkeQ_OlZjcPVK4Fu1RkRjMHkRk7dYXumVac_hzTmupycPH3pBxshX3AsR4vNQh1x90meKsSmnOY4mKJVybyAmoJ3IJucBte0zUW-lAuIlxtLG3JpcVhH/s1600/IMG-20190430-WA0012+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMAv9QR2KimtSvaknrkeQ_OlZjcPVK4Fu1RkRjMHkRk7dYXumVac_hzTmupycPH3pBxshX3AsR4vNQh1x90meKsSmnOY4mKJVybyAmoJ3IJucBte0zUW-lAuIlxtLG3JpcVhH/s640/IMG-20190430-WA0012+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jK4nAdukBRL0R3LdR4HjwjunqybKr8veoRXdZ1rY21q2VVvamRpEohNt0L2WOVnDNfvnYt1SpULHr_QNzcqYYSCVpnFvOL_fD6zTX3rIN-5yaHz-osfy6JoZwNFISjd4Nuk/s1600/IMG-20190430-WA0025+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1jK4nAdukBRL0R3LdR4HjwjunqybKr8veoRXdZ1rY21q2VVvamRpEohNt0L2WOVnDNfvnYt1SpULHr_QNzcqYYSCVpnFvOL_fD6zTX3rIN-5yaHz-osfy6JoZwNFISjd4Nuk/s640/IMG-20190430-WA0025+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just us and nature :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIGCsdh8sZZlmEcF4PcqdRzCdS6gTBFwbj-QHISmSdmb4bbM9N9hWJrllmYInnfcqPEbPbnXwce1-al9hLpfTExDOYO6Wqoyx_vshkNnpbWZtu3CDNNLcCKIMJhXQ2NUn6jRe/s1600/IMG_8268+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIGCsdh8sZZlmEcF4PcqdRzCdS6gTBFwbj-QHISmSdmb4bbM9N9hWJrllmYInnfcqPEbPbnXwce1-al9hLpfTExDOYO6Wqoyx_vshkNnpbWZtu3CDNNLcCKIMJhXQ2NUn6jRe/s640/IMG_8268+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great glacier views</td></tr>
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AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-90618707371199443372019-05-04T20:16:00.001-07:002019-05-04T20:16:37.797-07:00LimaLima is only a few hours north of Paracas. As one of the biggest cities in the western hemisphere with a metro population of about 10 million, it has plenty of bad reputation for crime, pollution and traffic but like most visitors (and expats) we avoided most of it by basing ourselves in the affluent district of Miraflores for a few days. Miraflores was a nice change and a break from the chaos that had become our normal for the last few months. In truth, had I been randomly dropped in Miraflores, I would've had no idea where I was. It could have been a modern, new neighbourhood in one of 100 different cities around the world. No wonder we hadn't been hearing any complaints about Lima from travelers we'd come across. Most would feel right at home.<br />
Lima is on the coast but is a desert city receiving almost no annual rainfall. This is still a difficult concept for me to grasp but we'd seen this on the Chilean coast and the cold Humboldt current still influences the climate this far north as well. Lima was not as hot as we expected and also suffers from heavy fog, especially in winter. It is the transition season now so views along the coast were usually pretty hazy. That didn't prevent us from enjoying an afternoon stroll along the Miraflores malecon, a "seaside" trail that passes from park to park along the upper ridge of a cliff the district sits on that overlooks the ocean. The area was full of tourists, expats and wealthy locals out for a stroll, jogging, riding bikes or relaxing in the parks. Down below us was a busy highway along the water, tiny beaches that would not attract visitors in their own right and tons of surfers. Surfing is the thing to do in Lima, especially for beginners as the conditions looked pretty easy overall. Not that we were tempted. No way, I know that water is still cold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEmD-tH8UdD7I3J5dOg34Y50OKPNhH_ocxc-6_7-LfC9XT89YUgk1kQX7NvPx1AkeoUib0qSBYUcD0CHswUXUAHeLu31d5v3lBKgCb60EzpfEouehgkep7ju0CntzcUGnnsG8/s1600/IMG_8046+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEmD-tH8UdD7I3J5dOg34Y50OKPNhH_ocxc-6_7-LfC9XT89YUgk1kQX7NvPx1AkeoUib0qSBYUcD0CHswUXUAHeLu31d5v3lBKgCb60EzpfEouehgkep7ju0CntzcUGnnsG8/s640/IMG_8046+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coast at Miraflores</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping for a snack</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD52px9dPedeMQ-o41rJYSATTlAPtU7RfUvtUuGxcUM7fqJBcBvq-kPFdE3eApkm74ySkLtD1Z6E5XSvNvQ6rJGP6fFxRu2D0Ya2o4SNOh5F0M-p2wws_XOLy26yFlLZnSZyR/s1600/IMG_8052+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD52px9dPedeMQ-o41rJYSATTlAPtU7RfUvtUuGxcUM7fqJBcBvq-kPFdE3eApkm74ySkLtD1Z6E5XSvNvQ6rJGP6fFxRu2D0Ya2o4SNOh5F0M-p2wws_XOLy26yFlLZnSZyR/s640/IMG_8052+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This could be anywhere...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream break in Kennedy Park, Miraflores</td></tr>
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Peru is developing a reputation as a big culinary destination and Lima is the centre of all that of course. Sasha finally got to try ceviche, one of Peru's most famous dishes and was not impressed. We did have one good meal though. We are still on our honeymoon and every once in a while remind ourselves of that with something nice. In this case it was actually a wedding gift from a friend who bought us dinner at the restaurant at the Huaca Pucllana ruins in the centre of Miraflores. This popular and fancy restaurant seats diners on a terrace looking out onto the 1500 year old ruins of an adobe pyramid. Excellent place and a much needed treat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnYEPNdysqFuNpkb4H4eQ5eFAMysZfe4uCDzS7qQTZmk3CKKzNRMwQZODXFboW2B1GG0ziKuNDz7CyHZH27pcmVBte5P-qqMjx-yJW955lCAyNnC_Roip8mjAK-Hkty8UxpFn/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnYEPNdysqFuNpkb4H4eQ5eFAMysZfe4uCDzS7qQTZmk3CKKzNRMwQZODXFboW2B1GG0ziKuNDz7CyHZH27pcmVBte5P-qqMjx-yJW955lCAyNnC_Roip8mjAK-Hkty8UxpFn/s640/DSC_0012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Huaca Pucllana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMLFk2v0sBlr9eexhEHbR746L-yTmCTyj5IjLvS7pEMqpYgGccCKZFpgGMO9vRT6jAWUcVZFgXcsaR1oMYhlooyAr4J3t2QUqQd8u7wZS7K18m8QlmOe8UaeaZhmKC57SWKpL/s1600/DSC_0017+%25281%2529+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMLFk2v0sBlr9eexhEHbR746L-yTmCTyj5IjLvS7pEMqpYgGccCKZFpgGMO9vRT6jAWUcVZFgXcsaR1oMYhlooyAr4J3t2QUqQd8u7wZS7K18m8QlmOe8UaeaZhmKC57SWKpL/s640/DSC_0017+%25281%2529+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the ruins with our meal</td></tr>
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The Huaca Pucllana ruins are one of many desert ruins in and around the city. The biggest and most impressive are the ones at Pachacamac, about an hour from the centre on a local bus and an easy half day trip. Pachacamac was a sacred city of many adobe temples built near the coast by the Lima culture (most of Peru's early civilizations seem to be named for the closest current city) starting around 1800 years ago. It continued to expand and was used as an area of sacrifice and rituals by multiple cultures over the years until the Spanish arrival resulted in its abandonment and destruction. There are a lot of ruins scattered about over quite a large area and it was a long walk in the sand to see it all.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBalvqLzdo57IASUoOSKUKKO0i2PwzyJZ6EujXBjTuWsSHxHWGFhiPNWd36TPNs_N-cfAbBGxDzzTYzLtK8DRfaDpgoyJ2f-6rNPcqgWpgrHXHWLd9kGpKscePjknC80AvzQE/s1600/IMG_8019+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBalvqLzdo57IASUoOSKUKKO0i2PwzyJZ6EujXBjTuWsSHxHWGFhiPNWd36TPNs_N-cfAbBGxDzzTYzLtK8DRfaDpgoyJ2f-6rNPcqgWpgrHXHWLd9kGpKscePjknC80AvzQE/s640/IMG_8019+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pachacamac ruins seen from the top of its highest temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DxjQtl2pcSE25uIEcHb4HVHd05cOQ-e3n7MnLGhQO3VCyokOUlTfakPlQFf549-0QU42lEqm8ulOnvitUu2HU4iiQzI3snirXX9T7cco9UxsayAEjurAXrqdOJjsck3zHaJj/s1600/IMG_7994+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DxjQtl2pcSE25uIEcHb4HVHd05cOQ-e3n7MnLGhQO3VCyokOUlTfakPlQFf549-0QU42lEqm8ulOnvitUu2HU4iiQzI3snirXX9T7cco9UxsayAEjurAXrqdOJjsck3zHaJj/s640/IMG_7994+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruined temples</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZcq02vNloIvzjE_Z4JNbpypsmrHGP7K-WHTNJdVRCN95RzpgUyDWz5gVptKdx-ldxSHM0WNGPN8XKeI-wqvqAYvJGPoeTzBOK3HCM-akEZ7iEo117zdIQZ0muv9J9PeRClHV/s1600/IMG_8002+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZcq02vNloIvzjE_Z4JNbpypsmrHGP7K-WHTNJdVRCN95RzpgUyDWz5gVptKdx-ldxSHM0WNGPN8XKeI-wqvqAYvJGPoeTzBOK3HCM-akEZ7iEo117zdIQZ0muv9J9PeRClHV/s640/IMG_8002+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA9SL1uZdteUMApOM1KqyBPjnmC0Dtl-MLesKyqtzXIKMLH48Y3OZJgtAKgLYatLzV5-CdI2b0W4Zdv5N0PL0FqeiCrpQmiVdBXyoQoEwuGhQjej0YIR8dQrK8IlhHD3quwvC/s1600/IMG_8007+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA9SL1uZdteUMApOM1KqyBPjnmC0Dtl-MLesKyqtzXIKMLH48Y3OZJgtAKgLYatLzV5-CdI2b0W4Zdv5N0PL0FqeiCrpQmiVdBXyoQoEwuGhQjej0YIR8dQrK8IlhHD3quwvC/s640/IMG_8007+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large residence</td></tr>
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Of course we had to see Lima itself. The historic centre is one of the oldest settlements in Peru. It was established in 1535 and quickly became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru which encompassed the whole of South America under Spanish control for the next 200 years before being further divided and seeing its power wane. Because of this, and the wealth that was generated for the Spanish during this time (mostly in the form of silver if we remind ourselves of Potosi), Lima developed a very impressive colonial core centered around the beautiful Plaza de Armas. This core is larger than most we've seen but newer because of the need to rebuild after several major earthquakes. We visited on the Thursday before Easter (which probably also has a name and is important to somebody) to find the plaza packed and the singing of the choir in the cathedral being blasted out over loudspeaker. It was actually very nice. It seems that the tradition (maybe on this day or just during this Easter period in general) is for everyone to make a quick circuit inside all the churches. Each one was open and free and if you could bear waiting in some very long lines, you could walk inside and follow a roped off path through the church and back out again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AyVIZXx5x_yCcDxIAGITy0XlnKwGiYnpuBGB_3nD1o-uvVIOSZ2pyXI2gthp3EawF_Eb9Hy9tkW7apNJC2QtADOjYahTUafVDNm_qjahf3kbsgBhQgWRFqzh4CV9e2FZGImb/s1600/IMG_7950+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AyVIZXx5x_yCcDxIAGITy0XlnKwGiYnpuBGB_3nD1o-uvVIOSZ2pyXI2gthp3EawF_Eb9Hy9tkW7apNJC2QtADOjYahTUafVDNm_qjahf3kbsgBhQgWRFqzh4CV9e2FZGImb/s640/IMG_7950+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Martin Plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRa-WRa0K5_iJE-UIcoj2EgzeDKRc01vtbdMYFUdpAZc6yG2xvlgrAelDhMaKL28jSFM0eXampbE0DziVwv8HIo6OrOtoNNPnQ7lGnP3YVPagOViOlqBH0-tZ2Kl8nKiRCqyi/s1600/IMG_7954+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRa-WRa0K5_iJE-UIcoj2EgzeDKRc01vtbdMYFUdpAZc6yG2xvlgrAelDhMaKL28jSFM0eXampbE0DziVwv8HIo6OrOtoNNPnQ7lGnP3YVPagOViOlqBH0-tZ2Kl8nKiRCqyi/s640/IMG_7954+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old wooden balconies are very common and famous in Lima</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIEJUwQfvBKHJA2uwZZVMl1zC6EcJk_U7tsQfJP6Nr-brps-Jii180DEZ8nNd2y-3kdeKPxTQoxlRGhCM0JAPbPXG9mwZBql6WEzDDATDc35CCfBQlaZgeb1h2qnA9VsY3vh-/s1600/IMG_7961+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIEJUwQfvBKHJA2uwZZVMl1zC6EcJk_U7tsQfJP6Nr-brps-Jii180DEZ8nNd2y-3kdeKPxTQoxlRGhCM0JAPbPXG9mwZBql6WEzDDATDc35CCfBQlaZgeb1h2qnA9VsY3vh-/s640/IMG_7961+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The governor's palace, Plaza de Armas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bBAqDHHT8fwapqzVOi6lLEAkldGzuB0_3LPbFVE7I0vIk8xvIQoMlTkTPuQaKY92p6MEIlL3Ibzn0wPwz7KBm1Y1KrEPKUyyUPUR1LCXM5KWA7yLe8W1sDvVF-YhJS9FoBAf/s1600/IMG_7962+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bBAqDHHT8fwapqzVOi6lLEAkldGzuB0_3LPbFVE7I0vIk8xvIQoMlTkTPuQaKY92p6MEIlL3Ibzn0wPwz7KBm1Y1KrEPKUyyUPUR1LCXM5KWA7yLe8W1sDvVF-YhJS9FoBAf/s640/IMG_7962+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lima cathedral. Long lines to get in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGiEMkQOpe0Y8taxMAitSB56SrdezsfkC0xcTupNLH9tFW3lyKE08JQmcPzPVn6H-vfNM1khVMJiJKyx6S6lSEx7_QkpDkEIE-jFlpq1hCMgAI7uo6fW32la8t8CsWJ8Qc6NX/s1600/IMG_7967+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1600" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGiEMkQOpe0Y8taxMAitSB56SrdezsfkC0xcTupNLH9tFW3lyKE08JQmcPzPVn6H-vfNM1khVMJiJKyx6S6lSEx7_QkpDkEIE-jFlpq1hCMgAI7uo6fW32la8t8CsWJ8Qc6NX/s640/IMG_7967+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas</td></tr>
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We didn't bother but instead hung out in the plaza to watch the brief changing of the guards in front of the governor's palace and then paid for the normal tour through the Franciscan church and monastery. Why that one? Because it takes you into the catacombs under the church where they have thousands of bones on display. Bre especially loved it and that was her final site before returning back home with Dylan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjPKgiEk2nv07ZSlnHzgyiPbgTp0ESgdX1nzA6cfarKCl0brVj7tvARtDJ5FEEW1hpwIc0j9rG9TIzlQvJ-yEQ6J9vSeE5KEpfz-jtBk5156hGBsc7etd-syDsZo-lma2Cxo_/s1600/IMG_7973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjPKgiEk2nv07ZSlnHzgyiPbgTp0ESgdX1nzA6cfarKCl0brVj7tvARtDJ5FEEW1hpwIc0j9rG9TIzlQvJ-yEQ6J9vSeE5KEpfz-jtBk5156hGBsc7etd-syDsZo-lma2Cxo_/s640/IMG_7973.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF75IL3-cjmqhHxTZZeecw_zpYPkAZxxHh_qyne3hbcYdF5mLwStd2lRJkubgpukLNSU69cisaHJTC1R03x7ccOpZFfPoVbSB9k2CV-dhuDdYk13tDB2vVYBTEMqIbGOZpOpfg/s1600/IMG_7974+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF75IL3-cjmqhHxTZZeecw_zpYPkAZxxHh_qyne3hbcYdF5mLwStd2lRJkubgpukLNSU69cisaHJTC1R03x7ccOpZFfPoVbSB9k2CV-dhuDdYk13tDB2vVYBTEMqIbGOZpOpfg/s640/IMG_7974+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inner courtyard of the San Francisco monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrViZf90Z5GEGMsPs4a07dStwx5a9wgzDoUV3viNiwAGQsj73VyreMStEY5VZl2g1RGoWe1tqqRZEdy0jxSxR8QJPBwTuQk1p78k0LSCNu_v4THnR8NYdy8HXf-2nxvlkgN_a8/s1600/IMG_7975+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrViZf90Z5GEGMsPs4a07dStwx5a9wgzDoUV3viNiwAGQsj73VyreMStEY5VZl2g1RGoWe1tqqRZEdy0jxSxR8QJPBwTuQk1p78k0LSCNu_v4THnR8NYdy8HXf-2nxvlkgN_a8/s640/IMG_7975+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the catacombs</td></tr>
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On our final morning in Lima we were met at the bus station by Ricardo, our Brazilian host from Belo Horizonte (and now good friend) who flew in specifically to join us for the next week or so. We immediately jumped on a bus heading north to start the next adventure.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-78467407010867669992019-05-03T06:50:00.002-07:002019-05-03T06:50:40.131-07:00Nazca, Ica and ParacasWe left Cusco on a night bus to Nazca. 15 hours of the windiest road I think I've ever been on. As our bad luck would have it we were sitting in the very front, maximizing the swing through each turn which seemed to occur at 10 second intervals through the entire night. Even drugged on Gravol sleep was hard to come by.<br />
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Stumbling off the bus and somewhat able to walk straight, we were immediately accosted by touts at the little bus station in Nazca. It actually turned out to be the most aggressive hassle town in all of Peru. Fortunately for us we were not going to be in Nazca long enough to need any services other than breakfast which we found across the street. The Nazca lines are something that most people have heard of. They are one of the favourites of alien conspiracy nuts the world over. The lines date as far back as 2000 years with hundreds of lines over a desert area stretching 80 km. Some of the more famous lines are in the shape of animals, trees and even a person. These figures are best seen from above and their purpose is still widely speculated upon, even in academic circles. Most visitors to see the lines take short flights in small planes zooming sideways at low altitude for the best views. </div>
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None of us were particularly interested in that but fortunately there is another, simpler (though not as thorough) alternative. Viewing platforms. It is possible to take a bus or taxi to a pair of viewing platforms between the towns of Nazca and Palpa where you can climb up and get a quick view of some nearby lines. To be honest the Nazca platform was not all that impressive with views of "hands" and a tree. I'm still not completely convinced that it isn't just some 100 year old high school prank and until someone can tell me what they were for, I'll mostly be put off rather than intrigued by the lines. The Palpa platform a little further away was more interesting. Unlike the Nazca lines which are newer, the Palpa people built their geoglyphs on slopes and often showed more human figures thus making them easier to see and relate to. After these quick cursory stops to say "been there, done that" we jumped on a bus another 2 hours to Ica. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nazca tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiNNfv1UC1hkVuMcPa4Sh8kfLcCG_tOSR-3W3JpDGDaKoEIQC41mwOixih8Fl4zmU654LMXfbXXhyphenhyphenDyQQPaLbSRsnL4K5AKx6xMLnD5ozRE8lijsqee5GqCaGdf5-DrrpoWKT/s1600/IMG_7839+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiNNfv1UC1hkVuMcPa4Sh8kfLcCG_tOSR-3W3JpDGDaKoEIQC41mwOixih8Fl4zmU654LMXfbXXhyphenhyphenDyQQPaLbSRsnL4K5AKx6xMLnD5ozRE8lijsqee5GqCaGdf5-DrrpoWKT/s640/IMG_7839+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hands formation</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Palpa lines are more interesting. This is the royal family (great hair).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the next bus.</td></tr>
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Ica is a smallish desert city very much on the tourist circuit for the nearby Huacachina Oasis. This picture perfect oasis lies in the middle of some very impressive sand dunes only a couple of km from the centre of Ica. It feels like the middle of nowhere but is somehow just a suburb of a city, like if you take a shot of the Giza pyramids from the right angle you can pretend you are somewhere far away. Travel bloggers and tour agencies love to wax poetic about the oasis in their ads but the reality is that the water in the oasis smells terrible and the crazy locals that went in the water are probably still in the hospital. There is nothing there but a few very touristy restaurants, hotels and agencies and we were glad we stayed in Ica instead. This doesn't mean we didn't enjoy ourselves. Huacachina is the easiest and cheapest place I know of where you can try riding around in a dune buggy and go sandboarding. None of us had tried these things before so we paid a few dollars and joined the masses and carnival atmosphere. The dune buggies weren't small ones but sat 10 and it was fun to listen to other people scream as we went over bumps and down steep sections at high speed. For a few extra dollars you could upgrade to sandboards that were just snowboards with boots but most people are content to just use the simple boards given and ride face first on your bellies. Fun but I prefer the snow. Much easier to clean off after a wipeout... </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huacachina Oasis</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dune buggy time!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX7LoOy35m1JLHOT1F0QD0QAntdKivh-gD5RiUB181PJGQ6kq-Kboy89yrUyq1N94xHJCHQ7U7uQPwWc1yBV1B9jeKPdpJDkD2b7nOdlm8gsrKrCBA2LUUfNvKK8KRFPVSI0p/s1600/DSC_0029+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1600" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX7LoOy35m1JLHOT1F0QD0QAntdKivh-gD5RiUB181PJGQ6kq-Kboy89yrUyq1N94xHJCHQ7U7uQPwWc1yBV1B9jeKPdpJDkD2b7nOdlm8gsrKrCBA2LUUfNvKK8KRFPVSI0p/s640/DSC_0029+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another hour north up the road and we hit the coast at Paracas. Paracas is a small town great for accessing the nearby Paracas National Reserve. The reserve is often referred to as the poor man's Galapagos for its rich and easily accessible wildlife which includes a colony of Humboldt penguins and sea lions on the nearby Ballestas Islands alongside huge colonies of sea birds. Unfortunately, Sasha was too sick to join the tour at Paracas but Bre, Dylan and I joined a 2 hour speed boat tour to the islands and back. The penguin colony was small but the number of sea lions and other birds was impressive. Later the same day we did another short land-based tour to the beaches in the reserve. It was nice enough but more of a filler. The highlight is definitely the boat trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Paracas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tons of pelicans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playa Roja</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playa La Mina</td></tr>
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Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-7700187603655212312019-05-02T18:48:00.003-07:002019-05-02T18:48:28.985-07:00CuscoReturning to Cusco we opted to rent a nice little airbnb apartment rather than risk another bad hotel. It was a nice choice for us and enabled us to cook our own food and hide away from most of the hassle. We used Cusco as a base to explore not only the city itself but a few more surrounding attractions.<br />
Our initial hotel experience put a damper on Cusco that it never fully recovered from. I'd heard so many nice things about Cusco and people staying longer than they'd planned and enjoying so much that I expected it to be somewhere nice and special. It never did it for me. The city is bigger than I thought which meant more traffic, pollution, noise and hassle than I expected and with the number of tourists passing through the scam factor and ticket prices are pretty high. Overall I wasn't overly impressed with the value at the budget end of things.<br />
Cusco was the Incan capital and later became an important Spanish settlement. In the historic core of the city you can see where the Spanish simply built their own colonial structures directly on top of Incan stone bases. The central plaza (called Plaza de Armas in every Peruvian town) is big and beautiful, lined with nicely restored colonial buildings (though now home to modern establishments like McDonald's and KFC) and 2 large churches. This plaza was the central hub of the ancient road network, called the Qhapac Nan, that the Incas built connecting an empire that stretched from Colombia to Chile. Remnants of this Incan highway can still be seen throughout South America but as all roads led here, it was our best bet to appreciate it. There were a few more historic buildings worth noticing but we only gave Cusco a couple of hours to discover. Mostly we spent our time outside of town visiting other places.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas colonial balconies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza de Armas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra4zoIJqfyOxIzCfF0nMAOuwdmuk3XiwQODJPwZvZMtcCui-O-EjAUFNTs7M7088t1acgWdjjaqfIn26TPBqNHF6ntTpz9ILS_WiTAcPjwC5zXmJupwG4oCoksC3PFf02mz1o/s1600/IMG_7754+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra4zoIJqfyOxIzCfF0nMAOuwdmuk3XiwQODJPwZvZMtcCui-O-EjAUFNTs7M7088t1acgWdjjaqfIn26TPBqNHF6ntTpz9ILS_WiTAcPjwC5zXmJupwG4oCoksC3PFf02mz1o/s640/IMG_7754+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colonial buildings built on Incan stone on the right side.</td></tr>
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On the road between Pisac (previously written about) and Cusco are 4 more Incan ruins, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Q'enqo and Saqsaywaman. If not for the fact that they were included on the general tourist ticket already and were so close together, we would not have visited them all. The only one that is really popular of the 4 and worth more than 15 minutes is Saqsaywaman, the closest of the bunch. It was an Incan fortress and scene of a major battle between the Spaniards and Incas but the most impressive aspect of it is the size of the stones that they managed to transport to that location and fit so well together. It is mostly the remains of the walls of its multiple layers that still stand but Saqsaywaman is also nice because it sits just above the old town, offering great views of Cusco and is an easy walk once you are used to the altitude.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbaKHByBn5PiYuGXuO1IdkxpCN01z80Y1CMBjvriHNW6LG0begVlS_K5ntVtw0vEJxHtbEmgpWDvIqy1l1tBMdku_-HTDmRgWyrbfmf3wWRK_AFjNFpAp5KfH_yIScG_7yP73/s1600/IMG_7696+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1600" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbaKHByBn5PiYuGXuO1IdkxpCN01z80Y1CMBjvriHNW6LG0begVlS_K5ntVtw0vEJxHtbEmgpWDvIqy1l1tBMdku_-HTDmRgWyrbfmf3wWRK_AFjNFpAp5KfH_yIScG_7yP73/s640/IMG_7696+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tambomachay, believed to be an Incan spa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2t9HLdEOzw1meWyvjHP1YrpTek3yQlmCh2CF-OgVimxT2BHOHwLlBxBZQ8YUHmrnRxV1BphcDSohHT4p_LI8NnByV7lJxyj1lenKeLvlhAs_Ab2ObcQqQx42Ws_M2IEnRS3o/s1600/IMG_7701+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2t9HLdEOzw1meWyvjHP1YrpTek3yQlmCh2CF-OgVimxT2BHOHwLlBxBZQ8YUHmrnRxV1BphcDSohHT4p_LI8NnByV7lJxyj1lenKeLvlhAs_Ab2ObcQqQx42Ws_M2IEnRS3o/s640/IMG_7701+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small fortress of Puca Pucara</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MXmlxL5tFZEpDmBiRKwPi3aeks7ToHwOVzvBDGszXoKexWN4_GqVYalSY_bMp73iotI7uZMJMBBeoGKUW6OioUUVelZv0Qj5S2FIr5s9Mdeqe8CQqdUz7zJjpUBQM0fONXxy/s1600/IMG_7717+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MXmlxL5tFZEpDmBiRKwPi3aeks7ToHwOVzvBDGszXoKexWN4_GqVYalSY_bMp73iotI7uZMJMBBeoGKUW6OioUUVelZv0Qj5S2FIr5s9Mdeqe8CQqdUz7zJjpUBQM0fONXxy/s640/IMG_7717+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of Saqsaywaman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjYwO-bx4cYxBKc3Pj1dRuit9abYbiF5jd1vD_UViYPpr-HFh2Gc-_ed_z4bZ1vLIWNX2hbMu3uq4kkW7Yg8FBSPeSxORiRH1lmCGZdESc-gtENGSanGFnJM8su0H_OBQvMhN/s1600/IMG_7721+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjYwO-bx4cYxBKc3Pj1dRuit9abYbiF5jd1vD_UViYPpr-HFh2Gc-_ed_z4bZ1vLIWNX2hbMu3uq4kkW7Yg8FBSPeSxORiRH1lmCGZdESc-gtENGSanGFnJM8su0H_OBQvMhN/s640/IMG_7721+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multi-tiered defensive walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS-5GjGOb9rXBVpmTrYuPUaruAJJaQLPUDMWSRfjfJc2fraAcFnUILOyHbEZNy1GJ2TD7A7sCsWfuNANIDOTeKAQ3aURX4fZppz7_VaHBP635o-DTZaOCyQDRkK7k3FD6s7oT/s1600/IMG_7723+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS-5GjGOb9rXBVpmTrYuPUaruAJJaQLPUDMWSRfjfJc2fraAcFnUILOyHbEZNy1GJ2TD7A7sCsWfuNANIDOTeKAQ3aURX4fZppz7_VaHBP635o-DTZaOCyQDRkK7k3FD6s7oT/s640/IMG_7723+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impressive how well the stones fit, even around corners</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHzOVG5E2aCDsa6hlk6urYFg6Z1v0cVNauC2cxr8EA6P97qHv1R_S_zAwiHQ1qu0VH-TiD5dW55gNw1DAWkpYRU77fv0aY1bMHpxeYx-YlLAZhlCltBEIsUADVe0Gbd0UVr5K/s1600/IMG_7712+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHzOVG5E2aCDsa6hlk6urYFg6Z1v0cVNauC2cxr8EA6P97qHv1R_S_zAwiHQ1qu0VH-TiD5dW55gNw1DAWkpYRU77fv0aY1bMHpxeYx-YlLAZhlCltBEIsUADVe0Gbd0UVr5K/s640/IMG_7712+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cusco old town from Saqsaywaman. Plaza de Armas at bottom left</td></tr>
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From Cusco we also did a day tour out to Palccoyo, the alternative destination to the hugely popular (at least on Instagram) Rainbow Mountain. In a perfect example of social media's influence on travel trends, Rainbow Mountain was an unknown location only a few years ago. A few photoshopped pictures later and they can't even manage the hordes trying to go. Fortunately for us, the mountain is actually in a remote mountain range (nearly 3 hours from Cusco) that has multiple multi-coloured mountains. Palccoyo is one of these other mountains in the same area. Tours run there but they aren't really advertised. My research had pulled up the name and if we asked, the tour agencies would admit that it existed and some could arrange the trip (by combining or selling you off to the few companies currently going there).<br />
Think about this for a second. You are a travel lemming. You want to go to Rainbow Mountain and take the now classic social media shot. You start a tour at 5am, drive for hours, walk a couple km at 5000m and then fight with the masses coming from dozens of other buses for a photo that pretends you are the only one in the world there. Or.... You do a bit of research and realize that that sounds like a rough day. You find the alternative which involves starting a tour at 7:30am, drive for hours, walk 30 min at 5000m and enjoy the views and surroundings with only your group of a dozen others in a place that still feels pristine. The tour companies will tell you that Rainbow Mountain is better and has more colour. To them I say I can make my bedroom floor look like a rainbow with enough photo editing.<br />
In the end Palccoyo was actually pretty cool. You need strong sunlight to make the colours stand out better and we had a cloudy day so the colours came and went but we still had pretty amazing scenery and beautiful views of one of Peru's highest mountains in the distance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjCtUwr4CUwi8isMYFnWo3ciHbOygp3JPEjqHV-hwtkPtphfS96wHTwjsuGulUhL_Q17O7UJE9jhTWoaHisQZAHBZ8ZNXen-lu8hA4si6w22TgAlqnua7r8eaXbs51alqHVtY/s1600/IMG_7772+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjCtUwr4CUwi8isMYFnWo3ciHbOygp3JPEjqHV-hwtkPtphfS96wHTwjsuGulUhL_Q17O7UJE9jhTWoaHisQZAHBZ8ZNXen-lu8hA4si6w22TgAlqnua7r8eaXbs51alqHVtY/s640/IMG_7772+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to Palccoyo. A traditional Incan rope bridge beside a Spanish colonial one.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTkyaYw55jcqol70Rt95TBHorbq2Cpq7HiyRzWP8zCd3aupx-kyO2eASIe2c0U0oQMlnRd4oOL-B5FFDeghwxXxkHQTa-roFhiQ6DJNV-IaRZjjQ2xVSzCORlANJMebM0WrBz/s1600/IMG_7796+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTkyaYw55jcqol70Rt95TBHorbq2Cpq7HiyRzWP8zCd3aupx-kyO2eASIe2c0U0oQMlnRd4oOL-B5FFDeghwxXxkHQTa-roFhiQ6DJNV-IaRZjjQ2xVSzCORlANJMebM0WrBz/s640/IMG_7796+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palccoyo </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg62xRzUcfM63lfXhkTDUl9N47qIdbJIaix3_iZHrXYzPNXPg_dGwi-YafPt7lR49BTI7kyn4BlN8P6bYWHKCdI7j2t833UbSI08Q69PqODCKnOuQJwmftede9f4PSWTa6Lmq8/s1600/IMG_7804+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1447" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg62xRzUcfM63lfXhkTDUl9N47qIdbJIaix3_iZHrXYzPNXPg_dGwi-YafPt7lR49BTI7kyn4BlN8P6bYWHKCdI7j2t833UbSI08Q69PqODCKnOuQJwmftede9f4PSWTa6Lmq8/s640/IMG_7804+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="578" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks rainbow enough for us</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnxcKp-twLmmMBxLTVFgGB2iLMigZsAwqjPtExUfL4HJds9pJzOAqXR6ywByJQnGz0xq6IxDB2LrcjcLCvFB3ksyOQ6Ot5fVSjQQHijnDJ9SyzWVSxj8Y3U4nfMGtCjkUh5G4/s1600/IMG_7812+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnxcKp-twLmmMBxLTVFgGB2iLMigZsAwqjPtExUfL4HJds9pJzOAqXR6ywByJQnGz0xq6IxDB2LrcjcLCvFB3ksyOQ6Ot5fVSjQQHijnDJ9SyzWVSxj8Y3U4nfMGtCjkUh5G4/s640/IMG_7812+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cool rock formations and views as well.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBe7y6uDdtZOd7ac6K06AjYr0MyXFK59NgHw3g11kjhlhUJ2p6s8hwOapN_eOKjvrxJWX9L5u6aqbTdox2KaGSR2Vrwu-EtNFzxDinMDf4W-YwkUn11XWe09wG6JKM9_7aBxs7/s1600/IMG_7830+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBe7y6uDdtZOd7ac6K06AjYr0MyXFK59NgHw3g11kjhlhUJ2p6s8hwOapN_eOKjvrxJWX9L5u6aqbTdox2KaGSR2Vrwu-EtNFzxDinMDf4W-YwkUn11XWe09wG6JKM9_7aBxs7/s640/IMG_7830+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With that accomplished we were ready to leave the high elevations of Cusco and head back towards the coast and out of the mountains for a brief change.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-25593771345336325112019-04-20T09:46:00.002-07:002019-04-20T09:46:44.871-07:00Machu PicchuFor me Machu Picchu (MP) was the last of the new 7 wonders to visit. For many it is a mystical and magical place and the purpose and highlight of a visit to South America. Yes, we were looking forward to finally seeing it, but at the same time it is one I have had mixed feelings about for a long time as well. MP has become yet another example of mass tourism becoming a problem in an area, damaging the environment and infrastructure and complicating a routine visit to the area.<br />
Unesco recommends capping the number of visitors well below its current levels. Peru, trying to balance its biggest tourism cash cow with sustainability, has capped the number of MP visitors at 3500 and Inca Trail trekkers at 500 per day. Demand far exceeds these numbers and new rules keep getting introduced to manage things, including new restrictions at the beginning of this year. It has already been necessary to book tickets in advance for a long time but now you have to book a specific starting time (on the hour throughout the day and the visit is only valid for 4 hours from your chosen start time). Fortunately we were not visiting in the busy season and didn't have to worry about booking tickets weeks in advance. We'd decided long ago that trekking was not going to be worth it for us and the only thing we really had to do was coordinate entry times with train tickets.<br />
Other than trekking there is only a train to MP. At the base of the ruins there is a small town known as Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Pueblo. It is expensive and extremely touristy but has a beautiful location in a valley surrounded by jungle and mountains. The only way there is by train or trek so naturally it is overpriced by Peruvian standards. From Aguas Calientes there is a road up the mountain and you can either hike for a couple hours to get to the ruins or again pay way too much for a short bus ride up. It is possible to visit the ruins as a day trip from Cusco or Ollantaytambo but we opted to stay in Aguas Calientes where the slight increase in hotel and food costs more than made up for the inflated train ticket prices required to do a day trip. Either way, the minimum cost for a trip to Machu Picchu is going to run at $250 US/person.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyBQNh56bP616gyorCBqrsz8UdLOT9EQXDujIsD_-W3Xd4LaFk8YnMjr7qd_Rd-3xfItc0OVuZsvvzxr2P1LTipttBD8PFGI9-qRsItjKGmdgGmj-1qHwOxXsb2gvjIVWnCWV/s1600/IMG_7436+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyBQNh56bP616gyorCBqrsz8UdLOT9EQXDujIsD_-W3Xd4LaFk8YnMjr7qd_Rd-3xfItc0OVuZsvvzxr2P1LTipttBD8PFGI9-qRsItjKGmdgGmj-1qHwOxXsb2gvjIVWnCWV/s640/IMG_7436+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little train to Machu Picchu town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train views</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aguas Calientes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aguas Calientes </td></tr>
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What this all means is that I was actually kind of grumpy and eye-rolly and totally mentally prepared to not like MP. I was expecting wall to wall tourists and touts. Instead, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day, the site had well below its max number of tourists and the place is big enough that it spread out pretty well and didn't feel too crowded.<br />
As mentioned in my last post, the Incas knew how to stun with location. Immediately upon entering the site, you get the classic views of the ruins below you and with many terraces on the mountain above the city you could easily spread out and get your photos. I've seen the photos. It wasn't a surprise but it still blew me away. Once inside there was no hassle and the site is done as a large circular circuit so you can't backtrack and honestly the initial views are the best part and more interesting than the ruins themselves. We'd opted to forego the guide so we could move at our own pace but without any info on display I can only tell you that the place was magnificent and I still know virtually nothing about it. There were temples and living quarters and the Spanish never made it up here so it wasn't destroyed by them but rather abandoned as the rest of the Incan empire collapsed and then largely forgotten until about 100 years ago when it was "rediscovered" by western explorers. Now it is arguably the most famous exotic ruins in the world.<br />
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I'd always been a fan of Angkor Wat and thought nothing could top my 2003 visit there but Machu Picchu 15 years ago might have come close. In any case, I enjoyed MP more than I thought I would but I'm looking forward to trying to find more remote and less visited ruins as we continue through Peru.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-5718063517344420372019-04-12T09:21:00.001-07:002019-04-12T09:50:26.190-07:00The Sacred ValleyFrom the Colca Canyon we backtracked to Arequipa and then took a long bus to Cusco where we stayed a night. It was our worst hostel/hotel of the entire trip and based on the reviews of many of the cheaper places to stay in Cusco, not an unusual experience. Fortunately for us, it was literally just for the night and the next morning we relocated to Ollantaytambo, a small but very popular tourist village in the Sacred Valley.<br />
This is prime Incan territory and Ollantaytambo claims to be the last living Incan village, having never been conquered by the Spanish. While Ollantaytambo fortress was the site of a battle that went in favour of the Incas, there are no doubt many places that the Spanish didn't officially conquer and both Peru and Bolivia have huge indigenous populations still carrying Incan blood. Nevertheless, Ollantaytambo, like the whole valley area, is full of ruins and sites to visit, headlined by the aforementioned fortress. Being smaller, lower in altitude and with cheaper train links to Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo is a popular first stop in the area and it made sense for us to base ourselves there for a few days to ease the acclimatization process for Dylan (Bre is invincible anyway).<br />
The fortress climbs up one side of the valley directly behind the village and provides spectacular views. As our first major Incan ruins we were to learn a few things that would reoccur throughout the rest of our ruin visits.<br />
1. The Incas were really, really good at terracing and shaping and stacking stones that fit incredibly well together.<br />
2. The Incas didn't decorate much. There are no carvings or paintings on walls to see. While somewhere like Angkor Wat is completely covered in beautiful bas-reliefs, Incan ruins are nothing but solid stone.<br />
3. The Incas really had great taste in location. Wow! The views are generally more impressive than the actual ruins.<br />
4. Peru is allergic to info signs. No explanations, no signs telling you what is what. If you aren't already an Incan expert or haven't come with a guide, you will learn nothing new. There must be a conspiracy here. In any case, totally unacceptable and very frustrating.<br />
5. The tourists come in waves. 90+% of visitors are on guided tours running to a very similar schedule. Figured it out and we were able to not be overly swamped anywhere. It helps that April is the beginning of the dry season and still not the tourist busy season so days were generally nice and crowds manageable.<br />
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We stayed in Ollantaytambo for 2 nights to take things at a slower pace. The fortress was nice and we also climbed up to the granary ruins on a hill across from the fortress for more great views. There are other things to see a little farther away like the quarry area where the huge fortress stones came from but Dylan got violently ill one night and we needed some downtime. We were also able to eat alpaca (which tastes better than llama), and a local specialty cuy (guinea pig). Cuy is quite popular with tourists as a dare to eat because it is generally fried and served whole with head and claws still attached. It was quite chewy and I thought comparisons to chicken were unfounded. The meat is darker and is probably most similar to rabbit. Since it runs at nearly 10 times the price of a normal local meal it is unlikely we will be eating it again.<br />
Another nice thing about the area is that most of the ladies are still wearing some form of traditional dress. In some cases it is deliberate (along with their accompanying alpacas) as a money-making grab by posing for photos, but that is completely unnecessary as there are so many other people and alpacas running around that authentic photos are still quite easy to come by.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollantaytambo fortress</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impressive stonework</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the granary ruins on the opposite hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the valley away from the village</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Zcrx5HEMa9TJ_Et2MXQzR3amlj_Og6pgUTewBzBvgyVrOfXs9KtdXVlaBKI84k396Me_ljQx0eIZle8RH6LoUM8xhUIgAEzNmyJz7hmV-EYTiU09gaEZMHkU3GrD1UQO9It4/s1600/IMG_7421+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Zcrx5HEMa9TJ_Et2MXQzR3amlj_Og6pgUTewBzBvgyVrOfXs9KtdXVlaBKI84k396Me_ljQx0eIZle8RH6LoUM8xhUIgAEzNmyJz7hmV-EYTiU09gaEZMHkU3GrD1UQO9It4/s640/IMG_7421+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollantaytambo fortress seen from the granary ruins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJAdlyiOukv1rSB8ooNJ9iguBMrPBwcJqj8Cyf6LtPBBv61X5pxnz7-VOeiHqj175ivQS3pTXB32CIj-2f5KeQzZ8MT8WCIL3QoDANQKTN4ZYgqzz8j0WpULcFVi0iE0I9R7Q/s1600/received_314085145921518+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJAdlyiOukv1rSB8ooNJ9iguBMrPBwcJqj8Cyf6LtPBBv61X5pxnz7-VOeiHqj175ivQS3pTXB32CIj-2f5KeQzZ8MT8WCIL3QoDANQKTN4ZYgqzz8j0WpULcFVi0iE0I9R7Q/s640/received_314085145921518+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granary ruins</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9Uu_PFsn0s03DpgAOmCmQwC-bujiFF0v5cw2Pv9k0rCjx4AK9bBd0lim3B8DzS5w73CpfeDvBaR8lu6yoNr2eRuVYnXE_p8TeNx0uH_7EwUIYeNKWFWn2IN08mGlYrOfnx4Z/s1600/received_389871465184057.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9Uu_PFsn0s03DpgAOmCmQwC-bujiFF0v5cw2Pv9k0rCjx4AK9bBd0lim3B8DzS5w73CpfeDvBaR8lu6yoNr2eRuVYnXE_p8TeNx0uH_7EwUIYeNKWFWn2IN08mGlYrOfnx4Z/s640/received_389871465184057.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guinea pig for lunch anyone?</td></tr>
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There are a few other smaller sights in the valley between Ollantaytambo and Cusco which many drivers offer along the way during transfers between the two. The first of these sites that we visited was at Moray where the Incas set up an experimental agricultural area to test crop growing. The site is set up as a series of terraced circles descending into what must have been a natural depression in the hills. There are 3 of these sets of circles and apparently there is enough of a micro climate between the terraces that they could test various strains of crops to optimize their agricultural techniques and efficiency. If true (so much is not known about most of these ruins) that is impressive. In any case, the ruins have been nicely restored and the rural views nearby are beautiful as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7lavryQX5SEJ9VrrcIC_3wZ0WRLKG04u73CG35szNy406YpFbZP8S6eLy80_Nuv_J-XhARJ8dQtUYVl3wQ14TX4tXGLWeyAdE8q81O2yt4L5xnJg7DdYKZiLHzAZb1to0xZ_/s1600/IMG_7604+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7lavryQX5SEJ9VrrcIC_3wZ0WRLKG04u73CG35szNy406YpFbZP8S6eLy80_Nuv_J-XhARJ8dQtUYVl3wQ14TX4tXGLWeyAdE8q81O2yt4L5xnJg7DdYKZiLHzAZb1to0xZ_/s640/IMG_7604+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near Moray</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JHft0P69lIUM_Ce1jBM8uLuEbTg0Cdi5Miv3B7q-Z_7bMUDXTZx-tOVEtK_V8u16WJ7QFuSwJu2t3wBI2Q9Q95FtikSVxZQPU90z90g1qMTffs-E1WXqWF0m8vM-5EzG3XVM/s1600/IMG_7606+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JHft0P69lIUM_Ce1jBM8uLuEbTg0Cdi5Miv3B7q-Z_7bMUDXTZx-tOVEtK_V8u16WJ7QFuSwJu2t3wBI2Q9Q95FtikSVxZQPU90z90g1qMTffs-E1WXqWF0m8vM-5EzG3XVM/s640/IMG_7606+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moray ruins</td></tr>
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Just a few km from Moray are the Salinas de Maras. This is a salt "mining" area which is actually a very large collection of evaporative salt pools that have been set up on the side of a gash in the hills where there is a small stream. They divert the water (already with a high mineral content from the local geology), evaporate and collect. The salt collection goes back to Incan times of course, and today is still privately owned and run by the local families in the area with each owning a different number of pools depending on size, need, wealth, whatever. The whole area was larger than I'd expected and while the concept is nothing new, the salt harvesting I've seen in other countries (mostly around the Mediterranean) was a lot flatter and used seawater.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsjBURJZ719J2mbIqnK40HbUCbJrnIkvfojrzztLAlN7-zZP0YaUPC0Aa-HySgyMSS1_FcoY-UCL4-Z6gYs8VjTZ-uBHhAOb4J_P4xMIgCbXJSyjvsPopbvL3fwznEruR3Ew9/s1600/IMG_7621+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsjBURJZ719J2mbIqnK40HbUCbJrnIkvfojrzztLAlN7-zZP0YaUPC0Aa-HySgyMSS1_FcoY-UCL4-Z6gYs8VjTZ-uBHhAOb4J_P4xMIgCbXJSyjvsPopbvL3fwznEruR3Ew9/s640/IMG_7621+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salinas de Maras</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzVUg5mb5UVFyyWYlZiUn1wo932Z1F8gD4O057VzQKIfSHmRf_oYIvvlpjLXG6ex2F9udHVKSJ4L1-45UC3p_bqYFSJTq9fhu9yMK8CwXGagMsB-FiOj4vFng2H6AKfztw6oT/s1600/IMG_7628+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzVUg5mb5UVFyyWYlZiUn1wo932Z1F8gD4O057VzQKIfSHmRf_oYIvvlpjLXG6ex2F9udHVKSJ4L1-45UC3p_bqYFSJTq9fhu9yMK8CwXGagMsB-FiOj4vFng2H6AKfztw6oT/s640/IMG_7628+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The salt water spring that feeds the pools in an intricate series of channels</td></tr>
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Our final stop on the way back to Cusco was a quick one at Chinchero. Chinchero is probably more famous for its textiles market than for its ruins but we were not there on a market day and so it was pretty quiet overall. There was still the plethora of souvenir stalls lining the walk to the plaza and ruins selling the same thing as every other stall in every other stop we've made in Cusco and the valley. The ruins were just below the central plaza and colonial church and all that remains are more terraced walls. Once again I have no idea what its purpose was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIZEB4MawF42D13iLuNSbazIv1hhG0sV59m63ljcnsRxVMVwZY_WBiW5bnwx2tELq2TOO8yiOGfwt4nG3GEz-0i3snP6l_gUj5xoR9qYp61POyomfLLD22LMeKUrXdIkUAlJ1/s1600/IMG_7632+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIZEB4MawF42D13iLuNSbazIv1hhG0sV59m63ljcnsRxVMVwZY_WBiW5bnwx2tELq2TOO8yiOGfwt4nG3GEz-0i3snP6l_gUj5xoR9qYp61POyomfLLD22LMeKUrXdIkUAlJ1/s640/IMG_7632+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinchero plaza and colonial church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf1DyaGl2i0kB6-iQFOJqsKEKsZXUx-1qkEfRPRt7pdKGUVnhrVWq2JM5IPL34YYR37SKyEWN5GMTzXRIVo7wwlH4pPnVYkJA3kVKOGKuwswTawoR-NRiLvHWFh5MRAzOojRf/s1600/IMG_7633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf1DyaGl2i0kB6-iQFOJqsKEKsZXUx-1qkEfRPRt7pdKGUVnhrVWq2JM5IPL34YYR37SKyEWN5GMTzXRIVo7wwlH4pPnVYkJA3kVKOGKuwswTawoR-NRiLvHWFh5MRAzOojRf/s640/IMG_7633.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Chinchero street with central drainage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwS8U3eThDYeaQmM-b89R6cFs3ohVJCOUSEshVLpKZwr_aKTyb1ThoffjlW7eM6gxmtcwVDN3NyZFjGbf-Q5zz2RGYsye9-_0mzwbmK4VgQMR9PNi8Ud3vyzyL4RFL0BBf8uOE/s1600/IMG_7638+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwS8U3eThDYeaQmM-b89R6cFs3ohVJCOUSEshVLpKZwr_aKTyb1ThoffjlW7eM6gxmtcwVDN3NyZFjGbf-Q5zz2RGYsye9-_0mzwbmK4VgQMR9PNi8Ud3vyzyL4RFL0BBf8uOE/s640/IMG_7638+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinchero ruins</td></tr>
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With most of the Sacred Valley less than an hour away from Cusco, many tourists just make day trips out and our final visit to the area was to Pisac a small town about 45 minutes from Cusco and home another popular market and the the 2nd best ruins in the area after Machu Picchu. The ruins sit on top of a hill above the town and the most enjoyable way to visit is to take a taxi up to the ruins and then hike the few km back down to town. The ruins are of a series of terraces leading down the mountain from a village sitting at the top of a hill. There are a number of other smaller groups of ruined "neighbourhoods" scattered about the area also linked by trails. We had another beautiful day and the views of the valley were stunning as well. Of all the ruins around Cusco, this was the most important one to not miss.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRZiNKbGG62dg2QFH6I6JCJHmnGd8lE3pOBxud09qBVX6YKujOmYczJ9cbBPp-_U1m2D8CcqEYIVQNfFcTExvYtYr5bKwkq7doWNWJ6fYKxQ1XxE9em5HYCyuPCirVjSSKyT8/s1600/IMG_7661+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbRZiNKbGG62dg2QFH6I6JCJHmnGd8lE3pOBxud09qBVX6YKujOmYczJ9cbBPp-_U1m2D8CcqEYIVQNfFcTExvYtYr5bKwkq7doWNWJ6fYKxQ1XxE9em5HYCyuPCirVjSSKyT8/s640/IMG_7661+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the valley from the Pisac ruins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmicJL_2vgwC0aBX93yOJKpfJsk_cZPS06Xj9ZrEQICJnOuxF08P2EFnr66ntDDt5lUGnxwsx10ZRKad3A2dleHeZPGvSfpZ9zLqi9r7xpxE0w47O8ElVNMQy0d9tbXSokXXem/s1600/IMG_7662+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmicJL_2vgwC0aBX93yOJKpfJsk_cZPS06Xj9ZrEQICJnOuxF08P2EFnr66ntDDt5lUGnxwsx10ZRKad3A2dleHeZPGvSfpZ9zLqi9r7xpxE0w47O8ElVNMQy0d9tbXSokXXem/s640/IMG_7662+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pisac ruins and terraces</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Pisac</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring Pisac market</td></tr>
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AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-89959305350250273262019-04-07T15:45:00.000-07:002019-04-07T16:06:55.256-07:00Arequipa and the Colca CanyonWe arrived in Arequipa after a beautiful but delayed bus ride from Puno, too late to do anything but sleep and await the arrival of Bre and Dylan the following day. Arriving straight from Vancouver and with no previous travel experience we tried our best to not shock Dylan too much but it's a very different world down here. They were planning to join us for just over 3 weeks and together make a 3 week circuit of the southern Peru "gringo route" (arguably the most touristy section of the entire continent). Comfort and western amenities are available but it just isn't the same. In contrast we'd just hit the 6-month mark and were definitely comfortable in our travel groove. The food, traffic and weather all seemed pretty normal at this point. Arequipa is at 2400m, the lowest point we'd been in a month and we were running up and down the stairs while they gasped for breath.<br />
Arequipa is the 2nd largest city in Peru and was founded by the Spanish almost 500 years ago. It was an important colonial city in the Spanish empire, inhabited mostly by Spaniards with strong loyalty to the crown. Consequently, it prospered, grew and contains some beautiful colonial architecture. The central Plaza de Armas is easily the most beautiful we've seen in South America to this point with the cathedral occupying one side of the square (as always) and the other 3 sides with beautiful 2-story collonaded buildings that have mostly been transformed into restaurants and travel agencies. The central part of the plaza is large with the usual fountain, benches and greenery and somehow always still full with tourists and locals alike enjoying the ambiance day and night. Being one of the most popular areas in Peru for visitors there is some hassle but for the most part we found it to be quite enjoyable and relaxing. Wandering the blocks around the plaza we found many other ornate doorways and facades opening into pretty courtyards of former colonial homes, many of which have been converted into hotels or boutique shops.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-ZHIUeh9qoxEPABi0Ii1JvTG_vEQkeQVRzDXa8hJFN5iWrdmWBVwtXYrsVOqiP3IM9vKUlci-GVxdi66PVUdI8a_Abn_x3JtmFjWz4noch4uGgdOAlMVMQ-TzsHjzPR1EpoP/s1600/IMG_7217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-ZHIUeh9qoxEPABi0Ii1JvTG_vEQkeQVRzDXa8hJFN5iWrdmWBVwtXYrsVOqiP3IM9vKUlci-GVxdi66PVUdI8a_Abn_x3JtmFjWz4noch4uGgdOAlMVMQ-TzsHjzPR1EpoP/s640/IMG_7217.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy plaza de armas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the historic core</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLKSYy4axvxoEqwDVl_LEeDdim9iIb1xQ7Kn5GVk09-EvLjMXjW5W2b3Ce7BJIT9nluq3lTOoI0qacdV_Z7YtmNVnXdjo_Znm-6W10aeg2XKTTynvnDRTuMgsxoQ2AbAsILb4/s1600/IMG_7212+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLKSYy4axvxoEqwDVl_LEeDdim9iIb1xQ7Kn5GVk09-EvLjMXjW5W2b3Ce7BJIT9nluq3lTOoI0qacdV_Z7YtmNVnXdjo_Znm-6W10aeg2XKTTynvnDRTuMgsxoQ2AbAsILb4/s640/IMG_7212+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a doorway. Knockers are a little high though</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facade of the Jesuit church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbHeLpDHO02kfL7d9W_7fgESroMuXlSAOuYDtv-g9ynOVAQM_anWLtYAq9k3D4AlzNypkFT9McHm9y7_JPxuilMQAPCdAXFmztJzbq_wUFdzRWtwWrJlzVOU0auv62Etn0Hdl/s1600/IMG_7204+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1600" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbHeLpDHO02kfL7d9W_7fgESroMuXlSAOuYDtv-g9ynOVAQM_anWLtYAq9k3D4AlzNypkFT9McHm9y7_JPxuilMQAPCdAXFmztJzbq_wUFdzRWtwWrJlzVOU0auv62Etn0Hdl/s640/IMG_7204+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main cathedral on plaza de armas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoUL3vw-id5DOwBAOdJ-CGEAlnpp_fadUTbEN8KNDIkds16YyjLZzQm9H-m_LLK2KfsYYtEX3fkL7OaCDG9y7cioeCLwfFyq8_W1EMn0fCSMw0fZ-8tX2hWTAll3vcsegZN0h/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoUL3vw-id5DOwBAOdJ-CGEAlnpp_fadUTbEN8KNDIkds16YyjLZzQm9H-m_LLK2KfsYYtEX3fkL7OaCDG9y7cioeCLwfFyq8_W1EMn0fCSMw0fZ-8tX2hWTAll3vcsegZN0h/s640/IMG_7207.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collonaded buildings on the plaza</td></tr>
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Arequipa has a unique architectural style. Having been destroyed a few times by earthquakes and surrounded by 3 volcanoes, buildings are built a little thicker and feel more solid than other places. They are also mostly built of local volcanic stone which is supposed to be more resistant to future quakes.<br />
We also enjoyed a multi-hour visit to the Santa Catalina Monastery which is actually still a working convent and one of the first in the country. It remained a place of isolation for the nuns for nearly 400 years before finally opening to the public though there is still a small section still in use by the nuns that is off limits to visitors. The women that entered as nuns were mostly from very wealthy families providing large dowries and as such the monastery (which takes up an entire city block in the centre) comes across as what would have been a very beautiful place with large living quarters and a pleasant community with a comparatively high standard of living. Historically as many as 2/3 of the population were servants. Inside we could wander the grounds which consisted of multiple internal streets, 3 cloisters, orchards, communal washing and cooking areas and many different cells.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0FuhrqMHMNrGVgXfInvc-8fzzfw154Y-HQXvajRC78IIJjdgLSETOqiUQ9ZuUbXNyAFWhdiOrIg5DJfIjkZpqLN9G1FXVcEgRZ_OLEMZ5Hn8rAD7LJHg4d_NMxehXUnWWNOn/s1600/IMG_7230+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0FuhrqMHMNrGVgXfInvc-8fzzfw154Y-HQXvajRC78IIJjdgLSETOqiUQ9ZuUbXNyAFWhdiOrIg5DJfIjkZpqLN9G1FXVcEgRZ_OLEMZ5Hn8rAD7LJHg4d_NMxehXUnWWNOn/s640/IMG_7230+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Catalina Monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each living area had its own kitchen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful streets within the monastery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Communal laundry area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surrounded by city but still peaceful</td></tr>
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Most visitors to Arequipa also visit the Colca Canyon. Every tour agency in Arequipa offers the same selection of cultural or hiking focused tours of 1,2 or 3 days. Colca Canyon claims to be the 2nd deepest in the world after the nearby but harder to reach Cotahuasi Canyon. It is most famous for being arguably the easiest place to consistently view the Andean condor and that is the central highlight of any tour to the area. Andean condors are amongst the largest flying birds in the world, long lived and with almost no natural predators. They are found throughout the Andes and a national symbol of every Andean country.<br />
Wanting to visit the area, we briefly looked at the tours on offer but remembering our experience in Puno we wisely opted to go on our own. Once again I'm struck by how easy it was to visit the canyon on our own and how lazy backpackers have become. Yes, the tours are cheap and if you have never been anywhere or have limited time then by all means take them, that is what they are for. But what is the excuse for all the rest of these long-term independent "world backpackers"? More and more are simply becoming instagraming tour consumers than real adventurers and it is sad to see in a place as easy as Peru has been.<br />
Case in point, we caught a bus from Arequipa to Cabanaconde, a small village on the edge of the canyon. The views were incredible but we arrived in the middle of a rainstorm. There are a few guesthouses and they weren't busy. Any of these places can then give you advice or maps for the hikes into the canyon to other smaller villages. The trails are obvious and it actually looks like a very nice (but strenuous) experience, one we would pass on because of the season (too high a risk of rain) and altitude (at 3200m, too much effort for those still adjusting to the height). The following morning we caught the local bus at 7am for 1/2 hr to get to the main condor viewpoint. The condors are most active in the area in the early morning and tours from Arequipa will leave at 3am to get there in time for a brief viewing, lasting from 30-60 minutes. We, along with a few others on the bus, arrived well ahead of the tour groups, staked out a good viewpoint and enjoyed the moment in peace. We saw nearly a dozen condors at different times, sometimes active and sometimes we had to be patient for quite a while but we had as long as we wanted to wait.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIp7YWowucw9b8kKkYZxrY7Fv-kx3fRcbvo_XOS8-Wx2y-tTrW0bAb4qjqsW-xWmRrHA3GlDJXTRKNoUyQvG_6Nx-n5ooHdCd7kL40vy-fb0f2uWstwGbROZMfStZBn8MYtSs/s1600/IMG_7372+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIp7YWowucw9b8kKkYZxrY7Fv-kx3fRcbvo_XOS8-Wx2y-tTrW0bAb4qjqsW-xWmRrHA3GlDJXTRKNoUyQvG_6Nx-n5ooHdCd7kL40vy-fb0f2uWstwGbROZMfStZBn8MYtSs/s640/IMG_7372+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colca valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIpZIvyMh5L8uu8Lr3k8f2dphE6t6um-QqbgHSEDytDzoy13De5ONGwlfwlidMjfwrC9GFh2AhQvzZ6DsUEjccfgphjzPuMrWJQczfUy3jDZjDH33alyuf2J2K545sQtoAXwS/s1600/IMG_7268+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIpZIvyMh5L8uu8Lr3k8f2dphE6t6um-QqbgHSEDytDzoy13De5ONGwlfwlidMjfwrC9GFh2AhQvzZ6DsUEjccfgphjzPuMrWJQczfUy3jDZjDH33alyuf2J2K545sQtoAXwS/s640/IMG_7268+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colca valley before the canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7smJae3TDQiV8yWoQUhyiUvp7D1MhFcCJvZsOAdNgIQ9F8ZHnoeSwAddhZHKC6XRGreeZa83mn_hc8zzi_Dpnvr4PyjA5GgXLz1wuNL2NfQ0C4I0vV8gO2mG4TWtYizj3geTz/s1600/IMG_7270+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7smJae3TDQiV8yWoQUhyiUvp7D1MhFcCJvZsOAdNgIQ9F8ZHnoeSwAddhZHKC6XRGreeZa83mn_hc8zzi_Dpnvr4PyjA5GgXLz1wuNL2NfQ0C4I0vV8gO2mG4TWtYizj3geTz/s640/IMG_7270+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much terracing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruz del condor lookout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful birds</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jU4ZRUN0RaIpiavV6zzJsLJVf8_X1_47HaPrkUl6_zPELfqDTQcMhsZMXdfIs8Mub0xa99uy7aKVXISnz-s0TQN9IBIZ746Q8CEMkPHjNXyJa6ruWGIN_ELPSkPjbm9u6Lyf/s1600/IMG_7296+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jU4ZRUN0RaIpiavV6zzJsLJVf8_X1_47HaPrkUl6_zPELfqDTQcMhsZMXdfIs8Mub0xa99uy7aKVXISnz-s0TQN9IBIZ746Q8CEMkPHjNXyJa6ruWGIN_ELPSkPjbm9u6Lyf/s640/IMG_7296+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The tour groups came, and came, and came. 35 tour vans and buses eventually pulled up spilling out hundreds of sleepy tourists all jostling for position for their first glimpse of condor. We retreated, catching another bus back to Cabanaconde though the long walk back would have been pretty too. Day trip and culture tours don't reach Cabanaconde but within walking distance of town are at least 3 beautiful viewpoints into the canyon. Defying gravity and reminiscent of Asia, terraces climbed way up the walks of the canyons too. Full of corn and not rice, it was still a beautiful display of colour and human resourcefulness.<br />
We were enjoying our first viewpoint when the first of many hiking tour groups started heading off down the trail. Where is the peace when you are in a small tour group of 10 stuck in the middle of 6 other small tour groups all walking together? Once they left we saw 4 other tourists like us the rest of the day. We visited the other viewpoints, walking along terraces, jumping flooded streams, watching little girl shepherds and mule drivers bringing teams loaded with supplies along the trails to the next villages.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0iDDuT-pEkNtfFaMInL6k-rcOhot7_hHEYOAKQNzph4qCeXpA0nLtLYcUwvqOL9HuRrd2KxySj-hpPYZlUT2mXbmhShNzYf2Lz0HM49ZxEdbMDsWko4j_iHGMpHu87ZHkt-8/s1600/IMG_7331+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0iDDuT-pEkNtfFaMInL6k-rcOhot7_hHEYOAKQNzph4qCeXpA0nLtLYcUwvqOL9HuRrd2KxySj-hpPYZlUT2mXbmhShNzYf2Lz0HM49ZxEdbMDsWko4j_iHGMpHu87ZHkt-8/s640/IMG_7331+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabanaconde's plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNILmdpOQoo5svWVG4Q9_ym2DbjZXQBOdVT8Sa2vhjy0dqHb6tDuG_B60Y4fiGV3jxPR9jIKbpULjrV4mnsZ8-2YoqAYs5yYY6OOwKcWcECI70uRaystTF4IswcYYb-JiN74SU/s1600/IMG_7349+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNILmdpOQoo5svWVG4Q9_ym2DbjZXQBOdVT8Sa2vhjy0dqHb6tDuG_B60Y4fiGV3jxPR9jIKbpULjrV4mnsZ8-2YoqAYs5yYY6OOwKcWcECI70uRaystTF4IswcYYb-JiN74SU/s640/IMG_7349+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The canyon from one of the viewpoints</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMzbEuWDj8MDg7ENpPddBD_sf6ps7Az7V40hzBvEd9P3er_U2HKZWD8x2G2hEA2IhTRavm42s7K8PCRiYjehYz0MwySldIlZTQOc_uZa6VsBNmeLQoj421yhxwip8HkfNe75B/s1600/IMG_7316+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMzbEuWDj8MDg7ENpPddBD_sf6ps7Az7V40hzBvEd9P3er_U2HKZWD8x2G2hEA2IhTRavm42s7K8PCRiYjehYz0MwySldIlZTQOc_uZa6VsBNmeLQoj421yhxwip8HkfNe75B/s640/IMG_7316+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fake trekkers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J4-TrhqJRSvC99Hzt3aLQ29hpqbpiGQwwdWFB9y0IRppl9Jbm7pvCBFk85PSduh6PrOKR0RKdxacBwjOjfw42EsP4UXIjx75RhRDtJ1ueOoRyfRyJ1lnvQD_CwDBsUbSGqMd/s1600/IMG_7319+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J4-TrhqJRSvC99Hzt3aLQ29hpqbpiGQwwdWFB9y0IRppl9Jbm7pvCBFk85PSduh6PrOKR0RKdxacBwjOjfw42EsP4UXIjx75RhRDtJ1ueOoRyfRyJ1lnvQD_CwDBsUbSGqMd/s640/IMG_7319+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sangalle village at the bottom of the canyon</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDuluHcOjuxHe9b3cpzJuctZatbiLlKeF4IhsXBo-zjpDFNe4cPKN-5ne-HhPAi9ct3a29-F5mxiK830uQeEgflsV8AOimkPxVETx_eVHyQ4lryzY_OKij6J8lbIagrRgJit6/s1600/IMG_7320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDuluHcOjuxHe9b3cpzJuctZatbiLlKeF4IhsXBo-zjpDFNe4cPKN-5ne-HhPAi9ct3a29-F5mxiK830uQeEgflsV8AOimkPxVETx_eVHyQ4lryzY_OKij6J8lbIagrRgJit6/s640/IMG_7320.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtyTzCsNUX4GWHIq_NweF5U7cuMZ3-tRB8ZQI0NGo1zFaaaSJg1_nG41Wr89oJVo4JUmggh4aHU73Skir1swDLh2qj9T2DgUWcG9pVzIPcX1SDojNhLnpgApm4f6VoqvQ1f_I/s1600/IMG_7336+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtyTzCsNUX4GWHIq_NweF5U7cuMZ3-tRB8ZQI0NGo1zFaaaSJg1_nG41Wr89oJVo4JUmggh4aHU73Skir1swDLh2qj9T2DgUWcG9pVzIPcX1SDojNhLnpgApm4f6VoqvQ1f_I/s640/IMG_7336+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sHiwaDlvnBHMiUna6W_lLfqFxaVA7Dggyq66MrIfgAmyKml18igz8pZ9TZupBHyM7BcQNES56LIkCVY1tmDUgxssfxlQuig-sa7hfkIJZXXIBOicRNoJZgi_mNSoRLFR8c9K/s1600/received_818631418470009.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sHiwaDlvnBHMiUna6W_lLfqFxaVA7Dggyq66MrIfgAmyKml18igz8pZ9TZupBHyM7BcQNES56LIkCVY1tmDUgxssfxlQuig-sa7hfkIJZXXIBOicRNoJZgi_mNSoRLFR8c9K/s640/received_818631418470009.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a beautiful area to explore</td></tr>
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We stayed 2 nights and under different circumstances would have spent more. I can understand how some people claim that the area is over-touristed now and frustrating but I disagree. It all comes down to how and when you visit.<br />
AmmonThe Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-92098724138419264122019-04-05T06:59:00.001-07:002019-04-07T15:51:51.863-07:00Lake Titicaca (Bolivia and Peru)Lake Titicaca is only a couple of hours away from La Paz and is a popular local weekend getaway. So we went during the week and found it relatively quiet. Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America and often considered the highest commercially navigable lake in the world at 3800m. The lake straddles the Peru/Bolivia border with the Peruvian side being much more populous and developed, both in a local industrial/agricultural sense and for tourism.<br />
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Lake Titicaca has been considered sacred by many civilizations, including the Inca, and there are hundreds of small ruins dotted around the lake including many temples dedicated to the worship of the sun and moon which were believed to have originated here along with the rest of the cosmos and even humankind.<br />
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Our first base on the lake was at Copacabana, a small town on the Bolivian side with the country's only beach. There are beautiful views of the lake from the nearby hills but Copacabana is mostly used as a starting point to visit the sacred islands Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna. It is quite popular to stay overnight on Isla del Sol and relax in the peaceful, pastoral village setting with no cars and just llamas, locals and terrace views to keep you company but we opted to visit the islands on just a day trip instead. The tour boats are relatively small and painfully slow but we were able to just relax in the sun on the roof between stops. Our first stop was a quick one on the small Isla de la Luna. Home to only a few families and the ruins of a temple, it was still easy to imagine priests holding ceremonies here. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjYHTfj51MqoTgXoAy0EZcDx9DwZM1GyBqlAxr47omI2Kke62zs0RlzV0oT6Jt4CapQKjOg3bHln0KEmod92CvxopYgOEZ3STLnF-1ZThFs-drM5clLuLvAv5mHIPHFobfziu/s1600/IMG_7028+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjYHTfj51MqoTgXoAy0EZcDx9DwZM1GyBqlAxr47omI2Kke62zs0RlzV0oT6Jt4CapQKjOg3bHln0KEmod92CvxopYgOEZ3STLnF-1ZThFs-drM5clLuLvAv5mHIPHFobfziu/s640/IMG_7028+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice ferry...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cQFuDIHfFF8oaaj2mPVMNFexslxNtxFwvsSajmy0CQXIKHvIC3Ye6B7rr44Lgu1WbZs9WwIUtLi3RgzLSv8FkqPXdtGgtLTN-3lrnw6XRTbobtUSRrHzF7_3sefZINWvBp3K/s1600/IMG_7049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cQFuDIHfFF8oaaj2mPVMNFexslxNtxFwvsSajmy0CQXIKHvIC3Ye6B7rr44Lgu1WbZs9WwIUtLi3RgzLSv8FkqPXdtGgtLTN-3lrnw6XRTbobtUSRrHzF7_3sefZINWvBp3K/s640/IMG_7049.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copacabana cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFldsXCJ0dxOMdLlUzBlCAbt4AnibD6CHJb3CFOqURjrPce7TP1Sa3sAd8E3Biq3odbN_O_OEhrmD_gxQwMJn5_YhmovcAEW3NkmOy8tIrofmVgbprPhdFnGI-g5DGaQXSgT_/s1600/IMG_7053+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFldsXCJ0dxOMdLlUzBlCAbt4AnibD6CHJb3CFOqURjrPce7TP1Sa3sAd8E3Biq3odbN_O_OEhrmD_gxQwMJn5_YhmovcAEW3NkmOy8tIrofmVgbprPhdFnGI-g5DGaQXSgT_/s640/IMG_7053+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copacabana</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssF-zwk71wtnHyTQys1YXaO9Gfv0S0fVt5V5IAmmxq6DnO3fMnxs3z2MfAiWH6HqlvXTiM-V81qfbdlocvMtJceK_HpxdtFIcpwp4QNbYKHNwH2dLFapJR4OpcNpvDqr1LluY/s1600/IMG_7056+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssF-zwk71wtnHyTQys1YXaO9Gfv0S0fVt5V5IAmmxq6DnO3fMnxs3z2MfAiWH6HqlvXTiM-V81qfbdlocvMtJceK_HpxdtFIcpwp4QNbYKHNwH2dLFapJR4OpcNpvDqr1LluY/s640/IMG_7056+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYtyNqqTD5bcva3sDge_6QcfbiRjYjLUBgobdaENtajcJTE25lSIP7inFxo4jNNdpRbCTw_H6lnDmuaW7P9JVAFFgaIdlgzFrfO1FNoD1XwdnAH84s63Q0nKK4EBQAXr4A7s_/s1600/IMG_7085+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYtyNqqTD5bcva3sDge_6QcfbiRjYjLUBgobdaENtajcJTE25lSIP7inFxo4jNNdpRbCTw_H6lnDmuaW7P9JVAFFgaIdlgzFrfO1FNoD1XwdnAH84s63Q0nKK4EBQAXr4A7s_/s640/IMG_7085+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isla de la Luna</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Ii_Qbdk9ahcdmadZGiFBuwLuoqHbuoEgiYYhOfhH97JgaSbnx0xbUmUDwO5sfyoliucXQGCeJkD5Cd_8jBpGSZJJgQUVI5Wn0EKL3g42lzcddhQXVwO6f8FgXw1A9lHt4DK/s1600/IMG_7081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Ii_Qbdk9ahcdmadZGiFBuwLuoqHbuoEgiYYhOfhH97JgaSbnx0xbUmUDwO5sfyoliucXQGCeJkD5Cd_8jBpGSZJJgQUVI5Wn0EKL3g42lzcddhQXVwO6f8FgXw1A9lHt4DK/s640/IMG_7081.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old temple</td></tr>
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Isla del Sol is the much larger and more significant island, being the supposed birthplace of the sun. There are 3 villages with a total population of a few thousand but for the last 2 years only the southernmost section of the island has been accessible to visitors. We stopped at some small ruins and then walked up and over a hill along some terraces to the village of Yumani. The views were incredible but Yumani is very touristy now. It felt like half the village is a guesthouse and restaurant now and with boatloads of visitors coming everyday it can get quite busy and crowded now with little room to spread out. Visually though, it is fantastic but we made the right choice to not stay. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pilkukayna ruins, Isla del Sol. Isla de la Luna in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the terraces</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yumani village</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had to stop to relax</td></tr>
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Compared to Copacabana, the Peruvian city of Puno on the western shore of Lake Titicaca is a bustling and dirty tourist hub with far more hassle. Somehow most of the city smelled like urine and not just in the places you expect it to. We'd read enough negative reviews suggesting that the Bolivian side was now the only one worth visiting that we'd seriously considered giving this half of the lake a miss. There were definitely a lot of unappealing and poor value tours available of both the day trip and overnight variety out there. The floating island communities of Uros are supposed to be pretty terrible now. The more traditional islands of Amantani and Taquile are still supposed to be quite nice but are becoming very popular with tours and we didn't fancy being stuck on more boats again at the mercy of questionable tour agencies so after looking at all of our options we decided to go on our own and stay in the small village of Llachon on the Capachica peninsula. We couldn't've been happier with our decision. </div>
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Llachon is beginner's DIY, not exactly a hidden and unheard of destination, but somehow still off the beaten track with both the package tour and backpacker crowds. There are about a dozen family-run guesthouses available to stay at and they provide meals so really all you have to do is show up. Simple places but the atmosphere is so relaxing and the people still so friendly with everyone greeting you as you pass on the street. We stayed two nights and walked along the village trails up the hills to various lookouts and enjoyed the solitude and peace while soaking up the views of the islands and coast around us. We only saw a handful of other visitors in our time there which was exactly what we were looking for. Bolivia may be the generally quieter side of Titicaca but Llachon was the best we found and probably what people think that Isla del Sol should be like. I give it another 5 years or so before it gets "discovered" and really starts to change. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our guesthouse in Llachon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strolling the streets of Llachon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over the rest of the Capachica peninsula</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing dress up</td></tr>
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Having re-energized our spirits it was time to head to Arequipa and begin the next leg of the trip with Bre and Dylan. </div>
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Ammon </div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-31452086874273087962019-04-03T06:36:00.003-07:002019-04-03T06:41:18.669-07:00Uyuni to La Paz<br />
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Having experienced the salt flats, we gave ourselves 2 nights to recover and get reorganized in Uyuni before moving on. While in Uyuni we made a quick day trip to Pulacayo, a mining semi-ghost town nearby. Nestled in the hills above the salt flats, Pulacayo serviced one of the largest silver mines in Bolivia. Now, with the mine finished Pulacayo’s population has been reduced to only a few hundred living amongst the decaying and rundown buildings. We jumped off the bus, and walked through a guarded fence to enter town. We were initially greeted by some decaying trains. We continued in and wandered around the old streets lined with warehouses and shops, a former police station, church, and residences. There was even a mansion. It was like we’d walked into an apocalyptic scene at the end of the world complete with the last few survivors. Every once in a while a random resident would pop out of a door and wander down the street. Most doors were locked shut so we were limited in our ability to poke around but it was an amusing visit nevertheless. We were the only foreign visitors and the town still gets relatively few despite being so close to Uyuni which sees thousands. Thus Pulacayo doesn't really have much tourism infrastructure set up yet other than a couple signs and a closed office that is probably more administrative/preservation related than touristic focused.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clock tower, Uyuni</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulacayo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All abandoned</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seen better days...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former mansion</td></tr>
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From Uyuni we continued to Potosi for a couple of days. At 4100m we were back to being out of breath and still freezing at night. Breathing was bad enough at altitude but Potosi’s public transit is run by an army of small buses that pump out so much pollution we were afraid to walk down the street lest we choke and die.<br />
Much of the wealth of the Spanish empire was the result of silver mined from Cerro Rico, the mountain towering over Potosi. It was the largest silver mine in the world from shortly after its discovery in the mid 1500’s until 1800 when a decline in silver resulted in a shift to other minerals. Tens of thousands of local slaves died in the mines. The riches were eventually transported to the pacific coast, shipped up to Panama and loaded onto the Spanish treasure fleet to return to Spain. We’d finally made it to the source of a significant part of that Spanish treasure the pirates were after. Of course some of that wealth stayed in Potosi and there are some impressive colonial buildings still standing today, especially around the central plaza and the historic centre surrounding it. We went on a tour of the old mint, to learn about the development of the minting of coins there over a period of a few hundred years. There are still the original mule-powered machines used to press the silver bars into the correct thickness before stamping out the coins along with other interesting artifacts. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road to Potosi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random market life</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central plaza and main cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the sun</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWpusZ1pOSHMvbVigyDx1QZQh8QcKMOkhAvSpkR1v-zrjFlow5yDYnqAT1W83TdzSRbplGakgIDXfe7JG44uCJPOw84EmLa1WdSVlh5nVn9xzzo96cGkdE0e8zsIsvIBV5z1C/s1600/IMG_6827+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWpusZ1pOSHMvbVigyDx1QZQh8QcKMOkhAvSpkR1v-zrjFlow5yDYnqAT1W83TdzSRbplGakgIDXfe7JG44uCJPOw84EmLa1WdSVlh5nVn9xzzo96cGkdE0e8zsIsvIBV5z1C/s640/IMG_6827+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IGIlDoxDSQoRiyjrUnW2R3D_Vvu0GPQpPxG4jxYleNqSbuiFuIe9to8PzNz_L2eZjQSLp-7b5rbx3DC8_LmQe2VoJEo0vLYNsUlwXx8DWkR7hx2L1QBbmzazREx7azbKmpwJ/s1600/IMG_6783+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IGIlDoxDSQoRiyjrUnW2R3D_Vvu0GPQpPxG4jxYleNqSbuiFuIe9to8PzNz_L2eZjQSLp-7b5rbx3DC8_LmQe2VoJEo0vLYNsUlwXx8DWkR7hx2L1QBbmzazREx7azbKmpwJ/s640/IMG_6783+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Lorenzo church. These ornate facades are very common here</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbaglqP3V2Mp8-1wyIKfMVjbXzhR6lB2SDzTdQnORpkQ7estOZahEz1y-lvnVt_GZT_Ub_7I8L4Z_QZ-ptSu_BC0N3IkqpE_IJ9s4-f07rgzWr-eMx4ad37Zxx89stlFQiiTK/s1600/IMG_6811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbaglqP3V2Mp8-1wyIKfMVjbXzhR6lB2SDzTdQnORpkQ7estOZahEz1y-lvnVt_GZT_Ub_7I8L4Z_QZ-ptSu_BC0N3IkqpE_IJ9s4-f07rgzWr-eMx4ad37Zxx89stlFQiiTK/s640/IMG_6811.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of little balconies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqb1IN9D_K7Ud3TyoJnSfxgfkWJdS4EA7EMxAmaoQkwdxgv0AOc3Zm_vGWyI5wGIOVWxVc35VGBzgAvp6YMcWcPz0w6wFKccR7VLuL-arUuDmbeVE087dVNabvBxp1n20IvSC/s1600/IMG_6806+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqb1IN9D_K7Ud3TyoJnSfxgfkWJdS4EA7EMxAmaoQkwdxgv0AOc3Zm_vGWyI5wGIOVWxVc35VGBzgAvp6YMcWcPz0w6wFKccR7VLuL-arUuDmbeVE087dVNabvBxp1n20IvSC/s640/IMG_6806+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cerro Rico overlooking town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSEF7-21jhcOxIZtKu3ga2S8OZ6nvEZhcv210bCtIiyn7gBfY2goIl2KpU84cTv9MmTIGuYVeGY8SgrqdxjVozofvn0BIzMBruW35ppTn3k4_HMF0RfuRYTSOVZ5vAnSLeIcv/s1600/IMG_6789+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSEF7-21jhcOxIZtKu3ga2S8OZ6nvEZhcv210bCtIiyn7gBfY2goIl2KpU84cTv9MmTIGuYVeGY8SgrqdxjVozofvn0BIzMBruW35ppTn3k4_HMF0RfuRYTSOVZ5vAnSLeIcv/s640/IMG_6789+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outdoor foosball is very popular here</td></tr>
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Today, Potosi is still reliant on mining but the mines are owned by miner cooperatives and as many as 15,000 miners still work in dangerous and primitive conditions hoping to find enough silver to pay their bills. Life expectancy is low and there is even a concern that the mountain is so dug out at this point that it could collapse completely. Most visitors to Potosi come for the tours of the mines but we had no intention to visit and didn’t go. <br />
From Potosi we continued a few more hours down the road to Sucre. It was another beautiful drive. The scenery in Bolivia has been stunning everywhere we’ve gone. Who knew there were so many different types of mountain scenery out there? Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia but apart from the judiciary, the de facto capital is now in La Paz. Sucre is nicknamed the white city, is often considered the most beautiful city in the country and many visitors stay longer than planned. We fell victim as well, staying a couple extra nights and taking it easy. Sucre has many colonial buildings and old churches and we enjoyed relaxing in the plaza, people and pigeon watching.<br />
March is the end of the rainy season as well and Sucre was where it really started to affect us. From that point on we were getting regular rain/thunder in the afternoons.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Z9y-Mh11BG7l3jc3BOg_ear2zVsu-9FfVWAppDgqdg6APks3OiUIR68in9mM59ZYVwCCebGLSTBZc88JBKtgfioE54QUdlEpmP5bVaBzTePOkFj-FdD7DWeUNi3E6KptfXO/s1600/IMG_6846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Z9y-Mh11BG7l3jc3BOg_ear2zVsu-9FfVWAppDgqdg6APks3OiUIR68in9mM59ZYVwCCebGLSTBZc88JBKtgfioE54QUdlEpmP5bVaBzTePOkFj-FdD7DWeUNi3E6KptfXO/s640/IMG_6846.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main cathedral of Sucre</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJVSkQz2BiLPPOHHIFwDD4exdmq0xyCRVCvqIkLNnjGvI-Hb9xfbxmLNOKixujP4nzo5zqwZSsYt3cTMzODqfeEuoJft7WJbEmwLa3L8YCxlbsdqBkq_MQyryptE7RKvby6ty/s1600/IMG_6860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJVSkQz2BiLPPOHHIFwDD4exdmq0xyCRVCvqIkLNnjGvI-Hb9xfbxmLNOKixujP4nzo5zqwZSsYt3cTMzODqfeEuoJft7WJbEmwLa3L8YCxlbsdqBkq_MQyryptE7RKvby6ty/s640/IMG_6860.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White city indeed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgcN8EccdsiWrcN1upaUgw2mvxOtLs-sjF8ukNI38wb5ANtUyKsiLC5z6Z6RvOUc5qPBNWz2urKpfneDziIj-PBpdrighIfSNHtw7OuJJA5o8gxqCBGJs7Aa4heSqGL0cEcL2/s1600/IMG_6865+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgcN8EccdsiWrcN1upaUgw2mvxOtLs-sjF8ukNI38wb5ANtUyKsiLC5z6Z6RvOUc5qPBNWz2urKpfneDziIj-PBpdrighIfSNHtw7OuJJA5o8gxqCBGJs7Aa4heSqGL0cEcL2/s640/IMG_6865+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grabbing a meal at the central market</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPWAhm8HkoHosoBMiMCfnqDGTL-tDzVloVqjfgYlPTTXyONO299TkLnmNGGATPr4lMV9bwGU6-UfUPQYgXcOj2K-gfqvsT3xowubqiAnRaAEHa_2dp45YfnFc3xf-Ls2tyvix/s1600/IMG_6885+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPWAhm8HkoHosoBMiMCfnqDGTL-tDzVloVqjfgYlPTTXyONO299TkLnmNGGATPr4lMV9bwGU6-UfUPQYgXcOj2K-gfqvsT3xowubqiAnRaAEHa_2dp45YfnFc3xf-Ls2tyvix/s640/IMG_6885+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JPov17LDSnRHTXY7MUDVbRYv4RemQwh6_7uhAhm8Cj8IIVHUgjFaNINErONWC584pix69peP85jZgMHD2EsK_4XaVq7qf3hzDDL5mX8oyqQOwYsGd5OQbE5G9UNElHF4KRw/s1600/IMG_6888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JPov17LDSnRHTXY7MUDVbRYv4RemQwh6_7uhAhm8Cj8IIVHUgjFaNINErONWC584pix69peP85jZgMHD2EsK_4XaVq7qf3hzDDL5mX8oyqQOwYsGd5OQbE5G9UNElHF4KRw/s640/IMG_6888.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People watching in the central plaza</td></tr>
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On the edge of town is Cal Orck'o, the site of the world’s largest collection of dinosaur footprints. Over 12,000 footprints from multiple dinosaur species have been documented on site. The area was once the shore of a lake and over time it dried out, fossilized the footprints and then turned into a nearly vertical wall in the middle of an active cement quarry. The footprint section is 1.5 km long and they are trying to preserve it as best they can with limited resources and options. Some prints have since worn away and others have been lost when sections of the wall have collapsed, only to reveal new ones. We could see the photos fairly well from the street but opted to try to see them better from in the little museum attached. It didn't add much to the experience unfortunately because we missed the time where they take you down close to the face of the wall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFXgHWgcGfiHnScn9APLpnIorwpUTFiWvtGH8evEeK4qJfyCx2Ju2f-ykr0vQNYbiwrzjlnW6YdPbHgPcSP9g98OvLnPKAQWg-9yJZr2s9-kxRKefL8zkUYe2Bl9M8nCwLnbX/s1600/IMG_6867+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFXgHWgcGfiHnScn9APLpnIorwpUTFiWvtGH8evEeK4qJfyCx2Ju2f-ykr0vQNYbiwrzjlnW6YdPbHgPcSP9g98OvLnPKAQWg-9yJZr2s9-kxRKefL8zkUYe2Bl9M8nCwLnbX/s640/IMG_6867+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many dinosaur tracks can you see?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbO-42cwMuFF1hYNYU89LH-eT5SA_7vy3qDPuj3RuOXSseQxbnYZCtCK60YYp136jXEgiM10-IlFUPaNF4vkcw73WKKd3MxNSBDo5Toke_kNEzcaYYdqKookZHTw3Gc0NoUIC/s1600/IMG_6883+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbO-42cwMuFF1hYNYU89LH-eT5SA_7vy3qDPuj3RuOXSseQxbnYZCtCK60YYp136jXEgiM10-IlFUPaNF4vkcw73WKKd3MxNSBDo5Toke_kNEzcaYYdqKookZHTw3Gc0NoUIC/s640/IMG_6883+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the dino park</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSSgw37mpKQj2VQwMqJ5qf7tX8Vx49eMBuwH_yw93GMWA6yp1IywxManVrfKi2uJWHQsxjY_VqEMCLKmOnPZFZLsiqjy7IDlAEEiLop9oydZnde97XDzt2Klr2HqpqPSvCes8/s1600/IMG_6876+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSSgw37mpKQj2VQwMqJ5qf7tX8Vx49eMBuwH_yw93GMWA6yp1IywxManVrfKi2uJWHQsxjY_VqEMCLKmOnPZFZLsiqjy7IDlAEEiLop9oydZnde97XDzt2Klr2HqpqPSvCes8/s640/IMG_6876+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from Cal Orck'o</td></tr>
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Leaving Sucre on a night bus we got busy once again. We arrived in La Paz just after 8am and have just enough time to get organized, dump our bags and jump on a day tour to Tiwanaku leaving at 9am. That's efficient right? Pass out for the 1.5 hour ride there then follow the group around for the next couple hours. Tiwanaku is the most important archaeological site in Bolivia and is a set of pre-Incan ruins (from the Tiwanaku civilization) that once sat on the edge of Lake Titicaca which is now 15km away. It has not normally been our thing to take tours to ruins but in this case it actually worked out for the best because there was very little signage or anything to make sense of what we were seeing and there is a fair amount of symbology we wouldn't catch either. The ruins weren't anything mind-blowing and are only partially reconstructed but their regional significance has put them on the Unesco map as well. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU3i8fVLqV1QCYsjzFSth95HPeC7-XQyXAwK8iCmlXuAWdx2l6JjjvFpoow18kp2KE9VVgoyyxDRUHhRP3bj9kXSv00MdWIWtDOfs9oaDpLtd7G8rBk03ZFcXczf7KlsYrXoq/s1600/IMG_6898+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyU3i8fVLqV1QCYsjzFSth95HPeC7-XQyXAwK8iCmlXuAWdx2l6JjjvFpoow18kp2KE9VVgoyyxDRUHhRP3bj9kXSv00MdWIWtDOfs9oaDpLtd7G8rBk03ZFcXczf7KlsYrXoq/s640/IMG_6898+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remains of a seven level pyramid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcDPcEZOn7e63FMLJxJipcDpIxYji56XnhyAJwCWNjcNH9Ka0QH6rDK3jT9g7DowIeqsbZPE6YnWjjJq_rALQmQ3WVtdxGg9mAFJ0FfAgvuxuniBNMBCh1leIo9XMN3kh6BEL/s1600/IMG_6901+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcDPcEZOn7e63FMLJxJipcDpIxYji56XnhyAJwCWNjcNH9Ka0QH6rDK3jT9g7DowIeqsbZPE6YnWjjJq_rALQmQ3WVtdxGg9mAFJ0FfAgvuxuniBNMBCh1leIo9XMN3kh6BEL/s640/IMG_6901+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTBJ8zMD5Wvl7MrS2IPxJBz0beZyaLYP09jiiL6lW2-pOvXMVD_T-ue1rrf83Zabhtvi-_mCX9EuyO2J5spC8pMqcRSIvTcmOIa8bOxnk73lO5sZztZ1Yr4e7UUbuJRTrm2ni/s1600/IMG_6910+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTBJ8zMD5Wvl7MrS2IPxJBz0beZyaLYP09jiiL6lW2-pOvXMVD_T-ue1rrf83Zabhtvi-_mCX9EuyO2J5spC8pMqcRSIvTcmOIa8bOxnk73lO5sZztZ1Yr4e7UUbuJRTrm2ni/s640/IMG_6910+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sun Door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunken temple with 275 faces</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the faces</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_B74e8aP_9DHq6rev6jxeJo1MraSg58Uw5W87ImNLxQ6sGr4ZEI8bSRFpLyX3LqQihTQLZF4cM3elRSx_HKNUXKufosoEB0angMS0hqkjBu4VkW_ZPPzRnPay95Yyrgyk822/s1600/IMG_6929+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_B74e8aP_9DHq6rev6jxeJo1MraSg58Uw5W87ImNLxQ6sGr4ZEI8bSRFpLyX3LqQihTQLZF4cM3elRSx_HKNUXKufosoEB0angMS0hqkjBu4VkW_ZPPzRnPay95Yyrgyk822/s640/IMG_6929+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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La Paz was a city I'd actually contemplated skipping if I could've found a way to, but transportation being what it was, we were going to end up there anyway so we stayed 2 nights to give it a quick look. It was actually more interesting than I thought, mostly because of their very new public transport system, easily one of the coolest in the world. La Paz has a unique layout in that the city is actually 2 cities that have merged, with La Paz proper existing in a narrow valley gashed into the mountains and El Alto (which is actually the larger city of the two) built on the plateau above La Paz. Because of the extreme altitude (3600m for La Paz and 4100 for El Alto) the richest neighbourhoods are as low in the valley as possible. Public transport is a mess and congested going up and down hills on limited routes so the city recently built a system of gondolas that act like an aerial metro. There are 11 lines now, each with 2 or 3 stops and they link up in such a way that you can travel in a circle around the city, up and down the mountain between El Alto and La Paz or way down into the valley. Rides are cheap and the views are awesome so the highlight of La Paz for many visitors including us is spending a few hours just riding around. It's a creative solution to the geography of the city but I'm still amazed that they got it done. I can't imagine the opposition from all the homes (including a few mansions) that now have people floating over them all day long, looking down on them. It was interesting to see the socioeconomic differences in the neighbourhoods as you moved up and down the valley.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating above the city streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading down into the lower valley on the green line</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lowest point at the end of the green line. Looks like a nice area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper levels of the yellow line to El Alto.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great views from El Alto</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading home on the purple line</td></tr>
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There are also a few historical sections and buildings in La Paz but the plazas we found were mostly rather small. The San Francisco Basilica had a beautiful facade but when we visited the area in front was experiencing one of the many public rallies/protests that are so common in Bolivia. La Paz is also well known for its markets which we did not explore in detail. We sideswiped a couple but didn't find anything that immediately caught our eye and the famed "Witches Market" seems to be mostly souvenir and tourist junk now. La Paz's altitude was becoming something usual for us at this point but we still couldn't get past how cold it was. It is the end of summer and we were freezing at night. Bolivians must be impervious to the cold. Nothing is heated and life still goes on mostly outdoors. Maybe that is because their architectural techniques (which they should export to Saudi Arabia or something) are such that they can somehow make it even colder indoors than the cold outside. Retreating home to warm up was not an option. Still, if that is our only complaint are doing well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWrHBkLkgUb8c1hiFKOTccazW-FX4XrTrII_lvEJMeoPsmFbhxMJXFdB-ukXOwBunaM62fQ7q2a9Awz5lGwNEQi8uQEMMF-UhQxd-ZAeySTtOZuA3kfd9hfaJPlZoQ99AQ2M/s1600/IMG_6962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOWrHBkLkgUb8c1hiFKOTccazW-FX4XrTrII_lvEJMeoPsmFbhxMJXFdB-ukXOwBunaM62fQ7q2a9Awz5lGwNEQi8uQEMMF-UhQxd-ZAeySTtOZuA3kfd9hfaJPlZoQ99AQ2M/s640/IMG_6962.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colonial Jaen Street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYu7tM1Tt13za4nZEXXRiRCfLsODm7PjWh6YLA-pqTvo9YmT_jBjwpQnZmSlpgcQ54BQyj-gdjPOJCs5tKg6xd3I24qelL6ruILqVfeZboE9nAWhu2GzLj4Jk1ED6r8ELjiFL/s1600/IMG_6951+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1287" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYu7tM1Tt13za4nZEXXRiRCfLsODm7PjWh6YLA-pqTvo9YmT_jBjwpQnZmSlpgcQ54BQyj-gdjPOJCs5tKg6xd3I24qelL6ruILqVfeZboE9nAWhu2GzLj4Jk1ED6r8ELjiFL/s640/IMG_6951+-+Edited.jpg" width="514" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLq9iZslBoGDH2QjPntQ5CQ0ohZq6mLUdHFLt9tPuA5vmXiVyXofEKy0p4GLs7Ki_RJckIoQjjrYfvuE2_q9_bIIT9-Jadj4ovjyoei1t0b8hkVj5HG1Hz1UywGOiLR-kTaYU/s1600/IMG_6969+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLq9iZslBoGDH2QjPntQ5CQ0ohZq6mLUdHFLt9tPuA5vmXiVyXofEKy0p4GLs7Ki_RJckIoQjjrYfvuE2_q9_bIIT9-Jadj4ovjyoei1t0b8hkVj5HG1Hz1UywGOiLR-kTaYU/s640/IMG_6969+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even in the big city, traditional costumes are the norm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public rally in front of San Francisco church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaza Murillo. I've never seen a place more densely packed with pigeons</td></tr>
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We enjoyed Bolivia and it felt like our time there went by really quickly. With the rainy season it would have been unpleasant to do some of the other popular outdoor activities in the country. We'd also settled on a time and place for Bre and her boyfriend Dylan to meet up with us again so we had to keep moving forward and on towards Peru.<br />
Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182292.post-85484592011331847672019-03-28T07:04:00.003-07:002019-03-28T07:08:08.529-07:00Uyuni Salt FlatsFrom La Rioja we took an overnight bus to Jujuy, then jumped on another bus directly to the border, 5 hours away. Along the way we picked up a few other travelers including Andrea, a solo Swiss traveler who we decided to pair up with to cross the border and head further into Bolivia. Bolivia immediately reminded us of, well, Bolivia. I liked it the first time and was happy to be back. It might be the poorest country in South America (Venezuela being a special case at the moment) but it has character and authenticity and the chaos and local costumes were somehow refreshing.<br />
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Our goal was to reach Tupiza, a small, dusty town with a bit of a wild west feel to it. The drive there was ruggedly beautiful, with views full of cacti and red rock mountains. We arrived in the afternoon, easily finding a place to stay as it is the "off season" in the area. At 2850m (9300ft) we were a little higher than we wanted to be to start adjusting to the altitude. The new plan was to relax for a couple of days before doing anything but with Andrea in the picture we were persuaded to think about a salt flats tour a little sooner than we'd anticipated and in the end decided to spend two nights in Tupiza before continuing on with Andrea. I liked Tupiza and found it mostly relaxing except for the fact that it was the end of Carnival (it happens in a lot more places than just Rio) and lots of places celebrate local festivals around the same time. There were marching bands, firecrackers and water fights going on up and down the streets. Water guns and balloons are all well and good when it is hot out but we were at high altitude with chilly evenings and if you weren't careful some local kid (or mischievous lady) would get you from behind. We tried not to spend too much time playing the unarmed target.<br />
Most people think that tours of the Uyuni Salt Flats are just about the salt flats but this is very far from the truth. People that do the one day tours just to see the salt flats are missing out on some of the best Bolivia has to offer. The whole area of south western Bolivia is a high-altitude plateau full of beautiful mountain scenery, lagoons, geysers, ruins and wildlife. Tours into the region traditionally leave from the town of Uyuni but there are alternate tours to the area from Tupiza and even San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Tours are in 4WDs as it is a very remote area with only dirt roads (if any) and only the occasional small village. At times it reminded me of Mongolia or Tibet in its remoteness, though not in scenery. Tupiza seems to be the least busy starting point of the three and for this reason I'd prioritized a start from there. The standard route is 4 days/3 nights and ends in Uyuni.<br />
Our tour mates were Andrea and Niels a young Belgian guy riding in the same 4WD with our married couple guides Panchito (driver) and Filomena (cook). We later learned that there was another group in a vehicle on the same route that would be sharing our cook but we rarely saw them other than in the evenings when we stopped for the night. On day 1 we counted a total of 7 vehicles on our route and we usually felt like the only ones. It was a long day of driving (~350 kms on dirt road) but the scenery more than made up for it. I didn't realize llamas came in so many colour combos.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLLWoDLCVNnVNr96M5V2E7VaZ1iDZCFQsUkthChdtMHVviGvZwRqUe9u97qzi9p3-f87Iitc7rzgK6g8h8s7UVO_yafQkq7AqwRVkpflEsPQhithGYIavQggox4RT38XEmva5/s1600/IMG_6367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLLWoDLCVNnVNr96M5V2E7VaZ1iDZCFQsUkthChdtMHVviGvZwRqUe9u97qzi9p3-f87Iitc7rzgK6g8h8s7UVO_yafQkq7AqwRVkpflEsPQhithGYIavQggox4RT38XEmva5/s640/IMG_6367.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Tupiza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JsmJPlKcy-0ivx4uP6B59tcQvWQvsnMMVGOPYUQU5yqX-byOyppjvIFmV4BHYKvKhSpu73GfqoNT_RklT_03UVAMokSRhEda6wHcPeSNr3bs8fsa9z18enZSqmzwCN55J_YX/s1600/IMG_6377+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JsmJPlKcy-0ivx4uP6B59tcQvWQvsnMMVGOPYUQU5yqX-byOyppjvIFmV4BHYKvKhSpu73GfqoNT_RklT_03UVAMokSRhEda6wHcPeSNr3bs8fsa9z18enZSqmzwCN55J_YX/s640/IMG_6377+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Llama herd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEiPV52g3Is-gzHAPpoDvGZGoaCsyEitQfOd0cTDmTR79wJjU6h5caD59YiFuiKq4cBGS-_SNQcG4Ln9H1tqqJ1bV4cUrUuP7mRvyNJ2RfSZBDFZDpyeThDBs_jT0Hy7TLszx/s1600/IMG_6386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEiPV52g3Is-gzHAPpoDvGZGoaCsyEitQfOd0cTDmTR79wJjU6h5caD59YiFuiKq4cBGS-_SNQcG4Ln9H1tqqJ1bV4cUrUuP7mRvyNJ2RfSZBDFZDpyeThDBs_jT0Hy7TLszx/s640/IMG_6386.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Vicunas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY72tvCa9ummbtx3oCO3gD6Xe2es5lQfq6RFpdHwkcPqQ23hd0QUETGCXAw56R1CO5gQXksIgrNPN7hYT2ZzJvQ5aK3FiTrQqygjydAUuS863FCwRb9Nv3X9q099scwX3GPfv/s1600/IMG_6400+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilY72tvCa9ummbtx3oCO3gD6Xe2es5lQfq6RFpdHwkcPqQ23hd0QUETGCXAw56R1CO5gQXksIgrNPN7hYT2ZzJvQ5aK3FiTrQqygjydAUuS863FCwRb9Nv3X9q099scwX3GPfv/s640/IMG_6400+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruins of a Spanish mining village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zE8jKyie7vuhEbMLHcGWaHOInt5ihQkmIC3OZYgz4q2EGAUP4Im2Pkrluy1fkM4Je-GWWcdrpdXJjYvbAgu_0G3b7-agl-lCqukGGlKBVthMQXDjzQhxqVYCxLfM3QXBctmE/s1600/IMG_6407+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zE8jKyie7vuhEbMLHcGWaHOInt5ihQkmIC3OZYgz4q2EGAUP4Im2Pkrluy1fkM4Je-GWWcdrpdXJjYvbAgu_0G3b7-agl-lCqukGGlKBVthMQXDjzQhxqVYCxLfM3QXBctmE/s640/IMG_6407+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Id7CiZWR9kW9pcezDPEKn9Ms-_KDrvntJDeL_YN3-l8WEaZTLNjp0qf7jDzMHtnAWj8D0wVB8AhTLo07swTjm2UpE2eBawAvYvYrQ9i4Ob06BLhJ9nQiFHJ_wjUGNH6vRvo/s1600/IMG_6413+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Id7CiZWR9kW9pcezDPEKn9Ms-_KDrvntJDeL_YN3-l8WEaZTLNjp0qf7jDzMHtnAWj8D0wVB8AhTLo07swTjm2UpE2eBawAvYvYrQ9i4Ob06BLhJ9nQiFHJ_wjUGNH6vRvo/s640/IMG_6413+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty roads</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zf7VVa_Q4xy7A7RiMvhWRkTDdCi4omxIIypumHAnNWadMkWLEy_R9JRjkSlxWfzRPorpwSypdnBZDsJbLGPm4dJx94VFNHUGyO49GNA79URh3Q_3A_H4LCrELy3GzbOXkJvC/s1600/IMG_6417+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zf7VVa_Q4xy7A7RiMvhWRkTDdCi4omxIIypumHAnNWadMkWLEy_R9JRjkSlxWfzRPorpwSypdnBZDsJbLGPm4dJx94VFNHUGyO49GNA79URh3Q_3A_H4LCrELy3GzbOXkJvC/s640/IMG_6417+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4855m above sea level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On day 2 we hit the main tourist circuit through the area hitting the more famous sites of the region. Every stop thereafter had at least 30 vehicles and in all honesty, the whole area started to feel crowded. It was still stunningly beautiful. The coloured lagoons were impressive, especially the red Laguna Colorada with its thousands of flamingos. The geysers were less exciting than I expected and were mostly just little bubbling mud pools but still interesting in that they are at such a high altitude.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-WCEaM5YsAq5qbnvPmDIzAe6huKlWFgvYlUMDrJo5DylziT3BDwp2l7qFL-ptdfYYigakxXUvdzagavqy9-oo0wehEhmrVUNKTAOXM1iXX6V03d7DK4t4DFwk3cEqMDJC2fd/s1600/IMG_6447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-WCEaM5YsAq5qbnvPmDIzAe6huKlWFgvYlUMDrJo5DylziT3BDwp2l7qFL-ptdfYYigakxXUvdzagavqy9-oo0wehEhmrVUNKTAOXM1iXX6V03d7DK4t4DFwk3cEqMDJC2fd/s640/IMG_6447.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lost the vegetation on day 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI9yszKQTEGb59WuqxDW4Z8KKurfXUYH4QbR92h0JLxSKtjHNtqbx6mklKRVhutuAqG3hSFs3_rNpjYEv0AgX0Wg858f-uGbr0lonqdRaHCX85wwoJ_DM8n3CHZcVP2iZpViS/s1600/IMG_6450+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipI9yszKQTEGb59WuqxDW4Z8KKurfXUYH4QbR92h0JLxSKtjHNtqbx6mklKRVhutuAqG3hSFs3_rNpjYEv0AgX0Wg858f-uGbr0lonqdRaHCX85wwoJ_DM8n3CHZcVP2iZpViS/s640/IMG_6450+-+Edited+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL7rZn05NgXvE753Uxe0FYgz7VqpXSGmi1a-Tu6SsfhcXigk93vqHlRMgAKlumlUYCJc1Svo8EhiaM1Tqa996-UnI8uVJwQLijFiZVnXN5LLVRcop27HJVDZm26iKf1jp6ymB/s1600/IMG_6472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL7rZn05NgXvE753Uxe0FYgz7VqpXSGmi1a-Tu6SsfhcXigk93vqHlRMgAKlumlUYCJc1Svo8EhiaM1Tqa996-UnI8uVJwQLijFiZVnXN5LLVRcop27HJVDZm26iKf1jp6ymB/s640/IMG_6472.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Licancabur volcano and Laguna Verde</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NP-ar0AWTEze-rOtUBXQuIpISs9n1YtwxdeafUh85zH938ZAdzMR45pZs0-Qq3LN4_8rKKJjKPx5v2z-fIAXVHhaSEw9tAU8fTjB8bq5agRsP3ki8O0ZPH8je0Vk20a7D40L/s1600/IMG_6478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NP-ar0AWTEze-rOtUBXQuIpISs9n1YtwxdeafUh85zH938ZAdzMR45pZs0-Qq3LN4_8rKKJjKPx5v2z-fIAXVHhaSEw9tAU8fTjB8bq5agRsP3ki8O0ZPH8je0Vk20a7D40L/s640/IMG_6478.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laguna Blanca at the Chile/Bolivia border</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjaSa7A4krDJtA1lCH-eYvJLHVWUEmL71-ww684cmcr5ySUwfVjh-2FHzrX09k0cmTSgWswWeGGMJcGQBJ0BHBsl_TX32G1yauh-EUas12gRbALF7bO2fyU7ynU_lQnpOwK4B/s1600/IMG_6482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjaSa7A4krDJtA1lCH-eYvJLHVWUEmL71-ww684cmcr5ySUwfVjh-2FHzrX09k0cmTSgWswWeGGMJcGQBJ0BHBsl_TX32G1yauh-EUas12gRbALF7bO2fyU7ynU_lQnpOwK4B/s640/IMG_6482.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW_l_S7JnB1jNj8PbY18tv2yAGP6oE1pT8pPj-BmXXcfRAHVYBBxu-12FBUzYVG2t42vdXOfTxJ-awik-6_sKBe2YNfbbA7jFRWwrMSQHV2Lgo_LD0iY2ZbIAb8cge5AAvpQ9/s1600/DSC_0068+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1600" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW_l_S7JnB1jNj8PbY18tv2yAGP6oE1pT8pPj-BmXXcfRAHVYBBxu-12FBUzYVG2t42vdXOfTxJ-awik-6_sKBe2YNfbbA7jFRWwrMSQHV2Lgo_LD0iY2ZbIAb8cge5AAvpQ9/s640/DSC_0068+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little geysers at 4900m</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriirQEsDhK8WPo4kjJtlg9DABkLcpCBYmjZFoR0NJsENpFBiaPJ3ffZHp0LuBFM0M9zVBhUfWga879FMhRYH9bp3WDm4UR4yANPupSHWXilYkCLHUr4tE9S0wjzS2-CJozWzm/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriirQEsDhK8WPo4kjJtlg9DABkLcpCBYmjZFoR0NJsENpFBiaPJ3ffZHp0LuBFM0M9zVBhUfWga879FMhRYH9bp3WDm4UR4yANPupSHWXilYkCLHUr4tE9S0wjzS2-CJozWzm/s640/IMG_6511.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_9HtxCAqQ-QOwxzi78W0tr652EXMKm8u4zZb485Pct8hNmRDgXnOcOYJcfg16WZ_3uT6uutG0kbvcKDwJV_6dmyl3tKzisK5ye8ej90dqv2Q0EtXo_xyK2LQkmoO5aqDDtwE/s1600/IMG_6533+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_9HtxCAqQ-QOwxzi78W0tr652EXMKm8u4zZb485Pct8hNmRDgXnOcOYJcfg16WZ_3uT6uutG0kbvcKDwJV_6dmyl3tKzisK5ye8ej90dqv2Q0EtXo_xyK2LQkmoO5aqDDtwE/s640/IMG_6533+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laguna Colorada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccQeQ8G-gfdVzJodH5ecRqHnTPsJ3sGSR2wPNvO-WHp3pIQSs-aklWZCj8ZB3GSBmj_ayI2TsRSLNW84bnmr_1Gwht4qqDTEF9rGP41dQoZGww1I5aLdp2667GRiCJLqpiC7f/s1600/IMG_6535+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccQeQ8G-gfdVzJodH5ecRqHnTPsJ3sGSR2wPNvO-WHp3pIQSs-aklWZCj8ZB3GSBmj_ayI2TsRSLNW84bnmr_1Gwht4qqDTEF9rGP41dQoZGww1I5aLdp2667GRiCJLqpiC7f/s640/IMG_6535+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our favourite lagoon</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzT7M4m16FlJka3ZBBPpxwVL1qtuYNOV5aRnEKipOfQKtYo6un4rfV8qyqdecNsqTKLrrDpHyw8dxIimCts_A1KcvgKpApwLgHZfuZi5uv_hds9g-XEHWJXCJ9sCEaiKurKqv/s1600/IMG_6531+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzT7M4m16FlJka3ZBBPpxwVL1qtuYNOV5aRnEKipOfQKtYo6un4rfV8qyqdecNsqTKLrrDpHyw8dxIimCts_A1KcvgKpApwLgHZfuZi5uv_hds9g-XEHWJXCJ9sCEaiKurKqv/s640/IMG_6531+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xDhxEjk0IqT55Oy6abOU-N588ME3zJjFNznjyDUwxF_g-KXaMUy3VO_0mUw6gBG1Pv-69wQgQt1YDbQCUXalHa0egyd_KlDyNoHFdFm8acsrDtQGX4QMlvE14fWjF9lMYpcR/s1600/IMG_6552+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xDhxEjk0IqT55Oy6abOU-N588ME3zJjFNznjyDUwxF_g-KXaMUy3VO_0mUw6gBG1Pv-69wQgQt1YDbQCUXalHa0egyd_KlDyNoHFdFm8acsrDtQGX4QMlvE14fWjF9lMYpcR/s640/IMG_6552+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a remote area</td></tr>
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Day 3 was more about rock formations and even climbing up some of them. At this point I'd started to feel a bit better and lose most of my altitude headache. We'd been between 4000 and 5000m since leaving Tupiza and it was taking its toll on all of us. In the late afternoon we started to reach civilization again in the form of slightly larger villages and better graded dirt roads. We passed through Uyuni and stayed that night in a salt hotel built right on the edge of the flats. The salt hotel was as it sounds, everything made of salt, the walls, base of the beds, tables and chairs. Even the floor was crushed salt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI3CzcjBraWeomajMev9flnuDzXjYAI_WThbQt_NFIe6k1-3eIoWuQk0HRb4RBBKYpZMjgel64tzNz13Appk2PqBkTxQa3iFEEkfeTFul6qHahCss4RTQKqc6N2j1jAQ9ABQ2/s1600/DSC_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI3CzcjBraWeomajMev9flnuDzXjYAI_WThbQt_NFIe6k1-3eIoWuQk0HRb4RBBKYpZMjgel64tzNz13Appk2PqBkTxQa3iFEEkfeTFul6qHahCss4RTQKqc6N2j1jAQ9ABQ2/s640/DSC_0076.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS0o8lxXwKE-s0iGObtSew1yojBnaooLQYvNPpRKQn8xWcFpI1KdYlBrZMqyPFXE4SPBCaPEEuu3hTu4DB2u0MwVJdmDjph8WkJOhZI0lJoe4r2vNKj9oSIuiSeSNYDjs2mSg/s1600/IMG_6573+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYS0o8lxXwKE-s0iGObtSew1yojBnaooLQYvNPpRKQn8xWcFpI1KdYlBrZMqyPFXE4SPBCaPEEuu3hTu4DB2u0MwVJdmDjph8WkJOhZI0lJoe4r2vNKj9oSIuiSeSNYDjs2mSg/s640/IMG_6573+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A camel?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUZAr-QOvMBpK2RDXuXBD595JT033dYyXeLs7w-VBHZkKQI4hJvB54rofIzeWsMX-7g6vQfyponoaMySDcnvWzsnOesbvvVXIzg_IcvVdLX-0iTP1nD3u1dAKFaWVf9dCOOwQ/s1600/IMG_6581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUZAr-QOvMBpK2RDXuXBD595JT033dYyXeLs7w-VBHZkKQI4hJvB54rofIzeWsMX-7g6vQfyponoaMySDcnvWzsnOesbvvVXIzg_IcvVdLX-0iTP1nD3u1dAKFaWVf9dCOOwQ/s640/IMG_6581.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing around in Italia Perdida </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTm1pYr7n8lxcif0bM2fwVR0krmGQRc5yalxQfcxtOJxMrAaH1IdBAJG0CiddYxw_9knEREPRiAYh-8je3Xv2a6tdngHlZwpCVVRxudGKj2HkBb7CnQMhI85vm2rN5SHm6p50l/s1600/IMG_6585+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTm1pYr7n8lxcif0bM2fwVR0krmGQRc5yalxQfcxtOJxMrAaH1IdBAJG0CiddYxw_9knEREPRiAYh-8je3Xv2a6tdngHlZwpCVVRxudGKj2HkBb7CnQMhI85vm2rN5SHm6p50l/s640/IMG_6585+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo51IVTsVVvNnOQ0tXol-Ql2-WDx9rt4FSHRqnldOqqs-OLglMJyGIpYRBYI-s3vQ6iUbtmbNBXuY5T7attIsmI8lbndC3gFWBzVBMG1V30DpTk5ifPcbenzYYG4woBI3fFpu/s1600/IMG_6603+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo51IVTsVVvNnOQ0tXol-Ql2-WDx9rt4FSHRqnldOqqs-OLglMJyGIpYRBYI-s3vQ6iUbtmbNBXuY5T7attIsmI8lbndC3gFWBzVBMG1V30DpTk5ifPcbenzYYG4woBI3fFpu/s640/IMG_6603+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unlike the others, this is a fresh water lagoon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3KXTVbdZ3lpVF6-zqbDcZ0uYrNt0PA48Elh2dzQoQWS4jcImV0ratfwxaW-KLhW-_qLpPG-85PaHf0rOQ8KYm2VoZKOW1Az20s3QRdyuHxInO6B8UeQVDEH-hYnFQzeexuQ6/s1600/IMG_6611+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3KXTVbdZ3lpVF6-zqbDcZ0uYrNt0PA48Elh2dzQoQWS4jcImV0ratfwxaW-KLhW-_qLpPG-85PaHf0rOQ8KYm2VoZKOW1Az20s3QRdyuHxInO6B8UeQVDEH-hYnFQzeexuQ6/s640/IMG_6611+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Llamas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENfzXJzJqGKjX05T171gjJaYQZeX9RqNevHQxvikxeLHiu_jU2fZktCcXCwTsQQlS9cYWWf2d_yaQy2MBpKj4ynsHLrFAf-0z70Il_PN2QexyYcWcK3MpB8bIeAwJ4Px9mZoT/s1600/IMG_6617+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENfzXJzJqGKjX05T171gjJaYQZeX9RqNevHQxvikxeLHiu_jU2fZktCcXCwTsQQlS9cYWWf2d_yaQy2MBpKj4ynsHLrFAf-0z70Il_PN2QexyYcWcK3MpB8bIeAwJ4Px9mZoT/s640/IMG_6617+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More canyon views</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0BTXUgR6n577Il6Efh0FRndXY8JO78C3NfD9wOTGm8MYXl0qHbN1hNuDp6LBHJF5ni5h9dU1S2X4SO0pCrs7fKjjP-eRJwOBBhlWYUu_XH1tf9mbJxBwp-MqTYwt8UAbTE_m/s1600/IMG_6632+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0BTXUgR6n577Il6Efh0FRndXY8JO78C3NfD9wOTGm8MYXl0qHbN1hNuDp6LBHJF5ni5h9dU1S2X4SO0pCrs7fKjjP-eRJwOBBhlWYUu_XH1tf9mbJxBwp-MqTYwt8UAbTE_m/s640/IMG_6632+-+Edited.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZL_QK_qVf8ktwUNMB3kAm-FGzqXZ7rHVvfQi36MDrLsulntosqM5lu8U3muaDCebdeZXUi6wV2kDCPBGD2F5rZ6eOrl1zpA8DCv5tQOY5bsFt2IoCPb_xkbl2YGFDcLz1YYd/s1600/IMG_6658+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZL_QK_qVf8ktwUNMB3kAm-FGzqXZ7rHVvfQi36MDrLsulntosqM5lu8U3muaDCebdeZXUi6wV2kDCPBGD2F5rZ6eOrl1zpA8DCv5tQOY5bsFt2IoCPb_xkbl2YGFDcLz1YYd/s640/IMG_6658+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train cemetary outside Uyuni</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0JL6DPqd3OEW_xQZlCtE4W3ugH7lKkHplkYebzTJb95Sk0wimGQdoprNnwlViZI58oi7lYaiyCPXLrySIQyuVrRGbdXZPTccyWwA9KH5BvVpgL8ta881amXocO7Yuc3enDkT/s1600/IMG_6659+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0JL6DPqd3OEW_xQZlCtE4W3ugH7lKkHplkYebzTJb95Sk0wimGQdoprNnwlViZI58oi7lYaiyCPXLrySIQyuVrRGbdXZPTccyWwA9KH5BvVpgL8ta881amXocO7Yuc3enDkT/s640/IMG_6659+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt hotel</td></tr>
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We'd made it in time to check in and then head out to the edge of the salt flats to watch the sunset. March is the end of the rainy season in the area so sections of the salt flats are flooded and less accessible. The water was anywhere from a cm to half a meter deep. Maybe that is why we were all clustered together for sunset, but our guide told us that it was always this busy at least. We stopped counting vehicles at 100 and estimated it at about 200. And this is the low season... Needless to say, sunset wasn't as amazing as the sunrise we had the next morning as there were fewer vehicles more spread out. As the sun rose, reflecting the light over the water we got our first good look at the this little section of the largest salt flat in the world. This might be the best time of year to go as we had the opportunity to take the classic water reflection photos and then after breakfast head out to a drier patch to play with the forced perspective shots more commonly seen. It was a lot of fun and with more time, props and imagination we could have come up with a lot more fun stuff to do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6oxTE0F6VMFP0mYzQIbfc4rpr34xoG9BYAP11Vhc_x6P_gDsTi8zmd2H5HiIxwL2ubA7_kRGb-JvGIqlsUzH1DfgIeJtCZlcmCCluEate3A695bSWjDrLLdm0Sx7Iao_9Boo/s1600/IMG_6671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6oxTE0F6VMFP0mYzQIbfc4rpr34xoG9BYAP11Vhc_x6P_gDsTi8zmd2H5HiIxwL2ubA7_kRGb-JvGIqlsUzH1DfgIeJtCZlcmCCluEate3A695bSWjDrLLdm0Sx7Iao_9Boo/s640/IMG_6671.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwq0XtQBFQX0SJByiMsbIK6Qh0hG-2TTe4f-jr7PU0xPkGlPE3NKBEEUbODfROKiEbgPwJ7LNgGduUwx7pAOP9RE5pzdv4j6BLvXmMsw4rakXmy8EHB81aq3dEykQRPA3shZTk/s1600/DSC_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwq0XtQBFQX0SJByiMsbIK6Qh0hG-2TTe4f-jr7PU0xPkGlPE3NKBEEUbODfROKiEbgPwJ7LNgGduUwx7pAOP9RE5pzdv4j6BLvXmMsw4rakXmy8EHB81aq3dEykQRPA3shZTk/s640/DSC_0106.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xozCSBguZLEfcvUoVkNSe8FeBuUeFuXOrRi_pFd7wGFH5-sHCzBvwRBFzvJycdZoiVht9L_h-onb5vl3zBYeU_DzwmsWw26O94Z_ICbJ_llDcaswgsoV0U_hyphenhyphenK_z0z_Yz9gh/s1600/IMG_6680+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4xozCSBguZLEfcvUoVkNSe8FeBuUeFuXOrRi_pFd7wGFH5-sHCzBvwRBFzvJycdZoiVht9L_h-onb5vl3zBYeU_DzwmsWw26O94Z_ICbJ_llDcaswgsoV0U_hyphenhyphenK_z0z_Yz9gh/s640/IMG_6680+-+Edited.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MUwe44Yg-MCGrbsREQpVL0vwsSCCB7u2nVlofNCv_1AADKc0XV7DiIn6VGZfvVpo8k63TSSc2Adm-ekImLiPTVtZvBR1nSLd7gA2WuWCg8_ADHOZ2sy1Z03v8TVoSM03wjTj/s1600/DSC_0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MUwe44Yg-MCGrbsREQpVL0vwsSCCB7u2nVlofNCv_1AADKc0XV7DiIn6VGZfvVpo8k63TSSc2Adm-ekImLiPTVtZvBR1nSLd7gA2WuWCg8_ADHOZ2sy1Z03v8TVoSM03wjTj/s640/DSC_0139.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking on water or clouds?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhfjtD-jPIhvOtGm1R3Ma0ddKq9gKlms47ks-eRJS1ryUCtFdU7osFOhojL9BOmQh1dXzFqxbGDymqUjfcz8MDjB7kIeOHI1nSjtPnt3WVN64VprBjdL-Gk3Gu0TGM5cMKI1m/s1600/IMG_6687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhfjtD-jPIhvOtGm1R3Ma0ddKq9gKlms47ks-eRJS1ryUCtFdU7osFOhojL9BOmQh1dXzFqxbGDymqUjfcz8MDjB7kIeOHI1nSjtPnt3WVN64VprBjdL-Gk3Gu0TGM5cMKI1m/s640/IMG_6687.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2R4HSbt20gXc0HJW5BdLoOxwbKUVZyFTAG9QYVJ6M282QB7AeBec7ny7kR4Kx0hJWER2_DbPIDxKTPv4tdATwcCQGVuK6f424zrmE5qUMhnfly4wfA6kUee-PIsx3T7N349w/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1115" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2R4HSbt20gXc0HJW5BdLoOxwbKUVZyFTAG9QYVJ6M282QB7AeBec7ny7kR4Kx0hJWER2_DbPIDxKTPv4tdATwcCQGVuK6f424zrmE5qUMhnfly4wfA6kUee-PIsx3T7N349w/s640/DSC_0149.JPG" width="446" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to goof around!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsULJ50EhNO1MuCf-ksTRilt7MixbOMZMU09zb4n6C202AgSH_FivTG7D3qaE49qpoXJzxZzXTFCHDk-YxuWvyQfR-yG2z71HUSZL_uxjK5zXGBzhw8b6vxHwiS6AR4QKxKUR/s1600/IMG_6708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsULJ50EhNO1MuCf-ksTRilt7MixbOMZMU09zb4n6C202AgSH_FivTG7D3qaE49qpoXJzxZzXTFCHDk-YxuWvyQfR-yG2z71HUSZL_uxjK5zXGBzhw8b6vxHwiS6AR4QKxKUR/s640/IMG_6708.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sasha's new love....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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With the morning salt flats fun finished our tour was basically over, with just enough time left for lunch before dropping us off in Uyuni. We said goodbye to our tour mates and by the next morning everyone was scattered all over Bolivia with us free to continue on our own again.<br />
Ammon</div>
The Watkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15319754871085488408noreply@blogger.com0