“I’ll write a piece about Peru”, I said, in a
moment of madness. I really did want to mention books, but have never read
anything by Mario Vargas Llosa or Thornton Wilder - so let’s just keep the
books part to a passing mention of Paddington, his suitcase, and the marmalade
sandwiches, shall we? Instead, I’ll tell you a bit about my experience of this
spectacular and amazing country.
This was my first visit to South America, and
the primary reason that I wanted to visit was to see Machu Picchu, the Inca
citadel on a mountain ridge 50 miles from Cuzco, that features on so many
people’s bucket lists. It sits at a height of 2430 metres above sea level, so
it wasn’t just a matter of taking a coach trip. There are those who hike the
Inca trail - I understand that arriving at sunrise via the Sun Gate is an
unforgettable experience, but I do know my limitations. My holiday saw us
spending a few days in Cuzco to acclimatise: the altitude caused havoc for some
people, with dizziness and shallow breathing, but I found copious amounts of
coca tea (and the occasional Peruvian beer) worked just fine for me. Cuzco was
a gorgeous place to spend some time, with balconies around its sunny plaza to
while away the afternoons, and its rather lovely Spanish architecture.
We visited Machu Picchu by train, travelling up
the Sacred Valley - an experience in itself, as people visited our seats to
sell souvenirs and we were even treated to a fashion show. But the citadel
itself was everything I wanted it to be - breathtaking views, possible to sit
in a quiet corner and contemplate with due awe and reverence, an unforgettable
experience.
There were other unforgettable moments to that
Peru trip. If you’re a fan of the pan pipes… well, you’ll be less of a fan by
the time you come home. We were treated to renditions of El Condor Pasa
with every meal, and our guide carried a beat box to set up and play it some
more whenever we visited an attraction, lest we got withdrawal symptoms.
And then there were the meals themselves. You
have to try guinea pig - really, you do - although it tastes like chicken and
is rather off-putting when delivered to your table with a rictus grin on its
face and legs in the air (they then take it away, and serve it carved up and
less recognisable). We also ate a lot of alpaca - more like veal, and really
delicious if you could eliminate the memory of the small fluffy creature you’d
cuddled earlier.
At the start of holiday we stayed in Lima, and I
found it a little disappointing, just a large and busy city: but our last stop
on our tour was at Lake Titicaca visiting the floating islands of the Uru -
woven from reeds, movable if threatened by rising water levels or threats from
the mainland. The Uros used to survive with hunting and fishing, but nowadays
tourism has rather taken over, as they welcome visitors by motorboat, and
sell their handicrafts.
There, my whistle stop tour of Peru, and
memories of a unique experience… but no sightings of Paddington’s family…
Thank you so much Anne, I have loved hearing about your trip to Peru and I would love to have visited Machu Picchu.
Anne Williams is a wonderful blogger at Being Anne, and I always enjoy reading her book reviews and other posts. Please if you aren't already following her, take at look https://beinganne.com/ or on Twitter
