vonkoeller.de » Peru

Machu Picchu

Magnus — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:35:40 +0000

We visited Machu Picchu February 11, 2007 — more than two years ago. Time flies. It is quite unbelievable that I still have not finished post-processing the photos from our South America trip — but I am working on it and can promise more amazing photos soon.

Machu Picchu, that most hyped destination in all of South America, is a fascinating place. It is the kind of attraction that I would have normally skipped: it is costly, it is crowded, it is full of tour groups. Still, I do not regret going. You can even see it in the picture: the place has a certain magic to it. Go early in the morning, go in the rainy (that is to say, low) season and you will be rewarded by the stunning monument that is Machu Picchu, sans the crowds. Even in the low season, though, you must savor every minute of the morning before the tour groups inevitably roll in. And there is one more thing I remember: we were drenched. But happy.

Back to Civilization

Magnus — Sun, 13 May 2007 15:03:54 +0000

Oh, the wonders of civilization. If you’ve never missed them, you don’t even know what they’re worth. But, let me assure you, they’re worth a lot:

Warm showers — you don’t know what you’re talking about unless you’ve ever showered in freezing cold mountain water pumped directly to your shower from above 4,000m (~13,000 ft) without any heating because the gas bottle is empty again.
Potable tap water — it may not sound like much but have you ever had to use bottled water for brushing your teeth?
Hygienic food — I am going to spare you the details. Use your imagination.
Heating and insulation — ever spent a night at 4,500m (~15,000 ft) in a ramshackle hut without any heating?
Toilets that don’t clog — do you put your used toilet paper into the bin? You think that’s gross? You do know that’s what half the world does?
Fast, reliable transportation — bliss is a night in a museum-piece Bolivian bus as it rattles over unpaved roads for endless hours. What’s an easy three-hour train ride for us would be an arduous twenty-hour bus ride for most of the world.
Fast Internet — now this may not be as important to most people as it is to me but my new high-speed DSL connection surely does save my day.

We complain and complain (and that includes me) about everything. In fact, we have a pretty darn good life.

PS: I’m back in Germany and just moved to Hamburg. If you’re around, come visit me!

Railways, Old-School

Magnus — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:48:49 +0000

In Germany, we are used to super-fast bullet trains taking us from A to B efficiently and (though most Germans will not agree with this) mostly punctually, often being not much slower than the equivalent flight. In South America, if there are trains at all, they do not quite work like that. Most of the train system usually lies in shambles and the rest is mostly reserved for cargo trains. Which is a pity — many of the railway lines here run through absolutely stunning landscapes and, at least when they were built, were incredible feats of engineering. On the other hand, newer and better-maintained roads usually mean that travelling by bus is much faster and much more convenient. Now, this is where Peru gets it right…

Instead of using their railway system as a for-real transportation alternative, they just run tourist services. And it’s amazing: we took the Cusco-Puno service, a ten-hour trip from the former Inca capital to beautiful Lago Titicaca. Not only does this trip take you through some spectacular scenery (the trip takes you to a pass above 4,000m of altitude), with snow-capped Andean peaks in the background and soaring rivers in the foreground. More, the service on offer is what I would imagine it was like two centuries ago: bar carriage with observation platform; one entire carriage for service staff, kitchen, etc.; personal service — one waiter per carriage — even in second class; a three-course gourmet meal (some of the best food I had in Peru) for lunch, including a welcome cocktail and afternoon tea with a sandwich; and a cocktail happy hour shortly before arrival. I couldn’t believe it — a tiring, long trip converted into one of the highlights of our time in Peru!

Spanish as a Foreign Language

Magnus — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 23:53:07 +0000

It can be quite funny, travelling around South America: you find yourself in a Spanish-speaking country, speaking to a local whose level of Spanish is barely enough to negotiate the letting of a hotel room. In these Andean countries we are traveling right now (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia), many still speak their native indigenous tongue — such as Quechua and Aymara. And, while most also speak fluent Spanish, the further off the beaten track you get, the more likely you are to encounter somebody who doesn’t.

Funnily, though, my most memobrable such encounter happened in Aguas Calientes — the jumping-off point for world-famous Machu Picchu, not exactly off the beaten track. This kind of thing helps appreciate the quality of basic education in the western world, though. When you are speaking to a local who hardly speaks her country’s main language and you have to fill out your own receipt (because she does not know how to write), you know that she probably hasn’t seen any such education in her life.