Tagged: thebigtrip
Over but not really…
The Magic Water Circuit, Lima – Ian Carvell
It’s been over a month since the big trip ended. In some ways it feels like normal life has resumed completely and in other ways it does not. The difference will always be different.
I feel calmer and more confident. Less afraid to be wrong.
I feel like I’m going at the pace life intended. I’m not pushing it. I’m not too slow.
I breathe and I look around. I see things.
I want less stuff in my life. Less things. I want more people, more places and more memories.
And I know how to do this now.
A lunchtime at Chez Wong
No sign. No cloakroom. No fancy servers. A notepad with our name and a nod to a table.
Other foreigners. Some professionals. Tourists. A local family. A film crew? Bourdain’s photo on the wall above us. Was that a drunk politician in the corner? Of course.
We’d all come here, the same, to this quiet place where an old man with a hat and wispy hair makes a handful of fish dishes at a table in the dining room. We’d all come to experience first rate ceviche from the hands of a master. Hands that were appropriately cutting and chopping their way through a flounder as we entered. It was a perfect lunchtime setting.
And apparently it is perfect as only days before our lunch we read that the ceviche at Chez Wong had been voted the tastiest fast food dish in the world by Chowzter. That explains the TV cameras then.
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We started with that now famous dish. Ceviche. Famous in Peru. Perfected in Lima. And praised here.
Flounder, octopus, onion, seasoning and a touch of lemon juice.
Fresh. Salty. Firm. Zingy. Spicy.
Rawer and with more bite than I’m used to, the fish and octopus were hardly cured at all. They were unadulterated. Simple.
It’s no fast food I’ve ever encountered before. But it was tasty and it was fast.
Next up was a dish cooked on the wok. Flounder and shrimps. Sweet and nutty. Again the seafood stood out. The sticky peanut sauce was delicious and moreish. A fine dish indeed.
Finally we finished with another wok dish. This time it was soy based and savoury. The inclusion of black wood ear mushroom added an interesting texture and reminded me our of days in Beijing. Again a good dish.
Then we were done.
We left as unceremoniously as we entered. Leaving the politician still drinking in the corner. Chef Wong still cutting as his table. Smiling to himself.
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Do I think the ceviche was one of the best dishes in the world? I’m not sure. I am sure that was clean, simple and honest. It tasted great. Chef Wong knows his fish and serves it well. The atmosphere is genuine and happy. I’d certainly come here again and encourage you all to do the same if you get a chance.
Chez Wong
Calle Enrique Leon Garcia 114, Lima, Peru
+511 470 6217
https://www.facebook.com/ChezJavierWong
Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Last month we joined a group from Peru Treks to hike the ‘classic’ Inca Trail. Here is our story told (mainly) in photos.
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Day One
After a few hours on the bus from Cusco we reached the trailhead at kilometre 82.
And began winding up the trail…
…to our first stop at Patallacta.
Not long after we stopped again for our first lunch.
It was a fairly short hike in the afternoon so we had enough time to enjoy the view at Wayllabamba before dinner.
Day Two
The next morning began with more great food…
…and a big hike ahead.
After hitting it hard for 3 hours we were happy to take a break.
After another couple of hours walking we’d made it a long way up Abra de Huarmihuañusca (Dead Women’s Pass)…
…and were excited when we reached Huarmihuañusca at 4200 metres, the highest point on the trail.
After that it was down…
…and down some more…
…to our second campsite at Pacamayo…
…where a lovely dinner…
…and rum punch were served to keep the cold at bay.
Day Three
It was misty when we began hiking…
…and it was hard to see the extent of the ruins at Runkurakay…
…and at Sayacmarca.
Yet we were still able to enjoy the detailed carvings…
…that were present throughout the ruins.
After that it was a short hike down through the cloud forest…
…before we had lunch.
Then we marched onwards, upwards and over to our final Inca site at Phuyupatamarca.
Our last afternoon hike was a steep knee crunching decline down thousands of steps…
…and so we were delighted to make it to Wiñay Wayna camp and enjoy dinner.
Day Four
Our final morning was our earliest start at 3.45 am.
Hiking in the twilight we made it to Intipunku (Sungate)…
…to see the cloud rise and Machu Picchu appear.
A little further down we went and then, suddenly, we were in the heart of it.
What a sight!
What a hike!
What a great day!
A week in the Amazon…
A week in the Amazon will stay with me for a lifetime.
It started right away when we were joined by three friends from “home”. Sharing our adventures, enjoying the banter and experiencing new things together was fun. This particular trip was best suited for a group of friends and we are so happy that they joined us. It was a great time. Thanks guys!
Our journey to the jungle began in Iquitos, Peru, a city that cannot be reached by road. After a night in a dorm (with one other poor resident) we took rickshaws, buses and boats 350 kms up the Ucayali river to Tapiche Reserve*. A privately owned 1,540 hectare rainforest reserve close to the Brazilian and Columbia borders, and well off the tourist track.
Once there, every day began early with the chorus of the howler monkeys and a breakfast of warm porridge and tea. We’d go out on the river and into the forest or to the lagoons to enjoy the strange non-silent quiet of birds and monkeys living out their lives around us. Each day we’d drift or hike, hoping for a glance of a howler monkey, a toucan, a spider monkey or maybe a giant otter. Each day our guide would skilfully point out the calls, the faces in trees, the footprints of the animals and we’d be moved to smiles, laughter and amazement. The evenings were short but filled with homely food, the sound of the jungle and hazy sleep slept in slowly rocking hammocks.
Despite the heat, the bugs and the long days, seeing nature as it should be, oblivious to us, just living was wonderful. Watching our guide navigate a path through the jungle with a machete and a eye on the light. Admiring massive rubber trees towering above us. Eating a local snack as we drifted amongst mangroves. Showering in cooling river water. Eating fruit and fish harvested within an arm’s reach. Looking down to see caiman and glowworms floating in the river. Each moment unique.
My favourite time was at dust (before the mosquitos woke up) drifting on the river, surrounded by water, by trees, by leaves, by flickering light and the sound of nature. Macaws and toucans overhead. Totally breath taking and memory making.
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Sadly we saw no sloths. Thankfully, this means we get to go back to the forest one day to find them.
* For more information on Tapiche Reserve see my review.
Thank you Galapagos
During our time on the Galápagos Islands we were able to experience this amazing place is a multitude of ways – hiking, swimming, snorkelling, diving and cruising. We were able to spend time on many of the Islands, big and small, and see a plethora of endemic and indigenous animal and plant life. While I’m sure the Galapagos has much more to offer our first trip there was fulfilling and complete. A gift. Thank you Galapagos.
Wildlife
Vistas
Geology
Botany
Time flies… and we are still flying
From Qorikancha, Cusco, Peru
In one month we will be celebrating a marriage and heading back to San Francisco to restart our life there.
It’s hard to imagine now, here, in this place, what it will feel like. To be in one place. To repeat patterns. To be live a “normal” life. I’m excited to go back. But at same time I don’t want this to end.
I know I have learnt things while travelling. I’m sure I’ve changed. Even if only a little. But once a routine starts again, will I embody those changes? Will I feel the same?
These questions will be answered in time.
What I do know now is that we still have a lovely long time away, a country to explore, family and friends to see and we need to grab it and enjoy it to the full!
Off we go again.
An Amazon tour review – Tapiche Reserve, Iquitos, Peru
A few weeks ago we finished our Amazon tour and our guide asked us to review him on TripAdvisor. Given that we use TripAdvisor so much, it was hugely importantly when we selected this tour and he asked us to, I thought I’d write one. I wanted to write something that was useful for others, truthful and succinct but, more importantly, I wanted to avoid hyperbolic opinion that appears so often on social review sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp. You know the stuff that goes like…
“OMG!!!! We loved this tour, it’s amazing. The food is great, the animals are too cute and awesome, the man is sooo nice and he wears lovely wellies! blah, blah, blah….”
I decided that a good way to share my thoughts was to outline what we expected or wanted from the tour and how these expectations were met. It seemed like a nice way to share the information and position my opinion. However, once I finished my review and reread it, although it contained the information I wanted to share, I think it sounds rather formal and uptight. I need to sprinkle in some more fun next time!
For those who are interested here’s my first TripAdvisor review.
“When selecting our Amazon experience we had a number of requirements we were looking for. Katoo was easily able meet these and offered much more.
1. We did not want to go to a petting zoo or have a fake “jungle” experience where animals are kept as pets to show to tourists. We wanted the real deal and we got it.
2. We wanted to be far from the city, far from other tourists and in a small group. Once out of Iquitos/Requena we saw only the staff on the reserve and local people in the villages we visited on the way or traveling on the river.
3. As much as possible we wanted our money to go directly to local people and businesses, not to a national or multinational corporation. Our conversations with Katoo confirmed that this is a local operation with the profits being used to support the reserve.
4. We didn’t want the guide or any staff to feel compelled to hunt down, pester or bait animals for us tourists. During our stay no one pursued or distressed any animals. We saw the animals at the appropriate distance and always in the wild.
5. We wanted to support conservation and help promote an alternative to the habitat destruction and hunting that often occurs in this region. Again our conversations with Katoo confirmed that this is certainly his intention and he is doing all he can to promote this way of life.
6. Finally we wanted to see some awesome animals, plants and unique scenery in an amazing and beautiful place. We got this and much more!
Highly recommended. Thank you.”
Do you write travel reviews? What format do you use?
Sillushani, Peru
Yesterday was our first day in Peru. We decided that instead of rushing off to see the famous reed islands in Lake Titicaca we would have a quiet day on dry land. After pottering around Puno in the morning we took an afternoon tour to visit the pre-Inca tombs at Sillushani.
Encircled by Lake Uyamo close to Puno, Sillushani was an important place for the Colla people, a pre-Incan culture living around Lake Titicaca. The quiet, atmospheric location has examples of 5 different types of chullpa or burial site. Beginning with small below ground plots similar to our modern day graves reaching up-to the 12 metre high whitewashed tower-like chullpas the site is famous for.
The larger towers were created to entomb whole families and have small doors which were used to access the interior. Sadly many of the towers were damaged by grave robbers and lightening so they must now be enjoyed in their reconstructed state. Still it remains an intriguing, mystical place that looked wonderful in the afternoon light.
Salar de Uynui: sunrises, salt and not so scary afterall
Like many people we had read a lot of scary things before we went on our Salar de Uyuni tour.
First of all, you might not even go because the tour operators will lie and you’ll miss the tour. If you are lucky enough to go you’ll find that
the tour drivers are all drunk. If the drivers don’t kill you*, the attitude sickness or the cold will. And if that doesn’t work the food will finish you off. If you do manage to make it through the other people will totally ruin it for you.
Sounds great, right!?
In fact, the majority of online reviews we saw were so full of genuine negativity and cause for concern we were, almost, not going to go. Thankfully some personal recommendations and a handful of wonderful insights drove us to overcome the fear and go for it.
And we are so glad we did.
This sunrise alone could have made the trip. But we had many more opportunities to be thrilled and amazed.
From the vast openness
To unique red lakes
With beautiful flamingos
Rock sculptures
And islands in the salt
So what about those scary things?
Our small group and our driver from Ian Carvell.
Thankfully none were true for us. We had a fantastic time with Cordillera Traveller and our fun group of 12 friendly people from all around the world.
Our driver was quiet but friendly and kind. He was never drunk. He even refused a beer with us at dinner. He drove slowly and thoughtfully. He was a real gent.
The accommodation was shared and basic but clean. No-one was very cold, although we did go in summer. The food was lovingly prepared by our drivers and surprisingly good given the conditions.
Only one lady in our group suffered some altitude sickness but most of us were thankfully fine. We can only think that this was due to acclimatising well in San Pedro, taking our altitude medicine and staying hydrated.
If you’re thinking of going and are concerned about reports you’ve heard please feel free to comment and ask about our experiences. We think if you ask the right questions and choose your tour well you can have an amazing time too.
*I’m not being glib. This has sadly happened more than once on this journey.
South American Sunrises and Sunsets
In the last week or two we have been very lucky to see some stunning South American scenery. Much of it was best enjoyed at dawn and dust.
Sunrises at El Tatio, Chile and the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Sunsets in San Juan, Bolivia and the Atacama Desert, Chile
Somewhere about there 