Ceri’s birthday surprise:    Coming down to the coast:Nazca and Paracas:   We were truly soaked from our trip up to Machu Picchu … train comes to take us to Ollantaytambo… surprise not engineered by me … they had taken Ceri’s birthday from her registration .. et Voila a birthday cake on the train which makes up for a very expensive train ticket !The railway is run as a private enterprise by ‘ Orient Express ‘ all the money goes back to shareholders not Peru … coke the revolution all will change . Ollantaytambo is a beautiful Inca village with preserved walkways and ruins everywhere . Pizarro was beaten here but not for long . We stayed in a delightful small hotel recommended by the Guardian… a real treasure after the tackiness of Aquas Calientes . It was run by a Scottish lady currently in Scotland. We stayed 2 nights drying out and took a collectivo back to Cusco . They are a clever way of travel . They set off at no particular time but wait for it to fill . All works well although I think our driver was a bit nervous as he was treading on someone else’s turf !           Cusco next what a lovely city/ town lots of lovely museums and walks . The rainy season at the moment so quite quiet . Fully acclimatised as we have been at 3,500 plus for 3 weeks or so . Next a night bus to Nazca down to sea level. Millions of hairpins and 14 hours sees us in Nazca . The buses here are more like planes with attendants and regular food , luggage checked in and out and luxury seating . Still sleep is difficult. Nazca lines were amazing from the air … still no one knows what they were for . Lots of theories … now we are in Paracas 300km up the road on the way to Lima . Full on Peruvian resort with lots of people . Lovely boat trip and desert journey to sea wildlife and the Candelabra carved in the sand . It has never rained here …. ever…. the sea is teeming with fish courtesy of the Humbolt current. I had a glorious swim with comorants and pelicans close by . Ceri decided to join me … bad news … unlucky trod on sea urchin . Picked lots out and then lots of minor surgery back in the hotel . We have feasted in Ceviche ( raw fish ) and the G and T of Peru … Pisco Sour . As I write we are waiting for the bus to Lima , with a passion fruit drink … times are hard !

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One thought on “Ceri’s birthday surprise:    Coming down to the coast:Nazca and Paracas:   We were truly soaked from our trip up to Machu Picchu … train comes to take us to Ollantaytambo… surprise not engineered by me … they had taken Ceri’s birthday from her registration .. et Voila a birthday cake on the train which makes up for a very expensive train ticket !The railway is run as a private enterprise by ‘ Orient Express ‘ all the money goes back to shareholders not Peru … coke the revolution all will change . Ollantaytambo is a beautiful Inca village with preserved walkways and ruins everywhere . Pizarro was beaten here but not for long . We stayed in a delightful small hotel recommended by the Guardian… a real treasure after the tackiness of Aquas Calientes . It was run by a Scottish lady currently in Scotland. We stayed 2 nights drying out and took a collectivo back to Cusco . They are a clever way of travel . They set off at no particular time but wait for it to fill . All works well although I think our driver was a bit nervous as he was treading on someone else’s turf !           Cusco next what a lovely city/ town lots of lovely museums and walks . The rainy season at the moment so quite quiet . Fully acclimatised as we have been at 3,500 plus for 3 weeks or so . Next a night bus to Nazca down to sea level. Millions of hairpins and 14 hours sees us in Nazca . The buses here are more like planes with attendants and regular food , luggage checked in and out and luxury seating . Still sleep is difficult. Nazca lines were amazing from the air … still no one knows what they were for . Lots of theories … now we are in Paracas 300km up the road on the way to Lima . Full on Peruvian resort with lots of people . Lovely boat trip and desert journey to sea wildlife and the Candelabra carved in the sand . It has never rained here …. ever…. the sea is teeming with fish courtesy of the Humbolt current. I had a glorious swim with comorants and pelicans close by . Ceri decided to join me … bad news … unlucky trod on sea urchin . Picked lots out and then lots of minor surgery back in the hotel . We have feasted in Ceviche ( raw fish ) and the G and T of Peru … Pisco Sour . As I write we are waiting for the bus to Lima , with a passion fruit drink … times are hard !”

  1. That 14 hours of hairpin bends on a bus involved a couple of trips to the loo. Even getting their was a challenge not to dive onto someone’s lap whilst hanging onto the luggage rack. Then to make a successful attempt meant grabbing every fixture to try and secure some kind of stability. I had visions of being hurled out with my shorts around my ankles at each bend, but thankfully the lock was so firm, that to open it, you had to kick the door really hard like the police do in a drugs raid!

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