We were picked up bright and early at 6am. It appears that the train journey from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the nearest train station to Machu Picchu) is quite slow leaving Cusco, so many tour companies are driving their customers to Ollantaytambo. The journey was uneventful. In spite of the altitude, we saw considerable agriculture and ranching. Many taxis appear to be covered tricycles with smoky engines, definitely not 'safe at any speed'. Many roofs had ornaments: clay bulls are variously associated with luck and fertility, or warding off evil.
Ollantaytambo lies at an altitude of 9,100 ft (2800 metres). It has been inhabited for over 700 years and has significant archaeological treasures. We had little chance to experience any of it other than the bumpy cobblestone streets and the train station, crammed with vendors and hawkers. We saw a group of back-packers who may have hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, a 33 kilometer trek that typically takes four days.
When it was our turn, we did not actually board a train, but rather a diesel-powered railway carriage that followed the Urubamba River for about 1.5 hours. Vegetation was surprisingly lush, with some ruins tucked up into the hills.
The end of the line was Aguas Calientes, a village at 6560 feet (2020 meters) with few attractions other than being a gateway to Machu Picchu. It had started to rain, so after a cursory check of the train station for anyone looking like a guide holding a sign, we donned heavy weather gear and walked to the bus that climbed the ridge on which Machu Picchu sits at 7,810 feet (2400 meters). We must have looked lost, because we were approached by a guide who tentatively asked for us by name. It turns out the guide had been waiting for us at the train station, and the tour company had been frantically calling around trying to locate us. They dispatched another guide to the entrance of Machu Picchu. All is well that ends well...
We decided to take the bus from Nasca to Cusco. Although a 14-hour trip, it seemed to make more sense than doing a seven hour drive back to Lima, find a hotel for the night and then catch an early morning flight from Lima to Cusco. The 9:30pm bus on which we were confirmed had been cancelled and we were booked on the 11:30pm. 11:30 and then midnight came and went. Staff at the bus terminal locked up and some went home. Fortunately, our bus finally arrived at 30 minutes after midnight. We had opted for the VIP (recliner) seats - finding them in the darkened bus that was aready quite full was a challenge. Fortunately, they were on the lower level. The Cruz del Sur bus was new and quite comfortable, and the ride was uneventful with the exception of one sharp turn that send camera and camera bag flying across the aisle. No apparent damage was done.
The early part of the scenery up into the Andes was similar to what we had seen between Lima and Nasca. As we rose higher, we started to see more green along with settlements and agriculture.
We checked in the Hotel Ruinas, a lovely building not far from the central square of Cusco. Cusco is at 3,400 metres (11,200 feet) above sea level, and we had been warned to watch for altitude sickness. Given that the bus had been heading downhill on the road into Cusco, we had clearly been higher through some of the Andes passes. In general, we felt fine, until we climbed the stairs to our third floor rooms and found ourselves quickly winded.
Cusco, a city of about 300,000 inhabitants, has a European flair, very different from the other cities we visited in Peru. Particularly interesting were the ornately carved balconies.
We managed a few pictures, had supper, met the local G.A.P representative and and decided to make it an early night before tackling Machu Picchu.
We were picked up at 9am and driven to the airport. After a short wait, we walked out to the tarmac to a six-seater Cessna. The pilot reviewed the flight plan, got us settled and secured, then took off. After passing over the valley, the pilot continued on to the plains to the south, following the course of the Pan-American Highway that we travelled the previous day.
To give passengers on both the left and right side of the plane good visibility of the Nasca Lines, the pilot would bank sharply to one side, then turn back and bank to the other side. The figures (or geoglyphs) cannot be appreciated from the ground, due to their size (from a few metres to 30 kilometers). They were sometimes not easily seen from the airplane, even though we were provided a diagram and were told what to look for. From left to right, the figures are:
- astronaut, monkey, dog, condor
- spider, hummingbird, tree, hands (the last two pictures show the viewing stand we saw the previous day)
Early geoglyphs tended to be representative figures, while later glyphs often included geometric shapes and lines. These have been taken as evidence for an extraterrestrial landing site. The Nasca Lines or geoglyphs are believed to have been constructed between 300 BC and 800 AD by the pre-Inca Nasca culture. The Nasca removed the darker surface material, revealing the lighter desert soil underneath, or scratched furrows into the surface up to 30 centimetres deep.
Since the Nasca had no written history and their oral traditions have not survived, the purpose of the geogylphs is open to interpretation. Paul Kosok and Maria Reiche, proposed that the figures and lines represented a giant astronomical calendar. Marie Reiche, whose pictures were prominently displayed at the Nasca Lines Hotel, dedicated her life to uncovering the secret of the Nasca Lines. Researcher Johan Reinhard believes the Nasca Lines were related to water and fertility rituals, pointing to hills and underground sources of water. Unfortunately, none of the hypotheses have sufficient supporting facts.
Our bus to Cusco was not scheduled to leave until 23:30, so we visited the local museum on the outskirts of Nasca. In addition to extensive specimens and information about the archeology of the region (unfortunately all in Spanish), the museum had a model of the aqueduct system that the Nasca constructed to access and channel underground sources of water in an area that often did not get rain.
We arrived safely back to the ship at Valparaiso on Nov. 23rd. It took us a few days to recover from the effects of high altitude and try to get control of the 1,800 pictures we took over the last 5 days. Also, Internet access is increasingly unpredictable - we are quite far south and at the edge of coverage from the satellite that provides services to the ship, and the weather is closing in.
Royal Caribbean had taken our passports in Ft. Lauderdale. After several trips to Guest Relations, they returned our passports the evening of Nov. 22nd. We left the ship at Callao (the port of Lima), exited the port and joined the throng of people trying to find transportation. Fortunately, we located our driver (Mario) and guide (Omar) and started the seven hour drive from Lima to Nasca along the Pan-American Highway, which stretches from Alaska nearly to the tip of Chile.
We passed through a rather bleak landscape of sand dunes and some rock outcroppings. Shanty towns are common, sometimes far from any apparent towns. This desert extends the length of Peru between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes.
The desert was cut through periodically by rivers that allowed vegetation and
agriculture to flourish, such as onions (bagged in the fields) and vineyards. We did see some unusual vehicles: three-wheeled
taxis that based on the exhaust were probably powered by two-stroke
lawn mower engines.
Nasca is in a valley fed by two rivers, the Ingenio and the Tierras Blancas. Along the way, we passed a tower which we later learned was used to view part of the Nasca Lines. An airplane doing an overflight of the lines passed overhead.
We crossed the equator on November 16th around 02:20am Although two people at our table set their alarms for this momentous event, we decided to give it a pass. Based on reports at dinner, there was no visible line in the ocean and no fireworks.
Manta, Ecuador is a relatively small fishing village that is only recently on the cruise ship itinerary. We decided to tour Manta on our own.
After taking a shuttle that dropped us off at the handicraft market (cruising and shopping seem to be inseparable), we headed to the Museo de Banco Central which houses a small exhibit on the Manta culture. We found the spot but not the museum. After some use of sign language with the security guard who knew as much English as we did Spanish, we found that the museum had moved to the other side of where the ship was docked.
We had a great chat with two passengers from Australia on the way to the correct location and had a chance to discuss the differences between two Australia/New Zealand cruises that we were considering. The museum had exhibits on three floors, covering the long history of culture in the area (back to 9000 BC), a display on the fishing industry and artwork from various periods.
Tomorrow we dock at Lima, Peru, where we will be leaving the ship for a five-day independent tour of the Nasca Lines and Machu Picchu, arranged by G.A.P Adventures. We will be offline until we rejoin the ship at Valparaiso on November 23rd. Look for an update on that day or the 24th.
In combination, the first three locks raise the ship 85 feet from the Atlantic to the level of Gatun Lake. Each lock is 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide. At 962 feet by 106 feet, the Radiance of the Seas is a tight fit, with at most 2 feet clearance on either side. The largest ship to transit the Panama Canal was the battleship USS New Jersey - it had only 11 inches to spare.
We sailed through Gatun Lake, weaving between islands where the tropical jungle came right to the water's edge. Gatun Lake covers 163 square miles (425 square kilometers) and requires constant dredging.
We exited the Gatun Lake into the Culebra Cut, a 8.5 mile (13.7 kilometer) channel carved through the shale and rock of the continental divide. Work is underway to widen the channel in preparation for the Panama Canal expansion.
After passing under the Centennial Bridge, we entered the Pedro Miguel lock. The last two pictures give a sense of the distance we dropped.
Lastly, we passed through two Miraflores Locks that lowered us a total of 82 feet to the Pacific. After passing under the Bridge of the Americas, we sailed past Panama City into the Pacific Ocean.
The pictures do not properly express the magnitude of the Panama Canal. Each transit of the Canal requires 50 million gallons of water, one quarter of the daily consumption of Panama City. On average, 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year. Although Panama's heavy rainfall is sufficient to meet current needs, deforestration has reduced the ability of the rain forest to store water during the dry season. The expansion of the Panama Canal started in 2007 that will increase traffic volumes and also support larger ships will incorporate water recycling to reduce the stress on the watershed.
Day 7 was another sea day, which gave us a chance to go through the 467 pictures we took. We also had a 'Welcome Back' party hosted by the captain, but unfortunately did not get a picture - you need to bring your own 'film'. The next port of call is Manta, Ecuador - pictures will be posted tomorrow.
Much of the Old City is well preserved, with no new construction allowed. Below are pictures in and around Plaza de San Pedro Claver, dedicated to the Spanish monk who ministered to African slaves.
Cartagena was followed by another day at sea. We had no success finding a deck chair that was out of the wind and the sun, and decided to hang out in the Solarium. The night turned clear - with luck, we would have nice weather for the transit of the Panama Canal on day 6.
After leaving Ft. Lauderdale the evening of November 9th, we had two days at sea, giving us lots of opportunity to check out the original artwork, shipboard facilities and the enjoy the copious amounts of food available virtually around the clock.
Look for a post tomorrow on our first port of call (Cartagena, Columbia).
