Atsisveikines su rugsciuoju San Francisco, lektuva pakeites Houstone, Peru sostineje atsiduriau velai vakare. Orouosto laukiamajame buriavosi minios zmoniu, rankose - geles ir plakatai kaip kokiam krepsininku sutikime. Limoje nutariau nelikti, nakti erdviame ir moderniame orouoste praleidau bandydamas miegoti, nepavyko, o aplink snaude tuntas vakarieciu.
Anksti ryte trumpas skrydis i Cusco, uz lango - sniegu apkloti kalnai. Juokingas orouostas, t.y. darzine su ansambliu, grojanciu tautines melodijas ir keliomis turizmo agenturomis. Taksu i pagrindine aikste, nezmoniskos viesbuciu kainos,kol randu nebrangu hosteli. Seimininkas, devintis chalata, panasus i gyvenimu nusivylusi don Kichota, aprodo kambari. Jauki vieta, sulipdyta is keletos namuku, kaktusai augantys ant stogu ir siauri, saules sildomi praejimai.
Sunku kvepuoti, maudzia galva, miestas aukstai kalnuose. Naturali medicina - kokos arbata, Peru ir Bolivijoje gali nusipirkti dziovintu lapu ar arbatos puodeli. Miestas - simpatiskas, bet labai turistinis. Moteriskiu ir lamu burys, belaukiantis pinigu uz ´originalia` fotografija, raginimai uzeiti cia, paragauti to, nusipirkti ta.
Vietiniai minimaliai sneka angliskai, retas atvejis, kai susisneki zodziais, o ne gestais. Nemazai zmoniu gatveje devi tautinius drabuzius, pinigu prasineja purvini gatves vaikai, gulineja sunu gaujos. Aplink centrine aikste siulomas brangus vakarietiskas ar vietinis maistas, nuklydus toliau gali pavalgyti uz du eurus. Zmones geranoriski, sypsosi pilna burna ir akimis, ypac girdedami mano nevykusius bandymus susisneketi.
I said goodbye to acid Frisco, changed the plane in Houston and late at night arrived in Lima. Long queues and waiting crowds in arrival hall. I didn`t plan to stay in Peru´s capital so spent a night in modern airport trying to get some sleep. Early morning flight to Cusco watching the mountains covered in snow through the window. Really funny airport, tiny, old,local band playing and few tourist agencies waiting for rich westerners.
Taxi to main plaza, hotels around the place are so expensive, finally found nice and cheap hostel. Cosy and sunny place, cactus growing on the roof, narrow passages to get to the room. Cusco is high in the mountains and it was difficult to breathe.The best natural way to fight high altitude sickness is coca tea.
Mind you it´s nothing to do with coke, you can buy dried coca leaves or order cup of mate de coca anywhere in Peru or Bolivia. Cusco is nice but too touristy, people trying to sell crafts, tours, asking to visit restaurant, etc.
Nobody speaks english, ok maybe few and it was difficult even to order food. Of course round main plaza the restaurants have english menu serving overpriced western or local food. I went further down to cheap place and had a proper meal (I didn`t know what I ordered). Loads of homeless children on the streets, sleeping wild dogs, people are so friendly, all smiles even I couldn´t understand a thing.
Legendinis inku miestas Machu Picchu stukso vos 112 kilometru nuo Cusco. Paprasciausias variantas yra nusipirkti tiesiogini traukinio bilieta pirmyn atgal, kainuojanti daugiau nei simta doleriu. Pigiausias, diena uztrunkantis - autobusu iki Santa Maria, tada taksi iki Hidroelectrica, galu gale traukiniu iki Aquas Calientes, miesteli salia Machu Picchu. Pasirinkes trigubai pigesni varianta, anksti ryte kraciausi nuo salcio autobusu stotyje su kruva tokiu pat taupykliu. Tvarkingas autobusas, nauji pazistami - kiviu pora, keliaujanti jau metus ir prancuzas Sebastien, pora menesiu atostogu paskyres Peru ir Bolivijai. Keliones pradzioje pora triuku atliko magas/komikas, jam surinkus kapeikas uz pasirodyma, estafete pereme trasu pardavejas, kuris daugiau kaip valanda aiskino, kaip supratau, produktu privalumus. Kelias vinguriavo kalnais, as miegojau.
Santa Maria greit pasigavom taksi, vairuotojas siauru keliuku leke kaip Schumacheris, stengiausi neziureti i kaire, kur padangu taskomi zvyro akmenukai krito i gilu tarpekli.
Laiku spejom i traukini (aciu ralistui), kuris pavaziaves atgal pirmyn atgal (apsilimas) vezlio greiciu pajudejo link Aquas Calientes. Pirmame vagone - vietiniai, antrame - turistai, nesupratau ka nuo ko saugojo.
Jau temstant, sunkiai atsiduses traukinys sustojo neidomiam miestuke. Bet kokie pastatai, barai, restoranai, viesbuciai, hosteliai, tiesiog nakvynes vieta. Vakariene pasirenkant viena is menus (menus Peru - sriuba, antras patiekalas ir gerimas) net uz du eurus ir greit miegot, ryte lauke taip mano po Niujorko pamegta eile. Beje, maistas Peru nebrangiose knaipese paprastas ir sotus. Sriuba plysta ryziais, lesiais, bulvemis, makaronais bei darzovemis. Pagrindiniam patiekalui kepa mesos ar zuvies gabala, kuri guldo ant ryziu, keptu bulvyciu ir salotu lovos (taip taip, viskas kartu).
Ancient Inca city Machu Picchu is only 112 kilometres away from Cusco. Easiest way to get there is to buy direct train ticket that costs more than 100 dollars return. Cheapest and long one - six hours bus ride to Santa Maria, taxi from there to Hidroelectrica and finally train ride to Aquas Calientes, little town close next to Machu Picchu. I chose the cheap one (30 dollars return all together). There were few backapckers like me early in the morning at the bus station.
The bus was allright even a magician and salesman did their show at the start of journey. The road going through the mountains is amazing but I just slept.
In Santa Maria me and people I met on the bus - kiwi couple and guy from France Sebastien took the taxi to Hidroelectrica. The driver was mad, the road was so narrow and he was flying. Caught a slow train on time and arrived in Aquas Calientes after dark. The town is nothing special, just a place to eat, drink and sleep. In Peru simple local food is cheap, so called menus (soup, main and drink) costs 2 euros and they put on the plate everything they have - soup full of rice, potatoes, pasta, vegetables, main dish - meat or fish with rice, french fries and salad (all together).
Sebastien, pasiruoses kelionei iki smulkmenu, zinojo, kad norint uzlipti i salia Machu Picchu esanti Vachu Picchu kalna prie iejimo reikia buti gerokai pries sesias (kopti leidzia tik 400 zmoniu per diena).
Pirmieji autobusai is Aquas Calientes pajuda tik prie sesias, tad norint buti pirmajame keturisimtuke reikia eiti pesciomis. Pajudejom ketvirta ryto, tokiais gudruoliais kaip mes knibzdejo visas kelias, t.y. net ne kelias, o siauras takelis aukstyn i kalna. Gerai, kad bendrazygis turejo prozektoriu, nes tamsoje nusiridenti labai lengva. Uzsikabarojom per valanda, pries mus stovinejo, sedinejo koks penkiasdesimt zmoniu, tikslas pasiektas!
Sesta suvaziavo autobusai, eile nusidrieke iki begalybes. Protingi dedes pataria leisti Machu Picchu kasdien aplankyti ne daugiau nei penkiems simtams zmoniu, realiai kiekvienai dienai parduodama daugiau nei pusantro tukstancio bilietu (kompleksas kaip ir brangusis traukinys is Cusco priklauso privaciai kompanijai, kuri melzia aukso versi is visu jegu). Atidarius vartus, lekem uzsideti antspaudus ant bilietu del Vachu Picchu desimtai valandai, o tada ... vel ta nelaiminga vieta, kai reikia kazkaip puikiai ir ypatinai parasyti, o man pompastika niekada nelimpa. Kelioneje maciau keleta neblogu viecikiu, bet Machu Picchu ramiai, valso zingsniu atsiseda i ispudingiausios vietos sosta.
Zmoniu ranku darbo ir didingos gamtos derinys. Zaluma nusidaze kalnai, melynas upes siulas tarpeklio dugne, iki smulkmenu apgalvota statyba be kranu, furu ir euro remonto.
Kopimas i Vachu Picchu visiskas kosmosas, iki negalejimo status ir siauri laipteliai ir kvapa gniauziantys gyvi atvirukai. Pavarges po ilgos, kosmonautisko kopimo dienos, galvojau i Aquas Calientes ridentis zemyn kalnu, bet, gailedamas fotiko, nulipau lipimo budu.
Kita ryta su Sebastien traukinio begiais nukulniavom iki Hidroelectrica, su ta pati kelia pasirinkusiais cilieciais pasigavom taksi iki Santa Maria.
Vairuotojas, isodines pries tai masinoje sedejusia kalnu bobute i bagazine, man paprasius uzleido vietines estrados ir tvarkingai nuvairavo iki tikslo. Santa Maria autobuso i Cusco lauke smagi keliautoju kompanija - brazilai, prancuzai, ispanai.
Dulketam kaimuke teko praleisti tvankia popiete sausas bulkutes uzgeriant Inca Cola (skonis panasus i legendinio limonado Buratinas).
Vakare, pasiekus Cusco su Sebastien pasikeitem emailo adresais, jis liko nakvot, as nusipirkau bilieta tam paciam vakarui vaziuoti i Puno, miesta salia Bolivijos sienos. Isedau i neteisinga autobusa (atbego mergaite is agenturos saukdama Valentinos Valentinos, kad ne ten sedziu), galu gale su vietiniu kolektyvu isitaisiau tinkame. Peru, spaudziamas laiko, praleidau vos kelias dienas, bet tiksliai zinau, kad cia dar grisiu.
Sebastien was prepared for holidays and knew that if you want to climb Vachu Picchu, the mountain next to Machu Picchu site you need to be at the entrance gates way before six (only 400 people per day are allowed to climb). The buses leave Aquas Calientes just before six so we left the hostel at four in a morning to get to the gates by walk. You have to climb the mountain to do it and the path is really narrow. Anyways it was like highway, so many people wanted to be there first. We were quick and managed to get in to top fifty! When the buses started arriving, queu became massive. Machu Picchu site and the expensive train from Cusco belongs to the same private company and they sell more than 1500 tickets everyday.
Golden cash cow is milked to extreme, it is recommended to let into the site no more then five hundred visitors everyday but who cares. Now I can say that Machu Picchu is the most amazing place I´ve been to. The mountains covered in forest around and the stone buildings mix so perfectly.
Inca built it many moons ago taking into consideration the natural suroundings, now half of the forest would be cut down and hills destroyed. So once again I`m thinking that even baby Jesus would love it-)
Climbing to Vachu Picchu was an icing on the cake, the path and the views are breathtaking and by the end of the day I was exhausted.
Next morning we walked to Hidroelectrica, caught a taxi to Santa Maria, dusty village where we had to wait few hours for a bus to Cusco.
Sebastien stayed there and I bought a ticket to Puno for the same night. First I got to the wrong bus and was saved by the girl form agency who came to help shouting Valentinos Valentinos, finally the correct bus with only local faces arround. I spent only few days in Peru but I know I´ll be back.
Copacabana & Isla del Sol
Bolivijoje labai salta, vakarais ir anksti ryte tenka issitraukti graziausia pasaulyje striuke. Puno sedau i turistu prikimsta autobusa ir po poros valandu perejau siena. Vargingiausia Pietu Amerikos salis pasitiko neteisingai susiuta Lietuvos veliava ir vienu is daugelio paradu, kuriame zygiavo nuo maziausio iki storiausio.
Trumpas kelias mikruskeje iki Copacabanos, kur lauke nemaloni staigmena. Miestelis svente eiline religine svente ir pigesnes nakvynes vietos teko ieskoti ilgai. Siule viesbucius uz daugybe pinigu, pagaliau suradau nebrangia vietele iskilmingu pavadinimu Residencia Copacabana. Miniatiurine mociute registraturoj aiskino ir pasakojo daugybe dalyku, as, tarsi suprasdamas, pritariau si si. Teisinga bobute, kai nebuvo zmoniu aplink, visada sedejo po didziuliu lietsargiu kitoje gatves puseje, rukydama taboka. Cobacabana - labai religingas miestelis, butent ta savaitgali supludo tukstanciai zmoniu, kurie kope i sventa Calvario kalna, dalinosi alaus stikline, dumijo religingus dumus, saude petardas, bure is svino, pirko ir pardavinejo ivairu slamsta, bazilikoje garsiakalbiai kvykavo popsa, kunigai sventino masinas (vadinamoji challa).
Kita ryta Titikaka ezero bangomis, padedamas leciausio katerio zemyne, pasiekiau Saules sala. Fantastiska vieta, svarbi inku kulturai, pilna griuvesiu. Deja, uzsiziopsojes praleidau Saules sventykla, o atgal grizti nebebuvo laiko.
Vakare eilinis paradas Copacabanoje, vietiniai labai rimtai ziuri i zygiavimo tiksluma. Musamieji, puciamieji, kaimo Mis ant fotelio, virvemis pritvirtinto prie sunkvezimio stogo, zaislinis tankas, saugomas paaugliu kareiviu. Pietu Amerika - nereali, ryskios spalvos, bardakas, dulkes ir triuksmas. Copacabana isikurusi 3810 metru virs juros lygio, galva plyso abi dienas, todel su palengvejimu sedau i autobusa, judanti link La Paz, auksciausios pasaulyje sostines tik 3,5 kilometru aukstyje.
When the sun it´s out it´s really cold in Bolivia. It was freezing in Puno where I changed the bus to get to the border. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America but Copacabana, the first stop there, suprised me with accomodation prices. Religious festival took the place that weekend and the town was overcrowded. I found affordable place, the landlady was really cool explaining everything in spanish and me repeating si si. Copacabana is religious town and people from all over Bolivia come here to climb Calvario hill, visit famous basilica or drive the cars to be blessed (so called challa).
Next morning I went to the island of Sun on lake Titicaca. Beautiful, relaxed, take it easy place. Main attraction - Inca´s Temple of the Sun I managed to miss. Oh well everybody who were there can say they saw a temple but I´m only one and special who didn´t.
Few hours hike cross the island, the boat back to mainland where parade was in full swing. Bolivians love to march, it was like fiesta all the time but I was happy to leave Copacabana, it´s 3810 metres above sea level and my head was exploding all the time there (mate de coca didn´t help).
La Paz & Tiwanacu
Norint patekti i sostine, reikia keltis Titikaka ezeru, penkios minutes keleiviu kateriu, dvigubai ilgiau autobusui.
Prabeganciuose kaimukuose vietiniai zygiavo arba stebejo parada (hostelyje La Paze paaiskino, kad jie taip svencia nepriklausomybes diena, visa savaite). Dulketi ir nusmurge priemiesciai, su pakeleivemis japonemis pasigavom taksi i centra, viena, prisiskaicius Lonely Planet, klause taksisto ar jis legalus? Bolivietis nusijuokes isodino i suklerusia masina ir po keliu minuciu mes jau pagrindineje, San Francisco katedros aiksteje. Surades hosteli is anksto, sunkiai prasibroviau pro minia, pagrindinis paradas kaip tik zygiavo toje gatveje, kur planavau apsistoti.
Zmones - labai draugiski, siulesi padeti, aiskino kaip geriau praeiti. La Paz turi sarmo, centras - vietomis nuskures, kitur primena provincialu Europos miesta su vakarietiskomis kavinemis ir nutukusiais lopais dzipuose. Nesibaigiantis turgus gatvese ir vel nerealios spalvos. Eisma reguliuoja zebrai ir klounai, prastesnese gatvese nera jokiu sviesaforu ir judejimas primena Indijos bardaka.
Pigu, bet menkiausia smulkmena, pagaminta ne Bolivijoje, kaip duso zele ar uzrasu sasiuvinys kainuoja daugiau nei Europoje. Daugybe aiksciu (vadinamu plazu), kur kaulus sildo diedukai, rankomis sukamose karulese krykstauja vaikai.
Viena diena paskyriau isvykai i Tiwanacu. Takse i autobusu stoti prasedejau valanda (jie vis dar zygiavo). La Paz 80 procentu transporto priemoniu - taksi, mikruskes, antikvariniai Dodge autobusai.
Triuksmas, pypsejimas, keiksmai, bet nei vienos avarijos aplink. Tiwanacu civilizacija amziumi lenkia net inkus. Deja, dauguma plytu senai senai istampe kaimieciai namu ir baznycios statybai. Dabar bolivieciai bando atkurti tai kas buvo, bet man pasirode, kad tai daugiau turistu masalas. Nebent kazkas rimtai domisi senomis civilizacijomis.
Siaip slampinejau miesto gatvemis, troskuli malsindamas ka tik ispaustomis apelsinu sultimis, ragaudamas visokius skanestus (labai populiaru zele su grietinele vienkartinese stiklinese). Ponai ir ponios pasipuose, bet kaip ir Peru nesimpatiski. Didziulis skirtumas tarp vargsu ir turtinguju, apsauginiai ir policininkai ant kiekvieno kampo geruose rajonuose, vos keletas varginguose.
Viena nakti sapne su kazkuo gincijausi koks sautuvas geresnis. Sapno priezastis - policininkai, saugantys bankus ir vyriausybes pastatus, su nezmonisko dydzio saudyklemis. Jei pareigunas pataikytu i galva, pazeideja tektu atpazinti tik pagal pirstu antspaudus. Hostelis, kuriame miegojau, totali nesamone - airiskas baras antrame aukste ir lakimas kiekviena nakti, beklausant tos pacios muzikos, begeriant ta pati alu ir bendraujant su tais paciais zmonemis kaip ir namuose. Nesuprantu, kam tada skristi tukstancius kilometru. As, nemokedamas ispanu, buvau priverstas apsistoti ten, kad susirinkti info ir neklaidzioti po La Paz. Bet galvoje surezgiau plana chuligana, kuris pades nors siek tiek pramokti kalba-)
La Paz is the highest capital in the world at 3,5 km above sea level, to get there from Copacabana you need to cross Titicaca lake, fast boat for passengers, slow one for a bus.
Every village on the way had a parade, they celebrated independence day for a week, that´s the spirit! The suburbs of capital are dusty and poor, city centre in some places reminds any provincial town in Europe.
People are friendly, offering help to find a place you are looking for, of course in spanish. Enormous difference between rich and poor, policemen and security on every corner in rich neighborhoods, only few around in poor ones. I had a dream I was arguing with somebody which gun is better. I saw so many policemen with different size guns last few days. Food is cheap but anything not made in Bolivia like shower gel or note book cost more than back home.
I went for a day to Tiwanacu, the txi ride to bus station took an hour because of the parade. 80 percent of auto on the streets are taxis, minibuses, vintage Dodge buses. Tiwanacu civilization predates even Inca but the site wasn´t impressive. I think it´s more like tourist tarp or you have to be into old civilizations and archeology. Bolivians trying to rebuild it but that doesn´t make any sense.
La Paz is cool, colourful, noisy, dusty, the markets on every street, cozy plazas where old and young enjoying the sun. Stayed in the hostel with irish pub on the second floor. Mind you only to get info in english cause I see no sense to travel thousand miles and after listen to same music, drink same beer and talk to same people as back home. Anyways I have a plan how to learn a little of spanish-)
No comments:
Post a Comment