Back With A Bang (Part 2 of 2)💥

Having given my loved ones a proverbial heart-attack, there was no better way to calm the senses than collect the campervan (which had been quietly stored away in a garage in La Paz) and continue on our journey towards Cusco in Peru. The first-leg of this adventure started immediately after leaving the clinic with one of the worst traffic-jams I have ever been apart of, as we attempted to leave La Paz for Copacabana. The city planners were obviously on holidays the day the road out of the city at El Alto was conceived. I jest, but really do feel for the locals who have to live with such chaos, stress and governmental failure day-in-day-out. Thankfully driver, passengers and our long-suffering campervan all obliged and got us safely to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. The lake is the highest navigable waterway in the world, and the largest in South America. Unfortunately due to my medical detour, we could only stay one night there.  A lovely town itself, we enjoyed a gentle stroll around the centre of Copacabana and along the lakes edge before heading to the Peruvian border and our next stop – the Uros Islands.

Border crossings in South America with a vehicle never lack entertainment. It may not be the type we hope for, but they rarely seem to disappoint. Recent first-hand evidence was fresh in the mind after our aborted entry to Bolivia about a month previously. Having successfully crossed 6 borders with the vehicle documentation we had, the Bolivian “Aduana” or “Customs” had refused our vehicle entry until we presented a separate original document. An 11-day wait ensued as we had the document sent from Europe before we could proceed. All fun in love and border crossings it seems…

Thankfully the officials entering Peru were content with our array of documentation, albeit the whole border process had taken well over two hours. Definitely not what visiting parents from Europe’s Schengen countries are used to.

Our arrival to the Uros Islands, located on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, was very welcome. The islands are an incredible testament to the local Uros community. To protect themselves from invaders, they built mobile islands from the endemic totora plants that grown on the lake. These floating islands are nowadays home to hundreds of locals, making a living mostly via tourism. Our host Delia was an incredibly kind, good-spirited and genuine lady, raising her family the only way she knew how. We spent a fantastic couple of days exploring the Uros community (via local boats of course), eating delicious local food, and hudddling around the heater in our rooms (yes it does get extremely cold at night on Lake Titicaca)!!

Our journey then continued north as we honed in on Cusco and all its modern traveler comforts. Before we could get there however, we had a couple of long driving days and overnight stops ahead of us. Our first destination was Ayaviri, a small town located nearly 4,000m above sea-level. The Incas conquered the town over 500 years ago, however they did not have 7.2 metre long campervans in mind when they designed the roads. Having driven all day, we arrived just at dusk and spent the next hour trying to navigate the streets to access our centrally located AirBnB. Eventually, an SoS call was placed to our hosts who kindly came and escorted us and our vehicle to our resting post. Having eaten, slept and eaten again, we strolled through the town the next morning, enjoying the sights and even playing a 3 generational game of “tip-the-can” in the main plaza. We were entranced to later see a local religious parade which seemed to spring up out of nowhere. After 8 months traveling, we continue to be amazed by the devotion South American’s show towards their religion.

After leaving Ayaviri, we set our sights on Sicuani, a bigger town set on the banks of the Urubamba River (a tributary of the Amazon River). First impressions of the town were not that positive, as the road leading to our hotel was completely dug-up and mud-covered. Leaving the vehicle on the main road, we went and asked the hotel staff where we could park our not-so-conspicuous vehicle. The cheerful all-in-one receptionist/security guard/chef duly informed us that we could and should drive right up the mud road, park the vehicle in front of reception, and check ourselves in. We took great confidence in her confidence, and duly proceeded to cover our campervan in Peru’s finest mud! To be fair, the lady of many talents and job-titles was true to her word, the campervan was fine and her cooked breakfast the next morning was very well received!

Arrival to Cusco was slow but felt like a weight off my back as we arrived. The final 30km drive took over 2 hours in heavy traffic as we approached Cusco, but that mattered little as we pulled into the campsite where we would leave the campervan for the duration of my parents visit. This was certainly a milestone that we had for our overall trip, so we celebrated in style in beautiful Cusco that night. Over the next week we visited Inca museums and temples, cathedrals, art galleries, chocolate factories, amazing restaurants and shops showcasing the talents of the local people. We had the privilege of visiting the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu and the magical mountains that surround it. We also enjoyed staying in the nearby town Aguas Calientes, which serves as a base for the thousands who flock to Machu Picchu each day.

For better or worse, Cusco and its surrounding areas are not La Paz. I can only imagine how challenging these differences must have been for our visitors (I know we felt it ourselves). Having them with us during these few weeks was invaluable. They helped make a really difficult situation much less so with their kindness, good-nature and positivity. For this we are extremely grateful.

Goodbyes are never easy when you are saying “adios” to those you love. When there is no fixed date set for the subsequent encounter it makes it all the more difficult. However we take great comfort in knowing that we have family who love us unconditionally and are there for us however and whenever we may need. Better to say “hasta luego” or “see you later” so with a very big smile…🙂🙂

Click here to read the “A Land Of Many Challenges” blog post