Huancavelica turned out to be one of our favourite places so far despite being one of the poorest regions of Peru. We spent three days in this delightful Andean town at 3,800m surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. The eco park and hotsprings were like a little piece of heaven in a Lord of the Rings type setting. At one sol each to get in (about 20p), it was just my kind of spa retreat! We also made a visit to the mercury mines of Santa Barbara or locally known as 'la mina de la muerte' (the mine of death!). It was an eerie place, long since closed, with open graves in the church yard and rusting mining carts. At 4,200m it was cold, rainy and bleak. We also learnt that taxi drivers throughout the world are a bunch of money grabbing con artists (sorry if you are an honest taxi driver!). Having agreed a price of 15 he suddenly decided he wanted 50 soles. Thankfully I only had 20 soles on me so that's all he got. We walked back through the mountains towards Huancavelica along well trodden Andean paths and said hello to a few llamas, alpacas and campesinos. We ambitiously tried a few words of Quechua which returned some warm smiles, Lydia even got a pat on the head from one delightful Andean lady. Unfortunately, on the third night Lydia was suffering from altitude sickness so we got her an oxygen top-up and decided to go to a lower elevation. We planned to board 'el tren macho' the next day to Huancayo at 3,200m. The local joke about the train is that 'it leaves when it wants to and arrives when it can'. This proved to be true when we arrived at the platform for the 5am train and found out that it would not be departing until 2pm. Rather than wait around all day we decided to get a bus, which to our pleasant surprise was only 3 and half hours on nice smooth roads!
We arrived at the highland metropolis of Huancayo to find a busy, modern market town. It is like a half-way point between Lima and Huancavelica where there is still a definite feeling of traditional Andean life but mixed with consumerism and late night bakeries that play jazz music. Suffice to say, the modern hotel and steaming hot shower was a welcome treat. We explored the town and found a hill side zoo a bit like the one in Edinburgh, except some of the conditions the animals were kept in left a bit to be desired. Despite this, there were lots of interesting animals including playful Capuchin monkeys and ninja turtles fighting (slowly!) to get round the heat lamp. As we continued up the hill we discovered a fascinating geological rock forest called 'Torre Torre'. It was like being in Western movie in a miniature Monument Valley.... yee haa!
Onwards to Ayacucho, a 9 hour bus journey through a cactus strewn landscape. Half way through the journey we experienced some of the wonderful randomness of travelling. The bus ground to a halt behind a long queue of stationary lorries and cars and I got out to investigate. Rather than the usual landslide or protest, the hold up was caused by a desert rally race, for which the local police had closed the main road. Fortunately, it was a high octane delay of only 45 minutes and the spectacle seemed to be enjoyed by all. We eventually arrived in Ayacucho, the city of the 'purple soul' and found ourselves quickly settling in to its laid back atmosphere and pretty colonial streets. Ten years ago this place was a no go zone as the terrorist organisation 'The Shining Path' were most active here. There is still a significant police presence in the region today but most of the graffiti we saw said 'No a la violencia' and the place was more about shining boutiques than Shining Paths. We finished off the day sipping on wine on the hostel's roof terrace overlooking this gorgeous city and its 33 chuches (one for every year of Jesus's life). We also indulged in the best pizza we've had in years at Totos Pizzeria... yum yum!
Lydia's 30th birthday wish was to be in Cusco and so we set off on a 20 hour bus journey early on Sunday morning to make it to the 'navel of the earth' on time. We arrived to a soggy Cusco at 5am just as the sun was coming up. We headed to the deserted town centre to look for accommodation and within minutes we were blown away by the monumental Inca stonework mixed with pantiled Spanish colonial buildings. In the artists quarter of the city, San Blas, we found a lovely bohemian hostel set around a verdant colourful courtyard. After an early siesta, we ventured out to Koricancha, an exquisite Inca temple now incorporated into a Spanish church and convent. Koricancha was at the very centre of the Inca empire and when the Spanish conquistadors arrived it was lined with gold and full of animal sculptures made from precious stones. It must have been an incredible sight to behold and we only wish we had brought a time machine with us! We had feared that Cusco would be swarming with tourists but now that it is low season it doesn't seem too bad. We had a great time exploring the old Inca streets with treasures popping up everywhere such as the '12 sided stone'. For Lydia's birthday treat we went to a highly recommended, funky local restaurant called 'Fallen Angel' and indulged in delicious steaks and the best chocolate mousse we've ever tasted. The decor was impressive with unique touches such as tables made from bath tubs with live fish swimming around under a pane of glass. The contemporary art was some of the best we have seen on our travels and the DJ behind the bar kept the old skool trance coming all night long. It was an excellent place to spend Lydia´s birthday.
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