i was almost robbed of my time

13 to 14 March 2005

Other travellers had warned us. Ronan has told us about his experience with watch-snatchers in Lima. Little did I expect to almost have my watch snatched away just 10 minutes upon arriving in Lima. It was a scary encounter. And luckily my watch strap held, although I was shaken.

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My sketch of the Nazca tower and a postcard of Lima. 

These are toy Peruvian currency. 

My interpretation of the mud-works of Chan Chan. 

rain worshipping in Machu Picchu to lines spotting in Nazca

10 to 12 March 2005

It’s so sad to be in Machu Picchu and not trekked the Inca Trail. It’s so sad to be in Nazca and not flew over the Nazca Lines.

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My drawing of Machu Picchu from the postcard spot. It was a cloudy, rainy day. 

Then it was a rocky bus ride to Nazca. So rocky that Ling puked
on the bus. 

So no flight to see the Lines. Just spotting from a tower. 

the puzzling Lake Titicaca and Cuzco

06 to 09 March 2005

At Puno, is Lake Titicaca. It’s a monster-sized lake 3820 metres above sea level. And in the lake, floating islands made of reeds. On these islands, villages. Strange but true. Cuzco’s Inca-built stone-works buildings with blocks that resemble jigsaw puzzle pieces are truely amazingly strange too. How did these ancient people build all these without metal equipment?

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Totora reeds. My sketch of a reed boat and a Cuzco wall. And the emboss of a puzzle I bought. 

getting high in Arequipa

02 to 05 March 2005

Then we went on a two day minibus tour of the Colca Valley and Canyon. Arequipa to Chivay to Cruz del Condor to Arequipa. The highest point we passed was at Patapampa, 4800 metres above sea level. But it was still not as high as what I did after returning to Arequipa – a day of climbing and bouldering. Five top-rope routes and some traverse bouldering. Travelling should be more like this.

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On the left, the label of the popular Peruvian soft drink – Inca Kola.
A cyber yellow-green liquid. On the right, the map of the two-day tour.

Altitude sickness? Try coca leaf tea. Or lemon sweets.

Climbing. Need I say more?

And then, Puno. Those are the bus ticket and lugguage tag.

book three, the final leg

01 March 2005

I finished my second journal and started the third as we arrived in Arequipa, Peru. At 2363m above sea level, this beautiful city was built from light-coloured volcanic rock called sillar.

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The cover of book three.

‘Hablo poquito espanol.’ I speak a tiny tiny tiny bit of Spanish.

The first calendar of Book Three, March 2005.

My sketch of Arequipa from Restaurant Coka.