Jose Luis talks about Lake Titicaca

Hello to you all. In order to again attempt to try and diversify this blog I’ve decided to publish an entry written by CAT’s Marketing and Communications Officer Jose Luis Pastor. Jose Luis is our very own Peruvian man of mystery, and being a well accomplished travel enthusiast, we here at CAT are always eager to hear his latest take on South America’s numerous travel destinations. He recently traveled to Puno and Lake Titicaca, and – like so many others – came back raving about the place. He wrote the following piece about the area which I found to be fantastic. I hope you guys find it to be as useful and informative as I did.

– Bart!

Jose Luis talks about Lake Titicaca

On my last trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca the increase in quality and quantity of lake side accommodation impressed me – as well as how Puno’s ever-friendly people are doing such an incredible job in maintaining a level of sustainability whereby both culture and environment benefit from tourism. As you may know, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and is usually included in tour programs as a complement to Cusco and Machu Picchu; Puno and Titicaca however are much more than just that.

Steeped in legend, the lake is said to be the birthplace of the Inca – they say that the children of the Sun and Moon were sent out to found the empire from its waters. With a mysterious past, the area has its own mystic personality and appeal. And looking out over the majestically blue waters of the Lake you can feel it. Less than an hour from Puno in a comfortable boat, one arrives at the Floating Islands of Uros. A seemingly odd miracle of ancient invention, the Islands of Uros are in fact manmade – having been put together by tortora reeds in ages past. The ingenuity of the islanders never ceases to amaze me – they have their own schools, markets and even their own mayor. It is an extraordinary culture that flourishes on an absolute marvel of ancient engineering.

The Uros however, are just the entry way to the wildly diverse and beautiful universe that makes up Lake Titicaca and her culture. There is Taquile Island, which is filled with quaint island houses and cobble stone streets. There is the island of Amantani, where a local family took me in and where I got to wonder at Pre Incan temples dedicated to the earth’s fertility. And finally there is Suasi Island; an island shrouded in mythology and filled with friendly faces willing to tell you something about their ancient past. Everything about Titicaca is commendable and after traveling on its mysterious waters I am always comforted and awed by the beauty of Peru. Titicaca is fantastical and if you get the chance to go, I must recommend it.

- Jose Luis

Information on Lake Titicaca

If you’re traveling to Lake Titicaca – then the best time of the year to travel there is between May through to October when warm day time temperatures are coupled with mildly cold evenings. The seminal event on the region’s calendar is the Festival of the Virgin of Candelaria. Celebrated for 18 days in February, Puno transforms itself into the folklore capital of the country. On the main day of the festival, the Virgin is led through the city in a colorful procession that includes both Christian and pagan icons, while troupes of musicians and dancers take to the streets, performing and dancing throughout the city.

If traveling to the region it is highly recommendable that one spends an evening on either of the Islands of Suasi, Amantani, or Taquile. All are distinctive and unforgettable and make a trip to the area very well worth while. For more information on Puno and traveling to the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca please visit - http://www.cat-travel.com/peru-tour-15-machu-pichu-cusco-titicaca.asp.

Until next time - take it easy and keep on traveling.

Bart
http://bart-cat-travel.blogspot.com
http://www.cat-travel.com

The Hacienda Cantayo

While in Peru recently I was offered the opportunity of spending a weekend away from Lima down south in the Hacienda Cantayo. I’d heard great stories about this enchanting hotel located on the outskirts of Nazca, and so naturally I jumped on the invitation. Owing to the famous and mysterious Geogylphic Lines located on the plains outside the town, Nazca has grown to be rather popular with tourists and hotels have been sprouting up around the area ever since I started working in Peru. Of all the hotels in the area however, the Hacienda Cantayo is easily the finest. Besides being exceptionally comfortable, it has a number of subtle charms that give it a distinctive and noteworthy character. So remarkable in fact is this little hacienda that I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s blog entry to its review.

Now, a few of you may remember an article I wrote a few months back regarding flying from Lima to Ica and on to a flight over the lines before returning back to Lima the same day. While this is still a very credible travel option and highly recommendable for those pressed for time, the Hacienda Cantayo makes the long and tedious bus ride very worth your while.

Surrounded by the ubiquity of the Nazca plains, the Hacienda’s lackluster surrounding only adds to its charm. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to claim the hotel is perfect because it’s not. Like most places it does have its flaws. Where the Cantayo however excels is in its seemingly inane ability to put all its guests at complete ease. I don’t know whether this is due in some part to its old world charisma, lavish comforts, or because of its oasis-like setting; but upon walking through the Hacienda’s heavy hardwood gates a sense of tranquility melts you over. Something about the white washed walls and the fresh scent of bougainvillea put one at complete ease; it’s an oddly comforting experience and feels strangely like déjà vu or maybe a dream.

Whatever the reasons it became immediately apparent to me that the hotel was a little more special than I’d been told. Arriving at dusk I ambled through the outer corridors as I was shown to my room. I don’t know if this is just me – but a hotel room without a television is something I’ve come to greatly admire. Traveling half way around the world to sit and watch your favorite television shows just seems crass and unimaginative to me. There is no room for that kind of behavior at the Cantayo; the rooms, while very comfortable, are sparsely decorated and functional. The idea I imagine is that – unless bathing, relaxing, or romanticizing – the Hacienda’s rooms essentially cater for sleeping purposes. All other activities can be done elsewhere.

Following a look around my room I ventured out briefly onto the grounds. I couldn’t see very much of the gardens as the sun had already set by this time. It seemed peaceful enough though and as I walked out further passing over a few fences I could quite literally feel my stress levels decreasing – that was until I tripped over an ostrich. It was quite possibly the last thing I’d been expecting to find in Peru, let alone trip over. The Hacienda Cantayo actually has a whole flock of Ostriches (kept behind a fence ofcourse), and after the poor bird and I had finished screaming at each other in dumb founded shock, I noticed that Giant African birds were not the only animals the Hacienda includes within its sanctuary. Llamas, alpacas, horses, monkeys and an array or other animals live in a sectored off corner of the grounds. By day they’re a fantastic diversion for the kids, and at night a bit of a hazard for those silly enough to walk into their living area.

I returned to the Hacienda and bee-lined for the bar needing a little something to dull both the shock of just having met the world’s largest bird, and the pain from having tripped over it. The barmen cooked up a magnificent pisco sour and by the time my food had arrived I’d settled down substantially and was falling back into the tranquil hacienda groove. The food was much better than I’d expected – a prime cut of Argentinean beef cooked to perfection in the Peruvian desert. The restaurant itself has a great hacienda-like vibe to it, and with saddles on the wall and a welcoming fireplace with some comfortable looking sofas I felt very much at home.

Being close to the Nazca Lines, tours run straight from the hotel directly to the airport – where passengers board a light aircraft for their flight over the lines. I’ve flown over the lines enough times in the past to know them fairly well. They still however hold a lot of attraction and I never get bored seeing them again. Following the flight I returned to lodge and spent the rest of the day lounging by the hotel’s phenomenal swimming pool. I believe this swimming pool has actually featured on the cover of guidebooks. However, it’s not the sprawling pool waters as much as the giant ficus tree that towers above it that serves as the main attraction. I spent the better part of an afternoon lounging about beneath this amazing tree while enjoying both the clear blue water and the hotel’s excellent pool side service.

The Hacienda Cantayo really is the perfect getaway for anyone traveling to Nazca. A world within a world, the Cantayo serves as a sanctuary and provides the type of comfort and service you’d expect from a hotel in a 19^th century novel. I was sad to leave on a Sunday after breakfast and as I made my way back to Lima it began to dawn on me how the Cantayo could just be one of the best hotel finds in the country. I think I may be heading back there soon and strongly encourage anyone traveling to Nazca to consider staying in this fine establishment.

All the best to you travelers

www.cat-travel.com

Bart

Matilde Talks about the Inca Trail

Good day everyone. In order to diversify some of the travel views and opinions brought forward in this blog I decided to begin posting a few travel insights and chronicles written by some professional travelers who work with me in Class Adventure Travel. For this first entry I would like to introduce Matilde Miranda. Matilde was recently promoted to Regional Manager for Peru and Bolivia in our company. After 4 short years of outstanding performance (she began as a trainee back in 2003) she will now be in charge of ensuring that all clients traveling through our company to Peru and Bolivia will be kept in the very best of hands. Matilde is incredibly dedicated, has a great work ethic and a charming personality, and will no doubt be exceptional in her new role. Matilde recently wrote about the following piece about the Inca Trail which I found it to be both informative and creative. I hope you all enjoy it and find her advice about the trail useful. – Bart!!

Matilde talks about the Inca Trail

As ancient as the mysterious ruins that lay at its end, the Inca Trail was originally created as a passage for the high priests and Inca royalty between Cusco and Machu Picchu. I suppose I was a little apprehensive and yes – slightly intrepid – upon arriving at the start of the Inca Trail for the first time. The flashy backpacks, outfits, experienced guides, and the seemingly endless mountain path that stretched out before me, all made me wonder whether I’d been foolish to think I’d be able to finish the trail. It was however exciting; and with low cloud cover and something electric in the air, we set off for what would be a four day trek to the lost citadel of Machu Picchu.

The trail begins harmlessly enough, and with high spirits you pass along the shores of the mighty Urubamba River before the rough Andean landscape slowly gives way to a progressively more jungle-like environment. Inca Ruins mark the way, and as the trail continues these ruins increase in frequency, size, and what I like to refer to as ‘jaw slackening wonder’. While a lot of bonding is done with the group both on the trail and in the campsites, I also found it to be a deeply spiritual experience where I was able to set my own pace and get in touch with myself.

It isn’t that easy either, but on the morning of the fourth day on the trail we rose early in order to arrive at Machu Picchu a little before sunrise. As an early morning bright-orange-sun rose above a misty Machu Picchu, tears quite literally filled my eyes. Neither words nor photographs will ever be able to capture the beauty of that site and the wonder of that moment. It is simply extraordinarily. And I had done it; the hard work, dirt and sweat were all worth it. I was on top of the world looking down on one of her more awesome sights. I knew then that not only was I able to complete the Inca trail, but that I would quite likely be there to complete it again soon.

Information on the Inca Trail

If you’re interested in doing the Inca trail then one should make reservations at least two months in advance as the Peruvian government only permits 500 people to head out on the trail daily. The best time to visit the area – and undertake the trail is between April and November as there is far less rain during this period. If however, you don’t mind a bit of rain and enjoy a little more solitude during your hike then you may prefer to undertake the trail outside of this period. For more information on the trail and other hikes in the area you can visit – http://www.cat-travel.com/peru_tour_inca_trail.asp.

www.cat-travel.com

http://bart-cat-travel.blogspot.com/

New Bridge to be Opened to Machu Picchu

Good day fellow travelers. As I am sure some of you already aware, a new bridge is about to be opened near the base of Machu Picchu. I thought I’d address this issue in my latest blog entry and ask what exactly it is this bridge will do for the region, what implications the bridge has for Peru’s most sacred site, and what can we do about it?

Sometime back I heard that the mayor (now former mayor) of Santa Teresa – a small town less than a stone’s throw away from Machu Picchu – was planning to have a bridge built crossing the Vilcanota River. This bridge will be inaugurated in February. As I began to wonder about the implications this bridge might have on Machu Picchu and tourism in the region, a storm of arguments arose in the international media regarding the issue. On the one hand people argue that the bridge has the potential of so over-crowding Machu Picchu with tourists that both the hallowed ruins and regional ecology will be destroyed; on the other hand people are arguing that the residents of Santa Teresa – long cut off from the rest of the world – deserve a bridge with which they can more easily reach Cusco and make a living. In Peru the dispute over the bridge is very heated, and so with this blog entry I thought I’d attempt to tackle the problem in order to hopefully shed more light on it for those of you who are interested.

Traditionally there has only been one way to reach Machu Picchu, that being by taking the train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the town closest to Machu Picchu. In reality there is another way – through Santa Teresa – but in order to get there one has to travel over a network of very nasty roads. The 20 or so hour drive from Cusco to Santa Teresa leads through jungle swamps and over cliff faces with drops so unimaginably high that sky diving aerialists would shudder in fear. This route has been the only road the residents of Santa Teresa have been able to use to take their produce to Cusco. One does however need to take into account the wider repercussions the bridge could have on the ruins, the region, and even the country as a whole.

The base concern presented against building the bridge is that it will bring in such an influx of tourists that both the ruins and ecology of the region could be badly damaged. Remember that one of the major sources of Peruvian income is tourism, and a that the major source of Peruvian tourism is Machu Picchu.

The price of crossing this bridge on a bus from Cusco is estimated to cost somewhere in the region of four US dollars. Anyone who has ever been to Machu Picchu will know how much of a price cut this is on the train ticket. The amount of people traveling to the ruins is estimated to shoot through the roof with figures this low. The development of a new tourist infrastructure needed to cope with such an influx of tourists in the area would of course also be hugely detrimental for the ecology of the surrounding area, as well as for the ruins themselves. And so understandably many environmentalists/cultural activists are calling for the bridge to be closed – perhaps even destroyed.

Machu Picchu currently receives over 4000 tourists a day, that’s just shy of 1,500 000 tourists a year. It is hardly a wonder that UNESCO is currently in the process of changing their classification of Machu Picchu to an Endangered World Heritage site. The UN group is in fact at the moment engaged in talks with the government that would have them drop the number of tourists permitted to enter the site from 4,000 to 2,500. If anything this shows how dire the problem already is. With the new bridge however, the number of visitors could likely so overly surpass the current levels of tourists visiting Machu Picchu that the ruins may quite likely disappear, making the many efforts that people have made towards their preservation futile.

Another argument against the construction of the bridge is that it provides a much shorter route for local Coca Farmers to transport both coca paste and cocaine to urban areas, from where it is transported and shipped overseas. Still, some people argue that a more accessible road to open up this region would hardly make the transport of drugs easier, but would more likely make it harder as police and military would be able to make their presence more felt in the area.

And so this is how it stands. On the one hand we have a national treasure that is under threat, and on the other we have a group of people who are effectively being denied the right to an easier way of life. It’s a tough argument and both sides have their points. I would of course choose to preserve Machu Picchu at all costs, but there’s also the real need of a community trying to develop itself in order to better the lifestyle of its people. So I guess a compromise between the two arguments would be the best result of this dilemma – a compromise I have heard a few people talking about already.

One feasible solution would be to open the bridge and disallow tourists the right to cross it. This would benefit both the people of Santa Teresa and the majestic ruins themselves. This approach would however also deny those who would be otherwise unable to afford getting to the ruins a chance to see them.

Obviously losing Machu Picchu is a nightmare Peru will never actually allow – the country relies too much upon it economically. What is worrying however, is how long it will take to put the effective wheels into place that will advert this tragedy. If it takes too long, how much of an impact will have already been made?

It is a complex situation with many differing arguments and points of view. Please take my points of view and opinions as they are – a means with which to more clearly envision the depth of what could be a difficult situation for Peruvians and travelers alike. For those interested in finding out more I suggest you look into the following websites:

• Convención - www.laconvencion.com (Spanish), an environmental group dedicated to cultural and ecological preservation
• Prom Peru -http://www.peru.info/perueng.asp, for news about tourism in Peru
• Peruvian Ministry of Tourism http://www.mincetur.gob.pe/index_f.asp?cont=1240602
• My own company’s tour to Machu Picchu - http://www.cat-travel.com/peru-tour-16-machu-pichu-cusco.asp

I hope that some of you may have found this helpful and interesting. If anyone out there has a point of view regarding the situation please feel free to post a comment and we can further discuss it.

To all you travelers out there – Keep on discovering!

Bart

www.cat-travel.com

The Nazca Lines and Back to Lima in One Day

Good day again to you all and a very happy and belated new year! I wish you all the very best for the year and hope that you all manage to get out and travel to some extraordinary places in 2007. It has been sometime since my last post – and this is mostly due to the fact that we’ve been busy working on the new class adventure travel website – www.cat-travel.com. It is also partly due to the fact that my family and I have spent a lot of time traveling around Latin America looking out for new tours, destinations, and new offices for CAT – in such places as Chile and Costa Rica. My first entry for the year however concerns itself with the Nazca Lines and how getting there, seeing the awesome sight of the lines, and getting back to Lima can now be done in one day.

Approximately 2000 years ago the Nazca Culture – for one reason or another (the theories are endless) – decided it would be in their best interest to carve giant geometric designs, patterns, and stylized animal figures into the surface of a rather flat, inhospitable, and barren plain. Whether in fact the Nazca people created the lines to appease the gods, or whether they made them simply in order to confuse us is largely immaterial, especially as the reasons behind their creation have been debated for so long that any hope of finding a concrete explanation for their existence seems to have disappeared. What hasn’t disappeared however, are the lines – and after 2000 years they are as resplendent, mind boggling, and impressive as ever.

The town of Nazca lies about 450 kilometers south of Lima and the amazing geoglyphs, located on the plateau outside of town never fail to dazzle me. What does annoy me is that if you’re on a limited time frame it’s a difficult site to see. Traditionally one has always had to take a bus from Lima to Nazca which takes roughly seven hours. It actually took me nine hours to get there by bus a couple of years ago. What this means is that unless you really want to spend some time exploring the region –you’re looking at a two day trip at the very least. If the bus is fast you can get there and back in 14 hours. It’s a large price to pay considering the Cessna flight over the lines only lasts 30 minutes. This rather time consuming, line viewing haul is no longer necessary though.

I recently discovered – to my pleasure I should add – that it is now possible to see the Nazca Lines in one day from Lima. A flight in the morning takes you to Ica – where you board a Cessna and fly directly over to the Nazca Lines. The trip over the lines lasts a little longer owing to the distance, and after returning to Ica one can enjoy a little seafood lunch, lounge about comfortably at the swimming pools at Las Dunas hotel, and even try some famous Huacachina sand-boarding before returning to Lima on a late afternoon flight.

I did this trip recently and found it to be not only a great way to get to see the lines, but also found it to be rather relaxing. It’s a little fast paced, but you are given plenty of time to sit around and catch up on some reading. I’d recommend this trip to anyone pressed for time while traveling in Peru, as well as for those who like to get things done comfortably and quickly. On the other hand there is a lot to be said about Nazca and other sites in the area. The Hacienda Cantayo, located on the outskirts of town, is possibly one of the finest hotels in Peru and is definitely one of my personal favorites. Another reason to stay in Nazca is to see the rather eerie - although fascinating - ancient bone cemetery of Chauchilla on the outskirts of town. So there are things to see and do in the area if you want to take your time. It is however, nice to know that we now have the option of getting down to Nazca, seeing the lines, and getting back to Lima in a day.

I hope this helps anyone interested. Keep on traveling!

Bart

www.cat-travel.com

By the way, I noticed that you can now find the Nazca Lines on Google Earth if you look hard enough. For those of you interested, search the Nazca Plain that lies in the vicinity of 14°41'00" S and 75°07'00" W.

A Trip for Two to Kuelap: the second Machu Picchu

Good day fellow travelers – It has been a while since we met and I thought I’d write something up on a recent return trip my wife Karin and I undertook to Kuelap, and how traveling to these amazing Northern ruins has become a lot easier over the past ten years.

My first trip to Kuelap was a ten years ago and was none to easy, but if you’ve spent some time traveling you’ll agree that on some occasions, the harder a place is to get to - the more worthwhile it is once you get there.

The beauty of Kuelap far outweighed the hardships of getting there, and so it was with very little hesitation and a lot of excitement that Karin and I set off once more to return to Peru’s secret ruins. Ten years ago I was fascinated by the enchanting ruins of Kuelap – described by many as a second Machu Picchu – and ever since then I have been eagerly trying to getting myself back there. Well, I was in Peru recently with Karin, and with some spare time on our hands we set off once more for what would be an inspiring trip up north.

To reach Kuelap one has to spend a few nights in Chachapoyas, a mountain town only accessible by road from either Cajamarca or Chiclayo. The route from Cajamarca passes though the Utcubamba Valley and provides superb views from a road that is literally carved into cliff faces thousands of feet high – it is visually stunning but can be very dangerous. Ten years ago Karin and I took the overnight bus from Chiclayo. We arrived early in the morning and after having spent the entire evening bouncing around on wooden seats at the back of a bus, we were tired, bruised, and in some serious need of sleep. At present however things have changed, one can now arrange private transport to Chachapoyas and the roads are in a better - albeit not perfect - condition. What this means is that the proverbial ‘pain in the ass’ has both literally and figuratively been removed from the trip. We were driven in private transport, were able to stop and walk around at sites on the way, and managed to get some sleep on route. I actually felt refreshed when we reached Chachapoyas this time around.

Surprisingly few tourists make it to Chachapoyas which I find remarkable; not only is it close to the ruins of Kuelap and a number of other attractions in the area, but over the years it has become increasingly more accessible to reach. It’s a laidback town, one of the most scenic in Peru, and perhaps one of my favorites. Outside the hotel a local kid proudly tells me that Chachapoyas means ‘Misty Mountain’ and that Chachapoyans are all ‘Cloud Warriors’. And who am I to disagree? - Clouds float through the town at eye level, and while the townsfolk seem too friendly and laidback to ever be warriors – they are said to be descendants of the Chacha culture that built Kuelap and warred with the Incas.

Nowadays private tours run daily to Kuelap from Chachapoyas leaving at about 8am and returning at about 4 or 5pm the same day. This doesn’t mean there are hordes of tourists visiting – on the contrary there are very few indeed. What it does mean is that one doesn’t have to spend 3 days waiting to get to the ruins as I had to ten years ago.
Even though Kuelap is only 27km from Chachapoyas (as the crow flies) – the drive there today can take up to three hours. It’s a rough drive it must be said that it scarcely compares to the hardships I went through in getting there the last time. On my first trip I was assigned to the rattling back seat of a collectivo (a minivan) with a couple of chickens and a collection of rusty farming implements for no less than seven hours. This time around I got to enjoy the stunning views over the canyons and ravines on the way there from a comfortable car seat, and we even stopped in one of the local villages to enjoy a fantastic Chacha lunch on the way back.

Ten years ago I finally arrived in Kuelap after taking a 14 hour bus ride to Chiclayo, an 11 hour bus ride to Chachapoyas, a hellish 7 hour ride in the back of a collectivo, and a half an hour steep hike. Minutes before I set my eyes on Kuelap I wondered whether it would all be worth it.

It is. Believe me.

And it still is now. Only this time round I actually enjoyed getting there.

Like the time before - I strolled around a corner and quite unexpectedly, there it was – towering yellow walls amid an explosion of vivid plant life. Groups of Llamas graze on green grass while being dwarfed by the gigantic walls of Kuelap, which appear barely able to restrain the natural overgrowth spilling down their sides. It took my breath away once again.

It is very easy to see that Kuelap was built as a fort; it is quite literally impenetrable and it is no wonder it took the Inca so long to conquer the Chacha people. Entering through the very narrow yet impressive entrance way we arrived within the complex to find an extensive number of ruins hidden under a jungle of brightly colored Air-plants, Bromeliads and Orchids. As with my first visit to Kuelap, I was filled with this inexplicable contentment – I had the same feeling when I first visited Machu Picchu, and while both places are very different from one another, they inspire the same kind of awe and admiration one reserves for sacred sites.

This time around, one of the most extraordinary parts of the trip to the ruins for Karin and I was that we were there for the better half of an entire day and were, save for the guide who had brought us, completely alone. We did not see another face, Peruvian or foreigner, for the entire time we were there. Ten years ago there had been a few other foreigners on site – but this time there was no one. We spent most of the day walking through the labyrinth of forgotten ruins and temples, and were filled with a sense of peace and isolation. Besides taking the occasional picture – there isn’t very much to do in Kuelap other than sit and admire the ruins in wonder and contentment. In the early afternoon we returned to the car for the ride back to Chachapoyas.

Once again Kuelap lived up to my expectations. Easier to get to this time around, my feelings of awe and my veneration for this sacred site are no different today as they were upon my first visit. Kuelap certainly has something very special about it, something I will never forget, and something I definitely want to see again.

Go for it – and keep on traveling

Bart

Useful Information on Kuelap

• Kuelap is the largest ancient building in the Americas and is estimated to contain 3 times more stone material in its construction than the largest pyramid at Giza, Egypt.
• Only 1% of tourists visiting Peru journey to the north of the country and only a tiny fraction of these few visit Kuelap
• At 3000 masl, Kuelap’s outer walls measure 600 meters in diameter in some areas and are as high as 19 meters in others
• Kuelap contains over 400 buildings within its walls with three distinctive sections, the first for the commoners, the second for the military, and the third for the royalty and high priests
• The Chacha culture, about whom very little is known, began building Kuelap circa 800AD
• Towards the beginning of the 16th century the Incas took control of Kuelap after a lengthy war, only to abandon it when the Spanish arrived in the middle of the same century.
• There are plans to possibly build a cable car up to the Kuelap fortress. While this project may take some time to be implemented, it will be much less detrimental on both the culture and environment around Kuelap when mass tourism discovers this amazing secret.

Travel Advice and Tips

• Keep your eyes open for blond haired, blue eyed locals in the area. Many theories surround the origins of these people who claim to have no European ancestry whatsoever. One such theory is that they are the direct descendants of the Chacha people whom the Inca described as a ‘tall and fair’ race
• Make sure you take a lot of water and a small snack on your tour of Kuelap
  El Chillo is the best hotel in the Chachapoyas area and is well worth checking out, but do not expect any luxury there.
• There is far more to the region than just Kuelap. If you have some extra time you should visit Revash, Yalape, and the cliff hanging Karajia Sarcophagi close to San Miguel de Cruzpata, which featured in National Geographic some years back. All are very impressive sites
• If you can, take a private tour to the ruins. Not only is the ride more comfortable, but its faster, safer, and provides a more personal experience

Video Blog Test

Hi There,

Its amazing how technology makes things easier... one or two years ago working with videos on the internet was painfully heavy. Now it is so easy, I´m thinking in combining the blog entries with podcasting. This is just a test of a reel made for our tour operator Class Adventure Travel . I´ll be back soon from somewhere in South America with my first video blog entry!

Keep Traveling!

Machu Picchu with our baby girl!

Hi there fellow travelers! Long time no see..I've been spending some quality time with the family, and by now you should know quality time can only mean one thing: traveling!

Who said traveling with a child is difficult?

2 Months ago, My wife Karin and I decided to go back to where we started off 10 years ago: Machu Picchu. Times have changed since then and our personal situation has evolved as well. Since August 2004 we are the proud parents of Edie Annemare, our by now 1,5 year-old daughter. Edie is used to traveling, as our line of work pushes us around the globe throughout the year, but we had never before taken her to places too far off the beaten track, let alone high altitude. Therefore we were a bit anxious to know if we would be doing the right thing by bringing her along. We were basically weary of Altitude Sickness, or “Soroche”.



Soroche is caused by 2 main factors:

Lack of oxygen in the air:

The higher you go the less oxygen you will find per m3 of breathable air. Therefore your lungs will obtain less of this existential gas per each breath taken, while your brain and heart need the same amount. Therefore you need to breath more often to get the same amount of oxygen, which gives you the feeling of being “out of breath” constantly.

Lower outside air pressure at higher altitudes:

Due to the fact that at 3,400m (10,000ft approx.) altitude there is the same amount of meters/ft less air above your head and therefore less air-pressure on your body then at 0m/ft. At sea-level your body has to have built up a certain inside pressure, to withstand that outside air-pressure. This is done through nitrogen bubbles in your bloodstream. These bubbles have a certain size and strength as to create an inner pressure that meets the outside pressure. Once you get to a certain altitude (for me the barrier lies at 3,000m/9,000ft) very quickly (for example in a plane), your body may have difficulties adjusting itself to the sudden difference in outside pressure and for a while (mostly a maximum of 24 hours) your inside pressure may be higher than the outside air-pressure, causing a series of possible discomforts, such as headache, dizziness, intestine unrest, etc. This all has to do with the fact that your body tries to make the nitrogen bubbles in your bloodstream smaller and readjust itself to the outside pressure, but hasn’t gotten there yet. Normally this is no big problem and you will get over it within 24 hours.



After some research, it turned out that actually smaller children do not or hardly suffer from this sickness, as their bodies tend to adjust themselves much faster then those of grown people. So, we took the plunge and it turned out to be a great experience. People ask: “why would you do it at that age, when they do not have any recollection of it later?”, but we feel children are as susceptible to travel experiences as they are to languages at that age; their mind is a spunge and they will pick up a lot from a trip like this. Maybe they will not remember much in the future, but at some level (I have no medical proof of this of course, but it feels right and some of our friends who traveled with small children confirm it) it will make an impression, open up their mind, make them more open to the different ways the world can present itself… Or at least so we hope…

Bottom line is, we had a great time, Edie as well, and we feel we can take her along on many more of our trips, until she has come to the age where it becomes necessary for her to be in school and with her friends. It will give us a couple more years of traveling freedom and we hope will open up our daughter’s mind for the world. We sincerely feel that getting to know different cultures and ways of living should help in becoming a more tolerant person, and as far as tolerance goes, one cannot start learning early enough.



Best regards from Buenos Aires!
Bart
http://www.cat-travel.com

Just Back from Patagonia...

You won’t believe it when I tell you, but I have found a portal into mental piece and quiet. My last journey to the southern parts of Argentina and Chile turned out to be the most mentally relaxing and creativity inspiring trip I have made in a long time.




The ancient ice near Calafate and Puerto Natales, the whales and sea elephants near the Valdes Peninsula, a glance at the end of the world (which was actually quite comfortable!) in Ushuaia… Amazing experiences, dotting a region that is so vast, so open, so wild and unexplored…





All this beauty and peacefulness makes one wonder if we humans -allegedly at the top of the evolutionary chain - are making a good job in managing the rest of the "civilized" world. In this remote spot of the globe, almost untouched by men, species co-exist within an incredible balance... For those of us who believe in ecologically conscious adventure travel and understand the necessity to leave a soft footprint during our encounter with this amazing regions, the experience of visiting Patagonia is a remainder of our duty as keepers of our planet instead of just acting as temporal tenants.

New version of CAT Travel's site Online!

Hi fellow travelers!

I'm very proud to announce that the new version of our site is up!

If you're thinking on a Peru Travel or a trip to any other Latin American destination, we'll be very glad to help you out planning it!

One of the main changes we've made is to present example tours so you can see what we're capable of doing, instead of just listing tours that are "ready to go". That way we can emphazise our conviction that every traveler is different from the other sowe can plan our clients' trip together based in their wishes and our experience.


I can't thank enough to all people involved in this project: our IT and design department, the MK people and every single person in the company who gave us great ideas to have the travel site our clients deserve!





But above all we want to thank you, readers of this blog and of the various travel forums of which we are members, for giving us inputs of what you think a tour operator site should look like!

Of course and as always, your comments , critics and praises ;) are very welcomed!

Have a nice day

Bart