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Sabbatical 2022
  • Jessica Jamieson
Jul – Sep 2022

Sabbatical 2022

An exciting adventure to Snowdon, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica and New York! Read more
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  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    I ain't gettin on no plane...

    August 7, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    ... except I did! Today I took a trip on a tiny plane to see the Nazca lines (see next post). I was a little nervous beforehand - the planes dip from side to side to let the people on each side of the plane see out of their window, leading some to experience travel sickness, and I found out after I had booked that they haven't all got a great safety record 😬. However, I am pleased to say all was well and I got a great view of the lines. Here is the plane, the map of the lines and the photo taken of the lines from the viewing tower on the ground - you can compare with the view from the sky in the next post.Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Nazca Lines

    August 7, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The Nazca Lines are a group of geoglyphs made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were created between 500 BCE and 500 CE  by people making depressions or shallow incisions in the desert floor, removing pebbles and leaving differently colored dirt exposed.

    Most lines run straight across the landscape, but there are also figurative designs of animals and plants. The individual figurative geoglyph designs measure between 400 and 1,100 metres across. The combined length of all the lines is over 1,300 km, and the group covers an area of about 50 km2.    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Night bus to Arequipa

    August 8, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After the flight at Nazca, I took the night bus to Arequipa. I understand the intention of a night bus - you are given a blanket, you recline your chair, and sleep as the miles pass by. However, my body refused to comply, and despite being a very comfortable bus, I had a minimal amount of sleep. So when we arrived at 5am, I almost wept with joy to find that not only would my room be available early at 9am, but they also provided this extremely comfortable room (which I had to myself) for me to sleep in in the meantime!
    I am still a bit sad to say that I subsequently rethought my itinerary and realised I was covering far too many miles in too little time and I needed to slow down a bit (and avoid future night buses!). So sadly I will no longer be visiting Bolivia, but instead taking a bit more time in Arequipa and Cusco.    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler
    111

    Arequipa - the White City

    August 8, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Arequipa is a beautiful city - so much so that I extended my stay here for an extra day. It is known as 'La Cuidad Blanca' - the White City - because of its beautiful buildings made of whitish-pink volcanic rock. It is overlooked by three volcanoes - one of them active -and regularly experience earthquakes (although none whilst I was there - phew!). I also visited the monastery where the second born daughter of every family was required to go to become a nun from the age of 12 - although only those from wealthy families got to go to this one. One nun's quarters were larger than my old student flat!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    San Camilo Market, Arequipa

    August 9, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    San Camilo Market is a wonderful market with an huge array of colors, smells (some nice and some not so much!) products and handicrafts. I bought a fresh pressed juice from one of the many juice bars made from my choice of fruits (passion fruit, strawberry and mango) - delicioso!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Another night out with friends

    August 9, 2022 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We had some great meals in Arequipa. I tried Rocotto Rolleno, a specialty which is a spicy pepper stuffed with mince or vegetables. We also found a fantastic restaurant courtesy of TripAdvisor. Chicken cooked on volcanic rock, a glass of wine 😀 and a rare thing - dessert! The ice cream with the dessert is an Arequipan specialty 'queso helado' - literally 'cheese ice cream'. I was dubious at first but the good news is it is not actually cheese, just called that because it apparently looks like cheese. It is actually something like condensed milk with cinnamon - delicious!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Friends

    August 9, 2022 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Before I set out for my solo trip I was worried I would be lonely. I have 100 hours of audiobooks, several TV series and zillions of books on the Kindle - and so far haven't even managed to finish my gripping book that I was half way through when I came! You may also have noticed that I am rather behind on updating this blog!
    I have met so many great people, bus journeys have been spent nattering, and meals, rather than being spent alone with a book, have been filled with friends. This is a photo of sunset drinks last night with various friends from the Peruhop bus, plus two new friends (Colby and Isadora) made in Arequipa on the walking tour. I bumped into both of them separately again today and went for a fabulous dinner with Colby and her friends. And then tonight in my hostel I bumped into Aarabi (see day 10 post) again! It really is a small world and I am having a fabulous time 😀    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Puno - 3,827 metres

    August 10, 2022 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    On the move again, this time to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Puno's altitude is 3,827m and Lake Tititcaca is the world's highest navigable lake. Despite having come by coach and slowly increased altitude (Arequipa is 2,335m) I found myself suffering from headaches, and even climbing the stairs was an effort that left me breathless. Coca tea (a brew made from the leaves of the plant that gives us cocaine!) helped. I also got some altitude sickness tablets from the pharmacy - but three days later discovered they contained caffeine, which explained (having not drunk caffeine for 13 years, except for a mishap with a jägerbomb a few years back) my problems sleeping! Fortunately for the most part all was fine after a day or so.Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Lake Titicaca and the Floating Islands

    August 10, 2022 in Peru ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    We took a trip on Lake Titicaca to visit the Uros Islands, floating islands on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, a few miles from Puno.
    Around 1,200 people live on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. Homes, boats, and the islands themselves are all made of totora reeds harvested from the beds that grow in abundance on the lake. They have a junior and senior school on the islands, and the teacher comes across from Puno by boat each day. Teenagers use the yellow boat in the second photo for dates, being the only place they can really escape from their parents!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    On the move - heading to Cusco

    August 11, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Although I was worried about coach travel before I left, for the most part I have really enjoyed it. Puno to Arequipa was a 10 hour coach journey and this time I opted to do it during the day. A good chance to see the beautiful scenery, as well as chat and catch up on audiobooks. I'm not sure if these are llama in the eighth picture or just sheep!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Rainbow Mountain

    August 12, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Rainbow Mountain is known locally as Vinicunca (its Quechua name) or the 'montaña de siete colores' (seven-colored mountain). Turquoise, scarlet, and mustard-colored sediments drape down the mountain, and give it its striking appearance. These different layers of color represent distinct mineral contents and were formed over the course of millions of years before being exposed by the tectonic movements and intense wind erosion of the high Andes. Sadly, the only reason we can see the colours today is due to global warming - the mountain was once covered by a glacier which has recently melted.Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Rainbow Mountain - the trek

    August 12, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C

    One of my main reason for coming to Peru, apart from the Inca Trail, was to visit Rainbow Mountain. I was so pleased that I managed to get there.
    It was a tough day - wake up at 2.30am for a 3am pick up, a freezing cold bus 3.5 hour ride, and then a difficult 2-hour hike up at high altitude. At 5,200 meters (17,060 feet) above sea level, Rainbow Mountain’s altitude is more than half that of Mount Everest. The trailhead starts at around 4,300 meters.
    Our guide set off apace, encouraging us all stick together in one group. Easier said than done! The path was simple enough but at this altitude, even 10 steps feels like you're at the end of a long run, struggling to get enough breath. By the time we got to the very top, there was a long flight of steps and I had to sit down every three. Once I got back down to the start I felt headachey and nauseous until we descended another 500m.
    But - I got there! And it was worth it! One of the most beautiful things I have seen in Peru - and there have been a lot 🤩    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Breakfast in Cusco

    August 13, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    This was my view from breakfast this morning (I hadn't seen it yesterday due to the ridiculously early start!). Cusco is another beautiful city.
    I heard the noise of fireworks every morning though, which always took me by surprise! Apparently, these are probably for a saint that’s being celebrated by a small village or part of the town. They don’t care if they can’t be seen, they’ll set fireworks off at any time of day - it's just tradition - and a change from the roosters that have been disturbing me across Peru every time I try to lay in!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Pisac

    August 13, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I went on a trip round Cusco's Sacred Valley, which, together with Machu Picchu, formed the heart of the Inca Empire. First stop, Pisac.

    Pisac has a village known for its lively handicrafts market in the main square. A path winds from the square past agricultural terraces up to Pisac Archaeological Park, a hilltop Incan citadel with ancient temples, plazas and military and agricultural structures. As a fortress, it would defend the Southern entrance of the "Sacred Valley of the Incas" from enemies coming from the neighboring rain forest. As a religious site, it included temples and cemeteries. On the agricultural side, the area was part of the royal farm of the Inca Pachacutec. The awesome agricultural terraces - still in use - on the steep hillsides of the Sacred Valley reinforce the importance the Incas gave to agriculture and to the feeding of its population. They devised ingenious channels and waterways to ensure rainwater was evenly distributed across the terraces and the crops were not washed away in heavy rains. However, in the early 1530s, the troops of the the Spanish conquerors, led by Francisco Pizarro, sadly destroyed most parts of Pisac.Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Some random things

    August 13, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    1) A photo with a baby alpaca - or, as I realised afterwards, probably a lamb dressed up to make me think it was an alpaca!
    2) A guinea pig house
    3) The musical interlude on our lunch stop on the trip to Pisac and OllytaytamboRead more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Ollyantaytambo

    August 13, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    At Ollyantaytambo we explored the temple of the sun (and yes, it was hot and sunny!). This was an impressive Inca structure consisting of amazing stone work and built from huge boulders that come from quarries across the river, high up a hillside at least 500 m above the Valley. Somehow the Incans moved and then meticulously shaped the boulders to ensure they fit excrly together. The stone blocks are so closely matched that a knife blade cannot be inserted between them! Scientists have theorized that the massive stones of Incan cities were hammered with other stones, broken with wooden or metal wedges, etched with organic acids or sanded with grains of sand and water. One scientist believes the Incas used gold, dish-shaped reflectors to concentrate the sun’s energy to carve the rocks with a beam of light.

    The site was partially destroyed by the Spanish when they invaded. They used stones from the temple to build the Catholic church in the valley.

    The buildings on the moutain opposite were used for storing cold goods, as they kept cool at altitude.

    There were three towers built at the top of the mountain - when the sunrise touched the first peak, it was 21 June, the second peak 21 September, and the third peak 21 December.

    Can you see the face of a 'God' on the mountain?    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler
    3

    Cusco

    August 14, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The day before my Inca Trail hike I decided to have an easy day, wandering around Cusco, and bartering and purchasing a few things at the market. I had an amazing evening meal just round the corner from my hostel!Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Inca Trail - Day 1

    August 15, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    First Day

    On 15 August I set out on the Inca Trail. The Inca Trail is an iconic 4-day, 3-night hike which leads travellers from km 82 (the start point 40 minutes outside the town of Ollantaytambo) all the way to Machu Picchu via its exclusive Sun Gate.

    The good news is that it’s only 31 miles. The bad news? A significant chunk of that is up steep, narrow Andean mountain paths at altitude.

    We had porters with us all the way to carry the tents and other cooking and camping equipment, and most of our own kit too. They were amazing - they would set up camp for us, cook us amazing three course meals (unlike any camping food I have ever prepared, eaten or even heard of!), then after we had set off, pack up camp, run on ahead and set up camp again ready for our arrival!

    On the first day we were picked up from our hotel around 5am and driven to the start point, collecting our porters on the way.

    I set out on the hike around 8.30am with a family of five - a dad, Jeff, and his son Jake and sons-in-law, Geoff, Robbie and Drew.

    Day one was supposedly an 'easy day', only 7.5 miles and not at altitude, but a large proportion was in the hot sun and it didn't feel easy! (I later learned that due to a landslide a few months ago the route had been changed, and so was harder and longer than planned).

    After a welcome stop for lunch, we made it to the campsite around 4.30 pm. Dinner was waiting and, shattered, we turned in for the night at 6.30pm!    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    The Inca Trail - Day 2

    August 16, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Second Day.

    Sadly on the morning of the second day Jeff decided to turn back as he did not think he would be able to make it; Robbie went with him.

    So that left me and three young athletic men hiking the trail. Eek!

    We set off at 6am. Today's big challenge was 'Dead Woman's Pass', up to 4,200m, an increase of 1200 m. Thankfully I had now acclimatised and wasn't ill like at Rainbow Mountain, but each step was still a big effort, easily leaving me breathless.

    Drew, a former ultra marathon runner (!) ran on ahead to the summit, leaving me and the other two to wheeze our way up to the top. But by 9.45am we had made it!

    The next challenge was getting down. Hundreds of steep, uneven, narrow steps, often with sheer cliffs to the side with no barrier. But it seem years of rock climbing meant I was in my element! Going down was so much easier than going up and I left Drew and the others in my wake as I skipped down.

    We were at our camp soon after 11am with a decision to make. The plan had been to camp here for the night, but we had arrived hours earlier than planned, so we decided to press on to Sayaqmarca.

    We just needed to convince the porters of the plan - they were expecting to only have to set up camp once that day, but instead they set up for lunchtime, cooked us a feast, took down the tents, ran on ahead for the evening, set up camp again and cooked us dinner there! I'm not sure they were entirely happy but agreed nonetheless!

    We arrived around 3.30pm. This campsite left a little to be desired - due to the change of plan we got last choice of pitch and were next to stagnant water - a lot of mosquitos and very far away from the (manky) toilets. So we mainly chilled in the tents sheltering from the mozzies. We had loads more food - afternoon tea including pancakes and biscuits, then another 3 course meal (!), before retiring for another early night at 7pm.    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Inca Trail - Day 3

    August 17, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Day 3

    We woke after a night disturbed by rain. It finished soon after we got up, but the paths were still slippy.

    Another early start - off at 6am - and another decision to make.

    Having made such good time yesterday, we could have a relaxed hike today, and stick to the original plan, getting up very early tomorrow morning and reaching Machu Picchu for sunrise.

    Or we could press on to the sungate today, getting to Machu Picchu in the afternoon. We'd then stay at a hostel tonight, and coming back up by bus tomorrow morning with Jeff and Robbie to walk around the ruins.

    Always up for a challenge, (as well as being attracted by the promise of a ahower and proper bed instead of another night camping!) we went for the second option.

    We got to Winaywayna - we originally we had planned to camp on night 3 - by 9.30 am. Normally you then have to get up extremely early on Day 4 to queue for 1.5 hours to get past the control point and start the trek to the Sun Gate.

    We chilled for an hour or so, had a v early lunch - and CAKE! baked on the trail by our amazing chef! We said goodbye to our porters. I gave a moving speech thanking them for helping us acheive our goal - which must have been mistranslated, as they remained seemingly unimpressed. I put it down to cultural differences - although perhaps they were still grumpy about having to change plans!

    Then, keen to be on our way, we pushed ahead. We breezed through the control point (with no queues - in fact we had hardly seen any other hikers on our whole journey, apart from at the summit and at the second campsite - it was great to be doing the trail at our own pace and not stuck in queues) and pushed on the the sun gate, where we would get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu...    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Aguas Calientes

    August 17, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Aguas Calientes ('Hot Waters') is the town at the foot of Machu Picchu. At the end of the hike after visiting Machu Picchu, we had some time to relax 😀
    First thing - catching up with David and the girls via video call after a few days of being out of contact - fantastic!
    Then some time for a mooch around the town, before some drinks in the evening. The next day, after our bus back up to MP, time to chill in the hot springs that the town is named after, and a visit to 'Machu Pisco' for a chance to make my own Pisco Sour 🍹💃
    Then the train back to Cusco ready for the next stage of adventures!    Read more

  • Jessica JamiesonSabbatical 2022Traveler

    Michelin starred guinea pig 🐹

    August 19, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    As I was leaving Lima the first time, I learnt that it is one of the world's gastronomic capitals. So I was excited that a small change in plans gave me a chance to experience it. Maido and Centrale were booked up until December but I managed to squeeze in a table for one at Astrid y Gaston. Plus a chance to finally try some guinea pig - with the added bonus that it didn't look like one! All absolutely delicious, and if you're wondering, it tasted rather like duck!Read more

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