Canyon Country - Perú

In the trekking spirit, we headed south from Cusco to Arequpia, a city known for beauty and nightlife, with surrounding volcanoes and canyons for extra excitement. After renting a tent, buying a cheap sleeping bag and some necessary food items, the three of us (Douglas, Nicolas & myself) headed into the Colca Canyon with our gear and a crappy (free) map from a tour agency. The Colca Canyon is the second deepest in the world, second only to its neighbor, the Canyon de Cotahuasi. For some perspective, it is 3,191 meters/10,469 feet deep, or twice as deep as the Grand Canyon!

After 6 hours on various forms of transport, we arrived in Cabanaconde, the nearest town to start the descent into the canyon. We put our tent in the garden of a hostel for 5 Soles for the night (about $1.50) and headed out early the next morning. We met some others along the way; our friend Felipe from Rio that we kept running into in every city, Lucy from Sydney, Nik from Holland and Axel from Belgium. After the initial dramatic views from the top, we started to make our way down the path of loose rocks to the river that runs along the length of the bottom of the canyon.

view of Oasis from the top. went hours to the right to get down, then hours to the left to get back to this zig-zag road, then hours to the bottom to camp for the night

A few hours and some sore knees later, we made it to the lowest point of the gorge, where you theoretically should present the guard at the bridge with your “tourist ticket” (about $13). As we had no intention of buying said ticket, we decided to cross the river before the bridge. Dougie crossed it with monkey like efficiency, Nipi also had no problems. I was weary about their way because the leaps from rock to rock were huge, so Nik, Axel and myself headed farther down to find an “easier” way. Axel made the first attempt…. and fell in the water with his backpack and all. Not cool with a big, nice camera inside. Nik and I tried yet another route, and after he made it across I felt some confidence. Half way through I realized it was harder then it looked, and Nipi came out to meet me on the rocks and be there for stability after each jump. Like a real brother, always looking out!

The quest to avoid the tourist ticket didn’t end there, as we had to make it up the side of the mountain without a road, just cutting through farms and forests straight up the side of a hill. When we all finally re-convened in the nearest little ‘town’ at a restaurant that served lunch, we were exhausted and hot from the rising heat of the desert, yet triumphant in the fact that we’d made it that far. The second half of the day should have consisted of an uphill walk, then a flat walk, then another descent to again reach the floor of the canyon in the Oasis where there are bungalows for the night. However, our modest map and not-so-keen sense of direction got us lost twice, and we spent time and energy going in the wrong directions. Frusterating after an already long morning and under the intense sun, but when we finally got back on track it all became beautiful once again. Just before sundown we made it to the Oasis, a green spot in the midst of the desert, complete with pools and palm trees, “just like Miami”. Well, maybe it was just a mirage, but it looked damn good in any case!

campsite

Camped there for free and only had to buy the slightly overpriced dinner and beer in return. A nice bonfire warmed the cold night, and it wasn’t hard to fall asleep huddled in our little tent on the soft ground after such a long day. While the others were up and out by 5 or 6 a.m., we took our time and left around 9:30. Big mistake. The hike back to the top of the canyon was literally straight up; no descents, no flat parts, no rest for the weary, just straight up. Soon it was scorching hot and the desert sun was beating down on us. Oh, and we opted to skip breakfast that day, as the place we stayed was charging way too much for a simple desayuno (about $2.25). The 5 liters of water we were carrying between the 3 of us was soon gone and at points I thought we were all going to die and the vultures were going to have a feast that fateful day.

Finally, after 3 unbelievably long hours, we made it to the top. Alive! By the time we got to a little restaurant in the main square, we collapsed at the table and then inhaled the normally mundane chicken and rice set lunch. Then a Snickers. Then an ice cream. Then massive amounts of water. The cramped bus ride back to Arequpia was painful because our tall bodies weren’t exactly meant for the Peruvian buses – the aching muscles and stiff joints were shoved in tiny seats for 6 straight hours. Good thing the bus was already dirty and stinky, at least we had that going for us.

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Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

The Kingdom of Cusco was founded around the year 1200 and was the historic capital of the mighty Inca Empire. Although it’s been nearly 500 years since the Spanish conquistadors arrived to reek havoc on this amazing civilization, you can still feel the Inca presence everywhere. Nowadays, Cusco has the nostalgic feel of cobble stone streets and ancient buildings – but unfortunately many of those buildings are churches and the style is colonial, not to mention that the town is completely geared toward tourism and almost nothing else. However, it is quite lovely and the night life is downright rowdy, so good times were had both day and night. And then came Nipi!!!!

Another great friend from our time in Amsterdam – the one and only Nicolas Baume. Even though I was lying in bed in the fetal position for 24 hours when he arrived (got too cocky about the amount of tap water my body could take!), I felt as euphoric as one in that (fetal) position could feel. Amazing reunion!

We immediately booked our trek to Machu Picchu – and after some consideration of different paths, decided on the Salkantay Trek. 5 days, about 100 kilometers/60 miles, reaching an elevation of 4,600 meters/15,000 feet! Our group consisted of 16 people from 9 different countries, 2 guides, 2 porters and 3 cooks.

Day 1: Bus at 5 a.m., breakfast at the trail head, then started an intense day of mostly uphill trekking. The afternoon was crystal clear and blazing hot and poor Nipi was getting sick the entire time. Made it to the hut where lunch was waiting – killer views (and killer sandflies)! A much needed siesta after a nice meal of soup & beef stir fry, then back for another 4 hours of hiking. We were continually elevating in altitude, and the view of Salkantay Mountain (completely covered in snow and ice) was getting closer and closer. The last hour was rough; the sun disappeared, temperatures dropped drastically, rain set in. At the camp we had coca tea and popcorn while trying to get dry and warm (although neither was really possible). Coca tea is served everywhere in Peru and Bolivia – it is used to combat altitude sickness and acts as a very minor stimulant. The coca leaves are directly steeped in hot water and sugar can be added for flavor. An early dinner followed, and after everyone immediately went to their tents to try to get warm and get some sleep. Again, neither possible. I was the third of the group to get sick that day, was a rough night back and forth between the outdoor latrine in the freezing cold.

Day 2: Up at 5:30, coca tea delivered to our tents. Ate about 1 bite of breakfast, stomach still with shooting pains. Ended up taking a horse for the first 3 hours of the day, and while normally it would have been a magical ride through the mountains, as a matter of pride it was not ideal. Mid-day we reached the peak of the trek: 4,600 meters/15,000 feet. Was cold and cloudy so high up, but also invigorating and uniquely attractive. Following Quicha tradition, we offered stones to the already existing piles as a gift to the Mountain, and also offered 3 coca leaves with a blessing of our choice for each one. For the next 2 hours descended into an amazing valley; stones everywhere, lush greens, waterfalls, cloud forest, small farms and animals, all part of the rain forest. After lunch and siesta we continued to descend, only this time in the rain. Our pace was fast and no one really spoke, as we all wanted to get to camp for the night and out of the downpour. But the walk was still stunning and felt even more adventurous because of the climate. Finally at camp by dinner time, had more tea and soup along with pasta. Another early night, little bit chilly in the mountains with all the wet clothes!

Day 3: Slept great, up at 6 with coca tea delivered to the tent. The day was perfect; everyone feeling well again, bright blue skies, warm weather, walking along singing “We All Live in a Yellow Submarine.” The pace was easy in comparison to the two days previous, but we still covered a lot of ground, just “undulating” in elevation as opposed to straight ups and downs. We walked along the banks of the river for a lot of the time, which was soothing and picturesque. Had a buffet style lunch and everyone happily chowed after hiking all morning – followed by a siesta and a short bus ride to our next camp. As a group we all went to the towns natural thermal baths (hot springs) late that afternoon, and relaxed our aching muscles in the hot water and eased our dry throats with cold beer. At sundown went back to camp for another buffet style meal where we all ate too much and played with the resident monkey, Poncho, before a “late” bed (9:30).

Day 4: Up at 7 and after breakfast started the first half of the day on a dirt road through the mountains, a cloudy day but a blessing to be away from any extreme temperatures. After a few hours, got to the National Park checkpoint and gave our info, with a little extra pep in our step after that. Lunch was relaxing and we continued to walk along the train tracks, en route to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The hours that followed felt like the movie Stand By Me. Following the train tracks on some slightly crazy yet unbelievable journey. The growing excitement of getting so close to your destination – seeing the mountains take the same forms as the ones you know from seeing a hundred pictures of this area, feeling the clouds sporadically sink in around the hills to create a kind of mystical presence, knowing that thousands of years ago the Incas paved the way for the route you’re walking on…and all the build up to see something that everyone in the group has their own personal connection with. Not to mention the feeling of being pursued all the while, as everyone is in a race to be the firsts in the gates when they open for that flawless view. We had a very timely night as our plan was to wake up “early”.

Day 5: Up at 3:30 a.m. The bottom gate of the park is supposed to open at 4:50 a.m., while the top gate opens at 6. If you take a bus you can leave at 5:30 and arrived around 5:50 a.m. If you walk it is 35-45 minutes straight up hill, so you could potentially arrive before the first bus gets there. We arrived to the bottom gate at 4:15 and bribed our way in. Whatever works. The climb up the thousands of Inca stairs was extremely intense and there was no time for breaks; it almost felt like the Spanish conquistadors were pursuing us the whole way, a race against the invisible enemy. Dawn came and the sky started to open, and the whole scenario was beyond words, but the feeling was incredible. The anticipation was adrenalin, and a much needed one after the 4 long days we’d just put our bodies through. At the gates there were only 2 sly French guys ahead of us, so we were #’s 3, 4, 5 etc. to get in for the day. Great success!

Machu Picchu: The “lost” city of the Incas, never to be found by Spanish conquistadors. While they were busy taking everything & everyone they could get their hands on from Cajamarca to Cusco (and all points in between), they never found this breathtaking site. It is so isolated and impressive, so mysterious and magnificent. Because the Incas never developed a form of writing, the purpose of Machu Picchu is not exactly known; although it’s estimated that at one time about 600 people lived there. The first views made me laugh – it was absolutely perfect in its grandeur and sheer beauty. As the morning progressed we had time with our guide who told us all about the different areas of Machu Picchu and more about the history of the people. The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu was one of the better experiences of my entire life, and I hope everyone who wants to see this site will take the time to make it happen while they are still able.

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Huanchaco, Huaraz, Lima, Huacachina, Nazca - Perú

Good ol’ Cass and I headed out of Chachapoyas on the night bus to Chiclayo – arrived there at 4:30 a.m. and hoped the 5 o’clock bus to Trujillo. From there just one more bus to Huanchaco, the nearby beach town which drawers surfers and tourists year round. The beach itself is absolutely nothing to write home or anywhere else about, but it was nice to have some warm weather and sunshine – and ceviche too. After our time in the mountains we were experiencing some form of withdraws! Huanchaco is known for their reed fishing boats and great waves, so we sat along the water front and enjoyed both. I only had the 1 day in Huanchaco, as my night bus for Huaraz was set to leave at 9 p.m. – so off I went yet again! Said goodbye to Cassie & her boyfriend Nick, although planned to meet with them again in beautiful Huaraz.

typical set menu for around $2.25 - ceviche starter

Huaraz is known for its incredible scenery and stunning mountain ranges: the Cordillera Blanca (permanently covered in snowcaps and glaciers) and the Cordillera Negra. The town resides at just over 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), and you can see one of the tallest peaks in the Western hemisphere (Huascarán, almost 7,000 meters, over 20,000 feet!) 

I decided to do a solo 1 day trek to Laguna 69, setting out at 6 a.m. and returning to town around 6 p.m. After a few collectivos to get to the base, I headed into the middle of the Andes on a cloudy but ambient day. The terrain around me felt so raw and so vast and it was so soothing to hear the noises of nature all around. After a bit, ran into some other trekkers, and we finished the path to the laguna together. Words cannot describe the striking color of indigo, so here are photos exactly as they were taken.

Imagine this place on a bright blue sky day! Oh la la! We only had half an hour or so to enjoy the exquisite surroundings (and dream of being able to swim in this perfect bit of water) before it started to rain – and in the mountains at the altitude of 4,600 meters (15,000 feet), the rain is no joke. We were freezing and soaking and still had hours to hike downhill before returning to the trail head. Many collectivos later was so glad to get back to Huaraz and enjoy a hot meal and cold beer with Cassie & Nick before parting ways yet again! Fell asleep on the bus in Huaraz, woke up in Lima on the 27th of October.

The Day of Douglas! We hadn’t seen each other in 2.5 years, since I left Amsterdam in February 2008. I had been looking forward to his arrival in Lima since the day I landed in Medellin, Colombia, exactly 50 days before (not that I was counting down the days or anything… haha). We spent the next couple days catching up while exploring the capital city, which notoriously is not the world’s coolest place, but which we both really adored. From venturing into ghetto like pueblos, to meeting new local friends at the cross walk (and proceeding to drink a few too many pitches of Pisco Sours with them!), to eating in markets, listening to street music, wandering along the Pacific Ocean, enjoying the colorful colonial buildings and intact vintage cars – we really got a feel for what Lima has to offer. And then came Halloween. I’m not sure what was scarier, that or La Iglesia de San Fransisco’s catacombs with the bones of 25,000 dead bodies in the center of the city.

After 5 days in Lima and loads of new friends and memories, we headed with a couple of others (Ross & Kieren from Ireland and Matt from England) to Huacachina, a town about 5 hours south. Known as an “oasis”, Huacachina really is set around a lagoon in the middle of the desert, completely and totally surrounded by nothing but massive dunes. Bright blue skies and blistering hot days, with gorgeous sunsets and freezing cold nights – my first real time in the desert like this!

The draw to Huacachina is the ability to go sand boarding there, so the next day we booked a tour with a dune buggy, rented snow boards (which have been converted to sand boards) and set out with a small group into the desert. The buggy ride itself was like a roller coaster in a heat induced frenzy – we were all laughing so hard as the thing hauled through the dunes, up and down over massive hills, the whole time feeling like we would either tip sideways, forward or backward. I think the $15 we spent for the whole thing was worth the ride alone!

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hang with the guys on the actual sand boarding, but it was surprisingly easy and extremely fun. Don’t get me wrong, I ate my fair share of sand by the end of the day, tumbling over after building up too much speed on the way downhill – but the feeling of flying down the sand like that was so unique and so grand that it didn’t matter in the least!

Next stop was Nazca, a town in the desert known for their famous “Nazca Lines”, created about 2,000 years ago and still intact today (because of the intense heat and lack of rain, the ground stays hard and the lines stay in place). The figures are in the shapes of animals, fish, birds, trees, human figures and crosses between all of the above. The exact purpose of the Nazca lines is unknown: some think they were a kind of offering for the gods to see (as the Nazca people were polytheists), some think they were related to astronomy. Alternative theories abound, but no one knows for sure. The best way to see the lines is to do a day flight over the city, but none of us were willing to spend the money on it, so we just went to the mirador (view point) for our own observation. Interesting to see this UNESCO World Heritage Site!

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Mancora & Chachapoyas - Perú

Fell asleep on the bus in Ecuador, woke up in Peru at 5:30 a.m. Immediately grabbed a bus to Mancora, the most famous beach of Peru; surrounded by desert and shacks, the playa itself is like a little holiday oasis filled with sunbathers, kite surfers, music, bars and restaurants. Living in Southeast Asia completely spoiled me in many ways, and one of them is now having an impossibly high standard of what a “good beach” is. Mancora itself doesn’t really stand out in any way, except the fact that it is in the right place at the right time. The weather is always sunny and warm, and when you have to spend hundreds of hours in buses to get through South America, it’s refreshing to have a place to stop off for a swim, a fresh ceviche (or other equally as tasty seafoods) and a few dozen grande beers.

I can sum up my time there in words and pictures instead of full stories:

Up early because of sun and warmth – work off hangover by the pool – around 12:30 walk the 20 minutes down the beach into town with whoever’s around that wants to go for lunch – take a 7 Soles (about $2.25) menu which includes juice, ceviche and a main dish – if no beer was involved in lunch, go for ice cream - walk back down the beach and continue hanging by the pool – shower – beer – sunset – beer. Repeat.

Made lots of new friends, had lots of fun. Like Cassie (AUS) said best, it’s like Groundhog’s Day in Mancora.

ear piercing by Gino

That being said, after 5 days her and I headed out into the “real Peru” and made our way to Chachapoyas, in the north central part of the country. Oh, just 20 hours later we arrived, no big deal. Lots of transit, but the draw to the city is of cultural importance so it was worth it in the end. Hopped off our final bus, checked into a cheap place (Hotel Kuelap, S15/each, about $5) and grabbed a quick breakfast then back into a collectivo to head to the famous sarcophagus just a couple of hours away. Had to catch a taxi for the final stretch on horribly bumpy dirt roads, and by then it had started to rain a bit. We weren’t in Mancora anymore, apparently! After a steep walk down hill in the mud we had the highest hopes for these ancient sarcophagi made of clay and set into a mountain side – only to be sorely disappointed. They were so far away that they just seemed like figurines towering above us, and all we could do was laugh at what we’d come so far for. And then walk back up that steep, muddy hill in the rain. Lovely!

We deserved the beers we consumed that night at dinner, but not the hangover we felt at 7 a.m. the next day. Sometimes life isn’t fair I guess. But you gotta keep on keepin on, so we headed for a full day of touring the massive, ancient ruins of Kuelap, a couple of hours outside of Chachapoyas. Kuelap was a fortress at one point in history, and the ruins are older and bigger then Macchu Picchu, but not nearly as famous as they are not as intact or as aestetically pleasing.

Day 3 in Chachapoyas we headed to Gocta, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world (although it is two waterfalls, so not recognized as such because it is not technically continuous). We knew it would be a 5 hour hike uphill on the way there (about 11.5k each way), but we didn’t realize that it would be scorching hot by mid-day and we’d be burning under the heat of the day. Silly us. We made it to the first town after 5.5k, checked in and took a break for some fruit and water, already pretty exhausted. We were told we had a ride back into town with another groups van in an hour, so we went as far as we could and turned around to catch that collectivo back. After waiting an hour we were told 30 minutes more. After 30 minutes we were told 30 minutes more. After 30 minutes… you can guess. We were in a press for time at that point as we had a night bus to catch, so we accepted the ride with the military, who so graciously moved from the cab of the truck to the back so we could have seats. Lovely men, they were making music in the back to entertain us on the ride as well. Glad we got to see this impressive waterfall – in the middle of the jungle it seemed so powerful and mighty. Two thumbs up for Chachapoyas!

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