Peru and the Salkantay

After a number of days of being ill, with Jen and Matt hovering over me like concerned parents – I landed in Cuzco and signed up to complete the Salkantay hike which would lead me to the famous inca village; Macchu Picchu. On our first day we started off and hiked for about 8 hours to a beautiful valley near the Salkantay mountain. Our group consisted of 10 people from Switzerland, Sweden, France, New Zealand, Peru, Spain and Germany. We couldn´t have had a better group of people on one hike. We named ourselves team Awesome Virgens (longer story), encouraged by our local Cuzconian guide, Nielton.  Usually I´m not a fan of tours – but this one was a riot. A fab group of people, in the mountains, good food and an epic final destination… what more could I have wanted!?!?

The group bonded quickly. Our second day was the most difficult. We hiked up to the Salkantay mountain, a four hour climb…. And was it ever worth it. Nielton taught us much about Inca traditions, which I really appreciated. He told us about current issues that Peruvians are dealing with, with regards to coca and alcohol. He informed us that much of the substance abuse stems from when the Spanish came overseas to explore South America. It´s amazing how the colonization and exploration of certain countries has had effects that last for generations.

This thought triggered another area that I´ve been paying close attention to; which is how much our Western world is affecting South America. While in Bolivia, I really appreciated that the people had a different way of doing things. I didn´t think of it as poverty. This changed as I entered into bigger cities and realized that in some areas, yes, the people can live traditionally. Unfortunately I came to the realization that they are surviving, but everything is getting expensive as countries try to compete with North America and try create a similar economy. Not everyone has equal access to health care, there aren´t any social programs to support children or the elderly, and many more issues.

These countries are trying to keep up with North America, but it seems they are quickly leaving many of their people behind. It´s amazing to be in a remote community with mud houses and no cars, yet there are advertisements of people drinking coke and wearing modern clothing in many of the Tiendas. These are only things I´m observing and I need to continue to inform myself and hope to study how the idea of the western world is affecting developing countries.

Nielton taught us a traditional way of thanking the mountains for providing for us. We carried on and finished our second day after about 9 hours.

The next two days were pretty breezy. We enjoyed hot springs and ended up in Aguas Calientes in order to hike up the 1790 something stairs to Macchu Picchu on our fifth day. Macchu Picchu was quite the wonder. Nestled high in the mountains, the Incas created a community with a wealth of knowledge surrounding for agriculture, architecture and spirituality.

On our way, first day. 

The valley where we camped.

Trekking buddy. 

My buddies, mouths full of coca! 

The Salkantay Mountain 

Taking a break with the team. 

In the pass! 

Hot springs on our third day.

Loving it. 

Into the jungle with all the amazing flowers. 

The gang.

Far too many games of Asshole were played. 

On the way to Agaus Calientes

Macchu Picchu!

The city was built high in the mountains. 

Most of the day was cloudy but we got a few breaks. 

So tired - on MachuPicchu mountain... only clouds! 

Exhausted and sickly, but still playing Asshole. With the GUNS! 

Thank God for Agua Caliente

Personal hygiene in South America has been an adventure in itself. Granted this may not be the case for most, but campgrounds and trekking trails don´t offer the same ammenities as hotels.

In Bolivia I´ve developed a crushing appreciation for agua caliente (hot water). This was one of the best parts about participating in a homestay while taking spanish lessons in Cochabamba. I had consistent access to hot water.

The day before I arrived in Cochabamba to start my homestay, I stayed in yet another hostel with no hot water. Showering in hot water consists of me dunking my head, attempting to wash my hair with my bar of shampoo, wash a few other necessary areas before shivering into my hand sized towel. This particular shower was short and freezing. As I dried myself off, balls of dirt rolled off my arms, stomach and chest. I realized then how many places were not being cleaned as a result of cold water. Not often did I get the luxury to scrub any of the unnecessary areas.

Well I started spanish lessons after my first night of homestay, clean as a whistle. All areas scrubbed, all unwanted hair gone. Luckily spanish came slightly easier than expected because I have the base of french - though I´m no expert, now I can get around. I stayed with a lovely gal named Alejandra and her aunt. Alej is currently studying to be a lawyer. She also worked with a children´s program that taught children to explore astrology and communicate with aliens (this may have been a miscommunication lost in translation, it´s still slightly unclear).

After a week in a bigger city, I was excited to get back on the road. I had a two day stop over in La Paz where I rocked the market. I took a short stop over in Copacabana where I met up with my friends from New Zealand and visited Isla Del Sol before entering into Peru.

Slightly blurry because of the bus - but crazy red soil on the way to Cochabamba

My lovely spanish teacher Marta 

Alejandra! 

La Paz in all it´s glory! 

Hanging out with the family who owned the Hospedaje in Copacabana

Tony teaching Sebastian some guitar

Copacabana

My New Zealand guardian angels, Matt and Jen

Isla Del Sol 

Cordillera Apolobamba

While Caitlin and I discussed our South America plans in early fall, we recognized we were going to have to compromise on finding time for both town days and hiking days. We spent a good chunk of our first bit time together enjoying town days and Jugos Naturales. Bolivia came along and it was time to hike some mountains. We found a hike in the Lonely Planet that was described as a climb over 5 mountain passes with views that rival hiking in Nepal. It was described as a difficult hike to get too and from, but one that was worth it. This was our hike! 

Half the adventure was finding the bus terminal outside of La Paz in order to get a bus to a northern town called Pelechuco, close to the Peruvian border. We loaded into tiny buses full of Bolivians going to and from the markets and finally made our way to Rio Secco (outside of La Paz). A fab fella in La Paz at the Andean Base Camp was helping us find a guide and our way to the bus terminal. He showed me a picture of a corner with an open door, unused bricks on each side and said – the place you buy your bus ticket is somewhere around this corner. The picture was honestly of a doorway. Somehow we managed to make our way there, buy a ticket and the following day we were on a 10 hour bus ride to Pelechuco, where it was our understanding, a non english speaking guide would be waiting. The bus was again crammed with locals heading to tiny towns along the way. Numerous times the bus would stop, ladies would head to the left and gentlemen to the right and everyone would pee on the side of the road. This was also one of those bus rides that you couldn´t look out the window – because every time you did, you realized the bus had a margin of error of about half a foot before a 200 foot tumble down a cliff. 

In any case, we survived. Upon arriving to a tiny beautiful town on the edge of a mountain, we set up camp in a hotel for the eve in hopes to hear from our guide. The following day bright and early, our Senior woke us up and we put on our packs full of food from La Paz and away we went. On our way out numerous locals asked us where we were from and where we were going. Everyone seemed excited to have Gringos around.

We hiked for 5 days through the Apolobamba Cordillera. I´ve never hiked in high altitude... it was as if we were walking in the clouds. Every day we passed ladies sheparding their lamas about and we hiked through a few tiny mining/ farming towns. The scenery was unforgettable. 

After 5 days of hiking we were excited to get to Lagunillas, where we were hoping to catch a bus. After many miscommunications we realized we would be stuck in this tiny town (where we couldn´t even get food on the first day) for 2 nights. We set up our tent in the small tourist lodging bedroom because the beds were infested .... really infested with bed bugs. We subsided off cookies, crackers and Coka Quina while we waited for the bus. Thankfully one lovely lady in the next small town over cooked us a homemade meal and served us in her Tienda for 10 bolivianas. What an Epic!!

 

 Our lovely tienda friend. 

 

Pelechuco. 

Making our way into the mountains. 

After a big climb. 

 Sending love home after an exhausting second day. 

Amazing summit. 

The senior and his senoritas.

 On our way to Lagunillas. 

Greasy because of no showers ... living off cookies and crackers. 

Eating dinner in a Tienda.