Peru

Photos or description cannot possibly convey how absolutely amazing the Andes Mountain range was.  Every day was filled with breath taking views.  The four day trek I went on was an extremely gruelling experience filled with extremely high altitudes and amazing climbs.

Day 1

Day one was a moderate day.  We took a bus on a one lane dirt road to Km 82.  While enroute, we encountered numerous other vehicles.  The driving skills of the vehicle operators were amazing; many times we would literally be within inches of the other vehicles as we passed each other. 

When we got off the bus, the lead guide went around to everyone’s pack and hefted it.  When he hefted mine, he asked, "What do you have in there?  A television?!"  Not knowing what to bring, I packed what I thought I would need…hearing his comment made me bit more than nervous.  When he looked at my sandals, he asked if I had proper hiking shoes; I told him sandals would do while the word ‘oops’ circulated through my melon. 

Upon arriving at Km 82, we crossed a very fast moving river on a foot bridge which swayed back and forth with every step.  The elevation was 2600m.  We hiked for four hours to a height of 2950m, then stopped for lunch.  While on the trail, the porters were amazing.  They were really tiny men with extremely huge calf muscles.  While we grunted and groaned while ascending, they would literally run by us while packing tables, chairs, bottles of propane, and so on.  I heard two things about them:  They possess an extra liter of blood, and they have more red blood cells than the normal person.  I don’t know if these things are true, but they are most certainly filled with an amount of stamina that is extra-ordinary.

Following lunch, we hiked to 3350m and camped at a place called Yuncachimpa, which is the site where my travel companion really began to get on my nerves…which I’ll save for another entry. 

While hiking this first day, I really regretted not being able to hire a personal porter.  I found myself looking at the ground in front of me do to the heavy load and didn’t enjoy the views.  Most of the people on the trek…15 total…seemed to be in an unspoken competition with each other to see who would make it to the next summit first; I didn’t really care for this as I would have liked to enjoy the views.

On this first day, I met two extremely nice people named Neil and Lauren.  Both are permanent employees of the Peace Corps.  We spoke that evening and decided to let the others advance the next day and hang back and enjoy the scenery.  The rear guide and I enjoyed the other’s company as he practiced his English, and I practiced my Spanish.

 

Day 2

Our wake up call was at 0500, and we were servered tea in our tents while we packed.  My legs were only a bit sorel when I awoke.  It had rained all night, and I received a very nice sleep because of the sound. 

Breakfast was at 6, and we were given the option of hiring a porter who had just emptied his load of food for the first night; I jumped at the opportunity.   We departed at 7 and began the toughest day on the trek.

I’ll save the descriptions of the landscape and post the photos later…

In the morning, we hiked up and down…up and down…up and down…then up, up, up…to a saddle called Dead Woman’s Pass, which rests at 4200m!  I have never been so high on foot!  I had been chewing the hell out of cocoa leaves to help me with the altitude, and I think they really helped.  Once we reached 4200m, we had a  break, which is when an extremely horrible headache set in.  I was slightly dizzy and had to sit for a bit.  I was told that these things are quite common occurrances for people who are from the flat lands.  Several people on the trip fell out of formation and drifted farther and farther back…this made me very happy to have hired a porter.  I was a bit bummed that my smaller camera was broken.  The views were so lovely, but I didn’t want to take my larger camera out of my pack for fear of getting it wet. 

While on the ascent, we literally climbed through a cloud.   While beneath it, I looked like a white fluffy ceiling; then we entered into it and were greeting by a very fine mist.  After hiking through it for about an hour, we climbed above it and looked down upon it…truly amazing.

In the afternoon, we descended to 3500m, then ascended to a second pass, which is located at 3950m.  We arrived at camp 3.5hrs. later at a place called Chaquiqocha, which is located at 3680m…truly an exhausting day.

 

Day 3

We were told that day 2 was the toughest day; I think day three was.  It was almost completely downhill.  We hiked for four hours and took in only one pass, which was located at 3670m.  When we began our descent in the afternoon, Neil and Lauren took turns counting the steps while I made a tic on my wooden walking stick every time they shouted out, "One Hundred!".  I made a total of 16 tics, which meant we had walked down one thousand six hundred steps.  We became bored and tired and stopped counting and continued down for another couple of hours.  My knees were extremely swollen when we finally arrived at Winay Wayna.

When we arrived here, we were only about three hours from Machu Picchu.  There was a permanent building on site with hot showers.  Neil and I were the only two in camp to have taken showers every day in the extremely cold run-off rain water of the mountain…things were pretty stinky! 

There was beer, so we drank.  We definately had the liveliest camp in town!  As we were chatting about how much to tip the guides, porters, and cooks, things became nasty.  Most of the westerners wanted to give most of the money to the porters since they worked the hardest.  I told them that the Chef is who hires everyone and in a society like that, those on top need to get the most or the others may lose their jobs or ‘get punked’ out of their money.  Neil, who resides in Lima, agreed with me…but the others didn’t want to hear it. 

Neil and I had taken it upon ourselves to sort out the money issues, which was a pain in the ass.  We had the money separated into individual stacks for each employee.  We had initially asked if everyone was willing to put in $20.  A bitchy chick on the trek said, "How about if we get an envelope…some of us may want to put in more…"  To me, that translates into:  ‘I want to put in less so I need an envelope to hide the fact…’  Sure enough!  By the time the money was counted, it seemed as though at  least four people didn’t put in any money at all.  Before we were through, I had put in $65.  When things turned ugly about how to divide the money, I told the keep of the cash to fork me out $45 dollars.  THAT didn’t go over well!   haha!  I told the damn Irish to fork in their shares then.  Neil and I divised a plan as they others took a vote as to how to divy up the moolah; Neil would use the extra money he’s put in t

o tip the Chef and his assistant; I would use the extra I’d put in to tip the two guides.  When the others heard us talking about it, they again pitched a bitch.  I attempted to rationalize with them; the two guides were porters for four years before learning enough English to put themselves into the Guide position.  They had done their time in the trenches.  Those with language abilities are always compensated more for their skills.  But the others just didn’t seem to get it.  Here is the funny thing…

Neil told the others, "You have many fine ideas…here is the money…go ahead and take care of it…"  after the exchange rate and dividing all of the money equally, the porters only received about a dollar increase while the Chef, his assistant, and the two guides took huge decreases!   Idiots.  Feeling a bit badly for the porters, I purchased them a bottle of rum.

Following dinner, we went drinking and dancing in the disco located near the camp.  We were having a lovely time when all of our drunken porters showed up.  hahahaha!!!  They were hallarious!

 

Day 4

We hiked for about three hours to Machu Picchu.  It rained the entire way.  There was so much fog that we were never able to see Macchu Picchu!  bummer.  I guess I’ll have to return again…