Inca Trail - Day 2

Juan explaining the day of pain

Day two is classified as "challenging". Yeah. I do enjoy the euphemisms they use to describe these things. 12k uphill...

We got our 5:30 wake up call accompanied by a nice hot beverage. Ahhhh now, when was the last time you got served tea in sleeping bag?? Classy!

Our campsite was in between of two mountains - not quite a valley. When we looked around we understood quickly that there was no where to go but up. We could make out the small scar that the trail made on the mountain. The Andes are young mountains so they haven´t had time to soften up - the slopes are almost always steep.

By the time we put on our packs, our camp site was already broken down and the runners were starting to leave. We began our ascent (into madness)...from 3100m above sea level to 4200m - Dead Woman´s pass (sounds inviting no?) and then beyond. They had wisely given us a very light breakfast - they didn´t want us hurling eggs and bacon on the trail.

Dead woman's pass

We walked up. One foot in front of the other. Sometimes, when we were lucky, it was an incline. But mostly it was steps - stepping stones going up. Oh, did I mention that it was drizzling? It was Katrina made me keep going...Katrina and the Waves - Walkin´ on Sunshine. Slowly, slowly. I was very glad that I rented those walking sticks - I used them to haul my body up the stairs...the slopes were so much easier. I hated the stairs.

One foot, next foot. Step up. Step up. We had a mini second breakfast at one point, just to keep us going, lunch was going to be after the pass - at around 2...it was only 10:30. ETA to final camp site 4:00....Challenging, eh?

We met other trekkers while going up this hill, all of them wet with rain and sweat, all of them with a haggard, but determined look in their eye. Runners passed us all - many of them had only sandals on their feet, sandals made of recycled tires (or tyres for my Aussie friends). Tom, one of the guys in my group later reported that he saw one runner playing a pan flute while almost skipping up the stones. Everyone witnessing the event scowled. Runners can carry anywhere from 15-20kg...most of us were carrying less than 5. Oh, and no, I didn´t get a porter - I carried my own stuff.

Dead Woman´s Pass was cold and windy. It appeared suddenly. I had made it! There were snow capped mountains all around. Beautiful. There were many trekkers taking a break here, but the journey wasn´t yet over. Now, we had to go down.

Sounds easy, doesn´t it? Sadly, that´s not the case. More stairs...now, when I say stairs, there´s no uniformity here - these are rocks that have been placed to form a stair-like structure because the incline is too great for people to walk down (funny, the way up looked much the same...) After about 10 minutes my knees and upper thighs hated me - I thought for sure they would walk out on me (har har)...Oh, and just to make things more interesting, the rain had formed small running streams - right down our "staircase".
 

Anyway, I shan´t bore you with every jarring and agonising step down - suffice it to say, I made it. The sun had made its appearance for most of the afternoon, which should have dried us up, but no, we were drenched. The views from our campsite were spectacular though. We were overlooking a valley couched in clouds.

At dinner Juan warned us that this night would be cold. He wasn´t kidding. It dipped to below 0 and I barely slept because I couldn´t get my feet warm.

Inca Trail - Day 1

It was a rainy morning - I waited outside the Hostal at 5:30 in the morning for the bus to pick me up. I was closest to the office so I was the last one. As I got on I could see some very tired looking people. We drove to Ollantaytambo to grab some breakfast (another scenic drive, but I was sleeping, and it was still dark, and it was raining...did catch it on the way back)

the motley crew

After breakfast (I had 2) we got back on the bus and drove a little more to the "start" of the Inca Trail - technically it´s called km82 - it was still raining. Once there we organised our gear, the trail operators gave us our sleeping bags and mats. Then off we went. There were 13 of us in all (yes, I was the odd man out) and all of us were from one place, but living in another, and all but 4 of us had opted to carry our own gear.

- you do have the option to hire an extra porter to carry your gear for you as long as it doesn´t exceed 4 kgs -

There were 24 porters (runners they prefer to be called) to carry all of the stuff we would need - tents, tables, chairs, food, gas (wood fires are not allowed), etc. That´s a lot of people.

The first day is classified as "easy", meaning mostly flat - mostly because nothing is flat in these parts. We were moving from 2600 - 3100m above sea level. After an hour, my pack was already heavy - what was it going to be like for the next 3 days?! The rain subsided and we did get some sunshine - how quickly temperature changes, one minute you´re wet, cold and miserable, next you´re sweaty, hot and miserable. We had 12kms to do this day and there were some very steep "flat bits", but the scenery was beautiful - the mountains kept us all in line.

We did have lunch along the way that day, but quite frankly I can´t remember it at all. When we stopped that evening at our campsite we were all pretty wiped out - we had walked from about 9 to 4:30. Food never tasted so good and the hot soup that kicked off dinner was a huge success. During our after dinner tea, Juan, our guide, mentioned that this was the last opportunity to hire a porter....and that day 2 was going to be harder. Gulp. It rained through our dinner and then it rained all through the night. But I think that we were all so tired that we all slept like logs.

Hangin´ in Cusco

We spent the next couple of days enjoying Cusco, which, although very geared towards tourists, it still has a very nice feel to it.

We visited a convent with a very surly gatekeeper! The Convento de la Merced was built in 1650 and it had some fabulous old paintings that, for once, we were allowed to photograph! There was also a very cool dungeon type place which still had intact the original frescos (no pics allowed there I´m afraid) - One room had plenty of angels and the other was full of skulls, depictions of damnation, fire and brimstone - Cool!



Inka structure in front - convent behind...
yes, that is the real Inca building- not fake



We also visited Qoriqancha which was originally an Incan site - known as Inti Kancha or Temple of the Sun, but was then built upon by the church (made into another convent - Convento de Santo Domingo in 1534) in an effort, I think, to show that they were more powerful...couldn´t beat the stone masonry however! It was an interesting place with one foot in on century and culture and one foot somewhere completely different. Actually, it had a third foot because they had converted the upper floor into a modern art gallery. It was a really odd combination that somehow worked.



Pepino



During our Cusco wanderings we at one point found ourselves in the market where we saw this weird round thing - it was light yellow in colour with some purple striations on top - neither of us had ever seen anything like it. I picked one up and sniffed it, no smell. The lady who kept the stall came over and Encarna asked her what it was - Pepino, she answered. Hmmmm a pepino is a cucumber...this did not look like a cucumber at all. The lady explained that this was a sweet cucumber. Oh. I put the cucumber down and never in my life have I ever gotten a dirtier look than the one I got from this lady. Apparently, you mustn´t touch the produce in markets. Only the proprietor can do that. Oh. Oooops.

We ran into this cucumber again on our second visit to Pisaq (sometimes its nice to get out of town), this time I bought one and asked the woman to peel it for us. It was a light yellow in colour on the inside as well...and it had no pits - I wonder how it propogates. It tastes like a cross between a cucumber and a melon - not too sweet, very refreshing! Two thumbs up from me!

Speaking of  fruits...one of the other things I enjoyed in Cusco were the cactus pears. There were ladies who sold them from their wheelbarrows in the city. They peel them for you and put them in a bag - how they did this with their bare hands I don`t know...those things hurt! They are a nice snack while you´re walking around. There are many such people on the streets selling their wares - everything from cactcus pears, to fragments of rock crystals, to hangers (?! yeah that was a weird one). These people are eeking out their living doing this.

Cusco wins a championship against arch rival Lima.
Party in the streets!

Cusco

Alpaca was upset that I was wearing wool - tried to eat my sweater

We caught the night time Bikram bus to Cusco that arrived at 5am. Usually they offer blankets on these buses because they are not well heated. This bus didn´t offer that and we were worried that we would be cold....HA! It was so hot in there it was like a sauna! That coupled with the 2 mellifluous men behind us, with their wondrous range of  symphonic sound...I didn´t sleep much.

We were a little worried that we would run into some difficulties finding a place so early in the morning, but there were people at the station offering lodgings - we figured, they´ll let us check in now with no extra charge - why not? If it was crap we could move on the next day.

After settling (settling = taking a hot shower) in our room with no window, we headed out in search of breakfast. You would think that this would be an easy thing in a touristy town, but no. At 6:30 it was asking a bit much apparently. We did eventually find a place an hour later. I must say that we did enjoy the early morning wander though, there weren´t many people around and no one selling us souvenirs as we walked past.

Now, I had booked a place before leaving Australia starting the next night and for 3 days. I wanted to check the place out and get my bearings from that place. After some difficulties we found it. It was quite a distance from the centre and it was in a dark and questionable area - there were still drunk people about and it was almost 9am by the time we got there. The room itself was very sparse and the place was very basic - especially for the price they were asking. We asked if they had a double room for one night in order to accommodate Encarna for the one night, but they didn´t. We would have to find a place for her, but we decided to figure that one out later. Today, we were headed to Pisaq

Pisaq

Pisaq is a small village with some Inca ruins. We caught a collectivo van through the lush green mountains (ok, I was sleeping on the way there, but I caught most of it on the way back). It was interesting to note that these beautiful green mountains were from the same mountain range as the dry, barren mountains I had seen in Bolivia. When we got to Pisaq we found..uh oh...a market. We both bought way too much stuff. My back pack had already gained over 3kgs...I wondered where was I going to put all this stuff. We enjoyed a fancy lunch in a fancy restaurant that was all organic, and grew their own stuff...Pisaq has it`s yuppy side where now rich hippies come to enjoy life in rural South America...an interesting mix.

The next morning we found a place for Encarna 2 doors down from the place we were in - it was much nicer, had a little balcony that I love, the all important hot shower....and it was cheaper! I decided to cancel my other accoms and stay with Encarna in this new place (better location too - felt safer). With that all settled we had time to now explore Cusco

Floating island/tourist crap...er trap

We had come to Puno to see Las Islas Flotantes and Taquile. Encarna had been there 8 years ago and had enjoyed it very much. We got on a boat and our guide that day was a swarthy Elvis-like fella. He was quite funny in a dead-pan kinda way.
 

 Uros - these are the reed islands made out of tatura reeds. When we arrived we were asked to sit in a circle while they explained how the islands were made - all very well rehearsed. Then we were "invited" into the "homes" of the "locals". Once they had 3 of us trapped in each house, they tried to sell us stuff. Encarna was smart and got out quickly. After that the "village" sang us some songs, awkward. And then they asked us to sing a song in our respective languages. The whole thing was contrived and awkward. We did get to go for a ride in one of their reed boats (for a price) and that was kinda cool.

We then got back on our boat for a 2 hour ride to Taquile. This is supposed to be the place for fine weaving and knits. Knitting is done by males, and the women make yarn and weave. Sadly, this island too, felt awkward and contrived. Most of the villagers were in their traditional costumes...so that they could charge per picture. But fair enough really, I can´t even begin to imagine how annoying it would be to have loud, strangers come and take my picture while I´m at work or relaxing at the local restaurant. They did have their wares for sale, but although there were some beautiful things, most were available in many of the towns we had visited.

 

 

It was interesting to hear the difference that 8 years can make. Encarna´s initial experience was quite different. I guess as foreigners we are looking for that "authentic" cultural experience. Unfortunately, as soon as word gets out that that´s what sells, well, people are smart - it gets more and more commercial and it becomes a marketing tool instead of a way of life.

I guess as visitors to a foreign land we need to understand that time is the key to that authentic experience - it takes time to get to know one person - it takes longer to know a people. You can´t really do it in a one week vacation. Sadly, our culture doesn´t allow us the luxury of that time, so I guess we have to compromise and get that watered down version they have packaged for us.

On the road again...

The next morning it was raining - again. Welcome to the rainy season.
We wanted to catch the early boat out but we were loathe to get out of our beds - it was cold and wet out there.

We did finally manage to get up and out and caught the 9:00 boat out. On board I met Philip, who lives in Sydney but is a native of Bolivia. As we were approaching Copacabana he pointed to some buildings a little farther down the coast line. "That´s Peru" he said. Really?? Who knew we were that close?!

By the time we reached shore the sun had come out again and Encarna and I were famished (no dinner, no brekkie yet). We sat in an outside patio and relished our breakfast in the sun (with sunscreen on).

While we were on the boat, Philip had suggested that I try the special popped corn that was sold in the streets. He said it was a great snack for the bus...I was going on a bus....Sooooo, I bought a 10 Boliviano bag of the stuff (just over $1) - this was the smallest bag available and it was massive! YUM! Lightly sweetened with honey, they´re like popcorn meets Sugar Crisp cereal, but not at sweet. It was really hard to stop munching on them.

Welcome to Peru

We caught the bus at 1:30 and 20 minutes later we were crossing the boarder into Peru - no muss, no fuss. Although I don´t know why you have to cross the border on foot. One couple told me their bus had left them at 10pm at the border between Peru and Ecuador...scary!

When we reached Puno, and checked into out hotel, which was a lot fancier than we were used to, we each enjoyed a hot hot shower and at the same time did some laundry.

There´s something to be said about a hot shower. We tend to take them for granted when we are at home - but when you´ve been marinating in your own sweat for a few days, because it´s not yet bad enough for you to suffer a cold shower...well, there´s nothing that beats a hot one...not even a nice bed, although that´s a really close second. So, please, next time you get in your shower, enjoy it. Relish it. It´s a wonderful place to be!

We had some dinner after our luxurious showers and then did a circuit to scope out the area around the centre of town. There´s a pedestrian street just off the Placa de Armas and we heard music coming from the far end. When we arrived there, we found a band and dancing Cholitas everywhere! They started to parade down the pedestrian street and when we tried to pass them we had great difficulty - especially past the drummers who wielded their drumsticks with much vigour!

A note on Cholitas: Cholitas are the traditionally dressed ladies that one sees mainly in Bolivia, although I did see them in Peru as well.

Isla de Sol - North side

 
First some factoids about Lake Titicaca: It is at 3800m above sea level. It sits both in Bolivia and Peru and can get as deep as 135m deep. Its also cold, as. Although the origin of the name is unknown, it is believed that Titi means puma and Caca means stone (I know what you were all thinking there..). We were headed to one of the 36 islands that are on the lake: Isla de Sol. There are 2 main ports on the island, north and south. Encarna and I were spending one night in the north part and one night in the south part.

It was raining when we left Copacabana, but it made the water nice and still. The sun started breaking through as we arrived an hour and 45 min later.

one horse town

Encarna found us a place to stay while I stayed with the bags. There were only the most basic accommodations here so our room was quite spare; 2 single beds and one small table. There were shared showers/toilets available down the stairs - this is where Copacabana´s shower was out done. There were wires coming out of the shower head and they were joined with electrical tape, then the wires continued on to the light fixture. I passed on the shower - I prefer to live.

Inca ruins

Once settled in we slogged ourselves up the hill (up and down, up and down) to see the Inca ruins that were there. The sun was pounding and it was very hot when there was no wind. The most impressive of the ruins was some sort of townhouse complex (for lack of a better comparison). It sat on top of a hill overlooking a beautiful bay- these Inca sure knew how to pick their real estate! From the top of the island the lake was a deep blue and it looked like we were on the Mediteranean coast somewhere. It was so tranquil and lovely to watch the sun sparkle on the water. We really should have put sunscreen on though.

By the time we came back down the hill, my face was on fire, and my lips were swollen. I´ve never sunburned my lips before...its not pleasant.

We had trout for dinner (surprise) and after that there was not much to do - this is a very small village and we had circled it twice already, so we hung out in our room and read...it was an early night.  Perhaps the south side of the island, which was more populated, would be more lively...

Isla de Sol - South side

Storm coming in

 

We caught the 8am ferry to the south side - it was raining.

When we had passed the south side port the day before, where we noticed a great many stairs leading to the top of the hill...there was nothing down near the dock. When we disembarked we saw that there was no other option - we would have to get up that hill somehow...with our bags...in the rain.

The path going down - at least it was dry-ish

Then, a guy appeared - he had seen the boat come in - and made us an offer on a place for the night at his hostal, so we followed him, not up the stairs, but up a cobblestone path. At first we thought we had escaped the stairs from hell, but as this path went on we noted the particularly nasty angle, coupled with the rain and donkey poo made it possibly worse than the stairs! Thankfully, buddy´s place was only half way up the hill. His hostal had a fantastic view over the bay and it was all very new (part of it wasn´t done yet). There were people still occupying the room we were taking so buddy´s wife made us a cup of tea while we waited and enjoyed the view...in the rain

The sun struggled to come out and in the end it did prevail. We climbed to the top of the hill to the little village there and we could hear that there was a big party going on...well, at least it was a big band - high school style. We learned that it was the last day of school so the whole village was celebrating.

There were some Inca ruins to be seen on this side of the island as well, but we were contented just walking around the hill, sitting in the sun (with plenty of sunscreen). We did eventually find the ruins, but seen from the top they did not look too impressive so we just walked on by...when we passed them by boat the next day we saw just how big they were! ooops!

We got back to our room relatively early, round 5,  and on our way down the very steep hill we ran into our hosts - but we didn´t recognise them because they were in their Sunday best. They were on their way to the fiesta that we could still hear going on. He was carrying a massive box full of beer on his back...it looked bloody heavy. She told us that she had left candles in the room for us. We were tired so we didn´t think too much about it at the time. We bade them farewell.

When we finally made it back, we understood...there was no electricity. Then we remarked that there were no streetlights (on the nasty cobblestone path). Encarna and I were not game to go back up the hill, nor were we prepared to come back down the hill with no light.We stayed in our room with out dinner that night - under the thick blankets, reading our books. It was cold...and rainy.

Tomorrow, we were going to Peru, hopefully the weather was going to improve.