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Published: April 20th 2009
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Illampu Peak
just a touch over 6000 meters Mountains. Big mountains. Big huge green valleys. Mountain biking. Trekking. Not a bad birthday.
After trudging through the big cities of Bolivia, these two country mice decided to head out of town in search of some greenery. The bus ride from La Paz was 4 hours in a little van, probably the longest Kati's ever held her bladder. We headed into the
altiplano where farmers worked their tiny fields by hand, until we entered into the clouds. It seemed we were about to run right into Cerro Illampu, a 21,000+ft snow-capped peak, until at the last moment we veered around it and dropped into the greenest valleys towards the little town of Sorata, the trekking capital of Bolivia.
To get to our hostel from the main square, we had to walk down a steep dirt road lined with chickens. We were entreated to a lovely view of the valley from our window, and we figured this was a place we could stay for awhile! We called Travis, fellow Coloradan and owner of Andean Biking, and arranged for a special birthday downhill bike ride for us. On the morning of Mark's 34th, we loaded up with our fancy dual suspension
Exposure
Can you see the biker? bikes in an old Land Cruiser and climbed to over 13,000 feet on the same pass (the only way out of town). Following the trails that Travis helped build, we descended over 4000 feet of ripping singletrack, oftentimes with adrenaline-rushing drop-offs on either side. Travis was an amazing guide who identified local flora and told us about the pre-Incan burial sites along the very ridge we were riding. As we rode, we glimpsed huge Andean condors and eagles circling in the air currents. The weather had started off so cool and cloudy that we were afraid our views would be blocked, but much of it burned off in the course of our ride. Towards the end, we encountered Aymara peoples in their traditional dress, walking the trails with a load wrapped in a brightly colored cloth on their backs. We biked through a tiny town that was celebrating with a parade of crazy costumes that we both thought looked like birthday cakes and, you guessed it, a band. Exhausted, we celebrated Mark's birthday evening with a dinner in the plaza.
We had a day of relaxation and we hiked down to a little cafe with good cakes and sand
flies that left us itching for weeks, and prepared for a 2-day trek we into the Cordillera Real, or the "Royal Range", the mountains that surround Sorata. We also visited a school where we drank coca tea and taught English to high school students who were really happy to see us. Nervously, we packed our bags and got ready to trek the next day.
Trekking with a mule was a new adventure for us, but we relished not having to bring our giant packs up the mountains (which stole our breath enough as it was) and really, our guide Roberto was the one who had to keep the mule in line. For 6 hours, we climbed a steep road that went straight into the wet clouds, and for nearly half of that it rained on us. Just before we reached our destination, a small indigenous town called Lakathiya, Roberto pointed to a flat area across the valley from the town (probably 45 minutes worth of walking to get to the town) and said we'd set up camp there. Helping us set up our tent in the rain, he informed us that he would be leaving us to seek accommodation
in the small town. We were mortified - one of the main reasons we hired a guide was for safety purposes, to have a local with us as we ventured into unknown territory, but Roberto assured us that 80 or so members of the town were "buena gente" (good people) and wouldn't bother us except maybe to ask for some money. Fortunately the weather cleared enough for us to glimpse the giant Cerro Illampu that loomed above and to cook dinner without getting wet.
After spending the wet night in our dry tent, we ate breakfast in the clouds, not even seeing Roberto return with the mule until he appeared 15 feet in front of us. He took us into the small village to see how the people lived. Sustained almost entirely by their small fields of crops and herds of sheep, the villagers benefited from neither electricity nor cars. We peeked into a small hut, very dark but for the daylight creeping in through a few cracks in the walls. There were rabbits roaming the floor in case they wanted to eat meat, and the walls were blackened from the cooking fires and lack of ventilation. He showed
us the home-made kerosene lamps that the residents use to light the room. It was a great lesson for us on what we need to live! The trek back was through a beautiful green trail lined with flowers. It took much less time than the way up! Along the way we met many kids, who would jump out from their school and ask for a ´caramelo´. Luckily Mark had some chocolate to give away, or rather unluckily, as the kids would sometimes follow us for 1/4 mile!
Overall, Sorata was a great experience for us. Next, we headed to Lake Titicaca!
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