Kuelap

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Well after a long and round-about way, we reached the ruins of Kuelap through the tiny hamlet of Maria. This is how it went: We bought our tickets for the bus ride to Maria and were all set to get up and on the bus at 3 am the next day. We tossed and turned, worried about missing our early morning bus, so much so that I hardly slept at all. I awoke at 12, 1:30, 1:55, 2:10 and 3:45. Panic! We missed the bus. the alarm never went off, so far as we can tell and we went to bed dejected but hopeful that would be able to get tickets for the next morning and just chalk up our loses to one day.

However. We went to the ticket office and tried to tell them in broken spanish that we had slept through the bus and could we please use our tickets for the next day? They very nicely told us no, too bad. At length they told us that not only were our tickets worthless, but the bus for the next day was already full! So we stood around looking lost for a moment, trying to decide what to do with our predicament. This is when the Peruvian habit of being overwhelmingly helpful kicked in, and they handed us back the price of one ticket. We were grateful. Then they laughed, and drew two more spaces on the list and motioned for us to fill in our names. It turns out, they decided to hire another taxi to fit us in! We were going to Kuelap after all!

If you can imagine, the next night we didnt really sleep at all, so afraid of missing the bus again. We got up and rushed down to the corner early, and were crammed into a tiny taxi full of what we would later discover to be traveling sales men and their various wares (pots and pans and sheets decorated with puppies and roses...the bare necessities really). Through a winding road we made our way in the dark to Maria, and once we got there stepped off the taxi and into a hostel right on the street. They didnt even want us to pay, mas tardes, mas tardes, so we went right to sleep in our clothes because it was freezing cold up there.

After a power nap we got up and realized just how small Maria is. Then we slung on a little backpack with water and snacks, and started up the road to Kuelap, a mere 45 minute walk up the mountain, according to the lady at the informaton center. We kept up a brisk pace, as it was rapidly getting hot and an hour into it we had seen a lot of cows, some donkeys, and a pair of old men eating cocaine alongside the road, but no sign of Kuelap. It took us almost two and a half hours to reach the ruins. We need to have a stern talk to that information center.

It was really worth it however. We passed one tour group heading in and there was another milling about the entrance that we quickly skirted around as well. All around the ruins lamas were grazing and one was even giving birth up against the outer wall of the city. She had quite a cirlce of gawkers, so we decided to slip into the ruins and go back and see the outcome later. We walked around the wall untill we came to a narrow opening and went in. It was like walking into an Indiana Jones movie. All around there were the remains of circular stone houses and walls, all covered in vines and dark pink bromeliads with trees growing up between. It was very beautful and we were able to keep that "just to ourselves" feeling by moving along every time we heard the voices of the guided groups behind us.

The ruins are very different from most in Peru in that they are as yet largely unexcavated. Also, there aren´t many signs to explain things, (not much is known about it still) all of which leaves a lot to the imagination. There is something special in the unknowing, in being able to make your own guesses about how life was lived when everything was newly built. It was all very mysterious. Needless to say, we loved Kuelap. I´ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

After we finished exploring the ruins, we headed out the exit and found that the lama had birthed her little one and was off eating unconcernedly while a vulture circled the placenta and the new lama tried unsuccessfully to stand. We headed down to the entrance of the park and asked a local woman where we might find some food before we treked back to Maria. She called her little boy over and motioned for us to follow him. Off he ran away from the road and through a shortcut in the bushes. He was probably about 4.

We went after him and soon arrived at a little house, where more children came out to greet us. They shyly tried their best to find out what we wanted, and after much pantomiming of fork to mouth and full bellies, they went off to get us some food. What arrived was: cold rice and cold buttery noodles with a hot fried egg on top and tea for each of us. Meanwhile our little guide tried earnestly to communicate with us, and when he realized how bad our spanish was he very carefully slowed his speech to help us understand. We didnt and eventually he toddled off. Fantastic kids. We headed back to town and came across the same travelling salesmen, and had a good laugh with them.

Back in Maria, where we were assured that at 6 am the next morning a taxi would come to take us back to Chacha, so we hung out with some school kids who found great amusement in running out and yelling "what is you NAME!!!" over and over to us. After a strange dinner of deep fried chicken bones and rice (very common here, they need to take lessons from my mom on de-boning a chicken) we went to sleep. We figured we did about 30 kilometers all told during the day, so tired we were.

Well, a taxi did arrive bright and early the next day, but also awaiting it was a line of other people who quickly filled the thing to the brim, just like a clown car. We waited around in the foggy cold until our hostel took pity and let us back in the room. Eventually it became apparent that the next truck to leave that might have room for us in the back wasnt going till 1:30 pm We were pretty stuck.

Thankfully our salesmen friends showed up once again and we had a good convo in hand gestures and a little spanish about Alaska and the cold etc etc. After a few hours of waiting with little hope, a truck came down the hill and the salesmen jumped in the back and it started away. The cab and back both being very full, we sat back down in despair. But low and behold, the truck slowed and stopped, and the driver motioned for us to get in! The salesmen gladly scrunched in further and we piled on. I sat on a bag full of chickens (sorry girls) and Oliver perched precariously on the tailgate and off we went down the mountain!

In the dark of our previous journey up, we missed the careening turns and gasp inducing drop offs of the road, but on the way back we had a first rate view, complete with the peruvians hooting and hollering the whole way. Thankfully we made it about 30 minutes down and the salesmen got off to peddle their wares another day. After that we had the whole back to ourselves, and it was the nicest trip thus far. The scenery was beatiful, if terrifiying considering our positions, and the weather was bright and sunny. At some point the driver had us get in the cab and the locals got in the back, because of some police rule. It was so nice of them to give up their seats, but their generousity did not end there. At one turn the truck stopped and they hopped out the back and began running up a little mountain path while the truck continued on past a police check point. Around the other side our friends came panting and huffing and jumped back in! I still cant believe how willing they were to help us. Peruvians are the nicest people in the world.

To top everything off, when we got back to town they dropped us off at a hostel they knew of, and had the hosts let us leave our bags there all day until our night bus arrived at 10 pm! Amazing people in Chachapoyas. We spent the day hanging around the square and eating gummy worms till our late bus. Then off to the coast, to make our way to Lima and Cuzco.

Danielle (and Oliver)

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Photos

Maria Cow
The first thing we saw on our hike to Kuelap

Jungle
Good example of how the site isn't fully uncovered

Kuelap
View on the walk back down, see how far up that puppy is!

Thumbs Up
Our awesome travelling salesmen buddies