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August 2nd 2008

Published: August 2nd 2008

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keebs

Sondor Ruins

Pacucho

I left Cusco after my trip to Machu Picchu for a city called Andahuaylas enroute to Ayacucho. Arriving at 5:30 in the morning I waited a bit for the sun to rise then wandered out into the town. Once again I found myself tired (from the bumpy busride) disoriented in an unfamiliar place. There were no tourists in sight and I couldn't find a hotel to rest in because I was headed to Ayacucho the next night. Eventually I found my bearings and bought a bus ticket to Ayacucho, leaving my backpack at the bus station. I took a combi (minibus) to a lake called Pacucha and my driver told me he'd take me to these Chaki ruins and back to Andahuaylas for ten soles (about $3), or so I thought. When we got to the ruins he said he'd leave me there and I had to take another combi back to town. I gave him five soles and told him to leave me alone then climbed up to the ruins. They were nice, I was tired, and I decided falling asleep was a good thing to do. Eventually the guy who collects the entry fee for the ruins came and

Sondor

From the Chanki Ruins in Pacucha

woke me up then continued to tell me all about how lonely he was in his life and how he wanted to get married. After about an hour of that, I figured out that he probably wanted to marry me and told him I was hungry and left.

I boarded another combi enroute to Andahuaylas but because there weren't enough people in it, I had to wait an hour then pay for two passages back to Andahuaylas. I got back just in time to eat some of Chifa (Chinese food cooked by Peruvians) and get on my bus to Ayacucho.

In my eleven hour bus ride to Ayacucho I didn't sleep much. I'd always prided myself in my ability to fall asleep anywhere but lately its been tough. The zigging and zagging and bumping up and down mountains had me friggen exhausted by the time I got to Ayacucho at 6:00 in the morning. My artesan friend, Michael, I'd met in Cusco was there to meet me and he took me to an hospedaje where I promptly passed out. I awoke in Ayacucho hungry and confused a few hours later. We walked around, ate some puca picante, went

Sondor

Chanki ruins in Pacucha

the markets and met some other traveling kids and artesans. It was a pretty city.

After a day in Ayacucho, we headed to Huancayo. Instead of paying the elevated busfare(for the independence day vacations) direct to Huancayo we took a combi to a city called Huanta. Huanta is not in Lonely Planet and I don't now why. It was a charming little city. And it WAS a city, not a pueblo. What the hell Lonely Planet? What's the use of having you if you can't tell me where I am? I now refer to my Lonely Planet as mi malo guia. Anyways, in Huanta we sold some jewelry and hung out until the next bus came for Huancayo.

I ended up staying in Huancayo for four days. Many more than I'd planned. According to Lonely Planet, Huancayo is where you go to get a real taste of Peru. I will stop refering to Lonely Planet: now. Huancayo is a pretty huge sprawling sort of city and its really not very nice to look at. However, I did get to see some beautiful things there. We saw some fun rock formations a bit like Bryce Canyon in Utah and

Ayacucho

Plaza de Armas in Ayacucho

a bit mountain called Huatapallana where I attempted to climb a glacier (never actually got TO the glacier...) I also witnessed lots of Santiago which from what I can tell is just a bunch of drunk people dancing down a street with a bunch of drunk cows. I can't for the life of me figure out WHY. We left Huancayo after one night in the worst hospedaje ever (sin agua), one night in a suitable hospedaje (con ducha con agua caliente), and one night camping on a hill above Huancayo with a maltended fire and a puppy named 'Ton' or is it 'Stone'? I don't know. I don't really think he does either.

Next: La Selva (The Jungle)

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