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Published: April 24th 2008
Alright...sit back, relax; get yourself a nice, warm cup-o-tea...this one´s gonna be looooooong.
So, where did we last leave off...I´m in Cusco, freezing my ass off...
Let me explain before you say, "Dude, Meadow, grow a pair...it´s like 45 - 50 degrees there right now!"
Well...that´s all well and good if you can rock a califaction man!! (heater)...but NO one has heat here. I mean NO ONE! Try reading a book in your house when it´s 45 degrees. Go ahead, try it; tell me how comfortable you are.
So yeah. I´m cold.
I've met some really great people though! Have been here for about three weeks now, and it's been kind of routine. I wake up at 8, take a cold shower (sometimes I skip this part...don't tell), eat a nice breakfast of yogurt and platanos, and get to work (boring stuff...won't get into it). At around 11, I start bugging Graciela to let me help her in the kitchen. She orders me around until around 12:30 when lunch is usually served. Graciela is the really sweet girl in the picture making cookies. She kneeds the dough (huh!?) and then flattens it out on a baking
pan. What the..?! I got a big kick out of that. I started taking pictures and told her it was because I just like making chocolate chip cookies...but really it was because I wanted to show you all her really weird way of making them. I'm sneaky...
So let's talk about the hike I did to Machu Picchu.
I didn't have the budget to tag along with one of those big name (ie: accredited) tour companies. They can charge anywhere from $350 to $800 for a 4/5 day alternative hike to the ruins (When I say "alternative" I'm referring to trails to the ruins that aren't the most popular "Inca Trail" which is quite famous and at the moment, booked well into September). So, anyhow, I decided to go with Pepe, who owns a local vegetarian restaurant, El Arbol (The Tree). This brother/sister duo I knew from working at the clubhouse, Joel and Andrea (Andy), were doing it so I figured it would be alright...
There were seven of us on the hike including Pepe. Meo is from Japan but has been traveling away from home for so long now...I think something like 7 years (??) and
never wants to go back. She cooks for Pepe in El Arbol and is 35 (yeah, she looks like she's two). Joel and Andy are from Ohio. Joel is 27 and has no idea where he's going to live when he goes back to the states next month. He has a black Range Rover who's name I've forgotten - but he talks about her like she's the girlfriend he left behind and can't wait to see. Andy, his little sister, is 20 and still in college at Ohio State. Nicholas and Ariel are both 27 and from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nicho is an architect and Ari is a chef. Ari likes to cook primarily Italian fare. And then there's me! Great - now that you know everyone - let's go!
Day One: We are told to be at the restaurant all packed and ready to go at 5pm. I had only heard about the hike at 3pm, so with a quick mass email to Ray, Mom, Bryan, Dad, and Amy...I was off to pack! We ended up having to wait for Pepe to get his shit together and leaving at 8pm. We arrive 5 hours later to a town
called Santa Maria and stay the night in a hostel. The ENTIRE time in the van...we are listening to "Sounds of the Incas," a wonderful compilation of songs all sung in Quachua (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechua). So yeah...five hours. We were humming along during the first round, singing along quite well by the third, and screaming at the driver to please, for the love of God, shut the damn thing off by the 12th. Little did we know, this particular CD would haunt our entire trip. It may very well be the only one of it's kind.
Day Two: We wake up at 8, take a cab to the trail head (there's a nice picture of the nine of us on TOP of each other) and start our hike after snapping a group photo. I wanted everyone to flex some mussels, but no one was really jazzed about that but me...
On the way, Pepe stops a couple of times to show us some plants - one of which we decided to paint our faces with (see photos). About an hour in, I hear a rooster crow. I look around and there are TONS just kind of clucking around in the woods.
really narrow streets.
If I don´t get hit by a car while I´m here...it´ll be a miracle.I thought it was quite random, until we came upon a house...where we ended up stopping for breakfast. By the way, they were playing "Sounds of the Incas." During breakfast, I made friends with a monkey. He was very cute. I did not, however, follow suit of his owners by kissing him on the mouth to show my affection. Gross. I fed him an apple. That seemed to work just as well.
After eating a nice large breakfast of bread, avocado, honey, and mango, we relaxed for a bit in the hammocks. Hammocks aren't comfortable. I always thing they're going to be then they're not. They look it though. We also watched the lady of the house spreading out coffee beans to dry in the sun.
We were ready to head out after an hour...but Pepe wasn't...he hung around telling us to be "tranquilo" (calm, chill, relaxed) for about another hour and a half. Ahhh...Pepe.
Eventually, we set off hiking for another couple of hours passing a house with the CUTEST puppy!! (photo)
I was so in love that I set my camera down and ended up forgetting it there. I realized it pretty quick...and Nicho, mi heroe
Cristo Blanco...
Literally means "White Christ"
He is huge, sits high on a mountain-top, and lights up at night... (hero), ran back and got it while the rest of us hung out by a water fall. Pepe and Meo both decided to go stand in the falls and get completely soaked. Now, I'm all for cooling down and being one with nature...but there's something about hiking with soggy, dirty feet that doesn't appeal to me.
So I can't even begin to describe how beautiful hiking through the Andes is. The most emense mountains I've ever seen...just breathtaking! I was stopping every two seconds to take another picture...and each one just paled in comparison to the real thing!
Yada, yada, yada...because Pepe is such a slow-poke, we end up hiking in the dark for the last hour or so of our trek. Before it was completely dark though, we crossed a fun (or not) bridge that, in my opinion, was quite questionable. I'm just glad there was enough light to grab a few shots of the splintering frame and missing cross boards...
We eventually arrived at the hot springs (a little outside of Santa Theresa), set up camp, and Joel and I prepared a hearty dinner of fruit salad and yogurt. mmmmmmmmmm...
After dinner we all hung
Basketball Game
I just loved how the terraces were used as "bleachers" out in the springs which was SO nice after a day-o-hiking. The next morning, we dine on left over fruit salad, bread, avocado, and honey (again) and get to hang out a bit at the springs before heading out. We take a van to Plata Electrica (who´s driver was playing "The Sounds of the Incas") and have lunch before beginning our 2.5 hour jaunt along the train tracks to the base of the mountain on which Machu Picchu perches. Only one train came during our walk - we got to wave to the passengers and feel really cool because, well...we're walking on train tracks. "Stand By Me" was sung more than once.
Eventually, we get to a town called Mordor where we stay the night. After getting settled in, Pepe takes us to some falls about a 1/2 hour away. He actually convinces Andy to get in the water with him. Now, the water was cold...but I do believe the reason the rest of us could not (and would not) be convinced is presented in photo form below...purple underward, anyone!?!
I was talking to Ari at one point and Joel comes up to us saying, hey - look!
I turn around to see Pepe's bare butt. Joel goes, "Hey, Pepito!" at which point Pepe turns around to display all...Joel snaps a photo.
Nice.
After discussing amongst ourselves how we MUST make Pepe get up early the next morning, we are united and actually succeed at getting on the trail by 6am. There was some serious protest on his part...but I just put my cell phone up to his ear - which we all decided had the most obnoxious alarm - and kept yelling at him in chorus to get up.
The hike up to Machu Picchu was absolutely beautiful (and vertical). Andy tried unsuccessfully several times to flag down a bus whenever our path intersected with the road. Once we reached the top, we were greeted by HUNDREDS of well dressed and perky bus-takers. Andy sprawled out on a bench and Nicho and I amused ourselves with the "May Peace Prevail on Earth" sign...eventually breaking into song...John Lennon's "Imagine".
After taking a couple of hours to explore part of the ruins, we meet Pepe for a breakfast of (guess what) bread, avocado, honey and mango. I got a nice picture of Nicho's pants after
sitting in a juicy mango I had set down on the ground. For the rest of the day, I would tell random people that he pooo'd himself and we all would giggle.
The hike up Waynu Picchu (the really tall mountain you see in photos of Machu Picchu) was riDICulous. I've never hiked up anything that vertical before...it was such a mind trip. I'm not scared of heights or anything...but I found myself freaking out a little whenever I would turn around and look at how far I could fall if I slipped. I mean, let's face it, I'm not the most graceful person you all know. Going down, forget about it...I was practically hugging the side of the mountain. Perfect views of the ruins once on top though- completely worth it.
This is where it all starts to fall apart though...Meo had left that morning ("I've been to Machu Picchu 4 times already - I don't need to go again"). Andy and Joel had to be back in Cusco that night to catch a bus to Chile. Ari and Nicho were going on another hike in two days and needed a day of rest in between. Yeah.
Everyone left. They all took the train back to Cusco from Aguas Calientes - the town near by. Pepe tells me that we'll hike more if I stay and it was so beautiful; I decided to continue on with him. BIG MISTAKE.
We start off on our journey at about 4:30pm back to the hot springs we stayed two nights before. We were supposed to start earlier but Pepe had left the ruins to do "some business" down in Aguas Calientes and was late. Shocker. Once we get down the mountain, we are RUNNING on the rail road tracks back to the town of Plata Electrica where "a car would be waiting for us" to take us to the springs. The 2.5 hour walk along the tracks was done in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Running. That's hard on tracks; you're constantly looking down and it's easy to fall (I did a couple of times ;-). When we get to Plata Electrica, alas, there is no car. Pepe explains that they probably had "un contracto mejor" (a better deal). I don't buy it. "Pepeeee," I say, "Haciste los reservaciones?" (...did you actually make the reservations?) "Pueeeees, si. Aunque no confirme..."
Dinner at the Clubhouse...
My job was to peal the potatoes. The women were laughing at me...I couldn't keep up with their mean way-o-potato pealing...they could take the dullest knife ever and take the skin off in one huge spiraling peal! Incredible! They said that my potatoes were half their size by the time I was done with them. (Well, yeah. But I didn't confirm them)
Ok. So we've been walking away from Plata Electrica for a bit. Pepe says that it's better to start the 2.5 hour trek to Santa Theresa than to wait for someone to show up with a car. Let me tell you a little about "Plata Electrica;" it's not actually a town, it's a train station in the middle of nowhere. And it's late by now...so NO ONE is around. While crossing a bridge, Pepe says that he's going to go try to find a phone. "Regrese en un rarito," he says (I'll be back in a moment)...uh, ok - so here I am, in the middle of NOWHERE, sitting by a bridge, in the dark, with all of our shit. I'm a little ashamed to say that I started singing "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens...I simply remember my favorite things...and then I don´t feeeeeeeel soooooooo baaaaaaaad!" (The Sound of Music) It didn't help. What did make the next HOUR AND A HALF (there´s a helluva ratito) tolerable was the nice, little stray kitty who befriended me. I named him Jack. (photo)
Pepe eventually shows up saying that yeah,
no one was going to be coming for us and we should continue on to Santa Theresa. It's 10pm by now. We have another 2.5 hours to where we're going to camp, and I've been up since 5am doing some serious hiking...so I'm a little tired - but I'm not mad yet... I can respect that shit happens and whatever...we have to walk. What does start to piss me off is that Pepe is still RUNNING. He's so far ahead of me that I can't even see his flashlight and I keep falling. I can't see the road, there are HUGE holes and stones and my flashlight bit it the night before, so yeah...I'm experiencing some serious difficulties...and really starting to get pissed. About an hour later I catch up with Pepe cause he stopped to talk to a car (the only car I had seen so far) passing by. He gets done with the convo and starts walking in the opposite direction. "Que esta pasando, Pepe" (what's going on?). "Son amigos" (They were friends.)
What an ass hole.
"Y?"...(and?)
"Vamos a esperar, y andar con ellos cuando regresaran." (We're going to wait and ride with them on their way
I splurged...
for a hostel with a hot shower...view-o-room back.) ...he says as he is making himself comfortable in the dirt on the side of the road. Alright...so I sit down and start to make myself comfortable as four stray dogs surround us barking at the top of their lungs. This country has a real problem with stray animals...they think fixing them is cruel, so there are just hundreds of malnourished animals running around. I discussed it with the woman who runs the hostal I'm staying at last night while her two cats were going at it in the main room. I was all...you know you're going to have kittens pretty soon, right? and she was all, Yeah...I don't know what I'm going to do with them. And I'm all, can you get them fixed? and she's all, "Que horror"...that ended the conversation. Anyway, I digress. Pepe is not reacting at all to these four little doggies who are scaring the shit out of me. He looks over at me and says as he points up to the sky, "Conoces Scorpio?" (Do you know Scorpio?)...to which I respond, "Conoces que hay cuatro perros grandes nos circundan y gritando?" (Do you know that there are four dogs surrounding us barking
really loud?)
He didn't appreciate my sarcasm and proceeds to lay back and FALL ASLEEP! Within two minutes, I can hear him snoring between the barks of the dogs.
So my camera died at Machu Picchu earlier that day. But you know how if you leave something for a bit, it'll get enough juice together to turn back on for maybe thirty seconds or so? Well...yeah...I pulled out my camera, took a picture of my stupid-ass guide passed out on the side of the road (photo) just in time before it died again - this time for the last time.
An hour later, the car picks us up and I yell at Pepe to get up (I'm not being very nice by now). The car was going to get this French girl who had walked along the tracks as well (but actually confirmed her ride). Pepe was in love immediately and made sure she came along with us to camp at the hot springs. He told me she looked like his ex-girlfriend. Gross. They ended up staying up till about 5:30 the next morning and I had to do EVERYTHING to pack up the campsite and get ready
So excited after my hot shower...so I dance
Sometimes, I check into a hostal with hot water just for the thrill. For all of you in AA&D Special Gifts! ...I took this picture especially for ya´ll! Doin' my "butt dance"... to head out while he was complaining how tired he was. As it turns out, Pepe never planed on doing any more hiking. No, we were just going to take really cheap modes of transportation the entire way back to Cusco. Awesome. So glad I hung around.
Yada, yada, yada...we end up arriving back in Cusco at 8pm that night. I hadn't eaten anything that day because Pepe ran out of food. He also ran out of money, and after getting a negative from me when he asked me for some, he worked it out that he would pay the last driver when we got to Cusco. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that Pepe has an entire top row of false teeth. He doesn´t do a very good job of glueing them in and every time he speaks they move all over the place and he spits ALL OVER YOU. It was almost comical. I am so mad at this point (and hungry)...that every time he spoke, I would tell him to stop talking and spitting everywhere - and what a bad guide he was.
We get to Cusco, at which point Pepe asks if I
Graciela!
We´re making cookies :-) want to meet him at 10pm at the Plaza to give him the rest of the money for the trek. See, it was so last minute, that when I accidentally withdrew $40 less, I didn't notice it until it was too late, and Pepe said it was alright to just pay him when we got back.
Yeah, I'm sooooooo not wanting to pay him that $40. I tell him that it's been quite a shitty day, and I'm going to get something to eat and go to sleep. He says that tomorrow morning we'll meet then. I say fine, I'll come by the restaurant. I had left some of my stuff there anyway before heading out because I had over packed...and I needed to get it. At nine the next morning, I roll on over there to find the place all locked up. I can see through the window that Pepe is sleeping. He lives at the restaurant and sleeps on the floor in a sleeping bag every night. Weirdo. Anyway, I'm sitting there trying to figure out if it'll be better to wake him up so he's kind of groggy and then I can get my stuff without
him realizing I have to pay him...or should I come back later when maybe he'll be busy in the kitchen and I can slip in and grab my stuff without him knowing when two dudes walk up and start banging on the door. "Buscando por Pepe?" (are you looking for Pepe?) they ask me. "Si." "Para dejar plata?" (to leave money?)...before I could answer, Pepe answers the door all groggy saying that he's still sleeping and could we all come back later. The dudes start in - they obviously have beef with the Pepster. I slip in around Pepe and into his office to grab my stuff. On my way out, I'm hearing yelling and see the two guys trying to push their way into the restaurant. Pepe pushes the door shut and locks it just as I come up. "Obviomente, no es un buen tiempo. Regresare mas tarde?" (This obviously isn't a good time. I'll come back later?) "Si, si...abriremos a las 11. Mira, ten cuidado cuando salire." (sure, we open at 11. Look, be careful when you leave). Pepe opens the door at which point the two dudes (who have been yelling and banging on the door this
whole time since he locked it) start trying to push their way in again yelling, "Dame mi plata, Pepe!" (Give me my money, Pepe!)...I slip out under their arms and am home free...
I have not been back to give Pepe the $40. I was planning on writing him an email explaining why I was not going pay him the rest of the money - but then Ari and Nicho (the two guys on the hike) told me that they ran into Pepe and he said that I was mad at him because he paid too much attention to the French girl. Wow. I then realized that there are people on this earth who are too stupid to reason with. I have not written him an email.
So, yeah. That's my story.
Anyway, I'm really cold in Cusco and the volunteer stuff I'm doing is not quite what I had in mind - too much English being spoken...just not for me. I´m taking this time away from Ray, my family, and friends...everyone I love...and I need to be doing something I am enjoying completely. So I've been looking into other opportunities and have found one where I
volunteer in a school in Trujillo - nice city, north coast of Peru....warm. mmmmmmmmm...warmth!!
I leave tomorrow morning. Wooo-Hooo!!!
So I love you all and looooooooove all the little notes you leave on the blog...so keep em commin!! They do away with the slightly lonely feeling that can get a girl while she´s traveling solo :-)
Be well - I miss you all very much!
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Emma
non-member comment
Great Blog
Great Blog I really enjoyed it - V Funny, thanks for sharing.