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22 Abril - Pisaq
Went to Pisaq today with my new friend, Erica. We met a couple of New Zealand classmates there, Kate and Nikki, and also saw Ashli, from Canada, who was there with Nadine from Switzerland. Quite a few countries represented here, huh? We spent quite a bit of time wandering through the extensive and well-known markets in the town of Pisaq. We all bought something and I found some cute little hand-knitted sweaters for my nieces, one that is not even here yet.
We also saw a cuy farm…. These cute little guys are a common dinner meat.
We finally made it up to the ruins in the afternoon. They are impressive, especially the many terraces leading up to the residences. Once up there, we found solitude and few other tourists. Erica and I sat and watched while some folks practiced some interesting spiritual activities. There was a guy on the top of a sheer drop-off who would hold you by the back of your pants while you closed your eyes, leaned over the edge, and spread your arms like wings. Everyone who did it seemed to be having a life changing experience, they all
hugged the guy, who was apparently a stranger, and then stumbled off, legs wobbly, to tell their friends about how exciting it was and why they should now do it. We did not partake.
Eventually, we found a spot in an ancient house where we thought the view was wonderful, so we holed up inside, out of the biting wind and studied the surrounding countryside and mountains. We agreed that this must have been what the former occupants would do and that it must not have been such a hard life after all. With this view, it was easy to see why they had built their home in this particular spot.
After a while, we saw Kate and Nikki making their final descent (Shirpa Kate in the lead) and we contemplated making our leave as well. We decided it was probably a good idea to get a move on but there was much for us to see yet and neither one of us really wanted to leave yet, and we thought we could see some more of the ruins on the way out. We enjoyed a hike around some of the ruins, studying some plants, discussing this or
that, and enjoying a wonderful sunset. After sunset we said, “Okay, it’s time to go.” and we started making our way out of the ruins. We ran across another old homestead and I found a dump-pit that disgusted me.
When we finally make it to where we could get a taxi, we discussed and made probably the worst decision yet in Peru, which led to probably the dumbest thing I’ve done so far, but I had a cohort and we both agreed on all of our decisions. Well, we reasoned that we could take the Inca Trail from the ruins to the town before it got really dark. Our reasoning was that it was predicted that it would take 45-60 minutes to hike up and that going down it should be much quicker, right? Well, that would have worked if we had been on the other side of the ruins, but I told you they were extensive and we had made our way completely to the other side of the ruins and neither one of us knew where the trail was. I said, “Let’s take this trail across the terraces, and whenever we get a chance, go down.” Well,
that sounded good to Erica so we started off. Before long, we were half-way across the terraces and thought it was looking good…until we hit a sheer rock ledge that we could not cross. So, we began climbing the terraces. Luckily, the Incans had installed rock steps in their walls, but we are both short and this place may not have been visited for years since there were vines, bushes, and thorns everywhere, and the more we climbed, the darker it got. To make it worse, this was almost exactly two weeks after I had arrived and when I arrived it was a full moon. That means that on this particular night, there was no moon at all.
You hear a lot of warnings about being in any of the Incan ruins after dark. We ended up climbing around on the terraces and ruins until well after dark. We were having a good time but expecting to come across some bandits at any moment so we were careful to whisper while we climbed. The stars were incredible though and we were honestly thoroughly enjoying our adventure in this beautiful place with the stars shining bright.
At one point,
we found the main entry to the ruins and we stopped to take in the stars and the serenity of the place. It is so much more majestic and mysterious at night. Shortly afterwards, we found the entirely paved trail and started our descent. Problem was, there was still no light. My eyes adjusted to the dark as much as they could, but it was still hard to see. Erica and I are both outdoor enthusiasts and would never think of going anywhere unprepared…except for here. Neither of us had any idea we would be there after dark and neither of us brought along flashlights. Eventually I was using the focus beam on my digital camera to show the way. It is dull and red and we could use it to see the steps in front of us and that was it, plus it only lights up for a couple of seconds at a time, and my battery was going dead. To make a long story a little shorter, after about 2 hours, we finally made it back to the town of Pisaq, just in time to get some hot soup before the last café closed for the night, and
Supper
Cuy are a rather common meal in Peru to find a hostel to stay at.
We spent the rest of the night starring at the incredibly bright stars, contemplating what the Incans saw in them, and talking with our new one-night friend from Australia who had a knack for finding something dangerous about all animals.
Photos of Pisaq:
Pisaq
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