Peru Part I - Cuzco, Arequipa, Huanchaco, Mancora

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I have been travling throughout Peru since January first and it has been a whirlwind of adventure. It all started in Cuzco, Peru. Here Emily, Melissa and I met up with Dan and Yamini. It was so nice to have friends awaiting your arrival! We spent three days just exploring Cuzco, soaking up its beautiful mountains and scenary, going to the infamous Pisac market and trying to catch our breath from the altitude. Walking a couple blocks was quite the cardiovascular activity! We were hoping to acclimate before the real phyiscal part of the trip began - the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu.

The Salkantay Trek - sort of...
DAY 1
We left Cuzco at 5 am where we took a rather scary, but very exciting five hour bus ride that took us through various rivers and cliff sides. We had to get out of the bus various times because it was stuck or there was a probable chance that it was going to fall down a waterfull. We got off the bus, slightly relieved, but ready to start the trek. The first day, for me was the hardest. It was a really intense incline that took us to the highest elevation I have ever been at. It was breathtaking in multiple ways. There were times when I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest. Not to mention that it was pouring rain and freezing cold. I didnt know that the mountain Salkantay is covered in snow year round! But with our ponches on, we perserved and made it to the top summit. Here, it is tradition to place a rock thave you have been carrying the whole time at the top as an offering and you can then make a wish. We did this and took a picture quickly. The top was definitely the coldest! Once we started our way down it was a lot easier. The scenary of the trail was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, because the weather was so nasty, we never saw the top of Salkantay, but we felt that it was there!

We reached camp just before dark. Luckily, we had the best porters in the whole world. Our tents were set up and hot water for tea was waiting for us. Not only did they do the exact same trail as us, they did it three times as fast, with 7 horses to keep track of and not to mention they did it in sandals and just a mere sweatshirt! The porters were a father, his daughter who was only 14 and his 17 year old son. You start to feel good about yourself when you can catch your breath and then from behind you hear, "Mula, mula" coming from the porters who are not out of breath and literally running. Being in shape has a whole new definition for me!

DAY 2
Apparently, from all the rain, there was a landslide on the trail. So for day two, we had to start out on a path that even our guides had never been on. We left at 6 am from camp and started on our way. This trail took us through the backyards of some families and eventually to an ascent that was literally 6-12 inches deep of thick mud. We climbed uphill for four hours in pure mud. It was actually really fun, kind of like a game. We were all helping each other, the ones in the front trying to point out where a rock was hidden under the mud. Sometimes the rock disappeared so a guide would try to trough branches down so that we could have some sort of traction. Never in my life had I loved a walking stick so much! That thing saved my ass from falling and sliding down more times than I can count. After reaching the top of the mud mountain, we had to start the muddy descent! By the time we reached dry dirt, we were covered in mud. But the hike did not end there. We continued on and soon it was time to start walking with our flashlights out. We were about 40 minute away from where we expected camp to be and we came across a river. There was no easy way to cross it - we all held hands in a chain to brave the rushing water and just walked straight through it. At least we got to rinse some of the mud off. We hiked for 12 hours that day with a 45 minute lunch that was incredible. The porters and cook had amazing skills to create the most delicious foods quickly and in crazy environments. That day we were allowed to eat in someones back yard, where the highlight was a baby pig cuddly up with big old dog. It was definitely a day I will never forget!

DAY 3
The hiking was over! We got in a van that took us to Aguas Calientes and we spent the day at Santa Teresa hot springs. It felt so good to dip into the hot waters and you didnt really want to get out because the instant you did you were eaten alive by the biting flies and mosquitos. Not sure who won - might have been a tie between Melissa and Dan - I think they had around 30 bites on one leg!

DAY 4 - Machu Picchu
Our bad luck with the weather the previous days, showed us mercy in Machu Picchu. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day as we explored the amazing city that was somehow saved from the Spanish invasion. Words cannot describe how unbelievable this place is. The architecture and stone work is beautiful. Looking down at viewpoints in Machu Picchu takes your breath away. To think that this place is still standing, while so many of our buildings look like they have been to hell and back makes you appreicate all the work and intelligence of the Incans and Pre-Incans.


Arequipa

The city of my heart. They love desserts and it is totally normal to eat ice cream at 10am. Amazing! We spent two days here exploring and needless to say, eating some amazing sweet treats. We toured the 400 year old Monestary, which is practically a city within a city. The nuns that went there in the past came from rich families adn were never allowed to leave or see their families again - sounds like a blast, right!?!? 😞
We also ate at a "pre-inka" restaurant, which means that they over charge you for boiled potatoes, corn and tough alpaca meat. At this restaurant we watched the parade of Santa Catalina - the patron saint of the city and had an interesting conversation with a witch doctor. He first approached our table because we didnt eat all of our alpaca meat. Because he was so intimidating we accepted our plates back and attempted to naw on the meat. This is when he noticed my vitiliago above my eye. He creepily stared at me and said he knew how to heal me. He brought me strong mint tea and continued to tell me that the reason I had vitiliago was because one of my parents ate "caca de sapo" -toad shit, which passed on to me and is now in my liver expressing itself through my white spots. Thanks mom and dad! haha! After assessing my energy, he told me that the cure was simple. No pepper, chili, or fat for a month and everyday of that month I was to boil a liter of water down to a cup with these sticks he gave me. I awkwardly thanked him with a bag of special sticks in hand, but a month of no fat and spicy food just doesnt like fun to me. I think I will keep the spots!

(People in South America seems to be very concerned about my spots. I was also told in Galapagos that I just needed to eat more peaches for it to go away...)

From Arequipa we took a trip to Colca Canyon to see the great Andean Condor. Along the way we stopped in a nature reserve wehre there were llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and lots of their babies. So cute! We also saw a traditional dance and music performance, which was really interesting and unfortnately interactive with the audience! In the morning we got up early to see the condors. We saw 7 of them circling - absolutely huge creatures. I was hoping that they were going to fly right over head, but at least we got to see them!


Huanchaco

We then boarded a bus for 26 hours to get to Huanchaco. We spent three days there warming our mountain bodies on the beach, while Dan enjoyed the surf. From there we visited the ruins of Chan Chan, which in my opinion are equally as impressive as Machu Picchu. Chan Chan was the main city of the Chimu empire, one of the largest Pre-Inca groups. Because they are still excavating some areas we only got to see certain areas, but it was incredible. Giant walls with beautiful carvings. They speculate that the design focused on their belief in the moon and the four phases of the moon. It was interesting to see how many similar designs and beliefs existed in this culture that are also found in the Inca culture. While the ruins were impressive, the beach and waves were not so we got back on a bus to go even further north to Mancora/Organos.


Mancora

Mancora is a beautiful beach town full of Argentines on vacation, hippies and surfers. Dan got to spend about 4 days here with me before heading back to the states. We took a day trip to Organos where they have a break that is famous for its tubos/barrels. Sorry I dont speak surfer very well. While we were there, we saw an old famous surfer who was incredible. He got barrelled three times in a matter of an hour. Dan got some great waves and I got some great sun rays with our newly made friend Pimi, an old dog that followed us all day! I am currently still in Mancora. I guess I cant pull myself away from a beach in January. I found an incredible yoga class, so I have been spending my week in the sun and doing yoga in the evenings. Yesterday I went to the mud baths that are near by that are said to have healing powers. It definitely wasnt as I had imagined. We drove out on a dirt road for about 30 minutes until we got to a 30x5 foot hole in the ground that was full of greenish, brown water. The mud had to be scraped with your hands from the bottom of this natural hot spring. We got in and coated ourselves with mud, following the locals as our models. While at times, when I found chunks of hair in the mud, I was a little grossed out, I must say that my skin is very soft today!

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