Having a rinse cycle in Macchu Piccu and Arequipa

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After the long haul from Copacabana, and settling into bustling Cusco for a night, the Gap tour started. It was a bit light on information regarding track condition, viability of hiking Lares even in such recent heavy rainfall, and so decided to continue as planned.

The Sacred valley was the first stop on day two, passing the well known and altered name site of Saqsaywaman (said ‘Sexy Women’) and breezing along a muddy road to a village where handicrafts were made and sold to Gap tourists, evidently amongst others. This was part of their commitment to sustainable tourism by supporting communities and encouraging traditional crafts. Looms spun and knick knacks purchased, the muddy road veered towards some ruins where we did a meanderin acclimatization trek at over 3000m for 90 minutes with plenty of stops for photos of the ancient terracing, Inca spring, and extremely old and large rocks wedged in place as though manufactured in recent times.

Leading on to lunch at Pisac, we took in an afternoon of more ruins and exploration ending in a fantastic dinner at a local café that gap supports, all very affordable. Having pledged some Peruvian soles to the local market girls for snacks for the coming 3 day trek, an early rise on day 3 meant the beginning of a string of early rising, which was to be 5am, 5am, 5am and 4am. Oh the trials of being a camper and adventurer at altitude…if I had known I nearly would have opted out.

But this is for tough folk and mental as much as physical mattered. Day 3 we climbed from about 2500m to 3300m, passing ruins of Llactapata at 2820m, Wayllabamba at 3000m where we ate lunch with rain falling steadily on the tents that were erected by the hard working porters, and to our final rest for the night at Hayapata. Get ready for smelly squatters, soggy clothing and miserly quantities of dinner, plus the obligatory early nights to prepare for 5am starts!

Day 4 involved the most grueling leg, climbing over 4000m to Dead Women’s Pass at 4215m, up 915m from our campsite of 3300m and through the better equipped (read cleaner toilet block) site of Llulluchapampa at 3800m. The fastest do this in 2 hours, steady Gap trekkers in 2.5 to 4 hours dependent on will, nausea, headache, dizziness or just plain fortitude. My chest got the better of me, and after few moments alone, I trudged my way skywards and proud of it too. Lacking a view, a lunch stop awaited us and then after a delayed departure due to a sick team member we headed again upwards (how disheartening to go up then down then up almost the same altitude again!) in steady rain through more ruins (Runkuraqay), subalpine scrub and tussock-like grasses to knock off the namesake Pass (3900m) and downwards for the last night of wet, damp, cold camping in a most incredible environment.

Day 5 plans curtailed due to landslips, we had an easy ascent then repetitive descent heading deep back into the valley towards Agua Calientes, passing ruins of Sayacmarca, Phyyupatamarca and Intipata, the latter most rampant with weeds and spectacular of views towards the lunch stop. Relative to other stops, this was the Hotel California and we bid farewell to the porters and some US dollars/ Peruvian Soles for their assistance in a forced but pleasant ceremony, gracious for the average nutrition and their heavy cartage. Rain persisted to a thunderous night in a…..…hotel in Aguas Calientes, all relishing the chance for improved hygiene even if the clothes were not entirely scent free. The last supper preceded the grand finale, a 4am start to greet Macchu Piccu at sunrise, or near enough being 6.30am when we breached the hill and joined the 200 plus people in line – popular is an understatement. Magnificent half day was spent having a 2 hour introduction to all the channels, chambers and history of the place, climbing a precarious hill named Wayna Piccu, and taking in the gentler inclines of the Inca bridge. In all about 500 years old, it was impressive beyond belief and we were lulled to sleep and dreams of it’s mystery returning to Cuzco at the late hour of 8pm, some pting to crash others to pub crawl with the leaders.

Cuzco has it’s attractions, the most being it’s architecture, plazas (San Fransisco, Armas), and churches, the more distant being Saqsaywaman 3km or so from El Centro (Plaza de Armas) and up the valley to Ollantytambo. And so they were left for the lower altitudes of Arequipa at ~2400m by plane the final day, bidding farewell to team mates and hello to independence for 8 days, again. The white city, making it’s fame on cement production, mining and tourism, is ablaze with magnificent white stoned architecture in El Centro, Plaza de Armas and all streets leading off it in grid formation. Outside this is the less attractive new town, the airport being 7km away and surrounded by desert-scape and mountain vistas. Turning up at the airport with nothing planned turned out well and safe (easy to get pilfered in Arequipa by bogus travel agencies or taxi drivers), and I made plans to stay in modest hostel and to do an overnight trip to Colca Canyon. I discovered the local markets with the help of an older lady who had recovered from cancer (I asked about her work, she didn’t), passed on the raw meat hanging there, and made a bee-line for provisions at the supermarket. Again I passed on the trivial looking meat, instead I lapped up new fruits never tasted, like an orange version of black sapote (tasting like when you whip the butter and sugar for a cake), chiramoyas (sour version of custard apple), and those old favourites, figs. Meeting a couple at the hostel that night who were here adopting a Peruvian child to take back to Italy completed the evening. I love Peru!

Diversity is one word to describe the trip to Chivay. Cold and high would be 2 others. Passing shanty towns, cactus, mining and cement works, scaling higher and higher until the desert of Arequipa, the native, llamas, alpacas and vincuniars disappearing, we peaked at 4800m in a wet high plateau named Patapampa covered in snow, lathered in sleet, and temperature sitting just above zero. Descending thankfully to Chivay at ~3600m was timely for a lunch stop, romp around the quaint plaza, and check in formalities at Hotel Kero’s. Used to wifi in many spots, it was not blessed, and so the aguas calientes at La Calera was all we had to entertain ourselves that night.

A shivery night it was too, and early rise to make the Colca Canyon visit on Sunday. Officially woken at 6am by Andean religious greetings and serenaded again at midday with the same, our group made it to a misty canyon to see the occasional condor spreading it's vast wings, get stuck at tourist markets selling all kinds of useful and useless items, see churches laden with gold interiors, or trudge up and down the muddy streets of Chivay and neighbouring villages given heavy rain the past night. The region is incredibly scenic, changable in weather, and when we went, cool and wet. Fog plagued our 3 hr trip back to a wet and rainy Arequipa, unusual for a desert town used to no more than 200mm rain annually so I am told, and contingenices for the next 3 days made (flights, buses, accommodation essentials are easy to arrange on the spot)

So next stop is northwards nearer to Lima and a clean beach to finally rest and dry out at, I hope.

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Photos

traditional weave
skirts are costly, one does for life usually and is easy to lift up and down for those loo visits