The Lares Trial

South America » Peru » Cusco » Lares Trek
September 2nd 2009

Published: September 7th 2009

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Rayma and Doug

Contentment at 13,000 feet

Lima to Lares: 25th - 31st August 2009

Peru was our first stop in South America. Neither of us has ever been to South America, so we didn't know quite what to expect when we arrived. Our first stop was Miraflores, a very nice suburb of Lima overlooking the Pacific. Once Erik arrived, we quickly headed up to Cusco, the former capitol of the Inca Empire. Cusco means "navel" in Quechua, the language of the Incas.

(I could try to describe Cusco, but frankly, I'd never be able to touch the eloquent description in “The Motorcycle Diaries”, an account by Ernesto Che Guevara of his travels through South America with his friend, Alberto, while a medical student. The book was a timely and entertaining birthday present from Liz and Ali...I highly recommend it!)

We planned to stay a few days in Cusco before hitting the trail through the mountains to the hot springs at Lares. While in Cusco, bold plans of trips to the Sacred Valley and biking excursions were shattered by the effects of Cusco´s altitude of 10,000+ feet above sea level. We did manage a half day tour of the city, though, and it was worth

Day 1

Just beginning...Doug, Erik, Rayma, Regan, and our guide, Paul

every minute. But, most of our two days in Cusco were spent in bed watching Los Simpson and ordering room service.

While Rayma and I were simply lethargic, Erik seemed to be alright...until meal time. We took him to McDonald´s (hey, it was for medicinal purposes!) hoping some McNuggets would help, but he soon emptied the contents of his stomach in the bathroom, and that was BEFORE he ate the McNuggets!

By day 2, we became acclimated to the altitude, and on the 28th, we commenced our trek. Organized by Andina Travel, we walked through 3 valleys and over 2 high passes before we arrived at the Lares hot springs. Our fit Kiwi companions Debbie and Regan (the same age as each of us respectively, so no excuses) quickly took positions at the front of our procession, and Erik charged ahead matching the Anzac rather than the American pace. Months of soft European living secured our place at the tail end of the group.

Showing us the way was our guide, Paul, and 4 porters who set up camp, cooked all the meals, and then broke down camp the next day after we left, and then would

Day 1

pass us en route to do it all again at the next site in advance of our arrival. They operated like a finely oiled machine. This is about as luxurious as camping can be without a sedan chair. Also, Paul is an especially capable guide, informing and entertaining us from the moment we awoke in the morning till bed time.

We originally wanted to walk the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, but with a limit of 500 people per day on the trail, and given our somewhat tardy planning schedule, we chose an alternate trek. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise because as we moved along the trail, we had entire valleys and mountains to ourselves, only seeing another group on the last day.

But there were no shortage of llamas, alpacas, sheep, as well as their shepherds (mostly under the age of 6), and mixed in were women in red shawls weaving alone on vast hillsides of green and brown. Strangely, the only men we saw in the mountains were porters...our porters.

While some Lares treks start at the hot springs and work their way back to civilization and transport, I think the hot springs

Day 2

are best enjoyed when arriving with a 3 day layer of dust coating one´s entire body, aural canals and nasal passages. The very sight of the hot springs in this case are known to cause tears of joy which seems enough of a rinse off before jumping into the springs.

Additional photos below

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