Paracas – 27 June

Isla Paracas (Paracas islands) are considered the “poor man’s Galapagos. We’d seen tour advertised from Huacachina, but knew we would be better off going there directly. Also I wanted to work my way up the coast.

Carolina couldn’t book her bus from Huacachina so we would see her off at the bus station in Ica. Sallie and I would then go to Paracas. Unfortunately the bus was full so Carolina couldn’t get a seat. A good thing she also wanted to see Isla Paracas :) Three of us headed for Paracas. Carolina would leave in 2 days time.

The town of Paracas is small, but on the weirdly calm Pacific ocean. Many buildings seem very low budget wood construction. I’m assuming this is due to the earthquakes that are common. I guess this is rather a cost thing because I saw brick buildings too (all the hotels). We weren’t planning on staying for long since the place is dead. But I had no idea where to go next.

The next morning we took the boat to Isla Paracas to see the wildlife. At the dock waiting to lead our tour was a guy we’d met in Ica (on night’s party). It was great to see a familiar face! We all piled onto a big boat that held 40 people. Very snazzy, but you get a bit wet if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction :) We started off at a “piece of art” packed out on the side of a hill next to the ocean. Nobody is sure what the purpose was, who made it or exactly why it has survived for so long. You could probably compare it to the Nazca lines, just much smaller.

Next: wild life. Loads of sea birds, penguins and a couple of seals…and lots of guano. This gets harvested every 7-or-so years. It is evident that this is not a new practice as there are walls build around the cliffs to catch the guano.
Have you ever heard that being “bombarded” by a bird is supposed to be good luck? Many years ago I got zapped 5 times in one day! I guess that luck is still holding, because I walked off the boat with no extra fluids except the sea spray :)

We got invited to party with the guys, that we’d met in Huacachina, in Pisco (where our guide was from). Cool. Paracas was dead, so why not Pisco.

“Taxi!”

Main street into Paracas – The Paracas beach front (yes, this is the Pacific Ocean) – What out boat looked like

Remember “Thunder Cats?” I was a huge fan :) – The “rock art work” – Each dot is a bird

Where they used to load the guano onto the boats – Getting up close – Locals diving for a living – Living in harmony

Huacachina – 23 June

Bus ride from hell! I hate the bus drivers in Peru. There is a national limit on the busses of 100kph, but the roads are so twisty you can never get up to those speeds. The drivers try very hard though, which means that you get flung around the seat all the way! Getting rest is not an option as long as the road is twisty.

Since this wasn’t the off-season, accommodation was easy to get. We got a room in a “hostel” which looks like an old hotel. By this time I was guessing that Huacachina used to be a holiday resort for the rich. Now it has become a backpacker hang out. Most of the buildings around the oasis have old architectural features. The only thing I don’t like about the place is the mosquitoes. The oasis is stagnant water, so also no swimming (for me at least). At least the peace and quite that I was looking for, I got.

After one day we knew most of the ins-and-outs of Huacachina. Since this area is known for Pisco, we did a Bodega (general term for a place where wine or Pisco is produced) tour. The wine in this area is not very good, in my opinion. The climate is hot, affecting the taste. The Pisco on the other hand is supposed to be the best in Peru. The Pisco Bodega we went to produced a Pisco that won various national competitions. As good as It might be, I can’t palate the stuff neat. It is just too strong for me. And in case you are thinking “Ruan is just a lightweight”, its similar strength to Witblitz.
These Bodegas were on the other side of Ica. Huacachina is a 5min drive from the bus station. I did not enjoy the look or feel of Ica. We went to a museum another day in Ica. Here I got to see the Nazca lines! Well only a scale model. Rather this than risk my life in a poor-safety-record-very-expensive light aircraft.

After Bolivia, Sallie was not liking the crowds of Cusco. Since I had been mentioning Huacachina, she left Gary to hike Salkantay and she came to join us.

Every afternoon you hear Huacachina come alive to the sound of V8 motors staring up, revving and then climbing out the surrounding dunes. There are tours that take you sand boarding and then you have sundowners. All thrown together by a wild dune buggy ride.
The sand boarding was a bit disappointing, except for the last of 3 dunes which was steep and long. A great ride!

My highlight of Huacachina was the food! The food in Cusco was ok, but no real vegetables. You always get potatoes and possibly corn. I wanted some tomatoes, broccoli, anything else than dry potatoes. We ate like kings every meal. I’m sure I picked up some weight in the couple of days we were there.

Huacachina from a surrounding dune – Tuck-tucks are everywhere. Very cool – The still they used to produce Pisco

Dune buggy time! – Looking over the dunes at Ica – Our “hostel” with a club in the back!

 
One of the famous “Nazca lines.” (ok the scale model) – So you think a “Joyeria” is place to get joy (like you get cafe in a cafeteria) like a brothel? At least that’s what I thought :) Its a jewellery store.

Time to leave Cusco – 22 June

With Inti-Raymi around the corner and the amount of tourists growing every day, I had had enough. Andreo, a friend I met in Buenos Aires (I saw him in Santiago), told me about this oasis close to Ica called Huacachina (pronounced: Wa-ka-chi-na). I need a huge time-out so want to head there and chill for a couple of days. I heard that the sand boarding is supposed to be the best there.

Carolina was starting to stretch her holiday quite a bit and needed to get back to her shop. Unfortunately the busses to Arequipa are experiencing problems due to strikes in the main town along the way. She would have to take a bus via Ica to get there (double the distance). So instead she would come along to Ica and get the bus from there.

After buying our bus ticket I heard from Gary and Sallie (Team Fantastico). They had just arrived from Bolivia and we met up for drinks. They were going to hike Salkantay (like us) and then head north. It was great seeing them again.

Living with the Inca’s – 17 June

Remember the children’s art museum that we visited at the beginning of our time in Cusco? Well, Juan (the curator) put us in contact with an organisation called “Living with the Inca’s.” There are Quechua people that live a subsistence living in the mountains and with this program you can go live with them at a price (about the cost of a hostel, but all your board and lodging is provided).

We met Victoria (the wife) in town. They had an exhibition of the surrounding town’s works (mostly textile) and she was displaying her goods there. We caught the collectivo with her to Ollantaytambo and then got a lift with Julian (her husband) home. Its very high up so VERY cold! They have two children; Enoch and Jumi.

Right, so tomorrow we can help out with the farming, cooking, weaving or general day-to-day stuff to experience how they live. Wrong. We only found this out the day after arriving that they don’t live like most other families. Victoria spend the day around the house (not taking the cattle to feed like most women, as Julian’s sister looks after the small holding) and Julian drives a collectivo to Ollantaytambo twice a day (not farming like most men). And on top of that, only Julian has a good grasp of Spanish. The rest of the family speaks Quechua. Eish.
Not to worry, we took a walk into town and thanks to some wet clay bricks (the main building material here) met another family. They were more typical and when we asked if we could help, they were to happy to put us to work. They knew how this deal worked :)
This was more like it. I wanted to help people somewhere along my travels and now had the opportunity.

The father of the girl that we met was going to help with a community project. He invited me along! Not knowing what we were doing I just followed. All the men gathered and “el maestro” explained what was to be done. Oh, did I mention that this was all done in Quechua so I had absolutely no idea what was happening. Everyone started to dig out and move huge rocks into what looked like terrace farming. Halfway through the day the guys began to warm to me and we had some interaction. Even the maestro came to chat to me before leaving. I was knackered at the end of the day, but felt like I at least helped the community.

Carolina stayed behind and helped at the house where I’d left her earlier. She had helped with the corn which was recently harvested and did some weaving. When I returned, everyone was huddled in the main hut to heat up. We were all given a hot beverage. In this household everyone spoke Spanish, allowing me to follow some of what was said.
I then asked what it was that I was helping out with earlier. They said that the government had sponsored the community to build a trout farm as an additional food source. They eat LOTS of potatoes and thus not very well nourished. And here I though I was helping build farming land! Haha.

The living conditions are very basic. Building are build out of big clay bricks, mud floor and a type of white wash at places to give a “cleaner” look. There is very little insulation, so the nights get even colder. All the meals are cooked on an open flame, usually small twigs and branches. This causes the main hut, only one room, to become very smoky at times.
I got the overwhelming feeling that this is similar to a traditional African way of life. I stared wondering why these people live like this when in the town below the living conditions are a world apart. Ok, there is no electricity here and plumbing is basic. At least this family’s toilet had a bowl, but no roof and a piece of cloth for a door :) But wouldn’t you want to change your way of life. And if you didn’t know how, wouldn’t you want someone to help you? I debated this with Carolina and came to this conclusion. Not all people want to be helped. They might just like this way of living. Who is anyone to judge that they are living under substandard conditions. They might CHOOSE this lifestyle. Not everyone buys into the capitalistic way of living (live to work & get money). Family is the main focal point in these communities. But saying this, I don’t think theses people shouldn’t be offered help.

The next day we started off going to the Sunday market. Here women buy looms to weave with, boys buy spinning tops and there are many clothes to choose from. Later went to an Inca ruin down the road (not at all a tourist hot-spot) and Enoch showed us the top of the hill where the radio tower is situated. A very chilled day, which ended with Carolina doing some weaving.

After three nights, we just wanted to be able to have a warm shower (no showers here. Not sure how or if they bathe) and sleep in a room that doesn’t feel like you’re on Salkantay mountain. A tent would be warmer. No jokes. So we headed back to Cusco.

The trout farm progress after 1 day – Enoch on the way to the market. This is the main street – The market across the river.

Carolina & Victoria weaving – Supper time – The toilet

   
Jumi – Enoch – Cuy (Guiney pigs, a delicatessen that feeds in the kitchen and served on special occasions)

  Carolina, Julian, Victoria (both in traditional dress, and me

Pre-“Inti Raymi” in Cusco – 17 June

I needed a rest after Salkantay. We were just going and going for almost 3 weeks. A couple of days of rest was taken to recharge the batteries. There is a festival that opens the harvest, held every year in Cusco. It is called Inti Raymi. Its is an offering to the sun god to bless the harvest. This festival is also the official kick-off to the tourist season (another type of harvest :-) ).

Before the actual festival, there are groups from most surrounding towns and the university faculties that put on a display around the main square. Its very colourful and loud, but once I’d seen a couple of groups I had enough.

 
A couple of groups. They dance the whole time they move around the square.

  After their show, the group poses for a photo.

Salkantay, the path to Machu Picchu, and the citadel – 9 June

From what we could find, there are 4 ways to get to the Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu).
The well known “Inca trail.” Ironically all the paths made by the Inca to travel along are called Inca Trails. This is just the commercial one.
Take the train. Yes there is a train that runs from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.
”Inca Jungle.” Start off with a downhill bike ride (along paved road), walk through the jungle through two towns (sometimes along the road with traffic) to the hydroelectric power plant and Aguas Calientes.
Hike 3day past Salkantay mountain, called the Salkantay hike. End up at the hydro electric power plant. This is the one I was hooked on :)

I have developed a serious dislike for organised tours on my trip. So I really wanted to do Salkantay without a group & carry my own stuff. Almost like the Fish river canyon hike in Namibia, just add a tent. This hike goes up to 4600m where you have a view of the Salkantay mountain. Then down into a valley and various routs to Aguas Calientes. Carolina needed some supplies as she packed in a haste and had brought the bare minimum…literally (I didn’t mention this before, but it gave me lots of hope to see how lightly she packed). All rented and packed, we grabbed a collectivo to Mollapata. This is where the hike starts.

We caught a bus up with another couple (on a tour) to where there was just a trail. A bit of cheating, but I didn’t fancy walking next to a single lane dirt road for a day. That’s how long it would’ve taken us. I took it easy to start off, but Carolina was struggling. For some reason the altitude just caught her. A couple of rests and she was doing better than me. Just before you get to the summit of the hike, at 4600m, the path goes up a steep slope so lots of switchbacks. The air is so thin, breathing is quite laboured.

Paul had advised us not to sleep at the first camp site as the wind coming form Salkantay passes over the snow, ice & glaciers which make it freezing at night. Another while, think 1-2hours, we got to the campsite…in the dark :| Got ourselves sorted and met a South African couple living in Dubai. Very nice, just a pity we didn’t bump into them again. It was their first time hiking.

The second day was difficult. I bought a new pair of shoes in Santiago which were hurting the bridge of my feet by this time. We spent the day walking down into a valley with a “tropical” climate. There were many houses along the way. Usually the only thing to connect them was the mountain path that we were walking on. When we were getting close to the camp site, there were some locals carrying firewood. I just had to help out. Made my forget about my feet.
By the time we arrived at the camp site, I was finished. The next day we had two options. Flat walk to the town & collectivo to the hydro electric power plant, or walk 3hours up to Llactapata (a lookout of Machu Picchu) then 2 hours down switchbacks. Carolina’s knee was acting up. I wasn’t up for the Llactapata. Wilson, a guide of anther group, was very friendly and inspiring. When he heard that we were going to take the easy option, he urged me to hike to Llactapata. “In 15years from now, you will look back and kick yourself for not hiking up,” he said. How could I not do it? Carolina was a real trooper. “I’m not going to take the collectivo and you hike. I’m coming along.”
So we went and I’m glad I did. A view of Machu Picchu and the hike wasn’t that bad. There is a train from the hydro electric plant that runs to Aguas Calientes, but we would have to wait 2 hours. People were telling us it would take 1-1.5hours to hike, next to the tracks. So we did. Only problem was that “halfway” my feet were killing me and to make it worse the hike took us about 3hours. 20min out form the station, the train came past! That was depressing! The pain in my feet was all-consuming by this stage. Made it to town and sat down at the first bench, while Carolina found us a hostel.

One of the reasons I didn’t want to go on an organised tour was because I like to be on my own time. So, instead of racing to Machu Picchu the next day while we were tired, we took a day off. Slept late, good food and a visit to the hot springs (hence where Aguas Calientes gets its name). We did some info hunt too to find out the ins-and-outs. You can take a bus that leaves at 5:30am or walk up at 5am. Gamble we shall and walked up. As they only allow 400 people into Huayna Picchu, first come first served, it is quite crucial to get there early.

Machu Picchu…What a sight! We started just strolling around the citadel until we could enter the Hyana Picchu gates at 7am. We got some people together and hired a guide. Fortunately all the guides that work here ARE screened and have IDs to prove that they are certified. I stared asking Ruben, our guide, the “tester questions to check whether he knew something. He did. It then we told him about our shocking guide at Sacsayhuaman and it turns out that Ruben and Lucho (the best guide in the world) studied and worked together! Small world :) Ruben also took us around the citadel of Machu Picchu. I am very glad that we spent so much time around the other ruins first, as this gave us a good understanding of the building styles and history of the Inca. Making Machu Picchu more than just a couple of interesting old buildings. Of course I did my usual thing and asked LOTS of questions :)

This place has such a calming feeling about it, I could sit there for hours and just stare at down at the citadel and the surrounding mountains. And this isn’t even mentioning the amazing buildings that these people build. There are rocks that have been made in to seasonal markers that indicate when you should plant and when harvest should start. There were not stupid people!

Once again, instead of rushing back to Cusco that afternoon, we stayed another night and took the early train. Besides the painful feet, this trip was more than I had imagined.

Collectivo to Mollapata – A “street” in Mollapata – Start of the hike (Salkantay snow capped in the background)

Two happy campers (right at the beginning) – Another organised group’s camp @ 11:00. Eish – Salkantay

The summit of our hike @ 4600m. Salkantay’s peak is above 6000m! – Our decent into the valley – A moment to reflect on the beauty

Me helping a local carry fuel – Half way up to Llactapata – At Llactapata looking at Machu Picchu.

Bridge before the hydroelectric power plant – On the way to Aguas Callientes along the tracks – The view of our room in Aguas Callientes

Waiting for the bottom gate to open (we’re about last) – At the main Machu Picchu gate. See all the people we passed :) – Just entered. On our way to Waynapicchu – Ruben our guide

Looking down from Waynapicchu – In the “centre” of Machu Picchu (Waynapicchu in the background) – The Llamas are VERY tame