Panoramic photo of the salt mines - click once to enlarge.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Lima
We flew to Lima then had about an 8 hour stopover 'til our red-eye flight at midnight tonight. Fernando's friend, Henry, lives here and picked us up from the airport. We all went to lunch at a lovely restaurant in a town near Lima. Lima is on the coast so it was fun to see the "Peruvian Pacific ocean" and a sunset. There were many surfers out there and with wetsuits on, which surprised me. Henry dropped us off at K & F's hotel where we rested for a while until Nick & I left for the airport. Henry sent his driver to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the airport. In fact, when I say Henry picked us up at the airport earlier, I mean to say that he was accompanied by his full-time driver. Apparently this is common in Peru or maybe just Lima. It is so strange to me that someone could actually hire someone to do this full time. Anyway we had a fun time with Henry who is a lively and interesting guy. He told us a few stories about Fernando and him when they were younger. So fun to hear these stories!
Nick and I left Peru tonight and Fernando & Kristen are staying two more days in Lima, visiting with other family members and Henry.
We managed to stay healthy while in Peru as far as not consuming bad water or food. We were very diligent about treating our water when we filled our bottles in the hotel sink. And we never drank water in a restaurant unless it was in a bottle. Let's hope we didn't catch a bug that will show itself after we get home...
My next Peruvian goal is to hike the Inca trail (another several day hike, but with more archeological sites, and stairs). Also I want to see Trujillo, the town where Fernando was born and raised.
Cusco/Chinchero
We (F, K, & I - Nick's cold backslided from all the hiking and not enough sleep the past few days) went on another tour with Oscar. This time we went outside of Cusco to a little community called Chinchero. Here there is a place where the women in the community weave all their textiles and scarves, etc. we stayed for a long time learning about each step of the weaving process starting with how they get the different dye colors from plants, seeds, leaves and even insects. Each color takes all day to stain the wool and the indigo color takes a whole month!
We were fascinated by the demonstration of each step and the intricate details and long, hard work that goes into weaving each piece. We also learned how one can tell which community an item comes from. There are details in the edging that is unique to each community. We also learned how to tell hand- made vs. machine made. In many ways hand made is more perfect than machine. And some cases the handmade pieces are imperfect but it makes it more charming somehow.
We also visited a salt mine today. There is a place in the mountains where there is a spring that has really salty water. The Incas built about 400 little pools to capture the salt water. After about a week the water evaporates and what remains is several layers of salt. The top layer is for human consumption the next layer is for animals, and the next layer is for medicinal purposes, etc. The image of all the salt pools is really beautiful.
We enjoyed our last night in Cusco with a nice dinner together and then we packed for our trip back home tomorrow.
Rumi Punku
Machu Picchu, day 2
Today we met K & F for breakfast at a reasonable time then headed up to MP. The weather was cold and overcast and it rained a little bit - not really the ideal setting for viewing the ruins from up above. We hiked up to the "sun gate" or "inti punku" in Quechua (pronounced ke-chew-a)
which is the language of the Incans and still spoken today by many people, especially those from the mountains. We had reserved a time to climb Huayna Picchu which is a little mountain above MP that is super steep and has many many stairs made in the Inca time and they're also very steep and could be slippery when it rains. We noticed that we slipped several times while hiking up to Inti Punku, so we decided that it wasn't worth the risk of climbing Huayna Picchu in those conditions. Also, there are no guard rails to hold onto and if you slip and fall, well that's just too bad. We would not have had a view if we went up there either and that's the main reason for doing it. Guess we'll just have to come back!
We hung out in the ruins of MP and spent a lot of time taking pictures of the llamas that were roaming free and they got really close to us too! Other than that, there were so many people at the park that I was done pretty soon. I don't like doing touristy things because of all the tourists, but Machu Picchu was worth it - only in small doses though.
We all headed back to Cusco this afternoon via the train which was a lovely 3 1/2 hour ride. We were sooooo happy to be back to our home away from home: Rumi Punku - the hotel we stayed at when we first arrived in Cusco.
Machu Picchu, day 1: Aguas Calientes, Sumaq hotel
Fernando and Kristen went to his high school reunion in another part of Peru the weekend before we met them in Cusco. He has a friend that he's known since he was in 1st grade that has a connection with the owner of the only 5 star hotel in Aguas Calientes. He insisted that they stay at that hotel instead of the one where they already had reservations - all gratis - including the dinner we had that night. That would have been an amazing enough treat, but there's more! The head chef made a special meal just for us featuring a selection of many ingredients from the surrounding Andean region. All courses, except for the entree, had 4 separate samples. He also came out to our table when each course was served to describe each dish and explain which sequence to eat them in order to appreciate all the different flavors. Everything was delicious and I have never experienced such a thing before and it was most likely a once in a lifetime experience.
Machu Picchu, day 1: Ruins
4:30 am wake up so we can have breakfast before meeting the group at 5:15. Ugh. Why do trips always require really early wake up calls??
Anyway we took a bus up to Machu Picchu at 6:00 so we can try to beat the crowds. There is a whole system of buses that transport tourists up and down the steep mountain on a road of about 15 switch-backs. One could walk up this hill, but why? Even I wouldn't do that :)
The park is at an elevation of only 7,000 ft. or something around there, so that's nice. I have many pictures of Machu Picchu that I will post when I get home. MP is the ultimate example of Inca craftsmanship and clever engineering and farming. It was built 500 years ago and abandoned when the Spaniards were conquering the region and it was only discovered by foreigners in 1911, although there were a few families that were living there at the time to live "off the grid" to not have to pay taxes. Our guide from the Lares trek also gave us a tour of MP. He's super knowledgable and has made the whole trip really interesting. After this morning exploring MP with him, we all parted ways. Nick and I are meeting Fernando & Kristen this evening for dinner at their hotel restaurant, then we will go to MP again tomorrow with them.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Lares trek, day 3
Saturday
We woke up this morning to lots of rain and then snow! Not much, but it was cold enough to snow. Brrrrrrrr.
The elevation is 13,000 ft. and I don't feel any problems with altitude anymore. I'm so glad to be acclimated now. It makes such a difference in energy level, etc.
After about an hour of being up and out of the tent there was a small lake forming in front of and underneath my tent. I'm so glad it didn't rain like this last night.
Anyway, it's our last day to hike in the peaceful mountains. Tonight we will be in a town at the base of Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes.
Our hike today was more downhill thru another little village of people working away - farming, gathering firewood, driving their flocks to graze the hillside and such. We hiked *only* 5 hours and ended our trek in the early afternoon at a place where the cooks prepared lunch for us at a spot alongside a country road. The company's bus picked us up there and took us to a nearby town, called Ollantaytambo, which has a train station where we took the train to Aguas Calientes.
At the end of our lunch we said goodbye to the porters and horsemen. They headed back to Lares, the town we started in 3 days ago and they will be there tonight. Yes, tonight. The locals are really tough and strong and understand what hard work is all about. Oh, and they won't ride the horses back because 1) there aren't enough horses for all of them so they have to keep a human walking pace and 2) they can't ride horses in many sections of the trail since it's so technical .
Ollantaytambo is an old city built by he Incas. All the buildings are made of stone, Inca style. Fernando and Kristen and Nick stayed here last night (K & F were supposed to stay here yesterday too, but stayed in Cusco to be with sick Nick instead). Nick is slightly better - he has enough energy to walk around and be social but he still feels pretty sick and if he were at home he'd still be convalescing and not touring around, poor guy - it really stinks to be sick while on vacation. Anyway it was great to see all of them again even though it was brief. Actually this is where Nick joined the hiking group and took the train with us to Aguas Calientes so we can be close to Machu Picchu in the morning and start our day early. Kristen and Fernando stayed another day in Ollantaytambo and will join us tomorrow night.
Aguas Calientes is a super cute town that is built on the slope of a mountain with stone streets and a clever water drainage system built by the Incas. It's quite a trek to go up to our hotel which is toward the top of the town. There are no cars here, only foot traffic and the locals deliver goods and luggage, etc on wheeled carts. Everyone here gets a good workout wherever they go.
Tomorrow we get to our destination - Machu Picchu, yay!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Lares trek, day 2
We started our day at 5:30 for breakfast. Then we had a group picture including all of the cooks, porters and horsemen. We only need to gather our things that we want the horses to carry and pack our day packs and the porters take down our tents. They also do all the set up and clean up for meals. We eat inside a tent with the cooks' tent next to it and they deliver the food to us. It's really nice to be so catered to especially on a camping/hiking trip. That usually doesn't happen on my backpacking trips.
We started our trek thru the tiny village and we were all in awe of how beautiful this place is. It is located in a valley surrounded by gigantic mountains. These people grow crops, mostly several different types of potatoes, and also they farm animals - llamas, alpacas, sheep. The shepherds let their flocks roam and they often go way way high up the mountains where the shepherds have to go climb up to gather them. I'm so amazed at the physical condition the locals have developed by farming in these high altitudes.
Today we climbed and climbed and climbed until we reached the peak of the mountain which is 15,455ft!! The brochure said that we would go 14,500, so I was shocked when our guide's altimeter read the higher elevation. Actually the climb itself was not unusually hard for me. It was no different than the grade of mountains we climbed on the Appalachian trail, but when we got to around 13,500 ft. I began to feel fatigued and a little light headed and it only got more intense as we went up. I actually got dizzy and felt that feeling like I could faint but never did. This lasted the whole way up and for quite a distance down the other side of the mountain. I stopped all the time to take several breaths but still no improvement. The guide said this was normal so I just kept on going until I reached that "finish line". We still had about one and a half hours until we reached our lunch spot after reaching the summit, then the same amount of time 'til our camp site. But it was all downhill so my finish line was the mountain peak. I felt better descending the mountain, but not 100% until maybe when we reached our camp site and I have been really pooped throughout our evening activities - getting our tents organized, "happy hour" which is popcorn and hot chocolate, then dinner and a campfire. Anyway tonight hopefully is a good night's sleep. It's been really cold here at night. It was about 35 degrees last night. And probably the same tonight. Brrrrrrrr.
Lares trek, day 1
The group gathered at 4:00 am. Yes, 4:00. Then rode in a little bus for 3 hours to the tiny mountain town on Lares for a pit stop then onto a mineral springs place for a couple hours to go in the hot springs or rest then have breakfast before our trek. The hot springs didn't look appealing to me, so I relaxed and watched the others soak in warm, murky water that other people might have been bathing in or who knows what. I was happy with my decision. Anyway, the cooks made fruit salad, quinoa porridge, pancakes, coffee, hot cocoa and coca tea. They set up a little table for us with tablecloths, silverware and even little stools.
We began our hiking trip at 10:00, hiked/climed about 3,000 ft to our camp site. We visited a private home along the way to see inside the house - a typical Peruvian high country home with stone walls, thatched roof, stove for cooking and keeping the place warm, an L-shaped bed for the whole family, and guinea pigs. Guinea pigs live in the kitchens of Peruvian homes (and wander wherever they want, but they like to stay away from the humans). Their purpose is not to be family pets, but to be a meal on special occasions. :(
The room/family home is about 25 ft. long by 10 ft. wide. It was truly amazing to be able to be a "guest" in someone's home to understand how they live. In exchange, we gave them little gifts and/or soles (Peruvian money). After much talk about guinea pigs in Peruvian life and how they are a delicacy and usually eaten at special occasions, most of the group decided they wanted to purchase 2 of them from that family to have our cook prepare for dinner tonight. I'm sure you can imagine who in the group did not vote for this. Anyway, it's a little bit of a somber evening for me since I'm so sensitive to these little creatures even though I understand that it is just a part of life. Ugh.
The porters carry our tents, sleeping bags and all our personal items that we don't need with us during the day. They also carry all the cooking accoutrements and dining & cooking tents, also a "toilet tent". They dig a hole about 10 inches deep and maybe 5 inches diameter then put the little tiny tent around it. I'm sure the height and width is fine for little Peruvians but it's another one of those Tall Person Challenges. Regardless, I appreciate not having to go find a toilet spot on my own :)
The porters also set up all the tents and put foam mattresses in each one, clip a towel for drying your hands after washing them in the nice warm bowl of water and bar soap they deliver to each person at their tent. When we arrive at camp we pick up our duffel bag of personal items and sleeping bag that the porters carried then go right to our tents to get all our stuff situated.
Each meal is about 4 courses-a small appetizer, soup, main dishes, dessert. Then tea.
Our camp is located in the high country within a community of a few homes. The altitude is 12,000 ft.
Tonight we got to bed early around 8:15 and we need to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow for our big/high altitude hiking day. Nighty night.
Cusco, day 4
Today we hired the same guide as yesterday, Oscar. He took us to the Sacred Valley, a huge fertile farming land and we learned all about the different crops grown there. Peru is full of many natural resources like hundreds of varieties of potatoes, many different types of quinoa, corn and too many other vegetables to name here. Plus they were rich in gold (the Spanish pretty much took all of that though). Also they have cool animals like Alpacas, Llamas and Guinea Pigs. We visited more Incan ruins near the town of Pisaq. Oscar explained how the architecture of the city was laid out and how life was for the Incans. They made a lot of enemies during their conquering phase so they made clever structures around their cities to keep the other guys out. We did an hour and a half long hike with many steps (I think the Incans were the ones who invented stairs) and we were quite challenged by this, which made us very concerned, again, about our impending hike.
We went to two very cool places today - one was a sanctuary for injured animals, a place for them to heal from their injuries or illnesses until they are ready to be released into the wild, and the other was a llama and alpaca farm featuring all the different types of llamas and alpacas. Also there were a couple vicuñas, which are very rare and live at extremely high elevations. We were able to go into the areas where the animals were and feed them alfalfa. I loved visiting these places today!
Incidentally, Nick has started to have symptoms like he's getting sick during our outing today and by the time we got back to our hotel this afternoon he was definitely sick with the beginnings of a bad cold. Now what?? With long discussions on what we should do (cancel the trip completely, possibly postpone it 'til a few more days or have Nick stay at our hotel and be sick while I do the hike as planned), we decided on option #3. So I went with this group of strangers - 3 other couples plus our guide and all the cooks, porters, horsemen and their horses and mules. I was really nervous about doing this without Nick, but we've already paid a deposit and it's one of the main things I wanted to do while I'm in Peru. Plus Nick didn't want me to miss this opportunity and Fernando & Kristen encouraged me to go ahead while they stayed with Nick to take care of him. Sigh. We planned on Nick being well enough to join the group in 3 days to explore Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Poor Nick...
Cusco, day 3
Tuesday
Today we hired a guide to take us on a city tour of Cusco and to see Incan ruins in the surrounding villages. We are learning a lot about Incan history, the Spanish conquistadors, and how it all ties together in modern times. I can't explain it all here, but I feel like I have a solid basic understanding about ancient Incan culture and how many of the traditions are alive today even though the Incan empire no longer exists due to the Spanish conquering them.
Cusco, day 2, continued
Monday
We had been sleeping most of Sunday and until about 7 on Monday morning due to much fatigue and headache and high altitude adjustment. Fernando and Kristen arrived in the early afternoon and we all had a late lunch together. We then walked around the city a lot. Cusco was designed at least 500 years ago by the Incans. All the streets are cleverly designed with efficient water management. The Incan architecture is really evident here, along with the Spanish Colonial architecture too.
The city of Cusco is considered the capital of the Incan empire, although Lima is the capital of the country. From the air, one can see that Cusco is designed in a stylistic shape of a Puma. The Incans considered the Puma to be a sacred animal, the same is true with the Condor and the snake. The puma represents power and strength, the snake represents wisdom and the condor represents a connection to the heavens and the after-life.
We're still very tired and hoping the whole altitude thing will be better by the time we start our hike on Thursday.
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