The Plan B Adventure

Bus ride after Chevy Malibu ride after bus ride and we are smack dab in the middle of southern Peru and it´s gorgeous capital city of Arequipa. Man….lots of driving to traverse the country of Peru but the positive side is you get to see some amazing sights and Peru has many of those to offer.

Our stop in Arequipa was inspired by a few factors. Just outside of Arequipa (just outside in Peru means 5 hours and two bus changes) is the deepest navigable canyon in the world and inside Arequipa are its quaint streets and colonial, yet locally-inspired architecture just waiting to be explored. Our first stop after, yet another night bus from the coast inland to Arequipa was the trekking travel agency of Peru Land Adventures. Since we only had five days scheduled for the area and wanted to take a three day/two night trek to the Cañon del Colca (this is the previously referenced deepest navigable canyon in the world) we had to get something scheduled right away. Thank goodness they had room….we didn´t realize Arequipa was getting so popular with the trekking crowd. We booked the trek that started the next morning and headed to hit the hay since the overnight bus ride didn´t allow for much sleep. Sidenote time: If anyone tells you they are a sound sleeper on the twisting bus rides of South America they are either lying or were heavily (we stress heavily) sedated at the time. Since “the 22-hr excursion” in Northern Peru we have smartened up and spent the extra cash for the plushest seats you can imagine….these seats are seriously like the first class seats on an international flight…wow. Unfortunately, you still can´t get what Becca terms “good sleep”. Oh well…..we will catch our catnaps at the hotel that morning.

The next morning started early….5AM! We were picked up by taxi and couriered to the local bus station where we got to meet our guide, Nestor, as well as our six travelling buddies. After introductions we all headed onto the local bus for a three hour trip to Chivay, the midpoint of our journey, and over the passes at 4800m (that is almost 16,000 feet)!! As soon as we hit Chivay the competition began….for bus seats that is. As we found out later the best reason to have a guide for this trek is the employment of another person in the battle for bus seats. The buses are jammed with fellow trekkers, local rural women and their multitudes of children, and others just commuting 3-4 hours to work.(Dad..and you thought the drive to Boeing Field was long!) As most people, we would be happy to give our seats up to the baby-laden, young mothers or weary commuters but the competition is not with them but fellow travellers. Most people are cordial and rational except for those few….who are usually French (sorry Frenchies it is true!) Okay…we won´t get into the unpleasantries exchanged (primarily because most of them were non-verbal) but needless to say Nestor is the man and our entire group was comfortably (well…that might be a stretch on any local bus) seated for the ride.

We arrived around midday at Cabanaconde which not only was the starting and finishing point of our trek but also hometown to Nestor, our guide. He is from the BIG city in these parts of the Andes which constitutes a population of 4500. As we start walking through the streets and heading for the canyon Nestor shares local stories and watches us with a smile as we all adjust to the altitude. Yikes….3300 meters is not easy on the lungs….just wait!!! Our first three hours were spent descending, learning, and in Jeff´s case…..hugging the trail close to the mountain. WOW….a 2000 meter drop doesn´t look that steep when you see it in pictures but when you are putting one foot in front of the other on the trail and are slip-slidin’ around on loose dirt, its enough to make you say “MEATBALLS”! a few times. On the way down we were educated on the ways and paths of the Inca conquerors as well as those that have lived in the area for the last two millenia. It is amazing to learn firsthand about the multitudes of unknown and tasty fruits; abundance of shaman-used hallucinogenic berries and seeds; dangerous acid producing tree; and most importantly to the local economy, the cactus parasite (please don´t ask us to remember all the names) which is sold for mucho dineros to international firms where it is used for cosmetic pigmentations as well as many other interesting uses. As we continue down (about 1200 meters) the Cañon delights us with so many amazing views of the river far, far below and the miniscule villages (always with a giant church) that dot the mountains. As we hit the river bend and adjoining rope bridge the impact of our descent hit us as we glance back up across the volcanic ash flutes and see just what we accomplished. It also hits us that when we were coming down we saw the village we would sleep in directly across from us……which now lies hundreds of meters above our heads!!! Looks like another two hours of hiking…..this time uphill. Well, at least it will get us ready for what´s in store on Day 2.

Day One ends with us laying our heads in a very nice mud-hut and enjoying a wonderful, home-cooked meal with our trekking mates. Day Two starts with an even better pancake breakfast (no, these weren´t the crappy little crepe pancakes…but thick fluffy ones) and later we will find out why we needed it. After Nestor provides us with a great review of the small village we´ve just slept in and we encounter some of the friendly locals we start our morning descent to the Oasis below. The two hour hike downhill (yes…again…gosh our feet hurt) gives us a great view of what we accomplished yesterday and the 1000 meter climb that awaits us after our short dip and lunch at the oasis. The climb starts after lunch at around 2200 meters and ends 3 hours later at 3200 meters. The trials and tribulations of step after step and conversation after conversation with our new trekking friends will stay with us forever as we reach the top and realize that we have just completely traversed one of the deepest canyons in the world in just over 24 hours…..Next on our list was a warm shower, cold beer, and the final highlight of the trek….another competitive bus ride to see the Andean condors of Cruz del Condor. This tourist trap is worth it for most as you glance down another deep ravine and across to Mount Mismi (opposite side of the mountain contains the Eye of the Amazon), you get the chance to see giant 3-4 meter wide condors spread their wings and peruse the local landscape for breakfast. This trek from Land Adventures we highly recommend. Couple of caveats….make sure you do the 3 day-2 night trek as the other requires hiking at 3:00AM (yuk) and definitely make sure you like your guide as he will be fighting for seats in your honor…HAHAHA!

The end of our trek signalled the beginning of our sightseeing in Arequipa. The sights are quite unique. The inner-city, yet quiet, gorgeously painted 16th century Convent of Saint Catherine, the tourist markets with great alpaca products, and all the building made of sillar which is an amazing white stone that sparkles in the sunshine. However we didn´t get to see all the sights due to Arequipa Day which their annual parade that lasts from sun up until sun down…..or way after! We enjoyed a balcony view of the festivities and snapped too many photos of the great regional costumes before heading to the bus terminal for…..yes you guessed it…..another overnight bus ride. This time we were headed in VIP fashion for the Sacred Valley and it´s crown jewel of Cusco.

Cusco is one of those enchanted cities of South America. Known for its riches during Inca times the Spanish Conquistadors went after it as soon as they could. As you walk through the beautifully built, cobblestone streets of Cusco and avoid the now, overly-present hawkers of food, goods, and art you really get a feel for the mixing of cultures between the Spanish and South American. Giant European churches built right next to amazingly fitted Incan rock structures……towering colonial building that are overlooked from the hill side by the even more omnipresent Incan fortresses of Sacsayhuaman. Sauntering through the streets of Cuzco and exploring its nearby stone ruins are an experience every one should have….especially if they are on their to Machu Picchu. And of course that was our final objective……

There are many ways to approach Machu Picchu. You can hike the Inca Trail (sorry, sold out), you can take the beautiful Vistadome tourist train from Cuzco (sorry over $200 a person), you can hire a guide company complete with flag-guided tour (not this time…maybe when we are 60), or you can jump on a local bus for two hours head from small town to small town through the Sacred Valley and then catch the Backpacker express (only $44) at 8:00pm from Ollantaytambo. Well can you guess which option your budget conscious (yes…we still have to buy a home when we return) travellers chose? All we can say is WOW…..good choice. The amazingly engineered mountain-side terraces, gorgeous bouganvillea lined streets, and local townspeople of Ollantaytambo make it worth a stop for those heading to and fro Machu Picchu. The 8:00pm train put us in the Machu Picchu staging town of Aguas Calientes (read: get ready for tourist inflation!! really annoying) for the night and we were tucked in early with our alarm set for a sunrise viewing of the lost city itself….Machu Picchu.

This is another one of those worldly sights that everyone must have their own first impression of. Therefore we won´t offer many descriptions, rather advice and excitement. There are few things more amazing than happening upon (that´s how it happens) Machu Picchu in the early morning sunlight. Of course there are other tourists but not even close to the amount in the late morning and early afternoon. The first bus leaves at 5:45AM to wind you up the mountain to the site….make sure you are on one of the first ten and you are guaranteed views and photos with less than a hundred people. Of course….if you take the Inca Trail to MP you get there before that and that must be a sight unto its own. We absolutely loved exploring every inch of the sacred and residential areas of Machu Picchu which were inhabited by less than 300 people up until the late 1600´s. Our favorite view, however, was after the 25-30 minute hike to the Sun Gate (where the Inca Trailers arrive). The sweeping views of the city are amazing and our advice is to start the hike around ten in order to avoid the onslaught of late-rising tourists. Enjoy it all day and bring plenty of sunscreen and a rain jacket….things in these Andes are very uncertain.

Well…we are back in Cusco and headed back north for Ecuador after conquering most of Peru. After many countries travelled and many sights and cities seen Peru ranks right up there for experiences and culture. See you all soon….we´ve only got 4 weeks left…..boohoo!