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Another Inca Trail

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Lower Terraces of Choque The dry part  Llamas Rock

There are 3 sites widely regarded as the most important Inca ruins. Machu Picchu is by far the most well-known, studied, excavated, restored and easiest to access. Vilcabamba, the last Inca retreat during the Spanish war is technically accessible but has remained largely buried in the jungle since its rediscovery in the 1960s. Choquequirao’s current status is somewhere between those 2.

There are plans for a cable car or train in the coming decades, but currently the only way to access Choquequirao is an arduous 4-day trek there and back to the edge of civilization. After a 4-hour bus ride and 30-minute taxi ride from Cusco, you reach the small town of Cachora which has some hospedajes and a pollipaperia (hole in the wall serving up plates of french fries and fried chicken.) Cachora serves as the start of the hike. You can also hire mules here to carry your bags, but we decide to do it ourselves.

The first day of hiking is the “easy” day, where you only ascend 1500 feet and descend 4500 feet over a period of 12 miles. What complicates matters is the intense high-altitude sun reflecting off the dry, rocky landscape and the fear of falling into cactus.

Things get interesting on the second day which while only 6 miles begins with a steep 1000 foot drop before beginning a 5000 foot ascent. Fortunately, that trail quickly climbs into cloud forest, providing relief from the glaring sun. At the top of the climb, you can finally get your first good view of the ruins and while still a couple miles away they appear to be a relatively flat walk. Still, at noon, we have already been walking for 6 hours with our camping supplies on our back. We take advantage of the family-run campsites which provide basic meals of rice, eggs, and lentils, and relax for the rest of the day.

The next day, as we begin our short walk to the ruins, each bend unveils new sections from the citadel at the top down to the farming terraces barely perched above a sheer cliff face. We are ecstatic to drop off our bags before spending the day traipsing up and down the mountain searching out remote ruins.

The highlight of Choquequirao (and the draw for us to do this trek) is the llama terraces. They are the sole example of Inca’s incorporating art and religion into their stone walls. There are signs of active excavation and restoration works throughout the entire site. The llama terraces are currently receiving the most attention though with at least 10 full-time people working to clean and restore them. We were lucky to find the informative and talkative supervisor who explained the process of applying a plaster to the stones to brighten them and showed us the recent excavations.

It’s estimated that 70% of Choquequirao is still undercover, but even now it’s an overwhelming site about 3 times as large as Machu Picchu. After a full day of following aqueducts, entering maze-like chambers of temples, and pushing our legs to the limits on the giant steps of the Inca terraces, we realize we’ve only scratched the surface and could easily spend another day exploring this massive site.

But the next morning, we need to begin our return journey.  This is where carrying our own bags pays off. Groups that hired mules were forced to backtrack the same 21 mile route over the next 2 days which gave Cara nightmares.

Instead, we continue down the other side of the mountain with a knee-jarring descent that is too steep for mules. Even with our 6AM start, the sun is already brutal by the time we reach the base of the mountain, leaving us a scorching 6 mile climb to go until the lush lodge of Tambobamba. When we finally reach our destination, we have no shame in paying for a hot shower, drinking beers in hammocks all afternoon, and sleeping soundly in a bed. To top it off, the friendly lodge owner lets us tag along the next day on his drive to the tiny town of Huanipaca. From there, we take a 20-mile shared taxi up, up, and away and end up at a paved road where we successfully flagged down a sporadically passing bus headed home to Cusco a few hours away.

In 20 years, more of the Choquequirao ruins will be uncovered and the route will be easier (but don’t hold your breath on the train.) For now, however, this imposing journey and rustic camping are inseparable from a visit to these spectacular ruins and help limit visitors to about 10 per day. Given the wealth of Peruvian archaelogical wonders, in 80 years, Machu Picchu will be old hat; there will be a train even to Vilcabamba, and some site no one has ever heard of will be a new 7th wonder of the world.

In the Jungle

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Our lovely boat Us at our “lodge” Macaws

After our rat-infested, sweaty expedition into the Malaysian jungle 2 years ago, we felt we were prepared for anything the Amazon could throw at us. When our tour agency mentioned that sleeping bags were not included, we laughed. Who needs a sleeping bag in the jungle? Which is why we were shocked when we arrived in the middle of a friaje – a cold spell in the jungle when the winds come up from Patagonia.

Instead of sticky and 90 degrees, the jungle was sticky and 70 degrees and the mosquitoes were toned down. It turns out the amazon doesn’t even have the leeches that crawl after you while you walk! (They do have their own special giant leeches though!) These cold spells make the amazon jungle have slightly less reptiles than expected, but way more birds than you can imagine.

This cool, cloudy weather made for relatively comfortable sight-seeing as we boated for 10 hours up rivers lined with caymans, turtles, and birds galore, but our guide was freezing. Theoretically our tour was in the hands of Juan, our guide whose sole qualifications appeared to be speaking a few words of English and recognizing the calls of every macaw, parakeet, and other bird that flew overhead. In actuality, El Capitan ran the show, solving all problems with a large knife, continuously bailing out the ramshackle boat, spotting wildlife, and as needed clambering out of the boat to dislodge us from rocks in shallow parts of the rivers.

After 5 hours of boating up three increasingly smaller rivers, we stopped to camp at a remote homestead. We asked Juan how much further the next day to reach our “camping lodge”. El Capitan scoffed when Juan said 2 hours and curtly corrected him: “6!” It turned out El Capitan was right, and we would be going very deep into the jungle. That night, while we were eating dinner in our docked boat with a candle for light, the homesteader stopped by to inform us that one of his dogs had been bitten by a snake. Welcome to the Amazon!

The next morning, 6 hours in the boat went quickly as we spied caymans sleeping on the riverfront, playful capybaras (4 ft long guinea pigs), and countless colorful birds flying alongside the boat in spite of the cool weather. Then we arrived at our lodge, a great idea 10 years ago before it was devoured by termites. Though the common room and bathrooms were long gone, there were still 2 platforms for bedding covered by a mostly intact thatched roof overlooking the muddy river and surrounding jungle – rustic accommodations.

After seeing the jungle from the boat for 2 days, we were ready to don rubber boots and dive into the forest. Juan led us through the jungle for hours. During the day, we awaited screeching, vibrant macaws near their clay lick and spotted butterflies. At dusk, the monkeys started swinging through the trees above us. By the time night fell, the truly creepy things started emerging from the depths of the jungle. Alongside stick insects and tree frogs, there were small spiders, big spiders, and giant spiders awaiting their prey. We slept easier when we were encased in a tent. El Capitan slept soundly in the open boat.

On the third afternoon, we begin the trek downstream back to civilization, camping on a vacant beach. The cool weather starts to break, and we were devoured by insects while we sleep, the Amazon’s parting gift. We spend our last morning watching dozens of parrots eating clay and spying on turtles and caymans sunning themselves on the beach as the sun finally emerges. We spot our first large white mammals of the trip. Back at the rural airport, we spot hundreds more of these large white mammals. They must have gone downriver, where the lodges haven’t been eaten by termites; showers exist; and El Capitan isn’t there to cut his way out of problems.

Rocks in the Cloud Forest

Monday, May 18th, 2009
Misty Morning at Machu Picchu Orchids above the ruins Two things are immediately apparent when you visit Machu Picchu. First, you are in the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Food in Peru

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Trout Tartare Traveling in Central America we very quickly got sick of the basics of rice, beans, and a side of meat. In Arequipa, Peru, we were delighted to learn that the basics were delicious ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Week in Ruins

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
Inkan Lintel Cara at Pisaq Yes, we are going to Machu Picchu, the most impressive Inca city still standing. No, we are not hiking the 4-day iconic Inca ... [Continue reading this entry]

Welcome to Cusco…massage?

Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Cara working in the room Courtyard…ish Our house If you shut your eyes, the center of Cusco could be interchanged with ... [Continue reading this entry]

Goodbye, Arequipa

Friday, April 24th, 2009
Volcano Misti from Yanahuara We will miss:
  • Mankalu and Sarza for the best set lunches around
  • Volcano Misti for its beautiful views wherever you are in the city
  • Sunny days and cool nights
  • The laundromat that spells ... [Continue reading this entry]

Chile Up There

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Candelabra Cactus When we rented a truck to visit Lauca National Park in Chile, we were shown the wrenches, jack, and spare tire. Jorge told us we would be fine as long as we had ... [Continue reading this entry]

Land of Pisco

Monday, April 20th, 2009
Cara waits for grapes to ferment Outside the Zapata distillery Arriving at a bus terminal at night is inevitably a bad start to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Holy Week, Arequipena Style

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Procession in the Plaza de Armas  Easter Soup Like most of our experiences in Peru, our Semana Santa (Holy Week) revolved around food. We found ... [Continue reading this entry]