Travel Journal : Peru 06

Today was all about relaxation and recuperation. As you recall, Tim was sick yesterday with a fever. However, after 12 hours of sleep and a bit of orange juice, he felt much better when he woke up this morning, albeit a bit tired. We hung out in the hotel room and managed to find a West Wing episode being broadcast in English with Spanish subtitles - it was one of the good old classic episodes. After our morning of leisure in our P.J.s, we made our way to Cafe Andino, the local ¨gringo¨ peak-bagger hang-out for breakfast. Although we felt a bit out of place being the only non-peakbaggers, we feasted on a breakfast of eggs, hashbrowned potatoes, and banana pancakes, all topped off with espressos and lattes. The clouds were developing quickly this morning and we knew it looked like the weather was shifting towards a storm.

After the long breakfast, we made our way to the internet locutorio for some serious picture uploading to our website. With Tim recovering his energy, and with a storm on the way, it was a perfect way to spend the mid-day. Done with our pictures, we walked the 20 feet back to the hotel for another quick pause and an episode of Everwood in English. Nothing like American TV on a cloudy, low-energy day.

Mid-afternoon, we ventured out into the streets of Huaraz to catch a bit more of the local life, and to look for a place to film our parting shots of the video. We found some incredible parks and walkways along the river and enjoyed watching the locals wandering the streets. We also ventured into incredibly risky territory - let´s call it ¨The Case of the Mystery Meat.¨ We purchased what looked like satay from a local street vendor. We thought we would just walk off with the stick of meat and eat it while walking, but she invited us to sit down inside her little tarp/tent. We realized then she was going to cook us a whole plate of food, including lettuce for the base of the plate. The fried potatoes and meat were placed on top of the lettuce... We´re not sure how much of an issue it will be, but we´re a bit nervous about how our stomachs will handle it. Tim was about half way through his meat when he turned to me with a huge wad in his cheek and said quietly, I can´t swallow this. Indeed, most of the meat was really rubbery, and worse, we didn´t even know what animal we were eating, let alone what part of the animal it was. Tim managed to get his cheek wad into two pieces and gulp it down, but not without some quiet gagging. He finally had to hand the plate back to the lady with a small piece of meat left on it. I´m sure they think we are wasteful Americans, but it truly wasn´t the most pleasant meat experience we´ve had. Hopefully the scraps will be fed to some of the many cute dogs we´ve seen in Huaraz. I´m sure they´ll be able to chew it and get it down.

Following the harrowing meat experience, we wandered around other parts of Huaraz, taking in the sights, and watching the storm roll in. The mountains around us became black with snow and rain in the air. We walked past the cathedral that is still in the process of being built after its destruction in the 1970 earthquake that killed 30,000 people in this town. The evening was capped off with a visit to the Bistro de los Andes and traditional chicken in spicy cream sauce, and the not-so-traditional spaghetti with carbonara sauce. As we ate, a marching band of kids from one of the local schools came down the main drag, each carrying a lighted paper mache figure over their heads. It was a fitting end to our last day in Peru - people celebrating the good life here, even the kids.

Tomorrow we head back for Lima at 11 a.m., so we´ll have the morning to leisurely get ready and have one more coffee before our long journey home. We´re not really looking forward to Lima, but it´s all a part of the journey. And what a journey it´s been. Thank you Lord for your excellent grace to us while traveling and your incredible creativity in your creation. Peru has been a huge gift to us.

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 7:16 PM | Permalink

Again, up at 5:00 a.m. (the theme of this trip is early wake-ups!) to meet Walter, the guide, and Juan, the taxi driver, for our trip to Laguna 69. The trip to the trailhead took about 3 hours - you drive along the valley paralleling the Coridllera Blanca for a few hours, and then turn and head straight up and into the mountains. We passed the Llanganuco lakes and just a bit beyond them was the trailhead.

Tim woke up feeling tired and lousy, but as the 3 hour journey wore on, he looked worse and worse. The three of us - Tim, Walter, and I - headed out toward Laguna 69. Although the trail was very well maintained (it is in the Huascaran National Park) and nothing like yesterday´s hike, it was obvious Tim was not doing well at all. He normally charges ahead of me, but today he was behind by a few dozen yards. As we reached the first set of switchbacks, Tim didn´t think he should go on, but wanted me to see the lake since we worked so hard to get here. So began what I thought was my nightmare - leaving my sick husband in an Andean meadow while it´s snowing, and me, forging ahead with a professional mountain guide who hikes really fast!!

Actually, I left Tim with as much of my warm clothing as I could spare and still be safe, food, water, sunscreen, and toilet paper. As we hiked away, I was very nervous, but then Walter offered to carry my backpack and also gave me his trekking poles. He led a great pace and I was able to keep up without much trouble. The lake was beautiful, in another cirque with 6,000 meter peaks above it, glaciers cracking and falling into the lake!! I just wish Tim had been there to see it!! I took as many pictures as possible, and as much film footage as I could. Walter didn´t want to spend too much time up there, so we headed back down after about half an hour. I trusted his advice that we should be off the mountains before the late afternoon. This guy grew up in Huaraz and has been hiking these mountains all his life, plus he´s certified in mountain rescues and emergency procedures. I felt very safe.

As we came back down the last set of switchbacks, Tim was sitting in the meadow, all bundled up, asking us to save him from the bull. Indeed, in the meadow, there were two cows and a bull. Apparently the bull woke Tim up from his nap with a few snorts. He was only 10 feet away from Tim and stared at Tim for a full 10 minutes. It didn´t help that Tim´s rainjacket was red! We got him back to the taxi slowly, and then made the long 3 hour trip back to Huaraz. He piled straight into bed the moment we hit the hotel. I managed with my very limited Spanish to buy a thermometer (stored behind the pharmacy counter at the local farmacia) and orange juice and take it back to Tim. He had a fever of 100.8. Poor guy! I can´t even do anything because a fever just needs to burn itself off. It´s miserable to be sick at home, but to be sick in a foreign country is even worse!! Let´s hope it breaks soon and he can recuperate his energy. I need some recuperation time too... these two dayhikes have been long and hard. I figure that in the last two days, I´ve hiked between 14-16 miles with an incredible UP factor. Tomorrow, we are doing NOTHING but enjoying this mountain town!!

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 9:27 PM | Permalink

We made our way this morning around Huaraz to check out information on day hiking in the area. It wasn´t as easy as it seemed. The maps of the area are all sold out and won´t arrive until the end of the week. The Tourist Information office was very helpful, but left a few big gaps in our plans. The way people day hike around here is to hire a taxi to take them to the trailhead. But what happens when you get back from your hike - how do you get back to town (especially a concern when we don´t have proper trekking gear!)?

After a few confusing moments, we made our way to Cafe Andino, the place we´d been to the night before looking for advice. Boy did they have advice!! They hooked us up for 2 day hikes - Laguna Churup and Laguna 69 the next day. They hooked us up with taxis to wait ALL DAY at the trail head while we hiked and then take us back at night. I must say this gives a sense of urgency when you are hiking, knowing that some guy is waiting for you and probably wants to go home to dinner!! Carlos, our driver, whisked us away from Cafe Andino up the mountain to the trailhead. We were smart enough to ask him to stop for water, but forgot about food!! So about 20 minutes up the trail, we realized we had water, but only 3 tiny packages of Chips Ahoy left over in our backpacks from Machu Picchu. My mother would be totally ashamed of how we brazenly went into the Andes wilderness without proper nutrition.

The hike was glorious towards these peaks that looked like someone drew them in with computer effects - so unreal and high and in your face. The trail was straight up (no switchbacks) and not very well maintained. This particular hike is outside the Huascaran National Park, so the trail budget is nada, I guess. We were still very winded by the altitude, even though we had acclimated quite well in Cuzco.

Near the end of the hike, there was one final ¨wall¨we had to climb to get to the lake. It was an almost sheer wall with a stream coming off the lake. These climbers from California (Dude, is that a topo? Cool...) helped us scrap our way up the wall. At one point, I was almost crying and we both agreed that this was insane! I think it was God´s gracious hand that brought us to the top - the cirque around the lake was amazing, glacier filled, and 5,800 meter peaks above it. Wow!!

After our lunch of a package of cookies (so sad!) we met this Australian group that had a guide with them. They came up along the river and confirmed that we had totally been bushwhacking and couldn´t believe our story! They were very nice, and one of the couples had just become engaged in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina where we were three years ago.

Back down the mountain, we took the guides advice to go down near the river... it was still a total ¨butt it¨ experience and I have a few new holes in the seat of my hiking pants to prove it. After we managed to make it down the wall, it was down, down, down, to Carlos and our waiting taxi. We both could feel the effects of the poor nutrition as we descended - we had shakey leg breaks every few hundred yards! At the taxi, the Australians had missed their bus and one of them had injured their knee on the descent, so we invited them to share our taxi back to Huaraz. What a great bunch of people to share a taxi for an hour!! We had great discussions on travel, the state of the world, why Americans don´t get out much, and where we were all planning to travel next!! Kindred spirits!! Unfortunately, we didn´t get their names, but the man of the engaged couple was named Matt, so we decided to call them Matt and Anna since they remind us of Andrea´s brother and wife so much!

Can you believe that we had a whole list of errands to run when we got back to Huaraz? 1. Find hotel 2. Find bank 3. Find water 4. Find dinner 5. Find internet cafe to update family 6. Find food for the next day´s hike so as not to repeat the huge food fiasco of Laguna Churup! Errands successfully completed, we once again, collapsed into bed!

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 9:04 PM | Permalink

Today we left Cuzco for Lima and then on to the mountains around Huaraz. The wakeup call was for 4:30 a.m. to be at the airport 2 hours before our 8 a.m. flight. We felt very sad leaving Cuzco - it is a city that needs much more exploring and has embedded itself in our hearts. It is such a charming city, with such history and beautiful mountains surrounding it. We will surely be back.

TACA airlines once again whisked us away to Lima - this time we got great seats to view the gorgeous Andes as we flew west. Arriving in Lima was an assault on our senses - dirty, foggy, chaotic, and crowded. We hired a taxi to take us to the Movil Tours bus station for our bus to Huaraz. The bus station wasn´t in the best of neighborhoods, and I´m afraid that I can truly say I don´t like Lima. We booked ourselves for the 1:00 bus service to Huaraz. Little did we know what type of bus we would be getting - Amazing!! Double-decker coach bus, complete with leg rests (not foot rests, but actual leg rests), seats that reclined almost fully so that you could sleep, DVD movies played throughout the journey, and a hot lunch served about an hour into it!! We had more fun on that bus with all the do-dads and cool things to do - on a bus!!! The views along the way were incredible. We drove up the Pacific coast on the Panamericana, the big freeway that runs all the way down the length of South America. About 4 hours into to the journey, we turned of the freeway for our highway to Huaraz. As you can imagine, going into the mountains, it was full of switchbacks and hairpin turns. I was at the ¨trying not to hurl¨ phase for about 2 hours before getting to Huaraz. 

We got into town around 8:00, found a hotel, and made our way to the Cafe Andino to get information on day hikes in the area. Unfortunately, the cafe was open, but the trekking advice people weren´t there. So we enjoyed banana pancakes and eggs and hashbrowns there instead! The cafe is owned by a guy from Minneapolis who has lived with his family for 8 years here in Huaraz. He answered one of the questions I posted on Lonely Planet and happened to catch that I was from Minneapolis. We went to bed hoping we would catch him the next morning for advice.

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 8:48 PM | Permalink

We spent a very nice night in Aguas Calientes, despite the town band (literally a marching band) that played until midnight! The train ride to Aguas Calientes was in the dark, so we didn´t see what a steep valley we were in. After a quick panic about not enough money, and losing 200 soles (about 60 dollars - lost, not stolen), we were so pleased to find a cash machine in this tiny little village at the base of Macchu Picchu. I guess it makes sense because the whole village is geared towards tourists, but I was still blown away by our remoteness and the availability of cash any time!

Machu Picchu called our name early the next morning and we were on a very early bus (6:30 a.m.) bound for the ancient site. The switchbacks up the mountain were truly a whiteknuckle experience, especially when two buses met nose to nose. I am amazed that they have the capacity to handle over a thousand tourists a day! Luckily we arrived hours before the tourist trains arrived and turned the place into Inca Disney World.

Once inside the gate, we were lucky and chose a hiking path that took us straight to the Sun Gate - the classic Macchu Picchu picture shot. The whole site of Macchu Picchu is far bigger and cooler than I ever imagined. It is literally perched on a mountain top with sheer dropoffs on either side!! We found out later it was more of a retreat center and place for ceremonial gatherings, but still, it could house over 2,000 people!! It was very romantic to wander around the grounds, poking your head into what were once houses, and looking out at the snow-capped peaks in the distance. Llamas wandered the whole site - we figured out later that they were the lawn mowing service!!

After a few hours of wandering and mega photo-documentation, we registered for our hike up Huayna Picchu - the peak behind the ruins site. What an incredibly vertical experience that was!! We were on the original Inca steps up the mountain (with a few added cables and ladders for safety!), and they were literally steps all the way. I lost count after a while, but as I was being passed by elderly people and people with kids on their backs, I thought to myself - wow, how out of shape are you? We did make it to the top for increcible views of the valley below (straight down, nothing to keep you from falling at least 2, 000 or 3,000 feet to the river!), the ruins, and the snow-capped peaks all around!

Getting down was no easy task because by this time, the tourist trains had arrived and there were so many people coming up the trail that it felt like a dance - you first, no, you first... We caught the 2:00 bus back down to the valley floor in time to have a lunch of pizza and pisco sours, and then to catch our 3:55 train back to Cuzco.

After all that hiking/scrambling, we were very ancy and wiggly on the 4 hour trainride. About 1 hour out of Cuzco, you can catch a bus in one of the villages above the city. We did just that, and were down to Cuzco in 20 minutes! If you can imagine what we looked like, dirty, hiking clothes on and limping - we fell into bed!

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 8:24 PM | Permalink

Oh, did that sleep feel good! We intended to get an early start on the Sacred Valley, but slept until our bodies woke up which was 7 a.m. We walked down to the Plaza de Armas in the middle of Cuzco, expecting it to be empty on a Sunday morning. The entire town and their mothers were there to celebrate Cuzco with a parade that involved the Peruvian army, police, school kids, and dance troups. We were able to have front row seats for the raising of the flag and the national anthem - the plaza was a hive of energy and excitement!

After this craziness, we made our way to the bus station for Pisac. One flat tire later, we were in Pisac for the famous Sunday market. Wow, was it crazy with people, tourists, and vendors! You could get anything alpaca, or chicken, or even handwoven finger puppets (don´t worry - we did buy a few - a llama, sheep with baby, and a turtle!) We also got to eat lunch at the local lunch stand. You sit down and they serve up a plate of everything from rice to potatoes and yucca, chicken and pasta salad. Very good, but very filling for about 1 dollar!

We boarded the craziest bus ride of our lives, packed with people standing in the aisles, and we were part of the standing crowd! Thank goodness we weren´t going up any twisting mountain roads, but it was a journey that left us with wide eyes! We got off the bus too soon and had to take a cute motorcycle taxi to the bus station, but then found our bus for Ollantaytambo - this one we got to sit down on! Gorgeous mountain valley which has the Urubamba river running through the middle of, the sides are so high you can´t see them out the bus window.

Once we got to Ollantaytambo, we raced to get our train tickets to AguasCalientes, the town below Macchu Picchu. The tickets were a complete rip-off because they know it´s the only way to get to Macchu Picchu and they charge foreign tourists through the nose. Oh well, let´s hope they use the money to help with preservation of the valley. We arrive at AguasCalientes at 11 p.m. and we´ll hope to find a cheap hostel for the night. Our plan is to be up early to Macchu Picchu before the throngs of tourists arrive on the trains from Cuzco. If the scenery is at all like what it was today, I´m sure it will be beautiful from the ruins!

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 6:35 PM | Permalink

Cuzco is a beautiful collection of brown-tiled colonial Spanish buildings built on the ruins and cobbles of the ancient Incan empire. Our jaws dropped upon our arrival to the city center, the cathedral and the mountains surrounding it are majestic. The Plaza de Armas is a place I could spend days in, very pleasant, fountains, flowers, grass that is perfect and puffy white clouds in a mountain sky. We watched groups of children practicing their traditional dance around the plaza to Andean flute and drum music - heaven!

After purchasing our tourist tickets which give you entrance into several sites, we did the ¨Ruins walk¨from Tambo Machay back to Cuzco. A bus takes you up into the mountains and you walk the 7 km back down to the city. Along the way are four very impressive Incan ruins each of which had a different purpose - one was a water collection site, one was a fortress, and one was a battlement wall shaped like puma teeth. They used stones bigger than the ones used to build the pyramids, and the cracks between the stones are so tight, you can´t put a piece of paper between them. The walk was very sunny and beautiful - through Andean villages, past baby pigs, llamas, dogs, and the occasional chicken. We seemed to be the only tourists doing the walk, and couldn´t understand why because it was such a great way to see the traditional Andean life. Our feet and hips hurt so much when we arrived at the Christ statue above Cuzco. Jen started to feel lightheaded and the effects of altitude were becoming clear.

Over the next few hours, both of us succumbed to the effects of altitude sickness, and Tim ate his Argentian steak dinner on the floor of the restaurant (too lightheaded to sit in a chair). The waiters at the restaurant thought we were loony I´m sure, but both of us were not doing too well. Needless to say, we hobbled back to the hotel, woozy and close to fainting, but we made it. We were in bed by 8 p.m. and slept solidly for 11 hours, despite the fireworks being set off for the grand Cuzco celebration. Bed has never felt so comfortable.

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 6:12 PM | Permalink

Thankfully uneventful were our flights to Lima - we found out later from several people that getting to Lima can be an ordeal!! We arrived to find our ride waiting for us - imagine your name on a whiteboard held way above crowd of people... It´s very welcoming. He took us to our hotel where we hopped into bed and laid wide awake for a long time. The time span between bed and waking was 3 hours, but we´re not very sure we slept. I think we were worried about oversleeping our 3 a.m. wakeup call with a cab waiting to take us to the airport. Tim looked at his watch a million times during that ¨night.¨ We were wisked away to the airport at 3 a.m. for our 6 a.m. flight to Cuzco - who knew there was so much traffic and airport business at 3 a.m.!! Thankfully, as we walked through the food court, we didn´t look half as bad as the people who decided to sleep in the airport, which had been one of our options. That 2.5 hours of sleep was better than nothing! TACA airlines opened at 4 a.m. and we were whisked away over the mountains to Cuzco. Between head bobs and snores, we caught glorious views of incredible mountains out the plane windows. The Cuzco airport has one runway, no taxiways, so we turned around right on the runway to get back to our gate. We could already feel the altitude in our tingling fingers as we walked from the plane!! 

Entry posted by Tim Carlson at 5:53 PM | Permalink