Tales from the Loonybin

Peru Day 11: Paracas–This entry was written on May 18, 2006

We got up early for our boat ride to the Ballestas islands today. Unfortunately, there was no water in the room, so the hotel gave us the key to another bungalow so we could shower.

The boat ride was quite calm, but the stench of the birds made all of our stomachs a bit sour. Ick! There were a great many birds on the islands–Humboldt penguins, Incan Terns, Heron, Turkey Vultures, and some other birds I don’t recall. They were quite impressive. The whole top face of one of the islands looked like it was composed of loose, black, rock, but on closer inspection, the surface was moving. There were so many birds so closely packed in the colony that they defined the surface of the island.

We also saw a bunch of sea lions. At this time of year, there were a lot of pups, just a few months old, frolicking in the water and on the shores. I hope I managed to get some nice pictures, but I tried to concentrate more on the experience itself than on getting good pictures.

After we got back, we relaxed a bit around the bungalow, listening to the sounds of the waves lap at the shore of the Paracas Bay, reading a book beneath the palm trees, and generally enjoying our vacation. But we didn’t sit around long–we then went to another part of the reserve, in the middle of the desert.

Peru is a land of contrasts. Just a couple of minutes from the green grass and palm trees of our oceanside paradise is the desert. Just sand and rocks as far as the eyer can see. What water there is is the saltwater of the sea, washing up against a vast, barren sea of sand.

Although the desert itself was void of any vegetation, there were some animals. The flamingos had started to come down from the Andes for their winter. They were too far away from the lookout tower for me to get any devent pictures, but I could see them fairly clearly through the binoculars. Apparently they really do stand on just one leg! These flamingos were also a bit different from the Florida variety–they had white feathers with just a band of pink. Apparently they don’t eat all the shrimp that the Floridians get, so their coats don’t turn the same color.

As we were watching the flamingos, we got a special treat. We saw a shadow pass us on the ground, and as we looked up, we saw a condor circling overhead. As we looked closer, we discovered that there were actually three of them, just gliding on the air currents. They were close enough that we were able to make a positive identification, but by the time I thought to get out my camera, the wind currents had pushed them so high up that they were mere specks in the bright midday sky.

The condor is so close to extinction that I doubt I’ll ever have the chance to see one in the wild again, even if I should return to Peru. But there is some hope–these three birds were small enough that they were probably fairly young. Let’s hope the population can rise again, just as have so many of the endangered species in Peru. Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve seen such a serious conservation effort that I wouldn’t have expected in a country with so much poverty. But the people here seem to genuinely care.

Finally, we went to Cathedral Rock, a natural formation along the coast that resembles a steeple and flying buttress. Geologists estimate that the structure has been formed over the past 30-40 million years by the natural erosion of the wind, water, and sand against the rock. Pretty cool. With that, we returned to Lima, where well spend the rest of our time in Peru, before flying back home.

Peru Day 10: The Nazca Lines–This entry was written on May 17, 2006

We got an early start this morning and drove from Lima to Ica for a chartered flight over the Nazca Lines. These are 500 year-old drawings in the sand that are so large that you have to fly over them to see them! It’s really quite impressive.

We don’t really know what they were built for, but some speculate that they were messages to their gods and had to be so big that they could be seen from up on high. The designs are so perfect, but the Naza couldn’t have gotten high enough to see them as they were being created. They must have had a refined enough measuring and mathematics system to design these patterns at a tractable size and scale them up to the final product! Each of hte symbold is made with a channel about 11 inches deep or so, as if people just walked the patter for days on end until the trails were made.

The flyover itself was also a lot of fun. We flew in a six-seater Cessna, which was remarkably smooth. But when the pilot lowered the flaps and dropped the throttle, banking tightly around so we could see the lines on the ground, thousands of feet below, I could feel my stomach performing its own gymnastics routines. It wasn’t bad, but I can definitely see how people get sick on these flights.

Afterwards, we went to the Oasis at Huacachina, a resort that is popular amongst many of the Peruvian tourists. It was an amazing paradise amidst the vast barren desert. It was also a welcome place to settle down after the flight, enjoy a nice, simple lunch, and relax. One of Peru’s larger crops is asparagus, so I ordered the asparagus salad for lunch. It was fantastic–I don’t think I’ve ever tasted asparagus so fresh and so delicious!

Tonight, we head to the Paracas Nature Reserve, where we’ll have our tour tomorrow I’ll have to be sure and take lots of pictures!

Peru Day 9–This entry was written on May 16, 2006

Today was fairly uneventful. We traveled back from Cusco to Lima without much trouble. We mostly just wandered around going to little shops and cafés around town. We found a neat little art studio that was operated by an artist and his wife. They had some very nice original artwork at reasonable prices. I think I may have to go back when we’re back in Lima on Friday. Tomorrow morning, we head down to Ica and Paracas.

Peru Day 8: Machu Picchu–This entry was written on May 15, 2006

Today is the day we’ve been building up to–Machu Picchu! We got up at 4:30 this mornign so we could catch the first bus and watch the sun rise over the mountains as it illuminated the ruins. Unfortunately, our guide overslept, so we didn’t catch the sunrise, but we did see the ruins as the morning sun crept from the horizon to overhead.

The ruins themselves are nothing less than spectacular. The Incas must have been crazy to have undertaken such a feat! They built an entire city of stone on top of a mountain, irrigated water from kilometeres away, and all with such remarkable craftsmanship. It is truly a marvelous accomplishment.

That said, we’ve been so spoiled by the ruins along the trail and their desolation that Machu Picchu seemed to be the Disneyland of Incan ruins. There were people everywhere, crowding the narrow passages, spoiling great photo opportunities, and even smoking in the archaeological site.

Nonetheless, the place is amazing. The amount of craftsmanship, tehcnology, and labor that must have gone into such a thing is unfathomable–and for who knows what purpose?

After we got done with the ruins, we headed back to Aguas Calientes and our hotel, wandered the grounds some more, and took our bags to the train station. The train ride to Vusco is four hours, but we saved 45 minutes by getting off at the stop before and taking a bus the rest of the way.

The train was rather pleasant–they actually did an Aplaca fashion show–an effort to sell us stuff, of course!–during the trip. The steward and stewardess took turns walking up and down the car modeling various sweaters, scarves, and shawls. The stewardess was especially gorgeous, and when she modeled some of the shawls, she wore this beautiful gold lace bra underneath that was truly exquisite. But I digress….

When we eventually got back to the hotel in Cusco, we made sure our bags were still there from before the trip, and headed out to dinner. We tried some guinea pig, which was actually quite good, but it was too much work, what with all of the small bones. What does guinea pig taste like, you might ask? It’s hard to describe, but it’s not too dissimilar to pork. I only had a little because I’ve not been feeling so hot. Altitude or digestion issues, I’m not sure which, but I suspect the latter.

Pery Day 7: Inca Trail Day 4: Aguas Calientes–This entry was written on May 14, 2006

Today, we awoke in an entirely different world from the one in which we went to sleep. Overnight, the clouds rolled in and turned the valley into a lake of beautiful, fluffy, white clouds. Someone one wrote that Man is not meant to walk above the clouds, but this view, this experience is something all men should encounter. I tried to get pictures of it, and some of them even came out, but, as with so many of the pictures taken on this trip, film (or bits) just cannot do these scenes justice.

Once we broke camp, we descended to some more Incan ruins. We explored them briefly before continuing along. Along the way, we passed Intipata, an Inca site that was full of these magnificant terraces and gabled structures.

We ate lunch in an Incan temple at another site, Winay Wayna, then finished out descent to the river in the valley below. A quick walk along the railroad tracks, and we reached our hotel in Aguas Caliented, 5000 feet below where we broke camp this morning.

Our hotel, the Pueblo Machu Picchu, is gorgeous. They have all sorts of beautiful ponds and fountains done in a style vaguely reminiscent of the Incas. The rooms are in cute little bungalows, all surrounded by an incredible variety of flora. It’s a shame that we’re staying here only overnight.

Peru Day 6: Inca Trail Day 3: Runcuracay and Phuyupatmarka–This entry was written on May 14, 2006

Yesterday, we left camp for the second pass. We met up with a bunch of people from other groups along the way, including some from the Bay Area and a couple from Buckhead. What a small world! The first part of the day was the hardest–climbing to the second pass, up a thousand feet. When we reached the top, we made an offering to the mountains in what might have been traditional. It’s hard to say, since so much of the culture was wiped out by the Spanish colonialists.

From the second pass, we descended 1800 feet to our lunch site, where the porters already had everything prepared for our arrival. Lunch was quick and uneventful, after which we embarked on a climb of 800 feet, back up to 12000 feet, to the third pass, which was also our campsite for the night. Along the way, we passed through a cloud forest, an incredible collection of plants that thrive on the cool air and humidity of the clouds. Fortunately for us, it was clear as we hiked, so we could see some incredible flora. By the time we made it to camp, we were rewarded with the beautiful sights we had just seen and a great view over the whole valley below.

Peru Day 5: Inca Trail Day 2: Dead Woman’s Pass–This entry was written on May 12, 2006
Today was the most grueling part of the trail. We started from our campsite at 9800 feet, hiked up to 12000 feet by lunch, then hiked to 14000 feet over the next kilometer and a half. That brought us to Dead Woman’s Pass. Once we reached the top of the pass, we hiked back down to our campsite on the other side, at about 12000 feet. That 2000 foot descent was mostly over some fairly steep Incan steps.

The trip was pretty tiring for me, but not too bad. Unfortunately, the others in my group had a harder time of it. Two of them got sick, and were seriously pale and weak all day. I’m pretty impressed that they made it through the day! Another of my traveling companions seemed to completely run out of steam by lunch. I had to help her up the last hundred vertical feet, because she has mentally given up. Then, on the way down, the sun was setting and she didn’t know if she could make it to the camp before dark. The porters ended up having to come and pick us up because of the dark. But she did make it. Things do always seem to work out in the end.

Peru Day 4: Inca Trail Day 1–This entry was written on May 11, 2006
Today, we began out trek along the Inca Trail. Omar picked us up at the hotel. After an hour and a half drive through the tiniest villages and dirt roads, we eventually arrived at the trail head, kilometer 82.

Technically, the Inca Trail is actually a network of trails extending from Ecuador in the North down into Chile. When most people refer to “the Inca Trail,” however, what they really mean is the Royal Inca Trail, which is the stretch of the trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu along which the tourists typically hike. That starts at kilometer 82 of the trail.

From there, we handed our duffels, full of all of our personal gear and changes of clothes, to the porters and began our trek, carrying just our day packs. The first part of the trail gets going with a bang. We hike along the side of the Urubamba river, with brilliant green mountains to the side. As we round a bend, the hills turn arid, covered in cacti and bromeliads, with lush, green mountain visible just around the bend and frigid white ice caps off in the distance. Three distinct climates all within one view! The constrast was amazing.

When we got to our campsite for lunch, I found out just how spoiled we really are on this trip. First of all, we have the porters to carry all of our gear. For the four of us, we have our guide plus ten porters. The porters carry up to 10 kilos of stuff — changes of clothes, toiletries, etc, and all of our gear. We don’t need to worry about tents, sleeping bags, or any of that stuff. We need only to carry our day packs with any water, snacks, or changes of clothes we might need as we change climates along the trail.

When we arrived to the lunch site, the porters had set up a cook tent, a dining tent, and a toilet tent, and had set out bowls of hot water for us to wash our hands and faces. The dining tent had a table, chairs, tablecloth — the works! One of the porters even served as a waiter, complete with a “silver” tray (it was actually plastic), white gloves, and a vest. The meals were truly magnificent. They gave us three courses at every meal, and the food was better than I have eaten in many restaurants.

We even had the toilet tent, a portable latrine with a biodegradable chemical compound to absorb the liquid from the waste. Talk about luxury!

I really wish I could talk more about the trail, but it’s late and I need to sleep….

Day 3: The Sacred Valley–This entry was written on May 11, 2006
On Wednesday, we took a tour of the Sacred Valley, with all of hte little mountain towns and farming communities and the many Incan ruins scattered all around. It was pretty amazing.

We started out by driving down into the Pisac valley. After hiking around some ruins for a bit, we wandered around the Pisac market. This market is clearly aimed squarely at the tourists, with all kinds of knick-knacks and other souvenirs.

We then drove to lunch at this former hacienda. It was amazingly peaceful, with green grass all around, birds chirping, and the soft sounds of wind rustling through the leaves.

After lunch, we drove to Ollantaytambo, one of the oldest Incan towns left intact that is still in active use today. It’s also the site of an Incan palace, whose construction was halted before it was completed. It was really quite fascinating to get to look at all the stonework.

Day 2: Cusco–This entry was written on May 10, 2006
We got up early Tuesday morning and flew to Cusco. Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire and still boasts one of Peru’s strongest cities. I was expecting a back-woods tourist town, and, although it is a tourist town, it also has a thriving population of 400k in the city itself, and many more in the vicinity. Thus, to call Cusco a tourist town is much like calling Boston a college town.

After arriving in town, we met with our facilitator, who took us to our hotel and introduced us to our guide, Omar. Over some coca tea, we discussed the plan for our hike along the trail, went over some basics, and made arrangements for a tour of Cusco. We saw so much that it’s hard to remember everything.

We first visited Koricancha, the cite of an ancient Incan temple on top of which the Spanish had built a monastery. Up until 1950, it was presumed that the temple had been completely destroyed, but after an earthquake razed the monastery, the remains of temple were exposed underneath. Although much of the temple was indeed destroyed by the Spanish, some of the interior rooms and foundation withstood both the Spanish and quake. The sanctuaries inside were amazingly built–the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, and the Temple of hte Stars.

Afterwards, we visited the main cathedral, just off the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. The chapels and rectories inside were truly amazing. There was so much gold leaf and silver everywhere–stolen from the Incas and melted down by the Spanish. We also saw the Black Christ, but I can’t remember the historical significance.

Next, we visited Sacsayhuaman, another ancient temple that is so magnificent that it must be seen. The walls are constructed like a 3D jigsaw puzzle, with pieves the perfectly interlock to millimeter precision, and with stones that weigh as much as 120 tons … and which were quarries 3km away! Those Incas were crazy!

Our guide really is great. When Isabel expressed an interest in Alpaca wool, he took us to one of the reputable dealers–actually, the outlet for an Alpaca wholesaler–who taught us all about the natural dyes and how to tell real baby alpaca from the synthetics or blends or not-so-baby-alpaca. Hint: you can’t trust the label. As we entered the store, Omar emphasised to us that, whatever happens, we should not feel in any way obligated or pressured to buy. We, of course, did buy. I found this great scarf that I think Becky will enjoy.

By the time we got back to the hotel, I started feeling pretty sick. I’m not sure if it was the effects of the altitude sickness, since I was feeling a bit queasy when we were in Lima, along the coast. The symptoms of altitude sickness resemble the symptoms of the flu, so it really could have been either. Cusco is at about 11k feet, so my body was probably not ready for the thinner air. After having to explain to the poor waitress that my food was delicious (I assume it would have been) and that I just wasn’t hungry, I went back to the hotel and took some anti-nausea medicine. By morning, I felt much better.