Peaks, Protests and Puking in Peru…
I hadnt realized how accostomed to warm weather i had become until i stepped off my plane in Lima, having left Panama City just 3 hours before! Brrrr….. as i had read, Lima during this time of year is rarely sunny but rather covered in a mist and quite chilly. Well, i got one or two short glimpses of the coast during the cab ride from the Airport!
I stayed in a nice area of Lima called Miraflores, south of the center of the city. It is an area full of shopping centers, cafes, bars and parks. I spent my first night in Lima wandering around the center of Miraflores, having a lovely meal and then spending a bit of time in Saga Falabella, a department store. I know, I know, its embarrassing! But i needed a pair of sneakers, OK?? i was not prepared to walk into a dept. store that looks almost exactly like Nordstroms in Seattle! quite funny. I had to bundle up like i had in Guatemala, and while sitting outside for dinner i marveled at how long it had been since id seen a HEAT lamp at a restaurant!
In Lima, i noticed many things i had seen in Chile and Argentina such as certain types of food: Empanadas, Pastel Del Choclo (a corn casserole), funny thin sandwiches without the crusts (cant remember the name). I noticed Locutorios (businesses full of cabinas or phone booths where you can make calls vs. making them on the street). Also, more people here say ¨Chao¨ instead of Adios or other, which i LOVE.. Also, i saw restaurants advertising ¨Chifa¨ i had heard about: this is Chinese food. There are Chifas on every corner, it seemed!
The next day i had the morning to cruise around the city before taking an afternoon bus south, so I visited Plaza San Martin and Plaza Mayor, which are connected by a nice pedestrian walk with shopping. Lima definetly reminded me of my previous trip to South America– the HUGE buildings and plazas had a similar feel to Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires. Everything on this continent feels BIGGER. As i passed through the pedestrian walk i witness large groups of men, huddled outside bars peeking in at the World Cup games. I enjoyed my Cafe Cortado (espresso with a bit of foamy milk) before heading out to the bus station.
Next stop– Pisco, a town about 4 hours down the coast from Lima. Not a pretty town in and of itself, but it is the jumping off point for visiting the Ballestas Islands and the beautiful Paracas Peninsula. The hotel i stayed at was run by a older man who was quite a character and wanted to talk to me at length about the States, immigration issues and the merits of marrying a Latino! (him, perhaps??!). The hotel owner sent for Cristian, a young guy who worked for a tour agency, who came to the hotel to explain the possible peninsula and island tours. Cristian was a really nice, helpful guy with whom i went out that night for my first taste of Pisco. This is THE Peruvian drink, usually people drink Pisco Sours, which is Pisco (a white brandy), mixed with lemon, sugar and egg white. I thought Cristian was going to fall off his barstool when i told him; ¨Of course Ive had Pisco- i tried it in Chile!!¨ When i was in Chile i had been told that Pisco was invented THERE! (as well as Ceviche!). I learned that this is just one of the many (and of course the more trivial) conflicts that exist between the two countries.
The Paracas Peninsula, a large area of coast south of Pisco as well as the Islas Ballestas are part of the Paracas National Reserve, which boasts the highest concentrations of sea birds in the world. The Ballestas islands, which are referred to as the ¨Poor Mans Galapagos¨ did not disappoint, for the sheer number of bird species we saw on the 2 hour boat trip. There were numerous arches and caves as well, and we saw 100s of Humble penquins and sea lions on the islands. Our guide told us that during the El Niño phenomenon every 8 years, you can see species of sharks and whales around the islands. After our boat returned to the port at Paracas we jumped onto the bus and visited the coastal part of the Reserve, where we walked along the desert-like coast line, peering down from high cliffs to the Pacific. We saw fisherman climbing down the cliffs to get to the coast and our guide explained that during this season they do this daily, though many have died, in order to make a living from fishing in this area. (As if I didnt think fishing was a hard enough life, this really reminded me!) We also visited a lookout where we saw Flamingos, who migrate to the Pacific coast during the winter after reproducing in Andean lakes in the summertime. I learned that young Flamingos are white and turn pink from the the algae they eat after they migrate to the beach here. We also learned that the bird ¨waste¨, for lack of better word, on the islands, as well as the salt from a big salt lake on the Peninsula, are exports for Peru, the former being sold as fertilizer.
From Pisco, I continued south to a town called Ica, the wine center of Peru. I actually ended up staying in a small town a few kms away from Ica, called Huacachina. Huacachina is an Oasis in the desert- a tiny town centered around a beautiful Laguna, and a popular destination for Dune buggy-ing in the sand dunes and Sandboarding. I met a couple from Idaho, Eric and Monica, on the bus and we found a great hostel together, called Huacachinero, a Oasis in itself. We had a tour of a few of Icas wineries, ¨enjoyed¨ shots of Pisco at 10 a.m. and learned about how the famous Pisco is made. Though we enjoyed the tour, there is probably a reason why you have NOT heard of Peruvian wines!! Though im admittedly not knowledgable about wine, they ALL tasted like brandy to me, too sweet and strong! The highlight for me was not the wine, but the candies, called Chocotejas- pecans wrapped in what i think they call manjar or manjar blanco (caramel to us at home, and Dulce de Leche in Argentina) and then covered in either milk chocolate or white frosting. YUM!
I was super excited to try sandboarding, but was surprised at how much i just enjoyed our dune buggy trip up onto the sand dunes outside of Huacachina.. It was amazing!!– I was in a buggy with 5 other people, including our crazy guide/driver. The dunes were beautiful and whipping around in the dune buggy was incredible! The guides would cruise around and then find spots for sand boarding. Sand boarding is like snowboarding, but the equipment is very basic: a thick wood board, two velcro straps (that were of course, too big for my little sneaker-ed feet), no edge… I tried in vain to makes turns and by the time i realized it was best to point the board and go straight down, the tour was over! Damn me for trying to be such a perfectionist! We watched the sunset on the dunes, before speeding back to town, sand pelting my face. I had never been in that kind of desert and it was certainly a memorable trip.
The night bus to Arequipa, in southern Peru, a few hours from the Chilean border was the next step on the trip. Well, the night bus (which always seems like such a good idea.. dont have to pay for hotel, dont have to waste a day traveling etc. etc.) was a nightmare! bus left 2 hours late, was FREEZING, uncomfortable.. Meal that was promised did not come. When i asked for a blanket (which is USUALLY provided on these overnighters, i was told ¨Sorry, blankets are only availale for the pasengers on the FIRST floor¨.. the VIPs apparently!) I did meet a great Dutch couple, Jochem and Cecille, who i ended up hanging out with for the next few days, so it wasnt all a loss and there were friends to commiserate with. HA. Arriving in Arequipa though, i almost forgot how awful the night had been. A beautiful city sometimes called The White City, full of Spanish churches, monasteries, beautiful plazas, and wonderful restaurants, Arequipa sits at the foot of Volcan El Misti, 5822 meters high. One of the features of the city i enjoyed the most, was that the main plaza is surrounded by restaurants with balconies, which all overlook the plaza. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at a traditional restaurant. We met the owner, a smart and eccentric man, who sat and explained to us history of the area as well as his theories on how many of the worlds languages are connected. He used examples of Quechua (one of the indigenous languages of the Andes) as well as Dutch, English, Spanish, German to illustrate his points. Quite fascinating! He invited us to visit the kitchen to see how the cooking was all done on hot stones, we met all the restaurant staff, and he even let us climb up on the roof for what had to be one of the best views in town! I enjoyed my first taste of Ilpaca meat too, quite tasty!
Unfortunately, i did not get to spend much time in Arequipa, BUT it was for good reason. My new friends and I signed ourselves up for a 3 day trek in the Colca Canyon, which proved to be a fantasic experience. The Colca is 2x as deep as the Grand Canyon and the second deepest in the world. There, one can see Pre-Incan terraces, narrow gorges and one of the most active volcanos in the Americas, Sabancaya, as well as other huge peaks. This area was inhabited by the Pre Incan groups of the Cabana and Collagua people. Our group was 8 with 3 guides- how lucky! Most of the group was spanish, but also included an english guy, my Dutch friends, and me. Our trek started from a town called Cabanaconde, at about 3280m (no wonder my head hurt!), and we hiked into the canyon on day one, passing through a little moutain village and staying at a ¨hostel¨- basically a few cabins, run by a local couple, where our guides cooked for us (most Peruvian lunches and dinners begin with soup, perfect for cold days and nights in the mountains!) and we enjoyed a spectacular starry sky before heading to bed, very tired. The second day we hiked along the valley through a few small villages to reach an Oasis where we got to soak our weary feet in fresh water (COLD) pools and have a lovely lunch all while gazing up out of the canyon! I became a bit sick on the second day but was giving Mate de Muña, a tea of the muña plant, which helped alot actually! The guides actually looked at all of us a bit suspiciously when we would talk about taking this drug and that medication… they know all the natural ¨cures¨for what ails you! That afternoon we had the challenge of the 3 hour hike OUT of the canyon in blazing sun. Though my head felt that it was about to explode, it was worth it for the beautiful views and comraderie with my group. And i had to consider myself lucky, considering one of our group rode a donkey out of the canyon, because of her sprained ankle! That night we were treated to hotel rooms with HOT showers, yet another great meal and warm beds. The next morning (day 3) we went via bus to Cruz del Condor, to join the hords of other tourists trying for a chance to view the Condors, majestic birds that are one of the symbols of the Andes. Like clockwork, the birds arrived at around 9am and we enjoyed watching them from a series of viewing platforms at the deepest part of the canyon.
As if the trip could not get any better, we visited La Calera, a natural hot springs, and had a great lunch in Chivay to end the trip. We arrived back in Arequipa at 6pm with an hour to get our bags from the hostel and get to the bus station to catch another night bus (will i EVER learn??) to Cusco!
The night bus to Cusco was TONS more comfortable- we had front row, second level seats (with view out front window), blankets, dinner, movies, even Bingo and Karaoke! (for the same price as the previously-mentioned night bus, i might add!) After a pretty decent partial-nights sleep, i woke up at 2a.m. when i felt the bus make a abrupt stop. This isnt necessarily out of the ordinary, as many times buses stop in the night for various reasons. However, when i woke up at 3 and we still hadnt moved, i started to wonder what was going on. At 4 and 5am., it became apparent this wasnt any ordinary stop, though the bus assistant wasnt telling us anything, perhaps just allowing passengers to sleep. Well, when the sun came up and everyone woke up at around 6 (when we were SUPPOSE to be arriving in Cusco!), we pulled back our curtains to see a loooong line of trucks, cars and buses, fires burning and large rocks in the road, and local people running and milling about. The assistant finally came on the speaker to tell us that the Campesinos were making a protest against the TLC (the spanish intials for the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, as i THINK its called in english!?) that their Congress is about to sign, and apparently targeting cars and trucks on the roads and not allowing them through.. I had heard this could be an issue here in Peru, but then came the truely strange part- She asked if anyone had TOOTHPASTE and told us this was what the people were asking for. If they did not get it, apparently, our bus would be spashed with paint (and i did see someone standing on the side of the road with bucket in arms) and we might have rocks thrown at us. As we all looked for toothpaste, the assistant kindly asked us to close our curtains! –A South African woman sitting next to me, who happened to be a tour guide in Cusco, laughed and made a comment at how, in her experience, Americans always want to watch these things occur despite the potential danger, while folks from other countries (eg. Israel) duck or run for cover!– Anyway, wouldnt you know it? i was the HERO of the bus, the only person who brought toothpaste (icky)..
We were finally let through the crowd, though as the line of vehicles started moving along, there were folks who werent so quick to give up, so drivers had to maneuver around large rocks and people. About 30 minutes later the bus assistant came up to me and returned my tube of toothpaste.. Very strange! When we arrived at the bus station, we realized that toothpaste had been used to write ON the front window of our bus. The bus driver and i had a little argument over WHOSE toothpast it was; apparently he had given his also!
When i left the bus station in Cusco at 10 a.m. i was SO excited because i was heading to my hotel to meet my good friends Gwen and Corinne, who had flown into Cusco the day before and who were waiting for me. I found them lounging at the Rumi Punku, our beautiful hotel, on the top floor sundeck. It was SO nice to see friends- i was really happy in that moment! Cusco is a beautiful city, at the head of the Sacred Valley. It has a great mixture of Inca and Colonial Spanish architecture, with beautiful plazas, churches and ruins. Its also got thousands of tourists wandering around, being barraged by small yet savvy children selling handicrafts, including the famous woolen Finger Puppets, and indigenous women offering to let you take a photo with their Llama for ¨Un Sol¨, ¨Un Sol¨ (one Sol equals about 30 cents). Despite the tourist-y feel of the place, i enjoyed everything about Cusco, especially since i was with friends. The only problem?? Even though i had been somewhat acclimated to being at altitude (most people fly directly to Cusco from Lima which is at Sea Level), i had a VERY difficult time just walking up a partial flight of stairs, or talking and walking at the same time! I would literally have to stop and fight for breath sometimes. Well, im sure you are all wondering ¨When is she going to mention PUKING, like she said in the title of this post?¨.. Though the guide books tell you to ¨take it easy¨ your first day in Cusco, I was with my friend Gwen, for whom the phrase ¨take it easy¨ does not exist! So, i tried to hang with she and Corinne, but after lunch started to feel a bit sick. I ended up spending 4 hours that night either sitting on the toliet or looking INTO the toliet. Not FUN! After i puked my guts out I was pretty much down for the next 24 hours, unable to eat more than a few crackers and unable to do much physical activity! I kept thinking i had eaten something, but this turned out to be ¨just¨ altitude sickness. We ended up refering to our hotel as the Rumi Pukey, instead of the Rumi Punku.. well, at least our senses of humor were still intact- Not an easy task, im sure, for Gwen and Corinne who had to listen to me in the bathroom for hours! (thanks, again, girls!)
The next day other friends from Seattle arrived- Amy, Chris and Steph arrived at midday to find me relaxing on the patio. I felt so lucky to have so many friends come to meet me in Peru! I cant describe how happy i felt to see them- it ALMOST made me forget how sick i felt- HA.
Unfortunately, i was not the only one to fall sick to the altitude, as we all felt varying degrees of SICK. Somehow we did manage to have a few nice days and nights together, visiting churches and muesums, enjoying some of the wonderful international food Cusco has to offer and generally relaxing and getting physically and mentally prepared for our respective trips to Machu Picchu.
July 7th, Gwen, Corinne and I got picked up at 5a.m. to start our 4 day adventure on the Inca Trail (Chris, Amy and Steph unfortunately, had to do the trek the day AFTER us). The trek to Machu Picchu proved to meet and exceed all expectations that i had. From our great guides, to the AMAZING porters, to the wonderful people in our group of 15, i could not have asked for a better experience! Each day the Porters (20 of them, ranging from age 19 to 55) would carry many kilos of weight up and down the trails PAST us, in their sandals, set up our next meal, serve us food, and then as we were relaxing and preparing for the next part of the trek, they would tear all the tents down, pack up and speed by us again. Our days would start with coffee or tea served to us IN our tents! (i was the princess of the group with my OWN tent!) then we had 15 minutes to get up and packed and be ready for breakfast in our communal tent. Then we would hike a few hours to lunch, and the process of refueling would begin again… each time we arrived at a stop the porters would welcome us with clapping!- we felt very undeserving and humbled knowing what they were doing compared to us! We had tea time everyday before dinner, and then dinner at our final camp spot for the night. We were totally amazed by and spoiled with the quality and amount of food we were served, and we were humbled every day watching the work of the porters and cook. It is difficult to describe how hard these people worked for us.. carrying 3 times the weight most of us carried throughout the trek. (they carried propane tanks, food (who brings heavy jars of Jam hiking!?), tents (communal plus individual), sleeping bags.. The only things most of us carried were our sleeping pads, clothes and water. The porters did not even use high tech backpacks but instead fashioned packs from rice or potato sacks and pieces of cloth and string! On the first night, we all introduced ourselves.. the porters were very interested in us. They in turn told us their ages, home communities and WHAT the carried! it was quite funny.. Also, a bit sad because most of them looked about 10 years older than their stated ages!
Physically the most challenging part of the trek was the 4200m pass aptly called Dead Womans Pass, which we had to climb our second day. The terrain was not especially difficult but the altitude was killer! What a feeling of accomplishment we all had after making it to that height! The third day involved thousands of steps down, which was difficult but the views all along the hiking that third day, were impressive. Of course, waking up at 4 a.m. the last day to hike to Machu Picchu for sunrise was spectacular, BUT the whole 4 days offered wonderful hiking, stunning views, comraderie.. The experience was really beyond words!
The last night we gave the porters, cooks and guides their tips and we had to present them and give a little speech! wouldnt you know, i was the ONLY one who could speak enough spanish to thank them all! I was so embarassed and im sure what i said made little sense, but i think they appreciated the gesture from all of us. One thing that happened that night that gave us all a laugh– as we were leaving the tent for bed after some warm wine (better than it sounds!), i felt a tap on my shouder and turned to see the oldest (and shortest!) of the porters gesturing to me and then to the wine. He was sneaking away from the rest of the group to get a little drink!.. of course i gave it to him, though im sure they were rules of why they should not be drinking and i should not have been supporting his probable acoholism! quite comical!
After lunch in Aquas Calientes, we took the rickety and slow train back to Cusco, but i had to say goodbye to Gwen and Corinne in a town called Oyllantatambo, where they planned to stay for a few days! How sad.. but i was so thrilled that they came to experience Machu Picchu with me. I spent the night and next day relaxing in Cusco, and this time found it much easier to breathe! The following day i visited the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, the Inca Museum and the Qoricancha de Santa Domingo, a catholic church build over Incan ruins (as was the way with so many spanish buildings! they either removed the rocks to another location, or built right over the old buildings! nice)
July 12th, Cusco to Puno. Our bus lost its transmission outside of Puno, right over some railroad tracks.. the crew of the bus assured us that no trains were coming, but just in case, we waited for the new bus outside.. 
Remarkably for Latin America, the new bus came after only 45 minutes! Puno is not the prettiest city, but IS set right on Lake Titicaca, has great restaurants and bars and is the jumping off point for some of the islands in the lake. The first few of Lake Titicaca from the bus was pretty special. To see a place that i first learned about in 7th grade geography class!! WOW.
I was finally becoming accostomed to the freezing weather (though not necessarily ENJOYING it) by this time, but always checking hotel rooms for extra wool blankets too! Most of the places i visited during this part of the trip would be freezing cold at night but hot during the midday…
From Puno, I went independently to visit the floating islands called Los Uros, as well as the islands of Amantani and Taquile, but ended up with the same group of people for the 2 day trip. First we visited Los Uros, a group of 32 islands made of totora reeds on which the local people have lived for centuries. The islands were fascinating if touristy– we got the hard sell to buy handicrafts there. The people there make money from fishing and selling their handicrafts. Next we visited Amantani, where all of us had decided to stay the night. The captain of the boat set us up with local families who, for about 6 dollars, would feed us three meals a day and house us. I stayed with Zoe, from England, and a spanish couple, Jesus and Laura, in the basic but lovely house (mud bricks, no eletricity, outhouse 100 m from the house) of a woman named Virginia, who had two cute little boys. Our room was definetly the best in the house, with four beds made from wood and totora reeds, piles of wool blankets (thankfully!), beautifully painted ceiling and our dining table in the center. We all were hoping for a bit more interaction with the family during meals, but we were treated like very important guests, served in our room, while the family hung out downstairs. Our food was always a wonderful soup, followed by carbs, carbs and more carbs.. Potatoes, bread, and potatoes! We didnt complain! The island was idyllic; it was beautiful and quiet- the only sounds sometimes were the pigs, donkeys, and sheep! I believe i may have single handedly supported all the wool hat makers on the island, by buying 4 in one day (mostly for gifts, OF COURSE). We enjoyed impressive views of the lake as we climbed to the top of Pachatata mountain, along a stone walkway, which passed under beautiful stone arches. We talked with locals, especially the children, some, but not all of whom wanted money or treats for singing or playing a song on their instruments– one of the most popular songs was Frere Jaque (pardon my French, i have no idea how to write that, but you all know the song in English.. ¨Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping, brother John, Brother John?¨…) I gave out a lot of coins but also pencils, and my friend Zoe gave them candy! We joked that at least she could hand out toothpaste as well!
That night on Amantani, Jesus, Laura, and I walked down to the dock to hang out with two friends from Slovakia and enjoy the most amazing starry sky. There are some benefits to being somewhere without electricity! The stars were amazing… I wished i knew more about constellations and vowed to study when i get home! HA. In the morning, Virginia saw us off at the boat dock… We continued on to visit Taquile, where we only stayed 2 hours, but enjoyed walking through the town, seeing a photography exhibit (a group taught some locals how to use cameras and then set them loose to capture ¨life on the island¨).
That night in Puno, Zoe and I enjoyed a little local night life.. Ok, i was only out until about 11 oclock but it was interesting… this basically involved deciding which bar to have our FREE drink at, as boys shoved flyers for their respective bars, in our faces!!– and then heading to one to enjoy old english and american rock music..
The next day I said goodbye to Peru to head for Copacabana, Bolivia.. and YES, i DID have Barry Manilows song going through my mind EVERY time i said the name Copacabana.. If you dont know the song, you must get on the internet immediately!!! ¨At the Copa, Copacabana.. the hottest spot North of Havana¨.. I only have one question for Barry.. how is Copacabana (the one he refers to is in Brazil…) north of Cuba?? Maybe ive got my geography confused! oh well…..
My time in Peru was so amazing, especially for the varied scenery, outdoor activities and visits with friends from HOME!!! I was also very excited to head to Bolivia.. with only 3 weeks left to go before returning to the States… I was homesick but determined to enjoy every last minute!!!
As always, i hope this installment finds all of you well.. I will see most of you VERY soon!!
Love, Jennie
4 comments Posted by jennie on July 22nd, 2006