Last Day in Peru!

This very well may be my final post that I write here in Peru, granted everything goes well with my flight home tomorrow.  Perhaps it's a little early to reflect on my journey, what I've learned, and how it has changed me, but I can say a few things for sure:

I will miss the food here so much!  Everything is delicious, natural, and very, very cheap.  I can eat meals here for about 1-2 US dollars, and for paying US prices ($10-15 per meal) I can eat like a culinary king.  There are also some great dishes I've eaten here that are like none other, like the ceviche, aji de gallina, lomo saltado, and lechón!  Soon, the days will be gone where I could walk away with 4 kilos of fresh fruit for $10!  This is reason enough for one to return to Peru again.

My Spanish has definitely improved immensely during may stay.  I've come a long way, from that guy struggling to understand basic words and phrases to being able to have a full-blown conversation with any local here (although I'm still s.o.l. speaking Quechua).  This was one of my big goals in coming here to Peru, and I can say with confidence that I achieved a lot, although I am no where near perfecting the language and there is always room for improvement.

I won't miss the crazy roads here that much, or the crazy drivers for that matter.  Don't get me wrong, driving on a one-way dirt road at 30 mph with oncoming traffic and a thousand-foot precipice on one side can be exciting sometimes, but not when that road is the principle highway.  Some of you may think that I am exaggerating, and maybe I am in some instances, however sometimes my statement held its validity 100%.  Also, all the drivers just kind of ignore all the established rules of the road and just go for it.  Perhaps they obey two rules:  I'm not stopping unless you make me stop, and objects with larger mass have the right of way lest you wish to be squashed flatter than a pancake.

The local traditions and customs is a big plus here.  In every region, excluding Lima, the people seem to retain strong ties to there roots, and this is evident in their dress, mannerisms, and even language.  Coming from a place with such a blend and even relinquishment of culture, I really appreciate seeing these things still holding strong in other parts of the world.

OK, enough reflecting for now, I still have to get out of this crazy country!  Here's  recap of the last few days:

Mom and I made it safely back to Cusco on Wednesday after our grand adventure to Machu Picchu.  We returned to Marina's hostel to pick up our stayed belongings and perhaps sleep there another night, but unfortunately she was all booked up for weeks.  Nevertheless, we were happy for her to be getting good business and settled for another, less accommodating hotel.  We used her last day in Peru to do some final shopping, eat some good food, and go out to a local bar.  We even made it into the Qosqo Center of Native Art to see a performance of traditional dances (the last time we arrived too late and had to settle watching a Peruvian basketball game).

The next day, we got smoothies at the market, and then I bid her farewell at noon as she had to return that day.  After I said my goodbye, I walked over to my friend Nathan Heald's apartment as he had told me I could stay my last couple nights there.  I was let in by a kind lady and walked up to the fifth floor, were he resided, just in time to catch him.  He welcomed me in and a made myself at home.  During this time, I didn't do much except hang out, however there was the 10th annual Inkafest mountain film festival happening those nights at the Casa Garcilaso.  I went with Nate, who is actually do a presentation of his own tonight, and watched some pretty cool adventure sport films.  Two of those took place here in Peru, one about mountain biking in the Sacred Valley, and another about kayaking in Peru's raging rivers.

Today, I woke up at 8, went to the market and ate, bought some palo santo, then packed up all my stuff.  I said goodbye to Nate and his wife Kerly, and thanked them both kindly for keeping me in their apartment.  Then I caught a taxi to the Cusco airport for my flight to Lima (lucky me).   It was quite crazy taking the 1-hour plane ride, considering the past three times I had to take the 22-hour bus ride on curvy roads.  What a difference those mountains make!  Thanks for buying me that plane ticket, mom!

Anyway, I arrived in Lima a couple hours ago after a few short delays (who knew that the planes would not be on time in Latin America).  I took an expensive taxi ride from the airport to a nice restaurant/cevicheria, had some ceviche, and took another, less expensive taxi ride to the family's house in Surco.  Oddly enough, none of the original family members that were here are here anymore.  Instead I was greated by Victor, another son of the family's grandmother, who has moved back in as well.  Everything is different and a bit strange, but I guess that's what I get for dropping in unexpected.  Anyway, I will only be here til tomorrow in the early morning, when I take another expensive taxi ride back to Lima airport and board my 10:30 A.M. flight back to the US.  How strange it will be to be back.  I think I will have reverse culture shock!

For all of those back in B-town, Indiana, expect me back starting this coming Monday.  Get excited!  Alright, Chao for now!

Machu Picchu Adventure!

This past Sunday we got a late start heading to Chinchero.  Unfortunately, mom had gotten quite a few bad bug bites on her legs and has been trying to deal with the itchiness for these previous days.  We arrived to the ruins around noon, and walked around them for a while.  Chinchero was cool, however after seeing other Inca architecture it is not quite as impressive.  One thing that does set it apart, however, is the Spanish colonial church built right atop the ruins.  There were also very few tourists, meaning we had the place practically to ourselves the entire time, which was pretty relaxing.  After checking out the ruins we tried to score some lunch there but all the restaurants seemed to be closed.  Luckily, I ran into a guide and he directed me to a large familiar home where they would supposedly serve us lunch if we spoke Spanish well (and we do).  At first it seemed like they had just finished eating themselves and that we wouldn't be able to find service, but they were kind and offered to reheat the meal for us.  The food itself was quite good and the family was very kind, although they had a human skull as decoration that kind of made us a little uneasy.  After our meal, we went down to the Sunday market in Chinchero, which is a good deal less touristy than the Pisaq market, and bought some more gifts to take home with us.

Afterwards, we caught a combi back down to Urubamba and decided to buy our tickets to Santa Maria for that night at 9 P.M., so that we would have enough time get to Aguas Calientes A.K.A. Machu Picchu Village the following day.  We went back to the Llama Pack, packed up our bags, made dinner, and then said our goodbyes to Coqui and Alejandra.  We took a Tuk-Tuk down to the bus station and waited there for about an hour and a half until the bus arrived (late, as usual).  The bus ride was a bit long and took us all the way to the other side of the mountains.  We got some good views due to the brightness of the moon, but the winding roads and the squeaky breaks were a little unsettling.

We arrived in Santa Maria at around 2:30 A.M., and our next step was to take a taxi to Santa Teresa.  After packing the taxi with 5 passengers, the driver took us down a curvy dirt road very fast.  The road was actually quite scary, but fun once you got used to it.  To our right there was a crumbly cliff line above us, and to our a left a dark drop-off.  The taxi crossed little streams every now and then, and even  a rickety wooden bridge that could only support 3 tons maximum.  After about an hour of this, we arrived in the little town of Santa Teresa.  Surprisingly, lots of people seemed to be awake at this time so we had no trouble finding a cheap hostel for the night.

The next day, we awoke at ten and got some decent breakfast.  Afterwards, we walked twenty minutes from the town to the natural hot springs of Colcamayu.  The springs were great: cheap, clean, great scenery, and very few people.  We soaked away our troubles an aches for about an hour, then walked back to our cheap, little hostel.  When we got there, the owner offered us to rest a bit there, which we gladly accepted.  The rest turned into a 2-hour nap, and we awoke at 3 P.M., a bit worried that we might not have enough time to make it to Aguas Calientes before nightfall.  We hurriedly packed our belongings, thanked the owner, and then caught another taxi to the Hydro-electrical plant up the river.  The road was similar to that we had just took to from Santa Maria, however it was the day time and we could see the amazing landscapes, including waterfalls, mountains, and the raging Urubamba river.

At our arrival to the Hydro-electric station, we began our two hour hike along the train-tracks to Aguas Calientes.  The trail was surprisingly well used, and the walk was amazing.  The scenery of the Inca Jungle was that of which I had never witnessed before here in Peru.  Dramatic mountains covered in greenery, exotic plants like banana and avocado trees, and the calls of various different tropical bird species.  After about two hours, when the day began to grow dark, we finally arrived to the civilization in the middle of the jungle known as Aguas Calientes.  By this time, were both pretty tired from hauling our gear all that way, and so settled on the first hostel we could find there.  It wasn't too cheap, but then again nothing in the Machu Picchu Village is.  After grabbing some pizza and beer, we reluctantly went to go buy train tickets back to Ollantaytambo, seeing as that we would not have enough to to return the way we came before mom had to leave from Cusco.  The train tickets were extremely expensive, about $70 each for an hour and a half ride, and what's worse is that the Peruvians are only charged 10 soles a piece.  Feeling hurt by this injustice, we resolved to walk the way up to Machu Picchu the following day instead of buying $20 bus tickets.

The next morning, we woke up at 5 A.M. to get an early start for out big day.  After making a simple breakfast of banana-peanut-butter sandwiches and coffee, we got on our way at 6 A.M.  The walk up to the gates of Machu Picchu was not too easy, about an hour of stairs going straight up.  Luckily for me, I had been so well acclimatized that in the lower altitudes I was not winded whatsoever.  Mom had a slightly more difficult time, yet we made it to the gates at 7:30.  When we entered, the clouds were still covering the sight but we caught some glimpses of the amazing Inca Citadel.  We decided we should use our Machu Picchu mountain passes before the checkpoint closed, so we did another two hours of walking straight up to the tallest mountain above Machu Picchu.  The path was not easy, a bit sketchy at times, and at the top the clouds were still to thick to see anything, but we made it nevertheless.  We hung out for a bit, ate some snacks and fruit, then decided it was time to head back down.

Once we got back to the bottom, we got our first real views of Machu Picchu.  Being on of the wonders of the world, everyone has seen it in pictures, but it is truly even more spectacular in real life.  Not just the buildings and the architecture, but the landscape surrounding it and all the wildlife within.  We walked around the sight, maneuvering our way through the herds of tourists, getting our pictures and checking out various parts.  Honestly, it was a bit much to take it all in at once.  Mom was also very tired from the mountain we had conquered.  After spending several hours marveling at the genius of the Inca, we decided it was time to head back.  On our way out, we encountered several llamas who were employed as full time lawn-mowers for Machu Picchu.

We walked all the way back down the steps, back to Aguas Calientes, and grabbed some lunch before our train.  We realized that the longer we stayed in that area, the more money we would spend.  Even though the sight was amazing, we were glad to get out of the tourist trap.  We boarded the over-priced Inca Rail at 6:30, and were on our way back to Ollantaytambo.  After several delays, and making a few friends with the people sitting next to me, we finally arrived to Ollantaytambo at 9:00 P.M.  From there, we caught a auto to Urubamba and decided to stay another night in the Llama Pack Hostel.  Upon arrival, we encountered a group packing up for their 4-day llama hike to the surrounding communites in the mountains-sounds like fun!  We made ourselves a modest dinner, took showers, and got some much deserved sleep after a long day.

My consensus:  Machu Picchu is amazing and is totally worth the journey no matter how you get there. However, it is a bit expensive and very crowded.  After visiting other Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley, the architecture was not quite as shocking, in fact mom and I both found it comparable to Pisaq, however the surrounding mountains and jungle make its location very special.  If you're in Peru, you ought to go, but perhaps check out some of the other sights as well, they are also quite amazing.

Today, we are heading back to Cusco to stay one more night in Marina's hostel before mom returns to the U.S. tomorrow.  I myself, am returning this Sunday.  Looks like we'll be taking it easy these next few days, but I'll keep you all informed on what's up.  Hope to see you all soon when I get back to the States!  Alrighty then, Chao, amigos.

This past Wednesday, mom and I caught the bus down into Urubamba.  I paid the driver a little extra to drop us off right in front of the Llama Pack Hostel.  When we got there, there was only one American staying there named Matt.  We talked for a bit, and then I saw Coqui and his son Borja in the backyard so I went to go say "hi" to them.  We were happy to see one another and reconnect, and I told him all about my amazing time in Huaraz.  After moving our stuff into a room, we went downtown to grab some lunch at Kaia Restaurant.  We had a good meal and were served by a nice, but very forgetful hippy waiter.  Afterwards we went to the Urubamba market and picked up some food and fruits to eat for dinner and dessert.

Thursday, we went to the town of Pisac to visit the ruins.  We got there around noon and began the long, 2 and half hour hike up through the incredible archeological sight that seemed to go on and on.  In the entrance, there was a man making a beautiful sound on a traditional Peruvian wooden flute, so we decided to tip him a bit.  The walk was a bit strenuous for mom, who was still getting used to the altitude, but the area was astounding.  It seemed to go on and on, with many different parts to it.  Towards the end, it started to get dark, cloudy, and windy, and we almost turned back, but we decided to soldier on through and arrived at the top of the ruins.  Right about then, it started to rain so we took a taxi ride back down into the town.  In town, we grabbed some good lunch at Ulrike's Cafe, and encountered a German man with his cheeks stuffed like a squirrels with coca leaves.  After eating we went to the Thursday market in Pisac and picked up a few gifts and souvenirs.

On Friday we went to Ollantaytambo.  First, we checked out the archeological ruins that I had never been inside before (due to their cost), and walked around them for a while.  They were actually quite cool up close and I was glad that I had bought my boleto turistico.  After spending an hour or two there,  we got lunch at La Esquina.  The service was a bit slow, as usual, but the food was great, and after our meal the owner, Ryder, gave us complementary cookies.  Since it was still early by the time we finished, we decided to hike up the other ruins which I had been to before.  It was amazing how easy that hike felt the second time, after being well acclimatized.  Finally, we checked out the Cocao Museum in Ollantaytambo.  We got a free tour with free samples, learned a lot about chocolate, and decided to have some chocolate fondue as well while we were there (because we're  on vacation, after all).  Lastly, we went to a local chicheria I had been to before there and picked up some chicha amerilla.  Mom was very surprised at the homeyness of the chicheria, with little cuy (guinea pigs) running around on the dirt floor and all, but the chicha itself was top notch.

Today, we woke up early, around 6:30, and headed up to an old Inca experimental agricultural sight called Moray.  It was a very neat place, terraced in concentric circles dug into the ground.  Apparently they were trying the different effects of temperature, wind, and sun at each level to grow different types of crops that would otherwise not grow in that climate.  The sight itself is small, but amazing, and you can really feel a temperature difference as you walk down into the circles.  Afterwards, we had our hired taxi driver, Feliciano, take us to the Salineras which were nearby.  The Salineras are basically pre-Inca salt harvesting pools which are still used to this day, and whose stark whiteness really stands out among the surrounding landscape.  We walked along the salty pools, all the way back down into Urubamba, which took about 45 minutes.  From there, we caught a combi back to the center of Urubamba and got some fruit juice smoothies at the market.

Later, around 2 P.M., we joined in on a hike to go see the llamas with Coqui and two other American girls.  It was neat because my mom had not seen them yet, and there was also a newborn baby llama there for us two see.  We hiked up a little bit up the hill where the future llama park will be, and had a little lunch that Coqui had prepared for us beforehand.  We talked about the benefits of llamas, and then hiked back down with Coqui's assitant, Sergio.  On the way back to the Llama Pack, it started to rain but only very lightly.  Then, the sun broke through the clouds and we got an amazing glimpse at a full on double-rainbow!  You don't see something like that everyday.

Tomorrow, we plan on going to Chinchero to check out the archeological sight there and to also buy some stuff at the Sunday market.  Monday we head to Santa Teresa, maybe check out a hot springs there, and then walk to Agua Calientes.  Tuesday we are going to see Machu Picchu!  I am very excited, because it is the must see destination in Peru, and I think it will really wrap my (our) journey up.  Talk to y'all on the flip side, Chao!

Well recently we've been doing so many fun things it's hard to keep track of it all.

First, we bought boletos turisticos to get into a bunch of different sights in and around Cusco and the Sacred Valley.  We went to a couple of museums, which were somewhat interesting.  Our favorite exhibit was about El Inca Garcilaso, a mestizo of royal inca blood and who documented to famous commentaries about the royal lives of the Inca.  In another museum underneath the Qoricancha, we got to see some mummified royal Incas.

We also checked out all the ruins above Cusco, most notably Sacsayhuaman.  Afterwards we walked to different sights including Zone X, Tambo Machay, Puka Pukara, Q'enqo, and the Templo de la Luna.  Though they were less spectacular, they were still very interesting and we got some good hiking in.

Aside from sight seeing, we changed hostels to an Air B&B listed online.  It is in a nice location and hosted by a nice Peruvian lady, Marina.  At first, it seemed we had to hostel to ourselves, but it soon turned into a sort of Caravan Sarai after many other guests from all over the world showed up.  Anyhow, we met some nice people here including a Turkish/Russian couple.

We have also been eating out a lot, trying lots of different types of restaurants, including Indian food, a menú restaurant, a gyros place, and others.  We also went to the market yesterday and cooked for the first time, making a vegetable stir fry with quinoa.

This morning, we went and bought our tickets for Machu Picchu and the mountain above it for this coming Tuesday the 7th.  We are very psyched for this, but first we are headed down into the Sacred Valley.  We are going to stay at the Llama Pack Hostel, to  llama trek, and visit various sights including Pisac, Moray, and Ollantaytambo.

Lots of good stuff planned before we head home!

Mama en Peru!

As many of you may already know by now, my lovely mother just arrived into Cusco yesterday morning!  After much anticipation and waiting, we were thrilled to see one another.  Unfortunately, her luggage did not make it with her right away, but I am glad to have her here.  First things first, we went to a local café and got some coffees and breakfast breads.  After enjoying our little meal, we walked to the historical center of Cusco and introduced my mother to the grandeur that is the Plaza de Armas.  We hung out for a while, then decided to join in on a free walking tour of Cusco.

I was pleasantly surprised at the walking tour.  The tour guide, Eric, was energetic, informative, and very friendly.  He regaled us with legends and stories of Cusco, including that Tupac Amaru (the namesake of the legendary rap artist).  We walked around the Plaza de Armas, up to San Blas, and back down again.  Eric recommended quite a few restaurants, cafés, and bars for us to visit, and also took us to a Luthier, or music instrument makers shop.  The Luthier was very neat and included a musical presentation by the instrument maker himself.  Eric also gave us some tips on how to get into famous sights, like the Catedral del Cusco and Sacsayhuaman, for free.  We finished the tour at a local bar and were all treated to free pisco sours (famous peruvian cocktail) and got to learn how they are made.

After the tour, we decided to grab lunch at El Paisa, a restaurant recommended to me by my friend Nate.  The restaurant itself was huge, like an airplane hanger, and specialized in food al norteño and ceviche.  When we got their, the place was pretty packed but we were able to find a table.  There was also live entertainment happening on a big stage which included music and dancing.  We ordered some tamales and papas a la huancaina for a starter and then got a big plate of ceviche to share.  It was a good meal, and we both enjoyed to entertainment (except for the lackluster bongo player).

Later on, we returned to the hotel so that Dena could take a short nap before going out again at night.  We walked around the plaza some more, all lit up by lights at this time of night, and just got accustomed to Cusco's crazy streets.  We nearly went into a local bar, but the presence of cigarette smoke made mom not want to go inside.  We decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel room once more.

Today, we woke up early to eat breakfast, and mom called the airport to see if her bag had been located yet.  They told her it had, and promised to bring it by our hotel in 30 minutes.  However, after an hour or so of waiting the bag had still not shown up.  Growing tired and frustrated of waiting, Dena called the airport again and learned the apparently the driver had gotten lost on the way (not sure how that happens in your own city).  I myself had promised to meet my friend Juan, who had just gotten back from Machu Picchu, at the San Pedro market.  I decided to go ahead and planned to meet mom at the plaza around 1:30.

It was good to see my Venezuelan friends Juan again, and to hear all about his time at Machu Picchu.  We grabbed a bite to eat at the market, which happened to be all outdoors because they were cleaning the complex.  Then, he returned me Simon's tent that I had loaned him and we said goodbye again as we went our separate ways.

When I went to the Plaza de Armas at 1:30, my mom was no where in sight.  I waited around until it started to rain (about 20 minutes) then went back to the hotel to see if she was there, still waiting for the suitcase.  When I got back, mom was not to be found but her luggage had apparently made it back.  Shortly after, I got a call from her wondering where I was.  I asked her the same.  Apparently, we had been on opposite ends of the Plaza and could not see one another due to the large fountain with and Inca emperor on top.  I headed back there to meet up with her.

Mom, in a moment of weakness, needed a good cup of coffee to fight off her headache so I begrudgingly went with her to the overpriced Starbucks on the square.  After getting Starbucks, we went to the local supermarket, Orion, to pick up some insta-coffee so that such an occurrence would not have to happen again.  At Orion we also picked up some coca hard candies and Quinoa cookies (we must really be in Peru).  Right about this time, we both had grown hungry so we decided to grab lunch.  I took her to a local favorite of mine and the locals, La Chomba.  It a neat little restaurant tucked away from the tourists that draws an almost homogenous crowd of peruvians.  For lunch, we ordered two frutilladas (chicha with strawberry juice), mote con queso (corn with cheese), and Lechón, or slow cooked pig with a side of tamale and potatoes.  The meal was delicious and the portions were huge, so much so that we were both stuffed by the end and could not finish all of our mote con queso.  The best part is, the whole meal only cost 35 soles with tip, or about 13 US dollars.  You can really eat like royalty here in Peru for next to nothing!

Right now, we are both back in the hotel room relaxing while journaling/blogging.  Our plans are to buy the tourist ticket that gets you into lots of sights in and around Cusco and spend our time visiting them.  Tomorrow is forecasted to be a rainy day, so we might spend the day indoors at museums and such.  Our end-goal is, of course, to make it to Machu Picchu, wonder of the world and the second one that we will have visited together (the first being Petra).

Look forward for more exciting blog posts and  more picture uploads to Facebook!  Until then, Chao!

Cusco: Take 2

Well, I can honestly that I'm quite happy being back in the old Inca capital.  It is perhaps one of my favorite cities that I've ever been in, despite its very touristy nature.  It has some real charm, with it's colonial buildings and cathedrals built over the old Inca houses.  In fact, they recently excavated one of the streets near the Plaza de Armas and rediscovered an old Inca aqueduct, which they used to move water out of the city.  This city is filled to the brim with cultural and historical heritage, as well as travelers from all corners of the Earth.  The people that live here are also very special in comparison to other Peruvians, all though some can be quite pushy salespeople.

On Sunday, I visited with Nate and his cusqeñian wife, Kerly, and hung out with them for a bit.  We first went to the San Pedro market and ate some wonderfully delicious lechon, or slow, clay oven cooked pig, with tamales.  Next, I went with them to pick up supplies for Nate's upcoming expedition starting the following day (that guy never quits the mountains).  Lastly, I returned back to their apartment with them, and Nate gave me advice for good restaurants and hotels to go to and stay at in Cusco.  I thanked them both warmly, and wished Nathan good luck in the mountains.

Next, I decided to head down into the Sacred Valley to visit some of my other acquaintances I had made my last time here.  My first stop was Urubamba:  I took a tuktuk up to go visit my buddy Jack.  When I go to the place he was staying he was no where to be found, so I decided to walk back down towards town.  As I was walking, a car passed by that just so happened to be transporting Jack and his girlfriend.  They both hopped out and were very surprised and pleased to see me.  As it turns out, they were heading back to Austin, Texas, the following day, so I had caught them both in the nick of time.  After catching up a bit, we said our goodbyes and planned on meeting up again States' side.  Before departing, Jack gave me his key to Llama Pack that he had been holding on to for a while and asked me if I could return it to Coqui for him.  I accepted the task gladly and walked my way over to the hostel.  When I arrived, I let myself in but discovered that there was no one around.  No matter though, I'll visit Coqui, Alejandra, Borja, and the llamas another day.

After Urubamba, I went to Ollantaytambo to go see my friend Elder.  Due to the one lane road that led into the town, there was a huge traffic jam, so I got out and walked to rest of the way.  When I arrived to the camping spot, Elder was not to be found, nor was he at the Gonzo Bar.  I decided to head back because it was beginning to get dark, but I know I'll return later.

By the time I got back to Cusco, my friends from the Huaraz hostel were beginning to worry about me. While I was gone, they had cooked up some crêpes and sold them on the streets, making a nice bit of profit.  The following day, they decided to make their way to Machu Picchu, so I let them borrow the tent that Simon had let me borrow, and we said we'd see each other at the end of the week when they returned.

Yesterday I went around and checked out the hotels that Nate had recommended to me.  After a bit of investigating, I decided upon one called Hospedaje Turistico Recoleta.  It's a nice place that is not too expensive, and 15 minutes away from the center which means calmer environment.  The staff and manager, Javier, were nice and I made reservations for two nights, Saturday and Sunday, as well as organizing an airport pick-up for my mom on Saturday morning.

Well, only 3 and a half more days until she gets here!  In the meantime, I'm going to relax and explore the city some more.

Talk to you all later when mi madre arrives!

Chao!

Huacachina

So, last Wednesday I left Huaraz with 3 buddies I met in El Tambo hostel.  We took the Z Buss to Lima and arrived there early in the morning.  From there, we took another bus to Ica, about 4 hours south of Lima in the desert.  Ica was a busy little city and not much to look at, but about 15 minutes outside of the city there is a tranquil little oasis called Huacachina.  We collectively decided to head there and chill for a day or so.

Huacachina is very small and very touristic (meaning expensive), but it is cool there.  We got a deal for the hotel and then walked around the town.  It's a nice little oasis with palm trees, sand dunes, dune buggies and sand-boarding.  After settling in a bit, we decided to make our way up one of the sand dunes surrounding the oasis.  It was a bit a difficult trek up, but once we made it we had a great view of Huacachina, Ica, and the surrounding desert, which seemed to stretch on forever.  It's amazing to find water in a place as dry as that.

We chilled on top of the dune and watched the sun set into the Pacific.  Then, not having sand-boards on hand, we decided to run full-speed down the dune to our hotel.  Running down the steep dune was a very exhilarating feeling, and we all tripped and ate sand more than once but it was all in good fun.  We got back to our hotel, rinsed off the sand, and then fell asleep.

The next day, we left our little desert oasis and took the 16 hour bus to Cusco (again for me).  I'll spare you the details of sitting in the back of the bus by the toilet with seat that would not recline, but needless to say we were all very happy when we arrived this afternoon.  Now, I'm chilling at the hostel, trying to reconnect with old friends I met here last time.

Exactly one week until my mom gets here!!

Alright, talk to you all later, Chao!

I suppose I ought to make another blog post to let you all know about what I've been up to the past few days...

This last Saturday, I said goodbye to Duncan and Vai as they were headed to Pucallpa in the Amazon.  I feel very blessed to have met these wonderful people and to have been able to travel, climb, and enjoy life with them, and I wish them all the best.  I hope to run into Duncan again on the flipside when we are both back in the grand ol' US of A.  

Besides that I've mainly just been hanging out and relaxing at the hostel in Huaraz.  I've met some cool people and have had some fun times (like the rave party we put on last night).  This is a place that has a lot to offer and I definitely want to return one day at the start of a new season.

I've really enjoyed my month-long stay here in Huaraz, but now it is time for me to return to Cusco in anticipation of my mom's arrival at the end of the month.  The journey by bus is rather long, so I plan on making a few stops along the way to cut up the journey and see more of marvelous Peru.  Some ideal stops would be in the cities of Ica, Arequipa, and possibly Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  Nothing is set in stone, but I have about a week and a half to get to Cusco so we'll see what happens between now and then.

Anyway, my bus leaves at 11 P.M. tonight and I will be arriving back into Lima tomorrow morning, though I don't plan on stopping there any longer than I have to.  Leaving with me are two other guys from the hostal, Hugo from France and Juan from Venezuela, and they are going to Cusco by a similar path.  

I honestly don't know what to expect of these next few days, and perhaps that is for the best, but I know it will be something of an adventure and filled with a fair share of excitement.  I'll try and keep in touch as much as is permitted these next few days, but I hope you look forward to hearing about my upcoming experiences!  

Chao!

Cordillera Huayhuash

Last week, I went with my friends Duncan, Vai, and some new acquaintances, Nate and Luis, to the Cordillera Huayhuash to trek in with them to base-camp and hang out as they made their attempt to climb on of its peaks.  Nate is an American from San Francisco who has been living in Cusco for the past 6 years and climbing mountains there.  His climbing partner, Luis, is a native to Cusco and has lived beneath one of the most famous mountains there, Salkantay, for his entire life.  They are both very strong mountaineers having climbed four out of the seven 6,000+ meter peaks, and Nate runs a guiding service there called Sky High Expeditions.  The groups intent was to climb Nevado Rasac (6017 m) together, and then afterwards Nate and Luis would attempt Nevado Jirishanca (6126 m), one of the Huayhuash's most difficult peaks that hasn't seen an ascent in decades.  My plan was to just tag along and enjoy the scenery.

We left last friday and took a bus to the town Choqian, at the southern most reach of the Cordillera Blanca.  From Choqian, we got a combi to take us way down into this valley, all the way to the quaint colonial village of Llamac.  We arrived at Llamac by dark, and so found one of the two available places to sleep and get a good meal.  We awoke early Saturday morning, and after a bit of a delay we loaded up our port donkeys and began our hike up the steep valley slope.  After about 2 hours, we reached a pass called Pampa Llamac, where we were able to see into the heart of the Cordillera Huayhuash and all it's tallest peaks (the Cordillera Blanca could also be seen from this point).  We continued our hike for about 4 hours, going deep into the valley until we reached the lakes at the base of the mountains.  It was a nice hike (luckily the animals were carrying all our gear and food) with excellent scenery.  We arrived at base camp and set up near a waterfall bringing water down from another glacial lake up high.  There, everyone rested up and got ready to make their way to high camp the following morning.

As for myself, while everyone else went up to try their luck at the mountain, I hung around base camp and went exploring around for a couple of days.  The Huayhuash is a truly stunning place, and very dramatic as well.  The high valley walls make the actually visibility of the mountains low, and they can only really be seen from up high or far away.  The peaks are kind of like snow-capped gems hidden away from sight, and their remoteness makes access much harder than that of the Cordillera Blanca.

I hiked around the surrounding areas, discovering glacial lakes, moraines, and different view points of the mountains.  I also encountered all sorts of birds flying about. I saw condors, cranes, geese, hawks, and all other types which I am unsure of their names.  I even encountered a hummingbird, or picaflor de las montañas, during one of my hikes.  It flew right up to me, hovered right in from of my face for a moment, and then went off in search of flowers I imagine.  It felt like a really special moment to me, and the hummingbird is considered to be one of the five animals sacred to the Incas (the other four being to llama, puma, condor, and serpent.

The days in the valley were very peaceful, and the opening was Westward facing so I saw an amazing sunset each night.  The nights themselves were not too cold, in fact a lot warmer than I had imagined they would be.  We were also fortunate to be there during the full moon, so a few hours after the sun went down the moon would rise and illuminate everything like a second sun.

After waiting two nights at base-camp, the mountaineers finally came down the 3rd morning.  There venture was successful and they all made it to the summit, except Vai who was not feeling up to it.  Duncan told me it was one of the hardest mountains he had ever attempted, and the entire day from high-camp to the summit and back lasted from 1:30 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.  After everyone made it back to base-camp, we hung out, ate lots of food, and prepared to leave early the next morning to catch the noon bus from Llamac back to Choqian.  Nate and Luis stayed behind, as the still had one more summit to reach.

We left at 6 A.M. in the morning and hiked all the way back down to Llamac, arriving just before noon.  Unfortunately, it turns out the bus had left at 11:30, so we were stuck waiting there longer until another vehicle would passed by several hours later and picked us up.  In the meantime, we whiled the hours away trying to nap and eat something from the village that wasn't completely withered or covered in spores.  We finally made it back to Huaraz last night after a speedy (almost too speedy) 4 hour taxi ride back.  I promptly checked back into to Hostel Tambo, then got my favorite street foods: Salchi Pollo, Papas Rellenas, and Borrachitos (little chocolate balls).  I love being in the beautiful mountains, but nothing beats getting back to the city and gorging on some deep fried goodness!

Beginning of my 4th Month

Now, I start my 4th Month/14th week in the beautiful country of Peru, this is officially the longest duration of time that I have been away from home.  However, I don't feel very homesick at all, in fact I feel quite comfortable sitting here in my hostel surrounded by strangers.  It's funny when people ask my where I'm from and I tell them "Bloomington, Indiana", a place they have invariably never heard about.  Sometimes I myself wonder if that's where I truly came from.  Though the fact is that I was born and raised there and owe my roots and all my great friends to such, at times it feels like perhaps I belong to wider, much more international address.  It feels more and more as though I am not just a resident of Bloomington, Indiana, nor one of Peru, but rather a person belonging to this entire planet we call Earth and all the incredible places it has to offer.  I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way, I have met many in my travels that think similarly.  Perhaps I am too young to feel a sense of permanent establishment (although it is nice to come back to my parent's home time to time), but something feels really amazing about opening yourself up to the world and feeling accepted anywhere you go.  This worldview appears to me to be very important in dispelling the fear and alienation many people have towards others beyond their own borders, and brings us to the realization that we really are quite close and connected to one another on this relatively tiny planet moving through the eternal vastness of the universe.  Sometimes, as I gaze up at the pure night sky, uninterrupted by light pollution or clouds, I get the feeling that other life forms living on vastly distant planets are in fact not so far away as we think, and perhaps they are looking back at us as well.

This past week, I spent again climbing at Hatun Machay.  Like I have said before, the place is quite amazing with a seemingly unlimited supply of climbing and partners do so with.  Recently, I was climbing with Andreas, an Argentinean guy who actually works as a guide for the Andean Kingdom.  We spent some solid time climbing, and testing out new routes that had been bolted by the owner of Andean Kingdom, also named Andreas (the distinction is that that former is "flaco" or skinny, and the latter is "gordo" or not so skinny).  We got quite a bit in, not even taking a rest day, however the weather was a bit of a limiting factor.  Unlike the week before, this past week was filled with a few snowy days and lack of sun.  This can make a huge difference at that altitude, when climbing in the sun means no need for jackets and the ability to adequately feel your finger tips.  Nevertheless, I still had a great time climbing at Hatun Machay, chilling, cooking, and socializing at the refuge, and sleeping in my tent.  The place has a lot of energy and is quite a recharging getaway from the city life.

Since the Andean Kingdom is run by Argentineans, the workers are Argentineans, and many of the patrons were Argentinean as well, is goes without saying that I spent a lot of time with Argentineans, making some new friends a long the way.  They are a fun group with a good attitude, and are very Gringo by there Peruvian comparison.  One difficulty I did have, however, was keeping up with there Argentinean Spanish.  I've noticed that each country has there own version of Spanish, with unique accents, pronunciations, and words partial to that country.  Fortunately, Peruvians speak quite clearly and accurately in comparison to Castilian Spanish originating from Spain, but Chilean Spanish is the opposite and Argentinean Spanish is different on its own terms.  It's really kept me on my toes both speaking and listening, and has kept the challenge of speaking Spanish alive, which I appreciate.  It's not often you get to meet and experience so many different cultures and groups in one place!

Anyway, I got back from Hatun Machay on Saturday and have been waiting for the return or Duncan and Vai ever since.  Not really sure what's taking them so long, but perhaps the spotty weather has delayed there ascent attempts in the Ishinca Valley.  In the meantime I've just been relaxing and filling my belly with all the good food that the city has to offer.  I do love being in the mountains, but you just can't find papa rellena stands or purchase salchipapas, not can you buy delicious, cheap ice cream.  I believe I will give them a few more days for their return, and then make my next move.  Until then, there are fried potatoes awaiting me, and I must see to them!

Chao!

Last Tuesday, my Chilean friends and I packed up our gear and food and headed out to Hatun Machay.  Hatun Machay, meaning "Big Cave" in the Quechua language, is a magnificent forest of rocks located in the Cordillera Negra at 4,200 meters above sea level.  After taking a bus and then a taxi, we arrived midday to the refuge run by the Andean Kingdom, an adventure tour company based in Huaraz.  Our first order of business was to climb, and with 300+ sport routes and counting there was no lack of options.

Climbing happened to be just about all we did there everyday, besides eating good food and meeting nice people, so we were content to say the least.  The rock quality itself was fantastic: large, 30 meter volcanic plaques, caves, and slabs.  All of the sport climbing is set around the perimeter, but with in the rock forest there is a seemingly endless amount of boulders and rocks in every shape and form imaginable.  We climbed until our forearms were pumped, our shoulders dead tired, and our fingers were bleeding (the rock is pretty sharp).

As the sun set, we would walk back to the refuge in majestic hues of red, orange, and yellow that were produced.  We would enter the welcomingly warm refuge, cook dinner, and converse with the other visitors.  I met all sorts of people from all around the world:  The USA, Europe, South America, Asia, and others.  Most were climbers and some were there just to enjoy the area.  All of them seemed to be great people with good energy, adding to the good vibes of the place.  After eating, relaxing, and playing a bit of music, we would retire to our tents and cozy up (it was a bit cold up there).

On our day of rest, we went to explore Hatun Machay.  At the top, there are two big caves that are archaeological sights; homes of ancient humans that lived there thousands of years before.  Inside the caves, there were many petroglyphs and pictographs.  In one of the caves, there were rock carvings that seemed to be some sort of calendar detailing the lunar cycle and constellations.  In another there were carvings of faces, an impression of a hand, and paintings.  Afterwards, we took time to walk through the forest of rocks and observe all the amazing formations.  Hatun Machay is a truly spiritual place with a powerful energy, and required a moment of meditation from myself to take it all in.

After several solid days of climbing, the Chileans unfortunately had to return to San Pedro de Atacama to resume their work.  I myself wanted to stay in Hatun a bit longer, so I said my goodbyes and told them that we would meet again soon in San Pedro.  That night, the boss of Andean Kingdom, Andreas,  led a group of us to the middle of the rocks to spend the night out there.  We came to a view point up high where you can see all the way down into the Pacific Ocean, and we watched one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.  Then, as the light began to fade, the stars started to appear one by one until the entire night sky was filled with millions upon millions of lights.  Once again, I must say it was one of the most beautiful and most complete of night skies I have ever witnessed.  The darkness also brought a new feeling from there rocks, as if their dark forms were guardians in the night.

That night, I and 3 new acquaintances of mine, Nesto, Mati, and Alejandro, found a nice shelter in the rocks, unrolled our sleeping bags and spent the night under the stars.  It was honestly difficult to fall asleep, not due to the cold but because of the brilliance of the night sky.  I stared up at it for hours, as the stars slowly progressed, until the Milky Way was swallowed by the sea.  The night was also alight with shooting stars, one of which seemed to streak across nearly the entire sky.  Sleep finally did come, but not long afterwards the sun began to rise anew.  The sunrise was nearly as beautiful as the sunset.  With day break, life awoke within the rock forest and took flight.  I witnessed all types of beautiful take to the air and heard their sweet calls.  Finally, when the sun reached our sleeping spot, it came time to return to the refuge.  I took the rest of the day to rest and reflect.

Sunday evening, Andreas was kind enough to give me a lift back to Huaraz where he was going, as I had run out of supplies to eat.  When I returned that night, I was surprised and rejoiced to find that my Chileans friends had not left, and in fact had prepared a wonderful feast of multi-colored tortillas and about 12 different toppings.  We were all glad to see each other once again, and I had a chance to say goodbye again before they left at 11 P.M. that night.

It is nice to be back and relaxing in civilization, but I still feel Hatun Machay calling my name, and I believe that I will return there tomorrow to do some more climbing and living in that magical place.  Until then, I'm going to get a nice bite to eat.

Chao!  

La Esfinge

These past 5 days have been quite amazing and physically challenging.  Early Wednesday morning, we got our gear together and took a bus from Huaraz to Caraz, then all the way up a valley to Laguna Paron.  It was a long, curvy bus ride but the destination we arrived at was spectacular.  The Laguna itself sits at 4,170 meters in elevation, has a sky blue tint, and is surrounded on all sides by snow-capped mountains. 

After stretching our legs for a bit, we started off our 3-hour hike to the base camp of La Esfinge.  This is when things started to become difficult for me.  First off, base camp was at nearly 4,700 meters (15,420 ft.), which is higher than the tallest peaks in the USA.  Secondly, carrying 40 kilograms (88 lbs.) up 500 vertical meters was no easy task.  I will definitely pack less next time, for example: Dry fruits and nets instead of fresh foods, fewer changes of clothes, an to bring my water containers empty when I know there will be a fresh source at base camp.  Now, about that altitude, I had never been that high above sea level before and certainly was not acclimatized by then.  Every step seemed to take twice as much effort, and each lungful was only half as satisfying.  Also, the elevation did strange things to my head an stomach, but luckily those pains subsided after a couple days.

We reached base camp a couple hours before night fall, set up our tents, and got to cooking dinner.  Duncan, Sang, and Checho got their gear prepared for their 3-person ascent of the classic, 750-meter, 20-pitch route up the face of La Esfinge.  Their single-day ascent began the following day at 5:30 A.M., and they returned that night around 10 P.M.  There’s truly nothing like looking up at the massive skyscraper of a wall and searching it for small dots that are your friends making their way up.  Their climb was truly inspiring and something I’d love to accomplish, but I don’t deem myself physically ready nor do I have enough experience with such monumental rock faces.

Even though I didn’t make it to the top, just living at base camp was spectacular in itself.  From where we slept, we had a prime view of Huandoy (6,360 m), the second-tallest peak in the Cordilleras Blancas.  You really get the feeling that the mountains here are alive, with their tall, steep peaks slicing through the sky and forming clouds, or the consistent avalanches occurring several times a day.  The weather is very subject to change up in the mountains as well:  It can go from blistering hot sun in the day to cloudy with snow in a matter of minutes, and the nights are indeed very cold.

On Friday, two other members of our group, Mau and Diego, decided to climb La Esfinge as well, except this time they would try it in two days and sleep half way up the face on a ledge.  Taking that extra time means extra weight, and also a very cold nights sleep, however the two climbers made it half way the first day and endured the night up high on the terrace.  The following day, they had trouble finding the route, and decided to rappel down instead of staying up and testing their chances.  Sometimes you have to make hard decisions like that when you wish to accomplish such a great feat.

Sunday morning, we packed up camp and headed back down the mountain.  The hike that took me 4 hours to get up only took about 2 hours back down.  Getting back down to 4,000 meters also felt great on my lungs and body.  We waited around for a taxi for a bit, and also walked around the Laguna.  We finally found a small bus that we could cram into, had it take us down, and then we stopped off at a little restaurant for some good food and beer. 

The adventure was great, and I’ll have to return one day, but for now I plan on resting.  Tomorrow, I head to Hatun Machay for some of Peru’s best sport climbing at 4,200 meters.  I’ll let you all know how that went at the end of the week.

Chao!

P.S.

For those of you that are friends with me on Facebook, check out my page for new pictures that I posted of this past week!

Yesterday was an insane day filled with fun and excitement:

After a slight delay due to me mistakenly believing I had left my passport at the family’s house. (it was in my money belt like it should have been) I took the 10:30 bus on Monday night to get me to Huaraz at 6 this morning.  Though I had to purchase a second ticket, missing my Sunday bus had the added secret benefit of being able to better coordinate my mother’s arrival.  I am happy to say that she will get here on the 26^th of September and stay for almost two weeks.  In the meantime, I have some climbing to do.

After arriving in Huaraz, I made my way to Hostal El Tambo, a cheap, accommodating place that is frequented by other climbers and has a good vibe to it.  Duncan recommended it to me and told me that many of his climber friends from Valparaiso, Chilé, would be staying there as well.  Since I had arrived so early I had to occupy myself with something, so I headed to Café California, a local restaurant the hostel owner told me was good.  After a nice breakfast and a bit of walking around, I went back to the hostel to move into my room.  By this time, things were starting to pick up.  I quickly recognized a group of might-be climbers, and asked them if they were friends of Duncan.  They said they were and invited me to come climbing with them that afternoon.

We walked over to a local craig, Los Olivos, about 15 minutes away from the hostel.  There were many single and double pitch sport routes condensed in a small area.  It served as a good warm up/training sector.  I hopped on 3 routes, the third of which was a 35 meter 5.11b, and was dead tired afterwards (especially considering I only got 6 bad hours of bus sleep that night).  I took a well-deserved nap on a crash pad while my newly acquainted friends finished up their routes.  We went back to the hostel, chilled a bit, and then Duncan and Vai arrived a little while later.

Today, we woke up early to head to the base camp of La Esfinge, a 750-meter vertical wall that tops out at 5325 meters above sea level.  We plan on spending 4 nights there and getting in as many send groups as our window of time allows us, considering our group of 11 people is quite large.  We went to the market yesterday to pick up all the food we’ll need for the next five days, packed up all our gear and clothes, and now are getting rested bus rides, a taxi ride, and 2 hours of walking up to base camp.  I’ll get back to you all Sunday once I return from this grand adventure!

Huaraz is a truly beautiful place.  What it lacks for in aesthetic architecture, it makes up for in raw, natural beauty, and a highly adventurous spirit. 

Quick Blog Post:

This week, Simon and I split paths this past Wednesday.  He went home, back to Bloomington, to get ready to go to Green Mountain College in Vermont, and I continue to stay here in Peru for a couple months more.  My plans are as follows:  Head to Huaraz tonight, get there in the morning, and then go to Hatun Machay to meet up with Duncan and Vai.  Hatun Machay is a prime rock climbing spot, a couple hours away from the adventure sports' Mecca that is Huaraz.  It should be an amazing time filled with adventure in a beautiful area.  I will be staying in Hatun Machay for about a month or so, rock climbing and whatnot until Duncan heads back to the States.  Then I will return to Lima.  Once there I will eventually make it back to Cusco one way or another where my mother will be joining me at the end of September!  I am very excited for her to come visit and can only imagine all the fun we will have.

Like I said, this post is very short, but I will make time to have another, more comprehensive one soon.

Chao!

Here are some videos that Simon put together from clips during our time in Cusco, Urubamba, and Ollantaytambo:

Enjoy!

After an amazing month in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, Simon and I made our way back to Lima.  However, first we had to retrieve all of Simon's gear that he left in the Cactus Slab Rock in the Puma Marka valley of Ollantaytambo.  We got an early start, hit the road at 9 A.M., and got back to the fabled rock.  After having lead the 2-pitch, 60 meter route twice already, the third time was a breeze.  In several hours it took us, we got back all 9 hexes and nuts left in various spots on the rock.  We then made a steep descent and said goodbye to our piece of rock that we had developed and worked on with such care.  We caught the bus back to Urubamba, packed up all our stuff at Llama Pack, and then went to Cusco to get the bus back to Lima, but not before saying goodbye to Coqui first.

We will miss all our of dear friends that we made in the Cusco region:  Coqui, the rad climber dude who owns a sweet hostel and a whole herd of llamas.  Elder, the chill guy who runs the camping in Ollantaytambo, and knows how to lead an awesome sweat lodge.  Last but not least, Jack, the goofy bro from Austin, Texas, who loves to laugh and have a good time.  I will miss all those friends and everyone else who made living in the Sacred Valley so special.  I hope to visit them all again the next time I return!

By the time we got to the Cusco Bus Station Monday night, all the buses back to Lima were full so we had to grab tickets for Tuesday morning.  In the meantime, we grabbed a cheap hostel, ate some dank Chifa food, and bought a bootlegged copy of World War Z to watch.  We awoke the next morning, packed up on snacks for the bus ride, then hit the road at 11 A.M.  The 22-hour bus ride was exhausting to say the least, especially weaving our way up and down the mountains and valleys, yet somehow we both survived the ordeal.  We made it into Lima at around 9 A.M. today, took a taxi to Surco, and then called up Luis to let us in the house.  We aren't exactly thrilled to be back in Lima, but it is nice to have somewhere familiar to stay.

I plan on spending the next few days here, chilling and getting all my business in order before heading to Huaraz where Duncan, Vai, and more mountains await!

Check in next time to hear of my adventures in the Cordilleras Blancas!  Chao!

Post birthday post....

Thank all of you who wished me a happy birthday yesterday or kept me in their thoughts.  It feels great knowing that there are so many dear friends and family members that care so deeply about me, and I'm very grateful.

Yesterday, Simon and I ended up waking up very early because we are sleeping in the tent again (all the rooms in the hostel got filled).  We hung out a bit, went to the market to pick up some fruit and snacks, then took a bus back to Curva del Diablo to finish up those routes.  It was my day to lead, so I started with a route to the right that was around a 5.10a.  About two thirds up the way, I came upon a slightly loose section of rock and a foot hold broke off, causing me to fall a couple of feet.  I came out of it completely intact, just a a little frustrated that I blew the on-sight.  The next route I led was a 5.11 slab with a couple run-out bolts.  Lastly I, on-sighted this amazing 30m 5.12a to finish up the birthday sends!

We caught a bus back to Llama Pack and got cleaned up to go to dinner.  In honor of it being my 19th year around the sun, I decided to treat us to a delicious meal at Kaia restaurant.  We ate some righteous food, drank mint-ginger lime-aid, and some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted.  We then went back home to rest and download our photos.

Lately, we've just been hanging out at Llama Pack, climbing new routes, and helping Coqui with the occasional task.  We've been clearing out trails with machetes for the past few days, which has been fun work.  Today we're going to help Coqui build a door for the llama refuge with the wood he cut down.  Tomorrow, we plan on heading back to the Cactus Slab to retrieve Simon's passive gear that we've been using for anchors.

This is our last weekend in the Sacred Valley together.  Monday, we head back to Lima from Cusco.  Perhaps Huaraz will be the next destination to meet up with Duncan and Vai and do some climbing in the Cordilleras Blancas y Negras.

This past weekend was bitter sweet for us:

First, we said adieu to Rebecca on Friday afternoon as she had a flight returning her to the good ol' US of A.  We said our goodbyes, and I handed her a bag of my favorite Peruvian candies to give to my sister for her birthday.

Then, Duncan and Vai wanted to check out the Medicinal Music Festival happening in Pisac, so we took a bus down that way and arrived an hour later.  Pisac is another cool town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas with many ruins and a very new-age spirit.  We chilled with them for a while and then said our goodbyes as well.  Duncan and Vai will be heading to Huaraz for a month to climb mountains, and I may be joining them after Simon leaves on the 13th of August.

Saturday, we took a nice rest day, especially because Simon's terrible cough from Lima had returned.  We also made a very delicious quinoa salad with mangos, avocados, pomegranate seeds, and a lime/honey/mint sauce to drizzle on top.

Sunday, Alejandra and Borja left early in the morning to go to Lima to visit family or fly out or something.  Simon and I went to down town Urubamba, and he checked out a doctor's to get some antibiodics.  When we got back, Coqui had brought 3 llamas back to the hostel after one of their llama treks through the Puma Wanka Valley.  He also informed us on a sector of rock in a place called Pachar, about half way between Urubamba and Ollantaytambo.  This is a place that him and his French friend, Domonique, have been developing for quite some time, and happens to be the same place that Simon and I had explored a week before.  There are two main areas that have been bolted, one with 3 huge towers that we checked out yesterday.  We got on 2 routes, a 5.10b 35 meter tower route, and a 5.11b chimney route.  Both had been bolted from the bottom up, so there the clipping spots were really close to one another, but the climbing was great nonetheless.  There is also another plaque further up river that has 6 other routes bolted.  Basically, out mission for the week is to climb all of these established routes, and let Coqui know what difficulty we think they are.  There is a lot of rock in this area, so we also may have a chance to establish some lines and even help bolt.  We are very excited to have this brand new craig to climb at, where we might be making 2nd or 3rd ascents of these routes (and plenty of onsights).  Good time to be living in the valley.

In the meantime, we've just been relaxing at Llama Pack Backpacker.  There is a large group of about 10 British university kids who are hear doing volunteer work, as well as two girls from America.  We met a guy here named Jack who is from Austin, Texas, and will be teaching advanced English at a school here in Urubamba.  He is a cool dude, and has moved in to his own place but comes to hang out quite frequently.  Last night, we played the game of trying to herd Puma Wanka (a friendly but slightly ornery llama) out of the back yard without getting spit upon.  Finally, after about an hour, we were able to get him out with some ingenious use of a hammock.  We felt successful, but in reality we are awful llama herders.  These creatures really have a will of their own and are very intelligent as well.

Today we plan on doing the same, taking it easy and trying some new routes.

Thanks for checking in!  Chao!

Long time since the last post…

In the past week, a lot has occurred:

Last Friday, Simon’s friend Duncan and his girlfriend Vai came to Ollantaytambo to meet up with us and do some climbing.  Duncan is a guy from Colorado who has been climbing in South America for many years and met Simon last fall when they were in Chile, and his girlfriend is another climber from Valparaiso Chile.  We met them at a café on the square and brought them to the camping spot.  The next day, we brought them both to the big 70-meter slab we developed and they both hopped on the route that Simon cleaned. 

Saturday night was the last one that we spent at Elder’s campground.  After a slow start to the day, we got everything packed up and took the bus back to Urubamba.  Simon and I got a head start and stopped halfway to check out some nice looking rock across the river.  The going was slow because we had literally all of our bags with us, but we finally arrived at some cliff line along a farm road.  We set our gear down, had a quick lunch, and then decided to free climb some Class 4 scrambling up 25 meters of sloped rock steps.  From up there we were able to get a better look at some potential cracks/routes that we could take all the way up in the future.  Afterwards, we came back down and caught the bus the rest of the way.

We arrived back at Llama Pack and rang the bell.  Alejandra came to let us in and showed us a room we could stay in.  It felt great to have an actual bed to sleep in again.  We chilled at the hostel and waited for Rebecca, Duncan, and Vai to arrive, and in the meantime we met some of the other guests/volunteers that were staying there:  A couple of Americans, some Peruvians from Lima, and a British girl.  Later on we went to the market.  It was nice to have an adequate stove to cook on again.  Had a very relaxing night as well.

Monday we woke up early to make breakfast.  We told Coqui and Alejandra that we would help out and volunteer in exchange for our stay at the hostel.  By 9:30 in the morning, all five of us plus the two Americans hiked 3 hours up the Puma Wanka valley together to reach a tree nursery.  The hike was a bit strenuous and all up hill, but the work we had to do only really involved a couple of people and a lot of waiting around.  While the American girls were watering the tree sprouts, Simon and I went up a bit further to search for boulders by suggestion of Coqui.  We found two really nice stones in this farmer’s field, brushed them off, and established a few boulder problems.  The fact that people are living way up in this valley in small stone huts still boggles my mind.  Apparently, once you cross over the pass of that valley, you enter back down into cloud forest, which is pretty cool to think about.

Once we had watered all the trees, we all hiked back down to the Llama Pack and Rebecca cooked up some mean butter chicken.  We also picked up food for our two day stay up at the refuge in the soon to be Llama Land Park.  We woke up Tuesday morning, had banana pancakes, and then Coqui drove us up to where we would be staying.  On the way up, we let the llamas out of their pen and led them up to the hill to graze.  Llamas are very interesting creatures, and each with its own unique personality.  Most llamitas are shy and don’t like to be touched, but Puma Wanka, a red fuzzy llama, was very friendly and came up to us right away to greet us and be pet.  Puma Wanka believes that he is the alpha male, but that title actually belongs to Guapo, the large, white, and not particularly friendly llama.  There are a couple others in that herd, including one very shaggy looking one whose name I didn’t catch.  Llamas are also quite large, some growing up to 2 meters tall (taller than me).

We got to the refuge, which is a building that has walls and a roof but is not completely excavated, out.  We learned our job was to be rolling rocks down the hill onto a large flat plain that will later become a llama corral.  The job itself was hard work, but we soon learned our tasks were far greater than just rolling rocks.  We ran out of water before the first day was up, but were told that there was a spring we could access from further down.  Duncan and I went to get water as the sun was going down, and nearly got lost walking back in complete darkness aside from our headlamps.  The water itself seemed a little tainted by all the livestock roaming the hills, so we figured that we would have to boil it before it was safe to drink.  This entailed making a fire with primarily cow patties as fuel.  That would be the first time I boiled cow feces out of water using cow feces. 

It wasn’t all hard though, in fact it was very tranquil.  We sat around, ate food, watched to clouds, boiled water, moved a few rocks, and had a chill time in general.  The second day was a bit difficult deciding whether or not we should return to get actual clean water.  In the end, all but Rebecca stayed it through, seeing as she was leaving the country soon and had to take care of some things beforehand.  Early Thursday morning, Duncan and Vai got an alpine start to go hike up the hill more and get a glimpse of the surrounding mountains.  Simon headed down at around 8, and me a bit a later.

We relaxed a lot today, and also got some pizza to celebrate Beck’s last day.  Can’t believe another whole month has nearly come and gone.  Amazing times here in the Sacred Valley of the Inca’s and we all feel very blessed to be able to live here.  We’re going to miss her when she leaves tomorrow!

Had an exciting weekend:

First, we finished up work on the farm on Friday.  They brought in 4 bulls and two plows to tear up the old corn feilds to replant  them.  I know have a newfound respect for those animals and the work they do, not to mention the people that train those beasts.

Saturaday, we went up the valley to explore the rock a bit.  We saw some awesome cliff, so we crossed the river and hiked along it.  Then we came across a narow pass that we had to Indiana Jones our way over.  Suddenly, we came underneathe a giant 60m rock overlooking a farm.  We tried for a dirty ascent of the middle of the face, but I got to sketched out by the runout and so we decided to bail and rappel down.

The following day, Simon returned to the rock by himself to rappel down from the top and clean it off.  He  spent several hours knocking down loose rocks, tearing out cacti, and trying out the movement.  On his way back up, he realised his rope had almost been sawed apart about 15 meters from the top.  Luckily, there was still some sheathe left and the core was nearly intact, but it was a close call nonetheless.

Yesterday, after finishing up work, we returned to the rock a third time to free the line that Simon had cleaned.  He led the first 30 meter pitch to a reunion point, then I led the second to the top.  It was some fun, classic 5.10 slab climbing with a few big flakes as well.  My pitch was a bit run out, but I was able to pull through and make it to the top before it got completely dark.  Fun stuff, we'll have some pictures and vids up whenever we can find some solid internet connection.

Today, Simon and I took the day off work and decided to hike the mountian that has the Incan ruins upon it.  It was a fun, scrambly ascent that took us about 3 hours round trip.  I just had a nice lunch at La Esquina restaurant and plan and relaxing now.

Both Simon and I decided that we really like this community of Ollantaytambo and would like to remain here for the remainder of his stay in Peru (August 13th).  We will most likely go back to Urubamba for a week as well to chill with Coqui and his llamitas, and perhaps bolt some routes with him.  One nice thing about underdevelopéd sites is that there is plenty of exploring/route creating to be done!

Chao folks!

Well I said I wasn't going to update until the end of the week, but last night was very worthy of recognition...

Like I said before, the camping spot we are staying at has a sweat lodge, or Temaskal, and a couple of days ago we inquired about using it.  Elder told us that if we amassed enough interest.  He surprised us by having one set up yesterday, after we got off from work.  We lit the fire by 4 P.M., and got in the Lodge at 6 (it was already dark by then).  It was a very nice ceremony: the lodge was garnished with eucalyptus leaves, there was a large group of about 12 people, we did chants, songs, and also gave our prayers to Pachamama (mother earth).  It was interesting doing a ceremony in total Spanish.  After a couple hours of cleansing our minds, bodies, and spirits, we got out and were promptly hosed down with cold water.  It felt amazing.  I slept like a baby last night.

This morning, we awoke at 7:30 and went down to the farm.  They had us pick tomatillos for an hour, and then we had a nice breakfast of french toast and coffee.  Unfortunately, Rebecca's stomach wasn't feeling too hot, so we encouraged her to go back to the camping spot to rest in hammock. Julian proceeded to lead SImon and I through a grueling session of clearing out two corn feild plots.  First he gave us some coca leaves and then he set a fast pace of clearing grass and dried brush.  Once we cleared the feilds, we grabbed tarps to move all our debris to the edge of the terrace.  We ended up learning that Julian has 67 years of age, 7 children, 2 grandchildren, and to top it all off he works twice as hard as Simon and I combined.  We ate a cold lunch accompanied with some excellent lime-aid.  Wew returned to the farm and finished clearing the feilds, then Julian gave us some arbitrary grass pulling to occupy us for the last 30 minutes.  All in all it was a hard days work with plenty of sun, but at the same time it was very gratifying.

Now, we are just chilling around the Pueblo.  We have all the ingredients for barbecue chicken sandwiches, minus the BBQ (so they're chicken sandwhiches).  I am currently decked out in my winter wear, but was wearing my summer shorts earlier today on the farm.  So it goes in the mountains.  

Ok, enough for now.  Chao! 

Well I have very limited Internet access, so I'll have to make this post short and sweet...

We ended up spending several nights at the Llama Pack hostel in Urubamba due to it's chill atmosphere.  We got to know Coqui, his wife, child, llamas, and the Czech guy Misha all pretty well.  We also met some chill English guys who were staying at the hostel and travelling together, Luke and George.

During our days in Urubamba we would hike up the valley a bit until we reached some cliff that Coqui had actually bolted 2 super sweet routes that were rated 7a+ and 8b on the European scale, or for those of you on the Yosemite Decimal System: 5.12a and 5.13d.  The first time, we hopped on a crack that was to the left of the two bolted routes and made a nice 15m ascent with Simon leading.  The second day we tried the 7a+ called Chongo Mondongo, meaning crazy monkey.  It was a sweet route, but we were not quite ready for the difficulty.  Nevertheless, we both gave it ago and decided it was worth returning to for a redpoint ascent.  Coqui also has all the bolting equipment and told us that if we found a line he would let us set it up.  Super chill guy.

Urubamba was nice, and we plan on returning, but first our expirience in Ollantaytambo some 20 minutes down the road.

We made it to Ollantaytambo on Sunday, and it a beautiful little village that historically used to protect the entrance of the Sacred Valley from invasions.  There are many ruins, cobblestone streets, and Inca terraces that are still be farmed to this day.  I had made an arrangement to WWOOF, or volunteer at an organic farm here in Ollantaytambo.  We found the farm down by the railway station that takes people to Agua Calientes, the last city before Machu Picchu.  The farm is actually coupled with the El Albergue hotel, and works to bring in some of the produce for the kitchen.  We met and spoke with Louisa, the WWOOF coordinator who is actually and old counselour from Camp Palawopec!  Crazy how small the world seems sometimes.

After talking about our work schedule, we took our gear to a camping place and set up our tent.  The camping spòt is run by this Peruvian named Elder, and it is a really chill place that even has a sweat lodge!  We plan on doing a ceremony come the next full moon.  After getting our stuff together, we went to the market to buy food to cook dinner.

The next morning, we woke up at 8 and went down to the farm/hotel/restaurant to eat our breakfast.  It was really deliscious, consisting of eggs, bread, marmelade, coffee, and pancakes, and was the best breakfast we´ve eaten since we´ve been here in Peru.  After eating we went up to the farm to look around and learn about the types of crops grown there, and what we´d be doing.  The farm grows all sorts of traditional plants, such as corn, quinoa, and other grains, as well as some other fruits and veggies.  They also raise chickens, turkeys, rabbits, guinea pìgs, sheep, and pigs.  The whole goal of the farm is to be organic and sustainable, and to provide all the food for the restaurant.  There is a bit of an issue, considering some plants like tomatoes and eggplant aren´t traditionally grown in this area, but it is a work in progress.  The actual work so far has consisted solely of weeding (maybe they don´t trust us with the other jobs) but it is a chill time.  We work 5 hours a day on a 1000 year old terrace, surrounded by mountains and stunning views of glaciers and ruins.  The farmers we work along side are all very kind and helpful people, especially the maestro, Julian.  There is also a small school built on the farm that teaches loca children about healthy living, english, and other important things.  We get fed two deliscious meals a day at the nice hotel.  In general, it is a nice time and a good, wholesome expirience.

We´ve also been exploring the town a bit on our downtime.  We´ve hiked up the ruins built on the mountains, and to a nice, clear resevior/swimming pool.  We plan on working at the farm for two weeks, and will take the weekends to climb and explore the mountains more.

Thanks for checking in, I hope to be back before the week ends.  In the meantime, I´m going to wash the dirt out from under my nails, and perhaps give my clothes a nice cleaning.  until then, chao!

P.S. excuse any typos of mine, I am typing on a spanish keyboard with spanish spellcheck as well, hence any overlooked mispelled words.

After several days of fun in Cusco, the three of us have begun to make our way down the Urubamba river, along the Inca Trail towards Machu Picchu.  All in all, it was a fun time.  On Wednesday, Becks and I checked out the Catedral del Cusco and tried playing the game "Cuanto Jesuses Aqui" inspired by my father.  We got up to about the mid-20's before we lost count.  It was a beautiful and ornate cathedral, but they did not allow for photography for whatever reason.  We also discovered a creepy chamber in the basement which seemed to be some sort of dungeon.  We discovered the gyros district in Cusco and were able to get our fill on that deliciousness, for a good price too!  Later on, I checked out the handicraft martket by myself and picked up some llame-embroidered alpaca wool gear.  After leaving the market I walked around for a bit and encountered two musicians with a guitar and a bongo. I talked with them a bit and they invited me to play with them.  Then I grabbed Simon and Rebecca and we all had a nice jam session.

We all very much liked Cusco, but it was a bit too expensive for us.  You could easily blow $500 dollars here on food, lodging, activities, and drinks during a single day.  We like the international scene, but the abundance of tourists means everyone is trying to sell you something.  The weather during the day got up to the 70's during the day but down to 30's at night, which I suppose is how mountain weather goes.

Yesterday, we checked out at one from the Wild Rover, but had to wait around til three because Becks accidentally left her climbing shoes at the 7a School.  We got some bad Chifa food, and then took a taxi over there and arrived promptly at three for the school's opening.  Unfortunately, we had to wait another 15 minutes for the person to come and open the door.  Typical climber.  Afterwards, we grabbed up all our stuff and went to the bus stop to catch a ride to the ruins of Ollantaytambo.  We waited til the bus was filled, which took no time, and then were on our way.  The last person to jump on the bus happened to be a guy from the Czech Republic named Misha.  We got on to talking with him and learned that he was going to stay at a hostel in Urubamba, along the way we were going.  He told us the hostel's name was the Llama Pack Backpacker and it was owned by a really cool guy who is a rock climber/adventurist, and also raises monster llamas (ones almost as big as horses)!  We decided as a group that we would make a pit stop in Urubamba and go meet this guy.

The ride down to the valley was beautiful, and went very smoothly.  Misha wa   s happy to tell us that we were on the "Autobahn of the Andes".  As it turns out, this Czech guy has been traveling the world for a while and had spent the past five years of his life in the Himalayas in Nepal.  Apparently the roads there were exponentially worse, so we were able to count ourselves as lucky.

We made it down to the hostel in Urubamba, and once inside the gate we were immediately confronted by a llama, who we later learned his name was Guapo.  The hostel itself was very nice, complete with a lounge full of climbing books & mags, a kitchen, nice rooms, shower, garden to chill in, and a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains.  We met the the owner of the hostel, Coqui, who was a very cool individual.  He was psyched that we were there to climb and said that maybe he could accompany us sometime, or perhaps we could accompany him to meet his giant llama pack.  We will definitely have to do that while we are here.  We told him that we were gratefully to have a place to stay but didn't want to pay the full price for the room, so he told us we could set up our tent in the yard right by Guapo's pen.

After we got settled in, Misha suggested that we could go grab some firewood and chorizos and have ourselves a nice little campfire.  We walked down the road a few blocks until we came across a giant pile of wood in someone's yard.  No, we weren't sure if we were supposed to take those eucalyptus logs, but a local had told Misha that no one would mind so we figured it was alright.  We hauled our load back to the hostel, but not before picking up some sausages and bread at a local store.

We had a nice campfire, roasted dogs, and talked about traveling and life with Misha.  We also got an awesome view of the stars, and were told it only gets better up on the summit.  He's an interesting guy who has been traveling for the past 15 years of his life, and has been all over the world.  He also studied Buddhist teachings for a while in Nepal, and shared some of his insights.  We all agreed that being a traveller is much better than being a tourist, and that the life in the mountains is the most pure.

Went to bed early last night, woke up at 9, had breakfast, and are preparing for a little hike up into the local mountains.

¡Chao!