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JOURNAL
6/27/04 MK 6:25 pm. We'll be landing in Peru shortly. This is our third flight of the day, SF to El Salvador to Costa Rica and finally to Lima, Peru. Not much to say except WOOHOO!! great to be back on the road.
7/1/04 MK 1:16pm. Day 5 and all is going well. To recap, we had 1 1/2 days in Lima but didn't get to see much. We were mostly getting over the 19 hours of travel and making arrangements for the next two weeks. I did get to try out my Spanish a few times, but quickly came to the realization that what little I once knew of the language was now a distant memory. Clearly this was going to make travel in South America a bit more of an adventure.
On the 29th we took a bus to the town of Ica which is about 3 hours south of Lima. We then took a taxi a few miles to the town of Huacachina where we had plans to spend two nights. Huacachina is a small resort town built around a lagoon/oasis in the desert. Surrounding the resort are steep sand dunes and hundreds of miles of fine sand making a very dramatic setting. Our first activity was to take a small plane flight over the Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines are intricate designs that were scratched into the plains by the Nazca people who inhabited Peru between 100 and 600 AD; predating the Inca some 600 years. In addition to numerous lines and geometric shapes, the Nazca lines include drawings of a whale, hummingbird, condor, spider, an alien, and many others. These figures can only be clearly seen from the air as they are hundreds of feet long. There are many theories about the meaning of the lines ranging from being a giant astrological calendar, to a landing site for extraterrestrial life. Regardless of their meaning, they are truly awe inspiring and one of the wonders of the world. Later that evening we climbed one of the dunes to watch the sunset over the desert. I've always appreciated sunsets, but on this trip we've had the great fortune to witness sunsets from some of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm glad to add the desert of Huacachina to the list.
On day 2, we visited a museum in the town if Ica. The museum traced the history of the area detailing the many cultures that reigned over the centuries. They also had a surprisingly large display of mummified bodies. Lisa was definitely more impressed with all the dead bodies than I was. 500 year old skeletons just don't do it for me. After the museum our guide took us to a local vineyard/winery. Driving through the front gate it was hard to draw any comparison to Napa or Sonoma. We took a tour of the facilities and tasted their wine and Pisco. Pisco is a local drink made from the same grapes but ending with a clear fluid that tastes like a cross between Italian grappa and jet fuel. Thankfully my eyesight returned after a few hours. Unfortunately, the winery has had some hard years and recently undercut much of their vines replacing them with asparagus, which apparently is considered a valuable cash crop.
In the afternoon we took a dune buggy ride far into the dessert and went sandboarding. Sandboarding is a lot like snowboarding except they move much slower and are very difficult/impossible to turn. I shot some video of Lisa shredding the dunes and hope to have the footage on the website after our next download. At one point our driver stopped the buggy and pointed out the ocean several miles away. Beneath the buggy, extending to the left and right, was a line of seashells. This line marked where the ocean had once been probably millions of years ago. It was pretty amazing to see and contemplate.
Today we took a boat from the town of Paracas to the Islas Ballestras, which are sometimes referred to as the poor mans Galapagos. We saw some interesting birds, playful seals, and a large pod of dolphin. As we learned Islas Ballestras is a valuable resource for the people of Paracas. The resource comes from the enormous amount of birds that live on the islands and the literally feet of guano (s#&t) which they leave behind. The guano is collected by the locals and sold as fertilizer. Apparently s#&t collection is a major industry in Paracas.
7/4/04 LPK Happy July 4th!
Lake Titicaca. Well, needless to say, we will have to have our own private July 4th celebration – there are not too many Westerners, let alone Americans, staying here in Puno, Peru. We arrived in Puno (a sort of gateway town to Lake Titicaca) two days ago after a rather drawn-out flight from Lima. We didn’t actually fly into Puno, we flew into a nearby town called Juliaca (pronounced hoo-lee-ah-kah). We met some Canadians in the airport and decided to share a cab into Puno. It was an interesting ride. As a protest of the government, the local people had placed debris, rocks and sometimes boulders in the middle of the road. As we have come to find out, the people here are not too pleased with their government and stage constant protests and strikes. We were not totally clear what the road-wrecking protest actually accomplished, but it is clear that the people have much to protest about. In Huacachina (the oasis town), about 40% of the people are unemployed. And those who are employed don’t make very much money at all. They work in low-wage jobs as farmhands, picking cotton, and harvesting asparagus, apples, and the like. Apparently, doctors, nurses, and teachers regularly strike for increased wages all over the country – they only make about $200 U.S. or less per month.
Our hotel, Hotel Libertador, sits atop its own little island on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The Lake is truly impressive. At a little over 12,000 feet, it is the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest lake in South America at 170km in length and 60 km in breadth. But, as the Lonely Planet says, “it is not the statistics which make this lake such a magical place to visit. “ At this altitude, the air tastes and smells unusually clear, the sun appears to shine more brightly than anywhere on earth, the clouds spread across the vast sky are so crisp and clear they look like a beautiful photograph, they lie so low you feel like you are on top of mother earth and can reach out to touch them. There are dozens of small islands stretched across this massive lake most with distinct cultures, languages and customs.
We spent our first afternoon trying to acclimatize while drinking coca tea and looking out over the lake, the mountains and the 35 alpaca the hotel has on its grounds. Coming here straight from Lima, which is basically at sea level, may not have been the smartest idea. We had hoped staying here for a few days would help us acclimatize for the Inca Trail, but we didn’t realize how much the sudden change in elevation would affect us. We both have screaming headaches – the kind where your brain feels like a yolk inside of a big egg (your head) and every time you make the slightest movement, the yolk comes crashing into the other side of your head. It’s quite unpleasant. We are a bit lethargic and basically just out-of-sorts. The hotel has a little room where you can breathe in 5 minutes of pure oxygen before bed. We indulged but still had a very difficult time sleeping. At least we are learning some important lessons about how we need to acclimatize for trekking in Nepal!
Yesterday we had an amazing day discovering new cultures. Early in the morning we took a boat to the nearby Islas Flotantes or “floating islands” of the Uros people. The islands are literally hand-made out of reeds. The islanders live much as they have done for centuries. They use the reeds not only to build their islands, but to build their homes and their boats. The reeds are dried to use as fuel for cooking. Fresh reeds are eaten for their many curative properties like fluoride, curing stomachaches and other ailments. They even grow small crops by creating hard platforms of compost from rotting reeds and other root crops. Their first language is still an ancient language called Aymara.
It is truly one of the most fascinating cultures we have ever seen. Apparently, centuries ago, the Uros people wanted to get away from the more aggressive cultures that lived on the shores and islands of Lake Titicaca. They removed themselves by building separate islands. Today, there are still more than 50 floating islands, each one inhabited by 3-4 families. When a young man wants to ask for a young woman’s hand in marriage, he must first prove his worth by building his own island. He must also build a boat in preparation for rowing his future children to school on a nearby reed island. Only then can he be married. We only visited two islands but the people were warm and inviting. The children ran and played with each other, hopping on and off little boats like they were on land.
After the floating islands we putt-putted for about two hours to reach Taquille Island (our not-so-up-to-date wooden vessel overheated about 6 times). There are no cars, motorbikes or bicycles on this remote island. The people terrace the hilly island to farm their crops and raise a few cows and sheep. Their first language is still the ancient Quechwe, a melodic-sounding language. They make their own incredibly colorful and stylish clothing. Knitting is the sole domain of the men, who actually wander around the island while knitting. They knit tall floppy hats in two different styles, one for single men and one for the marrieds. Women are the spinners. They make the intricately needle-pointed waist belts for the men, that look much like colorful cummerbunds. I have to say the men look rather dashing in their hats and cummerbunds and the women very stylish in their poofy skirts and black capes with multi-colored pom-poms. Check out our pictures to see what I mean.
Today we are taking it easy, still trying to acclimatize. We plan to roam around Puno in the afternoon and visit some of the outdoor markets. Talk to you soon!
7/7/04 MK 5:50pm. We arrived in Cuzco last night and just spent the day exploring the city. Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire and is today considered the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continents oldest continuously inhabited city. Cuzco is much like most of Peru, very poor and dirty, but the center of town, around the Plaza de Armas, is beautiful. There's a large town square with a fountain in the center, many park benches and landscaping. On two sides of the square are beautiful and large cathedrals. On the other two sides are numerous shops and restaurants. It's very touristy but not tacky. We had a great day exploring the town and are glad to have a few more days here. Interestingly, we noticed many of the restaurants and hotels include Hebrew writing, and we passed at least one restaurant advertising Israeli food. We also passed a number of young tourists who were speaking Hebrew. I'm not sure what the connection is between Cuzco and Israel, but clearly there is one.
7/8/04 LPK It's morning in Cusco. A crisp, clear day which we'll use to make final preparations for the Inca Trail, buying toilet tissue, water, energy bars, etc. We are both very much looking forward to the hike tomorrow. We'll be on the Inca Trail for about 4 days and then stay one night in a town called Aqua Caliente, named for it's hot springs (probably the first hot bath we'll have had in a while). We are thinking about David and Della right now as they had previously planned to meet us for the hike to Machu Picchu. We will miss you guys and look forward to meeting up with you further on down the road.
7/8/04 MK Quick note. You might have noticed different spelling for several words. eg. Inca, Inka. Cusco, Cuzco. Nazca, Nasca. Not sure if either is considered proper, but we've seen them spelled both ways and I guess we each chose a different way to go. Hmmmm??
7/13/04 MK After spending 2 days exploring Cuzco, we began our 4-day trek of the Inka Trail on July 9th. We were told it would be cold and the weather unpredictable, but we knew little else. The day began at 6am with a bus ride to the town of Piscacucho where our trek was to begin. Being under strict doctors orders not to carry a backpack, we had arranged for a porter, something I wasn’t to thrilled about. After a brief orientation we began to make our way towards Machu Picchu. The first day was about 6 hours. The scenery ranged from nice to beautiful, but we knew the best was yet to come. That night we were treated to a surprisingly excellent meal and extremely poor sleep. Normally I love sleeping in a tent, but the earth must be softer in California. This was like sleeping on concrete.
Day 2 was a killer. I’m not sure how many feet we ascended but the pass was known as Dead Woman’s Pass. I had also heard some called it Gringo Killer. The top was just shy of 14,000 feet and we were definitely feeling the altitude. The most amazing site of day 2, and possibly the entire trek, was the porters who were nothing short of supermen. The porters were of Mestizo (mixed) and Andean descent. They were farmers and as poor as one could be. On their feet they wore sandals made entirely from old tires. They lightly resembled Teva’s if they came from the Michelin factory. And the porter’s feet looked like they had been gnawed on by wild animals. Perhaps most amazing was the 50 pounds they carried in backpacks made from sturdy plastic bags and rope. Despite the Michelin sandals, gnawed on feet, 50 pounds of weight, and the rope backpacks, the porters literally sprinted past us on their way to the top. They would have lunch set up before we arrived, would depart well after we did, and would once again sprint past us on the way to that evenings campsite. They were paid about $30 for four days of excruciating work, and rumor was they had to pay for their return transportation. Lisa was nearly brought to tears by their hard life. We all were humbled by their strength and friendly attitude in the face of grueling work conditions.
After another nights painful sleep, day 3 began with a turn in the weather. After 2 days of sun, the rain had arrived. Thankfully we both had brought rain jackets and pants helping us to keep reasonably dry. The rain stopped after a couple of hours, around the same time that we reached the first major Inka ruin. I’d never seen anything like it and was pretty much blown away. I expected to hear how this ruin was a palace for the nobility, or perhaps an outpost for soldiers, but was surprised to learn it was actually a warehouse used for storage. It was several thousand square feet and like most of the ruins, was built into the side of a mountain. The craftsmanship was incredible. The structure was built from tremendous stones that were cut to fit perfectly without the use of mortar. How such work could have been accomplished without the use of modern tools is unfathomable.
Day 4 began at 4:30am. We began the hike in the dark with the goal of reaching the first overlook of Machu Picchu in time for sunrise. 2 hours later we had our first glimpse of what is said to be the 8th wonder of the world. Built between 1460 and 1470 AD, Machu Picchu, meaning manly peak, remains a mystery today. Historians still do not know for certain what the purpose of Machu Picchu was, but it was home to over 2000 people, and is believed to have been a royal estate and religious retreat. Machu Picchu had been lost for thousands of years until Hiram Bingham, an American professor from Yale, discovered it in 1911 while searching for Vilcabamba, the final stronghold of the Inka empire, which he never did find. It wasn’t until the 1940’s that Machu Picchu was open to the public. From our first overlook, we could see all of the lost city. Like the other ruins we have seen, it is clear that the Inka never built anything the easy way. Sitting about halfway between the mountain peaks and the valley floor, Machu Picchu appears to have been carved into the side of the mountain. Covering some 5 square miles of terraced stonework including over 200 buildings linked by 3000 steps, it is impossible to imagine constructing such a place. They built terraces for farming, aqueducts to transport fresh water, sundials for telling the time, and several other devices for knowing the time of year, which were important for knowing when to plant the crops. It is both beautiful and awe inspiring. I am sure Lisa will do a much better job describing its intricacies. I hope the photos help, but to truly understand it must be visited.
After spending the day exploring Machu Picchu, we took a bus to the town of Aguas Caliente; named after the natural hot springs bubbling up through the earth. We spent a little time walking through this charming town but were simply too tired, and our feet too sore, to stay upright very long. It was at our final dinner with our new friends that we were handed our train tickets and learned that our departure the following day was at 5:45am. So much for finally getting a good nights sleep. We later learned that we were booked on this train because, known as the backpackers train, it costs 1/3rd the price of the later departures. The following morning while walking through the dark, young travelers appeared from all directions, backpacks in tow and bleary eyed, making for the train. While everybody slept, I found myself surprisingly awake. I found a spot next to the bathroom where I could stand staring out the window watching the country pass by. We departed the train in a small town where we were to find a bus for the remainder of the journey to Cuzco. Immediately upon disembarking the train we were swept up in a frenzy of locals and tourists. It felt like a New York subway during rush hour. We were dragged along by the crowd while bus drivers’ vied/fought for our business. We selected a bus, handed our bags to some random person who tossed them on the roof, and boarded. Immediately following, a woman entered the bus selling the Peruvian version of an egg McMuffin. We bought two, ate them quietly, and settled in for the ride back to civilization.
I would like to say hello to the new friends we made on the Inka trail. Our group included 16 people from around the world. Represented was Germany, Norway, England, one person of French/Irish descent whose hometown we never did get a clear answer on, and of course, the USA. It was an interesting and fun group and we enjoyed spending a grueling and beautiful 4 days with them. I would also like to thank our guides, Isaac and Henry. They were both friendly and knowledgeable, and did a great job leading us to Machu Picchu and educating us along the way.
7/15/04 MK 1:13pm. We are currently on a plane from Cuzco to Lima where we are spending the night before flying to Quito, Ecuador in the morning. After having spent two more days in Cuzco, I can say that it is easily one of my favorite small cities. It’s beautiful, friendly, clean, historic, with good restaurants, nice hotels and fine shops. We would love to spend more time there and hopefully will return one day.
Travel in Peru, and as I suspect we will learn much of South America, is not without its quirks. On the 14th we woke up in Cuzco to a transportation strike. No taxis, buses or trains. The streets were strangely quiet. We weren’t scheduled to leave until the following day so the strike was more interesting than problematic for us. What was more of an issue, was that we also learned the airline we were booked on the following day, Aero Continente, had gone bankrupt that night. Apparently the owner moonlights as a druglord. Perhaps it was a deal gone bad, I really don’t know, but our transportation back to Lima suddenly evaporated. After some frayed nerves, we were able to book on Lan Peru and actually had our money returned by the travel agent who booked our Aero Continente flight. We were both very impressed as they could have easily said it was not their problem and that we should take it up with the airline. Despite being hustled by one taxi driver and one very intelligent young seller of postcards, whose name we learned was Milton, we found most Peruvians to be very honest and friendly.
7/16/04 MK 12:20pm. We are currently on a flight to Quito, Ecuador. Over the next few weeks we will spend 5 days at an ecolodge deep in the Amazon. 3 days at another ecolodge in the cloudforest. 7 days on a boat in the Galapagos. 2 days at the markets of Otavalo, and a bunch of days in Quito, the capital and cultural center of Ecuador. We are both very excited and more than a little tired.
7/18/04 LPK I feel like I’ve been a bit neglectful of our journal. It’s not that I haven’t learned anything new or had any thoughts about our Peruvian experiences, rather, it’s almost like I’ve had too many! I think I needed a little time to take it all in and process it. So, here goes – my reflections on Peru from Quito, Ecuador:
It’s Sunday here in Quito, which besides meaning it’s the end of a week, also means that almost nothing is open. We managed to find a bright little café full of ferns, small wooden tables and a group of ex-pats. I was hoping that I’d be inspired to write over a fruit smoothie. The smoothie hasn’t arrived yet, so we’ll see if the inspiration materializes with it (it might take a while - service so far in South America has been far from quick).
My feelings about Peru have evolved during our time here. During our taxi ride from the airport into Lima, I was struck by how similar it was to the rest of the third world cities I’ve been to. The air was thick and grey. Trash lined the streets and the narrow pedestrian walkways in the center of the roads. Scores of inhabited and uninhabited buildings were only half-constructed with metal rods precariously jutting out the tops of cement pile-ons. Packs of filthy rib-baring stray dogs roamed the streets searching for any small morsel of food. Familiar fluorescent fast-food signs flashed along the city streets.
Our hotel in the Miraflores neighborhood was fine. After over 19 hours of travel, I was happy to be in a clean room and felt lucky to have hot water, but I wasn’t too interested in exploring Lima.
But, almost immediately we began to explore the country’s ancient cultures and spend time with Peruvian people. I was enthralled by their gentle and demure personalities. I was inspired by how hard they have to work for so little or no pay. I was moved by their desire for better lives. They constantly protest for better wages and to end corruption in their government. And, despite all of their hardships their protests remain largely nonviolent.
I saw more of the vast beauty of Peru’s Andean mountains. We passed small children who spent their days herding sheep and cattle across the valleys. We were welcomed in to an authentic country house made of clay bricks. We saw the “bedroom” consisting of two mud beds cushioned by alpaca fur and layers of hand-made blankets. We saw small villages marked by a series of terraced farms where the term “community” really meant something. The people in these areas shared everything. They built their homes together and for one another, they farmed for the village and fed each other. We met extremely intelligent tourist guides who spoke at least three languages and studied for five years before leading us on the Inca Trail. Each day along the trail, we saw the strength and resilience of the porters. Not one of us could have walked the trail without the heroic efforts of the porters. These former farmers between the ages of 16 and 60 carried all of our tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, fresh food, pots, pans, cooking utensils and eating tents. Not only did they carry all of these things on their backs with hand-made rucksacks of plastic and sandals made of tires, they ran. The porters literally jogged ahead of us to make camp before we arrived. It was unbelievable.
Around Lake Titicaca, through the whole Sacred Valley and along the Inca Trail, we saw the remains of lost civilizations and learned how they lived. The pre-Inca and Inca cultures were astounding humans. In just over 500 years, the Incas created a complex and vast society. They were true explorers, innovators and visionaries. They built beautiful cities that have stood the test of time, weather and natural disasters. Their sturdy structures were built in a trapezoidal form because they discovered them to be earthquake resistant. They sculpted miles and miles of clay pipes to create aqueducts that provided fresh water to their villages and fed their terraced fields. Their aqueducts are still intact and being used by the farmers all over the Andes today.
The Incas were also learned astronomers. They realized the significance of the sun and the moon on their lives and worshipped them accordingly. Their cities were literally huge calendars, marking the planting and harvesting seasons and honoring the sun and the moon. On December 22, the summer solstice according to modern calendars, the sun will rise precisely through the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu and cast a long beam across the wide city to the Sun Temple (the city complex is said to be about 5 square km). The Incas believed so strongly in the power of the sun and moon that when faced with bad weather and famine they made offerings to their gods. They believed that an offering needed to be pure and represent fertility. So, in elaborate ritual celebrations they sacrificed young girls (virgins of course) between the ages of 14 and 19 years old. If girls made it past 19 without a famine, they became weavers.
You can still see the huge royal palace and the main areas where the townspeople of Machu Picchu probably gathered. Colorful flowers still bloom where the Incas made their personal gardens around their homes.
We only hiked about 30 miles of the stone walkways built by the Incas along the cliff sides, through cloud and rain forests, and over three mountain passes. We passed ancient farming villages, hidden warehouses, and observatories. There are certainly many miles of walkway that we didn’t see. However, there were many times over the four days when we were walking alone in the forest that I felt like I could imagine the powerful Inca empire. For a few moments, I was part of the most beautiful and mysterious city I’ve ever imagined.
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