A Few Things I've Learned

This trip is, has, and will be one of the defining moments of my life. I have learned so much about other cultures, about myself, and in a phrase have "grown up" to quite an extent while traveling around. In all honesty, planning this adventure in my friend's apartment in Brazil I was scared out of my mind. Travel? For months on end? By myself? What would I find getting off a bus into an entirely new and foreign environment? How could I leave so soon after arriving, just when I was starting to get the feel for things there, to do it all over again? Going away to college taught me how to depend on myself, but this trip brought it to a whole other level. It is one thing to go away, live with other people, shop and live and survive in a culture you are used to. But it is entirely different to be stuck in another country, lacking ability to communicate, unfamiliar with how things work, trying to find food to eat when you don't know what you are buying (which has ended up amazingly well and disguntingly horrible). And what if something doesn't work out? What do you do when something comes unexpectedly out of the blue that wasn't in the guide book? That, my friends, teaches you about yourself. What you are made of. What you can get through. Paraguay was the first real place I traveled, and while so difficult at the time, was so good for me in the end. Barely grasping spanish, being so completely alone in culture, skin color, social position, etc. from all those around me, not even a traveler to share experiences with, was hard. Not all my experiences, indeed the majority, haven't been this extreme. But to start out it was hard but rewarding, and I can take just about anything in stride these days.

One of the many other things I have learned while traveling is that I really, really like mountains. It is a passion. My first indication probably would have my desire to travel from Brazil all the way down the bottom of South America just to see and trek in Patagonia. Though I made stops along the way, that was around 72 overall hours in busses, one leg being 36 hours straight. Next indication would have been the two weeks I planned on staying there turning into about 4, then the 3 weeks I planned on taking to Bolivia taking about two months. Trekking had taken over my travel, and I was loving every minute of it. Finally, it was blindingly obvious that after 3 months of solid trekking, with an aching body, having survived freezing nights, snow storms, and winds strong enough to knock me over and blow away my tent, I felt depressed and dejected upon mailing home my tent. Other than a few choice moments in my life, including the time I ate an entire box of cracker jacks and didn't find a ring inside, it was one of the saddest days of my life.

Now I am possibly about to sacrifice half my trip to spend more time in the mountains. The Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash in Peru, various parks and peaks in Ecuador, then a sampling in Colombia, and I will be satisfied. I don't care how far I get after that. While Mayan pyramids, Carribean beaches, and all the culture that would await in Central America would be awesome, I would never forgive myself if I passed up the amazing opportunities offered in these mountains. Just check out some of the peaks and scenery available. Hopefully all will turn out well and I can complete the journey home, but for now, I am focusing on over a month of trekking to do in Peru, perhaps the same in Ecuador and Colombia, and scaling some peaks and volcanoes over 20,000 feet, maybe even skiing down a couple. I am absolutely, entirely, and completely in heaven.

Huacachina Sand

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After a long, bumpy bus ride throughout the night, I was back on the desert coast of Peru, stopping off in Huacachina to do some sand boarding before heading up North. Huacachina (wa-ka-chee-na) is desert Oasis and old Peruvian elite resort town. It has since changed its clientel, now catering mostly to backpackers there to sandboard down the giant dunes around the oasis. I did a half day tour, which included a dune buggy ride around the dunes, banking off hills and plummeting down steep dunes for a roller coaster like ride. In between were some stop offs to sandboard down some of the dunes, either on your feet as on a snowboard or laying down on your stomach. The sand was way different than snow, and although softer, still didn't lend nicely to falling at the faster speeds. Plus, snow melts in your mouth if it gets in there, sand is just crunchy and tastes bad. It was a fun time, despite the falls, and a satisfying day.

Peru's Central Highlands

After Machu Picchu it was back to Cusco then on my way once again. I decided I would get off the beaten path for a while and head into Peru's central Andes, where travel is harder, longer, but free from the gringo crowd flocking to places such as Cusco. Cities along the way were Andahuaylas, Ayacucho, Huancayo, and Huancavelica. I actually enjoyed the bus rides more than the towns, as we passed through some great mountain scenery on some narrow dirt roads and hair raising drops to the side. I was able to see a more traditional lifestyle in general than other Peruvian cities, and therefore had a more unique experience.

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L - Andean weaving
R - Andean lake

L - Hanging out in some cool rock formations

R - Cute Andean children, who asked me, "what the heck was I doing there?" =)

Machu Picchu

If I had to choose one place to live in the ancient world, it would have been here. I wouldn't have wanted to build it, but I would have lived in it.

L - View from trail up Wayna Picchu
R - Shot before sunrise

Situated in a saddle high atop a mountain ridge, Machu Picchu looks down steep mountain slopes to a winding river rushing 2000 feet below and is surrounded by steep green mountains with glaciated peaks sticking up above the horizon in the distance. The mountain Machu Picchu towers behind the ruins, and the nearby Wayna Picchu juts up out of the end of the ridge to form the saddle in which the ruins sit (Wayna Picchu is the famous one in the background of nearly every picture of Machu Picchu). Seemingly too steep to climb without some sort of climbing experience, a stairyway clings to the steep rock faces of Wayna Picchu as it zigs and zags steeply up to the top. If the view was amazing from the ruins, you will be left speechless from the summit of Wayna Picchu. Apparently the Incas were inspired; a religious site sits atop the mountain, complete with terraces and structures. No small undertaking, considering the structures and terrace walls are made of stone carried up from rock quarries far below.

L - View of Ruins from Wayna Picchu Peak
R - Ruins with mountain range

L - Steep steps up Wayna Picchu

R - Wayna Picchu mountain with terraces and holy buildings up top

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Not satisfied with the grandeur of the setting alone, the Inca's construction of the site impresses as well. Intricately carved stones full of notches and angled corners serve as compasses, astronomic clocks, and holy sites. Large blocks of rock sit snuggly together in thick, polished walls, such that a knife blade cannot be inserted between stones in places. Undaunted by the steep mountain slopes, the Incas built numerous terraces, creating enough land to feed the city population four times over. Numerous other sites of apparent significance can be found around Machu Picchu, and theories abound as to their purpose and use. Most of the questions surrounding Machu Picchu remain eclipsed in mystery however, as there was no written history produced by the Incans.

L - Steep stairs and mountain face
R - Inside the ruins

Machu Picchu means "old mountain" in Quechua, though most gringos mispronounce it so that it takes on the meaning of "old penis," a common joke among tourists. "So what did you do today?" "Oh, not much. Climbed up the old penis again." Tourism is the one drawback to Machu Picchu (estimates of 400,000 visitors in 2003), as hordes of visitors swarm the ruins throughout the day. Understandable though, given the spectacular setting, presentation, and preservation of the ruins. The trek to the ruins is the most popular on the continent, as people fork out US$450 for a four day, all inclusive trip along the Inca Trail to the ruins, and restrictions have been set to the number of people able to walk the trail per day.

L - Classic Shot
R - Face of Machu Piccu. Far left peak is chin, middle humps the mouth, biggest peak the nose, right ridge the forhead

Yet despite the large numbers of visitors to the sight and all that comes with that, the splendor of Machu Picchu is hardly diminished, leaving a strong and lasting impression on its visitors. My photos and the panaramic ones I have taken from the web can't do it justice. Standing atop Wayna Picchu and in amongst the ruins, looking down into the canyon below and out onto the mountains surrounding the site, I knew I was taking in one of the best views I had seen or would see on this crazy trip of mine.

Sacred Valley of the Incas

I remember the first time I went traveling abroad. I was sixteen at the time, and I was enchanted with the land of Italy; the narrow cobblestoned streets of Florence, the stadium and battlegrounds of the coliseum, and castles on hills still inhabited from long ago. I was so impressed with the history. I was discovering a world that had been built before the New World, our world, was even "discovered" (loosely used, seeing as how there were already people living there, just not the ones writing history), where building foundations were older than the foundation of my country. This kind of history, so rich, so deep, still so very present, did not exist for us in the States. For the Americas however, it does. Mayan pyramids, Inca citadels, and numerous other ancient sites from other ancient cultures sprout up throughout the Americas. And they in no way lack in grandeur, mystery (in how things were accomplished, what was achieved, known history and culture, etc.), and beauty when compared to their counterparts around the world. Arriving in Cuzco I was in the land the Incas rose out of, establishing their empire across an impressive amount of South America.

Cuzco is the base for the most popular trek and destination in all of South America, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. At a whopping $450 for a four day, all inclusive trip over 35 km of terrain, surrounded by hundreds of tourists and porters, I decided that was about the last way I wanted to see Machu Picchu. Many other alternatives exist, like bike rides and other treks, (some at almost $800 for a seven day all inclusive!), but I decided I would do it my own way, taking local busses through the Sacred Valley, visiting other Inca sites along the way, before climbing the stairs to Machu Picchu to the park entry gate.

The Sacred Valley is rich in Inca ruins and heritage, and also has absolutely stunning scenery of the Andean mountain range. The first stop was Pisac, where the Incas set up various sites to live in, worship, and defend themselves. Perched dramatically upon a ridge above the valley floor, it offered stunning views, and exploring the deftly carved stone buildings, terraced landscape, and intricacies of Inca city planning was quite impressive. I hiked up, taking steep, ancient stairways into crumbling buildings and fortifications, and made my way around to the various sites spread out along the ridge. It is amazing the little details you can notice and questions that arise. Such as where the heck did they find all the stones to build all the buildings, terrace walls, etc. They must have had to haul them from miles around, and some of them are HUGE! The skill they had in carving the stones was amazing as well. Huge blocks with acute angles, fitting snuggly together as if molded out of a factory, not carved by hand. There was channeling of spring water for use in the villages, and aqueducts to carry it to the terraces for irrigation. Pathways had gutters to the side to channel water away from the walkway, lined with stones to prevent erosion. Their level of engineering and planning was quite impressive, though perhaps I was the only one noticing that since I am one of those geeky engineers.

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From Pisac I went on to Ollantaytambo, an Inca town, fortress, and holy site as well. The town itself has been lived in continously for 700 years, and its narrow cobblestoned streets are pleasant to walk through. Flanked on two sides by mountainside fortifications, Ollantaytambo is one of the few sites where Incas defeated the Spanish in battle. One side is especially eloborate as it also served as a place of religious worship. Again, deft stone work existed, and huge stones taken from river quarries below overlook the river basin from atop the ridge. You can also find a stone wall elaborately notched with stairways, walkways, and window shelves, impressive to view now, but probably more so when it was in use.

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It was then on to Aguas Calientes to the base of Machu Picchu. I had thus far spent $2 on 4 hours of transportation from Cusco, but then had to shell out $31 for a 2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes, and $43 more for the return. Behold the power of tourism. I arrived in town about 9:00, bought my entry to Machu Picchu (another $20 for the student ticket, way more for the normal one), and then went to bed to wake up early for the pre-dawn climb to Machu Picchu.

Lima

At 7.6 million, Lima is a conglomerate city, with pre-Inca pyramids, colonial churches and modern squares surrounded by the hottest international corporations. People live in staggering poverty and glamorous wealth, and while the inner city streets are frenzied with speeding corns blaring on their horns, the coastal parks seem a world away, even though they can be found just a few blocks away.

I only spent a few days in Lima, mainly watching the Champions League football (yeah, soccer, but we are talking about a European tournament), a tournament between the best European professional teams, and the Copa Libertadores, basically the same thing but for Latin America. So it was basically a lot of soccer games and quite a few beers all in just a couple of days, with ping pong and pool for breaks in between. Every man's dream, right?