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PERU PART 1

THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE DESERT

I left Ecuador from Loja and traveled by bus through the mountains to the border. It was a spectacular ride, with mountains on every side and great views around every corner. We stopped briefly at the border, where we had to change our money with the border police because it was Sunday and the banks were closed. The Police told us to look out for fake bills, which was funny, because later I discovered that they had slipped me a fake 10 sole bill – lesson learned!

We continued on to Piura, a hectic and dirty town in the middle of the Peruvian Desert. I got out of there quick as possible, but ended up being stranded in a larger, dirtier town called Chiclayo. I knew it was going to be a bad day, when I awoke after my second bought of salmonella, and on my way to the bathroom (which was out of toilet paper!), I saw a large, ugly vulture right outside of my door…not a good sign! Needless to say, I hit the road as soon as I could. Most of the desert towns were extremely dirty and surrounded by huge drifts of trash just outside of the cities which stretched for miles and smelled horrible. It was sad to see such a careless attitude for waste and pollution, a problem which seems to infect most of the cities in Peru.

HUARAZ

When I finally arrived in Huaraz, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, it was like a breath of fresh air, literally! I went to the roof of my hostal to see the sunrise over the snow capped mountains, what a relief! This is one of the most beautiful places on earth I believe. Later that day I stumbled upon a curious group of children dressed up in different costumes and carrying signs. It turns out that I had walked right into the beginning of the local version of and Earth Day Parade…they called it Medio Ambiente. It was great, hundreds of children parading through the alpine streets in traditional and animal costumes, holding signs and banners to educate the adults about the importance of protecting the environment. After showing some photos to the kids, I became the hit of the parade, while every child jockeyed for position in front of the camera and yelled out “meester, meester, uno foto, pleeeeze!” One of the funniest and saddest things was to see the little ones dressed in these heavy wool and felt animal costumes crying as they were baking in the sun…for them it was a death march…but they were so cute! I wished I had enough money to buy them all ice cream…

LLANGANUCO LODGE

After Huaraz, I decided to check out a small lodge halfway up the mountain near the entrance to the Huascaran national park. I barely found the place which was located on the backside of a hill covered in sprawling ancient ruins. The setting here was magnificent, nestled at the feet of two massive peaks, and overlooking the Cordillera Negra on the other side. The English owner, Charlie was away and the place was in the middle of massive reconstruction, but the owner’s mother Nina and her friend Pip bent over backwards to fix up a room for me and make me feel at home. They sent me off for a day hike around the ruins and the sparkling turquoise lake just behind the hostal, and prepared me a home cooked meal when I returned. They even boiled up some water so I could have a “proper” hot bath, even though the water heater was on the blink. We chatted for a couple hours over dinner and I drifted off to sleep beneath a down comforter imported all the way from Jolly Ole – the best bed I have slept in all of South America!

Needless to say, it was hard to pry myself out of the covers the next day, but the lure of the looming mountains and a hearty English breakfast beckoned me out of my blissful sleep. I met the owner, Charlie, an young and adventurous entrepreneur, who explained to me some of the treks around the area.

LAGUNA 69

(The mountain that nearly killed me part 2)

I decided to set off for the famous Laguna 69, deep in the heart of the national park and what seemed to be an enjoyable day trek. Well, it turned out to be a day/night trek. Although, the lady at the ranger station assured me that it was not very high, I was soon to discover that it was perched at an altitude of over 4800 M! That’s nearly 15,000 feet to all you gringos…I remember huffing and puffing up to the top of a small ridge (there is no oxygen here!), and thinking that surely the lake was up there. Just then a guide passed me and told me I was still two hours away! I looked up to the next ridge, about 500M up and thought…no way! But my curiousity pushed me onward. As I crested the ridge and nearly collapsed, I saw a small and pretty, but not spectacular lake, and I thought, well, this isn’t so great, but at least I made it! Just then a guy passed me and told me that the actual lake was still 3 km away! Straight up another huge cliff! At this point determined insanity kicked in and I kept struggling up the impossibly steep trail, stopping ever five minutes to suck wind and let the pounding of my heart subside.

I finally topped the ridge, thinking I would hurl myself off if there was another, when suddenly I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful cerulean blue water shimmering in the distance. I stumbled forward like a thirsty desert traveler to a distant oasis, hoping it was not a mirage. What I saw was a glistening jewel of a lake cradled by a ring of impossibly high and beautiful snow capped peaks, with glaciers clinging precariously to their sides and a misty waterfall cascading into the turquoise depths. If a mermaid had suddenly breached the surface of the water I would not have been surprised in the least. I cannot think of any superlatives to describe the sight, but I sat there for over an hour just soaking in the magnificence of it all. I ate my delicious lunch packed by my hosts and pursued a lone and downy duck that patrolled the shores of the laguna. I was sorry to leave, but the sun was dropping behind the peaks and I had a long way to go before it got dark.

I set off back down the trail, stopping to take some shots of the miniature gardens of fungus, lichen, succulents and tundra, as well as the multi-hued streams and waterfalls, and the awe inspiring views. By the time I hit the bottom, It was almost completely dark and I was hoping that one of the cabs would still be waiting as I had no camping equipment and it was several miles back to the entrance of the park. To my dismay there were none. Despite a feeling of impending doom, pounding headache, and screaming legs, I set off down the road. After a couple of miles, I saw approaching headlights and thought I would be saved. However, the oncoming truck simply sped past me, choking me in a cloud of dust and disappointment. A few miles later, I saw the headlights returning down the mountain. After briefly considering throwing myself in front of it, I decided to look miserable and try to wave them down. At first, I think I scared them, but they took pity on me and let me hop in the cab with them. Fortunately they were able to take me to the entrance, which saved me about 3 hours on foot. Fully exhausted, I stumbled and staggered like a drunk over the last 2 miles to the hostal, with a rock in my hand in case any of the barking dogs decided to take advantage of my weakened state. When I finally recognized the entrance to the ruins, I was overjoyed and almost had to crawl up to the main house. My hosts were glad to finally see me, after worrying about me for a couple of hours. I sat down to a hearty meal of shepherd’s pie and bread pudding and recounted the tale of my exhausting experience. When it was all told, I decided that minus missing the taxi, seeing the lake was worth the hike. I learned a lot about endurance and the power of will over the physical demands of the body.

I Slept most of the next day in those glorious queen size beds…

TOUR OF CHAVIN

The next day I took a tour of the ruins of Chavin with several other people from around the world. Our guide was very helpful, as he explained the significance of the measurements and numbers used in the construction of the Temple and grounds. He also explained the symbology of the pictographs carved into the stone. I was curious about these because they seemed to have elements of Mayan and Aztec Designs, but more intricate than both. The civilization in Chavin predated all other civilizations here by thousands of years, believed to have been living there around 3000 BC. All other cultures including the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas descended from these people.

MOUNTAIN BIKING TRIP

The following day, I decided to take a mountain biking trip with a guy from New York, who I had met on the tour. We went with another guy from New York and the guide up to the base of the mountains, about 1000M above Huaraz. Our guide was a local guy named Julio, who had been biking these mountains for 20 years. He also was one of the few survivors of the huge earthquake in the 70’s, which killed thousands. He was only 10 when it happened and only 5 of his classmates survived when the school collapsed. He took us on a wild tour through the mountains and villages above the city, with breathtaking views all around. Of course, we weren’t able to take in the views for very long, because we were too worried about breaking our neck on the steep inclines and loose boulders! It was a challenge to say the least, not to mention the occasional donkey in the path or angry dog nipping at our heels. All in all it was a fascinating journey and a quite a workout as well.

LIMA

After a day of rest, writing, and meditation in the vast emptiness of the mountains, I sadly left the Lodge and headed for Lima. Lima was not the greatest place…polluted, dirty, and a little sketchy. But there was a saving grace in the middle of the town…a nice park and an art museum. I checked out the paintings for a while and a really interesting sculpture exhibit…which they wouldn’t let me take photos of…go figure!

Later, I was hanging out in the main plaza when a large group of school kids approached me. By this time, I had become accustomed to being an object of interest for most people here…especially kids. They asked me questions all at once and I tried to answer in Spanish as best as I could. One little girl thought I looked like Johnny Depp, and asked me for my autograph…it was all downhill after that! Every kid suddenly wanted my autograph! I must have signed 50 or more before the teachers dragged them away. For the next two hours, anytime I saw those kids they would run after me trying to get my signature…now I know how celebrities feel! My fifteen minutes of fame…

The next day I caught a flight to Buenos Aires…more to come!