Romping and Nguyening

Hitchhiking for Beer and Fireworks

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Little did we know that our adventure to Vilcabamba, Ecuador would begin right in Maria, the little village nearest to the ruins of Kuelap. We returned to Maria after our morning exploration of Kuelap at 1:15pm, which we believed would be ample time for the supposed 2pm colectivo. So there we sat and ate our lunch of instant ramen and warm water that I had packed earlier that morning.

Because not a single colectivo drove by, we desperately waved down every tour van that passed but they were either full or heading a different direction. Even some locals were amused by us hitchhiking gringos. Because they had nothing else to do, two women helped us hitchhike. In the meantime, we played with their puppies.

Finally after an hour and a half one van stopped for us. He was a private car hire with a bunch of Peruvian tourists from Lima. Although he wasn’t going to Chachapoyas, he was headed in that direction and said he could drop us off at the major intersection at the bottom of the hill outside of Chachapoyas. We desperately wanted to get the hell out of Maria and eagerly hopped into the van.

For the next two hours Chris and I were able to practice our shitty Spanish with the 6 Peruvians in the van. Our new friends:

Fruit stop along the road:

By around 5pm, we arrived to the intersection, bid farewell to our friends, and waited for our next ride. At this point I decided against going up to Chachapoyas since we were only going to leave the next day for Ecuador. We decided to go as far north as possible to make our travels easier the next day.

Likewise, we faced more fruitless attempts at waving down trucks, buses, vans, and full colectivos. A friendly cop, who had been watching us hitchhike, crossed the street and asked us a bunch of questions with a big smile about where we were from, where we were going, etc. While we were chatting, he waved down the next vehicle which was a station wagon with a middle-aged couple, and asked them if they could give us a ride to Pedro Ruiz! They didn’t seem too thrilled, but probably felt obliged because it is difficult to decline the request of a friendly cop. The driver asked us if we were willing to pay 5 soles each (~$1.30). Of course we were! I thanked the cop profusely, even gave him a big hug, hopped into the station wagon, and we were on our way.

As soon as we took off, Chris asked the couple how they were doing. They ignored him. However the 40-minute ride to Pedro Ruiz was not only beautiful, but highly entertaining. The trunk of the station wagon of the mid-40’s couple was half filled with subwoofers, and the driver blasted loud party music the entire ride. He even had a fancy screen on his dashboard with music videos. We were thoroughly amused.

We were dropped off at Pedro Ruiz a bit after 6pm. By this point we had two options: to eat dinner and find a cheap hostel and continue our journey the next morning, or to keep heading north to our next destination of Bagua Grande. “Let’s see if we can get a ride within 15-20 minutes,” I said, “and if not, let’s just stay here.”

Because we had literally missed the last colectivo from Pedro Ruiz to Bagua Grande, we had no option but to stand on the road again and wave down cars. Within the first minute a local actually pulled over for us, but he was headed for Chachapoyas. But 5 minutes later, perhaps the last colectivo from Chachapoyas headed for Bagua Grande stopped for us. It was only 2/3 full. “10 soles each!” the driver told us. We hopped on in, thrilled that we didn’t have to wait long. The sun had just set, and darkness was filling the valley.

The bus ride from Pedro Ruiz to Bagua Grande typically takes 1.5 hours, so I estimated our arrival time to be around 8pm. I planned on finding a cheap hotel and continuing our journey early the next morning to Jaen, San Ignacio, the border at La Balza, Zumba, and then our final destination of Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Hands down, I was being ambitious.

An hour into our ride, the engine died. You’ve got to be shitting me, I thought, just as I was thinking about how fortunate we were to have caught the last colectivo to Bagua Grande! A few minutes passed and the driver was able to start up the engine again. Only to have it die moments after. This happened one more time, and finally everyone got out of the van. We watched the driver wave down a truck, climb into the back, and leave us behind. Because our Spanish sucked we had no idea what was going on, and thought it would have been funny if the driver just abandoned his passengers and vehicle along a windy road in the mountains in pitch darkness. A quick inquiry from the locals assured us he was just going into the next town to get help or gas or something.

Funny enough Chris actually had half a bottle of wine in his backpack (we had popped it open while we were in Maria). I used the cap of my thermos for the wine, and we ended up sharing it with a handful of locals as we sat on the street. Timed passed quite quickly as we laughed and cracked jokes on the side of the road.

Exactly an hour after the driver left, he returned with a bucket of gas and a large funnel. He filled the van with the gas, we were soon on our way again.

We arrived to the bus terminal of Bagua Grande at exactly 9pm. It was hot and dusty, and the streets were filled with moto-taxis. Within minutes we checked into a hotel for 50 soles (~$15.75)–perhaps a bit pricey for the area but we wanted air conditioning. Dinner was a plate of rice, chicken, and potatoes from a street vendor for 4 soles (~$1.25). I literally only had about 40 soles left in my wallet (~$13), and I did not want to withdraw more soles from a bank since we were leaving Peru the next day. Every sole counted and I was down to the last centavo.

Every minute of travel time the next day would also count because our goal was to catch the 12pm ranchero from the border to Zumba. If we were to miss this ranchero, we wouldn’t make it to Vilcabamba until the next afternoon. With a total of 3 colectivos until the Peruvian/Ecuadorian border, we knew it would be a matter of time and luck.

It was still dark the next morning when we took a moto-taxi for 2 soles (~60¢) from our hotel to the colectivos bound for Jaen. Perhaps because it was an early Sunday, but the colectivo was slow to fill up. We paid 5 soles each (~$1.30) and by 6:40am we were on our way to Jaen, about an hour out. Unlike Bagua Grande, Jaen was a beautiful city surrounded by lush green rice fields and valleys, and we enjoyed the quick ride.

From Jaen, we immediately hopped into the next moto-taxi for 3 soles (~$1) to the colectivos headed for San Ignacio.

We each paid 12 soles (~$3.75) for the colectivo to San Ignacio, about a 2-hour ride north. This colectivo also took some time to fill up, and we headed out at around 8:30am. By 10:30am, we got into the town of San Ignacio, where we immediately hopped on our final moto-taxi for 2 soles to the colectivos bound for La Balza.

Unlike the last two colectivos where we were obliged to wait for 20-30 minutes to fill up, Chris and I were the last two passengers needed to fill up the 5-seater car. Also unlike the last two colectivos, the driver was incredibly slow. We paid 17 soles (~$5.25) and departed San Ignacio just before 11am, and we were dropped off at the La Balza border at 12:05pm. I made it to the border with exactly 1.25 soles left in my wallet (40¢). Considering that we still had to go to the migration office, we knew we had missed the 12:00 ranchero.

Because there was absolutely no one on the Peruvian side of the border (everyone else crosses along the popular coastal route), our paperwork and stamps were done within 5 minutes. We then crossed the bridge over the river that separates the two countries. Apparently this bridge had not existed ~10 years ago; one used to cross the border by raft!

Yay, we made it into Ecuador, whose national currency is…U.S. DOLLARS!!!

After we got our stamps, we sat down in front of a family’s home and asked if they served any food. It was a long morning and we were famished, especially since our “breakfast” on the road merely consisted of 2 packets of cookies and some mandarins we purchased from the fruit stand during our first hitchhike. At 12:30pm, we had our first meal of the day, a delicious home-cooked meal of rice, chicken, and vegetables for $2.

Because we had missed the 12pm ranchero, the guy from customs told us there would be another one at 5:30pm. We could take it to Zumba, the nearest village about 1.5 hours out, where we could spend the night before continuing to Vilcabamba the next morning.

But we were lucky. Boy, were we lucky. At 1:30pm, a woman showed up and had a conversation with the family who cooked our lunch. Because I was napping with my head on the table, I wasn’t paying any attention to their conversation; Chris, on the other hand, knew they were talking about us. They asked us where we were going. “We want to go to Vilcabamba,” we told them in Spanish. The woman was headed for Loja, an hour north of Vilcabamba…and she offered us a ride!!!

We followed her to her vehicle, which was a giant, white, off-roading truck. Her husband was the driver, and her 8-year old son, Agosto, sat in the back. They moved their luggage from the backseat to their truck bed, and we tossed our backpacks into the truck bed as well. We climbed into the truck and left the border at 1:45pm.

Unlike the Peruvian side, 90% of the Ecuadorian side was unpaved, windy, bumpy dirt road. The next 4 hours would be a ride that would put the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland to shame. That, and there were no seat belts in the back, and the driver drove like a freakin’ maniac. No joke. What should have been a 6-7 hour ride ended up being 4.5 hours. There also seemed to be no end to landslides and road construction.

When poor Agosto wasn’t sleeping, he would occasionally stick his head out the window to puke, and I was the middle man between him and his mother, passing cups of water and tissues. Despite all the puking, his father did not change his driving habits.

However Agosto was thrilled to discover we were from the United States. He asked so many questions and made our ride memorable. When all the vehicles were forced to stop due to landslides and construction, he even wanted a picture with us. I wanted one too.

As we approached Vilcabamba, the sun began to lower, making for gorgeous scenery in the valley.

We were dropped off in the famous valley of Vilcabamba at exactly 6:30pm, earlier than what it would have been had we taken the 12pm ranchero! They did not ask or expect any payment, and since we filled up their gas tank at a gas station ($11 to fill up a truck with diesel!!!), we figured that was a good enough token of appreciation.

Exhausted from a crazy day of traveling, we walked through the town square and checked into a beautiful, relaxing hotel for $35/night. A bit pricier than I would have liked, but it was a nice treat after 2 days of hitchhiking and busing. It was easy to assume that our day would end there, but it didn’t.

We had only heard of Vilcabamba through a friend back in the U.S.; his brother-in-law owned a craft brewery, Sol De Venado, just outside of town and told us to visit the brewery and his family. It was 7pm when we checked into the hotel, and we quickly discovered that his brewery was only open on the weekends from 1-7pm. “Should we just go?” Chris asked. “Yep, let’s go right now!” I said.

Rather than walking the kilometer to the brewery, we took a cab for $1.50. The brewery was still open! We were thrilled to have made it. There, we met Curtis, who decided not too long ago he wanted to spend his retirement on his dream brewery. (I actually found his awesome story here; I must say it is a kickass way to retire!) He even makes the malt for his brews. And, for non-drinkers like me, he also makes his own honey ginger ale, using his very own locally grown organic honey.

After chowing down on excellent goat stew, rice, yuka, beers and ginger ale, fireworks began to explode down the street for the local fiestas that were happening that very weekend. We crossed the street into the tiny town for the impressive show of fireworks.

A curtain of fireworks:

Curtis, Chris, and I with a firework display behind us:

Right after the firework show Chris and I retreated to the hotel, exhausted from the entire day of adventure and misadventure, and satisfied from our amazing meal, beer, firework show, and company with a new friend.

The next couple of days in Vilcabamba were some of the most relaxing days we’ve had in South America. With the large expat community, amazing food can be found everywhere. Before arriving I read that the weather in Vilcabamba is perfect all year round; no one owns a heater or air conditioner. And damn right the weather was perfect. Perfect for lounging and relaxing in a hammock in a gorgeous garden with a cool breeze.

Oh, and perfect for nature walks too.

I suck at relaxing, so after a couple days of rejuvenation, we continued our journey north to see more of what Ecuador had to offer. Fortunately travel was pretty straight forward from then on.

To top everything off, we met another backpacker on our last day in Vilcabamba who had not also just traveled from Peru into Vilcabamba, but actually caught the exact 12pm ranchero that we had hoped to catch. He told us that the ranchero left Vilcabamba at 12pm, but the bus from Zumba that was supposed to have left at 1:30pm ended up leaving at 4pm. This bus ended up stopping on the road at 8pm due to a landslide and road blockage, and everyone was forced to sleep in the uncomfortable bus until the next morning when construction workers could clear out the landslide. Missing the ranchero ended up working in our favor after all.

Posted in Ecuador | Tagged bagua grande, jaen, la balza, san ignacio, vilcabamba | 1 Comment

Kuelap

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Day tours from Chachapoyas to Kuelap, the largest pre-Incan ruins in South America, must only appeal to people with little time; they depart every morning and return every evening for 6 hours of just driving roundtrip. After having spent the past 2 days on night buses, we preferred to explore Kuelap on our own account which ended up being a much more interesting journey than we anticipated.

Not long ago before Chachapoyas had a main bus terminal, colectivos with different destinations were scattered throughout the streets. After walking up and down the streets with fruitless attempts at finding any colectivos, it came down to one answer: the bus terminal. But due to our remote location in Peru, limited transportation, and limited tourist options, the only option we had from the bus terminal was a 14 sole (~$4.40) 2:00 departure for Maria, the nearest village to the ruins of Kuelap.

At 4:30, 2.5 hours later, we arrived to the village of Maria. There were a couple of hospedajes and restaurants for the very few visitors like us. I don’t think there was another tourist in sight.

This entire area was truly a cloud forest. Moisture perpetually kept the air damp; when I put on my clothes the next morning I discovered that my clothes were more damp than they had been the night before.

In the following morning we set out at about 7:30am from Maria to Kuelap, about a 2-hour walk up the muddy road.

Because the ruins open at 8am and we arrived at around 9:30, there were only 6 other tourists who had arrived by private car hire. The majority of Kuelap’s visitors come from Chachapoyas, which would mean they wouldn’t arrive until 11-12pm. We each paid the 20 sole (~$6.30) entrance fee and made our way up to Kuelap. I should say that the massive scale of the ruins isn’t its only spectacular feature; the fact that most of the ruins are still in its original form is incredible.

Massive exterior walls!

The entrance:

The awesome ruins inside were overgrown with its own forest:

Almost all the living quarters were cylindrical-shaped:

The noble people had geometric designs along the exterior of their homes:

A religious, spiritual site:

Spectacular views overlooking the valley:

Lllamas!

The gorgeous central “plaza” of the ruins:

After 2 hours of gentle strolling through the ruins, we made our way back down to the ticket office/parking area, only to find at least a dozen tour vans and a shitload of tourists making their way up to Kuelap. We were incredibly relieved to have finished our peaceful, self-guided tour of Kuelap literally before the masses arrived.

Although we had finished touring Kuelap, we still had one little problem: how to return to Chachapoyas. The women who sold us our colectivo ticket to Maria told us there would be a colectivo from Maria to Chachapoyas at around 2pm, but all the locals in Maria told us we should just hitch a ride back from one of the many tour vans. Worse case scenario, we spend another night in Maria and hitch a colectivo at 5am.

We approached at least 5 different vans, asking if they had any room for the both of us. They were either all full, or were private tours. Either way, they weren’t too keen on helping us. Fuck it, we thought, let’s just get back to Maria and hope there really is a 2pm colectivo. So with a bit of hope, we rushed back to the village. I was determined to get back to Chachapoyas so we could continue our journey north toward Ecuador.

Posted in Peru | 2 Comments

Buses And A Waterfall

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Although both situated in remote areas of northern Peru, I had to make the effort to visit both the Cordillera Blanca in the north and Chachapoyas in the far north due their sites. While the Cordillera Blanca holds what some consider some of the best trekking in South America, the outskirts of Chachapoyas in the state of the Amazon boasts two main attractions: Yumbilla and Gocta, a couple of the tallest waterfalls in the world, and Kuelap, the largest pre-Incan ruins in South America. Getting to the town of Chachapoyas from Huaraz was interesting, but getting to Yumbilla Falls and Kuelap independently was a whole other story…an adventure in itself. “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” I found myself repeatedly thinking.

Albeit long and mostly uneventful, the next two days spent traveling from the Cordillera Blanca to the far northern town of Chachapoyas proved to be a bit more interesting than I expected. The morning after I trekked Laguna 69, we headed for Huaraz via colectivo for 5 soles each. We had bus tickets from the mountain town of Huaraz to the coastal city of Trujillo at 10:20pm that night, a quick 7-hour journey. The 5:30am arrival into Trujillo was a bit earlier than I expected and we napped at the brand spankin’ new bus terminal until 7am. Not long after the sky brightened we took a 7 sole cab ride (~$2.20) to the main square. Most restaurants and cafes were still closed, so we were basically homeless bums in the town square for another hour until shops began to open.

Our time in Trujillo was short; we had less than 12 hours until our next 14-hour overnight bus from seaside Trujillo back into the northern, inland mountain region of Chachapoyas at 4:45pm. Chris even got a haircut for 4 soles (~$1.25), and they gave us free chocolate per their advertisement. Yay!

4:45 rolled by more quickly than we expected, and we were soon on our way to Chachapoyas. This time around we actually had decent sleep since we were exhausted from lack of sleep on the bus the previous night. We arrived to the cute town of Chachapoyas around 7am and quickly checked into our hostel.

Plaza de Armas of Chachapoyas:

The market:

From Chachapoyas, most tourists take the excursion to Gocta Falls, which is advertised as the 3rd or 4th largest waterfall in the world. A quick Wikipedia search showed that it is actually the 16th largest waterfall in the world. Ha! I had read about the recent international discovery (~10 years ago) of Yumbilla Falls, which to date is the 5th tallest waterfall in the world. Because Yumbilla is outside of a tiny village not even on a map, it has not yet been set up for tourism and the only way to get there is by independent travel. During my afternoon in Trujillo I emailed an American NGO that had been working in the area for 25 years about Yumbilla Falls and by late afternoon he replied. A direct copy and paste of his email with instructions can be found below:

Go to Pedro Ruiz and catch a moto-taxi up to the village of Cuispis to see yumbilla and 4 other waterfalls. Ask the price and then add a bit more for them to take you to the end of a 5km road where the trek starts. Go first to the city hall in the plaza and ask how much for the trek, (it isn’t much). then from there go to the end of the road and go to the right about 1 1/2 km to the Pavillion waterfall. This is the most beautiful in the zone as it is very wide at the bottom with bright stones and vegitation. Then back track, cross the road and do the 5 km walk past a couple waterfalls to Yumbilla. You probably will tell the driver not to wait half a day for you, and the downhill 5 km walk is do-able. From the village you can catch another ride to town.

So at around 9am, slightly dazed from two days of bus travel, Chris and I set out to Pedro Ruiz from Chachapoyas via a 1-hour colectivo from the bus terminal for 5 soles each (~$1.60). From Pedro Ruiz we took a 25-minute 15 sole (~$4.75) moto-taxi up a windy, bumpy dirt road to the village of Cuispes.

Then we arrived at the quiet town square of Cuispes.

We were taken to La Posada de Cuispes, the only accommodation available in the village. The guy there told us to pay 10 soles each (~$3.15) to hike to Yumbilla, but in retrospect, I wish we had just gone straight up the road to the trail. We received no tickets, there was not a single person on the trail, and we even had to crawl under and over a barbed wire fence just to get in. My theory is that he just pocketed the cash.

After we paid, we asked the moto-taxi driver to take us up the road where the trek began which was an additional 10 soles. Ten minutes later, we arrived to the trailhead.

The barbed wire fence we had to crawl under and over:

Per the instructions, we first hiked the trail on the right. Although the instructions said 1.5 km, we probably ended up walking closer to 4 km because we didn’t see anything amazing. After an hour of hiking uphill, we turned around because we were running out of time. This region of Peru was quite interesting; we were in the mountains but in the state of the Amazon. We were surrounded by rain forests and it was wet and slightly muggy, but it was not atrociously hot and humid due to the higher elevation. It was the best of the Amazon–there were beautiful, wet rain forests, but it lacked giant bugs, mosquitos, and heat.

Lots of mud on this trek!

Boo.

Views from the high rain forest:

The trek to Yumbilla Falls was more picturesque, as the scene was more rain forest-y and there were two more waterfalls prior to Yumbilla Falls.

A mirador:

Giant, mutant leaves.

Waterfall #1:

Waterfall #2:

Coolest tree on the trail:

And waterfall #3: Yumbilla at 895.5 meters tall!

The trail literally ended at this viewpoint, so we backtracked the same way we came. After climbing under and over the barbed wire fence again, it was an easy 5 km walk down the road back to Cuispes. When we arrived to the village, there was a van parked at the square. We asked three men, who apparently worked in the town’s city hall, about public transportation and they simply offered us a free ride down to Pedro Ruiz. From there we hopped onto a colectivo for 5 soles back to Chachapoyas. Win!

I have no idea how much tours cost from Chachapoyas to Gocta Falls, but for transportation from Chachapoyas to Pedro Ruiz, Pedro Ruiz to Cuispes, Cuispes to the trailhead, then Pedro Ruiz back to Chachapoyas, it cost a total of 35 soles (~$11) for the two of us. Tack on another 10 sole admission fee (~$3.15) and it was still an economical excursion to the world’s 5th tallest waterfall.

Two days of buses, a new town, a rainforest, and some waterfalls and mud. Not bad for our first day in Chachapoyas. Now we had one site left before heading further north into Ecuador: Kuelap!

Posted in Peru | Tagged chachapoyas, yumbilla waterfall | 1 Comment

The Cordillera Blanca

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Upon looking at the calendar I saw that we were more than halfway into our 5-month long South American adventure. Time was running out! We quickly blew through the dismal capital of Lima and made it to the pretty, little mountain town of Caraz in the overlooked northern region of Peru.

Most tourists who make it to Peru spend most of their time exploring the southern region: Cusco, Colca Canyons, Arequipa, Puno, The Amazon. However the north is equally beautiful, if not more, in a completely opposite way. With 722 individual glaciers, 33 peaks over 5,500 meters, and the highest mountain in Peru, the Cordillera Blanca (literally “White Range” in Spanish) is one of the largest mountain ranges in the world outside the Himalayas. In addition to the peaks and glaciers, there are hundreds of heavenly milky-blue lagoons and lakes formed from glacier melt. The unlimited picturesque scenery sprawled over the length of 100 miles make some of the best trekking in not just Peru but all of South America.

Hiking the popular 4-day Santa Cruz Trek in the Cordillera Blanca would mean 3 weeks in Ecuador instead of 4, which is already hardly enough time. Because we had already trekked and camped many times in Peru, I sadly opted to limit our stay in the Cordillera Blanca for two day treks: Laguna Paron, the largest lagoon in the range at 4,000 m elevation, and Laguna 69, the most popular lagoon in the range at 4,600 m elevation.

Laguna Paron

And that is how we ended up in Caraz, the nearest town to Laguna Paron, but the furthest town north from the hub of Huaraz. I easily haggled with a cab driver for a 1-way ride up to Laguna Paron from 100 soles to 80 soles (~$25). The 1.5 hour bumpy, off-roading experience + the fact that there are no colectivos that go all the way up to Laguna Paron made me realize why the fare was so high. We also paid a 50 centavo (15¢) vehicle entrance fee, and a 5 sole (~$1.50) national park entrance fee.

Upon exiting the car and taking a few steps, we were greeted with this preliminary view of Laguna Paron:

From the eastern tip of the lagoon, we hiked along the flattish, northern trail all the way to the western tip. It took about 1.5 hours from one end to the other–yes, it truly is that big!

Purple floral bushes hugged the coast as well:

The view from the western side:

Yay!

Because my goal was to return to Pueblo Paron by around 2pm for supposedly the final colectivo of the day, we did not have time to hike beyond Laguna Paron. We turned around from the western tip and returned the way we came.

The view of Laguna Paron facing east:

From Laguna Paron to Pueblo Paron it was a straight forward downhill hike with a mix of dirt road switchbacks and steep dirt trails.

The rustling water of waterfalls and rivers could be heard throughout the hike:

It took about 2.5 hours (all downhill) from Laguna Paron to Pueblo Paron. We arrived exactly at 2:30 to a silent town and had no idea where to look for a colectivo. All we saw were farms, a few villagers here and there, and a bunch of animals.

Piggies!

Guinea pig farm!

Drying ears of corn:

At first I feared that we missed the last colectivo but after inquiring two villagers, we were told that there would be another one in about 30 minutes and we would just have to wait. After loitering in the shade for a brief period, we decided to walk toward Caraz just in case there was no colectivo. Worse case scenario, we walk 12 km back to town and make it by sunset. And sure enough, we saw a colectivo full of passengers working its way up the hill! Relief filled our souls. The driver told us he’d pick us up on the way back down. By the time we actually sat ourselves down in the colectivo, it was 3:45pm. We each paid 5 soles and we were dropped off not far from our hotel by around 5pm.

A little friend I made in the colectivo:

When we arrived to Laguna Paron that morning, we were the only hikers. Upon our return we encountered 3 more hikers (they even had skis!). I was actually surprised how few hikers there were, due to its reputation for being the largest lagoon. I’m guessing this is due to the fact that most tour companies from Huaraz do not offer this excursion due to the far distance, and perhaps the best way to get there is to go independently in which case knowledge in Spanish is recommended. The hike itself was not difficult, and the incredible and massive lagoon was worth the effort. I can’t imagine there are too many places left in the world like this…and its remoteness and tranquil surroundings are icing on the cake. I am so grateful for making the journey up to the Cordillera Blanca.

Laguna 69

Upon returning from Laguna Paron, we picked up our bags from our hotel and took the 25-minute colectivo south to the next town of Yungay for 2 soles each (~60¢). My plan was to get up early the next morning to hike Laguna 69 and return to Yungay for one more night. I had read that the drivers of colectivos from Yungay had already learned that they could rip off foreigners, and that transport to and from Huaraz (6 hours round-trip) would be of equal price and less of a headache. But because I was already in Yungay, I was just going to figure out how to get to Laguna 69 on my own.

Chris had been super sick up to that point and probably should not have hiked Laguna Paron. This time, he stayed in bed and I ventured out to Laguna 69 alone, which in the end worked out great due to the number of conversations (in English and Spanish!) I was able to have with the many hikers on the trail.

At the bus terminal I climbed onto a colectivo and paid 15 soles (~$4.75) for the 1.5 hour ride up the bumpy, windy dirt road to the trailhead of Laguna 69. Along the way we stopped at the national park entrance where I paid 10 soles (~$3.15) for the entrance fee. Then I was finally dropped off at the trailhead, where there were already a couple large tour buses from Huaraz. I began the 14-km roundtrip hike with the people from the tour buses, but in the end, it ended up being me and four other guys who made it to the lagoon before anyone else. Despite the final, steep trek and high altitude of 4,600 m, it took me 2 hours and 25 minutes to summit, about 1 hour less than the average time. Woot!

The start of the trek:

There were cows everywhere.

And waterfalls and splendid views of the snow-covered mountains:

The little, itty-bitty but beautiful Laguna 68:

Approaching the awe-inspiring Mount Chacraraju:

And finally, Laguna 69!

Didn’t I say there were cows everywhere?

On the way back down, the many views of the peaks Chopicalqui, Huascaran Norte, and Huascaran Sur were breathtaking:

Flaky trees:

The valley at the bottom with Laguna Orkoncocha:

And I returned to the parking lot by around 2pm:

I had the option to return right away for 15 soles (~$4.75) with a bus that had 2 passengers that I befriended on the trail. But because I was in no hurry to get back to the shitty town of Yungay to my sick boyfriend and another driver had offered me a return trip of 10 soles (~$3.15), I chose to stay at the parking lot to enjoy the scenery. Although I had to wait until 6pm to depart (they had painfully slow hikers), I befriended a Peruvian who had summited Pisco peak earlier that day and also needed a ride back down. After several hours of conversational Spanish, we finally departed the park and the van dropped me off in Yungay by ~7:30pm before continuing to Huaraz.

Every other hiker on Laguna 69 came via tour bus or van from Huaraz; I was the only independent hiker that day. People from two different companies told me that they paid 45 soles (~$14) for their excursion; that made my 25 sole ($~7.75) roundtrip ride not so bad. Coming from Yungay also made my journey only 3 hours roundtrip as opposed to 6 hours roundtrip from Huaraz. But in the end, it’s not about the money; freedom and time are priceless.

It was a shame that I was only able to see Laguna Paron and Laguna 69. There are even circuits in the Cordillera Blanca that take 10-12 days! Oh well. A sample is better than none. I thought the lagoon and landscape of Laguna Paron was more beautiful than the lagoon and landscape of Laguna 69; however, the hike up to Laguna 69 was far more scenic and breathtaking than the hike up to Laguna Paron. Although lesser known and far less visited, I’d say its epic-ness is on par with treks in Patagonia. Yes, it is that incredible!

Posted in Peru | Tagged laguna 69, laguna paron | 1 Comment

Ica

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Not far south from Lima along the coast of Peru lies the noisy, chaotic city of Ica. My reason for stopping by Ica (and I’m assuming this is the same reason for most tourists) was to see Huacachina, a tiny artificial oasis smack center amidst giant sand dunes. It was incredibly underwhelming once I finally set eyes on this gringo attraction, but we brightened our stay by sandboarding and dune buggying for the first time.

Huacachina up close:

And from a afar:

We opted to stay in the city of Ica, 2 km outside of Huacachina, which was only a 3-5 sole (~$1-1.60) cab or moto-taxi ride away. Because Huacachina merely exists as a tourist attraction, there is nothing but overpriced restaurants, bars, and hotels along the murky oasis. From the terrace of our hotel, the massive sand dunes were quite spectacular even from a distance:

I wasn’t too keen on sandboarding at first because I’m no longer an avid snowboarder, but Huacachina might be one of the better places in the world (or at least in this area) to learn. We were both glad we tried it. Simply saying it was “fun” and “a blast” cannot remotely convey the incredible experience we had with the International Sandboarding & Sandski School, especially since we got to shred sand in a dune buggy after each run.

Walking up the first dune to learn the basics:

Waxing our boards between each run:

Sunset!

Chris and I having fun:

And of course, dune buggying:

In addition to the artificial oasis of Huacachina, the other attraction Ica has to offer is…wine! Although not the best wine in the world, Ica is the primary city of wine and pisco exports for Peru.

We did not opt to go wine and pisco tasting with a shit face tour, but we did get slightly drunk touring three bodegas on our own via taxi and colectivo. (All tastings and tours are free!) First we took a cab from our hotel to Tacama, perhaps the cutest and most typical vineyard of all, and the oldest vineyard in all of South America. Pink!

These tastings were modest in size, but they were free, and the pisco was super strong.

For our next tasting our taxi driver dropped us off at El Catador and returned to Ica. The tour and tastings at El Catador were brief and paled in comparison to Museo/Bodega Lazo, which was just up the street from El Catador. Museo Lazo housed an impressive collection of antiques, including traditional clay “jars” for aging wine that are still used today.

Tasting from the clay jar, using a bamboo stick as a scoop:

Slightly dazed, we hopped on a colectivo right in front of Museo Lazo that took us all the way back to the main square of Ica.

Ica was a quick and fairly relaxing stop for us because it was a break from all the high-altitude trekking. Our next stop in Lima would be even quicker, as it was merely a stepping stone toward even more high altitude trekking in the Cordilleras Blancas in the often overlooked northern region of Peru.

Posted in Peru | Tagged huacachina | Leave a comment

The Inca Trail

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

The Inca Trail vs. Salkantay

“Do the Salkantay Trek instead,” they said. “It’s much less crowded than the Inca Trail,” they said. “The Inca Trail was completely booked, so we did the Salkantay Trek instead, and we’re so glad we did,” they said.

Perhaps those excuses were valid long ago, but not anymore. Before arriving to Cusco, we met more travelers who said they were hiking Salkantay instead of the classic 45-km Inca Trail. While hiking the Inca Trail I even asked my guide, who leads both the Inca and Salkantay Trails, which trail was more crowded? He didn’t hesitate to say they were the same. However, Chris and I had the entire Inca Trail and most of the ruins…all to ourselves! (More on that later.)

Our small, 3-person group at the trailhead to the Inca Trail:

The Tour Company

“Go with Llama Path,” they said. “They’re all about responsible tourism.” Sure, their websites says they are making a difference for the porters, but Tierras Vivas, the smaller company we ended up going with, claims to promote responsible tourism as well. Whether or not their claims are true, the main three differences I saw between Tierras Vivas and the other three major companies (Llama Path, Alpaca Expeditions, and G Adventures) were:

1. All three major companies clearly had more $$$–their buses were badass (as opposed to our simple van), and all the porters had matching uniforms, which made me wonder if the money from the higher cost of their tours actually went toward helping the porters, or toward advertising.

Llama Path’s bus in the background, and our porters in the foreground:

Our van. Tierras Vivas doesn’t need a giant, badass bus.

2. All three major companies supported large groups, ranging from 8-20! With the exception of one 3-person private group from Alpaca Expeditions who paid $800 each, we were the only other fewer-than-4-person group…but each of us only paid $550. Tierras Vivas told me that their maximum group size for the Inca Trail was only 4 and to our delightful surprise our group was only 3–Chris and I, and a solo girl from the Netherlands. We were super stoked to have such an intimate group.

3. Sleeping bags were included in our price. When we unraveled our sleeping bags at our first campsite, we were surprised to find North Face sleeping bags rated to -15ºC. Score! Although other companies charge more, they don’t actually include sleeping bags as part of their package. Granted, we had to carry our own sleeping bag and personal necessities but we didn’t mind because once again, this was camping! (After having done El Misti less than a week earlier, we felt pampered on the Inca Trail.)

Despite the Peruvian law claiming it is now illegal for porters to carry more than 20kg, it was clear that EVERY SINGLE COMPANY WAS BREAKING THAT LAW. One porter from another company even proudly told Chris and I that he was carrying 30 kg! I learned in Peru (not just for the Inca Trail) that companies will make whatever claim they can, as long as they can attract tourists and make a sale.

With all that being said, we were still extremely satisfied to have gone with Tierras Vivas. Our meals were comparable to everyone else’s–plentiful and gourmet. Here is one dinner, consisting of fried potatoes, spinach and cheese, and trout:

The cooking/dining tent:

Because there were only 3 of us, 1 guide, and 6 porters, we were able to be more personal with the porters. We were also the only group that didn’t have a porta-potty and toilet tent. I was actually horrified at the idea of making a porter carry a porta-potty and I was very glad that our company didn’t do that to our porters. I mean come on…this is camping! I highly recommend this company due to not just the competitive price, but mainly due to the intimate group size.

Me, our guide Edwin, and Chris:

The rare highlight to the whole 4-day/3-night trek was our ability to have the whole trail and ruins to ourselves…for at least an hour at a time! It was unfortunate that the other girl in our group had knee issues, so our guide stayed with her and told us to hike ahead and that we would regroup at lunch and at the campsites. Before we headed out, he would point at the map and give us a quick explanation about the ruins, and then we were off on our own. Because everyone else was in a larger group, going at a more leisurely pace and were forced to stay together, Chris and I would pass up each group and make it to the ruins in half the time they estimated. We literally had the entire trail to ourselves. We even spent at least an hour at some of the ruins and left before any other group could show up! It was fantastic. “The Inca Trail too crowded?” I asked in my head. “Not for us!” The campsites were definitely crowded, but that didn’t matter.

The Hike

Now enough reading. On to the pictures! Looking back along the valley at the start of the Inca Trail:

The ruins of Patallaqta Qentimarka:

The ruins of Patawasi:

Some photos from Day 2 (the hardest day) below. The very start of the hike began with a steep ascent up to the highest point of the Inca Trail: 4200 meters. This mountain was called Abra Warmiwanuska. They say the average time from our campsite to the top was 3 hours; we did it in 2 hours, some did it in 4 hours. It was a long way up but it was peaceful since the other hikers were far behind. In retrospect, we really weren’t “fast.” With the altitude, there was no way for me to hurry up the mountain. We just didn’t take any breaks; we simply let our bodies become immune to the fatigue and kept it slow and steady.

Higher!

The top! Look down at that valley below! Our goal was to make it before any porter could pass us and we made our goal. It was at least another 20-30 minutes before the next set of hikers could make it up and it was incredible to have the serene mirador all to ourselves.

Then it was a long, steep descent that killed many people’s knees. We had a long lunch break before the next steep ascent and descent over Abra Runkuraqay. It drizzled on us a bit as we entered the ruins of Runkuraqay but the clouds cleared as we approached the impressive ruins of Sayaqmarka.

Saqaqmarka, all to ourselves:

The third day was the easiest. I think we only hiked 3 hours in total. Llamas!

Gorgeous lookouts.

The remarkable ruins of Qonchamarka:

Some steep ass stairs!

Not another soul was in site during our 1-hour exploration of Intipata:

Winaywayna, perhaps my favorite set of ruins along the Inca Trail:

The last day kind of sucked because everyone had to wake up around 2am just so the porters could catch their 5am train back home. Although the remainder of the hike to Machu Picchu was a piece of cake, we ended up tacking on the extra hike up Machu Picchu Mountain (an extra $55 not included as part of the tour) and the final hike down to the town of Aguas Calientes (because a $12 bus ride was just ridiculous).

The morning was fogged in, which was typical for the area. During our morning tour of the world-famous ruins of Machu Picchu, it was mostly dark and overcast. The number of tourists and tour guides reminded me of Disneyland and Angkor Watt; others I spoke with from the Inca Trail were at this point exhausted and wanted to get the fuck out and away from the crowds.

Although access to Machu Picchu Mountain was from 7-11am, we waited until 10:45 to start the climb up due to the thick clouds. Our hope was that the sun would burn off the clouds. Despite being awake since 2am and not having the freshest set of legs, we made it to the top in 43 minutes!!! (The estimate is 1.5 hours up for the 652 meters of elevation gain and 1.5 hours back down and we finished the whole round-trip in 1.5 hours. WOO!) Unfortunately it was mostly fogged in.

As we ascended we saw incredible views of Machu Picchu.

And finally, upon our return to Machu Picchu, we took the obligatory postcard photo of the world-famous Machu Picchu ruins. By that time the clouds had cleared and the sun shone brightly upon the ancient city. It was perfect.

And finally, we had to leave Machu Picchu to catch our train from Aguas Calientes back to Cusco. From the park entrance we had two options: to pay $12 each for the 30-minute bus ride down to town, or hike the 1-hour downhill shortcut. We had time to kill and knew that the cost of 2 bus tickets would equate to 1 night at a hotel, so we used our remaining energy and hiked the concluding path to our entire Inca Trail trek. We did not regret this hike at all; it was beautiful!

Once in town, we scarfed down pizza, beer, and soda and rested for about an hour before catching our 4:15 tourist train.

About two hours later we arrived to the town of Ollantaytambo where we transferred to a colectivo. It was a final 1.5 hours in the colectivo before we were dropped off in Cusco by 7:30pm. We quickly grabbed our favorite street food of papas rellenas for dinner, returned to our hotel by 8pm, showered, and passed the fuck out. Words cannot describe how incredible the Inca Trail was, nor can they describe how awesome we slept after starting the day at 1:45am to hike to Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain, down to Agua Calientes, taking the 2-hour train and 1.5-hour colectivo, and finally arriving to the wonderful comforts of a hot shower and familiar bed.

Posted in Peru | Tagged machu picchu, the inca trail | 1 Comment

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Everyone was right about Cusco. It’s a gorgeous, lively city. And it’s touristy as fuck.

Machu Picchu to South America is like Angkor Watt to Southeast Asia. Annoying touts, rip offs, lying tour companies, endless jam-packed tourist vans, and flag waving leaders. If internationals from all over the world are coming to South America, it’s for Peru for about two weeks, just enough time to sample Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu, and maybe the Amazon.

But despite all the noise, it IS a beautiful city with an overwhelmingly amount of places to see, food to taste, crap to buy, and trails to hike. We tried yummy Peruvian cuisine which included alpaca burgers, quinoa ice cream, rocoto relleno, and even roast cuy!

We ate cuy (guinea pig) at a midrange restaurant catered for tourists, but there was plenty of street cuy as well.

I had lomo saltado twice, but my favorite was from a street vendor, a plate for only 3 soles (~$1). Saltado con huevo!

Our favorite were the papas rellenas, which we devoured almost every evening from a lady who fried them in front of the neighborhood mini market. Comfort food at its finest.

Traces of Incan architecture can be found everywhere; from the narrow alleyways and residential streets, heavy stones set the foundation for many buildings.

The Plaza de Armas is lined with beautiful, historic buildings.

We arrived at the close of Corpus Christi, a major Peruvian holiday, and we witnessed the preparation for the upcoming Winter Solstice or Sun Festival (June 24th), one of the most important Incan ceremonies in Cusco. Every day and night the streets were filled with locals of all ages dressed in gaudy traditional attire; all were either marching, dancing, playing musical instruments, or making some sort of raucous noise.

Teenage girls having a quick snack:

Even hundreds of children partook in the festivities.

To cushion our classic 4-day/3-night Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu, we tacked on two days before and three and a half days after in order to relax and explore more of Cusco, particularly the Sacred Valley.

I didn’t even know what the hell the Sacred Valley was until I came to Cusco. After thorough research I learned…it’s a giant, breathtaking valley sprawled with numerous towns, villages, and ancient Inca ruins. All-day tours to the Sacred Valley are offered on every corner of the historical district of Cusco, but the idea of being crammed on a bus with 30+ tourists for $30-$40 and being herded from one site to the next disgusted me. Thanks to informative sites such as Andean Travel Web and The Only Peru Guide, I was able to take public transport for a fraction of the cost and explore parts of the Sacred Valley independently and tranquilly.

Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, and Sacsayhuaman

From Calle Puputi we hopped on a colectivo headed for Pisac, but got off at the ruins of Puka Pukara for the start of our half-day self-guided tour. The plan was to walk back down along the road toward Cusco for a total of 8 km, visiting several ruins along the way. We paid 4 soles each (~$1.25), but I think it should have been 2 soles each (~50¢). Whatever. I read the typical price with a tour company to visit these nearby ruins is $10-$15 anyway. =P

Puka Pukara, a slightly underwhelming set of ruins overlooking the valley.

Then we crossed the street to Tambomachay, assumed to be ritual baths only for the elite due to its neatly cut and assembled stones.

And then we walked down the road toward the marvelous set of ruins of Sacsayhuaman (sounds like “Sexy Woman!”), a spectacular fort overlooking the modern city of Cusco.

Imagine the people of an ancient civilization carving giant building blocks out of a quarry, and then transferring them piece by piece to construct a military fort. Some of the largest cut stones are estimated to be 300 tons! Quite extraordinary.

We returned to Cusco after this short tour, which was just down a set of steep stairs along the fort of Sacsayhuaman. Total cost of this mini tour? 4 soles (~$1.25) per person!

The following morning we set off for our Inca Trail trek that we booked back in January (6 months in advance!), but we continued our self-guided tour of the Sacred Valley after we returned from our trek.

Pisac

After a day of rest from the Inca Trail, I explored Pisac for half a day on my own. I returned to Calle Puputi and took the colectivo to Pisac for 5 soles (~$1.60). Pisac was only about a 40-minute windy ride from Cusco, so I was there before I knew it!

I wandered through the quaint, little town nestled in the valley before starting the steep hike up to the ruins.

The path to the ruins was impossible to miss, and the hike up was slow and steady. Hardly anyone else attempted this grueling hike; most people on the ruins either came from Cusco on a tour van/bus, or took a taxi from Pisac.

Despite the poor lighting, the views of the ruins, valleys, and terraces were phenomenal. Although it took me only 40 minutes to summit, I needed more than an hour to explore all the ruins at the top.

After I satisfied my curiosity and thirst to explore, I quickly descended back into town and caught another colectivo for Cusco for 5 soles (~$1.60). I was glad I didn’t try to cram another visit in the Sacred Valley that day since exploring Pisac and its ruins was not a gentle stroll through the park. It seems like most Sacred Valley tours cram Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, and Chinchero into a single day (160+ km!) for $30-$40, which is a pity because one could easily spend a half day or more at each site!

I only spent 1 afternoon in Pisac, but the following day had quite the itinerary.

Maras, Moray, Salineras, and Ollantaytambo

The day after I explored Pisac, Chris and I for the final time returned to Calle Puputi for a colectivo bound for Urubamba. (In retrospect, we should have taken a colectivo from Calle Pavitos to Ollantaytambo and gotten off at the junction for Maras.) We paid 6 soles each (~$1.90) for a colectivo to Urubamba, then another 2 soles each (~60¢) for a public bus to the Maras junction, and then a final 1 sole each (~30¢) for a shared taxi to the tiny village of Maras. It took about 2 hours and cost us 9 soles in total (~$2.85) to get to our intended destination of Maras.

Because I wanted spare time at the end of the day to see Ollantaytambo, we opted to take the taxi from Maras to the ruins of Moray for an additional 15 soles (~$4.75). Had we not planned on seeing Ollantaytambo, we would have hiked the 5 km out to the ruins.

Despite its remote location compared with the other ruins on the Sacred Valley circuit, Moray was still quite crowded with tours. I was also disappointed to see that people were no longer permitted to enter the ruins. We were only able to spectate from a distance.

The theory behind these mega-terraces was that each level had its own micro-climate due to its positioning against the wind and sun, allowing the Incas to experiment agriculturally. How brilliant is that?

From Moray we hiked the 5 km or so back east toward the town of Maras and enjoyed the perfect weather.

Walking through the village of Maras:

The town square, with the perfect representation of its people:

We took a quick snack break before heading along another 5 km path north toward Salineras, the pre-Incan salt mines of Maras. It was all downhill into the valley from there. The scenery was gorgeous, and not another hiker was in site.

Right outside Salineras, a woman with her burro smiled for my camera:

And the jaw-dropping, incredible salt mines! Totally off the beaten path, and 10 soles (~$3.15) to enter.

A natural warm salt spring trickles through this valley, allowing for these salt mines to exist. The traditional, pre-Incan salt-mining method is still used today. Miners can be seen working at these natural salt mines Monday through Saturday.

We hiked up and down along the mines.

The trail simply took us north, out of the salt mines, and down toward the river.

We continued the hike, crossed the river, and walked west into the village of Yanahuara. Fortunately an elderly woman was already standing along the side of the road, waiting for a colectivo for Ollantaytambo. She told us the standard fare was 1.30 soles each (~40¢), so 2.60 soles for the both of us. A colectivo appeared within minutes, we hopped on, and we soon arrived to Ollantaytambo in about 20 minutes. I paid the driver 3 soles (~90¢) for both of us.

By this point the sun was beginning to set, and the shadows were long and dark. Earlier I was worried that we weren’t going to make it to Ollantaytambo for whatever reason (getting lost on the hike, public transportation not working out, the possibility of hitchhiking, etc.), but we made it! The beauty and grandeur of Ollantaytambo quickly wiped my fatigue away, and climbing up, over, and around the ruins was not a problem.

After venturing through the ruins for about an hour, we finally sat down to rest at a cafe and people-watch in the touristy town of Ollantaytambo.

All the hiking and logistical planning was finally done, and the only thing we had left to do was to find a colectivo to take us back to Cusco, which would be the easiest task of all that day. We eventually found a colectivo for 10 soles each (~$3.15), but we could have easily taken another colectivo for 8 soles (~$2.50). The 1.5-hour ride back was uneventful and we returned to Cusco exhausted and eager for dinner. The total cost of transportation per person that day? 28 soles, or $8.88. Not bad for checking out Maras, Moray, Salineras, Ollantaytambo, and a couple of hikes between!

So there you have it. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the bustling city of Cusco and parts of the Sacred Valley. Our primary reason, and I’m assuming the same for almost all tourists, for being in Cusco was to see Machu Picchu and hike the Inca Trail. But to my pleasant surprise, there was simply so much more to do in and around Cusco. I’m glad I was able to see the Sacred Valley at my own leisurely pace, but I know I only saw a fraction of it. My recommendation to everyone else is to not rush through Cusco or Machu Picchu. There is so much more that is as equally fascinating.

Posted in Peru | Tagged cusco, maras, moray, ollantaytambo, pisac, salineras, the sacred valley | 4 Comments

Arequipa and El Misti

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

The 6-hour bus ride from Cabanaconde to Arequipa was straight forward (and cheap at only 17 soles or ~$5) and by nightfall we arrived to what ended up being our favorite city in South America thus far.

Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru after Lima but third most visited city after Lima and Cusco, has pleasant weather year-round like California. Beautiful architecture surrounds the Plaza de Armas, and three side-by-side volcanoes in the distance set the backdrop for the charming city.

The lively Plaza de Armas:

Beautiful Spanish architecture:

Arequipa has a fraction of the tourists found in Cusco, making it a more pleasant stay. In addition to cheap eats at local markets and the streets, there were numerous modern, tourist-catered restaurants, bars, and cafes. Most of our time spent in Arequipa was at our favorite cafe, crepe, or chocolate cake shop on the rooftop patio or roadside balcony.

Not only was Arequipa an easy city to settle into, its surroundings offered plenty of exciting excursions for the outdoor adventurer. After gazing at the three volcanoes Chachani, El Misti, and Pichupichu (in order from tallest to shortest) in the distance, we nervously decided that we wanted to summit El Misti.

El Misti from our hotel balcony:

Little did we know that sumitting El Misti would not only be the hardest hike of our lives (so far), but one of the hardest things we’ve ever accomplished in life. With its almost perfectly symmetrical cone, Misti rises to 5,821 meters (19,100 feet)–just about 200 feet short of the famous Kilimanjaro! Only a couple dozen or so hikers per week attempt to summit Misti. Not all make it due to acclimation issues.

Although the trailhead starts at 3,415 meters, the 2-day/1-night trek takes hikers to the summit in less than 24 hours. The 2,000+ meter elevation gain within that time span typically leaves many vomiting and nauseated with throbbing headaches, but since we had already been at high elevations for a month, we felt confident that acclimation wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

El Misti from the start of our hike:

The trailhead:

For $130 each, we went with a guide from Incadventura. (At first I thought it was a bit pricey, but people spend over $1,000 to do Kilimanjaro, which has roughly the same altitude but is 5 days longer.) Like in Torres del Paine, the hike is done without porters. We had to carry all our clothing, sleeping bag and pad, tent, food, snacks, crampons for the ice, and ice axe. But unlike other hikes we’ve done, this hike had absolutely no water along the trails. We each had to carry 5 liters of water (for a total of 10 liters, about 22 lbs), but Chris ended up carrying most of my water because my back couldn’t handle the weight. Due to the steep path and high altitude, we slowly trudged up Misti one step at a time.

Chris, the sherpa:

But he was a happy camper:

Much of the ascent included scrambling over steep piles of rocks.

We took breaks about every hour on the way to camp.

We made it to camp by late afternoon. As the sun set behind the volcano, the temperature dropped dramatically.

Our campsite. There was only 1 other guide and couple, also from San Francisco!

By the time our modest dinner of spaghetti and soup were ready, it was completely dark and freezing. With a campsite at about 4,700 meters, the weather was unforgiving. We all huddled together around a tiny cooking stove, seeking protection between walls of rocks. Right after dinner we crawled into our sleeping bags in preparation for a 2am wakeup call to start our summit at 3am.

But little did we know how cold it would be. Our rental sleeping bags were not rated for the subfreezing temperatures, and we spent most of the night curled up in fetal position and unable to sleep. After only perhaps a couple hours of miserable sleep, we were woken at 2am for tea.

The moon was full and bright, which allowed us to hike in the dark without our headlamps. However due to the lack of sleep, we both almost fell asleep while hiking up, stumbling clumsily over some lava rocks. The time between the start of our hike and sunrise was perhaps the most brutal of the hike. With the cold air and high altitude, I was forced to take breaks every half hour. Our water froze on the way up, and frost even formed on Chris’s eyelashes and eyebrows. Every time we took a break, we forced ourselves to gnaw on our frozen snacks. At that point I started to doubt whether or not I could make the summit. The cold, lack of sleep, exhaustion, and over-exertion on the body was playing a toll on my mind, but Chris encouraged me to go on.

Arequipa before sunrise:

As the bright moon set and the sun began to lighten the sky, what fell before our eyes was so surreal and beautiful that it sparked a new sense of hope in me. Never before had we seen the shadow of a volcano cast over a city:

During one of our breaks on the steep trail, we watched in awe from Misti’s dark shadow as its neighbor, Pichupichu, was illuminated by the early morning sun rays.

With many more hours, long breaks, and lethargic trudging up the volcano, we arrived at the center point between the two highest peaks of Misti. Here, we put on our crampons to hike the final path to the highest summit, as seen on the left.

What should have taken 45 minutes took me an hour, as the path was the steepest, I was at my height of exhaustion, and I was gasping for air.

And we finally summited. I remember seeing this giant cross from afar, knowing just how close I was, knowing that I was actually going to make it. As soon as we reached the cross, I sprawled myself on the ground, panting, slightly delirious from exhaustion, lack of sleep, and exertion, relieved that the worst was over, but hysterical knowing that we were only halfway done and still had to return the same distance we came up.

I finally found the energy to stand up again to take a shot from the summit looking down into the volcano. It was quite incredible watching the smoke and smelling the sulfur actively spitting out of the volcano.

One final look into Misti’s crater before heading back down:

Believe it or not, descending was fun! Instead of taking the same steep, rocky trail back down, we “slid” down the dark, volcanic ash for over a mile. The experience was on par to running down a sand dune.

The volcanic ash was ankle-deep and we are still finding ash in our shoes a week later.

We will never forget the less-than-24-hour summit to El Misti. We sweated and struggled with the weight going up. We shivered and barely slept, and then we staggered up the mountain in the dark. We drank our frozen water and gnawed at our frozen food. I gasped and panted for air. We blistered our toes and feet and pushed our knees beyond their limits on the descent. Were we glad we did it? YES! Would we do it again? Probably not. But after this brutal trek, we knew we were more than ready for the Inca Trail we had booked in the upcoming four days!

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Cabanaconde (Colca Canyons)

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

The largest city nearest to the Colca Canyons is Arequipa (4 hours away by bus), and the largest town within the Colca Canyon area is Chivay. Along the mostly unpaved road west of Chivay that hugs the coast of the canyon are a number of tiny towns and villages, with the final one being the quiet, little village of Cabanaconde. It is from Cabanaconde where condor watching is most convenient and where the major treks begin.

Getting There From Puno

Little did we know that there had been ongoing strikes and violent protests between the Southern Peruvians and miners for the past several years. The Peruvian government had approved a mining company known for contaminating land to mine the area near Arequipa and Puno. Although both Chris and I wholeheartedly support the right to protest, especially in the case of the Tia Maria mining project, we wished our travel dates had not coincided with the citywide shutdowns due to the protests. We met a group of travelers who journeyed from Puno, Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia during the protests; what normally would have taken 4 hours ended up taking 10 hours and involved a lot of walking and bus transfers among crowds, traffic, and burning tires and vehicles.

I did my research on “bus rides from hell” in Peru during strikes and city shutdowns. Because Chris and I were expecting the worse to happen, we were pleasantly surprised that our bus ride from Puno to Chivay was quite seamless.

What was originally a 6am departure moved to 3am to avoid the street closures. By late afternoon we were told there was another time change for a departure at midnight. At 7pm we received a phone call telling us it was now leaving at 10pm. Our 5-hour bus ride was now departing 8 hours ahead of schedule to avoid the strike. Great.

Fortunately our bus was direct. There were no road closures, crazy protests, or fires. We merely suffered an incredibly cold bus ride (imagine 3,000+ meters in elevation, with no heater on the bus!). To put things in perspective, I had to literally peel my blanket off the window because it was frozen stuck to it! Had the bus left on schedule at 6am, we would have arrived in Chivay at a more reasonable time at 11am. Nope. We got dropped off at the town square at 3:30am. We quickly found a hotel that took us in for only 60 soles (~$19), slept for 5 hours, and then headed out in the morning for our next leg—a bus to Cabanaconde.

We actually had no idea how we were going to get to Cabanaconde from the tiny town of Chivay. I just knew it was about a 2-hour ride away. First, we began by loitering around the town square, observing all the tour vans arriving from Arequipa.

My strategy was to find someone going to Cabanaconde and hope to hitch a ride. The first driver we asked just told us to go to the bus terminal, where there would be bus companies for Cabanaconde. Sweet!

Except in South America, advertisements almost always lie. Half the bus companies had signs for Cabanaconde, but none were going that day. WTF?

We walked back toward the main square to look for more tour bus drivers. On the way I stopped in a tour company shop and asked if they had bus tickets to Cabanaconde. The guy gave me valuable information—there was a daily colectivo to Cabanaconde at the bus terminal at 3pm for 6 soles (~$1.90). Just to be sure, I confirmed with two more random tour shops.

We hung out at a café until around 2, watched a street parade, grabbed some street food, and then headed over to the bus terminal again.

As we approached the terminal we heard a man call out, “Cabanaconde! Cabanaconde!” We found our colectivo. Chris and I were the only non-locals in this van. Everyone else was Peruvian and had a shit ton of goods with them. Just when I thought there was no way another person could fit in the van, more people climbed in for a total of ~15 others. I sat in the front on the e-brake for the duration of the ride. And off we went at 3:15 for Cabanaconde, dropping off people in villages along the way and picking up more.

Yes, 15 people in THIS van.

Finally we arrived at our intended destination right before sundown. Our hostel of choice was fully booked which worked in our favor; we ended up staying at a brand spankin’ new hotel down the street for only 40 soles (~$13) per night! The hot showers at Hospedaje Arum Qurpawasi were the best we’ve had in literally a month. It was nice ending our cumbersome journey with a pleasant hotel.

The view from our balcony. You can check out the typical homes in the village of Cabanaconde, along with a couple on the left drying thousands of ears of corn in their backyard.

Cruz del Condor

For only 1 sole (~30¢) we took the public bus the next morning to Cruz del Condor, a mirador that boasts not just incredible views of the deep valley, but also gives people the opportunity to spectate giant, soaring condors with 5′ long wingspans!

We arrived at 7:45am, well before all the tourist-filled buses and vans could arrive. The locals were just setting up shop.

The lookout closest to the road already had a few people and we figured it would be the most packed by the popular viewing time between 8:45-9.

So we headed further down to a vacant lookout below where we had breakfast and waited.

And we were in luck that morning! We did not wait long before condors began to soar through the valley not far below us. We even saw as many as 7 flying together.

Just when the mirador began to crowd with tourist vans, we hopped on a public bus around 9:15 for 2 soles (~60¢) back to Cabanaconde to start our hike to Sangalle, commonly referred to as The Oasis.

Sangalle (The Oasis)

We left our hotel around 10:30am for the epic trek down Colca Canyon to The Oasis.

They say the Colca Canyons are one of the deepest canyons in the world, twice as deep as the Grand Canyons at 3,270 meters (10,725 feet), but I think that elevation includes the mountains, which shouldn’t count. Although not as majestic at the Grand Canyon, the Colca Canyons were beautiful nonetheless and was worth the hike. It seems as if the most popular trek (and the trek that tour companies do) is a hike down into the canyon with an overnight at The Oasis with a return trip the next morning. It is quite a ridiculous ascent and descent of over 1,000 meters but we opted to do the entire round-trip hike in one day. There are many more options for multiple-day treks through villages but I knew a single day trip would satisfy me.

Even with 20 minutes of getting lost at the beginning of the hike out of town through farmlands and grazing donkeys and goats, we managed to make it down to The Oasis in 2 hours. It was all down, down, and down under the hot sun into the desert canyon, with views of The Oasis growing bigger as we approached it.

Once we reached The Oasis we quickly devoured our pre-packed picnic lunch before taking a dip into one of the pools. One pool seemed to be the pool where all tour operators go, and the other pool was catered for the independent traveler. We went to the pool for the independent travelers for 5 soles each (~$1.60) and had the entire pool to ourselves!

Time quickly passed and we left the pool at 2pm to begin our grueling ascent back to Cabanaconde.

The sun quickly sank behind the canyon walls after 4pm, filling The Oasis with dark shadows. Condors began to soar overhead. The views made up for the tough 1,000+ meters of climb, which took about 3 hours.

We made it back to our hotel just before sunset, exhausted and filthy but satisfied after a packed day of condors, canyons, and The Oasis. The next morning we headed out to Arequipa on a direct 6-hour bus for only 15 soles (~$4.75). Tourists rave about Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru, and I looked forward to city comforts after spending time in the towns of Puno and Cabanaconde.

Posted in Peru | Tagged cabanaconde, colca canyons, sangalle | 1 Comment

Puno

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Peru was literally a 30-minute bus ride from Copacabana and crossing the border was a piece of cake. Four hours later we were in Puno, Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side. To our amusement, Southeast Asian-like tuk-tuks or moto taxis can be found everywhere. For 4 soles (~$1.33) we got a ride to the town center.

Rather than booking a group tour to the famous but touristy islands off the coast of Puno, we simply showed up at the port early the next morning around 7am to find a boat that would take us to Las Islas de Uros and Isla Taquile. After chatting with a couple of indigenous folks (whose second language is Spanish!) we ended up purchasing a round-trip ticket from Puno to Uros to Taquile and back to Puno the next day for 25 soles pp (~$8.33). Our goal was to check out the fascinating Uros Islands and then spend a night on Taquile with the indigenous people of Peru.

The first stop was the floating islands of Uros, which was only about a 20-minute slow boat ride from Puno.

What makes these islands so fascinating is its history; long ago the people constructed their own islands and structures out of reeds to live in isolation and protection from the people of the mainland. Because the reeds are always deteriorating, the inhabitants lay down new reeds on a weekly or biweekly basis to preserve their homes. There are over 50 islands with the oldest island being more than 100 years old and the youngest around 11 years old, with several families living on each island. There are schools, restaurants, and even a post office on some of these islands! Whether or not these reed islands still exist as habitations or simply for pure tourism, they are no doubt fascinating!

Standing on the island:

A reed house:

A kitchen:

I’d like to mention again just how touristy these islands are. A man beckoned our group to check out his reed boat and the next thing we knew he pushed the boat away from the island and took us around the lake for just a few minutes. Right before getting off the boat, he requested each person to pay him 10 soles (~$3.33)! We were tricked into paying him. From this moment on we knew to be wary of the rest of our time on Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side as if we were in Southeast Asia.

Not long after being tricked we set out for Taquile, a long 2-hour boat ride from Uros. Taquile is a tiny island (about 1.5 km wide and 5.5 km long) composed of steep hills and walkways. There are no cars, motor vehicles, or bicycles. Everyone does transport by foot. In addition to agriculture it seems as if their primary industry is tourism. They seem to profit the most from selling their fine hand-made alpaca crafts and food to tourists. Everyday when boats arrive to the island, the elders of the island dictate where the tourists will eat for lunch, divvying up the people and profits for each family.

Unlike everyone else doing a day trip from Puno, we set out to Taquile to hike the island and spend the night with a family. Another reason for not wanting to book a tour was the ability to pay the family directly so the community could benefit. As soon as we stepped off the boat I overheard the elder of our boat tell a man on shore that we would be staying at his house, and then we were passed on. His name was Seser and for some reason he was in a hurry to get home. Chasing him up the steep hills at 3800 meters elevation and zipping by everyone else was no easy task!

As soon as we were checked into one of his available rooms, we inquired for the price of room and board. For each person, it was 20 soles for accommodation, 15 soles for dinner, and 10 soles for breakfast, a total of 45 soles (~$15). Deal! And right after that he tried to sell us a hat, even after we presented his family a gift of oranges. (Fresh fruit on this island is nonexistent.)

There is no running water or electricity on the island. We had a candle for our room, and our mattress was on reeds!

A large day-tour group showed up for lunch not long after we checked in, and we took a powernap before heading out to the mirador, the highest point on the island. As we headed out in the direction everyone else was walking against, we were glad we were staying on the island instead of being rushed through a group lunch.

Near the town square:

Chris even bought some handmade knitted alpaca gloves!

Of course there was no one else on the walk up to the mirador, nor was there anyone at the mirador. We had the whole place to ourselves and we enjoyed the beauty, silence, and serenity of Lake Titicaca without another soul.

We eventually wandered back down and returned to our lodging for the night. Seser immediately ushered us into his large common room with large windows boasting views of the beautiful landscape. At first we thought he was being accommodating but within minutes of sitting down he tried to sell us a book (in Spanish), and some more handcrafts. He also happened to have 500 Chileno pesos and one euro, and asked us if we were interested in doing a money exchange with him. What kind of homestay was this? We were incredibly turned off, politely declined, and immediately retreated to our room.

Fortunately, a soft rain began to pitter-patter as the late afternoon welcomed the evening, and the distant rumble of thunder overhead made for a relaxing time before dinner.

Because we expected a homestay experience, we were quite disappointed when we were led back into the large, common area for dinner in the silent darkness. We had a light dinner of vegetable soup, rice, and eggs before candlelight, and the rest of the home was in eery silence. The view of the island before us was also pitch black, with only a few specks of light coming from homes equipped with solar power.

The next morning after a yummy breakfast of pancakes, local muña tea, and fried Taquile bread, we ventured toward the south of the island to explore before the next wave of tourists could arrive in the late morning/early afternoon.

A snapshot from the southern end of the island, looking north:

We found a beach at the far southern end of the island!

We stumbled upon a small school procession:

For lunch, we returned to Seser’s again (mainly because rain was coming and we wanted to hang out in our room before our 2:20 departure). Lunch was delicious local fish (trucha), fried potatoes, and rice for 20 soles (~$7). Expensive, but the typical price for the tourist on the island. We were relieved he didn’t try to sell us any more hats or scarves or whatever the hell else he could find.

In general we enjoyed spectating the Uros Islands and hiking around Taquile. Excluding the stupid reed boat scam, the gloves, and a Coke, we each spent only a total of 90 soles (~$30) for the round-trip boat ride, basic lodging, dinner, breakfast, and lunch, which is a steal because I met someone who paid 100 soles for just a daytrip tour with lunch. However the experience was slightly hampered by the reed boat scam on Uros, and the constant hard sells by our “host.” Had we had the expectation that we were merely receiving room and board and not an authentic home-stay experience with an indigenous family, we probably would not have left disappointed.

Posted in Peru | Tagged taquile, uros | Leave a comment

Hitchhiking for Beer and Fireworks

Kuelap

Buses And A Waterfall

The Cordillera Blanca

Ica

The Inca Trail

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Arequipa and El Misti

Cabanaconde (Colca Canyons)

Puno

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