Machu Picchu - veni, vidi, vici

Oh, right, that´s Ceasar of Rome!

Anyhow, the Inkan architecture, astronomy, engineering, culture and religion seems to have been grand, indeed. Pachamama (mother earth) ruled. And even if the empire only lasted a short while, our guide did say that some people think that they continue to live in the unexplored jungle of Peru stil. Awaiting the return of the last Inka.

Our guide was very good. His telling of  the well-rehearsed 2-hour long story of Machu Picchu felt as fresh as ever. The fog did lift a little by mid-day and we did get some nice pics along with the knowledge :) We´ll add some when we get back to Cusco later on - this connection is too slow :(

The place in between ...

... is called Aguas Calientes.

Yes, we are in that tiny tourist haven where the train from Cuzco to Machu Picchu ends. Haven because it has all a typical tourist could possibly want - really: tons of local, artisan stuff to buy, plenty of hotels and hostels in all price ranges, many restaurants and bars all with people outside welcoming you vigorously to have a drink or reciting the menu highlights (guinea pig anyone?), oh and if you want a massage - there are 6 different ones on offer here, too.

All that to say, it´s not our usual sort of destination on this journey, but it suits our purpose: to visit Machu Picchu and not be rushed into the 5-hour window the day trip allows. As well, there are the thermal hotsprings which lend Aguas Calientes its name. As Jan can attest to, rightfully so.

We´ll meet our guide, Washington, tonight for a briefing about tomorrow´s visit. I am afraid it´ll be another very early morning. But if it is like all the other early mornings, it´ll be worth the wake-up call.

We´ve decided to go directly to Patagonia from this part of our journey. The careful reader will note that we have decided to leave Arequipa/Colca Canyon and the Chilean Atacama desert to our next south american adventure. 3 months is turning out to be kind of short ...

Rare signs of life in the deserts

We got to see more animals that we hadn´t seen live before. So here they are for your enjoyment!
Check out the video Jan took at the bottom of this post.


Laguna Colorada. The rare James Flamingos live here
off the pink and red algae. You are what you eat!





Fly away ... OK, so this one landed like
50 m away - same laguna, same food.

















So many flamingos - and one other
bird in the foreground (click to
enlarge, as always!





Flamingo in flight with perfect reflection.
(Yeah - Inga got this one. Finally a bird in flight up close!)














Vicuña! Wikipedia says they are a 
relative of the llama, and is believed to be
the wild ancestor of domesticated
alpacas. They seem to live on
nothing in this harsh environment.
Maybe they eat dirt?!



One of the 80 or so bird species living
at well above 4,000 m in the
Andes of Bolivia.

Uyuni: A world far away

So close, yet so far. At the end of the
three day journey, we ran out of gas
25 minutes from Uyuni. There
are absolutely no gas stations, so you
have to travel with your own supply.

The Salar de Uyuni and south-western Bolivia were landscapes that we had planned on experiencing. And experience we did! After a 12 hour overnight bus ride like no other, we arrived in Uyuni ready for a three day tour in a 4x4.

Just as we stopped vibrating from the bus ride (seriously, words cannot describe just how much we rattled and rolled on the kilometres of unpaved roads), we jumped into the 4x4 along with Johnny, the driver, Anna from Germany, three adventurous gals from Norway, Cathrine, Rut and Tonje, and our cook Clementina. We then started our (long) road trip (between the bus to Uyuni, the tour of the area and the bus back to La Paz, we clocked 46 hours in vehicles) that brought us to some magnificent natural sights and over barren landscapes and kilometres and kilometres of absolutely nothing but space and more space.

Jan and Inga doing the Salar jump. This is a 12,000 square km
salt flat in south-western Bolivia. Easily visible from space
due to its super bright whiteness.
Anyhow, it´s actually hard to get  the shot in the air ...
 we´ll leave the analysis of styles to you.

Yup. Just salt. Dry and hard.
And endless.

One, two, three, jump.  Our friends Rut, Tonje and Cathrine
doing it with style. (Yes, Jan did get this one perfectly!)

View from Isla Pescada
across Salar de Uyuni.
These cacti grow 1 m per
100 years, and some are
9 m tall! Quite something
to see something living that
is 900 years old!

Isla Pescada is covered with these giant beauties.

Cacti in bloom. Pretty awesome to see.



When surreal meets
surreal - Jan takes a pic.



First night accommodations in
Santiago de Agencha. Brand new
"tourist complex" complete with salt
floors, salt blocks for bed frames, and
electricity from 7 to 10 pm.



Our abode for the night. Architecture
is inspired by a local peoples´ housing.



Jan likes rocks. She can climb them!
This is one of many volcanic formations
in the region.



Jan also likes yoga - especially after
4 hrs in the 4x4 going cross country.



And now playing with the wind at
Laguna Colorada. The red is due to
algae and the white is borax.



Things we don´t blog about

(Click on images to enlarge)

Important instructions - not to be taken lightly.

 It´s true. We are having awesome experiences, getting to know out there places beyond civilization and meeting interesting people along the way, too.

But really, do we tell all? No! Of course not!

So for the fun of it here´s a list of things we don´t blog about:

1. The specifics of various bathrooms we encounter
2. The physical requirements of bathroom use (depending on number 1 above).
3. How long it takes to break the habit of flushing toilet paper, even though the systems here can´t handle it.
4. And if you throw it in, under what circumstances do you try to remedy the error.
5. Asking your hiking guide to buy feminine hygiene products.
6. The awkwardness of getting  the conjugation of Spanish verbs in both tense and person wrong.
7. Trying to eat the entire Pique de lo Macho plate even though it would feed a family of 4 - or 6! - and what happens afterwards.
 



Bolivian national dish. Pique do lo
macho is basically protein. Tons of protein
and a little bit of potato starch.


8. Generally, the bodily functions that follow food one is not used to eating.
9. Undertaking secret calculations of how much pasta it takes to become seriously allergic to it.
10. The discovery of the intrinsic connection between panty-liners and panties.

Well, there.

Farm animals in Peru and Bolivia

Yin and yang finding out about
life together. Lamb is a staple meat
and we saw many flocks along
our travels.

Livestock farming in the Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia is very different from what I am familiar with in Canada. The biggest difference is in how the animals are raised. Communities or families have herds of llamas, alpacas, cows and sheep that graze freely in the mountains (no fences in these parts). The animals are rounded up once a week or so by the herder to make sure that they remain in the right valley and to guard against poaching (the value of animals being what it is, they are unfortunately stolen). All of the animals are branded for easy identification, but alas, this does not protect against thievery.

During our trek through the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, we encountered farm animals in every valley. In the Cordillera Real in Bolivia, communities are deliniated by valleys and are often separated by glacial rivers. Trekking through the vast lands and up and over passes is just part of what a "campesito" does. It was quite inspiring (and humbling too), to witness the physical strength and determination of the people.

Horses are a big part of life in the
Andes. They are essential
for transportation and as pack
animals. Here they helped us
across a river.

Donkeys are also integral to life in the Andes. They can
carry up to 40 kilos (25 more than llamas). Such gentle
animals they are.



Alpacas make you just want to smother yourself in
their fur. The white ones are more "valuable" than
the lovely brown ones. Alpacas are raised for their
fabulous fur which is used to make many garments,
from hats and gloves to gorgeous sweaters. Warmth
and beauty combined.



Alpacas graze freely on grasses.

There are several varieties of llamas. One variety is best for its meat (they
have less fur so are valuable for the food they provide), while another
variety has more fur, making them valuable for their fur "harvest". Their fur
can be shorn twice a year. Both varieties can give birth to one llamasita
a year. Llamas are gentle creatures and a spectacle to watch as they
effortlessly bounce up and down steep faces. 

Casa Hermanos Manchego -- our fine casita in La Paz

Matte de coca is as common
as Tetley, but a whole bunch
 better in taste and in
medicinal properties (gives you
energy; good for stomach
aches; etc.)

Good morning! Inga prepping
breakfast in our very own dinning
room. How regal.

Trying to find just "the right spot" to call home involves a whole bunch of online research and, in the end, a gut feeling. Our home away from home in La Paz is pure perfection -- it is a fine home (i.e. very unlike a hotel) with a great vibe, fine people, great location (Sopocachi neighbourhood) and interesting history.
 


This fine piece of stained glass is in the sitting room
at the front of the house. It is only one of the many
pieces of stained glass to adorn the house.

    




Inga in the front garden. A very
welcoming entrance.

View into the sitting room from the
dining room.

   

Living High

Our first pass over 5,000 m (ever!) on
Day 3 of our Cordillera Real trek.

When Jan and I planned this trip, we wanted to be in the Andes, the second highest mountain range in the world. That meant we would be spending a lot of time in really high places. Working out an acclimatization process that would get us to be healthy while high would be key to our enjoyment.

So here are  a few tips for aspiring altitude travellers, gleaned from what has worked for us (of course, everyone reacts a little differently to high altitudes, so take this as food for thought):

1. Take your time to acclimatize properly. We took 7 days with acclimatization hikes (ie hike high, sleep at 3,000 m), lots longer than any of the commercial trips offered in the Cordillera Blanca. They are set up to fit the typical 2 week vacation after all. 
2. Take a tylanol if you get a headache. Diamox is a favourite drug to take to help people with altitude issues, but it is also a diuretic and as such counter-indicated for altitude issues. If you can take a few days to get used to being high then a tylanol is probably a fine option.
3. Drink water. It is the best medicine against AMS symptoms. Naturally, do not over-hydrate. And until you acclimatize try to keep away from alcohol ... no fun, I know.
4. Take responsibility for your health and don´t blame your tour operators or guides if you get AMS symptoms. Just because they offer a particular itinerary doesn´t mean you need to follow it. You kow yourself and you get to make sure you have a great time!
 



Huayna Potosi in the late
afternoon light of day 8. The next day
we walked to Base camp around the
mountain.

5. Look at the elevation of specific treks and mountains you want to tackle and then plan your route. While the mountains in Peru´s Cordillera Blanca are a bit higher than in Bolivia´s Cordillera Real, the trekking is actually lower in Peru than in Bolivia! Make sure you understand the heights each trek/climb will get you to and then plan your itinerary accordingly!

6. And take some time to understand the climate specific to the mountains you want to visit. We noticed that 4,400 m on Aconcagua is a totally different experience than 4,400 m in the Cordillera Blanca: Aconcagua is an arid desert while in Peru the tropical climate is far moister and animals graze up to 4,800 m! Guess which is easier on the human, then?!

In the Cordillera Blanca we slept between 3,600 m and 4,600 m. But in the Cordillera Real, we slept most nights at 4,700 m. The reason is that the Cordillera Real is sitting on top of Bolivia´s Altiplano (High Sierra) which is at 4,000 m! There is no low. Simple. This also means that the hiking in Peru covered a lot more elevation changes - we had 4 days with ascents of over 1,000 m - while the trekking in the Cordillera Real was "flatter"; we would ascend 600 or 700 m in a day. But all of our time was spent hiking between 4,500 m and 5,350 m.


This is the final path to the top of
Huayna Potosi. See the steps at the edge of
the snow and rocks? Just above that
was the summit. (Pedro´s head is here just for scale.)


So when you plan your trip, find out how high you will sleep, how high you will hike and how much elevation change you will cover. Then you can sort out the best plan for you.

Huayna Potosi climb also truly regal

Inga and Pedro, our climbing guide,
after successful ice climbing practice.

November 19 was a long and memorable day! It started at midnight with the wake up call - like we were sleeping! By 8:10 we had summitted and then about 10:45 am we made it back to high camp for hot soup.

Jan´s first real ice climb: nice style!

In preparation for getting to the top of our first 6,000+ metre mountain, our climbing guide, Pedro - also of Bolivian Mountain Guides - taught us how to ice climb and walk with front pick crampons on a glacier and, at the same time, instilled a great deal of trust in his abilities in the mountains. For the ascent of Huayna Potosi the technical skills needed are minor (as long as you have a great deal of fearlessness and no issues with exposure anyhow) but he actually had us climbing with ice axe and crampons and covered belay and rescue techniques. As rock climbers we knew a fair amount, from knots to anchoring theory, yet learned plenty that day.



Inga with well-placed ice axes goes
for the kick.



Jan relaxing on the sun-drenched rocks
at high camp the afternoon before
our climb.

We´ll show you in pictures how we got to ascend Huayna Potosi.







Never seen a sunrise from this vantage point. About 5,750 m
on Huayna Potosi. 400+ m in elevation to go to the top.



There was this one crevasse we jumped
over both on the way up and down.
Pretty intense, but on belay, of course!



6,088 m. The summit. Yes. We made it.
And still got energy for the descent.
Thanks Pedro for some great guiding.



Cordillera Real truly regal trekking

From November 8 to 19 we trekked through this beautiful and high mountain range in Bolivia, just outside of La Paz. Eduardo Mamani of Bolivian Mountain Guides organized this fabulous adventure for us. The "classic" trek takes the "backside" of the Cordillera Real. But that means that the Amazonian fog makes visibility poor in the afternoons and the valleys are quite deep, making views of the snow-capped mountains rare. Our trek is a new one. It covers the "front" of the Cordillera, facing the Altiplano and Lago Titicaca. Every one of the 9 trekking days offered views of the lake, glaciers hanging on to 6,000+ metre mountains, lagunas and plenty of local livestock and wildlife. We enjoyed blue sky mornings, followed by the amazing sights of Amazonian clouds/fog wafting across the passes of the Cordillera in the afternoons. Even though we came at the beginning of rainy season, climate change has again been kind to us: in 12 days we had only 2 afternoons and 2 evenings of precipitation - but we never had to pull out the rain gear as we were nestled into our comfy MEC Twin Peaks tent.

Our excellent trekking guide, Andres, not only led us across 5,000+ metre passes and through valleys offering a great variety of landscape, but shared his pride in his Aymara culture and Bolivia´s beauty. Our evenings were spent in the cooking tent with Felix and Andres talking about mountains, cultures and life as we live it.

This amazing trek culminated with the ascent of Huayna Potosi, our first mountain over 6,000m!

But before we get to that, here are some impressions of the vistas and life in the mountains of the Andes oriental.


Getting the gear ready for the trek.
FLTR: Jose (driver), Felix (cook),
Andres (guide) and Inga (trekker).
Waiting for donkeys and donkey drivers.

Camp on Day 1. Yup, there´s absolutely nobody around.
Just llamas and their herders. And Lago Titicaca, el mar
de Bolivia, on the horizon. A daily view on this trek.

Andres, Jan and Inga having a fine time with our first pass
over 5,000 metres! (Photo by the multi-talented Felix)

Andres, Jan and Inga above one of
the most gorgeously coloured
lagunas. We camped just below it.




Our camp on Day 3. Still just us and
our team :)

 

Felix prepared all of our food. Every
day he tracked us down for lunch
along the trail.

Breakfast nook with a view. Morning of day 4.

Day 4 camp site. Jan taking a break
before moving in.This was the last
day for our first two arrieros, who also
take care of the camp each day.



Camp day 5. Here we started to have
rustic services like a bathroom,
maintained by the community in
that valley. Also, first time another
group was camping with us.



Day 6 we summitted Pico Austria at 5,350 m! This trek was
filled with firsts in terms of heights we obtained. I never
even had a twinge of a headache, Jan did suffer a bit on the
way up, though, with a cold and upset stomach. But, in good
style she persevered and made it up on her own steam.

Day 7 - packing up camp. Victoria
(middle), Felix´s wife was our arriero
for 3 days. Their daughter (front) joined
them for a night.

Inga forever trying to take pictures
of birds. Near Lago Esperanza - also
an abandoned mining community.

Day 8. This day we saw more people than any other on our
trek. A group of 14, plus guides, cooks and arrieros, and their
llamas and donkeys, of course! While amazingly cute and
sure-footed, llamas can only carry 12 to 15 kg, while donkeys
carry up to 40 kg.

Camp day 9. The end of our trek
and the beginning of the preparations
for climbing Huayna Potosi.