Peru..........on the road less travelled

December 30, 2010

How many countries can you travel through in 9 month. I just counted the countries we have visited. We are in Peru, the 9th country, in the 9th month of our journey.
When I received this travel plan, back in Mexico last February, I was told, it would be a 9 month journey. I have known all along, that the end of the Ruby Road is at Lake Titicaca. Then we can do, be and go wherever we want. Maybe a new plan will follow.

The road to Balza, the Peruvian border, was unbelievable. A continuous steep climb on a dirt road that got smaller and smaller until it was just a single dirt track to Zumba, where the busline ends. I had met a young Israeli on the bus, together we continued on a pick up truck to the international bridge and entered Peru. Sky just ran accross the border and in to the Customs building, while we had to get several stamps from immigration and police, located in different shacks. There are no bus services from Balza. A little Moto taxi arrived, to take us to the next village 3 km down the road. When Sky heard the taxi, he came out and jumped on. We travelled by auto, with 4 adults and a 6 year old child in the rear seat, 2 passengers in the front and the driver for 4 hours. Sky was in the back and probably the most comfortable. At some town we switched to a Micro bus, thinking it would be better, alas it was not.
Jaen, the first major town, where we spent the night, appeared chaotic with hundreds of moto taxis buzzing through the streets and very few cars. We finally arrived in Chachapoyas after another 5 hour ride in a car with too many occupants.
I loved the country side we had come through, but would probably never again want to endure that much physical discomfort getting somewhere, when there are other options available.
A visit to Kuelap, a pre-Inca citadel, high in the mountains (3000m)let me forget soon, the road less travelled. Karajia and Pueblo Muerte, where whole mountain sides are full of tumbs, mostly unearthed, are amazing places. I spent Winter Solstice walking among our dead ancestors. Most of these sites have little protection, or just a small portion of it is included. It is very common for farmers to find bones, vessels, painted masks while clearing a hillside and keep the goods in their house. It took me a couple of days getting used to the roads in this part of Peru, where they are generally dirt, steep, narrow, far and very curvy. The trails to the sites or hiking anywhere match the roads, leading along steep cliff sides and over rickety foot bridges. Peruvians are manic drivers, who will pass other cars in the dead of a curve, but I got used to it. Gocta, a 771 meter high waterfall (3rd highest in the world)was another highlight near Chachapoyas. There are great treks in the area, but the rainy season started, so I opted to head to the northern coast instead.
I wanted to see the Moche Temples of Las Huacas del Sol y de la Luna, famous for their beautiful polychrome friezes. This time we booked a comfortable overnight bus to Trujillo and arrived rested in Huanchaco, a small beach and surf village.
At first I was not too excited about the coast. There are big waves, undercurrents
and the village is surrounded by dessert, with hardly a plant sticking out.
After a couple of days there, the village started growing on me. It had a really good local feel, the people were very nice and there were relative few tourists.
I decided to stay for the Christmas Holidays.
On Christmas Eve, about 6 pm, a procession arrived in town. Apparently the procession had left a few days ago, carrying the Virgen de Socorro and San Pedro 13 km to Trujillo for the Blessing in the great Cathedral and was now returning back home to their own church. This was not anything I had ever seen before. From the outside it looked more like a carneval parade, with people in costumes, except for the Saints and Virgin being carried. Soon I learned, the first group of dancers were the black mask beings, representing the evil existing in humans. The second group were the demons and devils of the other realm. The demons had these amazing headmasks and very colorful costumes, dancing all the time while making deep growling sounds. They represented the dark spirits on Earth and around humanity. Infront of the Virgin and Saint Pedro, who met up with San Jose in town were a group of girls in angel dresses. All this was accompanied by great fanfare, fireworks, poems, speeches, music and gifts of flowers being presented to the Virgin.
It was amazing to witness the love and devotion of the people to their Virgin, so much beauty, joy and love. I felt half drunk in this flow of hightened energy and continued with everyone else to the church for the midnight mess. After church the families share a sumptuous dinner and exchange gifts. At 2 in the morning you could see lots of kids out in the street playing with their new toys. Christmas day business is as usual, except the beach was packed with families from Trujillo comming for the day.
My next stop was Lima, but when I arrived there, I wondered why I wanted to be in Lima and instead continued on to Ica, to an Oasis nearby, called Huaca China.
That place was great. A very small community of 200 people living around a lagoon, surrounded by huge sand dunes stretching far out into the dessert. Sky and I hiked a few large dunes in the evenings. He especially enjoyed the run down. I also tried out sandboarding. Great fun....!
Nasca and the great Nasca lines are next on our itinerary before turning back inland to Cusco.

Fire...Water....and Ash

December 22, 2010

Not having my own laptop with me anymore makes writing a little more of a challenge.
There are plenty of internet cafes everywhere, but the connections are often soooo slow. Not to mention, when the whole system suddenly shuts down and all is lost.

Amazonia, Ecuador has left a deep impression in my psyche. Every time I close my eyes, I can still smell the Jungle and see the plants and forest in vivid colors.
The thought, that some of these plants can kill you, if touched is mindboggling and leaves me in awe of nature and the amazing synchronisity in which nature is arranged.

Leaving the Jungle behind in a westerly direction, the road climbed slowly back up into the mountains to Banos. A tourist destination, well known, for it´s thermal waters, spas and bungy jumping adventures off high bridges.
I opted out on hurlying myself off a bridge, but enjoyed the soothing hot springs after a strenuous day´s hike, or had a steambath. The Volcan Tungurahua was belching out huge clouds of ash almost hourly. I felt the Earth shake, the first night I spent there and realized in the morning, that this was from the volcanic eruptions. One of the hikes led me up high above Banos to Casa del Arbol,from where I had a clear view of Tungurahua. That day, the volcano seemed to breath very deeply, which sounded like a gas camping stove turned on high. Each time, the earth shook, then large glowing rocks spilled high in the air with the release of ash.
It was a bit unnerving to be so close to the Volcano, yet at the same time fascinating to hear and feel the amazing power of the fire deep within the mountain. All this energy messed with my sleep cycle, that I could only manage to sleep a couple of hours at a time and at the most got 5 to 6 hours of sleep, which lasted for another week after leaving the area behind. While I was there, I was convinced, the Volcano would erupt more seriously within days. I thought it best to be on my way out of there. Later on I heard the news, that Banos indeed had to be evacuated due to pyroclastic gases released 2km down the mountain.
Sky and I had reached the highlands by then turning south to Riobamba and on to Alausi, near the famous Nariz del Diablo. The weather had been changing quickly from nice sunny days to more frequent rain and thick fog. I had to scratch the Devil´s nose. It was just too foggy. The trainline is being repaired and will not operate again until February. The next adventure led to Chunchi and Santa Rosa. Although the fog continued to be thick in the region, I needed to climb up to Punay Hill.
The mountain is covered, but Archiologists have confirmed the existence of 3 pyramidic structures. The shape of the mountain is that of a Guacamaya (Scarlet Macaw). The 3 platforms are frequently used for sacred traditional ceremonies. Until very recent, local farmers have found vases, shards, gold and jewelry, while cutting grass for their animals. Now, the locals are fiercely protective of this mountain and will watch anyone visiting closely, to be sure they have no digging devices with them to unearth ancient goods.
Danita, a local girl, came with me up the mountain. Her parents felt, I should not go alone in the fog. It was a 2hour hard hike up and well worth the pain, but the sun only cleared the clouds partially, for a quick peek of the whole terrain.
I sat down for a meditation, intending to speak with the Ancient Ones. Instead I was given a crown of feathers, that was being adjusted and decorated to my head. In the front it had a gold triangle, covering my forehead. On each side feathers extended reaching to the back, where the largest feathers reached a height of almost a meter above my head. I also was given large gold bracelets for each wrist and something around my knees and ankles. The beings that were helping me with the crown seemed to be of a pre-Incan civilisation. Even today, I can still feel the crown of feathers on my head. I kept thinking, that I must have had a previous life in that civilisation, but can not recall anything specific of it.
When we returned to Danita´s house, a lunch was waiting for us, prepared by her mother. I was plenty hungry and gratefully accepted the invitation, since I still had a 3 km hike back up the dirt road to the Pan American Highway.
Next stop: Cuenca, probably the most beautiful colonial city in all of Ecuador. Each house seemed to tell a story, beautifully crafted and with ornate decorations. And the best of all, I found brown rice to eat. Something unheard of in Ecuador. From Cuenca, a 7 hour bus ride south, took us to Vilcabamba. A lush, pleasant valley at about 1.500 meters above sea level. There are plenty of expats living in the region. Some had some interesting phylosophies to share, like do not own a cell phone, or you are being watched....etc. It was fun, maybe even true, who knows. On the bus I had met Kent from Homer, Alaska. We spent 4 days together hiking around Vilcabamba, laughing a lot and trying out the different restaurants in town. One day, all the planets seemed to have lined up correctly and I decided to take the long trek south to the most remote border crossing of Peru...Balza. Sky needed a new health certificate to enter Peru and I sort of had dropped the ball on that, as there were no Veterinarians in Vilcabamba. It is a very small town. My hope was, that either they would be happy with the paperwork I have for him, or Sky would have to kind of walk himself accross the border.

Chicha.....Yucca.....and Rubber Boots

December 14, 2010

Many people had told me to go to Tena and to plan a jungle excursion from there.

After my return from the Galapagos Islands, I quickly fetched Sky from my friend Maria in Otavalo and we were off to Tena...via Quitos and La Mitad del Mundo for some fun and games along the equator meridian. I was able to balance the egg on a nail, but failed miserably to walk in a straight line with my eyes closed, swaying like a drunk.
We spent Full Moon on the Equator and hiked the Pullulahua crater the next morning, where about 100 families make their life inside the crater, growing fruits, vegetables and raising sheep and cattle.

The route from Quitos into Amazonia leads through breathtaking beautiful mountainous terrain. Distance in Ecuador means nothing, where 50 km might take 2 hours on a paved road, descending and ascending on steep curvy roads, dropping from one valley into the next. We arrived in Tena after 5 and 1/2 hours on the bus. Sky had for the first time not been allowed inside the bus, but had to ride below with the luggage. Naturally, I was worried about his wellness, but the driver had assured me he would be fine....and he came out alright. Tena, a sizeable town of 28,000 inhabitants near the Napo river was a pleasant enough place to hang out and get oriented.
I was a little concerned about going into the Jungle with Sky, not knowing if he would be welcome, if it was save for him with the wildlife, or needing to spend a ton of money on a hosted tour. While pondering my options over a glass of Guanaba juice, I was approached by a Canadian woman wondering if I lived around there anywhere. This happens often, people think I live in Ecuador, because I have my dog with me. At the end of the conversation with Elizabeth, who has been living in a Quichua community down the Napo River for the past 3 years, we had an invitation to come and stay with her. The next day we caught a bus to Misahualli and a canoe down the Napo river to Pucahurco. Her place was directly above the Napo river in a tiny community of 68 people. We spent our days there helping Elizabeth with whatever needed to be done. Fetching the horses up in the jungle, doing laundry, giving the school children rides on the horses, going down the Napo with the canoe to fetch fruits and some plants from the jungle to prepare meals for ourselves and her workers, swimming in the Napo and exploring communities further down the Napo River. Sky and I loved it there. The 28th of November was Census day in Ecuador. The whole country was shut down for the day with a curfew until 5pm, which was enforced by police and the military, foreigners and tourists included. Imagine that....!
We just hung out that day on the river with the women and children of the community. The following morning we continued our journey further south to Puyo. I had been dreaming about visiting a Shuar village. But while in Puyo, a gritty town, I lost all courage, because I could not really find good information on what I was looking for. To go into the jungle would require rubber boots, mosquito net etc., all of which I did not possess. In Pucahurco I had been lucky and was able to borrow boots from Elizbeth and her accomodation had not too many insects.
I moped around in Puyo for a day, wondering what to do next. In the morning, I was about ready to scratch the whole idea when I came by a stand that sold rubber boots. On a whim I purchased boots and long socks. With that in hand I decided, I was well enough equipped to visit the Shuar. After all, the Jungle people should know what plants to use against insect bites. We hopped on a bus that took us further south toward the Pastaza River. A small, unmarked trail lead off the road into the Jungle near Arutam. After a short hike uphill I encountered the person I was looking for...Enrique. I told him what I wanted and he brought me to his mother´s house
for a welcome drink of Chicha, where I met 5 more brothers, 2 sisters and some nephews and nieces. Their family consisted of 11 children, mom and the children and wives or husbands of the oldest children. Their father was living for the past 10 years with his second wife and there were 12 more brothers and sisters in another community further southeast in the jungle.
In the past Shuar men could have up to 15 wives, often they were sisters, and they all lived together in a Longhouse peacefully. These days, many Shuar families tend to live in wood houses clustered close together, with only a few wives, but still many children in a communal setting. The children sleep with their parents unil they are twelve, then they are moved to shared quarters with brothers and sisters.
We stayed with the family for 3 days, drank lots of Chicha, ate yucca, platanos and tried Guanto (jungle rodent)among other plants and roots from the Jungle. The Shuar always make fun of each other and of course of the foreigner, laugh easy and often. We hiked for overnight camps into the Jungle and I learned a lot about the use of plants for food and medicinal purposes, including how to protect yourself from insect bites. The other half of the week was spent with the father´s family, where the ages of the children ranged from 3 years to 25 years. At the mother´s family the age ranged from 10 years to 36 years old. The young children were amazingly loving, climbing all over me, whenever I sat down somewhere. There was more Chicha to be had, strange foods to be tried and another overnight trip into the jungle on the banks of the Pastaza river. We walked for hours in the hot, steamy jungle seemingly effortless. Ernesto, the father, convinced me that Chicha makes you strong. Thus, drink more Chicha. I like Chicha!!!! Good stuff. The Rubber boots were all we ever wore. A neccessity in the Jungle. It protects you from toxic leaves, sticky or thorny plants, vines, possible snake bites and mudd.
Arutam is the name of the great spirit, who lives in a Kapok tree. You can climb up the Liana de Oro into these great giants. Trees can be up to a thousand years old in original growth forests.
It was phantastic to watch the Shuar, how gracefully they move through the jungle, hardly leaving foot prints and how quickly a meal was supplied from the jungle. No meat was served, since the family is protecting their nearly 3000 hectar reserve and only hunts on a fringe of their land. At night we could see and hear the monkeys move through the forest. I did not sleep well in the forest. It is so loud....beautiful.....but loud all night long, even though Enrique and I had ingested some tabacco water for sweet dreams. We tried to fish on the Pastaza river, but failed to catch anything. The river was high and fast since the rainy season had begun, but the swimming was most welcome and refreshing.
Sky loved all the smells of the jungle, running wildly back and forth. Occassionally he disappeared among the plants, sniffing furiously. I prayed, he would stay away from snakes or other harmful beings.
We all made it back out safe, filled with the sounds and smells of the jungle. It was an amazing week. I am so glad I did follow through on that dream...!