World Trip #3 – Trekking the Highlands
A lot has happened since last post. Let me see.
At the end of the week I had my last few lessons at the language school. The one-week course had been good – but I’ve learned that it’s practically impossible to learn Spanish in a week! The course has resulted in a +20 pages notebook and a very basic Spanish vocabulary that gets me around. The weekend and days after the school, I spent most of the time at the host family, as I wanted to get completely rid of a slight influenza that was lurking. Together with Ann-Dominique and Beata (girls from school), we went to a small town outside of Cuzco and did a three-hour trek through a forest-painted valley. Limbiza (I think its spelled like that), who was a Slovakian woman who lived in Cuzco and worked as a tour guide, was also with us on the trip and was very informative. She lived with her Peruvian family and knew a lot of the local culture and I think I learned more from her on that day, that any other had taught me the past week. All together it was a great trip and it helped a little on the general laziness that hits you when you don’t really have a current plan.
Next was the Inca Trail trekking trip. A few days before the trek, I moved to a hostal closer to the center of Cuzco. It was nice to have a little time for myself after staying with the family for 1.5 weeks – don’t get me wrong, the stay was very exciting and I met along of nice people during the many mornings and evenings!
However, it was time for the trek. First of, let me say that the 4 days Inca Trail on the Andean mountains to Machu Picchu was great. We started off driving to the take-off point in small mini-bus (the busses are in general really good down here, although there are some exceptions – see later post). My team consisted of 4 Argentinians; two of them being a couple and the other two were girls in the late 20’s. Now, 4 Argentinians, who randomly seem to came from Buenos Aires all of them, speak Spanish. And as I only speak enough Spanish to order a beer, ask for the toilet and buy a bus ticket, it was rather hard to join the conversation at first. But, after a few hours, English got to be the language of choice and thorough the whole trip, we had great fun.
The mountains, forest and nature in general are so extremely beautiful in the Andeans. The climb to 4200 meters was hard, admitted, but that’s part of the experience – and really added some adrenaline to the trek. Machu Picchu, which is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was amazing. We arrived at the spot around 6-7 am in the morning – it was foggy and we couldn’t see anything. None-the-less, the few people at the place at the early morning combined with the buildings (=ruins), hillside plateaus and beautiful nature, made the whole stay there very tranquil. Later, when the clouds took off and sun sunshine arrived, Machu Picchu revealed itself and it was breathtaking. I remember sitting on a stonewall, a little outside the general tourist area, and looking at the majestic mountains, wrapped in low hanging clouds and sunshine. Listening to the river below, feeling the warm weather – it’s a memorable moment… Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery just before we got to Machu Picchu, so the video and pictures from the place are few. The others did however take quite a few pictures, which I will add later when I get a hold of them.
Coming back from Machu Picchu and Aguas Calliente by train and bus, I checked in at Loki Hostal in Cuzco. Stayed there a few days with two of the girls from the trip and met two German guys. The plan was now Puno, Titicaca, but because of a road block (due to a strike) on the road, I was forced to make a round-trip to Arequipa first – which turned out to be a great experience. More on this later tho’, as this post is already way too long.
Oh, and by the way – I have found a beautiful Bolivian girl, which I have decided to spent the rest of my life with. I love her and she loves me – that is all we need to know. Currently looking for an apartment in La Paz, so if anyone knows someone who knows someone else that has one for sale, please let me know. Mom and dad: I might now be coming home to summer anyway. I hope you understand my decision! Love you
Notes to self:
- Taxi’s are cheap in Peru! $1 across of Cuzco
- Truche (trout) is good and paired up with a tomato soup and a Cusquena, you can’t go wrong
- The highlands are so beautiful. When I get to be an old bitter millionaire, I’ll build my own house here (100$ a square meter I think it is)
- I had great fun with all the Spanish students, the Argentinean amigos and the other gringos I met in bars, hostals and busses
- Don’t ever say “Concha tu Madre” to a Bolivian – ever!
- Peru is lovely… Me like
Pics and vid:
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