The almost Inca Trail

The Inca Jungle trek starts at 7.30am... a Peruvian 7.30am (so nearer 8). There was a lot of faffing about the streets of Cusco, and then when we finally got on a bus, there was a good long wait while they loaded bikes up on top. The best solution to the madness was to fall asleep and conveniently wake up once we were in the stunning mountain panoramas. It's the kind of scenery that makes you feel the size of an ant and the size of a giant at the same time, with nothing to really put the size of the mountains to scale.

The epic drive continued as we gradually got to know some of the group members, again from all over the world. When a wave of nausea and dizziness came over me, and my ears started popping, I became aware of just how high we were. This was all to take us to a point where we could be loaded off on to mountain bikes (for my parents' sake, I won't say too much about the bikes...) for the most amazing bike ride  imaginable -straight down the mountain road in to a valley. Three hours of Andean exhilaration. The group spread out a lot, depending on weight/gravity or confidence so I was often free to imagine that I was biking solo through the mountains, interrupted only by the various fords where waterfalls met the road. You could slow down, you could lift your feet up, but you were getting a soaking. And just as you got dry, there was another one.

The ride ended in a bit of a mud bath before we reached a village, Santa Maria, where we stayed the night in a proper hostel (no hot water, no wifi, TV, free tea or towels etc). So it was here, in my Paddington Bear notebook, I wrote the first part of this post - just like in travel journal days.

Santa Maria is what you'd expect of a more remote village: small, simple, centred around a football pitch where all the youths gather of an evening to play. However, it's very much a stopping point for treks like ours, with shops loaded up with water, Power Raid drinks and toilet paper. There is even a bar with a happy hour. Lower than Cusco, it's much warmer, but not the same stifling heat as in the northern desert, and my ears were ringing with the sound of insects instead of traffic and Latin music blaring from passing cars.

The second day, we really did set of at 7.30am. It was a tough hike with steep climbs but the views more than made up for it. There were regular stops, mostly at houses where they'd sell bananas and fresh juice, and they tended to have very cute puppies, kittens and ducks wandering around. One of the houses had a very hyperactive monkey (sadly tethered up) jumping around/at us and getting cosy with his teddy bear 'girlfriend'.

The 8 hour walk involved various, increasingly hair-raising river crossings; whether it was a few logs over raging rapids, or a strange sort of tray on a pulley system.

The marathon walk ended with a visit to some hot springs and then a heavy downpour which caused chaos around the only 2 undercover areas at the springs. We waited out the worst of it and then walked over a landslide to get a bus up the hill to the town. A small Peruvian boy, Anthony, somehow ended up on our combi bus. He must have been a bit overwhelmed ; he did eventually decide that it was safe to sit on the empty seat next to me, but spent more time standing after Nico thought it would be funny to tell him that I eat children.

It was the only wet evening, and it happened to be at the one town that has one disco/bar, which presumably survives off trekking groups passing through. One bar is all you need though, and some of the group members stayed until unreasonable hours. How they managed the trek apparently unscathed the next day, I can only assume is coca-related. For the trek, we moved from tea to chewing on the dried leaves. This is how Inca messengers used to run 26 mile (steep up and down) sections of the Inca trail in less than 4 hours. Incredible but feasible when you've felt the reviving effects of 7-8 coca leaves half way up a seemingly vertical jungle path in the hot sun.

The third day involved a later start and a flatter walk, mostly along the train tracks of the line running to Machu Picchu. It was a tame 6 hour hike, other than a couple of wobbly suspension bridges with a few too many slats missing. Along this walk, we got our first glimpse of the ruins up on the mountain side before reaching the town of Aguas Calientes ('Hot Waters', ironically, because it was a very very cold shower).

Machu Picchu itself was truly amazing. We set off on the gruelling final climb at 4.30am, head lamps on and up through the clouds. When the sun rose, the weather was perfect - a winning combination with the low-season crowds. I'd expected an anti-climax but it was the complete opposite and I spent 8 hours wandering the ruins, only trekking down out of exhaustion to indulge in another cold shower, pizza and ice cold Cusqueñas.

With the end of the trek, the reality of going home was creeping in. It was sad to say goodbye to the group; again, a good international crowd providing lots of Spanglish conversation and hilarity. We all went our separate ways after catching the train back (and sadly missing the views from it in the dark, but we'd seen most of it on foot).

A final night in Cusco and then it we were back up to Lima for my last 26-or-so hours. There we were reunited with another SKIP volunteer and fellow Mancora traveller. The part of Lima where we stayed, Miraflores, could almost be a city in north America with higher prices, ocean views and all the chains and brands you'd expect. However, I fitted in some cultural activities in a whirlwind city tour.

Now I'm finishing this up back home with a cup of Earl Grey, but it is not the last post! I've also yet to finish the Spanish version of the SKIP annual report and a couple of articles so it doesn't quite end there (denial?).
Sum up and a bit more about Lima to follow...

South to Cusco

The SKIP 2011 Annual Report is online!

http://www.skipperu.org/en/about-skip

It actually still needs tweaking a bit but I won't say where. I may have only been with SKIP for a month but I've got something to show for it and it will stay on the website...maybe forever as well as being sent to all sorts of people and potential funders (I was informed that there has already been some interest on the back of this report alone...).

I didn't have time to think about leaving SKIP very much since I was still working right to the end. A lot of people asked how I felt about leaving and, quite honestly, more than anything, I was excited about getting to Cusco! It was tough finishing work off in a busy house in the heat whilst simultaneously planning the trip south. However, when the time came, it was a Thursday evening (family dinner night) so everyone was around and I got a lovely send off that made it feel very strange to leave everyone.  There's a tradition of creating a human archway leading up to the door for you to walk through as you walk out for the last time. With such a full house, my archway was a tunnel across the entire patio. Then, suddenly, I was in the taxi to the bus station along with a very stuffed rucksack (I bought a couple of scarves made by SKIP mothers but I'm sure I got rid of a lot of stuff too...) and travel buddy Nico. I'd better introduce Nico since I'll be spending the whole week with him. Nico is from Cleveland in the States, he's a teacher but he took 8 months off to come and volunteer for SKIP. He likes karaoke, water polo and Mentos.

 A (quite small) family dinner

Cusco is everything I hoped for and more. I was nervous about the altitude hitting me hard, arriving by plane directly from sea level. At 3399m in the main square (and I hasten to add that our hostel is a fair bit higher!), it's not the highest I've ever been but it is the highest I've been without the help of Diamox. However, I'm clearly from mountain goat stock as the effects have been minimal (*smug*). Walking up the steep hill to our lovely hostel with stunning views was very slow on the first time but it was accompanied by a fairly pleasant floaty feeling rather than the pounding headache that people talk about. The hostel provides unlimited 'mata coca' a 'tea' that's a natural remedy for altitude sickness (basically a handful of dried leaves in got water and genuinely delicious, if a bit awkward when you get a bit of leaf or stem in your teeth).

So, Cusco. For those not familiar, it sits in a sort of well in the mountains, and the outskirts sprawl up the sides of them. It's much more 'old school mountain Peru' than the coast, much more abundant in tourists, which is a shame but at least people don't stare at us and shout things in the street. They do try to sell you things and coerce you in to restaurants. I don't know which is more annoying. Nico and I have developed a come-back that works for most of their offers. When one of us is offered something, you say "No thanks, I have him/her." For example, "Would you like a baggage trolly?" (not free!) -"No thanks, I have one (pointing at Nico)". This has also proved effective when offered massages, a 'beautiful little doll' and a horse to help with the walk.

The ruins in the surrounding mountains are horrendously underrated by the guide book, probably just because there are so many of them. The past 3 days have felt like borrowed time because I was expecting (on the advice of many people + books) to be incapacitated with altitude sickness. So to have seen some stunning Inca ruins and panoramic mountain views and trekked around the nearby town of Pisac among waterfalls, whilst being serenaded by panpipes before even starting the trek to Machu Picchu, is quite exciting.

 Cusco

A view from Sacsayhuaman ruins (pronunciation easy to remember, it sounds just like 'sexy woman')

A baby Alpaca (I ate some today too)

Pisac was pretty exhausting, not least because of the bus ride back to Cusco. The bus was full. Or so we thought. They managed to pack us on a few more behind so we were standing, contorted and holding on for dear life right at the front. At the next stop – maybe some people will get off? Oh no, they’re getting a couple more on. Meanwhile the bus makes its way up steep, winding mountain roads with breath-taking drops off the edge of the roads (with no barriers). When I managed to take my eyes off the steep drop/where I could get the best hand hold to stay upright on the bus, I focused on a window sticker at the front, roughly translated: "This ride is safe...because Jesus lights my way." I think there is such a thing as too much faith...

Tomorrow we’re heading off early for a 4 day trek ending at Machu Picchu, with some mountain biking, jungle trekking and hopefully river rafting (weather dependent) along the way. All being well, I’ll be back in Cusco on Thursday night with several billion photos, mosquito bites and muscle pains. Do I have several billion muscles? It already feels like it after today's little walk.

It's like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a tin opener

I've been observing throughout this trip how Peruvians don't like to explain anything. You never know what's going on here. Clearly, it's a cultural difference, and I am sure they find me pushy or anxious or something for asking why something is late/closed/how long something will take. Standard responses are
-Don't worry, every thing's fine
-Won't be a moment, every thing's fine


Mancora return journey:
-Me: Do I get the bus from here?
-Travel agent: Yes
-Me: (doubtfully) The bus actually stops right here?
-Travel agent: Yes, here.
I arrive later to get the bus there, only to be taken in a taxi to a bus station to get the bus
-Me: Why did you tell me the bus leaves from here?
-Travel agent: Because you had to come here to get the taxi, it's the same.

*It's not really the same though, it it...*


I got 'shown around' the gym on my first visit, which turned in to a sort of personal training session without any consultation whatsoever. The instructor set me going on the treadmill. I asked if he could show me how to work it, to which he said,
"It's OK, I'll do it"
- But can you show me so I know for next time?
- "It's OK, I'm always here so I can do it"
- But I don't want to do this programme
- "It's OK, this is a good one for you"
- I'd like to know how to work it myself
-"But why? I can help you."
- OK, fine.

This is all very light-hearted and amusing but there is a really hard aspect life here. I just saw two very bad, rather chilling, road accidents in two days; and the constant safety precautions you have to take to do the simplest of things makes me really appreciate the independence I'm afforded in the UK. If you listened to all the advice of the locals, you'd never go anywhere here. The main risk is getting robbed, so it's a case of never letting your guard down, especially since fair skin stands out a mile here. There is no blending in. Anywhere.

On the volunteer house side of life, the new Brits have been dropping like flies with various ailments. Don't want to speak to soon but I'm extremely proud to have not been held back once, suffering only minor complaints. They all had an intense week of training last week, which I've dipped in and out of. It began with orientation of Trujillo on Monday, then an 'ice-breaker' activity on Tuesday morning, in Spanish, to help with learning names (of something like 40 people!) and likes, which ranged from guinea pigs (to eat!) to butterflies (probably not to eat). The energetic start was followed by presentations from each of the SKIP departments. This gave an overview of the range of programmes that make up SKIP’s holistic approach to helping the families in El Porvenir to get themselves out of poverty. 

Throughout the rest of the training week are various sessions for the different education and social work teams. Training is thorough, covering most aspects of working with children including first aid training, behaviour management, boundaries, child protection and teaching procedures. Then today, only a week later, they all got stuck in to teaching as the children returned from holidays ready to supplement their school classes with SKIP classes. Sadly, I'm not going to have time to get involved, with only a few days to finish up my Communications work.

 I have mixed feelings about leaving the house in Trujillo. We were all reminded of the wonderful convenience of having running water and electricity when we suffered a day without either. Dirty dishes and disgruntled people mount up very rapidly on a hot Sunday afternoon. Generally, though, it's a fun and sociable place, perhaps best represented by the weekly 'family dinner' on a Thursday night. Two people cook for everyone (usually around 20). This doesn't sound too bad until you begin to factor in the various dietary requirements (ranging from vegetarian to no dairy, no wheat etc), the limited equipment in the kitchen and the lack of availability of various ingredients that most of us are used to. There is a lot of buzz about family dinner and I couldn't believe how many people asked what we were going to make (and how, and what not to do, and what time because if you say 8pm, it will be 9pm etc) when I took on the challenge in my second week. A 6"4 Australian and I (has anyone seen 'Big Cook Little Cook' on CBeebies?) set about making vast quantities of Italian-style fayre followed by roasted bananas with chocolate and ice cream. By all accounts, our efforts were a resounding success. There aren't enough forks to go around, and people improvise with spoons, chopsticks, sporks etc but then how often to you get a round of applause for cooking a meal?

One of my greatest work challenges came on Saturday morning, when the entire SKIP team gathered at the office in El Porvenir for the monthly meeting with the parents. My main objectives (besides just being there to observe) were to get some quotes from parents and children and to get some photos of the older children in the secondary education programme. There are not enough photos of teenagers, now I understand why. Whilst the young children are quick to give you a cuddle, chat to you and *love* having their photo taken, the older ones are much too cool. They are lovely but tend to look embarrassed/unimpressed, giggle and joke with each other. Then when I get my camera out, even after long negotiations, they'll just run away. So I managed to get one, and she had her eyes closed. The parents, on the other hand, are perfectly obliging and I took a couple of lovely shots of mothers or fathers with their children (which I'd post but one of them might be an annual report cover image so it would be an unfair preview! Instead, here's a brother and sister of 8 and 5 who I had a chat with whilst helping with their puzzle).

I'd been keen to get some more information and some direct quotes from one of the mothers whose story is going in the Annual Report. I'd gone along armed with a tape recorder so I didn't have to worry about understanding every word and translating on the spot whilst taking notes. Unfortunately, I failed to get the tape recorder working, and this lady was a TALKER. It was almost painful, knowing she was giving so many fascinating insights and not being able to get it all down. On a hot day, conducting an interview in a  different language, perched on the end of a flower bed, is exhausting. I made notes, which I'm converting in to elements of the article, only for it to be translated back in to Spanish. It's great experience since I'd normally take it for granted that everyone I need to communicate with for work speaks the same language.

The rest of the weekend was somewhat indulgent, including pampering (it is £6 for a French manicure and pedicure), shopping and eating out at the nicest restaurant I've seen here (still ridiculously cheap though). On Sunday a group of 3 of us headed to a nearby Moche ruin site where they are excavating a richly painted temple at the foot of a mountain. like the previous site, the scenery and vast spaces are worth the trip even without the incredible things that they are uncovering there.

From ancient civilisations to a North American basketball game at the stadium in Trujillo on Sunday night. A well-rounded Sunday, I thought.

Now, it's a race to finish up by Thursday night when I'm heading south to Cuzco for a week with yet another American travel buddy. A good way to sum up this one is by last Monday evening, when we went for a fairly relaxed walk around the central plaza and somehow ended up in a karaoke bar (Trujillo's one and only as far as I can tell) singing Eternal Flame... It should be a good week.

Trujillo - Huanchaco - Chicama

Since returning from Mancora, I’ve been getting to know my ‘home city’ of Trujillo a bit better.

Peace in the house was shattered by Sunday morning’s ‘British Invasion’ (several English students arrived all at once, and British seems to have taken over as the dominant accent in the house (note that I’ve adopted the term British Invasion as if I’m nothing to do with it!)) along with the return of all the other volunteers from their travels. It was great to see everyone back even after knowing them for only a couple of weeks. 

After an hour two working at home, when the house starts to stir, I head to a cafe in the centre, laptop in Mancora-purchased duck-egg blue shoulder bag in one hand and floral fan in the other. I must look a bit of a princess strutting around thus, seeking out the prettiest colonial cafes with wifi and getting distracted by artisan markets along the way, but it’s the perfect combination of work, cultural pursuits, sight-seeing and juice-sampling (the fruit here is heaven – who KNEW a banana could taste so good?).  

Trujillo improves a lot with further exploration. The central area is a colourful grid of colonial buildings interspersed with trees, churches, fountains and parks. Maybe it was just the culture shock and exhaustion when I arrived and first looked around, but I’ve definitely seen a new side.

The city is also dotted with little restaurants offering a delicious two course lunch for around £1.50. Like the fruit, even a plain salad is an experience; it’s even better followed by fantastic fresh seafood or tasty chicken or goat dishes though. Today I got jelly too!

Like everything, there are irritations. It’s busy and noisy in some streets, and the heat can get a bit much. Taxis flag pedestrians down, not the other way around (as if it didn’t occur to you that you might want a taxi until one has tooted it’s horn and slowed down alongside you...) and you have to perfect the assertive ‘finger waggle’ to ward them off.

 As I’ve mentioned before, there aren’t many foreigners in Trujillo, and getting constantly stared at can be tiring. Everyone knows that Latin American men, in particular, stare, whistle and shout comments at women, it’s just part of the culture. However, I really don’t think it can be acceptable in any culture for someone to behave like this whilst driving a funeral car as part of a procession...

For some real peace, local beach town Huanchaco (Hwan-chack-oh) is always the answer. The buses to Huanchaco pass by the house, with conductors hanging out the door shouting ‘Huanchaco-Huanchaco-Huanchaco!’ at regular intervals like some kind of very exciting tongue-twister. Although it gets very busy on the beach, there’s the same laid-back vibe that you find in surf-centred towns all over the world. There are some Spanish schools and more NGOs based in Huanchaco, so it’s also got more of an international flavour from the numerous students and volunteers based there. One of Huanchaco’s main distinguishing features besides the surf, are the reed fishing boats known as caballitos (little horses). They are all propped up on the beach, against the promenade wall, and the fishermen paddle them out to fish, then effectively surf them back to shore.

A couple of us visited another coastal town, Chicama, on Sunday. Surfing is world class here, with the world's longest lefthand pointbreak (do I sound like I know what I'm talking about?) . However, it's not at all high profile because of the difficult access, and foreign visitors are even more unusual than they are in Trujillo.

(This pic was from the bus on the way back from Chicama, I just added it for variety - the scenery around here is amazing.)

But the surf was not good on Sunday, the waves were not even suitable for beginners, breaking very near the sand, so what could I do but lie on the beach and eat ice cream? I say this, as it seemed like the best option, but due to high winds, it was a bit of an ordeal getting constantly showered by sand. If we’d kept still there for a couple of hours, I’m pretty sure we’d have been buried. I’m still finding sand in pockets of items I wasn’t even wearing that day, not to mention in my teeth! 

Lunch in Chicama was an experience. We found a cevicheria (place that serves ceviche) which was basically just someone’s house complete with hamster, and ‘adorable’ little boy running back and forth through the living room excitedly shouting at the top of his voice.  As we’ve often observed here, there were still Christmas decorations up on the run down turquoise coloured walls. The room was simple and run down with a concrete floor and a row of faded, sagging orange arm chairs along one wall. They served two dishes, and since one was £1 a plate, and one was about 60p, we got a mixture. They served drinks too, but this meant asking what we wanted, and then going round to the shop to get them (for no profit whatsoever).

My other Chicama restaurant experience was interesting. When the heat and sand pelting got a bit much on the beach, I elected to go and sit in a cafe in the shade and read my book. I did this for a while, thinking someone might come and serve me. No such luck. A man from a nearby table came and asked to take a photo of me and I had no reasonable objection to this. He later came back and asked for a close-up (because he "wants a photo of a foreign woman sitting in a cafe reading..."). It then transpired that it was his cafe (or so he said), so I was more than a little confused as to why it’s ok to take a photo of a customer when they’ve been sitting for 20 minutes without being offered a drink...  It all got too much when a group of young Peruvians pulled up in the moto-taxi, music blaring, and put their seats so close around that they may as well have been on top of mine and continued to entertain us all with their moto stereo. I decided I could put up with the sand shower after all.

Now over half way through the trip, I've got just a week-and-a-half left at SKIP. This is hard to believe and really quite sad. One of the new volunteers asked me how long it took me to settle in, to which I replied that I don't think I have yet...

(surf school in Huanchaco)