The first week we spent in a tiny village called Campo Cocha, which is a Kitchwa Indian town right on a river about an hour outside a small city called Tena. I stayed with a really lovely family all by myself. I was really rather nervous at first, but my hosts were just so accomodating that within a few hours I felt right at home with thier three kids. During the mornings, I'd get up for tea at 5am and then have breakfast with everyone at about 6:30 before heading out to work. The work varied a little, but except for one day where me and 2 other girls Renee and Tina were hauling fresh cut beams out of the rainforest, I was working on their farm. Mostly, this was machete work to clear the coaco and yucca feilds of weeds and small trees. I was really slow compared to my host parents Alex and Rosa, but I got better as the week went on. Then it was back to the house for a bath in the river and a long lazy lunch before going to the kids camp we ran for the students of the village. It was really sad to watch them try to hoard the art supplies the last day. It was so clear that they had never seen paints, glitter and paper like the ones we brought and it made me sad to think that things I took for granted as a kid were such treats for them.
The next week, we spent in an unbelievable lodge right in the rainforest. 5 of us bunked together in a cabin with bunk beds and it was just like camp. We had a few bugs, but there were bug nets supplied and screaning whereever possible. The food was absolutly amazing! His wife and her staff were just amazing cooks and even baked a irthday cake to celebrate the birthday of one of the crew.
But what was really important to me was the fact that this is an eco lodge in the true sense of the word.The whole lodge is run on solar power and the water comes from a
collection pool above the lodge that collects rainwater. The lodge is
also located on many many hectares of rainforest that Tom owns and
protects, making for a true rainforest experience. Right on the premises is a conservation project to save the yellow spotted turtle, an endangered animal to the local river, started by Tom himself, which we came to work for. We planted bamboo for better bank habitat and hauled sand to help build a nesting beach for the turtles in Tom's enclosures. We even got to see some turtles on the river that Tom had introduced.
Tom himself has been a conservationist his whole life and is a great resource for those interested in learning more about his work and conservation of the Amazon in general. I have never met a man more willing to share a story or his point of view on an issue. He has worked in the Galapagos for three years (lucky duck!) and He worked right beside us cutting bamboo and hauling sand, and knew all of the 11 people in our group by name at the end of the week. I was very sad to leave and hope to come back in the future.
If you want to learn more, here's his site!
Now we're in Otavalo, the famous market town for some retail therapy before heading off to the Galapagos, which I still can't believe!
And the ten day countdown has begun! I'm back MAY 4TH!!!!!
See you soon!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
I am still a little awed by the fact that I managed to walk the whole Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The whole thing was really hard, but an unbelievable experience. The $128 I spent on a porter to carry my bag was really key to making it possible. Between my bad knee and my weak lungs, I don't think I would have made it with a pack. It rained for part of every day, but not all the time. Fortunatly, we had porters who carried a big tent that we could stay under when we were at camp, and the cook was unreal. We had hot food of some kind for every meal! Unfortunatly, it rained for our whole tour of Machu Picchu, but then the sun came out just in time for us to have a sunny hour before lunch. It really deserves it's place as a new wonder of the world!
Day One
Day one was a mind over matter thing more than anything else. It was the first day and I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be pretty easy. I spent most of the trip chatting with my friend Honor and enjoying the views. This was the part that had the most houses and I thought it must be a little odd to live right outside of a trail that has hundreds of people walking it every day. For the most part, we were following a river though pretty thick forest. We also visted a few ruins, but they were rather small and not all that interesting. We camped in a campsite right by the river and I was lulled to sleep by its roar.
Day Two
This was by far the hardest day. We had to hike up to a pass that was 4200 meters, or 13779 feet. It was 5 hours uphill, most of it up broken stairs. By hour three or so, I couldn't even pay attention to the beautiful landscapes. We spent the first few hours hiking through what was really a rainforest. The trees were dense and covered in mosses and vines and the air was humid and foggy the whole time. Then came the hike up to the pass itself. It was about 2 and a half hours in the rain. It was even hailing at one point. I was cold and soaked through, and there were moments I thought I just could not go any further. Fortunatly, I was hiking with one other girl and Lauren, one of our leaders, as well as one of the guides. We all walked together, and I never felt behind. When I got the the top, I felt so exhausted, but I was super proud. But it was still 2 hours down. I was so exhausted that I remember very little of the campsite.
Day Three
Day three was the easiest day out of all of them in terms of hiking. The trail for most of it was rolling and not very steep in either direction until the end when we had 2 and a half hours downhill. Unfortunatly, after maybe 30 minutes of stairs, my knee became very swolen and painful, to the point where I had to go extremly slowly because I was in so much pain. The guide who was with me gave me another walking stick and it was the only way I managed to get down.
Day Four
We had to get up super early on the last day so we could get to the sun gate for sunrise. It was maybe 3 am when we were woken up, but there was hot food waiting when we got all packed up. It was the birthday of one of the girls in our group and somehow, at 4 in the morning, they had an iced and decorated cake for her. We all sang, and were in an awesome mood four our hike. We had to wait an hour for a checkpoint to open (and people had no line manners....) but then it was all easy from there. It began to rain and my knee was still really sore, but it was only 2 and a half hours to Machu Picchu, which kept me going. Unfortunatly, it was overcast at the sun gate so we didn't get a sunrise, but I got some awesome photos down towards the ruins, and it was such a thrill to finally see the end of the road.
Machu Picchu
This is truly an unreal site. Safe for a very few places, the ruin is all original. And most of the buildings and walls are still up. The architecture is amazing. The Inca knew how to build their walls so they could withstand earthquakes, and there are stones that point exactly to the 4 cardinal points of the compass. But even more amazing was the location. All around the city there are huge towering mnountains and thick jungle. Machu Picchu is located at the very ednge of was is considered the Peruvian Amazon, and there is so much water and vegetation. The very fact that it exists is unreal.
I am feeling wiped out but super proud right now. This is something I'd never thought I'd do, and yet here I am at the end, with photos to prove it.
Day One
Day one was a mind over matter thing more than anything else. It was the first day and I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be pretty easy. I spent most of the trip chatting with my friend Honor and enjoying the views. This was the part that had the most houses and I thought it must be a little odd to live right outside of a trail that has hundreds of people walking it every day. For the most part, we were following a river though pretty thick forest. We also visted a few ruins, but they were rather small and not all that interesting. We camped in a campsite right by the river and I was lulled to sleep by its roar.
Day Two
This was by far the hardest day. We had to hike up to a pass that was 4200 meters, or 13779 feet. It was 5 hours uphill, most of it up broken stairs. By hour three or so, I couldn't even pay attention to the beautiful landscapes. We spent the first few hours hiking through what was really a rainforest. The trees were dense and covered in mosses and vines and the air was humid and foggy the whole time. Then came the hike up to the pass itself. It was about 2 and a half hours in the rain. It was even hailing at one point. I was cold and soaked through, and there were moments I thought I just could not go any further. Fortunatly, I was hiking with one other girl and Lauren, one of our leaders, as well as one of the guides. We all walked together, and I never felt behind. When I got the the top, I felt so exhausted, but I was super proud. But it was still 2 hours down. I was so exhausted that I remember very little of the campsite.
Day Three
Day three was the easiest day out of all of them in terms of hiking. The trail for most of it was rolling and not very steep in either direction until the end when we had 2 and a half hours downhill. Unfortunatly, after maybe 30 minutes of stairs, my knee became very swolen and painful, to the point where I had to go extremly slowly because I was in so much pain. The guide who was with me gave me another walking stick and it was the only way I managed to get down.
Day Four
We had to get up super early on the last day so we could get to the sun gate for sunrise. It was maybe 3 am when we were woken up, but there was hot food waiting when we got all packed up. It was the birthday of one of the girls in our group and somehow, at 4 in the morning, they had an iced and decorated cake for her. We all sang, and were in an awesome mood four our hike. We had to wait an hour for a checkpoint to open (and people had no line manners....) but then it was all easy from there. It began to rain and my knee was still really sore, but it was only 2 and a half hours to Machu Picchu, which kept me going. Unfortunatly, it was overcast at the sun gate so we didn't get a sunrise, but I got some awesome photos down towards the ruins, and it was such a thrill to finally see the end of the road.
Machu Picchu
This is truly an unreal site. Safe for a very few places, the ruin is all original. And most of the buildings and walls are still up. The architecture is amazing. The Inca knew how to build their walls so they could withstand earthquakes, and there are stones that point exactly to the 4 cardinal points of the compass. But even more amazing was the location. All around the city there are huge towering mnountains and thick jungle. Machu Picchu is located at the very ednge of was is considered the Peruvian Amazon, and there is so much water and vegetation. The very fact that it exists is unreal.
I am feeling wiped out but super proud right now. This is something I'd never thought I'd do, and yet here I am at the end, with photos to prove it.
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