Into the Jungle, Part II

After leaving Lago Agrio, we rode in another bus for 3 hours until we reached the end of the road, where was a small house. We ate lunch while the Italians in our group were filming and photographing the children who lived there as if they were animals in a zoo. The amount of equipment they had with them was astounding, and one lady filmed the whole trip from start to finish. I think she was so busy filming that she forgot to actually see our surroundings. Then we continued in a long canoe-like boat for another 2 and a half hours. As you can see from the photo, it was a very wet ride.

Finally, we arrived at the lodge. While built in the local rustic style, it had hammocks, individual rooms, comfy mattresses, hot water for tea and hot chocolate... we weren't exactly roughing it. The weather was perfectly pleasant and there weren't many mosquitos on the river or in the lodge, only during the jungle walks. All the discomforts that the word "jungle" brings to mind simply didn't exist.

The first night, we went on a night walk to see the insects. There were grasshoppers, walking sticks, katydids, and all manner of very impressive and large bugs. Of course, each new discovery was heralded by the probing faces of the Italians' cameras and the continuous flashing as they snapped picture after picture. It was quite a comical sight, the paparazzi jostling for position to photograph a tiny insect.

Over the trip we saw macaws, toucans, dolphins, and five different types of monkeys! The one in the picture, Liana, used to be a pet but was rescued by the organization and now lives in the reserve. Monkeys are still hunted by the local people, both to eat and to be sold as pets.

Liana, eating her third banana and not slowing down 

While the days were filled with sightseeing and swimming in the river (a bit nerve-wracking for the men because of the dreaded penis fish that will swim up the urethra), it was the nights that were really enchanting. After dinner, we would play cards with the guides, exchange dirty vocabulary, and throw back a beer or two. Our guide, Jacob (ha-KOHB) gave me a henna tattoo of an iguana on my arm. One night, there was a concert, with the guides playing traditional music on an old, warped guitar with a water jug for a drum. Another night, someone bought a bottle of rum and we all sat around in the candlelight, joking and drinking. One by one people drifted off to their cabins, but I stayed up with Jacob and another guide until late, discussing Ecuadorian politics and jungle life while sipping punta, the jungle hooch made from sugar cane.

Every night, lying in bed or in the hammock, I would listen to the jungle concert and stare up at the stars. Out here, there was no rush. One could simply enjoy the sounds of the night insects, breathe deeply, and feel the stresses of life slipping away.

Our jungle family

The sun was hot and high in the sky when we set out for the last time in the boat. The giant trees along the banks and the birds dipping around the branches seemed even more beautiful now that we were leaving. Further up the river, trucks and barges and oil refineries began to appear, and the magic was over. It was time to return.

The Real Machu Picchu

It's practically obligatory for tourists in Peru to see Machu Picchu, and with good reason. The view of it from above is breathtaking; the stonework and engineering is incredible; and the imposing mountain of Huayna Picchu presides over this Inca citadel like a majestic guardian. Machu Picchu truly deserves to be named a "wonder of the world."

 And yet, the view today is not the one seen by Hiram Bingham when a few local farmers brought him up to the ruins. (And no, he did not "discover" Machu Picchu; it was familiar to many Peruvians for at least decades before he stepped foot there.) There are ropes delineating a path which must be followed at all times; if you step outside the boundary, one of the ubiquitous guards will blow his whistle and shepherd you back to the path. On the backside of the ruins, you can see the hydroelectric plant which provides power to the town of Aguas Calientes, the base for exploring the ruins. Ladders and other tools used for repairs can be seen among the buildings. Most of all, however, are the tourists swarming over every surface, 3,000 per day in the high season. People talk about the energy of the place, the tranquility and connection they feel to the original inhabitants. As I watched the tourists crawling over the temples and terraces, with their cameras around their necks and hats emblazoned with "Machu Picchu" (which were probably made in China), I couldn't help but feel as if I were in a zoo.

Of course, I fully realize that I was one of those tourists with the camara around my neck (although I would never wear one of those hats). It's a place worth seeing, and many people want to see it. I offer no solutions, only my observations. Now, onto specific details!

It's possible to climb the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu; however, this costs extra, must be reserved in advance, and is not for the faint of heart. Instead, Brian and I opted for the climb to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, which is the entrance from the Inca Trail. It was no picnic, but worth the climb. The view is great, it's very relaxing, and not too many tourists bother to climb all the way up. Of course, while relaxing, I had the horrible realization that I had left my purse somewhere along the trail. Brian gallantly retraced our steps to about halfway down, recovered the purse, and hiked back up. Phew. 

The view from Inti Punku

After that, we visited the Inca Bridge, another less-traveled route. While it wasn't terribly impressive, it was a nice respite from the tourist hordes, and offered a view of the backside of the mountain, including the hydroelectric plant. 

After spending all day there, we were exhausted. I don't know how the people arriving from the Inca trail have any energy to hike up all the steps there are after 4 days of walking. Machu Picchu is actually lower than Cusco, though at around 3,000 meters, it's still a struggle.

Overall, I would say that Machu Picchu is still quite impressive despite being one of the prime tourist attractions in the world. If you go, don't expect tranquility and photos devoid of other people. Oh, and expect to pay a lot of money; this certainly put a dent in our budget!

Party Crashing in Ayacucho

Ayacucho is the place to be during La Semana Santa. Luckily, we were able to stay with a relative because the place fills up about a month in advance. And bus tickets are around twice the normal price (we paid $70 each). So far, it's been a very interesting week...

A few hours before the bus was scheduled to leave, we went back to my aunt's place in Lima to finish packing and get our stuff. However, when we arrived, nobody was home and we didn't have a key. The doorman called my aunt, and she said we could get in through the terrazo, which is the back patio area. So Brian gamely starts to climb over the fence, but we didn't know that the tiles on either side were purely decorative, hence not fastened securely. The tiles fell, Brian fell, I fell, and all the neighbors poked their heads out the window to see what the racket was. It turns out my aunt had wanted us to wait for doorman to bring a ladder for us to climb over...oops! Brian's new knockoff sunglasses broke and he got scratched up a bit, but otherwise everything was ok. We are going to have to pay for the tiles, though.

We arrived in Ayacucho after a long and very winding bus ride and hopped into a colectivo for Huanta, about an hour away. There, we were warmly met by my cousin's aunt and treated to some great Peruvian hospitality.

During the week, there were many somber processions with elaborate statues of holy figures. This was very interesting and nice to see, but when Saturday arrived, I saw why everyone wants to be here for this week. In the morning, there was a running of the bulls (which Brian and I missed), and then everyone gets rip-roaring drunk for the whole day until the Easter mass at 4 A.M. It looked like a version of Spring Break, except that here people keep their shirts on. Well, the ladies at least. The locals jokingly call this La Semana Tranca - everyone is so drunk that it's like they're on tranquilizers.

We were walking around, having already had a few beers, when we wanted to find a place to drink some more and sit down in the shade. We saw a likely hole in the wall and walked in. Just when it dawned on us that this was a private party, two men in cowboy hats slapped us on the back and offered us a beer. We ended up spending a few hours there, drinking copious amounts of beer and meeting everyone at the party. Peruvians are great people.

Back in Huanta, there was another party at my aunt's house, some sort of police get-together. This is the first time I've been around that many drunk policemen! At around 9 they all stumbled home and we cleaned up. When we went to check on the grill an hour later, we found a straggler sleeping soundly in the grass. Overall, I'd say that this week has been a success, and I'm a little sad to be leaving.

Jorge and I act like children

Yesterday Jorge and I decided to do some last minute sightseeing around Lima before I leave on my next grand tour. We found ourselves by the zoo, so we spent a good couple of hours there. The highlights were the bear (definitely a bachelor bear) scratching himself and waving to visitors, and the parrots.

The blue parrot and I had a connection: he came down so I could take a picture, and he even wolf-whistled at me once.

 

In the middle of the zoo, we found a mirror maze. We decided to go in, just for fun. I thought it would be a piece of cake since it's for children, but man was I wrong. And no, I was not ever at any moment afraid of the dark interior... ok, maybe just a teeny tiny bit.  Anyway, we definitely did not make it out within the 6 minute limit.

Later that night, we went to a nice cafe in Barranco for dinner and saw that they had games, and we just had to play Jenga. We had so much fun acting like small children and cheating outrageously. It's so nice to find people who like to play board games and card games! And it's also really nice to spend an entire day doing kid things.