Santa Cruz Trek

A large part of the Ancash region in Peru is a valley between the Cordillera Negra (black range) and the Cordillera Blanca (white range) mountains in the Andes. Most of the highest peaks in Peru (there are over 50 mountains in the area) are in the Cordillera Blanca, and are permanently snow capped (hence the name). It is for this reason, the area is a very popular destination for trekking, ice climbing etc.

Apart from the Inca trail, I had not planned on doing any trekking during this trip. And, I did not do the Inca trail because I did not think I was fit enough. So, in a moment of madness or insanity (or whatever you call it), I signed up together with four other people from my hostel to go on the 4 day, 3 night Santa Cruz trek. I have not done anything resembling camping for over 10 years, and apart from hiking on Table Mountain, I have hardly done anything of the sort ... so this was always going to be an interesting experience.

The Santa Cruz trail is one of the "easier" trails in the Cordillera Blanca. And the trek, organised by Montrek, a trek company with a good reputation in the guide books, was definitely more luxurious than the standard trek: donkeys to carry equipment and bags, a guide, a donkey driver, the food and the equipment were all part of the package. In those terms, the cost was also very reasonable: 80 US $ for the package and about 22 US $ for the entrance fee to the national park.

The Group

Montrek (and it seems the other trek companies) are all agencies. They contract out the guides and donkey drivers on an individual trek basis, as well as provide all the equipment and the food. Our guide, Abel, was fairly new at the job (around one year as a qualified guide), but as he spoke good English and some French on top of the Spanish and Quechwa, he claimed that he is in fairly high demand. Since he grew up in these parts he was very knowledgeable of the geography, the vegetation as well as some local stories and folklore. He was also the cook and a very good cook at that.


The donkeys were driven by their owner, Emilio, and his 14 year old son, Adrian. What was really impressive was how fast Emilio and Adrian could cover the trek - they started each day after we left, and got to the camp site before us and were usually half way through setting up the tents. Even more impressive is the fact that they did the return journey (which is much harder) in just 1 and a half days!

As for the trekkers, there were 4 others from the hostel I am staying in Huaraz. Marta, is from Barcelona, Spain, and has been traveling around Central and South America for about 4 months. In Spain, her primary (summer) job is working for a large music festival. Wes(ley) is from Canada and has been in Peru for a couple of months, mainly surfing. He is a tree planter during the summer. Andrea, Wes' friend, also from Canada, is on a three month trip in South America, most of which has been spent on volunteer work in Ecuador. She also does environmental work in Canada, mainly doing field work in the forests. Alia is from Alaska, and is taking a 10 month break from university and traveling in Central and South America. We were also joined by Benjamin, from France, an ex professional tennis player (who has been to South Africa for tennis tournaments) and who currently runs a tennis academy in Nice.

How many in a combi?

The trip to the starting point of the trek as well as the return trip from the end was done on public transport - specifically on combis. Combis are exactly the same thing as in South Africa - minibus taxis that manage to fit an extraordinary number of people in them. And because Peruvians are on average shorter than South Africans, they seem to be able to fit in more people! On both trips we had to change combis, and on second combi (to the starting point) there were 20 people in the combi, including two kids, the driver and the conductor. As we approached a checkpoint, the conductor got 5 people of the combi, and asked them to walk round the check point such that the police could only count 15 people in the combi! On the return trip, we managed to fit even more people into the combi - 23! South African taxis, it seems, has tough competition.

Laguna 69

On the trip up to the starting point, we passed the beautiful Llanganuco Lakes, known locally as Laguna 69. I am not sure why they are called that, but one of the lakes is called the male lake and the other the female lake. And they say Peruvians are conservative ...

Ola, Caramelo?

On the first day, we passed a number of small villages, and we were often greeted by the kids by the words "Ola, Caramelo?" or "Hello, Sweets?". It is really an uncomfortable greeting ... and it is in many ways sad that sweets have become integral part of the greeting. I suppose, trekkers giving out sweets has not helped either.

Day 1

Day 1 was a short trek of around 4 and half hours (including stops) to the first camp site. Starting of in a farming village, the trek first descends into the valley before climbing back up on the other side. After the ascent up the mountain, the route is relatively flat through rather marshy grounds until the camping site, which is at the base of the ascent for Day 2.

The camping site, in a meadow was spectacular, with snow capped mountains on one side, a river (which eventually flows into the Amazon) on another and another mountain on the third side.



Unfortunately, as is the case in this time of the year, the evening was wet featuring a big thunderstorm around 4 pm and then further rain in the evening. This pattern was repeated without much variation for the next 3 days.

Day 2

Day 2 was the hardest - about 5 hours of a fairly steep ascent to the highest point: the Punta Union Pass at 4750 m above sea level. The camping site was about 3800 m above sea level, so that makes it almost 1 Km in vertical ascent.




The first part of the route was fairly easy - a rocky path through a mountain stream into a valley, and a rather slow ascent up the valley. Once the valley was crossed however, it was a rather steep ascent first to a plateau about 4400 m above sea level followed by another steep ascent up to the pass.





Despite it being the height of summer, and being in the tropics, the day was very cold coupled with a strong, cold wind. There was even snow on the pass, although not much. Because of the weather, the most of the peaks were behind clouds, which meant that the promised spectacular views were missing. The view down the valleys were however still spectacular, especially the glacial lake near the pass. There was even a small avalanche of snow falling from the mountain into the lake, which was rather impressive in both sight and sound.




The camp site for the night was around 4200 m above sea level, again in a meadow surrounded by snow capped mountains and rivers. Adrian tried out some fishing, without success.

Day 3

In terms of distance, Day 3 was the longest. It was also the easiest, with most of the trail being flat through the Santa Cruz valley. Much of the valley was marshland, which did make walking rather muddy though. One of the mountains near the valley, Pomabamba, is one of the last remaining refuge of pumas, who often visit the valley to dine on horses and cows grazing in the valley. Skeletal remains suggest that, although infrequent, they are still alive.





The last camp was set up in front of a spectacular waterfall, and one of the most spectacular camping spots on the trail. Adrian tried fishing again, and did manage to catch one small fish ...

Day 4

Day 4 was a short hike (about 2 hours) down a very rocky descent into the town of Cashapampa. I think it could have been done the day before, but transport from Cashapampa to Caraz, and then to Huaraz would have been the problem and hence the extra night on the trail. The highlight of the descent was the spectacular remains of a large landslide from last year as well as the fast flowing river beside the trail.

Last Thoughts

I really enjoyed the trek, and am actually quite keen to do some of my own back in SA. Granted, this trek was made easier with donkeys and guides, and it was certainly not the most difficult of climbs. But given the altitude, I am quite impressed that I did it without much difficulty. Maybe I am fitter than I thought ... but I don't think I am fit enough to do the trail in reverse or do the trail in 2 or 3 days as it should be possible. It was certainly a great experience, and definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.

Chavin De Haunter

Like many of the interesting places in Peru, the journey to get there is worth the trip alone. Chavin De Haunter (more on this later) is a day trip from the town I am based in currently, Hauraz. In terms of distance it is not far - just over 100 Km away - but the route, over a very potholed tarred road, over the Cordillera Blanca range in the Andes mountains is long, tiring and yet spectacular.


Chavin De Haunter is the grand-daddy of all ruins in South America, and is, as far as I know, the only remains of the Chavin civilisation - the first recorded civilisation in the Americas. Chavin De Haunter is a massive temple ruins, first built around 900 BC and was used by subsequent Andean civilisations including the Hauris, who were later conquered by the Incas, who were then wiped out by the Spanish conquistadors.


The Inca's could not have built Machu Picchu and their other fine masonry out of nowhere - and Chavin De Haunter shows that the style of building is old, and has been developed over 2000 years. What is fascinating however is that, despite the long history of civilisation, written language did not evolve. For this reason, the full intent and story behind Chavin De Haunter is not known, and much of the explanations is good guesswork rather than well known facts.


The Chavin culture seems to be the root of the Andean religious practices that continued into the Inca times, and probably still exist in some form. The concept of duality: male and female, ying and yang, black and white, is present in the temple. As is the concept of the three worlds, ruled by the three animals: puma, serpent and falcon (in the Inca times, the falcon was replaced by the condor). The latter is particularly significant: many of the sculptures and carvings on the temple depict a god with the form of a human, but the face of a puma, the hair of snakes and hands and feet of the falcon.



Most famous artifact from the temples are the stone heads: depicting yet again a human like face with either characteristics of a puma or a falcon. The heads were once all around the main temple complex, but currently only one remains in its original location, but many more can be seen at the attached exhibition centre.

Architecturally, two things really stand out. Firstly, the structure has remained standing in a country known for its earthquakes. Like the subsequent Inca buildings 2000 years later, the Chauvins knew how to make their buildings last. Secondly, the drainage system which carried water from both the rain and acted as an underground canal between the two rivers that flow past the temple.

Sadly, in what the guide described as an avalanche, but more like a mudslide, in the 1950's most of the temple complex was buried and has remained buried. I think there is great potential in the site, especially considering its age and its historical significance, and I think efforts should be made to rebuild and restore the temple.

Lastly, a final comment. What I find most surprising and in many respects, depressing is the fact that, buildings after the demise of the Incas are so fragile. After more than 2000 years of building structures that can withstand centuries of earthquakes, why are structures not built using interlocking stones/bricks complete with a slight tilting angle such that the buildings do not cave in? After all, especially in countries with high earthquake incidents, surely prevention of the destruction of buildings is better than rebuilding? I am reminded of the destruction in Pisco and wonder if it would look different if the buildings were built how the pre-Columbian civilisations build their structures.

Alpaca and Cuy

Alpaca, is a llama likr animal (related to the camel) and is a common meat served in the Andes. Like Ostrich meat in South Africa, Alpaca is supposed to be low in cholesterol, low in fat: basically much healthier than beef and lamb. It tastes a lot like lamb, and the price difference is only a couple of Soles (less than 1 US $) in comparative meals.

Cuy is another Andean treat, but many people will probably refuse it: it is (usually) roasted guinea pig. It is considered one of the main Peruvian foods, and although served in most restaurants, it is actually quite expensive. I had cuy for the first time today, and I did not really enjoy it. The meat is quite tough and I found it rather bland to be honest.

So of the Peruvian meats, I would recommend only the Alpaca.

Coca Economics

To the people of the Andes, Coca is not only a plant for the gods - it is an essential part of their survival. To most of the world, it is an evil plant, fueling the cocaine trade.

For the Andes people coca leaves have a number of properties - chief amongst them is that they relieve altitude sickness. Many people swear by it, and drinking coca tea is highly recommended for traveling in the Andes. Coca tea is quite nice actually, but since I do not suffer from altitude sickness, I cannot vouch for its effectiveness. Coca products (tea, sweets etc) are also sold as good for nutrition, maintaining healthy bowel movement and as good for the sex drive. In fact the list of good things it can do is almost too good to be true, and I suspect that the Andeans are trying a bit too hard :p

According to the guide from Machu Picchu, it takes 16 Kg of coca leaves to make one gram of cocaine. The street value of coca leaves is 2 Soles per ounce or 70.548 Soles per kilogram. This means that it would cost 1128.767 Soles or 376.27 US Dollars to make 1 gram of cocaine. I know that drugs like cocaine are often sold impure - but even then, I am not sure if the price of cocaine is that high ... so I suspect the farmer is not really getting paid 2 Soles per ounce. That said, it is still quite a lucrative business and I can easily understand why coca production is such a big business.

Yellow Underwear

The colour yellow, and underwear are apparently very lucky symbols in Peru. I am back in Lima (for just one night) before I continue to Northern Peru, and the hostel had a New Year's party. The owners, Christian and Pedro invited some of their friends and the other hostel residents to an effectively authentic Peruvian New Year's party - less the fireworks.

Lima itself is very different on the 31st and 1st - the streets are deserted and most shops are closed or close early (on 31st). From a bustling city to almost a deserted city - the effect is surreal.

The party itself was very interesting. The hostel residents weren't too many (it is a small hostel) - two American girls on a school trip, a young couple (Australian guy on the end of his gap year, English girl at the beginning of an effectively gap year) and the Peruvians.

Peruvians really enjoy a party and fireworks. As the clock struck 12, fireworks explored all around - not some central organised effort, but like Christmas Eve in Cusco, individuals doing their own display. Lound music, dancing, good food and great people - definitely a much better party than 2007!

So, Felix Ano 2008!

Chivay and the Colca Canyons

About 4 hours drive from Arequipa is Chivay, the gateway to the Colca Canyon - one of the deepest canyons in the world, and also one of the best place to spot condors. Getting to the canyons is not really easy with public transport, and usually requires an early morning (as in 1/2 am) bus out of Arequipa and I therefore took the option of a 2 day, 1 night guided tour which was very well priced at 22 US $, including accommodation.

The tour group had a varied group of people, including a family with two kids, 4 Argentinian girls on a South American trip, a Venezuelan guy finishing his South American trip, a French guy from my hostel who has been volunteering in South America, another Argentian guy from my hostel, Jorge, who is also on a South American trip and a few other people.



The drive upto Chivay was interesting in itself, going over a pass that is 4910m high (which makes it the highest point I have been on land) and through a rather sparse game reserve with the endangered vicunyas (a llama like animal in photo 1, domesticated llamas in photo 2), which are renowned for their wool. Apparently 1 meter of vicunya wool is worth 2000 US $! In the Inca times, vicunya wool could only be used by royalty.



The town of Chivay is quite picturesque, although there is not much to do there. We did manage to find a Irish pub that had a free pool table though - but other than that there is really not much to do here other than sleep and get ready for a trek in the canyon or a tour of the canyon.



And despite FIFA's recent moves to stop competitive football matches at high altitudes, it was great to see club football being played in Chivay. Not sure who the teams were, or what the scoreline was, but the orange team was definitely the stronger team - even though they did not manage to convert any of their 10 odd chances at scoring for the 10 minutes I watched the match.






The trip to the canyon was really early in the morning (leaving Chivay just after 6am), and being so high up in the mountain, it was quite cold too! The canyon has been farmed through terraces for over 1000 years, and it is a stunning landscape of desert, fertile farms, rivers and snow capped peaks. After seeing this canyon, I am quite keen to revisit the plans to visit the Fish River Canyon in Namibia that Jay and I hatched in late 2006.



We were very lucky with Condors - as we got there we spotted two of them sitting on the rocks just below the highest viewing point. After about 10 to 15 minutes they took off, gliding along the thermals of the valley. It was an absolutely stunning sight - and considering condors are scavengers, their flights represent absolute freedom - the ability to fly just because they feel like it, not because they need to.

Reflections: Arequipa

Arequipa is known as the white city, since most of the buildings (new and old) are constructed from white volcanic rock, sillar. It is a picturesque city at the foot of the El Misty volcano, and considering that it is essentially a dessert town, it is remarkably green.


My guide book describes the main plaza as one of the grandest in South America, and on the basis of the towns I have been to so far, I agree. Flanked by a massive cathedral, it is certainly an impressive site - especially when the clouds lift to reveal El Misti in the background (could not get a picture of that unfortunately) or at night, when the white buildings look spectacular.


While Arequipa's fine architecture (inevitably churches) are certainly a major attraction, for me the highlight is Juanita. Juanita is described as a mummy, but it is not really - it is the completely frozen body of a 12 - 14 year old girl, who was offered as a sacrifice to the Inca mountain gods - presumably to appease a volcanic eruption.

The museum is slightly on the expensive side, but it is certainly one of the most fascinating museums I have ever been to. Juanita was discovered very much by accident, but the discovery has led to the most fruitful and complete picture of not only how the Incas lived, but also a more complete picture of what a human sacrifice entailed. It is also remarkable that the human sacrifice was made at the top of a 6000m mountain peak and not in some temple in the lowlands - very different to the normal portrayal of human sacrifices. From the museum's account, chosen children were effectively raised to be possible human sacrifices, and the children were "brain washed" into the cult of martyrdom - that they were not only serving the good of the community, but by being sacrificed they would become gods themselves. Thus, the children were remarkably healthy (Juanita for example has perfect white teeth) and were considered as royalty. Other tombs of child sacrifices have also been found, but they are just mere skeletons and not a complete body with intact organs telling a very complex story.

Arequipa is also the gateway to the Colca Canyon and is certainly a very interesting city ... but Juanita has certainly been one of the most interesting things I have come across in my travels so far.

Travel Notes

A few tales that I forgot, or did not fit anywhere else ...

Bollywood Popularity?

On my long bus ride between Nazca and Cusco, one of the movies shown onboard was a Bollywood movie, with Spanish subtitles. It was a highly convoluted romantic story, and I didn't watch much of it. And most of the passengers on my level of the bus also seemed to be asleep for most of the movie. That raises the question of why that movie was played? The streets of Peru are filled with pirated movies, and since the bus ride, I have paid more attention to the type of movies on sale. Most of the movies are Hollywood movies, and apart from a few Chinese blockbusters (like Hero) I have yet to see any "foreign" movies. In hindsight, I should have just asked the purser on the bus ...

Cusco Ticket Usefulness

In my post on Cusco, I commented on the apparent uselessness of the Cusco ticket beyond visiting the ruins. Just before leaving Cusco, I had the opportunity to use up one more of the attractions: a showcase of regional dance and music, at the cultural centre. This is certainly a cultural highlight of the ticket, and worth a lot more than the museums in my opinion. The fact that the show takes place at 7pm, is also a bonus.

Getting Ripped Off (1)

John and I paid 30 Soles (10 US $) for our bus between Cusco and Puno. It was a rackety bus, with the reclining seats being the only redeeming feature of the bus. There were a three other tourists on the bus, and they paid between 40 and 45 US Dollars each for the bus ticket, which they bought from a travel agent in the town. This is particularly surprising as I had also investigated various options for the bus ticket, and no one quoted more than 45 Soles for the ticket. I am also surprised that they did not check around before buying bus tickets. 45 US $ is a lot of money for a bus ticket - the most I have paid is 30 US $ and that was for a very good seat on a very long trip (Nazca to Cusco).

Getting Ripped Off (2)

Foreign exchange controls in Peru are very lax, and US Dollars can be used to pay for goods and services and money exchangers are common in most towns and cities. It is here that I got ripped off, when one of them short changed me by 50 Soles. Oh well ... let leave and learn.

How the poor travel

The bus ride between Cusco and Puno ride was also a demonstration on how the poor travel. A mother and her two kids (a young girl of around 9 and a baby) bought one seat. The young girl was well prepared: she took out a few blankets, put them up against a corner and sat down for the ride. They were well prepared and it seems that this is a common occurrence as the bus conductor did not make a single comment!

Puno

Puno's main claim to fame is that it is the gateway to Lake Titicaca, the world's highest lake. Otherwise, it is largely unremarkable, although one of the guide books (I think it is Lonely Planet South America) correctly points out that the drivers are more pedestrian friendly when compared to other Peruvian cities.

I arrived in Puno on an overnight bus from Cusco, together with the John the Canadian Globetrotter (see Lima post). I did meet up with him in Cusco, went to Machu Picchu and some of the museums. John is off to Bolivia, only 3 hours by bus from Puno, while I continued to Arequipa later that day (Dec 27).





One of the big attractions of the lake is Uros: a group of inhabited man made floating islands. The islands are constructed mainly of a local type of reed (whose root is edible, although tastes quite bland), which are combined to form floating blocks. These blocks are then combined together with ropes to make larger islands. The stry of how Uros islands are made is part of the tour (10 Soles for the boat trip, 3 soles for the "entry" fee or about 4.33 US$ in total) given by one of the locals. And although the talk was in Spanish, enough gestures are used to get the point across. The islands themselves are anchored, and quite soft ... comparable to a mattress - one of those Sealy Posturepedic types, not waterbeds :p


The islands do not lack modern conveniences though: solar panels provide electricity and there are even phone booths! Although it is clear that some of the islanders still fish, I am not sure how many of them actually carry on their traditional lives. Looking at the number of boats that were docking at the various islands, it seems that Uros has become more of a living cultural curiosity rather than an actual culture. This is not new off course ... in SA we have Shakaland, and I remember something similar in Germany. While it is great to save a culture, I am not sure if it is worth saving simply for the sake of saving ...

Reflections: Cusco

Cusco is the main tourist destination in Peru, since it is the starting point for Machu Picchu. Cusco is thus a tourist town, and everything good and bad that can be expected from a tourist town is here.

The good: there are many people who can help in English, it has good tourist infrastructure in terms of food, accommodation and travel.

The bad: I find it somewhat overpriced, and every one assumes that the tourist has money - so there are a lot of beggars and vendors trying to sell you something at every corner. It is sometimes just frustrating to travel around the city.

Cusco has its own attractions, but except for Qorinkancha (see here), most of the attractions in Cusco itself are rather mundane. To visit Saqsaywaman and most of the other ruins, a Cusco Tourist ticket is needed - and I spent this morning going through the museums included in the ticket. While they all have something interesting, I would not have considered going to any of them if I had to pay to enter them individually.

That said, I have enjoyed my time in Cusco. In particular, I had a great Christmas Eve. The residents of Cusco really celebrate Christmas by setting off fireworks and many clubs along the main square throw big parties. It was a great night out, and would have stayed a lot longer if I did not have to get up by 6 am on 25 Dec to go to Machu Picchu.