Friday, November 26, 2010

Backpacking Battles

The last 4 days that I had in Peru I spent on the Inka Trail walking 45 km in 4 days and 3 nights. Since I had already done Choquequirao, I wasn’t too concerned about the trek since Choquequirao is supposed to be the hardest of all of the normal backpacking options to ruins centered out of Cusco. It was impossible to not compare the two treks in my mind while I was walking, so it only seems natural to compare them day-by-day on this blog.
Start of the trail km 82 
Day 1

Choquequirao: Very easy day, 10 km absolutely flat, then a descend to the campsite that was not too steep, followed by setting up camp and not really eating dinner since I had forgotten my vegetarian food and everyone had tuna.

Inka Trail: Also a very easy start to the day around noon, lunch early on the trail after an hour of flat walking, some ruins along the way, followed by 2 hours more of walking to the first campsite. We arrived and the porters had already set up the campsite, dinner was cooking and all had to do was meet the rest of the travelers and play cards. Before dinner we had afternoon tea and then a 2-course meal including vegetarian food was served.

Thoughts: It was easy to see early on that this was going to be a very different kind of trip since it was organized by a tour company. It really felt like 5 star camping after planning everything ourselves.

Day 2

Choquequirao: A very hard day, we had to descend to the river only to ascend 1500 m to the top and it was a rough climb, with a million (exaggeration) switchbacks. We arrived by lunchtime, hungry and tired, only to have to cook lunch. After we walked the rest of the way to visit the ruins and arrived back at camp to cook dinner which included wine and s'mores! 

Inka Trail: Considered to be the hardest day as you have to ascend Dead Woman’s pass (nearly a 14er). Out of a group of 21, I was the 3rd person to the top and glad that it wasn’t any worse to climb. We arrived at camp after an hour descend around 12:30pm. The rest of the group trickled in slowly and by 13:45 everyone was in the camp. We had lunch and then sat around in the cold for the afternoon until tea and dinner. Since we arrived so early I took 2 naps and then couldn’t sleep that night!

Thoughts: It is hard to wait for 21 people of different fitness levels to do anything. After lunch I was tired of course, but would have been able to continue walking. I was really quite bored all afternoon. I cherished the ability of being able to dictate how long things took and what you did when that we had when we planned the trip ourselves.

Day 3

Choquequirao: This was the crazy day when we decided to walk all the way back on the trail leaving at 9:00 in the morning and arriving to the city at 20:00. Obviously it was not an easy day!

Inka Trail: We had to ascend two more passes, the first being hard, but short, the second I didn’t even realize we had been ascending. Then we had to descend 2000 Inka steps, which is definitely not an easy task. We arrived at camp and there was a restaurant where people could take hot showers (I chose not to) and even buy beer! I enjoyed two beers after hiking all day.

Thoughts: Though I really wasn’t pleased at the end of day 3 of Choquequirao to arrive in the dark to french fries for dinner, it wasn’t terrible and it really highlighted our ability to choose how far to walk. It was nice to arrive to beer and for some showers, but really if you’re hiking do you really need it?
Our 21 person group on the top of the 2nd pass, day 3 
Day 4

Choquequirao:  What day 4? We had slept in a hostel and were back in Cusco with clean clothes and hot showers!

Inka Trail: We had unfortunate luck and walked the remaining 6 km in pouring rain. It was especially annoying because everyone walking the Inka Trail goes at the same time so we were all walking in a line at the slowest person’s pace- though I was quite shocked at how fast some people were able to walk when they are cold and want to get somewhere! Even the slowest people in the group kept up until the sun gate. The rain really obscured the view and the reveal of Machu Picchu which was too bad, but it was still a very beautiful view. After descending to the ruins, we had a 2 hour guided tour and then spent the afternoon in Aguas Calientes (of course it was completely sunny) until our train at 19:30 and didn’t arrive to Cusco until 23:30.

Pretty obscured view from the sun gate upon arrival to Machu Picchu
Final thoughts: Both trips were really amazing and since I spent them with two different groups of friends, they were both very unique. It’s hard to say which I prefer, I didn’t like constantly waiting on slower people, but I did really enjoy having enough food to eat and meeting new people. Choquequirao was great for going at your own speed, but I did end up with a nasty cold for 2 weeks afterwards. I would recommend both in the end, but if you think the Inka Trail was really hard, definitely do not try Choquequirao. Though a mule carries more of your things, I was really exhausted after the 2nd day climb and it doesn’t compare at all to the level of difficulty of the 2nd day of the Inka Trail. Plus, if you’re really ambitious, apparently someone marathon ran the Inka Trail in 3 hours 45 minutes a couple years ago, I wonder how long Choquequirao would take?

Damage

Choquequirao: Sore, incredibly awful cold, a few blisters, a lot of bug bites

Inka Trail: Sore, blisters on my hip bones (who knew that could happen), sprained left ankle, no foot blisters, only 2 bug bites!

My time in Peru is up and though I wrote this in the Lima airport, I won’t be able to post it until I am back in the USA with stable internet. I'm back in the USA until December 14th and then continuing to travel to Germany, France and then finally ending travel for a few months with Israel in January! 
Jolene and Jamil came all the way from the USA to join me on the hike! 

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What I really think about Amauta

This Thursday, marks my last night at school. Friday I leave for the Inka Trail, Tuesday I leave for Lima and next 1am Wednesday morning, I leave back to the USA (well for 2.5 weeks at least). During my time in Cusco, I lived in the Amauta Spanish School in Cusco for 9 out of the 11 weeks that I stayed in Peru as a student and a resident in the school. 

I would like to write exactly how I felt about the school as I am leaving.

Amauta School Administration: Overall I think my experience is clouded by a lot of negative experiences with the administration. Though miscommunication is not an unusual thing in Peru, I feel like if you are a school that caters to foreigners it would make it easier for the students to adapt a more western attitude toward organization. I had several problems including being asked to pay something I already spent an hour figuring out with someone the week before and missing make-up classes that they never told me I was having. This lead to countless frustrations on my part and the part of professors. The lack of communication between colleagues is abysmal. Seriously write a note, it takes 2 seconds. 
Grade: D+

Professors at the school: I really enjoyed most of my classes and felt like I improved my skills. The teachers mostly followed the same teaching practices that I learned in TEFL school which are: teach something, practice it, use it, keep activities varied. I can't speak on behalf of the beginner levels, but I felt like the advanced levels were a good mix of activities and for the most part the teachers were well trained and wanted to be there. Also the teachers were really nice and interacted with students not only in class, but also outside of class. I learned more here than in my months at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City. I just wish there was more learning time and a more solid lesson plan than talking about relationships (happened with every. single. teacher). Grade: B+

Amauta Residence: I can really sum it up in a few words: Don't live there. Two meals were provided, breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was only decent on Mondays and Fridays when an egg and juice were offered, other days was only fruit, awful salty cheese or cold crepes. Crepes and bread- nutritious. And then there was lunch. First off, I discovered about 2 weeks in that although there was a place to indicated everyday that you would like vegetarian food- the chef had no idea what a vegetarian diet meant. That means there is chicken bouillon in all the soups and they make all the sauces together- taking chicken out of the sauce is not vegetarian. I argued with the chef about this and he told me I was wrong. I decided never to eat soup there again and only to eat there when I had no more time to make anything else.

The rooms themselves in the residence range from singles to doubles with private bathrooms or shared (ie going outside to cross the courtyard to get to them). Luckily, I had a single with a private bathroom. After the first week when I had no hot water, I usually had hot water, but only during prescribed times- 7-9 am and 7-9 pm at night. I had no windows and the room smelled like mildew. The pillows were like rocks. It was impossibly cold inside. One week when they cleaned my room on Saturday, they left my door wide open, with my laptop, iphone, belongings all wide open for a whole day. Not so good when there was a thief among the students or outside for my last days. My advice: homestays. Grade: D

Staff at the residence: As I mentioned I got into a fight with the chef about what vegetarian food was and I am pretty sure he never got it, so I changed my eating habits to not get sick. Side note, nearly every single person got sick from the food at school at one point. Ten people got sick in one week I wasn't there. The common thread is the food at school. After seeing their practices for preserving and cooking food, I am not shocked. Some of the things I witnessed were really gross. The other staff is ok, except for the night watchman Maru which is possibly the most unpleasant person I have ever met in my life. He is rude, never talks to you unless he is yelling, never looks you in the eye and makes you feel incredibly unwelcome. I hesitate to say I hate people, but I hated him. He is horrible, at least he was always a jerk to me (and I think I am usually pretty nice and polite to staff). Grade: C

Dos Manos: The school advertises the convenience that it has a travel agency associated with it. The office is just across from the office of the school. The problem? It is more expensive than other agencies and just as unorganized (like most of Peru). I booked a trip with them to Machu Picchu and the woman "forgot" to call the cab at the right time, wouldn't allow me to have my train tickets because would lose them (please) and then we almost missed our train to Aguas Calientes. We literally stepped on the train as it started moving. The hotel was not great and the tour group was huge. Students are well aware of the poor quality and after one booking go elsewhere. I hesitate to say the whole office is bad, because my friends that work there do work hard, but the other staff is not great. Grade: C

There it is, I tried not to hold back anything. I found it really hard to find information and ratings on the school when I was researching, so if this helps one person, then it is worth it. Overall, I would recommend the school because the most important this is the classes and they were good in general. If you do want to spend time there I would recommend a homestay or a hostel, not only to save money, but to get more for your money and deal less with the school. 

I am so glad my time there is finished! 



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Things I learned from Choquequirao

Finally made it after a long 2nd day! 

To be completely honest, I wasn't really sure exactly what I was getting myself into when I agreed to go to Choquequirao. All I knew was that two of my friends were really keen to go and had arranged for one of our professors to guide them. Between the three of them, within one week, I was easily convinced that I would join them on their trek. I read little about what was to come in fear of psyching myself out. I figured that it was better not to know exactly what was going to happen. The trip was really hard (aka crazy), but ended up worthwhile (especially looking back and no longer being in pain). In the end I am glad that I went and here are some key things that I learned about myself, travel and backpacking along the way:

  1. Who needs 4 days when you can do it in 2.5?
  2. Walking 32 km (almost 20 miles) in one day with a 1000 meter descend and ascend is humanly possible, though not advised
  3. Surviving on all carbohydrates for this 64 km trek is also possible when you forget your vegetarian food
  4. Cows like to eat t-shirts in the middle of the night
  5. Thunderstorms will only come when you have a poorly constructed tent
  6. An easy first day is a tease for an exhausting 2nd and 3rd day of climbing
  7. When you think you can't walk anymore, you can somehow manage to visit ruins and enjoy yourself
  8. There are bigger tarantulas on the trail than in all of the jungle (or at least that we saw)
  9. Having a mule as a pack animal is essential, especially the last 10km (after walking 20)
  10. When you think you have seen the worst bathroom ever, the ones at one of the campsites on the way is worse- holes in the ground and swarms of mosquitos to bite you while you use them
  11. The mosquitos are very small, but their bites are normal sized (I still have marks!)
  12. It doesn't matter how much repellant or sunscreen you wear, you will still have bites and be sunburned at the end
  13. Small peruvian mountain towns close shop at 8pm so when you have walked 32km you will not find a taxi, cheap hostel or vegetarian food other than french fries
  14. Thermal springs do not mean hot springs
  15. Laughing is the only thing you have left when things go wrong
  16. The next day you will be sorer and hungrier than you can remember being in a long time 
  17. Gatorade really does help you get through hard sports activities or at least the placebo effect enough
  18. From my friend Marc: Never underestimate the length or the hardness of a hike from the first day on the third day: 10 km on flat ground is not fun in the dark or after already having walked 20 km previously 
  19. Walking sticks are helpful even if they make you look like an old man
  20. Everyone likes S'Mores and wine after a hard day of hiking 
Unbeatable views

It was an exhausting trip, but the uniqueness of having an entire archaeological ruin similar to Machu Picchu to yourself is truly special. The trip not only pushed our physical limits, but also the limits of new friendships. Together we made it through the physical and mental challenges of our trip without fighting once.  I have never felt so accomplished after a hike. In the end we came out having one of the most unique, hard and bonding experiences in my life. Unfortunately vacation always has to come to an end and close friendships become long distance friendships, but we will always have these shared experiences and inside jokes!

Thanks for the memories Choquequirao!

Arriving- where was the 32km sign?


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

¡Es Muy Peligroso! Jungle Experiences

Just getting to the jungle is just the highway itself is very precarious. The ten plus hour journey is, save for one hour, all on an unpaved road with steep drops on one side, holes and traffic that goes two ways on a road that is wide enough for one car. There were several times where holding your breath and crossing your fingers for a safe arrival was all the power you had.

During one stop on the highway in route to Manú, we encountered the first animal. It was a snake (I think it was called a Ferdinand) and it was a baby snake no more than one foot long (30 cm). Apparently, it is one of the most dangerous snakes in this part of the amazon and you will die without anti-venom within 48 hours. Also, the babies are even more venomous... It was clear that having a guide who is familiar with the animals was going to be invaluable and necessary to steer clear of all of these animals.

The second night that we were in the jungle we participated in a night walk where we set out in the darkness with flashlights, rubber boots and our guide to go and find snakes, spiders, caimans and other creepy night crawlers. This was the first excursion in a string of excursions with bad luck, where we saw few animals that we hoped to find. We did not catch any caimans (by us I mean the guide), see any snakes or many spiders. We did however manage to see one spider that can kill you without you even realizing that you have been bit, because the bite is nearly invisible. Great.

The invisible bite spider 

The third day we went on a walk into the jungle with the tio (uncle) of our guide who forged the trail using a machete. It felt really authentic. Once again we saw few animals and caught nothing more fishing than a turtle and some plants while we were walking. However, we did see a lot of species of ants and other bugs that were peligroso. One bite and your hand swells, more bites and you are very sick or dead. One of my favorites was an ant that enters your body through your cavities, makes its way inside your body and kills you from the inside out. We quickly learned that most things in the jungle can make you sick and they were peligroso, but if the guide said they were "muy peligroso" it meant that it would cause death. We also learned not to touch anything or allow anything to crawl on you (easier said than done). I managed to get bitten by some kind of ant and had a swollen finger for almost a week after. It's just now looking normal again.

The third night we spent watching for Tapirs in a makeshift tree house. The house was definitely not made with any kind of building standards from the western world- with a rickety ladder, sides without guard rails and 6 meter (18 feet) drops on all sides. As I said we had bad luck, so we didn't see any Tapirs (we are certain that it is more of a fictional creature than real). Did I mention that looking for these animals meant taking shifts all night with a lantern to shine into the swap every once in a while? We stayed up all night for something that never came!

The fourth day we spent in a boat making our way to the riverside camp we would set-up for our last night. We again looked for caimans and saw an eye (maybe) and that was it. What we did hear were stories about nearby jaguars eating families of people and attacking people on their drunken walks. Really didn't make you want to use the "baño natural" too far from camp.
Beautiful place to camp, but only for a night
After our experiences in the jungle I know one thing- I wouldn't want to live somewhere where the ground moves with creatures, most of which can make you sick or kill you. I went with my two German friends and apparently a synonym for the jungle in German is "the green hell" and it's not hard to see why. My short time in the jungle was enough, but I think I'll stick somewhere where the things that are "muy peligroso" are generally bigger than my finger nail and thus easier to spot and avoid!

Who knows what was crawling on this log as we attempted to fish.