A Nation's Heartbeat

June 18, 2010

Bom dia! My time in Brasil has been one of the highlights of my entire trip. I love this country! The people are incredibly warm, the weather is beautiful, the natural beauty is astounding, and the vibrancy is unmatched.

I left off in Bonito. From there I headed to Iguacu falls, which are a beautiful set of waterfalls located on the Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay tri-border. I visited the falls with Joep and Tayma, two Dutch friends that I met in Bonito, and we had a great time during our two days. We visited the Brazilian side of the falls on the first day and followed up with the Argentinean side the next. Iguacu is a very different experience than Niagara in the sense that it is a collection of 275 waterfalls, all fed by the same river, instead of two primary falls. It is hard to compare the two. Iguacu is basically a waterfall park! All in all, the falls span 2.7km and are an absolutely spectacular site. I am really glad that we had the chance to visit both sides, because they were great complements to one another. The Brazilian side provides a grand overview of the falls, letting you appreciate their vastness and serenity, whereas the Argentinean side gets you much closer to falls and allows you to feel their immense power. Both days were unforgettable.

There is so much mist in the air when you are at the falls that you are almost guaranteed to see a rainbow at all times (at least we did for our two days), which adds to their mystique. We also had three chances to get close to the falls and get showered in Iguacu mist (after the overnight bus, this wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened). Staring at the turbulent white water and yelling over the roar was an incredible feeling. The most intense part of the falls is called the Devil’s Throat, and we had a chance to stand right on the edge and get soaked. On both days the only cloud in the sky was the cloud formed from the Devil’s Throat mist. Another perk of visiting the Argentinean side was having the opportunity to indulge in an evening of Argentinean steak and vino!


After Iguacu, I took the 22 hour bus to Rio de Janeiro! This gave me plenty of time to get excited for a city that I have always dreamed of visiting. I had an awesome time in Rio. The city has lots of natural beauty, with the beaches, rolling green mountains and ocean, and also has the buzz, night life, and culture of a big city. It’s hard not to have fun there. I had planned to take a trip to some islands near Rio, but once I got into the city, I simply couldn’t get out!

One of the best parts of Rio is its two famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema. After being landlocked for the past two months, I was pumped for some beach time! I met up with some friends from Norway (who I visited Lake Titicaca with in Peru) and we soaked up the sun. The beaches in Rio are the cleanest and nicest beaches I have ever seen in a big city. An interesting phenomenon is how the beaches tend to be full of Brazilian at all times of day. When I asked a local about this he was quick to respond: “we do work…when it rains!”

Another definite highlight of the trip was going up Corcovado Mountain to see the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. The statue blew me away. It is absolutely massive and is made of beautiful white soapstone. I guess I should have expected it to be huge, since it is visible from nearly everywhere in the city, but it still shocked me. The views from the Corcovado were beautiful as well. You can see Sugarloaf Mountain, the Maracana soccer stadium, Ipanema, the downtown, the mountains that surround the city, and the Atlantic as far as the eye can see. It is a beautiful sight seeing the mountains that seems to grow out of the concrete jungle of the downtown. I also went up Sugarloaf Mountain, which has great views over Ipanema, Copacabana and Botafogo beaches, as well as the city center.


I have already picked out my future residence if I ever move to Rio. It’s in Santa Teresa, which is a great part of the city. Santa Teresa feels a lot like Lisbon and is quieter than other parts of Rio. It is built up on a hill overlooking the city and you have to take an old tram to get there. The streets are winding and cobblestoned and are lined with colourful homes. I also experienced the famous weekend street party in Lapa with some friends from my hostel, which was a great time. We made our way to a Samba club with a live band, where some Brazilian girls attempted to teach me and my friend Adam how to Samba. The locals made it look simple but we were both more or less hopeless. Instead of dancing, we formulated a genetic theory of dancing deficiency, which I feel is clearly supported by the following video. I swear that Brazilians are dancing Samba in the womb.

A more sobering part of my stay in Rio was a visit to the favelas, which are the poverty-stricken and crime-laden shantytowns that over 1 million of Rio’s residents live in. The favela is a crazy world. It is nearly autonomous in terms of economy and sociology, and the drug lords serve as the de facto government. The economy is primarily supported by drug trade, which is a huge business here. The top boss makes an estimated 1.5 million reals ($750,000) per week. The violence is disgusting. There are frequent police raids, which nearly always result in ugly shootouts that leave many innocent dead, as well as many police officers and drug dealers. The children here start crying whenever they hear the sound of a helicopter. Death is simply a way of life here. Favelas are built in a very haphazard way, where every square inch is valued and the largest streets are only 3 feet wide. After the land is completely filled, the favela begins to expand skywards, as they build new floors on the roofs of existing homes. Educational opportunities are minimal, as is the availability of health care. It is sad to think about how tough it is for kids to be born into this life. So much for the self-made man.

After Rio, I headed north to Salvador, which is the home of Afro-Brazilian culture. In Salvador I got engulfed in World Cup fever. I couldn’t ask to be in a better place for the tournament. The World Cup actually started when I was in Rio, but I saw Brazil’s first game in Salvador. In Rio they had a big public screen set up on Copacabana, where I watched the England-US game with a bunch of distraught English fans from my hostel. They had a big public screen in Salvador as well and the atmosphere before the game was absolutely electric. The world stops here for the world cup. All stores were shut down, most buses stopped running; even the priest at a local church changed the time of mass from noon to 8am just because he said that everyone would be too nervous to focus at noon (the game was at 3:30pm!). The streets were packed with loud gold and green fans, who were crammed in around the screens. I bought a Brazil jersey before and joined the sea of yellow with my friends Leila and Juliana. This outfit instantly doubled my popularity with the locals. The crowd was incredibly energetic and would go wild with every chance or rush that Brazil had. The Koreans came to play and at halftime it was a shocking 0-0. Brazil broke the ice early in the second half and the crowd went berserk: beer was flying everywhere! Brazil ended up winning 2-1, which was much closer than everyone anticipated. The atmosphere felt similar to the support for the Canadian hockey team in Vancouver. Literally everybody has a personal investment. The party started immediately after the game with a big free concert that everybody was dancing and singing to. People in Salvador never turn down a good excuse to party. I’m looking forward to the next game!


Another highlight of Salvador was checking out the Pelourinho, which is the historic center of town. We visited the San Francisco church which has the most gold by surface area in the world. I expected it to be ridiculously gaudy, but it actually looked quite beautiful inside. In total they used 800kg of gold to construct it. They have a big party in Pelourinho every Tuesday night and the locals (and the odd tourist) dance in the streets to live music. Salvador also has some beautiful beaches with the biggest waves I have ever encountered. I did some extreme body surfing on the waves with some Finnish friends.
I took a day trip to the spectacular Praia do Forte, which has a beautiful beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. I took a run and got to a spot where I didn’t see another person for miles. It was just me, the white sand, the palm trees, and the warm Atlantic. It was perfect!

See you in the Amazon!

-M

A Walk on the Wild Side

June 7, 2010

Greetings from Brazil! My latest stops have been all about appreciating the richness and diversity of South American wildlife. They have been nothing short of amazing.

I started off in the Bolivian pampas, which is an area in Northwest Bolivia quite close to the Amazon Forest. The pampas is a flat, lush wetland that is absolutely teeming with life. I expected that we would have to search for wildlife, with the occasional sighting—I couldn’t have been more wrong. I felt like I was in a planet earth episode. On our first day, we took a boat ride down the river and saw an alligator literally every 20 or 30 feet. The alligators ranged from very small ones to others that were over 2 meters long. We saw a ton of other animals, including blue, brown, and white herons (they are beautiful birds, especially when in flight), black caimans (they are much more dangerous than the alligators—they are known to attack almost anything), vultures, kingfishers (the most graceful bird I saw, with beautiful blue-green feathers), the jabaroo stork (the biggest bird in the pampas), birds of paradise (not very graceful, but with some flashy head feathers for attracting females), capybaras (they were so cool! They are the world’s biggest rodent and don’t seem like the kind of animal that would be suited to the jungle climate at all. They sort of look like a giant prairie dog), turtles (always hanging out in long trains along the river logs, with each one standing on the back of the one in front of it), squirrel monkeys, cappuccino monkeys, howler monkeys, cormorants (the best fisher of the pampas birds), one pink flamingo, the condor de las pampas (another big and not-so-graceful bird), and cows! I felt like I was in a zoo.



I had an interesting encounter with some of the squirrel monkeys along the river. Our guide, Negro, decided to feed them a banana, which he held directly above my head. For the monkeys my head wasn’t an obstacle—it was a stepladder.

We spent one afternoon fishing for piranhas, which were incredibly abundant in the river. I would toss my line in and within one second would be getting bites. I managed to catch two of them, but, at 4 inches, I can’t say that they were master anglers. During our fishing trip we spotted a sloth high up in a tree. Staying true to its name, it had moved about 10 feet when we saw it in the same tree the next day. We also went searching for anacondas in the high grasses of the marsh, and managed to spot one that was about 1.7 meters long. They can reach up to 10m in length, which is an encounter that I would rather avoid. Seeing a relatively small one was really cool.
One of the best parts of the trip was getting to see the beautiful pink river dolphin up close. We found a group of about 3 or 4 and followed them down the river. It was incredible! The dolphins are about 8-10 feet long, with grey backs and pink flippers and tails. We hit a wide part of the river we jumped in to swim with them. Considering the number of alligators we had been seeing, the swim was a nerve-wracking proposition but our guide assured us that it was safe. To say we swam “with” the dolphins is a bit generous, but we definitely swam close to them—that is, until an alligator swam across the river about 50 feet in front of us, promptly ending the swimming excursion.
After quick stops in the towns of Trinidad and Samaipata, and the city of Santa Cruz, I was on the train to Brazil! Brazil has been a country that I have always dreamed about visiting, and it feels almost surreal to finally be here. My first stop in Brazil was the Pantanal, which is the Brazilian savannah located in the southwest part of the country. The Pantanal is famous for wildlife watching, and I knew that I couldn’t miss out on it.

The Pantanal was very good, although I think I was slightly jaded by my incredible experiences in Bolivia. We saw many different animal species, but compared to the Pampas, the Pantanal seemed almost sparse. In the Pampas we saw tens or hundreds of nearly every species, while in the Pantanal we would tend to see just a few of each. It didn’t feel quite as alive. My favourite part of the Pantanal tour was seeing macaws and toucans in the wild. I was struck by the incredible volume of a macaw’s voice—their calls to their mates reverberate through the entire forest. Also, their vibrant red, green, and blue feathers are much more impressive in person than in any photo I have seen. The toucan is surprisingly fast and graceful in the air and is always easy to spot with its bright orange beak.


One day we also saw a big black Tapir (anteater), which was really cool. It was about 6 feet long and had a big black tail. Another highlight was seeing the Jabaroo stork—the symbol of the Pantanal. We managed to get up quite close while it was in its nest and marveled at its size. It was about 1.5m tall with a 2m wingspan, and had white wings and a black head and neck. I also saw my first wild armadillo that day! Another new animal was the coatis, which is kind of like a cross between a raccoon and a possum. Other animals we saw included a giant river otter, bush deer, black caimans, kingfishers, hawks, the tiger herons, bare faced ipes (a black bird with an orange beak that cover trees by the hundred near dusk), cormorants, a cobra, capybaras, and monkeys. Most of the wildlife we saw seemed more or less disinterested in us, which I think is a good sign that the tours are eco-friendly. Besides the wildlife, the Pantanal itself is a beautiful region, with calm serene rivers, wide-open grasslands, and lush treed areas.

After the Pantanal, I headed to the town of Bonito (meaning beautiful in Portuguese). It was bonito! In Bonito, I visited the largest sinkhole in South America, which was 126m deep and 500m around. It is quite a sight—red rock grown in with rich green vegetation and a lake at the bottom of the hole. Moreover, the hole is a favourite nesting ground for macaws and we saw about 10 while we were there.

The main attraction in Bonito is snorkeling in the clear rivers that surround the town. I did a day trip to snorkel in the Rio Prata and it was an amazing experience. There are a number of conservation measures in place to protect the river. We were forbidden from kicking our feet, diving down, or touching any of the rocks or vegetation in the river. We also had to walk 40 minutes through the forest just to reach the start of the river. The protection efforts are well deserved: the river is a wonder. Its water is crystal clear—the visibility underwater is 120 feet—and is full of fish. The snorkeling was great. We snorkeled for 2.5 km down the river and saw all types of fish and underwater plant life. Some of the fish were as big as 2.5 feet and there were tons of smaller fish. We essentially drifted down the river with the current and soaked in the amazing scenery below us. We also had an underwater camera, which let us capture the experience!



My next stop in Brazil is Iguacu Falls! Until next time, keep fit and have fun!

-M

The Most Human Colour

May 24, 2010

Hola amigos! Bolivia has taught me to be grateful for some of the things I take for granted in Canada like functional engines, bathrooms supplied with complimentary toilet paper, paved roads, and buses with heat. Despite the uncomfortable bus rides, the odd questionable meal, and the surprisingly cold weather, my time here has been great.

I started off in La Paz, Bolivia’s biggest city and the de facto capital. The first thing that struck me about La Paz is the fascinating way in which it is built. The city is in a valley and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Despite being in a valley it is still at an elevation of 3660m! I attempted to take a jog one day and my burning lungs quickly let me know how little oxygen the air has. I have never seen a city built like La Paz. The development stretches up the sides of mountains on all sides, often in a fairly haphazard way. La Paz has the buzz and frenetic pace of an asian city, meaning that there is rarely a dull moment when you are walking around the streets. While I was there I witnessed the apparently common sight of a Bolivian political street protest. The people are protesting for a raise in the minimum wage for teachers, which President Evo Morales is opposing. The main street in the city was blocked with a huge number of shouting people who were firing off gunpowder and carrying effigies of the President that they later burned. I am impressed by how politically charged this country is.

My La Paz highlight was a bike trip down the infamous “death road”—the road connecting La Paz to the Bolivian Amazon. The name is well deserved: while the road was in use more people died on it that any other road in the world. They built a new road 15 years ago and now tourists can take mountain bike tours down the road. Of course, this sounded too cool to pass up!

When I first saw the road I was a little bit intimidated. It is a narrow (about 10 feet in some parts), downhill, gravel road that winds along the side of the mountain. The left side of the road is a sheer cliff for almost the entire ride and the drop is 500m at times. Biking down was scary, but I can’t even imagine how this road used to function with two way bus traffic. Kudos to Neil Townsend for braving the road many times on bus when he lived in Bolivia! After seeing the road, I quickly decided that today was a good day to put the ego away. The ride was spectacular. We started at 4700m surrounded by snowy mountains and finished in the jungle at 1100m. It was downhill nearly the entire way and we had great views over the lush green valley (but only quick glances, of course). The whole group managed to make it down without any close encounters with the cliff edge. I only told Mom and Dad about the bike ride down death road after I had made it back in one piece.


I met up with my friend Becky in La Paz (who I met on the Salkantay trek) and we traveled together through the southwest part of Bolivia. Our first stop was Uyuni, where we took a 3 day tour of the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. The Salar was formed when a gigantic prehistoric salt lake dried up, leaving a vast plain of salt. The landscape is incredibly stark and blindingly white. I was in awe. The barren landscape felt like something out of a movie set or a different planet. In every direction all you can see is white salt until the horizon. The salar is so flat that its elevation only varies by a meter across the entire expanse. Also, because there are no depth cues you are able to take some pretty funny photos. Our prop of choice was a Pringles can.



We visited the Isle de Pescado, which is a strange rock island in the middle of the flats that is covered in cacti, some up to 5 meters tall. The cacti were the only life that we witnessed in the salt flats—it must be too dry for anything else. At the end of our first day we had the chance to watch the sunset from the middle of the salt flats. It was incredibly beautiful and the sky ranged from dark blues, to pinks, yellows, oranges, and reds. For about half an hour the sky was continually changing with new cloud formations and colours. We spent the night at a salt hotel, where everything (except probably the frame) was made out of salt. It was the local version of Montreal’s ice hotel. Kind of gimmicky, but very cool.

Our next two days were spent in the area around the Salar, which is full of volcanoes, sandy and rocky deserts, ice-covered lakes and volcanic rock formations. We drove through the desert in a Land Cruiser and watched the beautiful landscapes go past. We did our tour with two French couples: Hadrien and Catherine from Paris and Michel and Nicole from Quebec, who were a lot of fun. At one point, we came to a lake that was covered in ice, surrounded by mountains, and with flamingos in it! Apparently the only living creatures in this lake are the flamingos and plankton. The fact that anything can live in the environment around the salar is quite amazing. The water is extremely salty, the temperatures are freezing, especially at night, there is little food and vegetation, and the water has a high concentration of minerals like borax and lithium. I’m pretty sure an African flamingo would have a tough time lasting a week here.

Our last day started at 5am, while the temperature was still below zero. We saw some natural geysers, which were really cool. Steam was literally pouring out of the ground. We later visited some natural hot springs and they were amazing, especially given the popsiclized state I was in. I hopped in right away. The air temperature was about zero, but the water was 35 and felt great. The desert landscapes continued to amaze on the ride back to Uyuni. We also saw countless alpacas, llamas, and vicunuas along the way. I never thought that a barren landscape could be so beautiful.

After Uyuni we headed to Potosi, the world’s highest city (4060m), and home to one of the largest mining operations in history. Potosi has a large mountain that is rich in many minerals, most importantly silver. Its mining began in 1534 after the Spanish colonization and has continued to the modern day. Potosi definitely peaked early: in the 17th century it was one of the world’s richest cities and had a population larger than Paris or London. It produced an incredible amount of silver: half of the world’s supply between 1534 and the late 17th century. As part of our Potosi trip, we toured an active mine, which was an eye-opening and sobering experience.

On the way to the mine, we stopped at a refinery where a rough initial separation of the metals is done. They separate silver, zinc, and lead from the rest. Sadly, none of the smelting happens locally because they cannot afford the proper technology, so they sell their raw materials at a very low price and then some other country makes the money off smelting. Thus, Bolivia benefits very little from its mineral riches.

The conditions of the mine are appalling. Within the mine there are a number of different groups working different shafts, but there are no master maps of the mine showing where tunnels have been dug in the past. The only way for miners to know whether they are approaching another mine shaft is communication with other groups and a knowledge of the history of the mine. It is more or less a guess and hope strategy. Mining groups are supposed to keep a distance of 10m from any other mine shafts, but this is difficult to enforce without maps and when they are motivated by a lucrative seam of silver. Potosi mountain’s original height was 5200m, but today it is more like 4820m. Why has it fallen nearly 400m? It’s entirely due to mine cave-ins. Besides cave-ins, miners die from accidents with machinery and from the appalling daily concoction of chemicals that they are breathing in. The average lifespan of a miner is only 55, and the work looks hellish.

The miner’s have a history of worshipping Tio—the devil, who they believe controls the hot and dark mine. Every Friday, each mining group must make an offering to Tio (usually alcohol, beer, cigarettes, and coca leaves, and the occasional llama) or else they will not be blessed with a good crop of minerals. They worship the heavens, the pachamama (mother earth), and Tio. The miners are also infamous for their drinking habits—they drink 96% alcohol, which both looks and smells like rubbing alcohol. Gross.

The mine is a co-operative, but only 30% of the miners are part of the co-op—the other 70% are “free-lancers.” This means that for 70% of the workers, if an accident happens in the mine and they, say, break their legs, they are simply out of luck. A spot in the co-op is only awarded after 5 years of service, and it is highly coveted. Often, when a miner dies he is replaced by his son because the son is able to keep the spot in the co-operative.

Most miners work in the mine because they make (relatively) good salaries doing the mine work. They make between 400 and 600 bolivianos ($60-$85) per week, quite a bit more than the average Bolivian. Evo Morales has been quite popular as president, and has managed to raise the minimum wage from 420 to 630 bolivianos per month. Visiting the mine was very interesting but was also a large dose of the reality of the Bolivian proletariat.

I am currently on my way to Rurrenebaque to check out the wildlife in the Bolivian Pampas. I’ll try to get a pic of me wrestling an alligator for the next blog!

-M

Searching For the Incas

May 14, 2010

I just completed my Peru journey and arrived in La Paz, Bolivia this morning. Peru is a really special place and I loved my time there. The country has it all: spectacular mountain ranges, deserts, beaches, cloud forest, cities, and jungle.

My last update was in Arequipa, so I’ll pick it up there. The highlight of Arequipa was a trip to the massive Monasterio Santa Catalina, a lavish residence that was built for the nuns of Arequipa in the 16th century. It is a large self contained complex—a city within a city. The nuns did not live modestly. The monastery is beautiful, with winding alleys painted in bright blues and reds and decorated with flowers. We toured through the cloisters, living areas, and kitchens. No single room was exceptionally incredible—it was the totality that was impressive. The sun was shining during our visit which made the colours even more vivid. Next to the blue walls, the sky looked dull. Arequipa also has a very nice Plaza de Armas (main square)—a feature of Peruvian cities that I am getting quite jealous of. Every town and city, no matter how small, has a very nice Plaza de Armas, which serves as a meeting place for the people. I wish that this would become a more common theme in North American cities.

From Arequipa, I traveled to Cabanaconde, where I trekked through the Colca Canyon. At 3191m, it is the world’s 2nd deepest canyon, just behind the neighbouring Canon del Cotahausi. I spent three days in the Canyon and absolutely loved my time there. On day one I trekked from Cabanaconde to the picturesque village of Sangalle. The scenery along my hike was beautiful, as I was surrounded by green mountains, sheer rock faces, and many different types of cacti. As you walk along the canyon you have mountains towering above you on both sides and a vertigo-inducing drop to the river 1000m below. It is an awesome juxtaposition. The colours of the canyon rock are vivid, ranging from yellow, to grey to rusty reds. I stayed at a place in Sangalle called the Oasis hostel, which felt like a little piece of paradise. It is located in the heart of the canyon, right beside the calm Colca river, and feels incredibly serene. Also, a swim in the pool felt great after a long hike.

The hike on day two was even more picturesque, but was also probably the most physically demanding of my life. I hiked to the Mirador Apacheta, which had a panoramic view of the canyons and the three rivers that forged them. Standing on top of the lookout was an unforgettable feeling. The impressive mountains and epic drops gave me chills. After about 6 hours of beautiful hiking I came back to Sangalle and decided to start the climb back to Cabanaconde. In the next few hours I learned a few valuable lessons. Lesson 1: don’t leave the 1100m vertical climb for the last portion of your day. Lesson 2: don’t do the toughest climb in during the hottest part of the day and without sunscreen. Lesson 3: bring more than 1L of water for said climb. The climb up the mountain was an absolute physical and mental test, but I made it!

I also visited the Cruz del Condor in the canyon, which is a nesting area for the famous Andean Condor. We got there pretty early in the morning and were able to see some Condors immediately, albeit from a distance. As the temperature warms, the land heats the air and the Condors begin to rise up with the hot air. Before we knew it, there were 10 Condors circling above our heads, sometime as close as 10 feet away! They are incredibly majestic creatures and fly at impressive speeds with seemingly no effort. Condors have a 2m wingspan—easily the biggest I have ever seen. It was amazing getting a chance to see them up close.

After Colca Canyon, I headed to Puno, a city on Lake Titicaca. Puno itself is unimpressive, but the Lake is beautiful and I spent most of my time there. I met up with a friend named Phil from Colorado in Puno and we visited Sillustani, a pre-inca burial ground located on a peninsula of the lake. Sillustani has a collection of large towers that served as tombs, which are located on a plateau overlooking the lake. On our tour we learned about Pachamama—mother earth—which is an important part of Peruvian culture. Pachamama is the belief that man should live in harmony with the earth. It has thirteen components: earth, wind, water, and fire, past, present, and future, the snake, condor, and puma, and love, knowledge and hard work.

Phil and I also took a two day island tour on Lake Titicaca, which was fun. At 3800m Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake (meaning that you can take a boat from it all the way to the ocean). We visited the floating islands, which are an amazing collection of islands made of mud and reeds that literally float on top of the lake. The islands were fascinating, but unfortunately they have been made into a bit of a tourist spectacle, which takes away from the experience. We also visited the islands of Amantani and Taquile, which were extremely beautiful and much less exploited than the floating islands. The air was incredibly crisp and clean and the views over the bright blue lake were spectacular. We spent the night on Amantani with a local family, which was a really interesting experience and felt very genuine. The island life is primarily agrarian and there is beauty in the simplicity with which the people live. We witnessed a huge thunderstorm over the lake, which had some of the most vivid lightning strikes that I have ever seen.

After Puno, the next stop was Cusco, the former Inca capital that was captured by the Spanish conquistador Pisaro in the 16th century. Cusco is a striking colonial city, with winding cobblestone streets, spectacular churches, and Florence-esqe red clay roofs. It is a tourist hotbed, but still has retained its character. In Cusco I met up with Niall (who is visiting his sister in Quito) and we booked a trek to Machu Picchu. As always, it was great to meet up with a familiar face from home.

We did the five day Salkantay trek and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We had four tough days of hiking, all of which were leading towards our visit to Machu Picchu on day five. The trek started at Mollepata at an elevation of 2900m and climbed up to 3900m, where we spent our first night. The campsite was picturesque, right at the foot of two huge snow-capped mountains. The sky was clear that night and the stars were incredible—we could even see the milky way. We had a great group for the trek. There were three Aussies: Luke, Bridey, and Scott, two Kiwis: Dan and Cherie, three Irish: Becky, Colm, and Tom, Two Canadians: me and Niall, one American: DeAnne, and one German: Janina.

The next day was a beautiful and incredibly varied hike. We started alongside big green mountains and climbed up to our maximum pass of 4600m, which was surrounded by rocky snow capped mountains. We soaked in the view of the spectacular 6200m Salkantay mountain that towered beside us, the highest peak in the region. The sky was perfectly blue that day—which made the scenery even better. After reaching the high point, we descended into the mountain valley and into the lush and cloud forest and jungle. While we walked through the jungle, it was hard to believe that we had been shivering on top of a mountain just a few hours earlier.

Another highlight of the trek was our fourth day, where a group of us chose to hike a longer route to Aguas Calientes (the town close to Machu Picchu) that took us past some Inca ruins. It was a tough climb, but the views were worth it. We climbed up towards a mountain ridge and along a huge gorge, through cloud forest for most of the way. The best moment came at the top when our guide, Nico, pointed out the direction of Machu Picchu. The clouds broke and we had a couple of quick glimpses of the site. It was completely unexpected and was amazing to see. We could see Wayna Picchu, the famous mountain in all of the Machu Picchu photos, as well as some terraces. After descending, we had a nice walk along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. By the time we finished our hike, we were all completely exhausted and pumped about our first shower and bed in 4 days.

The next morning, we were up at 3:45 to climb up the 1600 remaining stairs to Machu Picchu. (this was even earlier than our typical 5am wake-up). We stumbled up the path in the darkness and reached the gate about an hour before it opened. At 6am they opened the gates and we got in! It was a surreal feeling as we walked into the site and got our first glimpse of Wayna Picchu. I’m so glad that we chose to do the hike to Machu Picchu. It made me feel as if we had worked for it, and now deserved to see it. Seeing Machu Picchu was an incredibly powerful and moving experience—one that I will never forget. I felt different up there—small, humbled, and inspired.

The ancient city at Machu Picchu was quite large, considering that only about 500 people lived here. The city was designed for the most important people of Incan society: priests and heads of government. They also had virgins and llamas there, which they used for sacrifices to the gods. Typically the sacrifices were performed on the winter solstice, likely because they wanted to ensure that the sun and warmth came back to their world. Throughout the site, many elements are centered around the date of June 21st. For example, windows are situated so that the first rays of sun on the winter solstice travel through them. There is some incredible stonework at Machu Picchu. Some of the stones are so smooth and tightly fitted that it looks like they were put together fifty years ago, not five hundred years ago. Machu Picchu’s construction began in 1450 and continued until the mid 1500’s when the Inca civilization was wiped out by Spanish colonists.

We also saw the astronomical temple, which is the nerve center of Machu Picchu. The centerpiece of the temple is a large stone that the Incas used for its energy. The main square is large and well kept and is full of grazing llamas. Considering that we didn’t see a single llama or alpaca for the entire trek, I think that it’s safe to say that they were placed there artificially. The site is also full of fountains, baths, water channels, and living quarters. On almost all sides, Machu Picchu has terraces that were farmed by commoners. The drop off is so steep that it is hard to fathom how these terraces were constructed. I’m sure that a few men were lost in that process. Actually, the fact that someone would see this site and think that it was ideal for the construction of a city is absolutely ridiculous.

We climbed up Wanya Picchu, which is the incredibly beautiful mountain in all of the Machu Picchu photos. It was a fairly tough walk up, with a great view over the entire site from the top. Niall, Luke, and I sat on rocks at the top and looked over Machu Picchu.

It is hard to put your finger on what makes Machu Picchu so special. The ruins are spectacular, but there are certainly equally impressive ruins in the world. The mountains are beautiful, but there are certainly larger mountains elsewhere. There is something about the entire package that is greater than the sum of the parts.

I really admire the way that the Inca’s approached nature. No natural obstacle was too great and no danger was too great to be overcome. At the same time, they had a great respect for nature and lived as an equal, rather than a superior. Their approach lies in stark contrast to the approach of modern society, which is focused on the dominance and control of nature. It makes you question some of the things we are doing today. What is wrong with respecting nature in the way that the Inca’s did?

Towards the end of the day I found a nice secluded spot on a high terrace and soaked in the view of Machu Picchu. I hope that I can make it back here again.

We got back to Cusco and had a couple of much needed relaxation days. After getting our energy back, we did a white water rafting trip, which was a lot of fun. We managed to survive the grade III rapids, and everyone stayed in the boat, except for when we intentionally tipped it. Despite having wetsuits on, we froze in the river water!

Niall left for Quito yesterday and Bolivia is up next for me! Peru amazed me in so many ways…I hope Bolivia can do the same.

-M

The Air Was Getting Thinner

April 25, 2010

Here we go again! I arrived in Lima on April 12 to begin my last adventure before grad school: South America!

I grew up listening to my Mom’s stories about Brazil. Ever since I watched the Motorcycle Diaries, South America has been my dream destination. It is living up to the hype!

I stated off with a three day stint in Lima. Lima was not my favourite place, but it definitely provided an exciting setting for my acclimatization to the Spanish language and Peruvian culture. Whether I was squeezing into jam-packed collectivos (public buses), stumbling through simple Spanish conversations with locals on the street, or sampling the cuisine of the nearest street vendor, the experience was always exciting and unexpected. It didn’t take me long to receive my introduction to the openness and friendliness of Peruvians. On my first day in Lima I met two locals, Jorge and Lisa, who showed me some of the sights of central Lima and introduced me to Lomo Saltado, a classic Peruvian dish. We also drank the famous Pisco Sour, an iconic beverage here.

The highlight of my stay in Lima was a day of surfing at the Miraflores beach. I had never tried surfing before, so I was a little apprehensive going into it. I found a great instructor named Johnny and he taught me the basics before getting into the water. On my second attempt at surfing I managed to stand up on my board and ride a wave almost the whole way to shore. It was an incredible feeling! My numerous failed attempts later proved that this early success was more a result of beginner’s luck than innate skill. I absolutely loved surfing and did it for nearly the entire day. One of the most surprising things was how exhausting it was. By the end of the day my arms felt like jello. I took a lot a falls that day, but what I will remember is the 4 or 5 perfect rides that I had. I’m looking forward to my next surfing experience in Brazil!

The fun really started after I left Lima and headed to the small city of Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca of the Andes Mountains. Huaraz is at an elevation of 3100m and is at the foot of the highest and most spectacular mountains that I have ever experienced. I met some great people at my hostel in Huaraz (Kimberly, Crystal, Phil, and Ellen) and we decided to do the 4 day Santa Cruz Trek in Huascaran National Park. The trek was amazing: challenging, physically demanding and spectacularly beautiful. It is one of the coolest things that I have ever done.

The trek took place at altitudes ranging from 2900m to 4750m. My previous highest altitude was 3776m on Mount Fuji, so this was definitely an entirely new level of thin air. The scenery was incredible. It ranged from lush green rolling mountains to huge rugged snow-capped Andean mountains to bright blue glacier lagoons. Most of our hike took place in the mountain valley, so when I wasn’t watching my feet, I was staring up in awe at the mountains that surrounded me.


We had an excellent guide named Leonardo, who, despite being 69, could still out-hike all of us. Leonardo grew up in the mountains and his first language is Quechua, the most common indigenous language in Peru. He taught us a few words, including our favourite—“supesicki”—which means upset stomach. Along the trek, he pointed out many plants to us, many of which the locals use for medicinal purposes such as helping with headaches and upset stomachs. The sophistication of their holistic medicine is quite fascinating. Many of our western medicines use ingredients from these plants. We also saw many animals along the trek, including pigs, alpaca, cows, donkeys, sheep, chickens, and goats. The animals simply roam free here. When we would reach our campsite at night, we would often be greeted by a number of cows that had also chosen to make the campsite home. It was a little bit strange at first staring a bull in the face, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The disconnect between man and nature simply does not exist here. The relationship is symbiotic and respectful.


I had a bit of trouble with the altitude on the first day of hiking, but my body acclimatized fairly quickly and I felt fine after that. Our most difficult hike came on day 2, when we climbed up to Punta Union—our maximum pass of 4750m. The view from Punta Union was incredible. Looking out we saw turquoise lakes flaunted by high mountain ridges on both sides. For most of the trek, we had been looking up at the snow peaks, but at this point we were standing level with them. Standing on that peak was an awesome feeling.


We camped at a new site every night, each of which managed to be more impressive than the previous one. There is no better feeling than rolling out of your tent to a blue sky and 6000m peaks. After we finished the Santa Cruz trek, Kimberly, Ellen and I decided to do an extra one day trek to Laguna 69. Laguna 69 is one of the most beautiful and serene spots that I have ever experienced. It is a bright blue glacier lake at 4600m that is surrounded by snowy mountain peaks. The lake is filled with runoff from the mountains. After a difficult hike up, I decided to celebrate with a quick swim. That was a good idea for about 5 seconds—the water was freezing! Now I can say that I have “swam” at 4600m! Our hiking group celebrated that night with a dinner in Huaraz. Huaraz is a magical place that I will never forget.


After Huaraz, I traveled down the coast to Nazca with Phil and Ellen. We went to Nazca with the hope of seeing the famous lines constructed by the Nazca people about 2000 years ago. The lines and shapes are large and in the middle of the desert, which makes things complicated—the only way to properly see them is from the air! We managed to find a reasonably priced flight over the lines in a small eight-seater Cessna plane. It was an awesome experience!

The flight was my first ever in a non-commercial plane. I was definitely a little bit nervous before we started. Before I knew it our pilot was revving up the engine and taking off. Flying above the lines let us truly appreciate the incredible magnitude and detail of them. Not only did we see the famous shapes, but also numerous lines and geometric figures scattered throughout the desert. Flying allows you to experience the lines as a cohesive whole, rather than a group of individual objects. My favourite shapes were the spider, the condor, the monkey, the astronaut, and the hummingbird. The debate over the meaning of the lines and their method of creation is still going on amongst anthropologists. It was great getting a chance to experience such a mysterious site first hand.
I am currently hanging out in the laid back city of Arequipa and planning a trip to visit the deepest canyons in the world!

Thanks for reading!

-Mitch