Bushcamp 3700 meter – September 17th, 2008

Inca Rally

We were forced to take another road out of Andahuayles. The Inka Rally ( www.inkarally.com ), an 11-days car rally with a 30 years history, took today the same route as we intended to cycle. Cycling on a road were rally cars pass by with speeds above 100 kilometer per hour, is asking for accidents. The first 14 kilometers out of we were on the same route ( the rally should pass later ) and many adults and kids were walking up the mountain with transistor radios in their hands to follow the progress of the rally. What a day for the local people : the “Inka Rally” passing their homes ánd the second event of the year : “The Andes Trail”. I must say that hundred flashy cars with high speeds, squeaking brakes and loud engines are more spectacular than a dozen of cyclists with pass by at walking speed and gasping for breath.

The road out of Andahuaylas has surprisingly good unpaved surface. The best since weeks !!! The wheels spin easily and we find again a way up. First the smell of eucalyptus trees, the smell of fir trees, before we reach once again llama altitude ( above 4000 meter ). The route winds and rolls at an altitude between 3500 and 4000 meter and we have spectacular views over the snowy mountains of Cordillera Vilcabamba. In the far depth ( 1500 meter lower ) we hear the cars of the Inca Rally. A bush camp is made after 86 kilometer between a forest of eucalyptus trees. The sun sets beautifully over the Andes Mountains and after dinner a deep silence falls over the camp of “The Andes Trail”.


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Abancay – September 18th, 2008

Like a Formule 1 driver…

A short day on the menu. We can already see our destination for today out of our starting point. A crow would do it in 15 minutes. We have to drop down nearly 2000 meter ( more than two times l’Alpe d’Huez, but than off road ) to the Rio Amurimac and climb 500 meter to the provincial town of Abancay. In total : 60 kilometer. It will take for us a bit more than a quarter of an hour.

The dizzy downhill is fast, but the unpaved surface makes it tricky. Thousand of stones, deep pot holes, loose gravel, sand, dangerous curves and dogs which try to jump into your derailleur make it to a risky business. I am always pleased to hear that everyone made it to the bottom safely and without accidents. Most of us do the 40 kilometers long downhill within two hours. Two hours of ultimate concentration. It’s like a Formule 1 driver in a Grand Prix. The speeds are of course ( a bit ) slower, but the consequences are the same. One mistake and you end up with your lycra outfit on the rough dirt road filled with sharp rocks, or even worse : next to the road. Vertical precipices of hundred meters and much more are waiting!!! Sometimes I take a preventive pit stop to relax your wrist, shoulders, legs, hands and head. No change of tyres or refuel.

You have to have full control over your bike and trust your brakes. Your life depends on the strength of two 1-millimeter wide iron brake cables and four 2 centimeter long rubber brake shoes. Fortunately you don’t have to think about that in the downhill…. You need all energy to control your bike and no blood flows to your brain. There is no time to think, other wise you miss a stone, curve or hole… A bicycle doesn’t have an airbag. Not yet…

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Limatambo – September 19th

Cuy

We were back on tarmac from Abancay. It felt like velvet after hundreds of kilometers on rocky and sandy roads. The hotel in Abancay was top-class with huge rooms, a warm shower and comfortable beds. Such a comfort is not always the case ( warm showers are an exception ), but we can’t complain about the quality of the South-American hotels.

Out of Abancay we had to start climbing once more. We cycle through the middle of Peru from north to south and we hop from one river to another river ( which are floating from west to east ). In between : Mountains, mountains, mountains. High Mountains. The rio’s float at an altitude of 2000 to 2500 meter. The mountains raise more than 4000 meter in the sky. The last week in general : river at 2000 meter, mountain of 4200 meter; river at 2300 meter, mountain of 3900 meter; river at 2400 meter, mountain of 4100 meter, etcetera. No flat area’s. The ups take about 4 hours, the downs take 1 to 2 hours depending on the quality of the road. The scenery is superb and you have the feeling that you cycle through the heart of the country. Its definitely tough ( beyond tough ). You can see it on the faces of the participants that 5 to 8 hours on the bike requires its toll. Ten hours asleep a night is very usual and the rider’s appetite has doubled since the start in Quito. Nobody complains and enjoys the trail.

Today we had after a 4 hours climb a downhill of nearly 60 kilometer!!! You can let your bike role, and role, and role… But you know : another climb is waiting. We climb halfway till Limatambo; a small village ( actually just one street with houses and a few shops on both sides ). We stayed at a nice guesthouse with a colourful garden. Half of us was camping and the other half stayed in one of the basic rooms. In the backyard of the guesthouse stood a shed, a “cuy”-shed. A what ?? A shed filled with hundreds of “cuy”. Guinea-pigs. In most western countries kids have a guinea-pig because they are so soft, funny and lovely. Here in Peru : it’s a local dish; a speciality. Peruvian “Haute Cuisine”. They kill the poor little ( but fat ) animals, remove the hair and entrails, lay them in full size on a plate and slide them in the oven. Result after an hour : a warm guinea-pig. And yes, you can eat it. If you like it, is another question. A few of us tried and the opinions varied from nasty to delicious. So, when you are in Peru : just try… Otherwise there are always dogs around to finish your plate.

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Cusco – September 22th, 2008

Magical

We had Saturday a relatively easy ride of 78 kilometer to Cusco; the main tourist place in Peru, and probably in whole South-America. It was for the first time since weeks that we saw other gringo’s. Cusco is the ancient capital of the Inca empire and as said the most beautiful city in Peru. I can only admit that; the city has nice squares, beautiful churches and other attractive colonial buildings. It is a fusion between Inca ruins and Spanish architecture.

Except the city itself, Cusco is the entrance gate to Machu Picchu. One of the greatest tourist destinations in the World. It’s in line of the Pyramids in Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, the Great Wall of China and the Colosseum in Rome.

Two rest days have been planned to explore Cusco and Machu Picchu. Rest day ?? The bus to Machu Picchu left at 4 o’clock (!!) in the morning. Not a real rest day.

The bus brought us to the village of Ollantaytambo where we caught the train through the dense jungle to the foot of the Inca ruins. Another shuttle bus made the last climb with tens of hairpins to the entrance of the lost city of the Incas. You know the place because you can see the pictures of the Inca ruins all over the world. Standing there in the middle of the South-American jungle, with a floating river deep below, steep mountains around you, mysterious birds flying in the sky, clouds waving over the old Inca stones like a white veil, llama’s grazing in the countless terraces, and the thought how the Inca’s constructed their city 6 to 7 centuries ago, one word pops up in your mind : MAGICAL. It’s the superlative of “Beauty”.

Ewald tiene un sombrero con flores dibujadas. Ewald pasa al lado de una llama. La llama le quiere quitar el sombrero. La llama piensa que son flores de verdad.

21/9

Cada uno disfruta a su manera (y experimenta) los restos arqueológicos de Machu Picchu. Es la primera vez que voy con un grupo de extranjeros. Siempre fui sola o con mi hermano, la primera vez con el colegio.

Mient me pregunta: “¿cuántas veces has venido?”
Me siento una afortunada. Le digo que es la quinta vez que vengo a Machu Picchu.

Le cuento que la primera vez que vine fue con el colegio en viaje de promoción, que nos la pasamos genial en un hotel de bungalows en el pueblo (creo que el hotel El Pueblo) tomando licores de todos los sabores y colores. Era la época en la que nosotros queríamos experimentar cosas nuevas y que los restos arqueológicos eran importantes para nosotros pero de otra manera. Todavía recuerdo cuando ingresamos a Machu Picchu; impuso su presencia. Pero yo había cometido el error de ir en pantalones cortos: los mosquitos me tragaron ese día y quise salir rápido. Por eso siempre tuve la necesidad de volver.

Len me dice: “Siempre quise venir pero ahora que estoy aquí es como si lo hubiese visto antes. Los programas de televisión te muestran tanto estas imágenes que es casi como verlo en la televisión”

La segunda vez que vine fue gracias al aburrimiento que tuve en una ciudad llamada Quillabamba. Mi hermano me llevó allí a cazar insectos, pero al final decidí dejarlo solo (con sus amores y sus insectos) y yo irme al Cusco.

Recuerdo que en el viaje de regreso hacia el Cusco llegué a Ollantaytambo, tenía algo de dinero y decidí quedarme allí y aprovechar de visitar sus restos arqueológicos que son preciosos. Caminé con tranquilidad admirando cada piedra y construcción incaica, me senté a contemplar el valle.
Al final del día me fui a la estación a preguntar cuánto costaba el tren nacional a Machu Picchu. Me dijeron: “quince soles, señorita”. Sin dudar me subí a ese tren. Una experiencia inolvidable entre la gente local que también viaja en busca de Machu Picchu.

Georges comenta: “Es impresionante cómo construyeron la ciudadela de Machu Picchu, pero al verla tanto en los documentales es como haberla visto antes”.

Mi segunda visita a Machu Picchu fue extraordinaria. Me emocioné hasta el nivel de querer recorrer cada calle, cada casa, cada templo. Yo la había visto en la televisión un millón de veces, pero no es lo mismo andar en las calles de la ciudad de Machu Picchu donde hace más de quinientos años anduvieron los constructores de la ciudad que verla en vivo y directo. Tomé miles de fotografías, toqué creo cada piedra.... incluso subí al Huayna Picchu. Una experiencia extraordinaria el haber estado allí que me dejó las ganas de volver de nuevo.

Gerard desaparece del grupo, creo que se fue a caminar cada calle, cada casa, cada plaza... a subir cada gradería. Me lo encuentro a medio camino: “es demasiado grande”, me dice, “demasiado”. Wilbert se separa del grupo y también me dice: “prefiero estar solo allá arriba contemplando la ciudad, no quiero irme, vale la pena esta aquí”.

Como yo no quiero hacer de seguidilla al grupo me separo de ellos y también le doy una vuelta a la ciudad sola. Cuando bajo hacia Aguas Calientes me encuentro con parte del grupo: “Te estuvimos esperando”, me dicen. “¿y el resto de la gente?” Yo les digo: “contemplando la ciudad”.

En este caso encaja perfectamente la frase del turista y el viajero. El turista sabe a dónde va pero no dónde está. Mientras que el viajero no sabe adónde lo llevan pero sí dónde está.

20/7

El cusco, una ciudad a la que siempre quiero volver, una ciudad que me sorprende en cada esquina, que es bella de día y de noche, que guarda su misterio en cada piedra.

Llegué aquí hace tres días con el objetivo de organizarles el viaje a Machu Picchu. Qué gusto da después de haber recorrido gran parte de las capitales de la sierra peruana llegar a una ciudad en donde se ve el Perú por sus cuatro lados: el mejor arte, la mejor comida, los textiles de alpaca... este es el Perú que estaba extrañando.

Lamentablemente los ciclistas llegan muy cansados, no tienen mucho tiempo de ver la ciudad, piensan o creen que es una ciudad como todas las demás, a las pocas horas corren hacia Machu Picchu.