peru- flight to hike

So I guess how this trip all started was sort of on a whim- I was in Korea at my good friend Ryan’s house and he casually asked me to go to Peru. Obviously I wanted to go, but without any thought I just said “yah, lets do it” and 4 months later when our contracts ended- I was waiting for them at the airport in Toronto. And them- turned out to be a lot of people. For the first two weeks of our trip I would be travelling with his father, brother, uncle, one of his good friends.

The flight was alcohol induced and set a pace of how the trip would take shape. So after landing in Lima the 6 of us loaded up into two taxis and departed for our booked hostel.

With permanent smiles on our faces we took off into the moonlight, motoring through the poorer region of lima, passing through Miraflores (the tourist section that in know way gave you a feel for Peru) and all along the coast- with music blaring from the taxis duelling each other down the side roads giving us time to yell back and forth at our compadres. We finally located our hostel and parked in front of the desolate gated community. All lights were off and no one was responding to the ring- so instead of getting down, we hopped back into the taxi and went to the next worst place- Hotel Nirvana.

Now this place wasn’t anything special, aside from the courtyard in the back and Cecebell, the cleaning lady/chef/hostess. As the boys went to sleep I stayed up and chatted with Cecebell until helping her with her morning chores as the sun rose. I cut pineapple as she prepared fruit juice to be laid out for the customers the next morn.

I ended up parting ways around 6 and headed to bed for a couple hours before waking up to Teresa, a tour guide that would be planning our trip for the next 2 weeks. I didn’t really have a say, being that the crew (aside from Ryan and I) was only here for a short time and wanted to pack in as many things as they could- so I played along.

With that being said, Teresa organized a trip for us in a matter of minutes to go to, Salkantay, Machu Picchu, the Colca Canyons, and the Nazca Lines. With bags packed and our first flight leaving to Cuzco in an hour- she brought the visa scanner and swiped all our credit cards on the way to the airport, arriving minutes before departure. South American travel, in and out, no fucking lines or terrorist scanning procedures- beautiful.

So once again we touch down, but this time we are in Cuzco. We leave the airport and are surprisingly awaited by a taxi driver- Teresa really did her homework. We all load up and make our way to our new hotel- Now you wouldn’t believe this place, it was Spanish village all enclosed with a courtyard in the centre shining light on the cobble stoned terrace. All in awe we through our bags in our rooms and I saddled up with Henry, Ryan’s father, before hit the town.

Leaving our room, we met up with Alex a bloke from the airplane and the 7 of us went to an Italian joint in the heart of Cuzco. On our walk we were bombarded with little runny nosed children selling finger puppets and gum anything to make a sole (Peruvian currency)- during dinner they tapped on the window making silly faces, waiting for us rich foreigners to leave the restaurant to once again try their luck. As we made our way through the children we walked across the plaza and went for some drinks at a local club called Mama Africa.

The next morning was a breath of fresh air- there is nothing like waking up in a new city with intentions of exploration. Cuzco is a little city resting in the mountains and from any angle you can see the mountainside groomed to show its ‘coat of arms’ and pictures of alpacas. Inside the city, sits a plaza centre that is bustling with taxis making there rounds around the block; and inside the block sits a park with fountains and park benches and blooming flowers and salesmen selling balloons and circus-like expenditures. On three sides of the plaza lie rows of buildings that resemble an old western saloon- the stores varying from jam packed alpaca shops, booming cafes, to the traditional and repetitive souvenir shop.

We made our way to this area on the side of a hill called Sal Plaz where we took pictures and tried on luchadoro masks. As Henry stopped to bargain with a street vendor over a necklace, I found a child playing with the cap from an exploded firework. I walked over to him to play catch and soon we were immersed in a game of catch- soon more children came and we were throwing the cap all around the street. As much as I could have stayed there all day playing catch and soaking up my childhood, we had to meet our tour guide Hugo, who was going to be trekking us through the Salkantay Mountains.

We all met Hugo at an alpaca house, which is where I got my first bite of the hairy creature. Hugo seemed like a respectable character and we all got excited about our trip into the mountains. After dinner we picked up some beers and managed to score some reefer among other things, and we celebrated in our room, watching Spanish family guy, drinking Heinekens and getting high.

The next morning we packed our bags and boarded a bus to meet the other trekkers at the base camp. Once we arrived, all the workers unloaded our bags and told us to wait for lunch- so we broke out the Frisbee and had the mountaintop to run free- with nothing but snow-capped peaks and chickens running wild we were finally at home.

Lunch came and more trekkers soon arrived and we all introduced ourselves and enjoyed our chicken sandwiches (little did I know that it would be our best meal of the trip, or I would have savoured it even more). We grabbed our bags and loaded onto yet another bus for to be dropped off where we would finally start our climb. Honestly, the bus ride couldn’t have been more fun, with a playlist including Elvis, James Brown, Jackson 5 and all the other classics that Peruvians are finally getting. The bus illuminated with life, as we swayed to the music and grinned with enthusiasm of our unknown adventure that was looming around any corner.

As the bus trudged up the narrow Cliffside, any slip and we would have been better off getting stuck in a blender- but I am here to tell my tale, so you know the outcome. We finally got off the bus and throwing the sack over my shoulder marked the beginning of my endeavour. We grouped up and with wide smiles hiked the rocky road that snaked up the mountain, cutting through brush and man made trails to show our adventurous side. Soon rain gave way, but not to dampen the mood- I was thrilled to be alive and living my dream. All the packs of hikers caught up and we rested at our first check point for some lunch. Off the side of the path, our guides were bent over inside a makeshift tent pealing potatoes and cutting carrots for our soup- now my mother raised me to always lend a helping hand, especially when it comes to food that way you always know if it’s safe to eat. So I hopped into the tent with them and helped prepare lunch before it was time to smoke a joint with the crew.

I remember now, frolicking through the hillside, along a rolling stream in awe of where my life has taken me. I began searching for a branch to form into a walking cane- just to differentiate myself and let the others know that I take this business seriously- and that I may or may not have a slight lower back problem. So I fetched this ridiculously big branch and thought out to shave it down a notch or two with my swiss- but all of a sudden one of the tour guides, lets call him Limb Shaver, steps in and takes over my chore- I didn’t know to be a) under the impression that he was better at it than b) he was he trying to show off in front of the ladies c) he’s a genuine guy or d) he’s working for tips- so I chose e) he just really loves wood and this option saved me a few dollars and any ill resentment.

So now with new walking cane in hand I could motor up these mountains with style and a new sense of agility. After walking the rest of the path, we finally reached an open field, and after only hiking for 3 hours, we were kind of bummed out to learn that this was where we were camping for the night. All the tents were set up in an open field surrounded by mountains that were littered with mad cows and crazy horses- literally these animals were reaching out to god as they scaled the hillsides aiming for the peak.

We picked our tents, and saddled up for dinner and a few drinks at the vendor conveniently located at the entrance of the park. The night came to an end after a million laughs under the night sky.

The next morning we woke to snow and icy asses as we took turns on the communal toilet, which was nothing more than a bucket surrounded by four sheets and herds of eyes staring at our rumps and shrivelled balls for once- the tables has finally turned, and now that I think of it, the cows and horses were just preparing the night before to get a good seat for the show the next morning. Who knew it snowed in Peru? Not me for that matter, as I packed 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of jeans, expecting to be basking in the sun all trip- wow was I ever naïve.  Anyways it was just another obstacle for us to tackle, so after breakfast we began our trek to the peak of Salkantay 4600 metres above my mothers home cooking.

It’s hard to describe the hike, but the scenery, along with the climb itself was literally breathtaking. Amidst glaciers peaking at 6500 meters- I felt like a pebble in the ocean or for a more graphic comparison a single hair on Robin William’s knuckle- a thank you!

After hiking for an hour- I decided to fight sobriety by chewing on some coca leaves.

This is an ancient remedy for fighting through the altitude change as well as sluggishness- if you are like me, and you probably are, then we have all taken a line off our fathers armoire and know what wonders is has worked us through- now just take the purest form, the coca leaf, and put a handful in your mouth and suck on the leafy concoction for a few hours and those peaks not only become reachable, you’ll actually enjoy climbing them too.

Along the walk, I stopped to let everyone pass as the fog was clearing alongside an adjacent mountain, leaving an impression that has been prodded into my mind- two waterfalls named grande and chico ate away at the hillside, with tunnels that stemmed and protruded through the earths crust- I envisioned being a microscopic me floating on a similar sized inflatable tube surging down the waterfall, dipping beneath the surface through the dark membrane only to escape back into contact with the radiant sun- as if passing through life and death in one breathe.