Titikaka, shamans, and a few long bus rides to Cuzco, our story continues.
Snap! Crash! Our first hostel in Cuzco was shotty to say the least. Within 5 minutes of inhabiting our inhabitance, a bed was broken, and brain cells were being killed with wet paint still on the walls. Yet, in the morning, we were still alive and kicking.
Like every other big city, Diegito and Amandita had arranged an adrenaline pumping scavenger hunt for the group. This time however, instead of pairs or triples, we found ourselves with only our own shoulder to lean on, alone in a big city. Fear not followers, no harm came to us, only a few embarrasing stories, some sun burns, an untied shoelace, and a broken camera. Equipped with only directions for our scavenges (all in spanish) and a map, we were off to the races. Participants had to visit Qorikancha (Incan Ruins in the city), La Catedral (one of the first built in South America), a crazy art gallery called The Fractal Dragon, and The Incan Museum. The competition was fierce, often times resulting in blood shed... Just kidding, but seriously. We reconvened sweaty, tired, battered, and bloody at our final meeting point, our answers and maps held above our heads like trophies. As a reward for our efforts, we were treated to a powerful documentary titled ¨Mi Chacra¨ produced by an up and coming American filmmaker named Jason Burlage. Our next adventure took us to the smelly pastures of horses, where we were set to gallop across the lush green plains of Peru. The travels provided beautiful views of the city and of an ancient Incan temple. Semi-sore, we walked back to the city, passing a magnificent massive marble sculpture of Jesus. Our return journey took us through many markets, a couple alleys, and across several plazas, leaving us with enough energy to chow down some din din and pass out on our ridiculously comfortable beds. Seriously, they are magical.
As it turned out, we needed all the rest we could get for our scheduled bike tour, high up in the mountains the next day. The bikes were nice, as promised, they even had helmets and bathero bike gloves! Some bikes were white, some red, others black, yet all with enough gears to cover any terrain. What started off as a leisurly ride over rolling hills soon changed to a battle for the yellow jersey. A photo finish brought us to our first checkpoint, the Moray Ruins, roughly an hour outside of Cuzco. Unlike other ruins, Moray has the appearence of a stadium, with many tiers. Despite its appearence, it was actually used as a mad science lab, of sorts, for the Incans. It was said to have contained 21 micro climates, used to plant different vegetables at different altitudes to see what grew best where. They were clever. Unfortunately, what goes down, must come back up, as our thighs groaned after an intense ride. We huffed, and we puffed, and we made it out, thankfully without blowing down any ruins. Alas, it was time to get back on the bike, for our day had just begun. Out of the blue, our terrain quickly transformed from nice, paved dirt roads passing grassy fields to cliff hugging, rock filled, hair pin turning, stream jumping, steep as hell trails of death. Mind you, our tour agency had assured us that the ride was ¨comfortable,¨ not ride home in an ambulence worthy. However, like always, our group fought through valiently and soon we were snacking on delicious lunches in the shade. After what seemed like 5 minutes of rest, we found ourselves back on our bikes, skidding around dusty corners, and scraping knees. Not a moment too soon, we came to a halt at the Salineras, or the amazing salt mines of Peru. Again, time was short, however, that did not stop us from snapping some great photos and eating some salt. Our last stretch of our treacherous terrain was easily the worst, with tires narrowly dodging enormous boulders, eroded tracks, and failing brakes. Finally, we made it, tallying a 7 hour day of epic proportions. To be precise, we slept well that night.
Going from one extreme to the other, today´s activities brought us to the indoors, where we learned how to weave and spin yarn. Talk about a 180. But, the experience had tremendous value, as we all learned how impressive all of these woven works of art really are. Pacience was definitely put to the test, but left feeling accomplished with our new belts around our waists. Tomorrow, we head for our long awaited yoga retreat, and soon after to Machu Pichu.
So long, and thanks for the fish!
-Abercrombie and J Crew (Patrick and Jordi)
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