Contents - Peru and Patagonia Treks
Patagonia treks
Off to ChileSantiago airport ´Aeropuerto Internacional Arturo Merino Benítez´ was affected by the earthquake recently, cosmetically anyway. Quite a few of the ceiling panels had fallen. With a tired fogged brain and Spanish lingua no comprende - I got a bit confused to where I should go thinking that I should go to transfers instead of immigration.
Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales
I spend a day travelling to Puerto Natales and getting ready for my trip to
Torres Del Paine. A building proudly states that we are 51 degrees 43
minutes and 39 seconds south.
Not much in the way of views of the Glacier and mountains due to the rain, but the foliage was shimmering a brilliant gold with the autumn colour changes. Along the way I also spotted a woodpecker busy sculpting a tree. Sometimes the wind and rain was that hard that all I could do was look at the ground 1 to metres ahead.
Refugio Grey to Refugio Paine Grande
I walked up to the glacier, first stopping at the mirador - lookout, before
going to campmento los guardas. I wanted to stay here all day, and perhaps
should have,
I loved this part of the walk. Indeed, I loved all of the walk, but this bit was special. Going up the Valle de Frances is a special treat, it is absolutely sublime.
Campmento Britanico to Chileno
We got to Chileno in just enough time to pitch tent before it rained. I discovered Todd did not have a tent and the refugio was closed here! Hmm... professors are not necessarily intelligent in all aspects of life. He was going to hike back to Torres camp but I offered a place in my small apartment instead.
Piece-de-la-resistance Torres del Paine
We go to Torres del Paine anyway and it was the right decision. The weather
cleared and the walk up the valley was as rewarding as Valle de
Frances.
I had a brief walk around Punta Arenas and re-affirmed my dislike for cities, well this city anyway and decided to while my time in the hostel until the collectivo -a community taxi picked me up.
Peru treks
Peru: Cuzco
The plane flight was quite something, in the daylight I had spectacular views
of the Andes and i was glad to have chosen the window seat. I reflected on my
walk in Patagonia and wondered about the next few weeks.
Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu
Choquequirao is a very pretty set of ruins and it has a great aspect, set on
a ridge that captures the sun efficiently. All the housing has great views.
There is an irrigation channel fed from the peaks to provide water to the
dwellings and farm areas.
Start - Cachora
Cachora elevation 2850 metres, bearing 13.43806S 72.82568W. Somewhat lower than Cusco, is easier to acclimatise
Cachora elevation 2850 metres, bearing 13.43806S 72.82568W. Somewhat lower than Cusco, is easier to acclimatise
Day 1 - Cachora to Playa Rosalina
We say our goodbye to Jan's wife and I meet Ucco our arriero (mule handler and cook). Jan's daughter sheds a brief tear and it is time to begin our journey.
Day 2 - Playa Rosalina to Marampata and Choquequirao
Choquequirao is a very pretty set of ruins and it has a great aspect, set on a ridge that captures the sun efficiently. All the housing has great views.
Day 3 - Marampata to Maizel
At the turn-off to Yanama the habitat changes rapidly to a more jungle like environment. The track becomes muddy and the vegetation is thicker and in places arches over. Apparently speckled bears and puma live here, but are rarely seen
.
Day 4 - Maizal to Yanama
The pass makes for a great photo as we walk around a cutting on the cliff. Damn. My camera runs out of battery just after the first shot of the cutting .
Day 4 - Maizal to Yanama
The pass makes for a great photo as we walk around a cutting on the cliff. Damn. My camera runs out of battery just after the first shot of the cutting .
Day 5 - Yanama to Totora
Yanama, I fell in love with this place and it was time to leave. What a pleasant way to exit, it was a long goodbye out through the valley of the meandering rio Yanama.
.
Day 6 - Totora to Aguas Calientes
Onwards, the track moves on through precarious new cuts till it reaches a new road. The much publicised landslips have been rectified with a new road somehow bulldozed in on the side of this huge mountainous valley.
Day 6 - Totora to Aguas Calientes
Onwards, the track moves on through precarious new cuts till it reaches a new road. The much publicised landslips have been rectified with a new road somehow bulldozed in on the side of this huge mountainous valley.
Almost immediately after entry you are blown away with the scale of this
site and the awesome setting. It is hard to scope one's mind when seeing
books and documentaries; when you are physically there it is overwhelming -
the scale, setting, condition of the ruins and the engineering, and for many
the spirit.
The train trip is sleepy and enjoyable. It has a kind of olde worlde feel
about it. The scenery is outstanding, running through river valleys and
rural countryside. Many ruins of Inca and pre-Inca can be seen.
Jungle Trip
Cruising down the rivers of the upper Amazon basin - the only effective way
to travel through the jungle - I visit local villages, see caiman, monkeys
and other wildlife and plenty of trees.
Day 1 - Jungle trip to Manu Park
On the river banks we spotted some very small squirrel monkeys. Difficult
to photograph and spot due to their size and speed and hide provided by
the bamboo forest, but nether-the-less exciting as they were our first
monkey spotting. We also get to taste some of the tropical fruits –
chitimaya and foods – yucca (cassava). Chitimaya is quite an ugly looking
fruit, looking rotten brown and is quite soft, but it its looks are
deceiving; its taste is delicious.
If you are a bird lover, (which is a topic I have complete ignorance of)
then this trip would satisfy. There was a Spanish guy who seemed ecstatic at
every other moment and our guide David assisted well in spotting and
identification. Our guide, David had recordings of the various birds and
carried with him a well leafed resource book.
Day 3 - Jungle Trip - Manu Park
Today is our entry to the depths of the jungle. Here we get to see more birds and reptiles. Caiman and tortoises abound. We spend lots of time in the boat.
Day 4 - Jungle Trip - Manu Park
Birds were plentiful and we saw the odd black caiman. I was sceptical that we’d see the otter due to the difficulty of spotting anything. Today however, we are rewarded. Otters, lovable amphibious carnivores. We enjoyed the sighting, made all the more special with the quiet paddle on the lake
Day 5 - Jungle Trip - Manu Park
Arriving at camp we met another South American animal – the tapir (see top of this page). This penultimate day is giving us the treatment ! He is almost a pet, but don’t try to pat him, he bites.
Day 6 - Jungle Trip - Manu Park
We go zip lining again, not quite as thrilling as the first time but fun just the same.
Fantastic bike ride from Abra Malaga to the Sacred Valley– Down hill !
Peru
At 4316 metres it is a struggle to walk let alone cycle, just as well we are rolling down hill. We will descend to around 3000 metres. What a great ride, mostly single track. Some scary bits, but most of it quite enjoyable.
At 4316 metres it is a struggle to walk let alone cycle, just as well we are rolling down hill. We will descend to around 3000 metres. What a great ride, mostly single track. Some scary bits, but most of it quite enjoyable.
Cusco: cancelled visit to Quechuan village.
Unfortunately due to a bad tooth ache on the rear molar I had a very
unsettled night, together with a bit of a stomach upset, so I had to bail
out.
Long flight, lost bag and some medical expenses.
Yesterday I found a tool called PC Inspector File Recovery . This tool
found 1610 objects on my SD card and is busy saving the files to my PC. 8
Gigabyte card with each cluster 1440kb, it is going to take a while.
Overall I am very happy with the entire trip, the walk fitness training four months prior paid dividends, I was able to do the big walks without undo duress. I saw a lot of tired souls on my treks. Perhaps I could of done some more contingency planning, and study
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