As usual the night bus meant that I never got the best nights sleep, but I had enough excitement that my body wasn’t to phased by it. We arrived in Arequipa just after 6am, giving ourselves the one day to sort out all our things before making our way to the Canyon in the morning. Like all new cities I’d been to so far, Arequipa had its on unique feel, particularly in its architecture.
Many of the traditional buildings, including the some of the churches were constructed with white stone, and were all very simple in their design. The main plaza was one of the nicest that I’ve seen so far. Everywhere that I’ve been so far, from the biggest cities, to the smallest of towns, seems to have a main square known as a “Plaza de Armas.” Some of them are very impressive with rose gardens, ancient trees & statues, while others have been no more than a few weedy bits of pavement, accompanied by a couple of lonely seats.
The first priority after grabbing breakfast was to sort out exactly how we were going to get to the canyon, and also how we were going to go about navigating our way through it. Our first plan was to go there and spend just the one night down the bottom before returning back up and into Arequipa by that night. After doing some research on the internet and making a brief visit to the information center we decided that the two day itinerary was the best option to go with. In the hostel we even met another person who was keen to join the team. Having only one night to spend in Arequipa we decided that we’d still go out and sample the night life, so we agreed that 10am was a good enough time to get going in the morning. We had a few beers and went to a club, one beer lead to another and we didn’t end up getting to bed until about 3am, but we remained adamant that we would still leave on time the following morning.
At about 11.30am the next morning we were finally on the bus and on our way to the first village of the canyon called Chivay. The four hour bus ride wound through desert roads and as usual we had the entertainment of an on bus salesman. In Peru if you get onto any local bus you can almost guarantee that you’ll have to put up with a live infomercial on the bus for at least an hour or two. They start off by giving a rant and telling you every possible reason why you need to buy their product. They then proceed by handing out the product to everyone on the bus. Once you see the product for yourself and decide that it really could enhance your life in some way, you gladly give the guy some money when he returns again. Throughout my bus rides I’ve seen people try to sell anything from fake jewelry, to candy, to “natural health products.” But on this particular ride the man was trying to sell instructional DVDs on how to learn English. Obviously this wasn’t able to enhance my life in any way so I politely declined when he offered it to me to have a look. I saw that he had a few other options in the stack as well like “sexual education,” and “effective parenting.”
As we got off the bus in Chivay, we noticed two girls who had come on the same bus as us, both of whom were carrying guitars. I’d left my guitar at the hostel, so the prospect of having two guitars share the journey strongly appealed to me, as did the idea of having two girls joining the team. After introducing ourselves and telling them what our plan was (or lack of a plan,) they agreed to join us for lunch as we decided on our first plan of attack. We now had two more for the team from Malta, Amber and Yasmin.
It was about 3.30pm and we still had to get to the next town, Cabanaconde, before we could begin our hike down into the canyon. This was a two hour bus ride which we had the opportunity to take at 4pm that same day, but we decided that we wanted a bit more of an adventure. We instead chose the option to aimlessly start walking in the vague direction. It took us long enough to get out of the town. Every time we stopped to ask a local where we go for Cabanaconde, they’d point us in the direction with a very puzzled look on their face, convinced that we must be crazy. Eventually we got out of the town and we were heading well in the right direction, but by now it was about 5pm, so we barely had any daylight to keep walking. Eventually we walked passed a spot that made the perfect camping site for the night so we ventured off the road and borrowed some local farm land for the night.
It was nestled in off the road further away enough in which we had our own wee private space to jam out with the music and get a good nights sleep for the next day where we were going to get up for an early start and…… well we still didn’t really know at that point exactly how we were going to approach the following day. Our site was surrounded by a couple of little streams and all around us was a view of the hills, which were all lined with terraces, individually separated off by stone walls. One thing we didn’t quite take into consideration, was the temperature in the nights. Gareth was keen to try out his new hammock, but later found that it wasn’t perhaps the best conditions for a hammock trial. The following morning revealed the extent of the cold. One bottle of water had completely frozen, whilst Amber woke up with ice on her hair which had frozen on from the tent condensation. Meanwhile Gareth never woke up because he never got to sleep. Instead he spent his whole time moving around to prevent himself from freezing. I had an average nights sleep. At least I managed to avoid the cold by wearing all my clothes to bed.
The next day we still hadn’t really decided how we were going to try and get to Cabanaconde. Despite last nights cold, everyone still had a strong hunger to do it the “adventurous” way, so we decided that we’d try walking in the general direction of the town and just flag down any ride that we could get on the way. At about 10am we started walking, still not having a clue how well our plan would work. After about half an hour of walking a van came past with plenty of seats left inside. We ended up getting a ride, but they were only going as far as the next small town. We decided that it would be best to take the ride and then plan our next move from the next town.
It was only a short ride before we’d arrived in the next town. The driver told us that there was a bus passing through at 11am, and also another one later on at 4pm. With only ten minutes until the 11oclock we decided to relax for a while and try our luck hitchhiking again. The locals said that there was no way that we’d get a ride there until the next bus (4pm,) but we insisted amongst ourselves that we will find a ride to Cabanaconde, arriving there just after lunch. We made our way back out onto the road and carried on walking. It was now very hot with the sun out so the best option at the time was to find some shade and wait for a ride there. As soon as we sat down another van came by, and once again there was enough room for us all to pile in. The guy got out of the van and threw our bags up the top, while we all jumped in with the locals. This ride still was once again only going to the next town, but we decided that it was still at least one step closer to where we wanted to go, and if we just kept doing this then surely we would eventually get to where we wanted to go.
Our luck stopped at this town. From here we no longer saw any traffic going in the direction of where we were going. We were now stuck in this tinny little town in the middle of no where, not knowing when or how we were going to get to Cabanaconde. The only option we had now was to wait three hours until the four-o’clock bus passed by. It was quite funny to look back at the day before, knowing that we could have just taken the bus then, arriving where we wanted to be a whole day earlier. But everything going wrong was defiantly part of the fun. By that evening we had finally arrived. We originally had only intended on doing Colca Canyon for two days, but it had taken us two days to get to the point where the hike started, so once again we decided to change our plans.
On the morning of departure, the guy at the hostel suggested we take a three day route through the canyon. He insisted that this was the best way in which to take in the whole diversity of the canyon, and also the culture of the small towns throughout. Straight away I was sold on the idea, and now our two day trip had become a five day epic. The plan was to walk right into the canyon on the first day, and then head back up the other side to spend the first night in a small town a wee bit higher up. This was meant to be a very small town and we were told that it had one of the better authentic cultural feels. The second day required a walk around the higher part of the canyon before dropping right back down to a small town tucked away at the bottom, then the final day required the dreaded climb back to the top.
It felt great to be at the starting point of the hike; it took so long to get there that it was a real relief to finally be staring down the throat of the canyon. The first view was of a vast barren rocky landscape with sparse patches of cactuses randomly dotted over the placed. The river that wound through the bottom of the canyon seemed miles away, but apparently it was only two hours until we reach the bottom point.
The beginning of the first day wasn’t to tiring. We didn’t take long to reach the bottom, and after a short break for lunch we began our climb back up to reach our first town. The climb back up proved to be a lot more challenging. The sun was now at its full intensity by this stage, and the track was mainly loose rocks, so it made for a tiresome walk. It was very interesting walking up, often we’d come across locals doing their day to day business, loading up the mules with wood for the return trip.
After a long three hours we were finally at the location of our first town. It was very small and didn’t take us long to find one of the two hostels. Unlike the previous night, this night we had proper rooms to stay in, although very rustic. That night we sampled the local apple wine, which tasted good on the first few sips, but then got pretty nasty after that. With a much better nights sleep we were well ready to tackle to second day.
The second day was set to be a lot easier than the first. We’d climbed to the other side so all we had to do now was follow it round before dropping down at the end of the day. We passed through many small towns. The trial was never marked so there were many times where we had to ask the locals to point us in the right direction. This day was the most spectacular for walking. The scenery of the canyon constantly changed as we moved around. We also seemed to have taken some random path that the guided tours stay away from. This meant that we didn’t see any people for the whole day, apart from a few villagers here and there. The perfect weather meant that we had perfect panoramic views in all directions. The further we went across, the more impressive the canyon became. As we started to drop down, the true size of the canyon really started to become apparent. It was one thing staring down from above, but being right down in the bottom was where I really felt the full depth of it. The final night was on of the coolest places that I’d yet come across in South America.
Once we got right down to the bottom of the canyon, it was as if we’d stumbled across a random little oasis in the middle of no where. Perched up slightly on the top of a small hill was this tiny little village. It didn’t seem like it really even contained much more than the hostel. After bargaining for a good price of 10 soles we relaxed, happy that we’d come across such a good deal. Our room was a little wee cabin close to the river. The best part about this place was that it had a natural hot spring right down by the river, which was open all night. It also had a place to light a fire just outside our cabin, the perfect set up. As soon as we got down there the first priority was of course the hot pool. By now the sun had well and truly disappeared, setting the stage for the best night of stare gazing I’ve ever had. The combination of being down in the bottom of the canyon, sitting in a thermal pool on a freezing cold night, and a view of the stars unlike anything I’d ever seen before, set the stage for one of the best nights of my trip. There were many times throughout that night where I thought to myself, “damn, I really am living the dream at the moment!”
The only thing that either of us was dreading was the huge climb back out of the canyon the following day, but luckily somehow, somebody found out about a bus that goes back up there. It only left a couple of times a week and it just so happened to co inside with our trip. There was just the one bus that left at 10am, so the pressure was really on for an early start the following morning in order to get there in time to catch it. With the consequence of missing it being a huge climb back up, it wasn’t hard to motivate ourselves to get up on time in the morning. After a quick breakfast we had our bags ready and we were ready for our final day in the canyon.
The walk to the car park was very short, lasting about two hours. It was once again quite different from the other days of the trip. This time we were navigating our way through the bottom of the canyon, often spending our time boulder hoping. After one final bridge crossing we’d reached the car park. It was nothing like I’d imagined. There were no signs or markings of any kind; it simply looked like the scene in a wild west movie where everyone had abandoned a site in the middle of a desert somewhere. There were bits of steel scattered around the place, and a number of other things that were obviously there to be picked up by the bus. There were only a couple of people there who seemed to look a bit puzzled when we started waiting there. I got the feeling that we were about to jump on a bus that wasn’t the typical tourist bus, I laughed to myself, noticing that this trip just continues to become better and better. After about a half hour wait the “bus” appeared, and it was once again nothing like what I had expected.
It was basically a bright blue pickup cargo truck. As it came closer we all looked at each other with a big grin on our faces. I’d seen these all over Peru and always thought to myself that I’d love to have a ride on one, now was the perfect chance. When the bus backed up and all these people just pilled out. They just seemed to keep coming, and when they were all out, they all helped each other unload the masses of cargo that they had onboard also. The car park had gone from this dead abandoned place, to a hive of activity. It quickly became apparent that this truck was one of the lifelines for these communities to get back into town and get their supplies. We decided that we should grab our bags and get ready to jump on as soon as they were ready, just to confirm our seats. As the final things were unloaded we got the sign from the driver, and we all pilled on in, using our packs as some sort of padding for the bumpy ride back up.
The novelty of sitting in the back of a Peruvian cargo truck lasted for about half an hour, then it became a painfully bumpy ride. Occasionally I would try standing to catch one last glimpse of the canyon, but found that an awkward sitting posture was the most effective. After about two hours we arrived back in Cobanaconde. As I slowly struggled out of the truck, I realized that it was probably just as hard on my body as the huge walk back up would have been. Never the less we were now in civilization, just one bus away from arriving back in Arequipa.
By the time we were back I’d decided what my next step was, Bolivia. Gareth had decided that he would join me to La Paz, Yani was going his own way, and the girls were going to Puno. We all joked about how a two day trip had turned into a five day extravaganza, it was the first time that I’d been on a trip of that nature and knew that it wouldn’t be the last. After spending one more night in Arequipa, Gareth and I joined the girls on a bus to Puno, before crossing the border to the fresh new land of Bolivia. After our latest adventure we were buzzing for more, and La Paz seemed like the perfect place for the next stop. Before that was Copacabana, a small town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka. The plan was to spend a few days kicking back on the Isla del Sol (Island of The Sun,) before going head on into the chaotic vibe of La Paz.
Well thats about me for now. There has been a wee bit thats still happened since, and I will make an effort to get them up over the next coming days also. The photos will also be updated over the next couple of days. Hope you enjoy. Rob.
Rock formations on The Carretera
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Desert Nights - From Lima to Cuzco
Throughout my trip I’d heard many bad things about Lima. It seemed to be that one place where everyone has to reluctantly go at some point for a flight or a passing through on the way north or south. They tend to spend the minimal amount of time there before quickly moving onto somewhere else. I was curious about it; a part of me was wondering whether it could really be that bad, some of the coolest people I met on the clowning project were from here which made me wonder about a different perspective.
We decided that we would avoid the touristy area and instead go to the central area with hopes that it mite be a wee bit cheaper. While we were approaching Lima on the plane Alex told me that the taxis near the airport are notorious for ripping gringos off. As soon as we set foot into the airport we were swarmed by hungry taxi drivers, trying to make an excessive profit. After a small walk from the airport to the road we were able to find a taxi for nearly half the price.
We ended up spending two days in Lima. I enjoyed the basic comforts of the hostel which I’d gone without for nearly two months. Having a hot shower and a comfortable bed were two great pleasures of life which I’d nearly completely forgotten. I really didn’t mind Lima at all. It was a very chaotic place which is to be expected, but I enjoyed the cooler climate after spending the last wee while in the Amazonian humidity. I was recovering from a stomach bug, so one thing I did miss out on was the local food, but I’m sure it was no different to the typical Peruvian cuisine of chicken, chips, and rice. Two days was plenty of time for me. The energy of huge cities is fun for me, bit I can only take it for so long. Huacachina was meant to be a very chilled out place so I was looking forward to arriving there.
On our final day we decided that it would probably be a good idea to arrive at the bus station a wee bit early. We checked in our bags and decided that with ten minutes to spare we would have time to go and buy a couple of things for the bus ride. As we walked back to get on the bus with five minutes to spare we realized that the door was shut and the bus was pulling out. Alex ran up to the bus drivers’ window and started banging on it yelling that it’s our bus, but the driver just ignored him and took off anyway. I instantly became stressed and yelled at the ticket man, telling him that his bus just took off with all our bags. Then about 200 meters up the road the bus pulled over and the guy yelled at us, “run, run hurry up, your going to miss it!” it was very strange and could have worked out to be a very awkward situation, but in the end we managed to get on the bus.
Huacachina was nothing like I expected. Tucked in amongst huge sand dunes, it was basically just a small oasis which served only for the purpose of tourism. The only locals there were those who ran hostels or tour agencies. The massive dunes make this place perfect for sand boarding. The hostel we stayed in had its own tour agency as well so it made it easy. The following day we organized a tour, only costing $20 for a dune buggy ride and a few sand boarding attempts. It ended up being quite a thrill, at the end we went up to the highest sand dunes to catch the sunset before returning back to the hostel. After that there wasn’t really much else to hang around for. I was eager to get to Cuzco so the next day I booked a night bus. It was here that I split ways with my fellow traveler from California, Alex. I’d heard many good things about Cuzco so I couldn’t wait to check it out.
Cuzco was the first city that I’d been to in the South of Peru. Despite its very touristy feel, it still managed to maintain a strong traditional feel. It was very clean and from a distance, all the houses seemed to blend into the brown hillsides. I could see straight away how this place could suck tourists into staying more time than they originally intended. There was just something about it which allowed me to relax, if anything a wee bit to much. It was here that I was supposed to catch up on all my blogs, but after once again ending up in a party hostel, I never really quite found to time where I felt like doing it. The local people of this city are also obviously very used to tourists. As I walked down the streets I would constantly have people coming up to me trying to sell me anything from massages, to “charlie.”
Like everyone else my main reason for coming to Cuzco, was to visit the famous Machu Picchu. There are many options for getting there and I still didn’t know how I was going to get there, all I knew was that I was going to try and find the cheapest way possible. I’d met several travelers who had told me about a rout that costs next to nothing. It was more of a DIY way of doing it, and it sounded like a great adventure so I decided that it would be perfect for me, all I needed was a group of people to do it with.
One of the main topics of conversation in the hostel was always, “how are you going to visit Machu Picchu?” through several of these conversations I found a bunch of people who were interested in doing it the same way as me. We all decided to team up and after a couple of days of procrastination, we finally settled on a day to do it. The group consisted of two English guys, an English girl, a Swiss guy, an Argentinean guy, and I. The way of getting there involved taking a couple of buses & collectivos through several small towns before arriving at this hydro electric dam in the middle of no where. From there we had to walk up the train tracks for a couple of hours until we arrived at a place called Aguas Calientes, a small tourist town at the foot of Machu Picchu.
The morning of departure involved a frantic rush around to withdraw cash and buy food, as we were told that Aguas Calientes if notoriously expensive, especially when it came to food. The bus went for six hours, and wound through the Sacred Valley until we arrived at this little town called Santa Maria, where we were to catch our next ride. After trying our luck with some haggling on the local drivers we all pilled into a small van for the next part of the journey, a two hour ride to Santa Teresa. The trip was as spectacular as it was scary. The driver was driving as if he wanted to get back in time before his dinner got cold. On my side there was an intimidating view of a share drop of over 100 meters into a canyon which held a weak looking river, obviously feeling the effects of the damn further up. The country was very rugged but it was unlike anything I’d yet seen in Peru. As we wound around further we eventually dropped down into the canyon. After we arrived at Santa Teresa it was just a fifteen minute drive to the hydro damn.
By the time we finally got ready for our walk it was about 5.30pm. It was looking very likely that we’d be doing a large part of our walk in the dark. Luckily the track was very easy going, and also it was a full moon so we barely even had to use torches. We didn’t really know exactly where we were going, or even exactly how long it would take. Doing things like this without a guide became something that one of the other guys and I adopted further along the trip also. After just over two hours of walking we finally arrived at Aguas Calientes. As we walked in I first noticed a bunch of very high class hotels. I was wondering if we were going to get anything close to what I was hoping to spend. But with six people in our group we had great bargaining power, and because of that we ended up getting one of the best deals that I got in Peru.
As we were getting closer towards the center of town we walked past a slightly cheaper looking hostel. After enquiring about the cost the ladies eyes lit up with interest at the prospect of six new clients. When she offered 20 soles we said “thanks but no thanks,” and kept walking. She then eagerly followed us and said “ok, you can have it for 15,” we gave her the same response as we carried on walking. She then started jogging to keep up with us and said “12.” We still weren’t convinced and gave her the same reaction. The lady then let out a big sigh and said, “ok then, you can stay for 10 soles each, why don’t you come and have a look?” ($5NZ) We all looked at each other, knowing that we would never find anything cheaper than that, then after initially walking on we decided that it’s worth having a look. It turned out to be one of the nicest places that I stayed in Peru at one of the cheapest prices.
After settling into our hostel the next step was to sort out what we were going to about getting up to Machu Picchu the following day. There were two options. The first one was to walk up the hill, or the second was to take a bus. The issue that most people face with Machu Picchu is whether they want to climb up the famous Wayna Picchu. This is meant to be the place to catch the most spectacular view of both Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. Out of the thousands of tourists that enter the site every day, only 400 are allowed access to the mountain. This means that every morning there is a mad rush up to the gate to get there soon enough to be given a stamp. The gates at the bottom open at 5am, and after that it’s just a mad rush up the hill to be one of the lucky few who get there soon enough. The other option is to line up in the early hours of the morning in order to catch one of the first buses up there. We decided that the best option would be to try our luck with walking up the hill. We set our alarm for 3.30am the following morning and packed our bags ready for the race up the hill.
We ended up reaching the bottom gate at about 4.30am. When they opened it literally became a mad rush for the top. Some people decided to run off, while I was content enough to go with the majority of people, taking it at a steady pace. I’d been told that there are 3000 steps to climb up, but after about an hour we’d made it up to the top. It was defiantly pretty hard work but nothing like what everyone had talked it up to be. As I waited in the line and official came up to me and gave me the Wayna Picchu stamp. It was nice to be able to relax after that, knowing that we’d confirmed our spot for the mountain.
As we walked into the site of Machu Picchu I was immediately struck by the scale of the ruins. Whilst I’d seen many pictures which had depicted the magnitude of it, it wasn’t until I arrived there, that I was able to fully appreciate it. The place was already quickly filling up with tourists, but that didn’t seem to tarnish the awe of the whole site. We had about an hour to relax and enjoy the site before making our way up Wayna Picchu.
It wasn’t until halfway up the climb that I realized I’d used most of my energy up during the first climb. By the time we reached the top of the hour climb I was ready to collapse down for lunch. We found a place away from the hoards of tourists that had a good view to take in the scenery. We were also lucky enough to do it on a perfect day. Part of the impressiveness of the site is where it is located. Surrounding the site was a series of mountains, towering over as if they were guarding it. I didn’t know beforehand if it would meet up to all the hype, but from this view I could easily agree with, and justify every bit of hype that Machu Picchu receives. After climbing back down we had the great opportunity to look around the site for a couple of hours.
There were many things that left me pondering for hours about the site. The location in which it was constructed, the size of it, but perhaps most impressive is the precision in which everything was put together. Every rock seems to fit perfectly together, every wall is perfectly square with each other, and where ever there were natural obstacles, they just built around them. They also built it so that it was in perfect harmony with the natural landscape; even water seemed to effortlessly drain from all areas. It’s defiantly very easy to see how people become obsessed with this, dedicating much of their time to unraveling the mysteries that still surround it.
By early afternoon the combination of the hot sun and all the climbing that I’d done earlier pretty much drained my energy completely and I was well ready to make my trip back to the hostel. It was very tempting to pay for the ridiculously overpriced bus to go back down the hill, but I decided that I probably did have enough energy to make it back to the hostel. The hill seemed to be so much bigger walking back, but eventually we made it. After the climax of visiting Machu Picchu there didn’t seem like much point in being in Aguas Calientes for much longer. We decided that tomorrow would be the day to make it back to Cuzco. The rest of the day was spent sleeping and catching up on energy for the return trip.
As we walked back down the train tracks the following day it was great to be able to see the view that we’d missed from the night walk a couple of days earlier. The way back went pretty smooth until we reached Santa Maria and arranged a cheap ride back to Cuzco. After about half an hour the driver stopped just outside this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, saying that we can’t carry on for another three hours due to road maintenance. We managed to find one shop which sold room temperature beers in which we entertained ourselves for the meantime. Then when we finally got on the road again, it was as if the driver was trying to make up for every minute of lost time. Every time we went around the corner there would be screeching tires. The drivers here also get very annoyed when people try and overtake them. Every time someone made an attempt to overtake him, he’d franticly speed up and try and cut him off. Everyone did the same to him when he tried to overtake them as well. This made it a very difficult ride to catch up on sleep.
Once I was back in Cuzco I had to make a decision about where I was going to go next. By this stage I was starting to get itchy feet with Peru. I’d been here for nearly three months now and I was looking forward to some fresh new culture. I’d made to decision to go to Copacabana, A small town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka. It sounded like a great place to relax for a while before I entered into the chaotic vibe of La Paz. However my plans were very quickly changed when I was walking down the stairs to hand over one last load of washing.
Two guys that I’d gotten to know at the hostel were sitting at a table, as I walked past one of them said to me, “hey Rob why don’t you come camping in Colca Canyon with us?” I’d already made my decision but then I realized that there was nothing stopping me from changing it again. I asked them what the plan was and they simply replied saying, “ah well we don’t really have a plan, we’ll just make it up as we go. We could just use your tent and make our own way, camping out along the way.” (While I was in Lima I swapped my hammock for a tent with a Belgium guy who was trying to lighten his load for his return trip back home.) The idea of going on an adventure of this kind through the second deepest canyon in the world was just too good to turn down so I gladly took them up on the offer and joined the team. The team consisted of two guys from England, Gareth & Yani, and I. Just like that my plans were changed, and within five hours I was on a bus to Arequipa.
This was the first time that I’d had the freedom to completely change my plans and go on a crazy adventure. I was sitting in the bus rubbing my hands together with excitement. It was completely unorganized and that was the most exciting thing about it.
We decided that we would avoid the touristy area and instead go to the central area with hopes that it mite be a wee bit cheaper. While we were approaching Lima on the plane Alex told me that the taxis near the airport are notorious for ripping gringos off. As soon as we set foot into the airport we were swarmed by hungry taxi drivers, trying to make an excessive profit. After a small walk from the airport to the road we were able to find a taxi for nearly half the price.
We ended up spending two days in Lima. I enjoyed the basic comforts of the hostel which I’d gone without for nearly two months. Having a hot shower and a comfortable bed were two great pleasures of life which I’d nearly completely forgotten. I really didn’t mind Lima at all. It was a very chaotic place which is to be expected, but I enjoyed the cooler climate after spending the last wee while in the Amazonian humidity. I was recovering from a stomach bug, so one thing I did miss out on was the local food, but I’m sure it was no different to the typical Peruvian cuisine of chicken, chips, and rice. Two days was plenty of time for me. The energy of huge cities is fun for me, bit I can only take it for so long. Huacachina was meant to be a very chilled out place so I was looking forward to arriving there.
On our final day we decided that it would probably be a good idea to arrive at the bus station a wee bit early. We checked in our bags and decided that with ten minutes to spare we would have time to go and buy a couple of things for the bus ride. As we walked back to get on the bus with five minutes to spare we realized that the door was shut and the bus was pulling out. Alex ran up to the bus drivers’ window and started banging on it yelling that it’s our bus, but the driver just ignored him and took off anyway. I instantly became stressed and yelled at the ticket man, telling him that his bus just took off with all our bags. Then about 200 meters up the road the bus pulled over and the guy yelled at us, “run, run hurry up, your going to miss it!” it was very strange and could have worked out to be a very awkward situation, but in the end we managed to get on the bus.
Huacachina was nothing like I expected. Tucked in amongst huge sand dunes, it was basically just a small oasis which served only for the purpose of tourism. The only locals there were those who ran hostels or tour agencies. The massive dunes make this place perfect for sand boarding. The hostel we stayed in had its own tour agency as well so it made it easy. The following day we organized a tour, only costing $20 for a dune buggy ride and a few sand boarding attempts. It ended up being quite a thrill, at the end we went up to the highest sand dunes to catch the sunset before returning back to the hostel. After that there wasn’t really much else to hang around for. I was eager to get to Cuzco so the next day I booked a night bus. It was here that I split ways with my fellow traveler from California, Alex. I’d heard many good things about Cuzco so I couldn’t wait to check it out.
Cuzco was the first city that I’d been to in the South of Peru. Despite its very touristy feel, it still managed to maintain a strong traditional feel. It was very clean and from a distance, all the houses seemed to blend into the brown hillsides. I could see straight away how this place could suck tourists into staying more time than they originally intended. There was just something about it which allowed me to relax, if anything a wee bit to much. It was here that I was supposed to catch up on all my blogs, but after once again ending up in a party hostel, I never really quite found to time where I felt like doing it. The local people of this city are also obviously very used to tourists. As I walked down the streets I would constantly have people coming up to me trying to sell me anything from massages, to “charlie.”
Like everyone else my main reason for coming to Cuzco, was to visit the famous Machu Picchu. There are many options for getting there and I still didn’t know how I was going to get there, all I knew was that I was going to try and find the cheapest way possible. I’d met several travelers who had told me about a rout that costs next to nothing. It was more of a DIY way of doing it, and it sounded like a great adventure so I decided that it would be perfect for me, all I needed was a group of people to do it with.
One of the main topics of conversation in the hostel was always, “how are you going to visit Machu Picchu?” through several of these conversations I found a bunch of people who were interested in doing it the same way as me. We all decided to team up and after a couple of days of procrastination, we finally settled on a day to do it. The group consisted of two English guys, an English girl, a Swiss guy, an Argentinean guy, and I. The way of getting there involved taking a couple of buses & collectivos through several small towns before arriving at this hydro electric dam in the middle of no where. From there we had to walk up the train tracks for a couple of hours until we arrived at a place called Aguas Calientes, a small tourist town at the foot of Machu Picchu.
The morning of departure involved a frantic rush around to withdraw cash and buy food, as we were told that Aguas Calientes if notoriously expensive, especially when it came to food. The bus went for six hours, and wound through the Sacred Valley until we arrived at this little town called Santa Maria, where we were to catch our next ride. After trying our luck with some haggling on the local drivers we all pilled into a small van for the next part of the journey, a two hour ride to Santa Teresa. The trip was as spectacular as it was scary. The driver was driving as if he wanted to get back in time before his dinner got cold. On my side there was an intimidating view of a share drop of over 100 meters into a canyon which held a weak looking river, obviously feeling the effects of the damn further up. The country was very rugged but it was unlike anything I’d yet seen in Peru. As we wound around further we eventually dropped down into the canyon. After we arrived at Santa Teresa it was just a fifteen minute drive to the hydro damn.
By the time we finally got ready for our walk it was about 5.30pm. It was looking very likely that we’d be doing a large part of our walk in the dark. Luckily the track was very easy going, and also it was a full moon so we barely even had to use torches. We didn’t really know exactly where we were going, or even exactly how long it would take. Doing things like this without a guide became something that one of the other guys and I adopted further along the trip also. After just over two hours of walking we finally arrived at Aguas Calientes. As we walked in I first noticed a bunch of very high class hotels. I was wondering if we were going to get anything close to what I was hoping to spend. But with six people in our group we had great bargaining power, and because of that we ended up getting one of the best deals that I got in Peru.
As we were getting closer towards the center of town we walked past a slightly cheaper looking hostel. After enquiring about the cost the ladies eyes lit up with interest at the prospect of six new clients. When she offered 20 soles we said “thanks but no thanks,” and kept walking. She then eagerly followed us and said “ok, you can have it for 15,” we gave her the same response as we carried on walking. She then started jogging to keep up with us and said “12.” We still weren’t convinced and gave her the same reaction. The lady then let out a big sigh and said, “ok then, you can stay for 10 soles each, why don’t you come and have a look?” ($5NZ) We all looked at each other, knowing that we would never find anything cheaper than that, then after initially walking on we decided that it’s worth having a look. It turned out to be one of the nicest places that I stayed in Peru at one of the cheapest prices.
After settling into our hostel the next step was to sort out what we were going to about getting up to Machu Picchu the following day. There were two options. The first one was to walk up the hill, or the second was to take a bus. The issue that most people face with Machu Picchu is whether they want to climb up the famous Wayna Picchu. This is meant to be the place to catch the most spectacular view of both Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains. Out of the thousands of tourists that enter the site every day, only 400 are allowed access to the mountain. This means that every morning there is a mad rush up to the gate to get there soon enough to be given a stamp. The gates at the bottom open at 5am, and after that it’s just a mad rush up the hill to be one of the lucky few who get there soon enough. The other option is to line up in the early hours of the morning in order to catch one of the first buses up there. We decided that the best option would be to try our luck with walking up the hill. We set our alarm for 3.30am the following morning and packed our bags ready for the race up the hill.
We ended up reaching the bottom gate at about 4.30am. When they opened it literally became a mad rush for the top. Some people decided to run off, while I was content enough to go with the majority of people, taking it at a steady pace. I’d been told that there are 3000 steps to climb up, but after about an hour we’d made it up to the top. It was defiantly pretty hard work but nothing like what everyone had talked it up to be. As I waited in the line and official came up to me and gave me the Wayna Picchu stamp. It was nice to be able to relax after that, knowing that we’d confirmed our spot for the mountain.
As we walked into the site of Machu Picchu I was immediately struck by the scale of the ruins. Whilst I’d seen many pictures which had depicted the magnitude of it, it wasn’t until I arrived there, that I was able to fully appreciate it. The place was already quickly filling up with tourists, but that didn’t seem to tarnish the awe of the whole site. We had about an hour to relax and enjoy the site before making our way up Wayna Picchu.
It wasn’t until halfway up the climb that I realized I’d used most of my energy up during the first climb. By the time we reached the top of the hour climb I was ready to collapse down for lunch. We found a place away from the hoards of tourists that had a good view to take in the scenery. We were also lucky enough to do it on a perfect day. Part of the impressiveness of the site is where it is located. Surrounding the site was a series of mountains, towering over as if they were guarding it. I didn’t know beforehand if it would meet up to all the hype, but from this view I could easily agree with, and justify every bit of hype that Machu Picchu receives. After climbing back down we had the great opportunity to look around the site for a couple of hours.
There were many things that left me pondering for hours about the site. The location in which it was constructed, the size of it, but perhaps most impressive is the precision in which everything was put together. Every rock seems to fit perfectly together, every wall is perfectly square with each other, and where ever there were natural obstacles, they just built around them. They also built it so that it was in perfect harmony with the natural landscape; even water seemed to effortlessly drain from all areas. It’s defiantly very easy to see how people become obsessed with this, dedicating much of their time to unraveling the mysteries that still surround it.
By early afternoon the combination of the hot sun and all the climbing that I’d done earlier pretty much drained my energy completely and I was well ready to make my trip back to the hostel. It was very tempting to pay for the ridiculously overpriced bus to go back down the hill, but I decided that I probably did have enough energy to make it back to the hostel. The hill seemed to be so much bigger walking back, but eventually we made it. After the climax of visiting Machu Picchu there didn’t seem like much point in being in Aguas Calientes for much longer. We decided that tomorrow would be the day to make it back to Cuzco. The rest of the day was spent sleeping and catching up on energy for the return trip.
As we walked back down the train tracks the following day it was great to be able to see the view that we’d missed from the night walk a couple of days earlier. The way back went pretty smooth until we reached Santa Maria and arranged a cheap ride back to Cuzco. After about half an hour the driver stopped just outside this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, saying that we can’t carry on for another three hours due to road maintenance. We managed to find one shop which sold room temperature beers in which we entertained ourselves for the meantime. Then when we finally got on the road again, it was as if the driver was trying to make up for every minute of lost time. Every time we went around the corner there would be screeching tires. The drivers here also get very annoyed when people try and overtake them. Every time someone made an attempt to overtake him, he’d franticly speed up and try and cut him off. Everyone did the same to him when he tried to overtake them as well. This made it a very difficult ride to catch up on sleep.
Once I was back in Cuzco I had to make a decision about where I was going to go next. By this stage I was starting to get itchy feet with Peru. I’d been here for nearly three months now and I was looking forward to some fresh new culture. I’d made to decision to go to Copacabana, A small town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka. It sounded like a great place to relax for a while before I entered into the chaotic vibe of La Paz. However my plans were very quickly changed when I was walking down the stairs to hand over one last load of washing.
Two guys that I’d gotten to know at the hostel were sitting at a table, as I walked past one of them said to me, “hey Rob why don’t you come camping in Colca Canyon with us?” I’d already made my decision but then I realized that there was nothing stopping me from changing it again. I asked them what the plan was and they simply replied saying, “ah well we don’t really have a plan, we’ll just make it up as we go. We could just use your tent and make our own way, camping out along the way.” (While I was in Lima I swapped my hammock for a tent with a Belgium guy who was trying to lighten his load for his return trip back home.) The idea of going on an adventure of this kind through the second deepest canyon in the world was just too good to turn down so I gladly took them up on the offer and joined the team. The team consisted of two guys from England, Gareth & Yani, and I. Just like that my plans were changed, and within five hours I was on a bus to Arequipa.
This was the first time that I’d had the freedom to completely change my plans and go on a crazy adventure. I was sitting in the bus rubbing my hands together with excitement. It was completely unorganized and that was the most exciting thing about it.
Clowning Around In Iquitos
After settling down in a cheap bunkhouse close to the plaza I found myself faced with unlimited options for the first time on my trip. Not having any future commitments meant that I could spend as long as I desired here, but I had the feeling that this humidity was going to get on my nerves at some point, so I figured it would be no longer than a couple of weeks. As usual I met new people in the bunkhouse, nearly all of which had come to Iquitos especially to do multi day jungle tours, where as I had no idea what I was really here for.
Walking round this city was so fascinating that I found that to be an interesting enough experience in and of it’s self. As I looked around I could notice the signs of the times when this city was very wealthy. There were many huge buildings close to the main square which looked like they would have been expensive hotels back in the good old days; now most of them had been turned into banks, or convenience stores. As I walked down the boulevard I noticed old, dried up, unusual sculptures of concrete. I used my imagination to picture them being spectacular fountains, surrounded by rose gardens at some point in time. Now they were nothing more than broken down eye sores covered in graffiti. One thing that hadn’t changed over the years was the spectacular view of the Amazon. As I looked past the man made features I was struck by the grand presence of both the forest, and the river. I realized that this whole city owes its entire existence to this ecosystem.
The city first indulged in excessive wealth in the late 19th century, due to a huge rubber boom. This discovery was made with nearly no respect to the local people, or the environment itself. The people of the land were forced into slave hood, and the natural recourses were raped. This of course meant that those glory days were short lived. The natural resources were then once again tapped in the 1960s when oil made it a prosperous city once again, and now today the city owes much of its money to tourism throughout the Amazon. The city also relies on the river for cargo & transport to and from the city as there is no access by road. It fascinated me that this ecosystem continues to unconditionally support this city in different ways, but many of the people have no respect what so ever for the eco system. The river is used as a gigantic waste line for anything from sewerage to plastic bottles, and it seems that many of the tour agencies use the indigenous culture as a basis of their tourism, whist giving very little back to the actual communities.
After spending four or five days wondering around the city and going to some of the near by tourist attractions, I decided that a week was enough for me here. I had become good friends with a fellow traveler from California, Alex. We decided that a flight to Lima was the next best step. After looking around a few different places for some cheap flights, we found that the only options for cheap flights were still another week away. We were living cheaply so we decided that another week wouldn’t hurt. As I thought about what to do for a week, I remembered the girl that I met who was doing volunteer work here, Rachel. I’d traveled with her on the boat as well and realized that now was the perfect time to do some of the volunteer work with her.
The work she was doing was with Patch Adams. It was a huge project with over 100 people volunteering from all over the world. One part of it involved doing clown work with special needs children, and also in underprivileged neighborhoods. The other part involved painting the houses of one of the poor neighborhoods. I hadn’t had any prior “clowning experience,” so I figured that I’d be helping out with a paintbrush. The instructions were to meet up at the headquarters in the morning and go from there. The project seemed to have a great community feel within it so I was really looking forward to getting involved.
The meeting point in the morning was a scene of clowns getting ready wearing a range of crazy colorful outfits. I felt a wee bit out of place with my dull colored outfit, but luckily the painters didn’t need to look like clowns so it was ok. The neighborhood that we were going to had a reputation for being dangerous so we all piled on to the back of a truck and made our way down to the area. When we arrived I was given a tee shirt and a hat to paint with, which was good, at least I was wearing a uniform of some sort. This was great because I now felt part of the team. It also meant that when you walked around the area the locals knew you were part of the volunteer team, not just some lost gringo walking around.
After getting my painting kit on we were teamed up into groups of four, and then given two buckets of bright paint and the directions to the house that we needed to paint. Upon arrival at the house the lady of the house would tell us exactly how she wanted it to be painted. All the houses were raised high of the ground because in the rainy season the water level raises about ten meters, turning the whole area into a floating neighborhood. It was always an interesting challenge because most of the houses were just slapped together with pieces of wood. I’d joined into the project late so there were many houses that had already been painted. The colors looked very impressive and seemed to bring a lighter feel to these neighborhoods which are generally considered to be too be inaccessible for tourists. It also felt great to help out in a different way other than teaching English or Music. It didn’t take long before we were well involved in the project. After the first day of work we were invited to a concert that evening, which was to be held in the heart of the community.
The stage was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and the backdrop was decorated with many bright colors in true clown fashion. I was also very surprised by the amount of people that had shown up. It seemed that the people of the community had all turned out to take advantage of this unique opportunity. As I watched the concert begin, I realized that already I was experiencing the way things turn out once I let go of having an agenda. Things from this moment always worked out, I always met the right people at the right time, and even when things didn’t go to plan, they always worked out with a silver lining; (not getting the flights five days earlier when I originally wanted them is just one example of this.)
During the third song of the concert, Rachel said, “hey tonight is the music concert so why don’t you get up and perform a song?” I actually loved the idea straight away; one of the biggest things I’ve been missing on this trip has been performing on stage and playing with other people. Despite this I gave her a modest answer and said, “well I would like to play but I don’t really like to sing without a guitar, it just feels kinda strange, but if you can find a guitar I’ll play.” (I hadn’t seen any guitars by this point so I didn’t think that there were any around.) As the song finished the next guy walked on stage, and sure enough he was holding a guitar. Rachel then looked at me and I realized that I was now pretty much on the list to play. I decided to make it a bit more fun by getting her to perform with me. I thought about playing an original, but after going over many ideas we decided on a very simple Bob Marley song, it was the only one that we both knew, he is also very popular in South America so we figured that most people in the audience would know it as well.
After the guy walked off the stage I asked if I could borrow his guitar and he kindly agreed. I really had no idea when I’d be playing; we were basically waiting to squeeze in between two acts. After a short wait we were rushed on stage, I decided to exercise a bit of my Spanish by introducing the song saying, “esto es una cancion de Bob Marley, se llama Three Little Birds.” The MC of the concert was from Argentina, he knew the song so he joined in also. After singing through a couple of times he sang part of it in Spanish. It turned out being the perfect song to sing, everyone in the crowd sang along and I came off the stage with a massive high. Someone also happened to record part of it on video; you can check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1148545567&v=wall&story_fbid=1459786771840&ref=notif¬if_t=wall#!/video/video.php?v=110549162336458&subj=1148545567
On my third day of volunteering I had the opportunity to have a go at clowning. I had never done anything like this before so I jumped at the opportunity to have a go. As usual when I turned up, everyone had bright and beautiful clown outfits, and all I was wearing was some dull green shorts and a beige colored tee shirt. A friend noticed my lack of color and offered me a colorful tie, and I was also able to find a red nose to borrow for the morning, I learnt that the red nose is the most important accessory that a clown should own. We all pilled into this huge old Bedford style bus and headed to our first location, a school for children with special needs. I sat in the bus wondering how I was gong to approach this whole clowning thing, I was slightly nervous because I noticed most of the people were very extravert, whilst I very much considered myself to be more on the introverted side when it came to this sort of thing.
Upon arriving we all pilled out of the bus and immediately I noticed everyone had now turned into their clowning alter ego. I still hadn’t really decided on what my alter ego was going to be, so I just tried my best to communicate with the children some how. It was truly amazing to see how great full these children were for what these volunteers were giving them. This experience really taught me a lot. I had previously thought that clowning was simply letting go of being self conscious and just jumping around having no regard for you dignity what so ever. But I quickly learnt that although that is a small part of it, there is also a lot more to it.
All these people were very passionate about what they did, they saw it very differently. This sort of clowning was very much about creating a relationship with the child and through that relationship allowing them to express some part of themselves, allowing them to find a sense of self esteem & empowerment through that expression. These guys actually have amazing communication skills. As I observed them it was as if they used their character as a way to enter in to the fantasy world of the child and through that fantasy world they were able to communicate. I noticed the tremendous effect that this had on the children. For the first time in their lives a grown up person was actually entering their world to play with them, rather than encouraging them to let go of it.
It didn’t take long before my time volunteering was up, and the day of my flight had fast approached. Over a few days I had made so many friends and had so much fun helping out that I was slightly guttered that I was leaving. Never before had I been welcomed into such a huge group of people who were all simply putting their energy into helping not only communities, but also each other. It didn’t matter who you were, or where you were from. If you shared that same intention you were unconditionally welcomed as a member of the team. This project is an annual event and many of the clowns return year after year to do the work. After spending a few days I could see how people would want to return to participate each year.
The next step for me was Lima. I had been volunteering throughout the time with Alex. We were both heading in the same direction so we decided that we’d travel together for a few days. I enjoyed the boat ride here, but a flight was by far the easiest option to get to Lima. After my experience in Iquitos I was eager to see what other surprises my trip had in store for me. I’d now become comfortable with not really having a clue what’s going to happen, we had a basic plan to use Lima as a stop over point before heading to Huacachina, a small oasis near the coast which was very popular for sand boarding. I originally was going to take a direct route to Cusco, but figured a day or two sand boarding sounded like fun. After a long delay on our flight, our plane was finally on its way and I looked out at the Amazon for perhaps the final time of my trip.
Walking round this city was so fascinating that I found that to be an interesting enough experience in and of it’s self. As I looked around I could notice the signs of the times when this city was very wealthy. There were many huge buildings close to the main square which looked like they would have been expensive hotels back in the good old days; now most of them had been turned into banks, or convenience stores. As I walked down the boulevard I noticed old, dried up, unusual sculptures of concrete. I used my imagination to picture them being spectacular fountains, surrounded by rose gardens at some point in time. Now they were nothing more than broken down eye sores covered in graffiti. One thing that hadn’t changed over the years was the spectacular view of the Amazon. As I looked past the man made features I was struck by the grand presence of both the forest, and the river. I realized that this whole city owes its entire existence to this ecosystem.
The city first indulged in excessive wealth in the late 19th century, due to a huge rubber boom. This discovery was made with nearly no respect to the local people, or the environment itself. The people of the land were forced into slave hood, and the natural recourses were raped. This of course meant that those glory days were short lived. The natural resources were then once again tapped in the 1960s when oil made it a prosperous city once again, and now today the city owes much of its money to tourism throughout the Amazon. The city also relies on the river for cargo & transport to and from the city as there is no access by road. It fascinated me that this ecosystem continues to unconditionally support this city in different ways, but many of the people have no respect what so ever for the eco system. The river is used as a gigantic waste line for anything from sewerage to plastic bottles, and it seems that many of the tour agencies use the indigenous culture as a basis of their tourism, whist giving very little back to the actual communities.
After spending four or five days wondering around the city and going to some of the near by tourist attractions, I decided that a week was enough for me here. I had become good friends with a fellow traveler from California, Alex. We decided that a flight to Lima was the next best step. After looking around a few different places for some cheap flights, we found that the only options for cheap flights were still another week away. We were living cheaply so we decided that another week wouldn’t hurt. As I thought about what to do for a week, I remembered the girl that I met who was doing volunteer work here, Rachel. I’d traveled with her on the boat as well and realized that now was the perfect time to do some of the volunteer work with her.
The work she was doing was with Patch Adams. It was a huge project with over 100 people volunteering from all over the world. One part of it involved doing clown work with special needs children, and also in underprivileged neighborhoods. The other part involved painting the houses of one of the poor neighborhoods. I hadn’t had any prior “clowning experience,” so I figured that I’d be helping out with a paintbrush. The instructions were to meet up at the headquarters in the morning and go from there. The project seemed to have a great community feel within it so I was really looking forward to getting involved.
The meeting point in the morning was a scene of clowns getting ready wearing a range of crazy colorful outfits. I felt a wee bit out of place with my dull colored outfit, but luckily the painters didn’t need to look like clowns so it was ok. The neighborhood that we were going to had a reputation for being dangerous so we all piled on to the back of a truck and made our way down to the area. When we arrived I was given a tee shirt and a hat to paint with, which was good, at least I was wearing a uniform of some sort. This was great because I now felt part of the team. It also meant that when you walked around the area the locals knew you were part of the volunteer team, not just some lost gringo walking around.
After getting my painting kit on we were teamed up into groups of four, and then given two buckets of bright paint and the directions to the house that we needed to paint. Upon arrival at the house the lady of the house would tell us exactly how she wanted it to be painted. All the houses were raised high of the ground because in the rainy season the water level raises about ten meters, turning the whole area into a floating neighborhood. It was always an interesting challenge because most of the houses were just slapped together with pieces of wood. I’d joined into the project late so there were many houses that had already been painted. The colors looked very impressive and seemed to bring a lighter feel to these neighborhoods which are generally considered to be too be inaccessible for tourists. It also felt great to help out in a different way other than teaching English or Music. It didn’t take long before we were well involved in the project. After the first day of work we were invited to a concert that evening, which was to be held in the heart of the community.
The stage was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and the backdrop was decorated with many bright colors in true clown fashion. I was also very surprised by the amount of people that had shown up. It seemed that the people of the community had all turned out to take advantage of this unique opportunity. As I watched the concert begin, I realized that already I was experiencing the way things turn out once I let go of having an agenda. Things from this moment always worked out, I always met the right people at the right time, and even when things didn’t go to plan, they always worked out with a silver lining; (not getting the flights five days earlier when I originally wanted them is just one example of this.)
During the third song of the concert, Rachel said, “hey tonight is the music concert so why don’t you get up and perform a song?” I actually loved the idea straight away; one of the biggest things I’ve been missing on this trip has been performing on stage and playing with other people. Despite this I gave her a modest answer and said, “well I would like to play but I don’t really like to sing without a guitar, it just feels kinda strange, but if you can find a guitar I’ll play.” (I hadn’t seen any guitars by this point so I didn’t think that there were any around.) As the song finished the next guy walked on stage, and sure enough he was holding a guitar. Rachel then looked at me and I realized that I was now pretty much on the list to play. I decided to make it a bit more fun by getting her to perform with me. I thought about playing an original, but after going over many ideas we decided on a very simple Bob Marley song, it was the only one that we both knew, he is also very popular in South America so we figured that most people in the audience would know it as well.
After the guy walked off the stage I asked if I could borrow his guitar and he kindly agreed. I really had no idea when I’d be playing; we were basically waiting to squeeze in between two acts. After a short wait we were rushed on stage, I decided to exercise a bit of my Spanish by introducing the song saying, “esto es una cancion de Bob Marley, se llama Three Little Birds.” The MC of the concert was from Argentina, he knew the song so he joined in also. After singing through a couple of times he sang part of it in Spanish. It turned out being the perfect song to sing, everyone in the crowd sang along and I came off the stage with a massive high. Someone also happened to record part of it on video; you can check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1148545567&v=wall&story_fbid=1459786771840&ref=notif¬if_t=wall#!/video/video.php?v=110549162336458&subj=1148545567
On my third day of volunteering I had the opportunity to have a go at clowning. I had never done anything like this before so I jumped at the opportunity to have a go. As usual when I turned up, everyone had bright and beautiful clown outfits, and all I was wearing was some dull green shorts and a beige colored tee shirt. A friend noticed my lack of color and offered me a colorful tie, and I was also able to find a red nose to borrow for the morning, I learnt that the red nose is the most important accessory that a clown should own. We all pilled into this huge old Bedford style bus and headed to our first location, a school for children with special needs. I sat in the bus wondering how I was gong to approach this whole clowning thing, I was slightly nervous because I noticed most of the people were very extravert, whilst I very much considered myself to be more on the introverted side when it came to this sort of thing.
Upon arriving we all pilled out of the bus and immediately I noticed everyone had now turned into their clowning alter ego. I still hadn’t really decided on what my alter ego was going to be, so I just tried my best to communicate with the children some how. It was truly amazing to see how great full these children were for what these volunteers were giving them. This experience really taught me a lot. I had previously thought that clowning was simply letting go of being self conscious and just jumping around having no regard for you dignity what so ever. But I quickly learnt that although that is a small part of it, there is also a lot more to it.
All these people were very passionate about what they did, they saw it very differently. This sort of clowning was very much about creating a relationship with the child and through that relationship allowing them to express some part of themselves, allowing them to find a sense of self esteem & empowerment through that expression. These guys actually have amazing communication skills. As I observed them it was as if they used their character as a way to enter in to the fantasy world of the child and through that fantasy world they were able to communicate. I noticed the tremendous effect that this had on the children. For the first time in their lives a grown up person was actually entering their world to play with them, rather than encouraging them to let go of it.
It didn’t take long before my time volunteering was up, and the day of my flight had fast approached. Over a few days I had made so many friends and had so much fun helping out that I was slightly guttered that I was leaving. Never before had I been welcomed into such a huge group of people who were all simply putting their energy into helping not only communities, but also each other. It didn’t matter who you were, or where you were from. If you shared that same intention you were unconditionally welcomed as a member of the team. This project is an annual event and many of the clowns return year after year to do the work. After spending a few days I could see how people would want to return to participate each year.
The next step for me was Lima. I had been volunteering throughout the time with Alex. We were both heading in the same direction so we decided that we’d travel together for a few days. I enjoyed the boat ride here, but a flight was by far the easiest option to get to Lima. After my experience in Iquitos I was eager to see what other surprises my trip had in store for me. I’d now become comfortable with not really having a clue what’s going to happen, we had a basic plan to use Lima as a stop over point before heading to Huacachina, a small oasis near the coast which was very popular for sand boarding. I originally was going to take a direct route to Cusco, but figured a day or two sand boarding sounded like fun. After a long delay on our flight, our plane was finally on its way and I looked out at the Amazon for perhaps the final time of my trip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)