The In-cans and Out-cans of the Andes

Coming by bus via Arequipa you can easily forget that when you arrive in Cusco you are stepping out into the thin air of an altitude of 3400m, a good kilometre higher than literally anywhere in Australia. Here, you can quickly become breathless hiking the steep streets or just climbing the stairs to your hostel. Still, we were pleased to be feeling fit, healthy and prepared, largely thanks to the opportunity we had had to acclimatise on our journey up from the Pacific over the week prior. And a good thing too, because from Cusco, the only way is up! Indeed, our adventures in the Peruvian Andes had us as high as 5100m at some points. So how did we get there?

Cusco

Our exploration of the area began in Cusco itself. A charming town, larger than you might expect, but with a quaintness that was hard to resist. As is customary, we took in a walking tour to explore the place better and discover why it was of such great import to the Incan people, who held it to be the centre of the world. The many Incan trails connecting the empire's four "suyos" (regions, spreading from modern day Ecuador down to Argentina and Chile) converged here. These trails were used for running messages, commuting to terraced farms, pilgrimages to holy sites, and general empire expansion. Because of this network of trails, the Incans were well aware when the Spanish landed, but had assumed that 150 Spaniards were no threat to the vastness of their empire. Sadly, they had not counted on gunpowder or disease and didn't really stand a chance. Today, despite the efforts of the Spanish victors to wipe them away entirely, evidence of the Incans is everywhere in Cusco, mostly in the form of the stone walls lining the streets that once surrounded palaces and temples and which have now been repurposed to house shops, hotels or Catholic churches. Elsewhere, Cusco is bustling with vibrant plazas, usually hosting some concert, festivity or parade, and hectic markets selling the beautiful handicrafts of the local Andino people, as well as traditional delicacies (read: guinea pig). And, yes, we did try the guinea pig, which was delicious (best likened to KFC fried chicken), but sadly didn't have room in our carry-ons to pick up a vicuña wool scarf for $US5000 (vicuña are a camelid, like a llama or alpaca, and their wool is renowned as the world's best and most prized). We had intentions to see a lot more of the sites of Cusco, but some insanely early mornings and exhaustion arising from our excursions (see below) meant we also needed some time to relax and recover. There's always next time!

Excursion 1: Trekking the Lares trail

As mentioned, there are Incan trails all over Peru. And, given its importance as a regional holy and administrative centre, many of these trails lead to Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. After much research, we had decided not to undertake "the" Inca Trail trek - the most popular route to Machu Picchu - and opted for a 3 day hike along an alternate trail there through the Lares region of the Andes instead. We were thanking our past selves for that decision each and every step of the way, as the trek turned out to be a truly spectacular and magical experience. Climbing twice up to peaks of almost 5000m, we had breathtaking views over the mountains in all directions, watching the sun rise and set behind glaciers and herds of llamas and alpacas that were literally everywhere. We hiked through tiny, remote villages where the Andino people continue to live their traditional lives, speaking only their native Quechuan and having just been hooked up to the electricity grid 5 years ago (which even now provides only electric lighting for them). It's those photos you see of mountain villagers in brightly coloured ponchos and hats and skirts, but here they are dressed in these handmade alpaca wool garments not to take photos with tourists, but rather for warmth, and so that they can mark themselves as being from a particular village or valley in the patterns and colours they wear. They were shy and busy, and not at all bothered by us, the only four tourists visiting their homes and marvelling at their humble, but peaceful way of life. It was a privilege to meet some of these lovely people and get a taste for life in the remoteness of the mountains. It was also an absolute blessing to be walking the long, long paths each day (33km in all) with no other foreigners in sight. Indeed, Amanda and I and a pair of English sisters that were joining us on the guided trek, would walk at our own pace and sometimes hours could pass without us seeing another person at all - with just the birds, the llamas, alpacas and the sounds of cracking glaciers, flowing rivers and roaring waterfalls to keep us company. A very special experience indeed. Less special were the toilet experiences (in out-houses, or out-cans if you will, of varying quality), the freezing cold nights, and the fact we wore the same clothes for three days straight without a shower in sight. Still, the trek staff were incredibly thoughtful, knowledgeable and friendly, and what they could achieve for our three meals a day with just a camp stove was nothing short of miraculous. I'm talking four or five courses EACH MEAL. The highlight being a completely iced and decorated cake to celebrate the completion of the trek that our chef had got up at 3am to make for us by steaming over the gas. Frankly, there was too much food for the four of us, but then, it would have been rude not to at least try to finish it off.

Excursion 2: The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

While we did not hike the full classic Inca Trail, our cleverly designed tour gave us the option to have a taste of this trek by joining for what would usually be the last day of hiking for those undertaking it. This meant catching a train to the small township of Ollantaytambo for an incredibly luxurious (after our Lares Trek) hotel stay and joining the Incan trail the next morning. It was a miserable, drizzly morning and the prospect of hiking to the Sun Gate for that famous first view down to Machu Picchu only to get there and see nothing but obscuring clouds was weighing heavily on my mind. Still, the eerie cloud cover gave the forest a mysterious atmosphere well-suited for an expedition to discover ancient ruins, and the rain was light and kept us cool under the jungle canopies (lucky for us, according to our guide). And we were even more grateful for our life choices as we encountered the hundreds of other hikers on this route and the horrendous, muddy conditions of their campsites, with toilets that were somehow even worse than the out-cans we had endured on our own trek (which we didn't think was possible). Luckily, we marched straight through these camps onwards to reach the Sun Gate in the afternoon, where fate smiled on us. For, as we climbed the last steps up to the Gate, the rain eased, the clouds began to lift, blue skies began to peek through, and I was counting all my blessings. We got stunning views over Machu Picchu and the opportunity to then descend down to view it up close in the glorious late afternoon sun. It was truly something to behold - a remarkable feat of construction, almost unbelievable - as if gifted to us from another world - nestled as it is amongst the mountains, high up above the valleys below. How did the Incans manage it almost 600 years ago?!

We were to learn about this the following morning on our guided tour of the site. And if we had been lucky the day before, the crystal clear blue sky that greeted us as we took the bus back up from Machu Picchu township where we had stayed overnight, was something that was almost too good to be true. The Andes were smiling on us, or our guide Ray was living up to his name, or one of our now expanded tour group had made some kind of ritualistic sacrifice. We weren't sure. But it meant that we got to enjoy a glorious morning walking the ruins, learning about their purpose and construction, and absorbing panoramic views of their surrounds. We had also opted to do the additional climb up Wayna Picchu mountain for an even more spectacular aspect looking down on the ruins, which turned out to be a challenging but rewarding climb up hundreds of stairs. Again, we were grateful that the schedule for our tour had meant we were some of the first people in the site at the start of the day (beating the hundreds of trekkers, and thousands of day-trippers) and so could navigate the narrow stairs easily on the way up - less so on the way down as the crowds started to make their presence known and we were bustling for space on the safe, mountain side of the climb to avoid the precipitous drop off the cliff side. Our photographic sensibilities spent, and our memory cards full, the trip ended with a scenic train journey (complete with traditional dance and alpaca wool fashion show!) and bus ride back to Cusco and, hopefully, a good night's rest...

Excursion 3: The Rainbow Mountain Trek

Except, that was not meant to be.

Foolishly, I had decided that I didn't want to miss seeing Rainbow Mountain, outside of Cusco. So, after catching up for a farewell and very celebratory dinner with our new British friends and getting home to bed at 11pm, I was awake for my 3am(!) pick up and a 3 hour bus ride to start another trek. My head was telling me that I had made a huge mistake.

The Rainbow Mountain is a rock formation arising over many millennia by tectonic collisions causing what were once flat, sedimentary layers of the Earth to be pushed up and out, exposing different geological epochs in the process. These different eras were characterised by distinct biological and mineralogical factors that give each layer of the earth a different colour. At Rainbow Mountain, these colours are on glorious display now thanks to the melting of a glacier that revealed them when it disappeared completely allowing the site to be discovered in 2015, less than 10 years ago! Of course, at 5100m, to see it requires an exhausting trek up through the valley to the peak of a neighbouring mountain. This, let me tell you, was made more difficult on less than 3 hours sleep. Still, the day had again dawned crystal clear - the perfect morning for viewing the rainbow - and I was determined to catch a glimpse. And it did not disappoint. After about an hour's hike, a remarkable, otherworldly landscape of colours stretched into the distance before me, with towering snowcapped mountains behind and around it. Like some fantastical home to creatures of the imagination. Behind the rainbow mountain itself we opted for an additional hike to see the Red Valley, an aptly named valley, remarkable for its vivid red stoned walls and basin. This was just as, if not more, breathtaking than Rainbow Mountain. It was around there, having reached the top of the hike, that I began to appreciate the 3am start, which was chosen deliberately by the tour company to ensure that we would arrive before the 4000 other daily visitors to the site. This meant the trek was peaceful and the views of the mountain and the valley were initially uninterrupted by scores of other tourists. So all in all, I did not regret the decision, and mercifully the early start also meant we were back in Cusco by mid-afternoon so I could lie down before we had to get to the station for our overnight bus that evening. Ahh, the joys of travel!