(Possibly a TLDR post) Its been two weeks since I left the Amazon and in that time Ive gone from the jungle to exploring a vibrant colonial city, to chilling in a not so sleepy beach town and then on to climbing in one of the largest mountain ranges in the world. And that all happened in the course of simply heading due south without a plan. Sometimes its really worth throwing away the script... Immediately after the jungle I decided to head back to my favourite town of Banos. It was further south, I figured that Id easily find a place to spend the night and I also knew a place where I could get some laundry done (essential after the jungle) so it seemed like a good bet. Plus I just really like the town. There were quite a few of us from the Amazon trip that were heading in a similar direction, albeit to different places, so we all decided to go together. Fortunately, there were two locals, from Quito, in our group as well and they really helped in ensuring that most of us didnt end up taking an extra day in getting to our destinations. They were great and really went out of their way to help us and as with most of these encounters, you certainly make some friends for life. It was my first trip that involved a bus with roosters, chicks (baby chickens - had to make that clear for some of you out there) and small dogs. I even saw a poodle in the luggage hold when I got off. This was the first of a number of times that I would see this in the next two weeks. After the mini Noahs bus trip we had to wait in another small dusty town for the next bus. I eventually reached Banos at 02h00 the next morning and went off to my old hostel to try to get a bed. It was the weekend so the streets werent too quiet as it was full of all the pub/clubgoers heading home. Unfortunately for me, my old hostel didnt have any beds for the night and neither did any of the other places I knew (some of them were closed entirely for the night). After walking around for half an hour I eventually found a place and despite being quite dodgy, I stayed there as I was too tired to try to find anything else. After the jungle and a long bus trip all I wanted was a shower (even though there wasnt any hot water - has happened quite often so far) and a bed. The next step was to travel to a city called Cuenca. I managed to get all of my laundry done and spent the day figuring out the best way to get to get to the next city. I was all set for the following morning. I left Banos quite early for a bigger town nearby that had buses travelling towards my destination. For the third time during this trip, I was dropped off in the middle of nowhere, quite far from the bus terminal, and despite the conductors assurances that I should wait across the street and a bus would arrive, it didnt happen. In spite of all this, I eventually found my way to the bus terminal only to find out that the schedule I had seen online didnt exist in reality. The next bus would only leave in four hours (this is quite common over here and Ive just come to accept the fact that you have to go to a bus companys office, station or terminal to get a timetable - and even then, it will likely be a bit late). In a way it actually worked out quite well because I met two Peace Corp volunteers who had been living in Ecuador for quite some time now. It was great to chat to them and they were really kind in offering me tips and even giving me their numbers should I require any assistance whilst in the area (you really do meet some cool people whilst travelling). After helping me find my hostel in Cuenca and parting ways I went out to grab a bite. Despite being quite late, after 21h30, there was a really good vibe and quite a few people out and about at small cafes and bars. I spent the next few days exploring the city and I really enjoyed the way the its put together (Not a Ron Burgundy quote). It doesnt have a typical city feel and it retains a lot of its colonial charm. It has all the amenities one would need, great food (even international fast food chains), has two rivers running through it and naturally, friendly people. It also happens to be a popular spot for American retireers. Its another one of those places that you could end up losing track of time of time and end up spending a few weeks there. It was great meeting the locals (Im pretty sure Ive mentioned how friendly everyone is..) and I even spent an evening with some of them. They ended up taking me out to a local karaoke bar (I still didnt sing) and they were quite close to convincing me to stay in the town for a few more days for a big soccer match that was coming up. It was now time to leave Ecuador and I set my sights on heading to Peru. It appeared that the closest town on the Peruvian side of the border worth visiting was Mancora. The supposedly sleepy surf haven. I had read mixed reviews, including a few horror stories and some perfectly fine, regarding the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border crossing. There were tons of stories on the lonely planet forums describing how people have been threatened, ripped off and robbed at the border or the border towns. Despite my aversion to night buses it was the only one that didnt require a bus change so I decided to take it. This crossing was probably smoother than the Colombian-Ecuadorian one... as smooth as Zeuss beard. After a hassle free bus journey and border crossing I arrived in Mancora at 04h00 and it was already quite hot outside. Once again, I was dropped off in the middle of the street but fortunately I was with two other backpackers that I had met on the bus. None of us knew where we were, the layout of the town nor how far things were... all I knew was the name of my hostel. We werent expecting to get there so early, I was told we would reach there closer to 07h00 in the morning which would have been prefect. In any case, some mototaxis (tuk tuks) pulled up and started offering places to stay and one is warned to generally be wary of them but one doesnt really have much choice that early in the morning... so I officially got ripped off for the first time (that Im aware of) for a 30 second ride to my hostel (It would have taken me three minutes to walk there) . Not in the mood to argue at that time I went into the hostel and was lucky that I was allowed to check in at that time in order to catch a few hours of sleep. Mancora turned out to be a chilled out, one street beach town that is a haven for surfers and party animals at night. The hostel I stayed at, Loki Del Mar, resembled a resort and was located centrally on the beach front. One can hear the waves from the room but I only got that in snippets unfortunately... As is inevitable, if you occasionally stay in dorms, you will have the guy that cuts wood (heavy snoring). I didnt get to chat to him much as he virtually slept the entire day, went out in the evening and came back at around 04h30 or 05h00 and then start his sawmill. He was a really cool guy though when I did eventually meet him. Its known as a party hostel, which I found out the next night, so its not a good place to go if you like to sleep. When the party/activities at the hostel end, everyone moves onto the parties on the beach located right next door, every single day. Its a great place to meet people and definitely something to experience. During the day most people are asleep or on the beach and it has a very chilled out vibe. There are tons of water activities all around and tranquil beaches further south (so you can avoid the party scene of the central beach). The one interesting thing I found was whilst walking a bit further north of the central beach was a security guard who stopped me and turned me back. I later found out that its apparently dangerous to head in that direction but I honestly dont understand why, is someone going to steal my costume? All I saw were miles of empty beach. In any case, it was an amazing little town with awesome little spots dotted all along the beach front and once again, I met some awesome people whilst there... but one cant stay in one place forever. The next stop was a town in the highlands called Huaraz. I heard that it was a hikers paradise so I definitely had to see what it was all about.. And it happened to be in a southerly direction which was a plus. The only problem was getting there as it took me about 22 hours, having to change buses in two different towns (the bus tickets indicated a change in one town and the conductor told me a different one.. thats how it goes over here sometimes) and having to watch The Fast and the Furious 6 on the bus without any control over the volume (imagine Vin Diesel in Spanish and youll understand). The initial day part of the journey also had no scenery at all... just desert, welcome to Peru. Another early arrival, 05h30, but this time it was bitterly cold as the the town lies at an altitude of 3100m above sea level. I decided to wait for it to get a bit brighter before heading out to find my hostel. I got there fairly quickly and once again, was fortunate enough to check in so early... And as a bonus I was the only person in the 6 sleeper (this is a luxury). I managed to get a few hours of sleep and then went out and and about the town to see what I could find. Whilst in Mancora I had read about the Santa Cruz Trek in the Cordillera Blanca, second to the Himalayas in terms of highest peaks, and I heard that its apparently one of the best hikes in the world (Google told me). It was very last minute, thats been the nature of the trip thus far, but I decided that I had to do this. Now there are tons of tour operators and agencies spread out throughout the town and one has to be careful with who to choose as it could result in a situation whereby the guide tells you that he thought that you had your own tent and sleeping bag. After having visited quite a few of them it dawned on me that the low season is really the low season. I had read before hand that this is not the best time to hike in the region as it rains a lot and there is a lot of cloud cover impeding the views. It also explains why my hostel was so empty and as I later found out, so were most of the others. There was only one operator that had a group leaving the next day but I was extremely reluctant to go with this particular one. I had just arrived from the coast and figured that I would at least get a day or two to acclimatise (if you ever intend climbing at high altitudes its quite essential that you do this). I was already feeling a bit off from going from 0 to +3000m in less than a day and not discounting the lack of sleep due to the bus journey, I wasnt in the best of shape. I also thought that I didnt have all the necessary gear for this type of hike and was hoping that I could spend a day looking around town as to where I could hire some of it... But the lack of opportunities at the time dictated that I go with this group (or not go at all - they only send groups when there are enough people), so less than 24 hours after arriving in Huaraz I was heading into the Cordillera Blanco. The group met up at a taxi rank after some of us being picked up at the hostels/hotels, some at the tour agency and the rest making their own way there. There were six of us in total and none of us really had a good idea as to what we were heading into... (always the start of a good adventure). We took a local collectivo (taxi that stops to pick up everyone) to a nearby small town where we had to change into another taxi in order to get into the national park. It took a couple of hours and a lot of gravel road to get there but we eventually got to a small village that would be our departure point. We were a total of eight people, six hikers, a guide and a porter that handled the donkeys carrying the equipment. Much like the Amazon trip, its a difficult one to describe in words... But to put it simply, it was an epic hike and probably one of the best that Ive ever done. I dont know if its the last minute nature of it all or the unknown expectations (which by nature are low) that make these things so great, but once again, it truly exceeded anything that I had ever conjured up in my mind. Ill give a bit of a description but attempt to let the pictures do most of the talking. We started out walking through some small villages and it was amazing to see how the locals go about their daily lives in these areas. The little kids would come running after us asking for candy but the guide advised us against giving them any as its bad for their teeth and they dont have access to dental facilities (or medical facilities of the sort). Most of the locals dont even speak Spanish, the native tongue is quechua, but the kids learnt the word candy due to all the hikers that pass through. There are so many different types of terrain that one passes through on this trek that it could easily encompass hiking in three or four different regions of the world. I quickly got the full effects of the low season as the rain was intermittent throughout the day and consistent at night. It created a variety of conditions which one might not experience when the weather is good, muddy at the lower altitudes, slippery on the rocks at the higher altitudes, rivers, streams and everything else that goes with it, tents leaking, wet clothes, trying to keep your shoes and socks dry etc. We even had to contend with snow coming down as we reached the highest point of the trek. Despite the weather not being the best it somehow created great conditions in which to hike and we did actually get a good few hours of sunshine at times. Theres something surreal about being in the mountains and having the clouds closing in on you while its drizzling. I really struggled on this hike during the first few days but thats what you get for jumping straight into a high altitude trek after coming from the coast. But as Anant Patel said, I just needed the dex. I also had a pack that was a bit too heavy but thats my fault for over packing. They generally use Coca leaves (Apparently its legal over here) in the Peruvian Andes to help combat the effects of altitude and to prevent altitude sickness. Its either chewed for long periods or used as a tea. Despite the cold and wet conditions and the hard initial slog, it still had some of the best views I have ever seen and I would do it all over again even if the conditions were worse. I was also lucky enough to have such a great bunch of people in my group which definitely made it so much more enjoyable. A lot of publications and reviews rate this as one of the best hikes in the world... I cant disagree with that in the slightest. And before anyone says anything, its called a combat beard (google it) and its extremely useful for long term travel. Ill put up the hike pics as a separate album.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 13:12:42 +0000
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