Day 14 – With frosty mornings becoming more and more common, we went through the usual routine of packing tents and preparing to leave. Upon setting off we soon came to the distressing realization that the ‘easy downhill’ walk we had been promised was in fact largely fictitious. Most of the days walking involved following and intermittently crossing a meandering stream along the valley floor. Our first hint of the promised downhill came suddenly, with a near vertical path winding down into a lower valley. In this valley was the day´s main point of interest, the small rural village of Huayllapa. We spent our morning break exploring the town and improving the local economy by purchasing an excessive quantity of inka cola. Mainly though the town showed us how different the lives of some Peruvians were to our own. The town itself was an array of crooked streets unevenly lined with mismatched buildings of varying materials, from mud and bricks to concrete and corrugated steel. During our time there we were repeatedly mobbed by young children asking only for ´caramelos´ (sweets). Meanwhile, our cook team purchased dinner, which distressingly was still clucking. When we left the town, many of the group felt that it was one of the best experiences of the trip so far. But as we departed we caught sight of the Spanish team, our rivals for the best spot in the campsite. We began the steep and arduous ascent out of Huayllapa and after a seemingly endless slope we paused in a meadow for a brilliant lunch. Afterwards, having resumed the climb, we eventually overtook the Spaniards. The rest of the days trek was uneventful but maintained a similarly punishing gradient, this meant when we did eventually reach the campsite we were enormously relieved. The normal afternoon activities soon commenced, until the time came to prepare dinner, which until then spent a few hours pecking aimlessly around the campsite. Some amongst the group were shocked to see the rapid transformation from fellow creature to something more recognizably edible. Nonetheless dinner that evening was delicious and greatly enjoyed by all. In summary, despite being tiring the day was very enjoyable and provided an eye opening insight into rural Peruvian life.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 02:00:49 +0000
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