Peru July~Aug 2007

http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/cshum2006/Peru2007#

Hola : Un-Dos-Tres

I think no one know these words as they are Spanish. Hola means "Hello" while Un-Dos-Tres means "One-two-three". These simple words are useful in my recent trip to Peru.

Where is Peru?

Peru is a country in South America and its capital is Lima. The official language is Spanish. The population is 27 million. Peru is far from Hong Kong. The flight to Lima is via Amsterdam and the flight time is about 24 hours. The highlight of Peru is Machu Picchu which is one of the new seven wonder of the world.

Inca Trail

I jointed a 4-days trekking tour( Inca Trail ) to Machu Picchu. The Inca trail was 50 km in length and was divided into 4 days. I arrived at the Machu Picchu in early morning of the 4th day. I had booked the tour at April through internet. The cost was US$ 400 with US$ 200 as deposit. Once I arrived at the Cuzco that was the access city of Machu Picchu, I had to pay the balance to the trekking company.

The trekking schedule

I woke up at 6:30a.m. I was served with a basin of hot water for washing and a cup of colca tea. 7:00a.m. was the breakfast time and set off at 7:30a.m. . The lunch was a full course with starter, main course, desert and coffee & tea en route. Afternoon tea was served when I arrived at the camp site at 5:00 p.m.. Dinner was served afterward. The meal was similar standard in the city. I slept a tent myself with US$ 15 single supplement.

The Inca trail was easy to walk and the difficulty level was similar to Maclehose trail. The most difficult section was the Dead Woman Pass with 4200m in altitude. I was the last one to reach the pass.

The trekking group consisted of 10 people. Five was from Idaho in America and two was from Chicago. Two was from New Zealand. We were served by 17 people including guides, cookers and porters.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu processes the highest quality of architectural development and Inca Masonry art. It also owes a great part of its beauty to the surrounding landscape and the majestic location of the city.

I arrived at the Sun-Gate at 7:00 a.m. in the 4th trekking day and the first glimpse of Machu Picchu was deeply impressed me. The view was breath-taking and all people were taking picture there. It took another hour to reach Machu Picchu. I had walked through every house, gates, windows and steps. Moreover, I also hiked to the outstanding background peak which was called Wayna Picchu.

Nazca Lines

Besides Machu Picchu, I also visited Nazca Lines which were mysterious patterns drawn in the desert. The reasons and purpose of these lines were still unknown. In order to see them, I got on a small plane carrying five people only ( US$ 50 ) to fly to the sky. The flight took about 35 minutes and was very interesting.

Mt. Misti

Another highlight is Mt. Mist. The height is 5825m and it is one of mountain range in Andes. The access city is Arequipa. The normal price for climbing is US$ 60 for group departure.

However, I could not find a group to go when I arrived at Arequipa. The tour agent suggested me that I still could go if I paid US$ 150. I had to no choice and had to accept the offer.

My trekking group consisted of me, a guide and a porter only. I was pick-up at 8:00 a.m. in the hotel. It took an hour to drive to 3415m where we set off. We walked very slowing without any difficulty and arrived at the campsite in altitude 4600m. The temperature was not cold in day time. However, the temperature had turned into freezing cold at night. I had to wear 2 super-warms clothes, 2 fleece pullover and one fleece vest and slept inside the down sleeping bag. The camp site had only my group. It was very peaceful and quiet. The tranquil environment was clustered by the street lamp of Arequipa.

Summit Day

I woke up at 3:00a.m. The breakfast was just a cup of colca tea. I thought the temperature was -10oC. I wore 8 layers of clothes. The hike was going on under the light of my head lamp and stars. Initially, I took 5 minutes rest after 30 minutes walk. The trail was not difficult to hike. The higher I walked, the thinner air I breathed. The more demanding I needed to tackle. Consequently, I took 5 minutes rest after 20 minutes walk, 5 minutes rest after 10 minutes walk, and 5 minutes after 5 minutes. Finally, I rested for every 30 steps, 20 steps or even 10 steps. The water in the tube of water bag was even frozen after 4 hours-walk.

I took a longer rest in a saddle and ate a power bar. I saw the summit and the guide told me that one more hour could arrive at the summit. I breathed for every 30 steps, 20 steps, 10 steps and even 5 steps. Finally I arrive at the summit within an hour and I was totally exhausted. The final push was the most demanding part in my life. I was extremely excited when I stood in the summit that was the highest trekking peak in my life. I overcame mountain sickness and fatigue, and used up every once of energy to achieve.

I stood in the summit and surrounding mountains were under you. I felt superior. The breath-taking was rewarding, memorable and everlasting.

The trek from base camp to summit was 7 hours. Downhill trek was very interesting and the guide led me using another route. The Mt. Misti was a perfect cylindrical volcano cone. The volcano ash was soft and fine. The ash was as fine as sand in the beach and deposited along the valley. We slide down along the ash. I had to slide as the ash was very soft and I could not walk or stood on it. It took only one hour back to camp site. The slide was amusing as well as tiring job as it last continuously for an hour!

After an hour rest in the camp site, I walked another 2 hours downhill. Pick-up car was already waiting there to drive me back to hotel at 3:00 p.m.

Language Difficulty

Peru is a Spanish speaking country. England Language is spoken in major cites and hotels only. If I need to order food in restaurant or buy something in the market, Spanish is the only language for communication. I had taken an elementary Spanish course before the trip.

The commonly used vocabulary were as follows :

Un One Hola Hello
Dos Two Adios Goodbye
Tres Three Si Yes
Diez Ten Gracias Thank You
Buenos Dias Good Morning
Pollo Chicken Buenas Tardes Good Afternoon
Pescado Fish Buenas Noches Good Night
Cuarto Quarter Mas More
Menu Set Dinner Julio July

These are very useful in communication.

Expenditure

The living standard is not very high in Peru. HK$ 10 is sufficient to have a lunch there. HK$ 100 is enough to have a dinner in a very good restaurant. US$ 20 is tour fee for a whole day tour. I get a decent single room at a cost of US$ 20 only. The major share of the expenditure is the air ticket was HK$ 18,000. To conclude, Peru travel is easy and value for money. The local is kind and helpful. I really enjoy in the trip.