The Jungle Book - Beware of Spiders... Big ones...

The jungle is a strange, scary place. But altogether fascinating.

As I rock in the hammock at our jungle lodge,  I can hear a macaw saying hola, a parrot making its noise, crickets, a bird (I think)  hammering on wood, a bird that sounds for all the world like a very loud water droplet dripping, and various other noises, from birds and insects that I can't identify... There can be peace here, but if you're looking for quiet you've come to the wrong place.

Enjoying the hammock

The Amazon Basin stretches from Brazil, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. We entered through Peru, which is said to have some of the most bio-diverse jungle in South America. We came in through the town Puerto Maldonado.  At 9 AM on arrival, it was 35 degrees Celsius. From there, an hour boat ride down the Rio Madre de Dios (river), and we were at our lodge, at the border of the Tambopata National Park.

Our jungle lodge

It's now time to rest up, put on pants (you can choose death by sweat or death by mosquitoes... Bug spray hardly seems to phase them) and bug spray. In 1 hour we get our first introduction to the jungle. The jungle can be a strange and scary place. Knock on this tree and you get fire ants, chew this leaf and your tongue goes
numb, don't stand there or the army ants will get you... Plants that are poisonous, plants that act as Viagra, tree strangling vines, termites, stick bugs, praying mantis.... Oh and whatever you do don't put your hand there. Welcome to the jungle.

Stick bug

It's dark now, and we go searching for caimans along the river by boat. Their eyes glow in the beam of a flashlight. They look like small alligators, and can be found all along the rivers shoreline. As you near, they slowly submerge into hiding. One stays on the bank. Still as a statue it sits, waiting for our boat to pass.  It's a white caiman and can grow up to two meters long. Fully exposed, It's quite a site.

White caiman

We wake up at 4:30 AM. Breakfast at 5, and on the boat by 5:30. The jungle wakes up early. A short boat ride and brief hike bring us into Tambopata National Park, where you can find Sandoval Lake. Today we seek the giant river otter. On the way we see a tree lick for parrots and macaws.They get essential nutrients from the dead tree. Several macaws squish in to feed from the hole in the dead tree. Nearly 20 others sit on top or circle  the tree waiting for a spot at the table. The sound of howler monkeys in the background would scare the bejeebers out of someone who didn't know what they were hearing, sounding like something out of a horror movie. Actually the sound of the howler monkeys was recorded and used as the dinosaur roar in Jurrasic Park movie.

Red bellied macaw through binoculars

The rain forest is aptly named, we find, as we paddle through the channels into the lake. The sudden downpour discourages all but birds and a few howlers from surfacing. The river otter would elude us.

As night comes,  the jungle starts to show its scary side. Even the guides are nervous of travelling the trail into the jungle at night. Poisonous snakes are dangerous and plentiful. Here the bushmaster boa constrictor rules the night. Tonight we don't look for snakes.  No, tonight we hunt tarantulas. Tarantulas come out of there nests at night to hunt. We need not travel beyond the gardens of the lodge to find them. They nest in the palms right in front of our noses. The pinktoe tarantulas are big furry, and can be very aggressive if agitated.  Nothing sounds better after a tarantula hunt then a bottle of wine! Happy second anniversary sweetie!

Nesting pinktoe tarantula

In the morning, a short half hour walk from the lodge brings us to the parrot clay lick.  The parrots get there early so we head out at 5 AM. Once there we wait. As the minutes turn to an hour, suddenly a parakeet jumps to a nearby tree, another one, and another. One jumps to the clay, followed by two more... 5, 7, 10, 15. Up to 20 parakeets are now feasting on the clay. The parakeets will get their much needed nutrients from the clay before starting their day. After about 15 minutes of feeding, one wrong noise from the jungle and they're gone. Not to return. Time to head back for breakfast, then Monkey Island awaits.

Dusky Headed Parakeets eating clay

The government had a program to rid Puerto Maldonado of pet monkeys.  The next generation now resides on Monkey Island.  We get there and a feast of bananas are offered to the semi wild monkeys. The monkeys greedily come down to snatch them up. All but the lone squirrel monkey are fed.

one of 12 species of monkey in Tambopata

We spend the rest of the day learning about the culture of the indigenous people, and visit a local orchard. The day has been exhausting. The evening of free time is spent resting. Tomorrow I go back to the clay lick.

5 AM. We leave for the clay lick hoping to see different parrots or parakeets, sometimes you can see up to 50 at a time. A Brown Bugauti keeps the parakeets high in the trees as it takes the clay lick for itself. A noise. The parakeets are gone. They don't return. It seems we can't bend nature to our will.

Brown Bugauti slinking around the clay lick

Today is our last day and we leave after breakfast.  Its been a good trip. Birds, plants, rodents, reptiles and insects (not to mention the 8 roaches, 4 frogs and army of flying ants in our rooms - it was a nice place, honest, but this is the jungle...). The bigger animals (jaguars, capybaras, tapirs and giant river otters) have managed to elude us. This time.

To read: Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book

Travelers notes:

Corto Maltes was a very nice lodge with well maintained rooms and grounds. Its advertised price was $450 US for a 4d 3n stay, but the rule is the closer you get the cheaper it gets. We bought in Cusco. We paid $295 pp, probably cheaper in Puerto Maldonado.  Bring snacks, as meals are far between. Don't expect much from the indigenous tribes and farm you visit on the third day. Its not really anything to write home about. I wanted to see the macaw clay lick, but you can't get very close, and photos are very tough without a telephoto lens. With the parrot lick, you can get pretty close. I loved the jungle experience, and now I am inspired to go deeper. If you can do a 6 or 7 day tour where you travel further in, I recommend it! Happy travels!

The local macaw, Julio, charges . (He can't fly)

This tree features a giant ants nest!

This vine will eventually take the tree over.

The lodge was a bit of a refuge for macaws

Toucan

This trees spikes protects against the killer vines

Large spider webs can be found in the jungle

This cute little guy is hanging on for dear life!

Andrea enjoys the sunset over the Rio Madre de Dios

The night hunt

The possum hunts at night too!

The possums prey, unfortunately won't last the night.

To celebrate our second anniversary, a tarantula night hunt
followed by a glass of wine...romantic. 

Our lovely guide arranged an anniversary gift,
garden flowers and a fruit basket!

Andrea, our guide Jose and myself.

That's a big slug!

Peppers found at the farm

Back at the lodge we play with Lola the parrot.

Lola hanging out with Andrea

The Sacred Pilgrimage to Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail

We start the Inca Trail at kilometer 82

Last week Andrea and I started what used to be a sacred pilgrimage, in the Inca times, towards Machu Picchu by way of the ancient Inca Trail. This narrow road through the Andes from Cusco to Machu Picchu, was reserved for only the nobility of the Inca civilization. Last week we were able to follow in the footsteps of the nobility of the ancient civilization of the Incas.

Inca ruins on the river Urubamba, and train to Machu Picchu

We started the journey to Machu Picchu from kilometer 82, and hiked the last 42.5 km of the pilgrimage. The first day was a long but not too difficult 16 km hike. We quickly past Inca ruins visible on the other side of the Rio Urubamba. The site which was not on the Inca Trail  was believed to house weary travelers on the way to Machu Picchu. As we continued our walk we made our way through small Quechau settlements.

8 km into our pilgrimage we came across Llactapata. Llactapata is a site that is said was a "resting place and roadside shrine" for the high class Inca travelers on there way to Machu Picchu. It's farming terraces were most likely used to provide food for Machu Picchu, which would have been transported by llamas. The site also may have hosted military for the militaristic civilization.

View of Llactapata 

After lunch we started to receive some heavy rain. Rain gear and ponchos were put on as we started to climb up hill to our first campsite. We hiked the last 300 m up to Ayapata where we camped on night 1, our porters were already setting camp. They make amazing time on the trail, each carrying 27kg (60 lbs) on there shoulders. Each day they would run past us with all their weight. Incredible.

Day 1: 16 km, 600 m up.

Fog shrouded mountains, seen from our campsite

We woke up the first morning to the site of beautiful lush, fog shrouded peaks of the Andes. A view that was obscured by rain and cloud from the previous eve.

Glimpse of sun at Dead Womens Pass, elevation 4215 m

We set out on day 2 of the Inca Trail. We all knew that today would be tough.  Our trail today took us past "Dead Womans Pass", 1000 m above our current campsite. This would be followed by a steep and quick 700 m drop, and another 400 m climb followed by another 400 m drop.

It did not take long after we left for our porters to dismantle the campsite and run by us on the grueling uphill with all their weight.  They would be waiting for us on the other side of the pass with lunch ready. An amazing feat of strength and endurance.

As we forced ourselves up to the peak of the pass there was a celebratory moment emphasized by a moment of clarity in the fog that gave us a clear view of the amazing sites around us. And then it was gone, signalling us to move on before the rain hit, making the steep stairs down even more treacherous. At lunch we waited for our group to show up before leaving for our next campsite. With one member very sick, and for times being carried by our guide, and with another member struggling on the uphill in the altitude (at 4300 m a short walk can feel like a marathon). With the hours counting down, and a member still missing our group split up. We needed to get to the next site before dark. Some faster members waited for

Hiking to the second pass of the day

the last member. Just before dusk we reached the next Inca site, Sayacmarca. Our campsite was close and dusk was coming. A hundred steep steps took us to the Inca site which literally means "Inaccessible Town". The site is surrounded by cliffs and is quite inaccessible other then by going up the 100 steps.

Another half an hour brought us to our next campsite, and the view was covered by clouds, and it soon began to rain. Although those who had waited at lunch had reached the site before dusk, our last member was still out there.

Well into the night, pouring rain, our final member, and guide finally arrived to the cheers of the team. The dark rainy trek down the thousands of steps would have been tough and treacherous. We were excited for their arrival.

Day 2: 12 km, 1500m up, and 1100m down.

The third day of our trek brought us upon 2 Inca sites both very large and unique. The first site, Intipata,"Town of the Sun" was laden with farming terraces, used as an agricultural site for Machu Picchu, also likely had a strategic military function as well. An amazing view! It also boasted llamas which were pretty playful. Why does the llama want to kiss me? I guess I'm just that good looking...(Andrea here, he goaded the starving llama with apples the animal was desperate).  Before leaving a glance up at the ruins showed the silhouette of one very black llama, standing amongst the ruins watching our group descend to our last campsite.

Sayacmarca, "Inaccessible Town"

One last short day hike brought us to another large set of ruins, Winay Huayna. The site whose name means "forever young" in Quechua, will have housed many Inca people  and been used to produce food for Machu Picchu. This site boasted some very unique and ingenious bath houses. As dusk hit we headed back to camp to prepare for the final day. 

Day 3: 9km, and a drop of 1 km.

Intipata, "Town of the Sun"

The final day would start at 3 am. There would be a queue of groups waiting at the guard house to enter the final stage of our pilgrimage.  As we woke up we quickly got ready, downed breakfast and headed out to the guard station. 

The camps around us still slept as we stole through the night to secure our spot, to be the first group which would mean the first group to see Machu Picchu through the sun gate. A short walk secured our place in the queue as well as allowed us to have shelter as the rain poured down on those who started to

Winay Huayna, "Forever Young"

trickle in behind us. Now we wait for the ranger to open the gates for the final leg. Despite the lack of sleep there was an energy in the groups as they waited.

At 5:30 am the gates were opened, and our group set a quick pace fueled by adrenaline down the narrow path towards the sun gate a short 3 km away.

As we arrived at the sun gate, designed to allow the sun to rise directly through the gate and into machu picchu during the summer solstice, our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu had come to an end. We had completed the 40 km section of the Inca Trail that we set out on. Machu Picchu was just 2.5 km from the sun gate.

Fog shrouded view from the sun gate

Normally we would have walked through the sun gate to a beautiful view of the sacred Machu Picchu but at this time of year the mountains are shrouded with fog in the morning. So we descended the last stairs, and down the last 2.5 km to enter the city. We had completed the holy pilgrimage taken only by the upper class of the Incas, to the sacred city of Machu Picchu.

Machu Freaking Picchu!

As we explored the city, the fog burned off. We had one more leg to our journey and the view would be the clearest view we have had during the whole trek. Huayna Picchu. Only 1500 more narrow stairs cut straight up into the mountain (going down these would prove tougher then going up) stood in our way of getting to the inca site built into the mountain overlooking Machu Picchu with a 360 degree view of the breathtaking Andes. We had arrived, our last breathtaking view on the Inca trail was the best one.

Incredible.

After thorough exploration it was time to catch our train back home. Upon reflecting on our journey, I can't help but to have a deep appreciation for the Inca people who would take this journey through the mountains, all the way, not just 42.5 km, and for the incredibly organized set up of the Inca people. It was only incredible luck and bad circumstances that allowed the Spanish people to conquer the Incas.

To read: Turn Right At Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams

Travellers notes: Llama Path is a great company with great guides and porters. They are known for treating their porters well, and we had only good experiences with them.

Achepatas are placed by locals at the top of the pass for luck

Kiss me!

Smile!

Hot water and coca tea given at the campsite

Incas integrated new rocks with old in Machu Picchu

The Incas were experts at laying stone without mortar

Llama pose

We made it!

Stunning!

Breathing it in.

The last steep climb: Huayna Picchu

Into Peru and beyond....warning graphic photo included

Cusco in Plaza de Armas

Trail mix shop in San Pedro market

One of the perks of taking a 30 hour ride from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Lima, Peru is that you get to see the diverse country side. As we took the bus to Lima the landscaped changed from a green country side to a barren dessert. By barren I mean no cacti just rolling sand dunes that go down to the ocean, it felt like we were on the moon. It was eerie as we drove south towards Lima, the sun was setting and there was a haze over the ocean so you could not see where the ocean started or the sky began, just a red haze with a red fiery sun burning through. As we entered the periphery of Lima shanty housing communes started to show up out of the sand. Lima had a very different feel than the other cities we had visited, with 8 million plus people living here it felt huge, poor, unsafe and took 2 hours to drive through. Instead of taking another long 25 hour bus ride to Cusco we opted for a 1 hour flight to Cusco.

Arriving in Cusco felt like we were in a different country than Lima. We flew into green mountains with no sight of sand dunes or ocean. Wow this country is diverse in terrain. Cusco felt safe, lots of tourists and many tourist police. We can even walk around after dark without needing to take a taxi (taking a taxi is safer than walking in the evening, we are all over decreasing the chances of being mugged). Cusco would be the equivalent to Banff back home. People have their SLR cameras slung around their neck as they walk around town. It's a good place to be, especially while both of us recover from different bouts of sickness. The architecture in Cusco is beautiful, visited San Pedro market for fruit and homemade chicken noodle soup for just less than $2 for a large flavorful bowl. Yummy especially when feeling sick and the weather is a bit rainy. There are lots of other foods and products sold at this market from a man selling llama fat, to the butchers, bakers and chocolate. We visited a chocolate museum here, I have had my best ever hot chocolate here in Cusco. After about 5 days of feeling the altitude lethargy and being sick we kicked back into adventuring again.

Looks like they sell donkey meat here

Cuy the house pet that doubles as dinner

Cusco area and Peru in general are known for Inca ruins (maybe you have heard of this little place called Machu Picchu? ) so we decide to explore parts of the Sacred Valley. Our first stop in the Sacred Valley was the Pisac ruins, its supposedly good training for the Inca trail and we found this to be true. We hiked straight up the mountain, up many steep small stairs through terraces on the side of the mountain which was used for growing crops. The top of the mountain had many spectacular ruins. Being our first ruins to have explored, we were very impressed. We ate at a local restaurant which also was a bakery. Next to the wood burning oven was a cage of guinea pigs, little did the guinea pigs know that they were living 4 feet away from their final resting point. Cuy or guinea pig is a traditional Peruvian food which we have yet to "enjoy".

Next on the sacred valley tour we stopped off at Moray which is a archeological Inca sight with terraces inset into the ground. The story goes that the Incas grew different crops on different levels of the terraces as each terrace was a slightly different temperature. We also explored salinas or salt ponds where a salty stream flows out of the mountain into these pools that eventually dry up in the heat. Families in the area own 4 to 6 pools and harvest the salt which is supposed to have medicinal properties, they fail to mention hypertension as a possible side effect of this miracle salt.

Climbing up to Pisac ruins

Some of the Pisac ruins

Moray farming terraces

Andes mountains

Salinas salt pools

Going to the city of baths, Banos

Team Kroeker is ready to rock

Banos = Bathroom?

After returning from the Quilatoa loop (yes the last Galapagos blog is out of place) we went south to a city called Banos. It is very touristy but we quite enjoyed it! This is the capital for outdoor adventure sports in Ecuador from whitewater rafting, rapelling down waterfalls, bungee jumping, zip lining and more, this city has it all. We whitewater rafted one day down class 3 rapids which was fun, our guide heightened the experience by yelling at us to jump in and float down some rapids. The waves are way larger when your eyeball is level with the rapids.

About 1 werk prior to our arrival in Banos a near by volcano errupted, no one seemed concerned even though we could hear some erruptions and see the plumes of smoke arising from the volcano.  I guess if the locals aren't concerned then I shouldn't be??

The hot springs here are a little more rustic than the Banff hot springs. It seems that they piped in hot water straight from the natural hot springs, brown water and all. We all looked cute wearing our highly regulated shower caps which double as a water scooper for the children to get cold water from the cold pools to pour onto their parents head.

Andrea is down!

Wish we had more time in this city. Next on the agenda is a 8 hour bus to Guayaquil, Ecuador then to catch a 30 hour bus ride to Lima, Peru! After 5 weeks in Ecuador we are finally onto our second country in our South America tour.

Travelers notes: We stayed at Hostel D'Mathias, the cheapest hostel yet (7 soles per person) on our trip with a private room and bathroom and full use of the kitchen, good choice! Banos is a great place for adventure sports.

Tungurahua erupting in the background

Tungurahua erupting