We were to leave Cusco at 5am on a regular bus...but left an hour later...after the bus broke down 15mins later.... after the defective part was fixed, we left at about 6.30am
No one complained....later on I understood why....
The road has been carved through massive rocks, and winds and winds....until we
We got to our first stop Paucartambo about 9.00am.... for breakfast etc...
The ladies were ready with their fried meats....and dogs were going about their daily business
Then we continued to climb to about 5000asl....snow tops clearly visible...I could not believe how much higher we could go; and it was better not to look out of the window...there are no rail guards against the sharp steep drops...and the bus was charging along faster than I would have preferred.
We eventually came into the "Cloud Forest";From above the forest is hardly visible....covered in clouds...here it is seen from below
then we started to descend.....and descend and until the only thing I could do was to pray to God for the famous "journey mercies".....the roads are single track..literally hugging the side of the mountain; one bad move, ......you plunge more that 1000m into ravines/canyons on the side....
inside the jungle, at times too it was misty.....
and beautiful
at about 12.30 we were dropped off to walk and see around us...one thing that I must say is that traveling on tours I have met many wonderful people...on this trip I was with two gals I had linked up with for the City tour...and who would be my travel pals for 11 days....they were my family...Angala(peruvian) and Melisssa(American);there was another couple Rainier(German) and Lilly(Peruvian), 2 guides,a man and lady both natives of the jungle, a cook, a cook's aide and Oliver (Italian) owner of the tour company,
Us 5 tourists and the 2 guides were dropped off to walk...we thought it was great strolling in the jungle...looking for mostly birds and at the flora and hoping to catch a glimpse of some scary animal...or anaconda..or tarantullas...or what ever each one of us imagined of a jungle.
After lunch we carried on....then it occurred to me to ask how far were were going....
............Yes believe it or not...the guide said 35KMS............... I thought his English was bad and my Spanish too....so I asked again....
suddenly the beauty faded....
this was now 2.00pm.....
The idea was to see nature and then stop a vehicle for a lift the rest of the way....if need be
All the vehicles...the few that passed by....refused to lift us
Our prospects were truly grim as we trugged on...I worked it out that we would arrive at 11pm..given that my feet and knee are not in the best condition...Angela started to develop blisters....
4pm...then 5.30pm it got dark and raining...torches and rain ponchos out and now we focused on just walking, all the anger gone...just had to survive...
The good news was that we could get to the next town at about 7.30 and from there, there was hope of a ride to out overnight stop....yes indeed GOOD NEWS
We got to Padria at 7.30pm....shoes wet...feet dead...I observed the bunch of dirty, a bit crazed lookin tourists...little did I know the same fate awaited me...after the Jungle!!!!
I ordered a large beer....which I offered to the family in celebration for having made it...this was our first serious bonding experience...
I was sure that without a lift, I would sleep on the shop floor...no way was I making another step...Before long Oliver...
arrived in to pick us up....in 2 taxis....wow.. what a luxury...I would have sat in the boot, on top of the car....clang on anywhere happily.
Why we had been made to walk that long was lost on us 3 gals.....But the mental and physical challenge of the jungle had started...
A nice dinner prepared by Hose Carlos awaited us at the lodge in Pilcopata...and we soon forgot the trek...
The next day...nobody complained that there was no hot water or that the rooms were dirty...well Lily did bit
No one had complained of the bus being late or broken before the trip....one is just so grateful when you arrive to your destination after such a treacherous trip...at one point we drove through tunnels carved in the rocks....as we made our way further and further into the bowels of the Earth.....
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