How ya goin' Sydney

I touched down in Sydney 12 hours later and was kindly collected at the airport by my cousin Robert, who put me up for a few days in his nice flat in North Bondi. Had a relaxed and unexpectedly social few days in Sydney, after the delightful surprise of finding out I had friends there! Not only did I find Rhianne already living there but J also happened to be passing through on his way up to Brisbane. 

Sydney itself is pleasant but not that exciting. I reveled in the excellent coffee scene however and enjoyed some good food and a few cocktails. No problems adjusting back to Western culture, other than a lack of everyday excitement. 

Summers coming; Bondi beach

 

The drinking culture in Sydney is quite bizarre now, with short opening hours and responsible drinking enforced by designated minders. Outside of the centre (maybe even in the centre), the streets were deserted by 1am, even on a Friday.

I didn't stay long though, and on Sat morning I moved on to my third continent of the week: Asia. 

Sud América... Adiós!

My final night in Peru was in Lima and I had an alright night out in Miraflores, finishing up in the big club Gotica. I was promised techno (I at least hoped for an electronic beat) but it most definitely was not. What I got was south American RnB and salsa pop, with a crowd of Lima's affluent youth. I at least manage to categorically prove I can't dance salsa. 

Diego treated me to another delicious lunch the day after and then I flew down to Santiago in Chile. Just had a day there and a little wander around and then bade goodbye to South America and headed west, out and over the Pacific for the next leg of this grand adventure. 

A somewhat wintry Santiago

Hiking the Huayhuash Circuit

Here's my blow by blow account of tackling the Huayhuash circuit. Thankfully I have some photos to illustrate my account as I left my memory card in a hostel in Santiago a few days after. Manage to retrieve a few however and the rest are hopefully winging their way back to England now.

Day 1 - Thurs 13 Aug

I was up late getting ready after an adventurous days paragliding yesterday, so only grabbed a few hours of broken sleep before getting up at 4 to get a bus at 5. All went smoothly though. Had time for some breakfast in Chinchero and then we headed up towards the mountains where the bus finished in Pocpa, 5 hours from Huaraz. The start of the Huayhuash circuit was further up the road but this is as far as public transport gets you. Only took 3.5 hours walking though to reach the first camp. Although just following the dirt road, up past a 1MW hydroelectric plant, it was an enjoyable walk, passing by numerous shepherds and shepherdess tending their cows and sheep.

The shepherds seem quite friendly and give a wave and a hello. Others I passed on the road however were distinctly indifferent, barely even acknowledging my greetings. Helped push an old woman over a wall  (her request!) on her mission to get fire wood.

I acquired a canine friend on the way who accompanied me all the way to camp and looked like he was ready to stay the night here. Seems to have disappeared now it's dark though. Had a long lunch down by the river and a nice snooze in the sunshine.

It started to threaten rain in the late afternoon and followed through soon after I reached camp. I had just enough time to get my little tent up and take shelter. Cleared out again an hour later and the tops of the mountains glowed pink as the light started to fade.

My friend for the day

An old kiwi couple are doing the trek independently too, and there are 2 big groups starting out today.

About 13km and 680m altitude gain today, camping at 4160m. It's getting cold!

Day 2

Last night was cold but I was just about warm enough in a my clothes and -15 down sleeping bag. It was quite reassuring to see there'd been a hard frost when I got up. It was genuinely cold!

Didn't get up till 7.30 and was the last one to leave camp at about 9. An easy day today though. 500m ascent to start with, with a beautiful view at the top of the pass looking out at the wide open valley on the other side. Couple of Cóndor flybys too. Took the direct route to the next camp spot, staying high rather than following the valley around, eventually dropping down to a lake overlooked by the majestic, glaciated Nev. Jirishanca and it's neighbouring peaks. I'd somewhat unintentionally walked to the far side of the lake, not realising the official camp spot was on the other side. After finding a perfect spot next a stream with a mountain view from my porch I was settled for the day however. Only walked about 10 km and arrived here at 13.30, with almost an hours break at the top.

Top of the first pass

Not feeling right as rain though annoyingly. Not really ill but somethings up, I keep getting acidic belches and heartburn. Can't think what would have caused it.

Weather has followed a similar pattern to yesterday. Lovely day, then a bit of rain (hail today) around 4. Donkeys and cows for company tonight. Chatted to the 2 other groups on my way. A big German family and some Italians. When most people are on tours everyone's always impressed when you do it alone!

Day 3

Last night seemed to go on forever. Had a big hail storm followed by rain. Went to sleep around 7 when it got dark but kept waking up with this damn heartburn. And when you go to sleep at 7, there's a lot of hours until it gets light again! I was up at 6. 30 and on my way by 8. Took me an hour to walk back up the valley and then 2 more to reach the high pass of the day at 4630m, an ascent of 400m. Was feeling pretty weary today and it took me a while to find my stride. And my pack felt heavy. Whatever's up with me has made me lose my appetite so I'm not eating enough food to lighten my pack!

The easy option

As you come out the other end of the valley, you're presented with the heart of the Huayhuash mountains, with a chain of mighty glacier clad peaks stretching out in front of you. The tops were all shrouded in cloud but got a few fleeting glimpses of their full majesty.

The rock formations here, and the length of the Andes, are continually impressive. The movement in the rocks is so vivid you can practically see the tectonic upheaval taking place before your eyes.

The tour groups only seem to walk for about 4 hours a day and this was their camp next to Lago Carhuacocha. Not a bad spot by any means, looking down the lake with the towering mountains beyond. I took leave of the standard route at this point and headed towards the mountains to skirt around the steep valley at their base.

First glimpse of the big peaks

Passed by a very pretty little community at the foot of the mountains (5 stone houses little) and as is the norm here an old woman appeared next to me to charge me the tourist tax for passing through. This one was the most expensive yet - 25 soles! The clouds lifted a little and the sun broke though, just after I'd passed the pueblo, so I ditched my bag and backtracked to get some photos of the peaks while I could. I'm sure I was watched the whole time and I could see someone scuttling about on the hillside opposite, without seemingly doing much. Probably just wondering what the hell I was doing...

After the pueblo you enter a narrow pass and with the mountains looming above you it starts to feel a lot wilder and remote and you get the sense of entering into the big stuff. This is where Touching the Void took place and where I'm now camped, on the shore of lago Siula, is where (I think) they had their basecamp. The mountain in question, Nev Siula Grande (6344m) has so far remained resolutely in the clouds but there is no doubting the serious challenge these summits present. Maybe next time then!

Saw a few vicuñas up on the hillside today and a large squirrel type animal hopping over the rocks. And lots of noisy ice falls tumbling from the glaciers including one massive one that sent a huge cloud of ice up in the air.

18km today. Camp is at 4310m.

Day 4

The clouds slowly cleared this morning to leave a stunning array of jagged peaks, sharp ridge lines and glaciers falling off the steep sides. With such a beautiful site to leave behind it took me a while to drag myself away and I didn't start my long ascent out of the valley until 8.45.

Lago Siula

Maybe it's the lingering effects of my San Pedro experience but everywhere I look now I keep seeing faces or figures in the rocks. It's fun! 

After hiking up to the edge of the last glacial lagoon I didn't check the map properly and backtrack to find the path. I followed a few cattle tracks but soon realised I was off the path when I needed to start climbing to reach the pass. I knew where I needed to go so opted for a steep scramble up a tufted grassy slope rather than backtracking. It wasn't the greatest shortcut and proved to be a hard, tiring slog upwards. I was delighted when I finally rejoined the path and didn't take me long after to reach the summit of the pass at 4830m. And what a view from the top! The clouds sadly didn't lift but the panoramic view of the open valley stretching out on one side and the snowy, spiky mountains on the other was awesome. I hung around at the top for almost an hour, enjoying the vista and hoping the clouds would lift. They were, but very slowly, but I did get a few glimpses of the highest summits, enough to get an appreciation of how big they really are.

Top of the pass

I stopped for lunch overlooking Huayhuash, where all the caravans were setting up camp, and then pressed on to Vigonga and the enticement of a hot spring. I passed through the camp unnoticed and started the climb up the other side, thinking I may have got away without paying the pueblo tax. Out the corner of my eye however I noticed someone running in my direction and heard a few faint whistles. Somewhat mischievously I thought I would test their resolve, and pretending not to notice, pushed on up the slope. They were determined though! I stopped when a guy eventually got within shouting distance and he caught up with me, exhausted after running up the path. Had a friendly chat, paid my dues and was soon on my way again. 

Up and over my second pass of the day and I was greeted by another great, sweeping valley with jagged, snowy peaks on the far side and one giant blancmange of a glacier, oozing it's way down from its giant rounded top. Looks like an awesome descent for a snowboard.

I arrived at Agua Terminal at about 17.30, my first proper days hiking. Only one tour group here and the kiwi couple John and Jocylyn I'd set out with.  I set up my camp and then headed straight for the baths.

What a treat the thermal bath turned out to be... 

A good hike, mountains, spectacular views, and to watch the stars come out, relaxing in a hot spring with a beer... such a beautiful moment, sealed with a long bright shooting star burning across the sky. This is what makes me HAPPY. 

3 pools, one warm, one hot and one small sulphurous hot pool. There was even some soap on hand to have a wash. And all to myself. 

Hiked about 20km today with about 900m of ascent.

Day 5

My digestive tract seems to have got back to some semblance of normality and I've  finally started to make some headway into the massive bag of nuts I've been lugging around. 

Another high pass (4950m), another spectacular view at the top. The pass taking you right past a beautiful glacier with all its seracs there to admire right in front of you. The valley ahead stained with reds and orange and a long, sharp, knife edge ridge stretching away to the north (which as it turns out is the ridge of mighty 6000m peaks, at the heart of the Huayhuash).

 
The path dropped back down into the valley and I took the secondary route again, up the San Antonio pass, with a steep, gruelling climb of 500m up to 5020m. 

But my God, the view from the top practically blew my mind! Such a steep conical valley, dominated by the mighty ridge on one side, and so many different colours blended in the rock. One of the most incredible sights I've ever seen.

The picture doesn't do it justice

I climbed up through the pass on the left

I scrambled up to the nearby summit (5079m) to get the full panoramic glory of the view, and then settled down for a well deserved and delicious lunch of good cheese with tortillas. Hmmm hmmmm. 

The climb up was quite long and steep but the drop down the other side was much longer and steeper, descending back down to 4260m. It was a hard dusty descent, but once down in the valley I carried on past the official campsite and headed up towards Lago Juraucocha for another camp with a glacier view, at 4343m. 

Went for a little wander in the early evening and was treated to a gorgeous sky of pink clouds, rolling off the glaciers, as the sun set somewhere beyond my horizon. And as I ate my dinner as darkness fell a beautiful sliver of a new moon rose above the mountain. 

What a wondrous thing... to be able to gaze up at the stars, in the presence of such grand Apu's, and contemplate the many facets of life. 

About 13 or 14 km today, 1000m of ascent. 

Day 6

My first day of truly good weather. I hid my heavy pack and ambled up the valley Quebrada Sharapocha as the early sunlight slowly filled the valley. I rock hopped my way across the glacial boulder field and found myself at the outlet of laguna Santa Rosa, under the 6127m shadow of Nev. Sarapo.

A lovely sunny morning, a beautiful lagoon under the vertical face of a 6000m mountain and glacier. Time for a swim? Don't see why not. 

I'm sat on the edge of laguna Sharapocha right now, gazing up at all 6500m of Nev. Yerupaja Sur (the highest mountain here, Nev. Yerupaja 6617m is hidden behind) and I'm thinking: Could this be the most beautiful mountain I've set eyes upon? 

Well I can't think of any better right now so sure. Nev. Yerupaja Sur is the most beautiful mountain I've seen. Such an impressively steep south face and immense ridge line that stretches away in both directions.

Incroyable. 

My beautiful mountain

I think what probably makes the Huayhuash circuit feel extra special is that it's still relatively unknown (I didn't know about it until a few months ago) and there is really hardly anyone here. Rated by some as one of the world's greatest treks and I've camped for 3 nights alone with only mountains and glaciers for company (... and the ever present cattle and donkeys) and wandering around one of the most spectacular valleys on the trek I saw 3 other people. And this is peak season! 

Lost 2 sets of nuts today. The first lot when I went swimming and the second lot fell out my stuff pocket somewhere on the trail. 

After my casual morning soaking up the epic scenery and then some lunch, I didn't start the serious trekking until 1.30, which left a lot of ground to cover to get where I wanted to be that night. It took me 3 hours to get down the valley to the "big" town Huayllapa. The valley was relatively uninteresting but it was interesting to see the signs of human settlement again (terraces, a few fields) as you got closer to town. The town though drops right down to a lowly 3490m, which leaves a 1300m ascent up to the next pass. I wanted to make a start on it today so at 4.30 I started to climb, with my eye on a campsite about half way up the pass - only 700m height to gain...

By 6 I was starting to get a little tired and the light was starting to fade. I'd just got out of the steep sided valley however and out onto more open grasslands so I gave up on the campsite and searched around for a flat spot to pitch my tent. Wasn't too hard and I found a lovely spot near to a small stream and pitched up in the last of the light. The combination of finding the spot late on with a beautiful view down the valley and the openness of the hillside, I think it's one of my favourite camp spots so far. I ate my dinner under the light of the new moon and the glory of the starry sky. 

I'm camped at 4125m so can't be far off the campsite I was aiming for. 

My morning stroll up the valley was about 9km there and back, and then I hiked the 12km to Huayllapa and about another 4km past. So about 25km today. Dropped 750m and then climbed back up about 700m before I camped.

Day 7

As beautiful as my camp site was, it was a little exposed and cold last night. My pan of water I'd left outside  had a good thick layer of ice this morning. I was glad when the first rays of sun finally hit me around 8. I thought I must have been pretty close to the official campsite and I was; it was only a 15 minute walk away. 

I was a little tired today after yesterday's exertions so I had a fairly slow hike up the gradual ascent to make the remaining 700 odd metres to reach the pass. Another great view, this one much more understated however with the only snowy mountains off in the distance. From the pass you could just see the top of one of the 6000m peaks so wanting a better view I headed up to the nearby ridge to see what was what. The view was better but as i'd just climbed up the base of the small mountain Tapush, my thoughts soon wandered to the summit of said mountain... 

It looked like a fairly straightforward scramble so I left my bag and off I went. Scree slopes to start with, which combined with the altitude made the going quite hard. I worked my way upwards though and after only one short section I needed to climb I skirted around the side and had a relatively easy scramble to the summit. My first solo 5000m peak! 5223m according to the map, 5236m according to my phones gps. 

Could it be a first ascent? Highly unlikely but I made a cairn at the top to let the next person know it'd been conquered! The view was majestic, open valley to the west, another mountain chain in the distance to the north and the ridge of 6000m peaks to the east. And lots of red and orange in the rocks, bleeding into the lagoons and rivers.

Top of Tapush

Up there somewhere

I still had aspirations of hiking up to the glacier in my final valley so I set off after some lunch at a good pace. I caught up with the kiwi couple (who had been adopted by the Peruvian workers of a French group and had kindly provided a donkey for their gear) and the Italian I'd had a chat to in the beautiful valley the day before. 

I really hadn't checked the map properly however and had missed the fact there was  another high pass (4850m) to get over before dropping down to my final campsite Incahuain.

Another high pass...

 So that pretty much put paid to my ambitions of doing more that day, but as I came over the pass and was once more greeted by the breathtaking sight of the big mountains, I got excited all over again and practically ran all the way down to get into the main valley of the mountains.

What a site the valley presented: a wide open valley with a big lake and the 6094m peak of Nev. Jirishanka dominating the head. A postcard finish to a tremendous trek, and nothing lost by not having the time to head further up the valley. 

About 15km today + 4km up and down Tapush from the pass. 900m gained and 1200m lost over 2 passes, and 350m extra up and down Tapush.

Cheers

Day 8

Today was just about getting to Llamac to catch the bus back to Huaraz at 11. Took me about 3.5 hours to cover the 12 odd km, with another pass of 300m to climb and then a 1000m descent down into the valley to reach Llamac. The path was dusty, rutted and rocky so not the nicest to try and rapidly descend down. I made it with 15 mins to spare but then found out the bus didn't leave till 11. 30 anyway.

The morning sun slowly fills the valley

It's been an unforgettable trek. An area of such astounding natural beauty and stunning mountains. A perfect final journey with which to seal my South American adventure. Next time I'll have to climb some of these mountains...

Made it!

Lima

I flew up to Lima with Andy and had an interesting Saturday night out in Barranco and Mira Flores before he flew back home to the UK. I only spent a few days in Lima: just long enough to get treated to some excellent ceviche by family friend Diego and have a quick soar along the coast in front of the Mira Flores skyscrapers. I didn't get out of Mira Flores but more interesting places were calling and I quickly carried on to find the mountains in Huarez. 

That's me

No privacy from paragliders on the top floor

  

The Inkita side of Cusco

I'd managed to briefly meet up with my Dutch pal Henri before he headed onwards and he recommended I go and stay with the Ramos family at their newly opening guesthouse on the edge of Cusco.

With Independence Day looming it sounded like it could be a more interesting place to stay and I wasn't disappointed. I ended up there for the next 10 days.

The new guesthouse was still undergoing its final preparations and Melly and Nino (2 of the 3 grown up Ramos family children) were busy trying to get things finished. The welcome into the family was immediate and I arrived at the same time as Andy, a friend of theirs from England. The first night I was there we all went out for what turned out to be a banging techno night, the second night (Independence day) we headed into the city centre for another fun night, but without such good tunes.

Morning view from the guesthouse

I managed a few more days paragliding, but conditions weren't great, and stayed on at the guesthouse for the "official" opening to coincide with Pachamama's day on Sat 1 Aug. To celebrate, a ceremony was performed and an offering made to Pachamama: a parcel of different foods, herbs and spices, each given with a heartfelt message from anyone who wanted to make an offering, blessed, sealed and eventually given into the fire for Pachamama to receive. It was a beautiful, sincere ceremony and the spiritual energy from everyone present was palpable.

And then the techno bus opened its roof and the real party started. It was a fun night. Definitely got my techno fix in Cusco.

I went on a 3 day mini break to Machu Pichu after that. I was back on Wednesday night and was straight back in the action on Thursday with some downhill mountain biking. Myself, Andy, Nino and 2 of his downhiller friends headed out to the hills around Cusco. We got treated to the best local routes, warming up on a few fun but fairly full on tracks before we crossed the valley and headed all the way up to 4200m for a long descent back down. That proved to be a gnarly ride! Big steep drops across long technical rocky sections, in dry dusty conditions with little grip: it was not easy. I was pretty happy with how I got on though. By far the most technical and committing riding I've ever done but I was reveling in the laid back ride of a proper freeride bike with a massive front fork. Just sit back and go with it!

It was a pretty hard day but after a little rest and a light dinner we were ready for the days main event: a San Pedro ceremony (San Pedro being the cacti with hallucinogenic properties).

Nowhere near as strong as Ayahuasca, San Pedro is a very spiritual and loving plant with a strong connection to the natural environment it comes from. Our Shaman, David, a big friendly bear of a man, conducted a relaxed and calming ceremony in the garden, and then we took a walk up to the mountain behind the house, with an assortment of instruments in hand and a few snacks for the journey.

"This seed will keep you safe"

It was a fantastic night. San Pedro gives you an enormous feeling of wellbeing and a true connection to the nature around you. To experience it under the guardianship of Apu Pillku Urqu, on the beautiful mountainside, amongst the trees, stars, a crescent moon, the spirits around us and with great companions, was a wonderful and deeply moving experience.

With one hand to the sky and one to Pachamama below, we spun.... We slowly meandered up the mountain... We banged the bongos... I developed a strong and rewarding connection with a shaker of sorts...

This "shaker" led me around most of the night and unerringly found us wood when we settled down to make a fire (the fact we actually managed to start and sustain a fire, from very humble beginnings, was an impressive feat).

There's magic in those.... mussels?

On our way up the mountain we were also joined by 3 friendly dogs who took care of us for the night.

We were up on the mountain for about 8 hours but even when we eventually found our way back to the house, in the bright artificial light I realised I was still well under the spell of the San Pedro, and sleep definitely wasn't on the cards for a few more hours. So I lay in the garden and enjoyed the beauty of the changing light as the night turned to day and the moon was eventually outshone by the sun.

It was a magical way to sign off my stay at the guesthouse and perfect to be able to share it with Andy, Meli, Nino and Gabi.

Heading to Cusco? Get yourself to Inkita Guesthouse!

Machu Pichu

With time running out I decided not to do one of the many possible treks to Machu Pichu but I was certainly wasn't going to sign up for a tour either. 

The train is extortionate but there is a another way so I set off early on Monday morning and a combination of collectivos and shared taxis got me to Hidroeléctrica around 5 hours later. Easier than I was expecting and from there it was a two hour amble down the train line to reach Aguas Calientes, the tacky tourist town servicing the thousands of people that pass through daily on their way to Machu Pichu - decked out like an alpine ski resort but with more neon lights.

I picked up 2 American guys on my journey up and managed to find a shared room easily enough despite many warnings it would be nigh on impossible or ridiculously expensive.

It was another early start the next day, up at 4.30 and into the slow sweaty procession of tourists climbing the thousand or so steps to make it up the mountain before sunrise.

It was well worth it; Machu Pichu did not disappoint. It truly is a magical place, the complexity and atmosphere of the site made by its astounding location, perched high on the ridge and surrounded by beautiful, towering peaks and steep valleys. For spiritual energy the Incas choose a great spot.

All this was accentuated by the early morning list and pale light of the breaking day; and the relative lack of people. It's a big site and in the first few hours there it was still possible to wander through the myriad of buildings and narrow streets alone.

 

   

 

 

I hiked up Machu Pichu mountain around 9 but it was a long, hot slog up steps all the way. The view was nice of course but I was feeling tired and hot and wasn't particularly blown away.

I had a little snooze and floated around in a sleepy haze for a few hours; then experienced the joy of exploring the site all over again, in the cooler air of the late afternoon and when the main surge of tourists had dissipated. It gets pretty crowded in the city around midday but everyone is kept out of the open areas so looking down on the site you don't really notice how busy it is.

Sacred rock

I had a nice finish to the day, tagging on to a spiritual ceremony; raising my hands to the sun to capture the last rays of energy as it set behind the mountain.

I walked out the next day, down the train line again but this time heading south, for a 30+km hike all the way to Ollantaytambo.

It was a long day, but flat and easy going and quite fun hopping off the tracks every half or so to let the trains past. It's a beautiful valley following the river and opens up after about 15 km to a snowy mountain backdrop. Looks like an awesome river to raft down with a few intense rapids to negotiate! 

The last section of the path also passes some small but impressive Inca ruins, including the only chamber I found where you can go inside. The Inca trail starts near here but strangely passes on the other side of the river and I couldn't see any Inca ruins over there! 

After about 9 hours of walking I was starting to get a little tired but still had some way to go to get onto the main road. Luckily I managed to hitch a ride for the last 8 km or so and made it back to Inkita guesthouse in time for some dinner.