Every Wednesday and Friday there is a huge market in Urubamba. People come from many places all around- Cuzco, Pisaq, communities up the mountains for example Pomawanka. They come both to sell and trade- potatoes, lisas (a kind of different yellow potato) , pottery, animals, greens, fruits, vegetable a LOT of meat.
The day I took the picture was a very hot one...
This lady forgot her hat at home- very unusual, they go with them every where- and the sun is really burning at this height, so her only shield was a leaf from the broccoli she was selling.
NOW, going back to the jungle. One week about a month ago was spontaneously full. On a Saturday I went with a group, from Willka Tika, to Aguascalientes- hot springs- the city underneath Machu Picchu- I will tell you all about it in one second. The next day I come back and I am already packing to go to Quillabamba, the 'gateway' to the jungle. I took many photos of the water, different animals, plants, me of both Aguascalientes and Quillabamba; but there are all on the computer which does not work. So I will just have to tell you about it. Luckily, I did have a few saved photos from Quillabamba on my camera, so those you will see.
Machu Picchu- going back for the second time- ( this is some email that I wrote on that day when we came back so it was all in my mind)
A group of three western ladies and a Colombian guy- a bit of a bad combination BECAUSE - he : no English they : no Spanish. So it is quiet at dinner time.
Gabi, a guide from Willka Tika was our guide who took us on this trip, and she worked HARD trying to translating everything- which she didn't really manage. Sometimes,when there was a lot of information, she got mixed up and forgot somethings. But she really did a good job. Once I had to go with them somewhere, and just talking and explaining them one thing was difficult and confusing.
So the past exactly 36 hours went like this-
Wake up at just before 5 ( in the morning), finish packing for one night- I took a lot of stuff with me- hihi-
eat breakfast and leave at 6. Our train from Ollantaytambo left at 7 and something so we got to Aguascalientes at about 9. The train drive was pleasant and I talked to Gabi all the time. As we were talking in spanish, I saw the people who work on the train take many small peeks at us - I guess they never expected me to talk Spanish...
So we arrived in Aguascalientes and I went to my TINY hotel and they went to theirs , we stayed there over-night. We were in separate hotels because the one I stayed in, which belongs to friends of Carol, who later also did us this spiritual ceremony, is too simple and cheap for Willka Tika guests- it is very plain and simple. But it was really perfect for me. I had a tv- very unexpected- and big bed, much bigger than mine in Willka Tika, and a shower. Small and plain, overlooking an unfinished-looking school. I left my stuff at the hotel and met the group outside the bus station, going up to Machu Picchu. Took the bus, got up and had a boring tour for 2.5 hours , made by Gabi. I was not too interested about the tour- it was BALZING hot- השמש יקדה. What I wanted to know was not the spiritual information but about the people. But it does not matter. So the tour finally ended and we went to lunch. There is a tiny kiosk outside machu picchu VERY EXPENSIVE. Normallly, for normal people, back in the 'real world' at Urubamba, they sell sandwiches for 1, 2, maybe even 4 soles. Up there, a sandwich costs 22 !! some even more than 30! I just bought a hot dog- expensive! 15 soles and lemonade 8! After the tour Gabi said that we are all able to do what we want, as long as we meet outside their hotel at 6 sharp. I wanted to go up Wayna Picchu, the mountain you see in the pictures, but I learned that I have to pay extra and that there is only place available not that day but the next, and that if I took it I'll have to wake up early at 4 to get the tickets. So I said no thanks. We all decided to go up the Sun Gate, about 1 hour walk up. The Sun Gate is where the people who walk the Inca Trail come in. s we were walking, each at our own pace, I met the group of Dutch people who stayed in Chumpi Poques for 2 nights. They dont really speak English, WEIRD for Dutch people, but one girl who does a bit, I talked to her at the school, so it was funny to see her and their peruvian guide, who also stayed at the school.
Walk walk walk, boiling boiling boilig and then FINALLY Sun Gate. The walk was definately worth it. Going slowly up up, to the height of Wayna Picchu, which is a lot heigher than the ruins down. Very beautiful. So I got there and this group of Asian looking people came up to me; one of the ladies said- can I take a picture? I was like, of who, me? NO! and she, ok so together? I asked, why? and she said--- I was shocked--- I love what you are wearing! WEIRD I had this very warm jacket which I take with me to Chumpi Poques, red, blue and gray, very big. Balck pants my broken shoes, which everyone laughs at, and colourful leg warmers. So we started talking and they told me they are from Taiwan. The lady showed pictures she took of me earler that day, when I was not lookig- stalker. So their group is here for 17 days, going really all over. They just came back from the jungle and now they are in Machu Picchu then Cuzco, Nazca lines, Titikaka and Lima. They gave me Japanese and Taiwanese chocolates. I haven't eaten the Taiwanese yet, but the Japanese wasnt too great... So we I got down ... back to my hotel, which was right above the market. There is a huge market, very touristy, with really very beautiful things. So I bought some little things and met the group just outside my hotel, where the couple who are friendly with Carol own both the shop and the hotel. The husband, Hebert, I think was his name, is a shaman, and does these weird sound ceremonies. We sat down and he was talking and Gabi was translating and at the end something quite weird happened. He said, quietly, este chica, linda. this girl , pretty. I get these comments all the time, from women in the markets. People all around say it in Quechua, and somehow someone manages to translate to me. It drives me crazy. But I never got it so direct from a man... the ceremony, was not good, for me at least. We were supposed to close our eye for most of the time, 45 minutes, these weird noises made me feel uncomfortable. A drum even more. It remineded me of all the bad things that happened and the things I am worried about. A lot of things. Too many. After the ceremony I was not myself. I felt terrible and very uncomfortable. I didnt speak. We went to the best restaurant in town called Indio-Feliz. A French man married a Peruvian lady and made a very European looking cosy restaurent. Some the waiters reminded me, and the restaurant of the pub in lord of the rings, called something with donkey in think... so we got a 3 course meal. More beautifully decorated than tasty... I ordered 1- avocado with papaya soemthing interestng... 2- trout with mango which was not too impressive and 3 apple pie, which really wasnt too great, the crust was litteraly bread. But they gave us these little extras, and amazing freshly baked bread.
Finished eating, go back to my room, watch tv :D and sleeeeeeep.
THEN, in the night time... I could hear every little thing going on therie. So at 4:30 I hear this really loud noise and all these people suddenly talking, laughing, walking. I have no idea how come there were so many people cause the htoel seemed empty to me... it took me a while to fall asleep again but I managed. :)
DAY 2 - So I got up and had a very peruaivn breakfast which I have all the time at Antonia's house- coffee and white bread. The coffe was soo tasty, sweet sweet and the bread with strawberry jam. So today- god it feels like a month a ago- I decided to do some shopping :D and go walking around in the jungle. Its a long story but one lady, one of the sellers I was talking to asked me, where are you from? Peru? she thought I was peruvian?! :) :) So I took the stuff and went down, and started walking in the direction of where the buses go up to Machu Picchu. We were actually supposed to go to Machu Picchu again today but all the tickes were sold out- 2500! so I started walking and I found a tiny, hidden away path going straight down to where the river was. A river cuts through Agauscalientes, going all the way around the mountain which the city is situated on.
But wait I forgoit something...
In the morning I decided to walk a it around Aguascalients, see if I go up, the city is on a at the bottom of a mountain, I'll get to some nature. I walked and walked. And got a place with no tourists- finally. There was this dog far off eating something, and as I got closer down the street and this dog started barking barking barking and running down the street. At the bottom of the street was a police man. So I was walking. And I got closer to the dog, and he started barking louder and running away. This police man, who was just standing there said, hello ,good morning . He (the dog) is afriad of you. It was so weird. Animals here have a thing aboiut me.
Back to the lady who thought I was peruvian. I finished with her and my ohone rang.
Arturo; he asked- hadar, DO YOU WANT TO GO TO QUILLABAMBA?!?!?!???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was in a shock. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHSHAHAAHHA Quillabamba, JUNGLE! I have been waiting for this moment for.... AGES! So im going im going!!!! I asked, where, when , with who? Tomorrow, for I don't know how long with Antonia and her family !!! Ö :D :D
So with a VERY happy heart I continued my day. I went back to the river. I bought an ice cream to celebrate my finally going there and ate it by the river, dipping my feet in the very clean water. The stones there are amazingly formed. Round, cut by the river. The beach- is just filled with rocks and stones and garbage. Once I was down there, it was like a different world. There are no buses going up Machu Picchu, no people, cars, smoke, tourists. The city is half hidden away and its AMAZING. I kept on walking, took my flip flops off and found a butterfly house :D kept on kept on, by that time I almost got the the bridge where the busses pass the river to start climbing all the way up to Machu Picchu. I kept closer to the river. Suddenly, I heard the weirdest sound. Like knocking on the door 3 times, soft, louder and louder and like scream. I looked up then I saw a weird looking bird, yellow and black, high high up a tree. I tried to look and see its face, and then I reliased, after a while, that I was looking at its tale the hwole tme. Then it flew away and I caught a quick sight if it. There were these parrots, all green and small flying only on specific trees with red fruits. It was time for me to go back. I was walkig and I foud a very beutiful light blue snake, without its head. :( The poeple who deicded to go up and down the mountain to get to Mahu Picchu have not seen any of the tiny paths leading to the the river. No snake or birds. I got back to the hotel, go the rest of my stuff and met the group at the train station. The train just left the station and at the other side of the mountain, across the river, I spotted this big red parrots with sometimes black sometimes blue tale. The big ones. They are the symbol of Peru.
So the next day, I packed my bags for an unknown period of time and left Willka Tika. Arturo took me to the bus sation and gave me my ticket to Quillabamba. All the fruits come from there, coffee, coca leaves, chocolate to the Sacred Valley and other places to the South of Peru, where these plants do no grow.
I got into this big car and we started driving. Going all the way to Ollantaytambo, going on a dirt road and starting the climb to Puerto de Malaga, the big mountain covered in snow. The road, crossing the mountain is 4613m high, and that is far from the top. The road, there is only one, goes up zigzag, so it takes long time. Once getting up to s certain point, snow starts to appear, hundreds of free horses, clear blue tiny lakes and no vegetation- only grass. At that point there are also barely any houses- and the houses that there are are tiny, with hatched roofs.
So once crossing to the other side, the vegetation changes immediately, growing taller, thicker and jungle like. I was surprised by how on one side it is like that, on the other the opposite.
The whole ride took more or less 4:30 hours.
Finally got to Quillabamba, driving down down down through different towns/villages, next banana trees, and I met Antonia, Eulogio and Cristian. There got there the day before. We started our trip going to Antonia's mom's house, situated up above the city in a place called Mandor. There is Mandorbajo, bajo is down in Spanish, and Mandoralta, so higher Mandor. Mandoralta is where is house is situated. We took a taxi for 30 minutes and got to a bridge. The climb started. We walked on a tiny path through forests of coffee trees, coca trees. You can just imagine that - the pictures are gone.
We walked for about an hour, very steep mountain sides and go to their house.
Because there are a large family, six brothers and sisters, they needed large house when they lived here. Antonia and her four older siblings were born here. There two others were born in Urubamba area.
Here you see the laundry drying and Cristian playing his loud, annoying gameboy.
We, all of us ad the mom who lives there during the harvesting periods, slept in the room to the left. During the other months of the year, she comes to Urubamba and sells her goods. The harvesting of the cacao is during January-March. The coca leaves are harvested every three months and the coffee May-July. Bananas are harvested all the time.
Because no one lives there during all months of the year, the father of the family died five years ago, mice and different animals have started to eat up the wood, which the house stands on. In the night, I would here a mouse nibbling on the wood, running here and there.
A eaten up leaf. There are sooo many ants there...
In the background you can see coca trees. They leave them small on purpose so that all the leaves can be harvested.
I forgot how this fruit is called but it's seeds, the red ones in the middle, one touch and the whole finger turns red. This is like their red paint.
One of the excursions we did during our stay was to visit all her family living up there. The sisters of her mother- both of them have lived there all their lives. We went to one of Antonia's aunts for lunch. One second there was this chicken running round, the next, the aunt was putting it in hot water, tearing it's feathers out. They then cut its beak, then it's stomach, emptying the intestines, choosing those to et and those to throw away. Here you can see its leg- which they also eat.
Antonia's mom, or Mama Grande as we all call her, walking down, making her way to Quillabamba. These are the paths we walked through. Those big trees to the sides are already harvested coffee trees.
Both in Urubamba and Quillabamba they stuff their transportation methods with stickers. Here you can see three tigers.
We stayed in Mandoralta three nights, four days, going down to Quillabamba twice.
We had many adventures, going to a huge waterfall, I collected many leftover coffee and cocoa beans. Just looking at all the photos will bring back many memories.
I love that place, and one day I will go back.
p.s.- What is Mesarumioch? It is two Quechua words for mesa (also in Spanish) table, rumi- tone. Just above the house there is a huge stone, thousands of years old, flat as a table, just sitting there. People believe there is gold and diamonds underneath- they do no want to and cannot check because it is just too big. But all that area is called Mesarumioch.
