Tag: landscape

Moray (Peru)

Hi !

If for most people Moray is all about these round terraces the Incas built to farm experimental crops of corn and potato, I was a lot more interested by the view of the glacier on the other side.

The Inca site itself is really nice, though probably not that high in the list of thing to see, for it is just terrace and a short 30 minutes of explanation. The round terraces (or so they look) are impressive, but a lot is left free to imagine, for there are few hard evidence (and next to no documentation) of what this site was really about.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Inca Trail through the Sacred Valley (Peru)

Hi !

Well, this picture is not really showing much about the Inca Trail itself, but it sort of lay the expectations for what will be this incredible journey through Peru most sacred area. The Incas, aware that the spanish will make an attempt at conquering this part of Peru, decided to remove the trace of the road leading to Machu Picchu (which was sort of paved), successfully hiding the most sacred of all site. It is only several centuries later, in the early 1900, that Hiram Bingham discovered what would become the Inca Trail, subsequently leading him to the Machu Picchu. To be fair, it is likely that others knew about the site, but he was the one discovering it for us.

Therefore, this site has the particularity of having been left alone for centuries (as it was forbidden to non noble Incas to go there, it really got forgotten). When I’ll see a running fountain, I should pay my respect to the engineer who built it to last un-maintained for that long !

But before talking about the coming adventure, I need to give you my impression on the Sacred Valley. Though I learnt a little bit about the Inka, it is mostly ruins. And before you get the chance to visit them, there’s the mandatory passage through the various souvenir stores, all showing handcrafted stuff that could not look any less handcrafted. So much potential waisted in trying to rip the tourist. The ruins themselves are sort of repetitive, and really what makes it so special is probably the surrounding landscape.

Back to the main story !

So seven days from now I’ll be putting my foot on the Inca Trail, following an old road laid by the Incas to take us from km 82 (Piscacucho) to the Machu Picchu, some 48km away. It will require us to pass a 4200masl pass (known as the Dead Women Pass), and climbing down some 2000 stairs. As I’m not in my prime years anymore, we took the 5 days options, which would mean a lot of time up there taking photos and watching endless flows of clouds passing the giants surrounding us. There’ll be also porters and cookers, so really it just about as adventurous as trying to score a decent meal in Paris. The barely freezing temperature at nights will just make any visit to the bathroom very well calculated.

Day 1: We’ll start at some 2400masl and walk some 10km to the first campsite, Hatuncacha, at some 2900masl.

Day 2: We’ll walk some 16.5km, pass the Warmiwañusca (Dead Women Pass) at 4215masl and finish at the second campsite, Pacaymayo, at some 3630masl

Day 3: We’ll walk some 11km, pass the Runkuracay (second pass) at 3900masl and finish at the third campsite, Phuyupatamarka, at some 3640masl.

Day 4: We’ll walk some 11km, going down to our third campsite, Puente Ruinas at some 2030masl.

Day 5: No walking, just catching the bus to be among the first to the Macchu Picchu.

There will be plethora of ruins and curiosity along the way. I’m gonna say the Condors will be looking at me like some potential diner, for I’m absolutely not fit, but if I can give a little something back to nature…

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Active volcano (Peru)

Hi !

Peru is one of this country that offers a huge variety of climate and landscape, from desert to tropical jungle, mountains and plateau higher that the highest peak in Europe. Driving (or been driven) in this environment is really an experience by itself, especially when you arrive at some 4900masl and see 8 volcanoes around you.

One of them was showing some activity, not really sure if this is just a production of steam, toxic gazes or the premises of a violent eruption. The story remains to be written on that.

Volcanoes and peaks all bear a huge importance for the Incas and pre-Incas, believing they were spirit protecting them. Yet most city stories usually are marked by the violence of the earthquakes and eruptions, which (if you have to look at the bright side) were reasons for them to improve their building technic and selection of location to establish new settlement.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Mirador de los Andes (Peru)

Hi !

There are a few roads on earth that you’ll always hear people saying that you have to drive them (or been driven on them) once in your life: the West Coast Highway in New Zealand, the Great Ocean Road in Australia, … I would add the one between Arequipa and Chivay.

First, because how many times in your life will you drive over the Mont Blanc, which is what happens when you reach the Mirador de los Andes (4910masl). Second because you’ll pass next to vicuñas while enjoying beautiful volcanos, some probably active. The landscape is incredible, making it obvious that it is hostile to many form of life (trees and humans most definitively).

The above picture was shot at the Mirador de los Andes, aiming at the Cordillera Chilena. The air here is as pure as it gets. Roads seems to leads to the far away mountains, but will drop to the valley below at some 3600masl. The snow is usually appearing above 5000masl, if you want an idea of the size of these giant in front of us.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Grey winter in Lima (Peru)

Hi !

Nothing really to add to the already well documented grey winter of Lima. It certainly isn’t as bad as the grey fall and winters of Paris.

More interesting are the burrows of Miraflores and Barranco, settled above the south cliffs of Lima, and the malecón which offers a nice walk with great parks and plenty of life.

I should make the same photo this summer, with a nice blue sky !

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Road from Huaraz to Conococha (Peru)

Hi !

Not all the places live up to one’s expectation, but Huaraz definitely did. So when it was time to leave it for Lima (awfully grey at this time of the year), the best thing to do was to depart as early as possible to enjoy some great views on the Cordillera Blanca with the morning sun.

This photo was taken a few kilometers from Conococha, at something like 4100masl. The snow usually start around 5000masl, so you can judge that the peaks here are definitely not easy one to conquer, and yet they are not the biggest one. The amazing part is that it is sort of a plateau (or we could call it a big mountain flat on top) with other mountains sitting on top it.

I’ll keep a great souvenir of the Cordillera Blanca (and Negra, on the other side of the road), even though we could not reach all the places we wanted to, since a better fitness level and some mountaineering skills are a requirement. Just the view by itself made it worth it. In about 100km from there, the lush green of the valley will become sand and dust, and the beautiful blue sky will become a grey fog.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Laguna 69: Soroche 1 – Greg 0 (Peru)

Hi !

El soroche (high altitude or mountain sickness) is something probably more of a legend for the Peruvians, but for a guy born and raised at 600masl (meter above sea level) and who has climbed the Vosges mountains (or hills would be more accurate) for the most part of his life, it will be a very bad experience. Fortunately, if I can say so, it wasn’t while doing the Everest that I had to face it.

We wanted to hike to Laguna 69, so following some recommendations, we decided to do it in two steps: day 1 we hike to Refugio Peru/Pisco, starting from 3900masl, then reaching 4700masl after some 5km, and day 2, we climb over a 5000masl pass to hike downhill to the laguna and then back to the trail head.

We did the climb to the Refugio in about 4h20 (accounting for more than 2h of breaks and catching my breath). When we passed the 4400masl, a strange feeling similar to light panic attacks and light fever starting to hit us. But it was easier to continue than going back, since there would be no car waiting for us and we could just freeze overnight. So we continued, and it was worst: the panic attack and fever feelings got worst, then came the headache and dizziness. We felt like shit !

The Refugio was however a pleasant surprise. First there’s the insane view, with the Pisco, the Huantoy and Huscaran peaks visible. operated by benevolences, with premium quality accommodation, I would say it wasn’t the worst place to rest and wait for the body to fight back the soroche. I would have hated to do that in a tent. We met there a few people, all having next to no issues with been that high. I won’t even talk about the Peruvian porters, who carried more than 50km and made the climb in less than two hours, no breaks unless they have to wait for their customers.

Anyway, it sort of killed the mood, and feeling that bad (and somewhat reminded of our lack of fitness), we decided not to attempt the Laguna 69 the next day, since passing a 5000masl pass was involved. We also decided to not do the Santa Cruz trek, as clearly we would not properly acclimate, since we are staying below 2500masl. This hike to the Refugio would probably have been a success if we would have slept a night at 3900masl, to acclimate properly.

So here it is, another failed attempt. I wouldn’t say it should mean no more high mountain, but doing better preparation definitively.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned.

Failed attempt at Laguna Churup (Peru)

Hi !

Unlike John “Anibal” Smith of the A-Team, my plans don’t always come together.

We were all pumped about doing the Laguna Churup trail, even though there was some rock climbing involved, something we weren’t really comfortable with. The weather was looking good when we left, just slightly overcast, which would mean we would not cook under the sun all the way up there. We were so confident we added an extra 8km (to go from the hostel to the park entry and back).

When we started the rock climbing part, the weather actually turned bad, cold and wet, something I wasn’t really prepared to face, and ended having to turn back before reaching the lake at some 4450m (we were maybe 10 minutes from it), when the snow became severe. The worst part was to climb done on wet slippery stones, trying to reach for snow covered ropes… even though we were able to do it without any injuries.

Two lessons learnt on that day: avoid what you are not comfortable with and bring more layers to adjust for the weather.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Peruvian woman looking at the Cordillera Blanca (Peru)

Hi !

Today was the first acclimation hike to reach Laguna Wilcacocha at 3700 meters. It is a 600m ascend over 5km (or 7.5km if like us you miss the shortcuts). The overall idea is to test yourself at hiking above 3000 meters. And I won’t lie, it was actually different from my traditional hiking experience: very quickly I felt out of breath, and couldn’t just walk it without a break. No headache and no extreme tireness though, so I think I avoided the high altitude sickness, but a few more challenging hikes should confirm that before we start trekking (Santa Cruz Trek).

All of that wouldn’t be fun if there wasn’t a reward up there: a view of Huaraz with the white peaks of the Cordillera Blanca in background. Also a pleasant surprise, as this place was sort of the picnic area for the locals to enjoy their sunday afternoon. There was in particular this Peruvian woman, contemplating the view like the rest of us.

I guess a more postal card picture would have been the reflection of the white peaks on the lake itself, but a very welcomed chilling wind made sure the lake was all but mirror still waters.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River (USA)

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Hi !

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is, I must confess, quite the insane thing to witness. It doesn’t aim at competing against The Grand Canyon, but it certainly tale a story of cataclysm, massive erosion and other life threatening thing.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

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