Megan's Perusings: Chachapoyas and Kuelap

DAY 2 - THURSDAY, APRIL 5

After getting up, we ate breakfast at the hotel/hostel where we had lunched the day before. I once again had the lovely Chachapoyas rolls with jam and butter. At half past 8 we met with our tour group for the Kuelap trip that we had booked the day before. The weather was a bit cool and drizzly, but I felt quite at home in it! We piled into a minivan for the 3 hour journey to Kuelap. Our group was quite a mix of nationalities - Peruvians, Spaniards, a German, a Swiss, an American (Rebekah), an Englishwoman (Marion), another Scot (a young man from Paisley - how funny to meet someone from Paisley in the middle of Peru!), and myself. On the way to Kuelap, we descended the mountain on which sits Chachapoyas and then started to climb up other mountains to an even higher altitude. Because of the rainy weather, the clouds were low and all appeared quite mysterious in the mountains! The road up the mountains was not quite double track - about 1 and a half, I'd say - and very curvy and rough. Oh, and we were constantly on the side of a cliff. Inside me were battling the forces of 'don't look down' and 'must see the scenery'. Quite exciting, really!

After a while, we stopped at a curve in the road with more space to get out and look at the remains of an Inca place on the mountain facing us. I think its name was Macho, but I'm not sure about that... Down below, beneath the mountains, was a river; and opposite us were small stone structures built into the side of the mountain. A zig-zag path could be traced along to these little houses and storage places that were built many hundreds of years ago by the Incas. They were literally on the side of a fairly steep slope, bringing to mind the phrase 'living on the edge'. We didn't stay too long there, but carried on our upwards journey.

We made another stop in a small town called Nuevo Tingo. Twenty years ago the town had been located elsewhere, but the results of natural disasters (like floods/landslides/earthquakes) had caused the town to be almost destroyed. It now sits on a plain and sports a lovely new plaza. (I assume that for this reason, the town is called Nuevo Tingo, 'nuevo' meaning 'new'...)

As we went higher and higher, the cloud was thicker and thicker. At times, we couldn't see anything over the side of the mountain, which was a bit of a shame since the scenery would've been fantastic, I'm sure. We passed through a few small and remote villages, stopping briefly in one to put our order in for lunch at a restaurant that we'd return to on the way back down. Less than 20 kilometres from Kuelap, we came across a big landslide/mudslide that completely blocked our way. Our tour guide said that if we crossed the mud on foot, we'd have to walk uphill for 2 and a half hours before reaching Kuelap, a prospect that no-one really relished. Crossing the mud was difficult - slippery and wet and dirty, not to mention the several thousand foot drop on one side. With the help of some of the locals who were helping to clear the mud, we all managed to cross the 'Jordan'. On the other side were a few men on motorbikes and a man with a cart on the back of his motorbike. I got on the back of one of the motorbikes to be taken to the top of the mountain! We went flying up, mud splashing everywhere, hands getting rigid with the cold air and rain. But I just wanted to laugh at the thrill and adventure of it all! Not many can say they've gone to the top of an Andes mountain on a motorbike!! :-) It will probably never happen again in my life, so I'm glad I enjoyed the experience while it lasted!

After a few minutes, all the others arrived either on a motorbike or in the cart. Our tour guide led us upwards on some marked paths towards the Kuelap ruins. The mist and cloud and rain made the stones and mud quite slippy, so we had to be careful where we walked. Thankfully, throughout the whole day I managed to stay on my feet, but poor Marion and Rebekah both had small slips/falls (those plasters [band aids] that I've been carrying around for years finally came in handy!). Lining both sides of the path were lovely wild flowers and trees and hedges.

Kuelap is an ancient site, now in ruins, that was built by the Chachapoyan civilisation. It dates back to before Christ, occupied by the Chachapoyans for many hundreds of years, then by the Incas when they conquered, and then finally burnt by the Spaniards when the natives refused to convert to Roman Catholicism. The whole city is a walled fortress - huge walls that would've required much effort and engineering considering the scale of them and the height at which the mountain stands (about 3000 metres above sea level). Inside the walls are a few levels - the more important people living above the less important, with the altar for sacrifices and a look out tower at the very top. We climbed right to the top first, and I was amazed at how close and dense the cloud was. At the edge of the cliff, I could only see cloud - it was a remarkable sight. (I can't describe it very well - just look at the photos below!)

The houses of Kuelap were circular in shape and are thought to have had tall cone roofs. Many had the evidence of a second floor. In the middle was a hole used for storing grain and other food, and there were often long stone tunnels built on top of the ground for keeping the guinea pigs (they were, and still are, food rather than pets here!). There are lots of the stone circles remaining, and one house has been reconstructed to show visitors what it would have looked like in the past. There were three entrances to the city, large impressive portals that made me think of Lord of the Rings. And the view from any point in Kuelap is just stunning. Although there was rain and cloud, I still thoroughly enjoyed my tour and left feeling very impressed. The place is not nearly as well known as Machu Picchu, but in my opinion it is just as impressive. The height and the remains of the civilisation are comparable to MP, and the natural beauty of the place (its trees and flowers) and its tranquility are preferable to the tourist-infested place that MP is now. I highly recommend it to everyone!

After leaving the site and walking back along the path to the beginning of the road, we all got in a pick up truck and flew down the mountain at breakneck speed. I was sitting/hovering in the bed of the truck, clinging onto the side for dear life and shouting to the driver to slow down! Haha...apparently he didn't hear me. My nice pink jacket became quite muddy brown. We had to cross the muddy 'Jordan' again, this time trying to balance on some dead branches that had been pulled from the mountainside. It was a relief to get back to our minivan and start the descent to the village of Longuita where we ate our lunch. It was only afterwards, when I was sitting in the van, that I realised how dangerous some of what we'd done really was. But I was preserved and now can tell my story with thanksgiving to the Lord for his care over me. :-) We arrived back in Chachapoyas a few hours later (early evening), exhausted but happy.

Rebekah decided to stay in our hotel room and go to bed, but Marion and I went out to get some food to eat the next morning and to have a cup of hot chocolate in that cafe we'd visited the night before. I also ordered a fruit salad, which was deliciously made up of mango, apple, banana, cherries and other fruit, with a blob of granadilla sitting like a little brain on the top.

We slept well that night after our hot showers. Aaaaaaaah....

DAY 3 - FRIDAY, APRIL 6

There isn't much to report for Friday. We rose early and ate our breakfast in our room before walking to a minivan/taxi station to get a van to Moyobamba. We had found out about a direct route between Chachapoyas and Moyobamba and decided to go back that way instead of stopping at Pedro Ruiz and Nueva Cajamarca. We left at 7am and got back in the early afternoon. Unfortunately our van was full of people with a tendency towards carsickness. And the winding roads in that area are not carsick passenger-friendly. Apart from that, the journey was fine. We made one main stop at a rural restaurant with hole-in-the-ground-toilets and then crossed back into jungle territory.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and only wish I'd had more time to spend in that area. Perhaps I'll be back before I leave Peru. :-)