The trek...

I didn´t sleep a wink Sunday night, expecting that I was going to sleep through my alarm and not be ready. Rough! I did get up with my alarm and was ready when Jenny, our guide, picked me up. We barely made our bus because not everyone was ready when picked up, and then we stood around in the airport. We literally ran after the bus as it was pulling out. (This is foreshadowing.) I couldn´t sleep much because everything was so interesting to see, particularly the exercise of letting people on a full tour bus. We would slow down on the shoulder where people, mostly men, were yelling and waving their arms. We would barely stop before rolling on. A minute later five or six people would come filing down the aisle to stand. The road is only paved for the first hour of the three hour journey to Chivay. This happened a couple more times, the last time about twenty people got on, including women with children on their backs and older women. The volume quickly elevated to that of a Dieringer dinner, and the baby next to our seats started sooing at us. As we approached a security check point, all of the extra passengers were instructed to sit down - their heads no higher than those of us in seats. We were stopped briefly, and then moved on. There was cheering as everyone stood back up. Despite the chaos, I managed to fall asleep, and almost all were gone when I awoke. Not surprising, the bus had some mechanical issues when we reached Chivay. The next leg of our bus ride was two hours to Cabanaconde. The buses seem to come through in the morning more regulary than in the afternoon for the tourists going to see the condors. We were then a popular bus for local people. Most people out that far walk, use donkeys, or catch the tourist buses as they pass through. This is also how the goods enter the villages. Many people hopped on and off during the next two hour drive, which made it take closer to three. We stopped for lunch in Cabanaconde before beginning our descent into the canyon. In our group were me, our guide Jenny, Sam & EJ, Dave & Michelle - both couples from England, Anne from Ireland, James from Australia, and Karolina from Sweden. We all got along well in English, so I practiced my Spanish with Jenny. The first day was nearly all down hill. Once at the river, we did have to climb back out and hike along to our ¨hostal¨. Taking after my sister, I´m sure, I was at the front of the pack. I enjoyed asking questions in Spanish about the plants and animals, about food and other local customs, and about the mountains. The first day was fun, though my legs had the shakti shakes by the end. We settled into the primitive camp, three of us single girls in a stone room. My bed was like a soft bathtub, but I slept hard, so I didn´t mind. Everything gets carried into the valley by burro or mule, so things are pricey and sparse. I didn´t mind. We played cards and talked before dinner and generally bonded. Much laughing took place! Rest well....