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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“an inca path, a japonese hermit and bamboo carrying llamas” |
after our shopping and acclimatising time in la paz we felt well enough to head off on the choro trek - a three day hike on an inca path that leads from la cumbre at 4600m down to yolosa at 1700m. from the bare snowy mountains down to semi-tropical rainforest. we took a taxi to la cumbre and started walking at about 10am, it would have been a little hard to find the way, but luckily it was a sunday so lots of rich la pazians had driven up the first bit in their fancy jeeps to help mark it for us. this first hour or so was uphill and our lungs did not cope well with the lack of air but it was ok because we had all that downhill to look forward to. the views from the high point were spectacular - snowy peaks, lakes and steep sided valleys filled with clouds. we headed off down the inca path and ity really was like a pavement, nice and smooth. we followed some llamas for a while but they soon got awawy from us with their fancy extra legs. the llamas had been transporting bamboo and axe handles from the lower valleys up to the pass, presumably to sell in la paz. a funny way to make a living.
we walked down steep zigzag until we reached the valley floor we we stopped for a very nice lunch of left over curry. some french people doing the walk had baguettes and cheese. who says stereotypes are wrong. soon after lunch we plunged into a thick layer of clouds that we didn´t emerge from for about four hours. it stole our views but added a certain mystique to the villages we passed through. we arrived at our campsite in challapampa at 5pm, i was ok but alex´s back was complaining at having to carry our home. a bolivian crone charged us 60p, and some choccie biscuits for her little boy, to camp in her garden next to the river. we had the classic hikers tea of supernoodles and fell onto our thermorests.
next morning we woke early and headed straight off, keen to enjoy the sunshine - it had been a cold night as we were still 3500m up in the air. this day we folowed the river down to the village of choro where we didn´t buy any warm coke but did have some well earned chocolate. at this village we turned right down another valley, the path climbed the valley side and contoured round the hills passing waterfalls and forests and llamas and banana trees. we wlaked and walked and walked, it was further than we thought to the casa del japones, where some friend we met at the animal sanctuary had said we should camp. we walked almost non stop from 8am until 6pm, although i was quite slow due to a dodgy knee. it was probably worth it for the views though. the campsite is on a ridge, in a japanese hermits manicured garden and has great views up and down the valley and up to the snowy peaks. i am howver doubtful about whether you can call yourself a hermit if you have ten tourists camping in your garden everyday. and especially if you show all of them your visitors book in person? he was nice chap though - hunched over in what i imagine to be a typical hermit style but was sadly lacking in the crazy beard and unkempt hair department. luckily an enterprising local had set up a hospedaje and shop next door to the hermits house (not sure how that fits in with rules of being a hermit either) so we could use her very nice toilet and eat her eggs for brekkie.
the last day should have been a breeze - only two or three more hours, and no up hill. my knees had other ideas though. it seems that all that downhill had done them no good at all. i felt like i needed some of those old peoples walking poles. i blame that stupid korfball sport. anyway we made it and i didn´t complain too much. and we managed to cadge a lift to coroico with a tour group. once in coroico we rewarded ourselves with a pizza and checked into a hotel with a pool and a sauna and hammocs - just what my legs and alex´s back demanded. and there was chocolate fondue for pudding.
previous travel blog entry
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