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| Cocoa leaves and stone |
We set off early on our 4 hour minibus ride to Chivay, which lies in the Colca Valley at 3600m. To get there we traveled through high plains, quickly rising to 4000m. We'd stopped early on to buy cocoa leaves, at our local guide's recommendation. In the van, she showed us how to roll 6 to 8 leaves with a tiny piece of soft stone and then chew slowly on one side of the mouth to release the juices. The stone provided some sweetness to the slightly earthy taste of the cocoa. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but after just a couple of 'chew bundles' none of us felt we'd manage to consume our entire bags - which is what the guide was recommending - before we reached the pass at 4910m. In fact the most anyone managed was 3 - we all decided we'd rather rely on drugs if we need to!
As we drove through the rocky landscape, slowly rising, we started to see our first wild llamas, alpacas and vicuna - the softest of all. Valued so highly, that during Inca times it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear vicuna garments. We stopped to enjoy a herd of these Andean animals; although protected and not farmed, the herds are tended to by a shepherd and they are sheared for their wool.. There are strict laws regulating how often their wool can be harvested within the animal's lifetime, each instance marked by colourful ear-rings - or loops of spun wool, giving them a very festive appearance!
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| Tea! |
In the distance the volcanoes Misti and Sabancaya flanked the plain; sadly it was too cloudy to see them in their full glory. We stopped at a tea / toilet stop around 4000m altitude. I could feel a headache coming on, but given my glands were more swollen than yesterday, and my back was aching, I couldn't tell whether it was altitude or a virus. We all downed cups of tea filled with so many herbs they looked like something from an LA health cafe, which supposedly would fix almost any ailment felt at altitude. It was bizarre to put all my hope on this hot cocktail of leaves, but I needed a fix and was willing to try anything!
As we climbed higher into the mountains I felt progressively worse - shivering in my seat, dreading
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| At the pass |
any photo stops as it meant going out into the cold and now. A quick stop at the pass at almost 5000m and I couldn't wait to get to the hotel, and lower down the mountain.
We arrived in Chivay around 3pm., my head and body aching. Passing on the visit to a local hot springs, I crawled into bed. Thank god it was a comfortable one, and warm beneath the thick blankets (it was freezing in the room and outside). I passed again on the dinner plans, (which was a shame as everyone got roped into some ridiculous sounding local dancing, with a woman dancing over Dennis head as he lay prostrate on the floor!) and stayed warm in bed until our 6am alarm.
It's really cold up here, but the beds good and shower hot - and when you're ill you don't care anyway.
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