04/23 My clever little plan to take a different route out of Chachapoyas turned out to be kind of a bust. The scenery was kind of bland (for Peru which is normally spectacular) but I did get to unpack everything and walk across a landslide which was kind of interesting in a glad I didn’t die kind of way.
The archeological site of Yalape had a sign but nothing indicating which way to the old limestone residential buildings and no one was around to ask. The village of Levanto, supposedly a great place for a day trip, seemed almost like it was abandoned. There were half a dozen people walking around and the plaza was empty. I did notice that people I encountered on the road today were much more reserved (shy) than in other areas of Peru. Only a couple people initiated a greeting and maybe half didn’t say anything when I said hi. I’ve read that this is normal for the remote regions in the Andes so it’s all good.
In the little village of Tingo, I was looking to ride up another hill to the more tourist-oriented village of Nuevo Tingo but as I was passing a restaurant/hostel Karin yelled out my name. They are staying here on their way back down from the ruins at Keulap. I paid for 2 nights and will head up to see the ruins tomorrow. The room was $7 US a night and it’s way better than the $18 US place in Chachapoyas. If it wasn’t for the stupid dog barking it would be perfect.
There’s a local guy who drives people up to Keulap, waits the couple hours until you are done and then drives you back down again. He charges $35 US for this which seemed like a good deal to me. Collectivo drivers scare the hell out of me on mountainous dirt roads and I don’t want to be crammed into a seat for a 4 hour ride (2 each way).
I found myself with some coca leaves this afternoon. They are legal in Peru but not in most other countries. The leaves are used for chewing (reduces fatigue, hunger and cold, as well as the effects of
altitude), making coca-leaf tea and for other medicinal purposes. It’s when you start turning the coca leaves into paste that you run afoul of the law. Anyway, I got nothing out of the whole chewing thing but then again I only had a couple leaves and it takes longer for the effects to kick in (up to 45 minutes).
Entries (RSS)