Cusco, One Last Time

I only plan to briefly touch on Cusco, since this will be the second time I mention it in a post. I was there before and after Machu Picchu (mid-June), at the height of tourist season and some mega-festivities

The Plaza de Armas (tourist trap central) was constantly full of people during this stint in the former Inca capitol. Peruvians were parading around with massive floats depicting all kinds of crazy stuff, from Pachamama (the goddess of the universe), to a giant hand with demonic faces on its fingertips. There were also fireworks at all hours, bottles of Cusqueña galore, and people playing loud music on a big stage. Many folks wore traditional garb and danced in the processions in the streets. It was an exciting time to be there!

As I understand, it was all in anticipation of a pilgrimage people make to a glacier in the nearby Andes. The tradition is to spend a night on the glacier, with the understanding that your survival guarantees that any wish of your choosing will come true. There are also ties to Catholicism in the tradition, but that part is a little more murky. It was just a big celebration in a cool, historical city.

Other happenings were my many trips to the San Pedro Market, where lunch (~$2), freshly butchered animals, woven handcrafts, and knickknacks can be purchased. It was a strange mix of stuff that made each visit fascinating. Some days I bought my treasured cactus fruit, called "tuna," from outdoor venders. Other days I brought in clothing for repairs. The "jugo" stands were always a must-visit due to their tasty smoothie combos, like passion fruit + orange + mango, all fresh!

Near the end of my stay I went to the "Black Market" with my friend Kelsey and her latest volunteer crew. I wanted to get a gander at the tourist-free booths that pop up on Saturdays. The place was nuts! Books, tools, clothing, food, and everything else under the Sun. Actually it was all under these really low umbrellas and tents that I practically had to crawl under. At the end of the line of venders it got especially interesting. People were selling stuff right off the side of a big highway through town. The items for sale were animals. There were boxes of puppies, rabbits, kittens, and of course, delicious guinea pigs. It was heart-wrenching to see so many little furballs peeking up at me from the boxes. There were also chickens and ducks roaming around. I bought nothing.

One of my favorite things about Cusco is the abundance of peaceful little plazas and "plazoletas" one can relax in. They all have nice benches, fountains, and trees that create an ideal atmosphere for reading a book or eating a cronut. And that brings me to my final paragraph about Cusco...

Being the primary tourist hub, Cusco offers a wide variety of food options not seen elsewhere in Peru. First, understand that I love Peruvian food more than most. The Peruvian-Chinese "chifa," lomo saltado (beef and fries), and trucha frita (fried trout), are all really nice. But sometimes you just need something different. In Cusco I found some exciting new food options among the many restaurants. I had a MASSIVE and delicious burger (twice), Indian food, decent coffee, and cronuts (5 times, in 4 days). Cronuts are the best thing in the entire world, and do not let anyone tell you otherwise! Imagine a donut made of fluffy, buttery croissantness. There is a rich layer of cream filling inside, and on top you have your choice of two different sweet fruit spreads, or heavy chocolate. I tried all three kinds! The chocolate one nearly killed me. I hear they have them in New York, but there is no way they are as delicious as the cronuts I encountered in Cusco. Go to Cusco. Eat cronuts. That is all.

Machu Picchu

After finishing up my month in the Amazon there was still one big must-do remaining in Peru: Machu Picchu. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Clearly seeing the iconic ruins had to happen. And it did. But first I rested up for a short while in Cusco to watch the World Cup! Then, off I went.

There are a few ways to get to Machu Picchu: 1) Do the Inca Trail, which requires a reservation months in advance; 2) Take an adventurous tour with a guide on a "Jungle Trek" or something similar; 3) Hop on the expensive train from Cusco to Aguascalientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu; or 4) Take an extremely convoluted route via bus, car, and your feet. The latter is the most economical, and thus my choice.

Basically, I took a morning van from Cusco to the touristy town of Pisac, which lies in the Sacred Valley. I bought a "huaraca" in town to provide myself entertainment on my hike - they are awesome for slinging rocks around! From Pisac I took a short bus ride, and then a 6-hour car ride to little Santa Maria. Next I found a taxi to transport me to Santa Teresa, where I would stay the night in a crummy little hotel.

All of that traveling was exhausting. Still, I stuck to the plan and got up early the following morning to continue the trip to Machu Picchu. I got lucky and flagged down a van overloaded with Peruvians, all heading to the "hidro," which is a hydroelectric power plant, and my planned place to start the trek. From the hidro I hiked on a clearly marked path, mostly along railroad tracks. I walked through borderline jungle for a few hours to get to my destination. On the way there was a flock of green parrots and a little toucanet (small toucan) in a tree. The powerful (get it?) Urubamba River rushed by, and all around me was immense greenery and tall mountains, reminiscent of the rounded limestone peaks of China. At one point on the hike I glanced up to my right and saw what looked like stone walls, WAY above me. I noticed moving forms, which turned out to be people. It was Machu Picchu! And despite my early start I was not among the first to arrive that day! I threw some rocks with my huaraca, and by mid-morning I was in Aguascalientes to buy my entry ticket.

Being cheap and stubborn, I opted to hike the steep hill from town to the ruins, rather than taking a $10 bus ride to the gate. That hike was difficult. I felt a strong sense of pride for not taking the easy route up, because I am weird like that. The bus would have been nice.

Inside the gates of Machu Picchu you quickly realize it is much larger than it looks in the pictures. The site map they give you is pretty overwhelming. One can spend an entire day hiking around and not see it all. I did my best. I first walked out to the distant Sun Gate to get a better view of my surroundings. It felt like a bad choice after such a long day of hiking already. It ended up being the right decision! I ran into my buddy Gavin (from the Andean frog trip), his girlfriend, and two sisters, right there at the Sun Gate. We hung out for a while and got our pictures together at the main photo rock in the central ruins. You have definitely seen pictures from that exact spot. It makes for a great shot of the main complex. There is a lot behind as well, but it is harder to capture it all in a single photo.

Anyway, Gavin and the gang were going to take it a bit slower than I. They were coming back the next day, and I was not. We parted ways for the afternoon, and I explored the ruins by myself. It was unreal to finally be inside Machu Picchu! Much of the complex is composed of a series of sturdy stone walls, with the aforementioned green mountains in the background. Way below there is the Urubamba River, winding around the base of the peaks. Up at the top, in the center of the ruins is a big patch of grass. It is bright green, and a few llamas mill around, begging to be photographed. There are a couple trees that I liked a lot. I also found a sneaky vizcacha lurking in the shadows. Nice to see a "rock monkey" again.

I hiked around Machu Picchu for what felt like a long time. As I went I was careful not to miss any secret passageways that could free me from the ever-increasing number of tour groups! I admired the finely crafted walls, sheer cliff-edge terraces, and a pleasant waterway in a rare piece of shade. Machu Picchu is full of old housing structures, and a few open ceremonial areas as well. I made sure to inspect them all. The perfection with which most of the stones were cut and pieced together was impressive. It is difficult to imagine how the Inca people built it all, and with such large stones! Additionally, Machu Picchu sits almost unreasonably high above the river, and is often shrouded in clouds. Its unique location saved Machu Picchu from the Spanish conquistadors, so maybe the Incas were on to something. I wish I had read up more on the history of the site beforehand. I still think I got a lot out of my time at Machu Picchu. There was a lot to appreciate about my surroundings. Just the visuals made it worthwhile! Of course my camera died halfway along... Yet I believe the removal of picture-taking pressure helped me relax and feel a more genuine connection to my surroundings, which I know sounds really corny. I believe putting the camera down can change your approach to any place you visit.

Now, back to the point. Machu Picchu lives up to its lofty reputation as a top destination for all tourists in Peru. The natural beauty of the area is breathtaking, and the ruins are a testament to the sophistication of the Inca Empire. I am glad I did not put off this trip for any longer.

On a side note, I highly recommend my method of travel to and from Machu Picchu. There are world-class hot springs near Santa Teresa, which make one feel pretty damn good after hiking around all day. I know this from experience. In addition, you get to see a lot of the natural environment leading up to the main attraction - always a plus for me. And finally, it is an ideal route for cheapskates that like practicing their Spanish, like myself. Give it a go!

Welcome to the Jungle

It is extremely difficult to know where to start when trying to describe my month in the Peruvian Amazon. I will first explain where I was and give background on what I was doing.

The place I stayed at is a field station called CICRA. CICRA is a Spanish acronym, but many people just call it Los Amigos. It is located in the Madre de Dios region in southeastern Peru. The station lies between the Rio Madre de Dios and the Rio Los Amigos. To get to CICRA you must first get to Puerto Maldonado, either on a long bus ride or a short flight from Cusco. Then it is a short taxi ride to tiny Laberinto, from which you take a 5-6 hour boat ride on the Rio Madre de Dios in what is basically a large canoe with a small motor attached. The station is in a pretty remote location.

I came to CICRA to volunteer for a herpetological project, which my friend Kelsey (see previous blog post) told me about. They needed people to conduct a reptile and amphibian species inventory, and maybe help out with an anaconda project. I did my research beforehand and found that the station is in an area known for its tremendous biodiversity, especially as it pertains to herps (reptiles and amphibians). Yeah, I HAD to do this.

Soon after I got off the boat I was on my first night hike with my new friends Patrick, Tim, and Rachel. In just a couple hours we saw 10-15 species of herps. There were big tree frogs, small leaf litter frogs, and a snail-eating snake. I was immediately in awe of my surroundings!

After that first night I expected things to calm down quite a bit. There cannot be too many more species of herps to see out there, right? Wrong. Over the course of a month I managed to see new species just about every day. Hiking in the jungle was exciting - I never knew what I might see. Still, it is not what you are probably picturing in your head: birds sitting regally on visible branches, monkeys posing for pictures while eating bananas, sloths being the sloths of TV/YouTube, etc. Nope. Just about everything does its best to hide. There are too many predators around for animals to survive in the open. You have to walk quietly, listen carefully, look hard, and be a little lucky to see many of the animals of the rainforest. Sometimes going out alone is the best way to see wildlife.

Before I go into detail about the work I did, or all the frogs and snakes and such, I will give a brief overview of other Amazon wildlife I saw. Monkey-wise, I encountered troops of Squirrel monkeys, Saddleback tamarins, Dusky titis, Emperor tamarins (the ones with the mustaches), Spider monkeys, and Brown capuchins. Seeing wild primates never got old, though getting woken up at 6AM by noisy Dusky titis was terribly annoying. Other cool mammals I saw included agoutis, capybaras, peccaries, and a big red squirrel. Unfortunately I never caught sight of a cat at CICRA. I did find the tracks of a big cat (maybe a puma) on the beach of the Rio Los Amigos during one of my many solo day hikes. That was an exciting find! There were also two occasions where I heard cat-like groans and roars on the trails. I wrote about one of those experiences for the CICRA blog, which I will share once the post is published.

Of course one cannot have a proper rainforest adventure without seeing some birds too. The best were macaws, toucans, parrots, hoatzins, tinimous, king vultures, and kingfishers. My favorite bird of all was a forest hawk (it was tough to identify), which was following a big group of chattering Squirrel monkeys. The hawk was presumably eating insects the monkeys were stirring up in the canopy. My eyes struggled to follow the hawk as it darted from branch to branch, until it landed right above me. The whole scene was pretty fantastic. David Attenborough could have easily been sitting next to me, describing the spectacle for one of his wildlife documentaries.

Other interesting fauna I saw fell into the arthropod category. There were stick insects, dung beetles, katydids, tarantulas, scorpions, whip scorpions (also called vinegaroons), crabs, various butterflies, mantids, tons of ants (even Bullet ants), and a mystery bug with a big nose. Whip scorpions were easily my favorite. They look like something out of a horror film, with their long spindly legs, massive jaws, and herky-jerky movements. They were always out at night, hunting under the cover of darkness.

Now to describe my work at CICRA. I was part of a small group that included fellow volunteer (and Bay Area native) Rachel, volunteer coordinator and herpetology enthusiast Patrick, and our captain: Peruvian herpetologist Roy Santa Cruz. We had a lot of fun together, whether in the lab during the day, or out walking transects late at night. Rachel and I got a lot of practice speaking Spanish, since Roy is Peruvian and all. We learned lots of animal-related words, like araña (spider), mono (monkey), rana (frog), and lagartija (lizard). We also learned a ton of new species names, all in Latin of course. Some of our favorite names were Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata (the Greek warrior), and the recently changed Phyllonastes terribilis.

For Rachel and I, most of our time working on the project was spent at night in the field. With Patrick and Roy we walked 50m transects and scoured 5m x 5m parcels for reptiles and amphibians. There were 40 of each, split into upper terrace forest habitat, and "bajio," where the forest is seasonally flooded. In both habitats we saw tons and tons of animals! Some in the transects and parcels, and others on the trails between work sites. Individuals were weighed, measured, and sometimes swabbed for disease. Rare species were brought back to the lab for field guide pictures. We stayed out late into the night, sometimes from 6PM to 2AM. Mosquitoes were a bit of an issue at times. My mosquito net and bug spray became my closest friends.

During the day we often had work to do in the lab. Roy had us collect individuals of particular frog species to bring back with us each night. Those frogs were tested for their "maximum critical temperature" (MCT). Basically, we were heating up water and exposing frogs to it, constantly monitoring the rise in temperature. We were "cocinando las ranas" (cooking the frogs). Each frog reached its MCT when it could no longer right itself after being flipped over. It sounds terribly cruel, but very few frogs died in this experiment, and survivors were let back into the wild. Such research is important because of anticipated temperature increases in the Amazon Basin in the near future. It is imperative that we know how sensitive animals, such as frogs, will react to warmer temperatures. Fortunately some of the species had a high MCT. Others appear to be in serious trouble...

On to a less depressing subject. Here is a brief list of my favorite amphibians and reptiles I saw in the field, starting with frogs: brightly colored poison dart frogs, alien-like monkey frogs, zillions of tree frogs, bulky toads, pointy microhylid frogs, and the perfectly camouflaged Surinam horned frog. We saw over 50 frog species, but I am not going to list them all. Some we saw every day, others only once. On the reptile side there were geckos, Plica lizards, river turtles, caiman (think alligator), boas (including the irridescent Rainbow boa!), little fer-de-lance vipers, colorful/deadly coral snakes, slender snail-eating snakes, and the mighty Bushmaster. The Bushmaster was the highlight of the trip for me. They are very rarely encountered, and are unbelievably large: longest viper in the world! The one we found was 2-meters or so, making it the largest venomous snake I have ever seen. I was lucky to be around when some Peruvian workers found it on a trail. The expletives started flowing when a big group of us got to the spot where a "boa or anaconda" was said to be. It was a beautiful snake, and it had a hell of a presence. A person can spend years in the rainforest and never see a Bushmaster.

When I wasn't doing work-related activities I was out hiking the trails on my own, playing volleyball with the CICRA staff, or voraciously downing these terrible wannabe Saltine crackers that lacked the key ingredient: salt. I spent my meals securing claims on other people's leftovers and chatting with CICRA's graduate researchers. Other temporary residents at the station were the students enrolled in field courses. There was also a pack of people filming a "documentary" on anacondas for the Discovery Channel. Their presence was a strange addition, and it seemed like their project was geared more toward entertainment than education. They did catch some big anacondas, which the rest of us were allowed to handle a bit. Adult anacondas are BIG, and pretty scary, in all honesty. When it takes 5-6 people sitting on a snake to keep it from moving too much, that is when you know you are dealing with a monster! We were feeding it a transmitter (for science), hence the whole "sitting on an anaconda" bit. It goes without saying that you absolutely do not want to be holding on near the tail-end of a big anaconda when it is frightened.

Well, I think that is all. I know this was not my most well-written blog post. The organization could have been better. Please understand that I had no idea how to describe my first rainforest experience in a well-thought-out, concise manner. I had an amazing experience at CICRA, and at times it was as overwhelming as it probably was to read this post. What I hope I got across is that the animals, the people, the work I did, all combined for an incredibly rewarding month in the Amazon. It was totally surreal from start to finish. I only hope I can return someday, perhaps to conduct research of my own...