Sense of Helplessness

Day 58

One of the main attractions in Puno is a 2D1N tour to the nearby islands - Uros, Amantani and Taquile. To reach these islands, we will have to take a boat that is somewhat similar to those boats that we use for Pulau Ubin. The main attractions about these islands are the use of reeds to build island and houses in Uros, the peaks - Pacha Tata and Pach Mama - in Amantani, and the pre-Inca and Inca ruins in Taquile.

Our tour involves staying spending one night with a local family in Amantani and we ended up staying with Pedro. Besides my friend and I, there were two other German girls who will also be staying with this family. After a quick wash-up, we sat down for lunch and started chatting with the German girls - J and C. 

J was keen to join us in climbing up to the two peaks on Amantani Island though C commented that she was not feeling well and declined the offer. When we tried to convince C that we will take it slow, she suddenly burst out crying. I was caught by surprise by her sudden emotional outburst and we decided not to broach the subject further. After a while, C apologised for her behaviour but left the dinning room shortly after when her nose starts bleeding.

Not thinking much about it, my friend and I continued to have our lunch. A couple of minutes later, J ran into the dinning room saying that C could not stop her nose bleeding. We went into their room and that's when I was shocked by the sight that greeted me. There was a bin on the floor with C bending over it and it was filled with bloodied tissues. Blood keeps flowing out of C's nose and when we tried to tell C to tilt her head back to stop the bleeding, she refused and said that by doing so, the blood may end up flowing into her brain(?). Ok, now, if somebody asks me about financial investments, I may be able to provide some pointers. But when it comes to medical knowledge, I have to admit that I only know the bare minimum. Will tilting her head back to stop the nose bleeding end up causing a brain haemorrhage? I highly doubt so but who am I to voice this out? 

So what's next? Ice? Yes, but what should you do when you are on an island and these people are too poor to afford a refrigerator? How about doctor? Yes, but what if the island that you are on has no doctors and the nearest doctor is 4hrs boat ride away? As there is no wifi or Internet connection available on the island, this also means there is no way for us to google for more information. By then, we have alerted Pedro and he started to use some water to wet C's hair. He too, suggested that C tilt her head back, but she refused. At this time, I can hear the panic in C's voice and I started to feel scared for her too. Too much blood has been lost and something must be done to stop the bleeding.

I asked J if C ever had nose bleeding before. Apparently, this is the first time that it happened to her. Then I told C point blank that we have to stop the bleeding now and the only way to do it is to try and tilt her head back. I said the probability of 3 persons being wrong is definitely lower than one (Err...now thinking back, I'm not too sure about this statement. It could be a case of common misperception as well). We can do it slowly and if she does not feel much better, she can always bend forward over the bin thereafter. After a few minutes' of coaxing from J and myself, we started to tilt back C's head. She resisted initially and complained about not being able to breathe. However, we kept reassuring her that all is fine, she is doing a great job and she just have to hold out for a couple more minutes. Finally, we notice that the blood flow has subsided. Not sure if it helps, but we gave C two painkillers before she slept thereafter. Thankfully, she felt much better by evening.

It was much later that we realised these two young girls have been rushing through their trip. Just before this trip, they did a 2-day trek in Colca Canyon and on the same night, took a night bus to Puno and joined this tour on the following morning. Exhaustion, high altitude coupled with dehydration are some of the key causes which these girls have seriously ignored previously.

It also dawned on me that Singapore has truly spoilt me. I have taken the medical facilities in Singapore for granted where doctors and medicines are readily available. As access to Internet is also easily available, it is extremely easy for one to search for information online just by using a smart phone. Yet, what today's incident has taught me is that one could always be caught in the same situation as what I have just gone through. Without basic medical knowledge, you will feel completely helpless in such situations where facilities are lacking. I have decided that when I'm back home, the first thing that I'm going to do is to sign up for a first-aid course.

Taking to the skies

Day 55

I have always dream about taking to the skies since watching a particular episode of "The Amazing Race" a few years back. If I remember correctly, the participants were in South America and one of the challenges which they had to complete was a tandem flight from the mountain top. The view of the surrounding area when they were up in the air was spectacular. Since I have decided to come to South America, this has become one of the must-do items on my checklist.

And what better time to do a tandem flight than on Christmas Day?

It was a bright and sunny morning. My pilot, Jose Luis, was punctual in picking me up from the hostal which is something very rare in the Peruvian culture. We drove for approximately 1.5 hours before arriving at our destination called Chinchero.

View of the surrounding area

Even though it was all sunny and windy up at the top, Jose mentioned that the current wind situation was not ideal for paragliding. We will have to wait for the warm air current from the bottom of the mountain. By doing this, we will not only be able to fly for a longer time, but will also land closer to our take-off station and hence, less walking.

Jose preparing the wind stripes

Jose laying out the wings

Orange seat for me and red seat for Jose

We waited for another 2 hours before we are ready to take off around noon. Before I realised it, I was suddenly up in the air! Was I nervous? No, I don't remember feeling so. Rather, I felt a sense of exhilaration. The feeling of being up in the air is incredible - I felt really light and carefree. During the flight, it was really windy and I felt cold. However, cheapo me refused to tell my pilot in order to enjoy the feeling of being up in the air much longer. We ended up spending 35 minutes up in the air which is considered longer than average. During the flight, not only did I get to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Sacred Valley, but it was truly memorable to fly above a farm with a dog barking at us, a herd of sheep grazing at the field, and even flew next to a flying bird at one point in time!

I tried to take a video of my tandem flight for the first 10 minutes but failed to realise that it was not on recording mode. Pity, pity, pity!! Luckily, I took a couple of photographs when I was up in the air that will remind me of my first paragliding experience.

View in the air

In case you call me bluff, see my shoes at the bottom left corner?

Machu Picchu

Day 54

It was a cold and wet morning. At 5.30am, a queue had already formed for the tourists buses parked next to the road. Despite the cold, everyone is chattering away and smiling in anticipation of what's waiting ahead for them. This is Aguas Calientes, the town nearest to Machu Picchu. Today, I'm one of the those early risers queuing for the first buses that leave for Machu Picchu on Christmas Eve.

The morning queue at Aguas Calientes

A welcome board on the way up to Machu Picchu. Photo taken from the bus.

After a 20 minutes bus ride, we arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu. It took another couple of minutes before the park wardens open the gate at 6a.m. to admit the visitors.

Waiting to be admitted into MP

Machu Picchu means "Old  Mountain". Being one of the most iconic sights in the world, I have seen Machu Picchu many times, be it on the television, posters or even magazines. Yet, to finally see it with my very own eyes literally took my breath away. I was awe struck by the view of the magnificent architecture that greeted me when I turned round the corner. Rows and rows of terraces lined the slope of the mountain while the walls of buildings built more than five hundred years ago still stand proudly erect today. Even though we were initially dismayed by the light morning drizzle, we realised that the mist had created a more mysterious mood on Machu Picchu which is perfect for our photographs.

Way up for the view

MP in the morning

To date, nobody really knows what happens to the inhabitants of Machu Picchu. Archaeologists commented that the Incas had built and abandoned the site in less than 100 years. However, the real reason for the Incas in doing so is not known. Different theories were raised such as the Incas were fleeing from the Spanish when they invaded South America or there was a smallpox epidemic that killed most of the inhabitants. Regardless of the reason for the abandon, the ability of the Incas to build a palace at such high altitude which can withstand multiple earthquakes after hundreds of years is truly a remarkable feat.

Machu Picchu

Llamas at MP

Huchuy Qosqo

Day 52

After factoring in the cost,tour group availability and the concern of my travel buddy on altitude sickness while trekking, my travel buddy and I ended up doing a 2D1N Huchuy Qosqo trek  followed by a visit to Machu Picchu on the third day.

Huchuy Qosqo is an archaeological site located north of Cusco. The name " Huchuy Qosqo" means "Little Cusco" in Quecha (the language spoken by the Incas). It was believed that the eighth Inca King, Viracocha, built this  palace after running away from the Chancas who attacked Cusco. The palace is perched on a cliff that offers a panoramic view of the Sacred Valley and mountain passes.

Huchuy Qosqo





View of The Sacred Valley

Huchuy Qosqo trek is not as popular as other treks such as Salkantay, Lares or even Ausangate, but I still enjoyed myself immensely over those two days. We did not come across other trekkers along the way, and the trail we took consistently provides us with picturesque views of the mountains and valleys. Even though Huchuy Qosqo is rated as an easy trek, it is certainly no easy feat when you have to trek at 3,800m above sea level. Hence, imagine our joy when we finally crossed the high pass at 4,200m!

At the high pass

Gate with double corners signify an important area for the Incas

Accommodation for the night was with a local family up in the mountains. Our room was really basic and it only contained fours beds and one small light bulb.  Up here, the local community relies heavily on solar power for electricity. As November to March is the rainy season in Peru, this means there weren't much electricity that can be used and hence, no heaters and hot showers for us. By the time the sun sets, it was so cold that for the first time in my life, I can't be bothered with personal hygiene. For that night, I slept in my trekking clothes (excluding my rain jacket) and socks and neither did I wash my face nor brush my teeth.  Sounds yucky? Yes, but I survived. :)

The backyard

The kitchen and dining room

The toilet

I love Boobies!

Day 31 - 1 December 2012

Seeing Blue-footed Boobies is one of the bucket-list of things that I want to do in South America. For those who can afford the hefty price tag, the Galapagos is not only the place to see the blue footed boobies, but also to experience the wildlife where animals have little instinctive fear of man. A trip to Galapagos would set one back by at least US$1,000.  Since I have another expensive trip planned in Chile, I have decided to remove Galapagos out of my itinerary. It was only much later that I heard from Paul, a fellow Singaporean who is also doing long term travel in South America, that I should check out Isla de la Plata for these boobies.

Isla de la Plata is a small island that can be reached by boat from Puerto Lopez. I was there during the low season and a trip to the island costs only US$30 inclusive of a return ferry, a guided tour and a light lunch. Since the majority of the animals in Isla can be found in Galapagos, the island is also commonly known as Poor Man's Galapagos due to its much friendlier price tag.

There are three different types of boobies that can be found on Isla - the Blue-footed Booby, the Red-footed Booby and the Nazca Booby. After a 15 mintues' hike, I was really excited when I sighted the Blue-footed Boobies. It was a family of three - the father, the mother and the baby. The Blue-footed Boobies have yellow eyes. The difference between the male and female is that the former is smaller in size than the female, has a smaller pupil with more yellow in their iris than the female and supposedly to have lighter feet as well.

The family

These boobies maintain a monogamous relationship. The mating season is from June to August. Typically, two males would try to compete for the attention of a female by performing a dance. The male would spread his wings, point his head and tail to the sky, and flaunt his blue feet to the female. Apparently, the blueness of the feet plays an important part during the courtship process. The brightness of the feet indicates the fertility condition of the male boobies. As the brightness decreases with age, female boobies tend to go for younger males to ensure that their offspring would inherit good genes. Female boobies usually lay two to three eggs each time. The nests are built on the ground surrounded by a circle of guano (excrement) where the eggs are laid.

Nesting

The circle of guano

Blue-footed Boobies guard their youngs jealously. There were a couple of times during the guided tour where we had to make a slight detour so as not to "trespass" on the nest of these boobies that were built on the trail. When these boobies feel threatened, they can turn into pretty feisty birds! Definitely not a bird to be trifled with!



Boobies along the trail



A provoked Booby

Besides the Blue-footed Boobies, we were also lucky to spot the Nazca Boobies and a sea lion during the guided tour. Though I'm sure Isla would not be able to provide the similar type of experience as one get in Galapagos, for the price I'm paying, I'm definitely happy with what I've seen today!

Nazca Booby

A young Nazca Booby