Hauling our backpacks from the overhead bins, we hoped our Cusco tour operative was waiting outside to take us to our next hostel. She was, with her driver, and eventually--after a little run-around regarding our reservations--we wound up with lovely lodging between the town's two main squares. We perused the plaza's perimeter and had a marvelous meal with music before some solid sleep. At daybreak, we caught a hot shower and a cold continental breakfast in the colonial courtyard with some steaming tea and coffee...
Our odyssey was ending soon. Thus far, we had seen penguins and pelicans, mysterious markings, convents and cathedrals, condors and coca tea, Inca ruins and Uros islands, volcanoes and vicuñas, alpacas and protestors, flamingos and food poisoning, Isla del Sol and Machu Picchu, and so much more. But, it wasn't over yet...
It was a gorgeous day as we walked to the office of our next excursion...
Today, we would hit another whitewater river!!!After discovering that our rafting reservations were for the dinky tour of class I's and II's, we quickly claimed the last spots on the extended trip that paddled through some class III+'s. Soon we were crammed onto a bus barreling out of town...
After twisting through the hills into the upper Apurímac River valley, we stopped at a small town for snacks and grabbed another classic click of a mother and child in the Andes...
Minutes later we veered past a parade poking into the highway--apparently some small town was holding a ritual celebration of some sort...
Thanks to our reliable Olympus and modern technology, we can take a closer look than we could from the dusty bus window: people on the pan flutes, playing songs that enthuse elaborate dances from the elders in colorful costumes. We can only guess that this is a remnant of Quechua culture...Finally we arrived at the pull-out and private campground of our whitewater outfit. The plan? Three hours of whitewater showers followed by a barbecue and hot soup lunch at the finish...
Known among the ancients as the "divine talker", the Apurímac river has long been a source of spiritual wonder--it's filled with snow melt from Peru's volcanic slopes, winding by the Inca capital of Cusco, and merges into the Urubamba and the Sacred Valley. As the initial origin of the Amazon, it can claim to be the beginning of the world's largest (undisputed) and longest (disputed) river system, eventually covering approximately 6400 kilometers (4000 miles) from Mt. Mismi near Arequipa to the Amazon's mouth in the Atlantic.We never thought we would whitewater a river as special as this...click the comics for a close-up!
For me, it just doesn't get much better than this...
We pulled out, grinning ear to ear, and stripped of our gear near before some steaming showers and bowls of hot soup. Soo, the main meal of charcoal smoked chicken and rice and salads followed and we all laughed and swallowed, stomaching our wonderful new memories...
Alvaro and I had a lot in common, and I chased him down for a photo--I told him to look really serious--so, of course, he hammed it up...
A river lapping at the top of the world and another digital memory for the laptop...
And another amazing experience scratched off the "To Us" to-do list...The sun set as we slept on our way home. We got to the hostel, pulled off our itchy swimsuits and refreshed ourselves with showers and clean clothes. Then, we strode outside for one last night in Peru...
We were pointed to "restaurant row" and had one more wonderful meal, including the obligatory free pisco sours and cervezas--Leandra had the house's special chicken that fell off the bone. I had the "trucha", an Andean trout to relive the river now notched into my rafting belt; delicious. We walked home slowly, but turned in early--our flight to Lima tomorrow lifted off just after first light...
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