Tag 114: Santa Maria

If you meet a backpacker in Cuzco, they probably have the same goal as you: to visit Machu Picchu. First, you have to choose a tour and then find an agency that offers it cheaply. After three relaxed days in Cuzco, we decided on the 'Less Walking, More Adventure' alternative and looked for a cheap offer for the four-day 'Inka Jungle Trail'. At 'Marvelous Peru', we were able to negotiate the suitable price of $150 per person.

It's 7:00 a.m. We packed our big backpacks yesterday and stored them here at the hostel. We only take a small backpack each on the trip. We crawl out of our beds, get dressed, quickly stuff a roll in our mouths, and walk to the agency. We are supposed to be picked up in 10 minutes. After a completely acceptable delay of 40 minutes, our bus arrives. Together with nine other adventure seekers, we drive through wonderful mountain landscapes for several hours. The fog moves through the white mountain peaks, and there are small lakes like big mirrors on the green meadow next to the road, and cows graze lonely. We stop. It's time for the first attraction of our tour: downhill mountain biking. We are given helmets, protective clothing, safety vests, and bicycles. After a short introduction, we start cycling. We are told to ride in a line one behind the other. 'This is not a race!'. Of course, the person chosen by our tour guide as the leader is also the slowest in the group. After five minutes, everyone has forgotten the rules, and the steep mountain road becomes a racetrack. We ride down the road at full speed for about three hours until we arrive at the foot of the mountain in a small village, completely sweaty and with sore bottoms. Our bus is already waiting for us. Immediately, the clothes that are much too warm and soaked are exchanged for dry ones, the bicycles are loaded, and the journey continues. Our next stop is our accommodation in the jungle. We are assigned to the rooms in small groups. The next attraction starts in an hour: wild water rafting. We are taken to the river in a small bus that would have ended up in a junkyard in Germany 10 years ago. About ten sturdy boats are inflated, we are given life jackets and helmets, and a ten-minute introduction is given. Then we are assigned to the boats in groups of seven. Our guide personally goes through the commands with us in the boat. I feel a bit like on a military mission. Finally, it starts. Tobias and I sit at the front and are responsible for setting the pace and continuity. The water is still calm, and we find our pace. The first rapids are coming up, and with them, the commands from behind. The ice-cold water slaps us in the face like nature's flat, hard hand in front of this breathtaking landscape, and we realize that this is not a Sunday outing on the nearby stream. We struggle through the strong currents of the river, with our guide's harsh commands in our ears, while the waves try to knock us out of the boat. In between the recurring battles between humans and nature, we also have quiet moments. The breaks are used to strengthen the team spirit, have water battles with other boats, or simply enjoy the incredible view. We are surrounded by a landscape that looks like someone has laid a huge green blanket over the mountain range surrounding us. The sun fights with the clouds for our attention and bathes the mountain peaks in a gentle gold. Small gray pebble beaches pass us by on the river banks. 'Left back!'. The next challenge comes and brings the next cold-wet slaps in the face. We head towards the shore. Everyone gets out. Shivering, wet, and grinning from left to right, as if it was made for two faces. We play a game to strengthen the team spirit and warm up. Everyone makes a fool of themselves, everyone laughs until their diaphragm bleeds. Final spurt. With new motivation, we all go back into the boats, take our paddles, and repeat what we did before the game in the sunset. Cold, wet, struggling, calm, enjoying, cold, wet,...
As we glimpse the headlights of the buses in the distance in the dark, we look around once again, enjoy the moment again, and paddle to the shore. We leave our wet clothes behind and all get into a big bus together, which takes us back to the hostel in a good party mood. After that, it's just shower, beer, dinner, bed. We have to get up very early tomorrow morning.