We awoke early the next morning after our last slumber in a bed for 7 days. We ate breakfast at the hostel, picked up our packed lunches, our backpacks that contained the bare essentials required to survive at the village and toilet paper for the entire group. We tried to keep our backpacks light because we had long hikes ahead of us. We rode the 3 hour journey to the end of the road in a 15 person van. The closer we got the more apprehensive I got about our 3 hour hike that was to follow once we hit the end of the road and the van could no longer go on. Eventually we did get to the end of the road. We loaded our backpacks on our backs and got ready to get started on our 13 km hike to Chupani, which is an Andean village at an elevation of around 13,400 feet. Ollyantaytambo is at an elevation of 9,000 ft. The end of the road was 1.5 hours uphill from Ollyantaytambo which meants we still had a couple of feet to hike up. A couple of donkeys and some of the villagers came to help us carry materials for our volunteer work to the village.
Our donkeys
So it begins! km left = 13
And so our long hike began. It was an uphill hike for a couple of km. During this part I found myself often gasping for breath because of the reduced levels of oxygen at this altitude. But finally it flattened and there were even downhill portions. At this time our backpacks started to seem much heavier than they actually were but we kept going because we knew the village was close by.
Rob and Kevin trying it the 3 legged way to see if it was more fun
Brief stop to say hello to the Alpacas
Are we there yet?
There was a last uphill stretch after which we finally arrived at the village of Chupani! As soon as we collapsed on the ground to rest, the curious children of Chupani came out to investigate. We quickly made great friends with them especially a little boy named Elvis. Communication was a little bit of a challenge because the kids only spoke Quechua and we only spoke English or Spanish. That, however, did not stop us from laughing and playing together.
WE MADE IT!
Our friend Elvis
We were served dinner and shown to our huts. The 14 of us were split between 2 huts, one which was uphill and one which was downhill. Of course I was in the uphill hut. Our hut was made of big rocks and mud. It had a roof made of straw and no windows. Our beds were a layer of straw, with alpaca hides over it, with a blanket over it and 2 additional blankets. We rented sleeping bags in Cusco and used those as well. I used all blankets, the liner for the sleeping bag and my sleeping bag to become a "cocoon" and keep warm. Before we went off to bed, we found out that some donkeys got tired and stopped at the village before chupani which was 5 km away. So the next morning we would have to go back 5 km, collect the materials and walk the 5 km back to Chupani. What I didn't know was that the following day was probably going to be the hardest day of my trip.
The downhill hut
Bathroom and Ben
We were up with the sun, had some hot breakfast and headed out towards the other village. We got there and saw the logs we had to carry back. We split up so that there were 2 people to a log. Except Ben who decided he could carry a log all by himself.
Katie's and Colleen's log
Tom and Ian had the heaviest log
Ben - log carrying superstar
The walk back was hard and very very tiring. I had to take lots of breaks but Rob would go ahead with a log and come back and switch out with one of us so all of us could handle the weight of the logs on our shoulders and the strenuous hike. We also had some villagers carrying the logs. Carrying those logs for 5 km is probably the most physically challenging thing that I have ever done. Once I reached the village alive I was sure that in life I could do ANYTHING!
We had some lunch and then got started on the weaver's hut. This was meant for the weaver women of the village to have a place to weave together and a place where they could share ideas and learn from each other. We split up and some of us started collecting big rectangular rocks for the hut. Some people made mud which involved mixing dirt, water and straw with a shovel and then delivering it to the construction site also with a shovel. There were tiny streams of water everywhere and we had to control how much water got into the mud we were making. Stephen got pretty good at making mini dams to control the tiny streams of water. The hardest task was shoveling and pickaxing the ground inside the hut to level it.
Stephen collecting rocks for the awanawasi (weaver's hut)
the children helped us collect rocks on their way back from school
Making barro (mud)
Levelling
Sun's almost setting - after effects of leveling
Since there were no lights or any form of electricity, all work stopped a little before sunset after which we usually took a short break and then headed down to the dinner hut where we ate soup, potatoes and vegetables. On good days we got pasta, eggs or pancakes. On a very special day, the villagers made us a specialty dish of Peru - cuy (guinea pig). Tom C was especially pleased with this meal. the villagers would also especially boil water for us at every meal. I would have loved to have had more water than they gave us but I completely understood that it wasn't possible for them to do anymore than they were already doing for us. After dinner and our famous round table discussions which we used as a means of bonding we went to sleep. We always woke up with the sun.
Dining hut!
the school kitchen caught fire because of their old stoves which validated our project
(no one was hurt)
Carbon buildup on the pots and walls of hut
Mixing clay, sand and straw for the stoves
Completed stove!
Tom on the roof putting in the chimney
Eddie, Tom and Ian teaching the kids how to play baseball
our sleeping hut - headlamp because that was our only source of light
We spent the next 4 days in the village alternating between building the awanawasi and building the stoves. Stoves were desperately needed because the way the villagers cooked their food was just by burning wood in the tiny hut with no windows. This would lead to a lot of carbon and carbon monoxide buildup which was harming the health of the women who cooked. It was equivalent to them smoking 40 cigarettes a day. It also posed as a fire hazard since the embers would land on the straw of the roof and it would all catch fire.
Our stoves were designed brilliantly by Rob to ensure efficient heating and proper escape for the smoke and embers. We installed new stoves made of big flat rocks, mud, clay, sand, straw, metal sheets. We also installed chimneys on the roof. There was quite a bit of mixing of clay and sand involved but we worked in teams of 3 -4 so the company always kept it interesting and fun. Once in a while, the children of the village would help us and we'd get treats from the women of village as a token of their appreciation for our hard work.
On the evening before we were to leave the village, the villagers built us a bonfire and we stood around it and said our farewell speeches. Rob, the presidents of Chupani and the neighboring village and our contact and excellent guide Helder all gave excellent farewell speeches. We reitred for the last time into our huts after the fire died out.
The next morning before leaving, we bought some merchandise of the weavers of the village and started our hike back to civilization.
Weaving!
Women and girls of the village
Farewell Chupani!
It was harder going back because it was more uphill. Fortunately 10 km in, we came across a truck going our way on this unpaved path so the 14 of us hitchhiked our way back to our bus. Unfortunately, it started hailing and we were very cold and very wet by the time we got into our bus. I had mixed feelings as I boarded the bus.
More on Machu Picchu, the rest of the trip and my reflections on the trip in the next post
Nayana
