Peru....Part Two ….Chachapoyas and Beyond
Following on from Peru Part One...…..it's now Sunday morning (9th Sept 18)….my ankle is still swollen....dam.....I hop to the breakfast table and whilst we're eating, Otto organises a taxi to take us to the hospital.
Once there, Otto stays in full control of the situation, booking me in, sending me for a consultation and x ray......the ankle is broken. I'm taken to another room and end up chatting to the lady in the next bed. Here I am thinking that I'm waiting for an operation...….er…..no.....two male nurses come to my bedside along with a bucket and bandages and a couple of packs of 'plaster of paris'......am I getting anything for the pain......hell no......are you putting me under......hell no......wtf...…..one male nurse holds my foot up by the big toe....the other pushes my ankle into place and continues to wrap 'pop' round it.....with a few English expletives uttered ….my face must have been an absolute picture, grimacing with a mix of shock and pain.
...….9 weeks in plaster.....😲
Otto sorted out pain killers which were then prescribed for me.....one's self inject......no way.... and then that was it....back in a taxi to Casa Kuelap.
What to do now???
Nine weeks......nine weeks.....gawd....I busy myself cancelling and rearranging some of the activies that I had booked for Chris and I. Obviously Chris can continue and go on the trips, you'll see them in a minute. Besides that I have Netflix.....time to catch up on a few series and I've photos and videos to catalogue, blogs to write etc....and then I have to find transport to Lima. We decided in order to obtain further medical attention we needed to move out of Chachapoyas, which is situated in Northern Peru in the Amazonas region, to somewhere with access to more modern facilities. Also Lima was the choice because there's always something going on there , at least Chris won't get bored. As much as we loved Chachapoyas and Ingrid and Otto, we realised that to stay here for nine weeks was not going to be feasible. We needed to rent an apartment with full self catering facilities that was going to be suitable for recovering with a broken ankle in. A bonus of moving to Lima would be to get the bikes serviced whilst I'm laid up and get the Heritage's fuel problem rectified.
So whilst I'm doing all that.....Chris does a bit of this....
The Gocta Waterfall
The Gocta Waterfall or 'Catarata del Gocta' publicised to the World in 2002 and in 2006 measured as the World's third highest waterfall at 771 metres (2530ft). That claim has since been disputed and as of 2016 Gocta is presently ranked at number 16.
And beware of a 'blonde mermaid'! Local folklore suggests one living there, protecting the falls!
To gain access to the falls I'd booked Chris a tour from Chachapoyas with a guide from KUELAP ADVENTURE. This cost 69.90 sol or £16, collected from the hostal in Chachapoyas, driven as far as Cocachimba and a walk, roughly about 6 miles return.There's an option to ride up on a horse.
Kuelap Walled Settlement
Again I used KUELAP ADVENTURE to book the trip for Chris. Same thing,collected from your hostal in Chachapoyas with a guide and this time taken to Kuelap cable cars to gain access to the settlement. The cost was 118 sol or approx. £27 including the cost of the cable car. Of course you can use other means.....riding up on horses on one trail or actually drive up the dirt road to it, still passable in 2018.
Now some of you might be thinking he's gone to look at a pile of old rocks, maybe so but Kuelap is actually one of Peru's oldest settlements having being dated at 5th century AD and built by the people of the Chachapoyas culture before the Spanish invaded. The trip up there offers spectacular views of the Utcubamba Valley from the cable cars and although there's tourists up there, Kuelap is still a bit 'off the beaten path' and nothing like the madness of Machu Picchu.
And just for movie lovers...….remember 'Raiders of The Lost Ark' from 1981...…...the opening scene when Indy goes into the cave to retrieve an artifact...…..it's actually based on entering a Chachapoyan Temple......Kuelap 😲
Where the heck did you find that out....ha,ha….the joys of research and the invention of the internet…..you can read about the exploits of this Location Scout here 🎞 Fascinating.....I'd love to have that job.....Location Scout......visiting obscure places....love it 😊🌎💕
Meanwhile back at Casa Kuelap, I'm being looked after by Ingrid and Otto. Ingrid makes great lunches 😊💕 Whilst Chris is out Ingrid introduces me to a new friend, Melissa. Melissa lives in Cusco but is on a break in Chachapoyas and also visiting the sites. Lucky for Chris, Melissa is also going to visit the last place we were originally going, so arrangements are made by Melissa to add Chris to her booking and later when Chris gets back, along with Otto, they source some crutches for me.
When you only popped out for a walk....Chris finding a few festivities in Chachapoyas. The University having a blast.
Karajia Sarcophagi and Quiocta Cavern
As mentioned above I didn't make the arrangements for this trip so cannot comment. However you can still book this trip through KUELAP ADVENTURE same kind of thing as the above two trips with collection from Chachapoyas if you don't want to make your own way to the small village of Cruzpata. Once you get there you can either ride on ponies part way down or walk the whole way, about half an hour to the Sarcophagi.
Discovered in 1985 by a Peruvian archaeologist, Federico Kauffman Doig, the Karajia Sarcophagi are burials and thought to be around 500 years old. This is a funerary site built by the Chachapoyas people once known as 'Warriors of The Clouds' who were conquered by the Incas in or around 1475. They believed laying their dead to rest in difficult locations ensured that they would 'rest in peace' for all time. The bodies of the deceased were mummified and placed in the sarcophagi apparently facing forwards.
Following the visit to the Sarcophagi Chris and Melissa along with the guide then went to the Quiocta Caverns, another Chachapoyas funerary site with added stalagmites and other rock formations. Here you'll need welly boots and a headlight which should be provided by your guide.
Makes for thirsty work all this walking round.... Chris and Melissa just short of a nice cold beer. The day ended perfectly as the guide stopped off at a local festival on the way back to Chachapoyas.
So that was the end of the planned trips in Chachapoyas. I'd lived vicariously through the accounts of Chris and Melissa and waited for the 'pictures of the day' to come back, even managed to put together a video of our time in Chachapoyas....well you know....time on my hands 😂
Transport had now been arranged with massive help from Otto. All that was left to do now was to say our 'goodbyes' and wait for the van coming to load the bikes.
Eternally grateful to Otto and Ingrid ❤
If you've never considered visiting Chachapoyas and it's surrounding area, put it on your list. It's an amazing part of the World and don't forget if you want somewhere to stay. Casa Kuelap Hostal is just the best.... and yes.....of course I'm biased, I was well looked after and it genuinely is a fab place to stay 😀
Road Trip to Lima
Coming Soon
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