Roughing It in Rural Peru: To the Marcahuasi Ruins
After having spent a few weeks in thoroughly modern, commercial Lima, I decided to travel to a tiny village called San Pedro de Casta, at approximately 3000m above sea level, to visit the Marcahuasi ruins.
To prepare to head out into rural Peru I bought water and dried food. You cannot drink the tap water in Peru, and it is useful to have food when taking a bus as it might break down (this happened to me in Bolivia. I had to hitchhike to La Paz and I was glad I had food). I washed my hair, as I didn't know when I'd next have hot water. Often budget accommodations in developing countries do not offer hot water, and if the water is cold, I want to be in and out of the shower as fast as possible!
I withdrew a lot of cash, as I didn't know when I'd next find an ATM. You cannot generally use cards in small towns in developing countries and running out of cash would be problematic.
It was raining heavily as my bus entered San Pedro de Casta and the roads were so thick with mud that twice the driver had to shovel a path for the tyres. There were no street lamps and as I stepped into the freezing night, the driver said "hospedaje" and pointed into the darkness. The toothless landlady wanted ten Peruvian soles (about £2.50) for single occupancy. I asked if there was hot water and she laughed. Judging by the amount of blankets she had around her, I guessed that there wasn't any heating either.
A walk in the freezing cold, pitch darkness, and pouring rain didn't really appeal so I decided to called it a day. It was four degrees Celsius and the water from the shower felt like ice. I only managed to wash my feet, and wondered how the 500 inhabitants of San Pedro got clean. The drafty rooms opened onto an open-air central courtyard, so there was no escaping the cold. The bed just had two blankets, but luckily my room contained three beds, so I took the blankets off the other two. I curled up into a ball with all of my clothes on, and cocooned myself under the six blankets.
Laying there shivering, I wondered how people survived in such a cold climate with no heating, and remarked on the difference in the standard of living there, compared to that of Lima. I asked myself what on Earth I was doing there and promised myself that I would not sleep another night in that place.
Having gone to sleep at about 9pm I woke at 6am, and went to the tourist information office to enquire about walking up to the ruins. The lady said I should go with a guide, and she offered to take me, along with her daughter Maria. The lady didn't look particularly fit, but I am not one to judge and she zapped off up the hill at a faster pace than I could keep up with.
The hike to the Marcahuasi site is a two-kilometer uphill struggle. The path was thick with mud, and at about 3,000 meters the air was thin. It was, however, absolutely beautiful. Climbing above clouds under the bright sunshine was unforgettable.
There was no noise from any traffic, which after the congestion of Lima was a delight. We finally reached the plateau, at 3,500 meters.
and the temperature dropped as we found ourselves in a cloud. We saw tiny stone dwellings where indigenous people lived, and the main attraction: huge rocks in the form of faces.
I was glad we had set off early as the only bus to Chosica left at 2pm, and I was adamant that I would be on it. The beautiful walk had made the horrors of the previous night worthwhile, and I had experienced how the people of San Pedro lived. However, one night was enough!
Once back in the village I bought a sandwich for myself and for Maria. Then I teetered down the hill with my rucksack, past local women washing clothes by hand in buckets, to the bus.
Exhausted and filthy I clambered on board, and the bus slowly trundled down the mountain road, taking me back to civilisation.
This piece is an excerpt of a longer article on Traveller Hannah. Hannah Small is from the UK and recently set off to travel around South America, with no return flight booked. She is a French and Spanish speaker, travels cheaply and independently, and learns how locals live. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram.
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