Lares Trail and on to Bolivia via Puno

Setting aside the first day of the Lares Trail, making a 4 day instead of 3day trail, was a decision I did not regret. We arrived in Lares on a public bus (as in Nepal an experience to be treated with caution, and not too uncomfortable!) before lunchtime, and checked into a very basic hostal near the hot springs. As it was a Sunday the springs were busy but that did not detract from the pleasure of soaking in the various pools set at different temperatures, from about 38C to 42C

The next 3 days were challenging physically involving hiking to 2 passes of 4,200 metres through very sparse countryside where we met the few local people who mainly farmed alpaca, lama and sheep. Everyone we met dressed in traditional Peruvian clothes, mostly made themselves. Their homes were extremely basic and wither made from mudbricks or rocks and stones collected locally with grass roofs. The 2 nights I spent in a tent (though my guide and porter slept in the hut on the first night and complained of a lack of sleep due to the guinea pigs running amock!

This trek differed greatly from the Macchu Picchu trail as we did not see any other tourists in the whole of the 4 days, and were able to gain an insight into the lives of the indigenous people as opposed to being battered at every point on the trail by vendors selling their wares. The people I met on the Lares trek were so very much poorer than the people we met on the sanitised Inca Trail, and had been warned that this was so and took fruit (unavailable in their diet at the higher altitudes, the staple foods were potatoes, rice and some maize) and trinket gifts for the children, as well as willingly paying when permitted to take a photo.

The final day of the trek was approximately 17km with a climb along a narrow, treacherous path to the Marcoconcha Pass at 4,200m followed by a punishing (on the knees) downhill journey of two and a half hours to Yanahuara and a minibus to Urubamba and a local bus to Cusco and a welcome hot shower!

The next day was a day of rest in Cusco before heading, by tourist bus, to Puno and my first sight of Lake Titicaca. Puno was rather grim , and definitely without the charm of Cusco and also a lot less affluent and lacked the large tourist trade of Cusco. The town centre nevetheless was busy and the buildings(including the inevitable gothic style cathedral) having a strong colonial Spanish influence. The rest of the town was very typical and had many unfinished houses, many of which were mudbrick and unpaved roads characterised by the presence of mudpiles causing obstructions.

The 2 night stay in Puno was redeemed by a half day visit to Sillustani, a hillside cemetary with a history going back pre-Christian times. The whole experience was enhanced by an excellent guide and a decent tour bus for the one hour journey from Puno (all for the equivalent of 5 British pounds!). Returning from Sillustani we visited a farm and were able to view weaving and the livestock of sheep, lama, and alpaca´s at close quarters.

The next part of my journey was to Bolivia and the lakeside town of Copacabamba where I planned to enjoy stay for a few days and hike to the Isle Del Sol (taking a boat over to the island!) on Lake Titicaca.

Photo 1. The hot springs at Lares on Day 1. A very busy day, being a Sunday when families came from far and wide to enjoy the springs.

Photo 2. The mudbrick church tower in Huachuasi.

Photo 3. Two village children in traditional costume in the village of Huacahuasi, where we had our lunch on Day 2 in a horse paddock. This village was one of the poorest I´d seen in Peru.

Photo 4. The farmhouse where we took shelter during the worst of the hailstorm. We were fed delicious boiled new potatoes to help us warm up alongside the inevitable coca tea, which we supplied.

Photo 5. An earlier view of the approaching storm.

Photo 6. The shepherd´s hut where we stayed on the second night. NB my tent in the sheepfold (no visible grass just sheep sh!).

Photo 7. Looking back with a spectacular view of the high Andes in the background, taken from the sheperdesses hut on Day 2.

Photo 8. The valley as it appeared on reaching the Marconcha pass. From theron in it was a long haul downhill., Day 4.

Photo 9. A 100 year old working shepherd whom we met on the route to Patacancha where we had lunch in a farmyard on Day 3.

Photo 10. A further view of the distant road to Ollantaytambo from the approach to Marcaconcha Pass

Photo 11. A rather fine example of an alpine flower seen on Day 4 as we climbed towards the Marcaconcha Pass

Photo 12. The view from the route to the second pass, looking towards Ollantaytambo, on Day 4.

Photo 13. The advert for the village shop, a red plastic bag on a pole.

Photo 14. The hillside´s in Peru were often used to advertise a town or products.

Photo 15. The main surviving burial tower at Sillustani. The higher ranking Inca´s were buried here, mummified in a foetal position. There would be up to 10 mummies in the tower.

Photo 16. The remains of the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon at Sillustani.
Photo 17. A group of local children at Sillustani with their pet lamb.
Photo 18. Made it to the pass at Ipsaycocha (4200m), on Day 2.

Photo 19. The farmers wife with her lama, seen on our journey back from Sillustani.
Photo 20. Looking back down the valley towards Lares at the approaching storm on Day 2.

Photo 21. View down the valley towards Yanahuara after the pass at Marcaconcha.

Photo 22. The elderly sheperdess and her grandaughter in her hut where we stayed on night 2.