Choquequirao
Aug 13th — 17th, 2018
“Wisdom, such as it is for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go” -Anthony Bourdain
This quote played over and over again in my mind during our five day, round trip hike to Choquequirao — the sister site to Machu Pichu. The layers of the quote revealed themselves to me as the trek unfolded.
The hike set off in the mountain top village of Chiquiska (~6,500 feet above sea level). Looking out over the 20-mile route that descends 6,500 feet then ascends 10,300 feet to end at the lost city of the Incas — Choqueqirao, a feeling of both insignificance and oneness swept through me. Standing there, the historical site looked like small kernels of sand dusted over a grassy hill. The magnitude of our lengthily journey set in.
The trek was tough, the terrain unforgiving at times, forcing me to let go of my thinking brain and focus my full attention on where each foot was being placed. This, along with the gentle silent singing of “99 bottles of beer on the wall” — my go to soothing song — put me into a meditative state of sorts. At the end of each day’s hike, rather than reaching for my phone to check Instagram, pulling out my laptop to check emails, or busying myself with tidying my belongings — I simply sat in the grass and reflected. Reflected on this yearlong adventure and what it has provided me — the space to learn, to grow, and to observe.
Did I gain wisdom on this trek as Anthony’s quote suggests? I don’t know. What I do know is that I gained a deeper level of self-reflection, a deeper awareness and appreciation for hardships that I am fortunate not to have to encounter daily, and a deep admiration for a culture I previous was unfamiliar with. Whatever that can be summed up as — I’ll take it.
3 Highlights:
- Our guides. Three, local, helpful guides accompanied us along our trek. Rodrigo, the even keeled tour guide, hiked alongside us each day. Leading the way, he provided historical insights about the site, tidbits about the nature we passed, and insightful conversations about politics, economics, and daily life in the Andes. Justin, the jovial cook, whipped up culinary delights for us each day; each worthy of being served in high-end establishments. Reuben, the shy but friendly muleteer outfitted in plain sandals, effortlessly led the three horses carrying our supplies along the traitorous path. Each day, the three greeted us with warmth, smiles, and interesting conversations, making us feel more like family than tourists.
- The food. Each day Justin cooked up three hearty, tasty meals for Prathap, Rodrigo and me. Each meal consisted of three courses, and never did a dish repeat itself. More impressive then Justin’s culinary skills, was his ability to create these feasts all by himself after hiking the same treks as us each day. He would start hiking a half hour to an hour after we set out, pass us on the trail, and get to camp an hour or so before us to begin prepping our meals. The amount of hard work he put into each day is truly indescribable.
- The campgrounds. We stayed at different campgrounds along the route each of the four nights. They were basic but always enough. The showers were cold and primitive (one had just a blue tarp as a door), the kitchen facilities were sometimes not existent, but the views and the warmth of the unkempt nature that surrounded us captivated our attention. Laying in our tent, we looked out over mountain ranges besieged by cumulus clouds and covered in trails carved by noble civilizations over thousands of year. That was luxury enough for us.
