Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: Peru2010

  • Video Clips from Trekking in Peru

    Video Clips from Trekking in Peru

    This past summer Chris and I went exploring in Peru. During
    the trip, we took a number of photos and videos. The photos
    have been put on flickr, and now here’s a compilation of
    all of the video clips     from the trip.

    Be sure also to see the full
    blog post     about the trip.

  • Exploring the Salkantay Trail and Machu Pichu in Peru

    Exploring the Salkantay Trail and Machu Pichu in Peru

    This past September, my friend Chris Shybut and I spend 10 days trekking through Peru. During the trip, we explored all over, and had some great adventures. The trip also forced us to brush up on our Spanish – a much needed refresher.

    During the urban parts of the trip, we explored the cities of Lima and Cusco, including grabbing food at street stands, listening to live music in trendy restaurants, hanging out in countless plazas, hanging out with the locals, witnessing a fight or two, and paragliding high above the Lima metropolis.

    Heading into the mountains, we completed an extremely rugged four day trek on the Salkantay trail, averaging about 13 miles per day, and topping out the trek at 15,200 feet above sea level in a driving blizzard. We also set off on mountain bikes to  explore the ancient Incan agricultural experiments of Moray, and marvel at the thousands of terraced salt mines of Maras.

    To top it off, we had a great time fully exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu, including an extremely steep hike up to the top of Wayna Picchu.

    During the trip, I traveled with two cameras – my Apple iPhone 4, and my Canon 5DmkII. Having both an ultra slim camera phone and a full size SLR at my disposal gave me the ability to shoot in most situations. I usually carried the iPhone in my pocket, and had a LowePro slimline case for my SLR. The case had an attachment loop on it which allowed me to attach it to the waistbelt of my backpack – this way, I had access to both cameras while we were hiking. I also brought along my carbon fiber travel tripod, and a bunch of other random accessories. I shot with one lens – the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L, which gives a great range of focal lengths, in a weatherproof, burly, high quality package. The lens is definitely on the big and heavy side, but it’s still a pleasure to shoot with. I shot in RAW on the SLR and full res JPG with the iPhone. Overall, there were about 2800 photos, which was edited down to a 104 photo consumable set.

    Enjoy the photos, videos, and daily logs of our trip. The logs were written by both Chris and myself at the end of each day using Notepad and WordPress applications on my iPhone 4. We tried to put in as many details as possible into the daily logs, but if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the trip, just ask.

    Daily Summaries

    Q&A

    Q. What was your favorite part of the trip?

    A. My favorite part of the trip was definitely interacting with the local Peruvians. It was a great opportunity to practice my spanish, and the Peruvian people as extremely friendly, outgoing and warm. I was surprised that everyone we passed said hi, and was always up to talk about whatever.
    Q. Did you guys stay in hostels or couching or where?
    A. A combination. The first two nights in Cusco we stayed at the Casa De Campo Guesthouse. Then, we spend three nights while hiking the Salcantay trail staying in our REI Half Dome 2 Tent. Then, we spend two nights staying in the Wiracocha Inn in Aguas Calientes, another night at the Loki Backpacker Hostel in Cusco, and the final night at our friend GP’s apartment in Lima.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/4999988397/in/set-72157624979181612/#/photos/jamfan2/4999988397/in/set-72157624979181612/lightbox/

    Video Clips

  • Paragliding in Lima

    Paragliding in Lima

    Peru has over 2000km of coastline, and paragliding over Lima’s portion of i was spectacular.

    – Woke up early in Cusco to walk around town, and take pictures at a childrens religious parade in front of the church at Plaza De Armas.

    – Had a quick breakfast and at Loki Hostel, and made to the Cusco airport in time to catch our noon flight to Lima.

    – Got picked up by our friends GP and Chicha, and the four of us went to Canta Rana for amazing seviche.

    – After lunch, drove over to the Miraflores cliffs looking out over the water to go Paragliding.

    – Paragliding was amazing – we cruised up and down the coatline, buzzing restaurants, the lighthouse, and flying right along the cliff. Landed sadely on the beach, an took a cab back to the top of the cliffs.

    – Returned to GP’s house, and tonight we’re meeting up with some friends to go out in Lima.

  • Exploring Machu Picchu

    Exploring Machu Picchu

    As the top attraction of the South American continent and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, Macchu Pichu lives up to its reputation.

    – Woke up early at 04:45 in order to get the first 05:30 bus up to Macchu Pichu.

    – On our way up the switchbacked road to the MP gate, passed by a bunch of hikers who realized that the road was extremely long, and hiking up to the ruins was not a great idea. They were all trying to hitch rides, but with no luck.

    -Arrived at MP just in time to get setup to watch the first rays of the rising sun filter through the jagged tops of the surrounding mountains and illuninate the ancient ruins.

    – Grabbed a bunch of good photos of the morning light, including dramatic shots of the sun filtering through the morning mountain mist.

    – After enjoying the sunrise for a bit, went back to the cafe for a proper breakfast – egg sanditches and tea.

    – Returned to the ruins and took a leisurely walk across to the Wynapicchu Gate.

    – The climb up the nearly verticle Wynapicchu mountain was very steep and difficult, but only took about an hour to reach the top – a nice little morning warmup.

    – Hanging out on the top of Wynapicchu was spectacular – completely surrounded by jagged andean peaks, with a cool breeeze filtering through.

    – After Wynapicchu, we spent some time exploring the rest of Macchu Pichu.

    – Returning to Aguas Calientes, we grabbed a quick lunch, and then sorted out our train situation back to Poroy.

    – Tonight we’re on the PeruRail Vistadome train headed back to Poroy, then taking a taxi back to our hostel in Cusco.

  • Recovering in Aguas Calientes

    Recovering in Aguas Calientes

    Finally out of the jungle, today was our day of rest and recovery.

    – Stayed in a triple room at the Wyracocha Inn. Convinced them to give us the larger room for the same price, so we would have room to lay out and dry out our gear.

    – Woke up at 9am and got a leisurely breakfast at a local breakfast joint on the plaza.

    – Used a bit of free wifi on the main plaza to update the blog, let family know we’re still alive.

    – Walked across to coffee shop for a coffee or two

    – Went upstairs of coffee shop to massage parlor, got relaxing Incan massages for $25/hour.

    – Walked a big lap around town, explored abandoned buildings and the uncontrolled development everywhere. Pretty terrible.

    – Stopped into a local pizza joint with a balcony for some lunch. Surprisingly, the wood fired pizza was great, hit the spot.

    – Walked through the market, and bought matching peruvian hats, among other things. The market was fairly large, but had obviously been “master planned” – kind of felt like we were in a disney land version of a south american market.

    – Went over to the hot springs for a soak – nice and relaxing by the river, with different pools of different temperature water.

    – Played some chess at a local hangout, then went over to eat some traditional Peruvian food on the plaza.

    – Got back to the hotel early, in time to pack up all of our gear and get organized for the ascent to Macchu Pichu tomorrow.

  • Descending from the Peruvian Jungle

    Descending from the Peruvian Jungle

    Today was our final day in the backcountry, and introduced us to the spectacular cross-valley Macchu Pichu vista.

    – Woke up this morning early again, with rays of sunlght gliding across our jungle soccer field campground to hit our tent and dry us our from the overnight rain.

    – Got started hiking early, with an immediate 500m ascent to the ridge.

    – As we were climbing, we passed a couple of coffee and banana farms carved into the thick jungle.

    – Our muscles actually held out on the ascent, although it was not pleasant for either of us. After three consecutive 18km days with full packs, we were very sore.

    – At the top of the ridge, ran into a guided hiking tour group from the states. We were both very very glsd we werent a part of a group like that.

    – Although the ascent was hard, it was nothing compared to the downhill – the trail was about as steep as it could get before lansliding.

    – Got our first spectacular view of Macchu Pichu from across the valley. Hiking in to it gave us a serious perspective on the true scale and location.

    – Finally reached the bottom of the valley and crossed over a bucking suspemsion bridge to the hydroelectric plant area. Took a 30 minute wromg turn detour before arriving at the Hidroelectrica-Aguas Calientes train station.

    – After purchasing our train tickets, relaxed a bit at a cafe next to thr train tracks, which was swamped with tour group people. Once again, felt very glad we weren’t a part of the huge group. Unsupported, “alpine style” expeditions are definitely the way to go.

    – Made it to Aguas Calientes, checked into our hotel.

    – Got “Chiefa” for dinner 1 – Peruvian style Chinese food.

    – Got roast chicken for dinner 2

    – Looking forward to a day of relaxation tomorrow.

  • Road to La Playa

    The rest of our trek on the Salkantay trail is technically downhill, but that definitely does not mean that it’s easier.

    – Woke up bright and early at campground Los Andenes for a 7am start. Sleeping and waking with the sun has quickly become a pleasant habit.

    – Hiking started with an immediate, steep downhill, made slick from the previous night’s rain. After a few miles, the muscles began to warm up.

    – Trekked through the remote Andean town of Chaully, and continued on to the still being built mountain access road.

    – Followed the road for a while, at which point Chris turned off onto the jungle trail, and I stayed on the road next to the river.

    – We stayed in contact via GMRS radios, which finally started working again, after they dried off.

    – Noticed lots of weird furry white caterpillars, and giant hummingbirds alomg the trail.

    – As we descended, we notice major changes in the plant an animal life. Now, it’s starting to feel like dense jungle, with wild banana and lemon trees everywhere.

    – After a long day of hiking, we stopped for a rest and soda in La Playa, and then continued on to our campground in a soccerfield cut out from the jungle.

    – For dinner tonight, we each had a can of tuna, and a small packet of pasta with tomato paste.

    – Hiked 18km today, and are camping at 6,600 feet. Breathing the thicker air is a nice change.

  • The Trek Over Salcantay Pass

    The Trek Over Salcantay Pass

    Today we topped out on Salcantay Pass at 15,253 feet, record for both of us. Notes:

    – Woke up at 5:30 as soon as it was light enough to see.

    – Finished the rest of the pasta for breakfast, in addition to some oatmeal.

    – The hike up to Salkantay Pass was extremely steep, but the horses and burros carrying tourist’s gear seemed to have no problem passing us, as we hiked up with all of our gear on our backs.

    – The weather on Salcantay Pass was intense – horizontal blowing snow and dense fog.

    – We spent a few minutes on the pass, and then started the long, rock, steep hike down the other side.

    – Rain and fog rolled in for our descent, and almost our entire 18km hike was wet and cold.

    – We ate spicy Japanese ramen in an Andean thatched roof hut.

    – Tonight we’re camping at a small campground in the mountains, and tomorrow hiking another 15km or so.

  • Salcantay Trail – Camp One

    Salcantay Trail – Camp One

    Today was our first day on the Salcantay trail, and was an intense introduction to high altitude treking in the Andes.

    – Slept in a bit at Casa De Campo, to give ourselves a bit more time to get used to the altitude. After a full day of mountainbiking the day prior, we were definitely feeling the burn.

    – Finally got checked out of Casa De Campo at noon, and got a taxi to the main mountain taxi transportation depot – a random corner in Cusco.

    – Took a scenic three hour cab ride up to Mollepata, and then decided to continue upwards Sayllpata.

    – Our hike started in Sayllpata at the 11,200 foot mark, and tracked along a poorly maintained mountain road – we barely saw any trucks, but passed a good amount of burros, skinny cows, and the occasional local farmer.

    – The altitude is turning out to be more of a challenge than we expected. Hiking the 6.5 miles up to camp went well, but we were definitely a bit out of breath as we ascended.

    – After hiking the last mile under starlight and headlamps, we finally found our campsite and set up our tent.

    – Cooked the pasta w/ sauce on the MSR stove burning 85 octane gasoline.

    – Finally crawled into our sleeping bags with very sore shoulders and legs. Sleeping tonight at 12,800 feet.

    – Looking forward to gaining more elevation tomorrow – possibly up to 15,000 feet.

  • Mountain Biking the Sacred Valley, Peru

    Mountain Biking the Sacred Valley, Peru

    We spent the day biking around the Sacred Valley, which lies just north of Cusco. Notes:

    – Woke up bright and early at 7am, but both with a bit of altitude sickness.

    – Went into town and checked into SAS Travel for mountainbiking. We
    were the only ones to sign up for that particular activity, so we had a private group.

    – Met our guide, seasoned mountain biker Roberto, and drove through the mountains to our starting point.

    – Mountain biking high in the Andes was great. Our ride topped out at 11,200 feet.

    – Stopped by Moray, the ruins of an ancient Incan agricultural experiment. Concentric rings created by terraced growing areas were impressive. Photo attached.

    – Biked a bit more down the valley to Salernas, ancient, still active salt mines. Salt flows from a spring within the mountain, and collects in thousands of terraced evaporation pools. Dried salt is harvested by hand. Photo attached.

    – Completed the ride with a gnarly singletrack downhill, through a small village and over a steel cable and wood suspension bridge over the river.

    – Cruised in the van with two Italian hitchhikers to drop them off in Urubamba, then continued on back to Cusco.

    – Chris went back to the guesthouse to relax.

    – I walked a lap around town. Got the gas station attendant to fill up two small plastic waterbottles with gasolene, to fuel my MSR Whisperlite stove in the mountains.

    – Stopped by the “Mega” supermarket, then grabbed a chicken dinner, and walked back across town to the guesthouse.

    – Cooked some more soup in our room, relaxing tonight overlooking Cusco.

    – Peru is great! My spanish is actually serving me quite well, and the locals are always friendly and eager to share stories. Having a fun time talking to everyone we pass, both in the streets and out in the fields.

  • Arriving in Peru – Aclimitization

    Arriving in Peru – Aclimitization

    Today was our first full day in Peru. I’m updating via iPhone4, and blog posts will come in the form of field notes.

    – Flew from JFK overnight to Lima, met up w/ Chris in Lima airport.

    – We flew from Lima to Cusco, got ride from airport to our guesthouse Casa De Campo.

    -Amazing view from Casa De Campo, overlooks the whole city. Attached photo is a 360 panorama of the view from our patio.

    – Walked into town, grabbed lunch at spit roast chicken joint Los Toldos.

    – Walked over to El Convento de Santo Domingo Del Cusco Qorikancha. A former ancient mayan temple with meticulous stonework, turned into a post-columbus church.

    – Stopped by the South American Explorers Club clubhouse to discuss mountain routes and conditions for our upcoming trek.

    – Stopped by convenience store for more water, on our way back to the hotel. We’re staying at 11400 feet elevation here in Cusco, so adjusting to the sudden change in altitude, coming from our homes at sea level, has been a challenge. Lots of water and taking it easy on the first day.

    – Relaxed at guesthouse for a bit, then went out to dinner at Pacha Papa in San Blas Plaza. Great lamb stew, tamales, and live music.

    – Relaxing around the fire pit at the guesthouse tonight.

    – Waking up early tomorrow morning to mountain bike up to the Moray Salt Mine.

  • Trekking in Peru

    Trekking in Peru

    For the next ten days, I’ll be traveling through Peru. During the trip, I’ll be traveling with long time friend Chris Shybut, and we’ll be stopping in Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and finally Machu Picchu. We’re planning on spending a day mountain biking to salt mines, another few days high altitude mountaineering on the Salkantay trail in the Andes Mountains, and a full day exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu.

    Salkantay Trail, Photo by Tim Mowrer

    During the trip, I’ll be checking in regularly with my SPOT Satellite Messenger – track our progress on the SPOT tracking page. Posts will also show up on my Facebook page and Twitter stream.

    Stay tuned for the after trip report, photos and videos.