Cold Rain and Hot Springs

To Lucmabamba, Peru

It was nice to sleep in this morning. It was relatively warm to start, and since we would only be going down, we expected the temperature would only increase. Apparently, there had been some landslides along the main trail, so instead of the main hiking trail we would be taking the dirt road. Fortunately, there was hardly any vehicle traffic and, unlike yesterday’s trail, few rocks making the walking much easier.

Dex and Manouk

Crazy, local, bare neck chicken

The only damper, literally, was the rain that started about an hour into the hike. Despite having rain jackets, we all put only the supplied plastic ponchos to help keep out the water. Dex struck up a conversation with Natalie, an English backpacker from a different group, while Meg, Kylie, Michael and I chatted about math and science. Michael is a teacher at a private all-girl’s school in London, one of the best schools in the country. We discussed how stars create heavy elements, the properties and uses of carbon nano tubes, Shroedinger’s cat….

Chelsea, Lee, and Joset

Fortunately, the rain stopped after an hour or so. At our first rest stop, we sampled passion fruit. The small seeds suspended in a grayish jelly are not very appetizing to look at, but it tastes great. For the rest of the walk, I was once again amazed at the variety of wild flowers growing off the side of the road. Surprisingly, part way along the dirts road, a van picked us up to take us the rest of the way to the little coffee plantation where we are staying.

Michael and Kylie eating passion fruit

I'm not sure I would even have known, though, that this was a plantation. The coffee plants grow along the incredibly steep and landslide prone hillsides under the larger trees. Joset, our guide, gave us a short tour explaining how the coffee beans are picked, then husked, roasted and ground. The two main types of beans are arabica and robusta, of which the arabica apparently are superior.

Green coffee beans -- not ready for picking

Coffee roasting

Coffee grinding

Because it was a short hiking day, we had the option of taking a side trip to some hot springs. Only Lee, Chelsey, Meg, and I decided to go. As is often the case, Dex and Kylie preferred to stay at camp, particularly with possibility of playing cards with Michael, Johnny and the others.

Michael and Johnny from England

Manouk from Holland

In the end, I was happy we decided to take the side trip. The drive down the narrow, windy and rough dirt road down along the raging river of non-stop rapids, took an hour each way. The hot springs seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but were actually quite attractive and pleasant. There were forty or fifty tourists there, but with three giant pools located just against some giant cliffs and looking out towards the steep hillsides, there was plenty of room. Meg and I almost immediately met a family from Seattle who were out for just a couple weeks, so our hour and a half stay passed quickly. One of the benefits of the trip was getting to chat with Lee and Chelsey. They are both ex-military and currently run a cross fit gym in San Antonio. As a special "treat", the guides made a sudden stop at a small outdoor bar so us gringos could try a shot of the local Inca tequila. Fortunately, none of us were driving!

After another excellent dinner, the guides started a small camp fire. Despite the damp, smoky wood, which required constant attention, we all seemed determined to stay up, at least for a little while. To amuse ourselves, Meg and I sang a few campfire songs then transitioned to some word games. It was nice to sit up under the moon and stars, even if we all did end up smelling like smoke.

Plantation camp