2006: A Wrohan Odyssey

Adrenaline Junkies

With Machupicchu successfully tucked underneath our belts, Chris and I set out to see if Peru could in fact entertain us after such an amazing adventure.

After arriving back in Cusco with the rest of our trekking gang, we spent a few days in recovery mode to mend our aching muscles. Of course we, as many tour groups before us, celebrated our achievement with an epic night night out which contributed more so to our need for recovery...oops!

Rest assured though, once we regained our clarity Chris and I set off to battle the rapids on the Urubamba River. Although Chris is more skilled in the sport, I being a beginner rafter could not predict the adrenaline filled day we were about to have. The rapids were class three and certainly not for the faint of heart. I can recall numerous moments where I was bracing my feet against the boat, paddling like my life depended on it and pleading to the river to keep me out of the less-than-welcoming rapids. Fortunately, we made it down with all limbs attached although a few poor souls in the boat next to us lost not only pride but numerous pairs of sandals when their boat capsized after some poor maneuvering.

Kicking some Urubamba butt!

After such an insane experience you´d think that we would have taken it easy for a while but that certainly wasn´t the case. After leaving Cusco we made our way to Ica and stayed in a small little oasis of a town named Huacachina in the middle of the desert. Huacachina is known for it´s sand boarding and dune buggy riding so it wasn´t long before Chris and I signed up for another wild ride. According to our travel guidebook, dune buggy drivers are said to be somewhat adventurous but in my mind they were clinically INSANE! We were literally driving up 90 degree hills at speeds which I am convinced you can´t even reach on a roller coaster. I was certainly on the edge of my seat but Chris was loving the ride and was keen to drive and show him how we do 4X4ing in Canada. I was not so enthusiastic...

The sandboarding was equally as pressing on our nerves. Both of us made it out with an array of sand burn injuries as our technique certainly needed some improvement. We were given a makeshift piece of plywood, a candle (for wax) and dropped at the top of dunes that were at least a few hundred meters high and STEEP! The guide simply smiled at us and pointed downwards and we were left to fend for ourselves. By the end of the day my superior snowboard skills seemed to contribute in no way what-so-ever so I resorted to plain old sliding on my butt to get down. Whatever works right?

After Ica we headed down to Nazca to visit the famous Nazca Lines. These lines date back to between 200 BC and AD 700!! We took a small plane over the desert and saw dozens of individual images, the largest being over 200m across! Though there are different interpretations to explain why these images exist, a leading theory is that the Nazca people's motivations were religious, and that the images were constructed so that gods in the sky could see them. Although this theory sounds about right, I personally opt to believe the lines were designed as extraterrestrial landing sites. =)

Up, up and away!

Nazca Lines--Hummingbird

This one had E.T. written all over it...literally..

So now we´re off to Ecuador and our exploration of Peru has come to an end. It has certainly been a greater adventure than both of us could have ever hoped for. From the jungle to 15,000ft, to ancient ruins and refined cultures, all of which left a lasting impression and a revived sense of exploration and appreciation within us. Although 3 weeks was certainly not long enough, we are leaving with the knowledge and memories that will keep us dreaming of the beauty of Peru for years to come--an experience to not soon be forgotten!

Posted by bex at October 5, 2008 8:40 AM