When we were having breakfast, we tried to figure out the trekking route for the coming two days. Theo brought up a map with different routes and itineraries clearly marked. We just needed to agree on and pick one.
The two boys looked really fit, but they were pretty conservative when it came to choosing a route. By contrast, I was continually pushing the group to go for a longer and more challenging one. Chris and Theo looked at each other with a bitter smile, “Does the girl also want to run as she did in her trail races?” But what happened later on the trek showed me how brilliant they had been bluffing all the time!
Compared with Inca Trail I did a few weeks ago — five trekkers with ten porters, one chef and one guide, this trek will be a totally self-sufficient one. We needed to carry all the supplies for three days by ourselves, look for food and accommodation at the villages and make sure we didn’t get lost in the canyon. It meant more work, but it was also the exciting part. A self-guided three-day trek in Colca Canyon? It certainly sounded more appealing than a characterless tour group.
Yet for a person who over-packed easily, it could be tricky. I trimmed down everything before I came on this trip. I only came to the canyon with one single backpack. It was not a very small backpack, but considering that 30 kg suitcase I definitely travelled light. Unfortunately, it was still not light enough. I started to feel hard only after half an hour into the trek. The weight of the backpack was not too bad. I carried the same when I hiked in Mount Rinjani at Lombok. But the high altitude of Colca Canyon made the body react differently. I gathered all my strength and tried to keep up. I was the ambitious one to push for more at the breakfast!
We started with a brutal decent. A slippery dirt path with big and sharp rocks on it. The trail was totally exposed and it got extremely hot once the sun was out. We went straight down to the canyon from Cabanaconde. For the coming three hours, all my attention was fixed on my next step. I felt tired and my knees were under great pressure coming down especially with a heavy backpack. Yet I can’t afford to be distracted as I may take a fall on my face next minute. Chris and I took it with extreme caution on this slippery and rocky path, while Theo simply rolled down the hill effortlessly in front of us. “How could you be able to run?” At the same time me and Chris were struggling with the balance. “I grew up in Basque Country. Hills are everywhere.” Theo talked it like no big deal.
Once we reached the oasis at the bottom, we immediately started to climb up. Colca Canyon was no joke. The trail was either pure decent or pure accent. This time I can no longer keep up. I was getting slower and slower. The boys came back to me from far ahead, “What happened?” “Fuck the ego.”I said to myself. It was too painful and I can’t move further. “It’s my backpack. It’s too heavy.” I told them. Chris came up and tried my backpack, “Christ, what did you put in your backpack?” He took off his and said, “Let’s exchange. I’ll carry yours.” “Are you sure?”I looked at Chris. “Let’s do it,” He put on my backpack with great efforts, “I’m so curious what you put into it.” I took Chris’s backpack instead and felt amazing right away — I think his may only weigh 1/4 of mine.
We didn’t run into so many other hikers or any other creatures. We thought we were a small group by ourselves and thus closer to the nature, but we saw absolutely no wild animals. “Maybe it’s too hot right now. We can start earlier tomorrow. We will see the condors.” We tried to comfort ourselves.
We talked everything from life, career and sports in the hike. Until then I found out those two, who opted for an easier route during the breakfast, were both offered a contract from a football club in their youth but decided to take a less competitive path to go to college. Those two were like semi-professional athletes but told me they were not confident to take on a slightly longer route. While I, who was in the lower-middle range for all the races I signed up for, preferred an challenging route with confidence coming from nowhere. For the rest of the hike, Chris carried my backpack and Theo carried my bottled water. Let’s put each one at their right place.
We finished the hike before 2 pm as suggested by the guide book. It could be dangerous to hike in the heat. The zig-zag trail, leading us to some spectacular views, was ruthless and relentless. We found us a guesthouse in a small village and were happy to chill there through the afternoon. The place we stayed was rustic from the outside, but behind the garden the owner built a line of modern hotel rooms with proper shower. The forward-looking owner even provided wifi and served pisco sour from the menu. We will stay overnight and climbed back to Cabanaconde from a different route the next day.
While connected with the internet, I checked my email and found a headhunter reaching out for a job opportunity. Coming close to the end of my Peru trip, I was eager to know the next step for me. It was scary to come back for nothing. I hoped to get the ball rolling before I returned to Hong Kong. Then at the deep bottom of a canyon from another continent, I called the headhunter for a quick catch-up.
“How did it go?” Chris checked with me when I came back from the call.
“It’s OK. She got a position based in Sydney. I told her I’m open to all locations. I would prefer to stay in Hong Kong, but it doesn’t harm to look around.” I joined the boys.
“What’s your plan after this trip?” Theo asked me.
“Well, I don’t have a job nor an apartment when I’m back to Hong Kong. I will arrive on Friday and stay with a friend first. Then I’ll get myself an apartment during the weekend—” I started to lay out my plan.
“Nope. You think it will just be a few days and then it will turn into weeks. Till you realize it you have stayed with your friend for months.” Chris interrupted me.
I ignored Chris’ mockery and continued, “And then I’ll start job hunting and should start to work in November.”
“I agreed with Chris.” Theo chipped in his two cents.
“That will never happen to me”, I rolled my eyes, “Can I also remind you if I have a job and an apartment, I can invite you to crash on my sofa when you visit Hong Kong?” Let’s wrap up this debate.
The next day we got up at 4 am in hopes of catching a glimpse of the condors in our hike. Till we were back to Cabanaconde, we didn’t see a single condor, not even a random bird.
“No fucking birds.” Mama Theo was very disappointed as he had been such a good boy all along following rigorously by the guide book.
We learned later that all the tourists coming in with the tour vans had seen the big condors — the tour vans shipped them directly to the view point where was right below the nest of those condors.