ADVENTURE
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The voyage of the broken compassPublished: June 01, 2010
May 2010 blog from the Broken Compass
Peru – We left the Broken Compass and arrived in Cuzco to book our tour to Machu Picchu, a four-day adventure that included mountain biking, rafting and trekking. We would wait two days until our mother and little brother could join us.
Day 1: Mountain Biking – We took a small bus with a group of 20 up through the clouds to the top of Abra Malaga. At 7 a.m. we began a 10,000-foot rolling decent to Santa Maria. The decent was fast with a touch of mist on the roads from the morning dew.
During one of off road shortcuts to a switchback we had a couple of casualties. An Argentine forgot about his brakes hit some rocks. Our mother, who bailed out before hitting a mound of dirt. An Australian girl faced an oncoming car and crashed into a gutter. At the end of the day, we lost the Australian and Argentine to a knee injury and strained shoulder ligaments, respectively.
Day 2: Trekking – One look at the river, and we understood the guide’s decision to abandon river rafting. Due to extensive rainfall, the river transformed from Class 2-3 to Class 4-5 rapids. We hiked 13 miles through the rain forest harvesting various fruits and flora along the ancient Incan trail. The area was lush with avocado, tomatoes, coca leaves, passion fruit, bananas, oranges, and chocolate and coffee beans.
Day 3: Falling Rocks and Politics – As the rain continued through the previous night into the morning, our guides warned of political turmoil between the tourism agencies and the government.
On a dangerous part of the road, we traversed one by one. Bret saw the danger first and screamed “Rock!” The guide leaped forward as a giant boulder crashed in front of a tourist. He grabbed the tourist and ran through the dangerous section as subsequent rocks poured down from the land above. Opting for the modestly safer and longer hike, we crossed the river in a small cable to an official checkpoint.
As the rain ceased, we waited for more groups to push past five armed police officers, who were hell-bent on deterring our trip. But they wouldn’t shoot a tourist right? We all made it.
... and check out more photos taken during their voyage.
| The voyage of the broken compassPublished: June 01, 2010 |
May 2010 blog from the Broken Compass
... and check out more photos taken during their voyage.
Peru – We left the Broken Compass and arrived in Cuzco to book our tour to Machu Picchu, a four-day adventure that included mountain biking, rafting and trekking. We would wait two days until our mother and little brother could join us.
Day 1: Mountain Biking – We took a small bus with a group of 20 up through the clouds to the top of Abra Malaga. At 7 a.m. we began a 10,000-foot rolling decent to Santa Maria. The decent was fast with a touch of mist on the roads from the morning dew.
During one of off road shortcuts to a switchback we had a couple of casualties. An Argentine forgot about his brakes hit some rocks. Our mother, who bailed out before hitting a mound of dirt. An Australian girl faced an oncoming car and crashed into a gutter. At the end of the day, we lost the Australian and Argentine to a knee injury and strained shoulder ligaments, respectively.
Day 2: Trekking – One look at the river, and we understood the guide’s decision to abandon river rafting. Due to extensive rainfall, the river transformed from Class 2-3 to Class 4-5 rapids. We hiked 13 miles through the rain forest harvesting various fruits and flora along the ancient Incan trail. The area was lush with avocado, tomatoes, coca leaves, passion fruit, bananas, oranges, and chocolate and coffee beans.
Day 3: Falling Rocks and Politics – As the rain continued through the previous night into the morning, our guides warned of political turmoil between the tourism agencies and the government.
On a dangerous part of the road, we traversed one by one. Bret saw the danger first and screamed “Rock!” The guide leaped forward as a giant boulder crashed in front of a tourist. He grabbed the tourist and ran through the dangerous section as subsequent rocks poured down from the land above. Opting for the modestly safer and longer hike, we crossed the river in a small cable to an official checkpoint.
As the rain ceased, we waited for more groups to push past five armed police officers, who were hell-bent on deterring our trip. But they wouldn’t shoot a tourist right? We all made it.
Day 1: Mountain Biking – We took a small bus with a group of 20 up through the clouds to the top of Abra Malaga. At 7 a.m. we began a 10,000-foot rolling decent to Santa Maria. The decent was fast with a touch of mist on the roads from the morning dew.
Day 2: Trekking – One look at the river, and we understood the guide’s decision to abandon river rafting. Due to extensive rainfall, the river transformed from Class 2-3 to Class 4-5 rapids. We hiked 13 miles through the rain forest harvesting various fruits and flora along the ancient Incan trail. The area was lush with avocado, tomatoes, coca leaves, passion fruit, bananas, oranges, and chocolate and coffee beans.
Day 3: Falling Rocks and Politics – As the rain continued through the previous night into the morning, our guides warned of political turmoil between the tourism agencies and the government.
On a dangerous part of the road, we traversed one by one. Bret saw the danger first and screamed “Rock!” The guide leaped forward as a giant boulder crashed in front of a tourist. He grabbed the tourist and ran through the dangerous section as subsequent rocks poured down from the land above. Opting for the modestly safer and longer hike, we crossed the river in a small cable to an official checkpoint.
... and check out more photos taken during their voyage.
