Wayllabamba
Well,
civilization is a big word. In Wayllabamba (or Huallabamba)
there is neither telephone nor electricity, streaming water is nothing more than
a distributed river. You will find a shop in this small village. People are relaxed
and friendly. Half an hour earlier I almost fell in the cold river because of a false
step. Luckily a strong woman from our group saw me falling and could pull me up,
my hands full of thorns caused by the only plant that could save me from an ice cold
swim
A friendly farmer repaired my ripped open pants while having
a Cusqueña beer sitting in my underwear. It was a nice sunny day. His wife
was weaving in the traditional way derived from ancient Inca times (one part lashed
around a tree and the other side around her hips). Eight bulls were having a nasty
fight on the other side of the river. All people in the village were enjoying this
spectacle. Public life was interrupted by the bullfights. One bull followed my earlier
destiny and almost fell in the abyss, unfortunately no strong cow was there to help
the bull out. When my pants were repaired and the margarita (1.1
litter of beer) was finished we continued.
An eight years old girl helped us on the official Inca Trail
and got her propina (tip). Now we had to continue
without horses. Luckily we had the two chasquis who carried an amazing amount of
luggage. A long climb began through the valley of Llulluchapampa where
the white summits of Santa Veronica are
visible.
|