One of the days we made an excursion to the Ampay Forest Reserve located directly above town. The idea is to take a taxi up to the entrance at 2950 meters and then walk to one of the two lakes. The upper lake is 800m above the entrance, I didn't think I could make it at such altitude so we aimed for the small lake (200m above the entrance) which is no more than a puddle with tadpoles. Since we particularly enjoyed the enchanting forest, we kept going for a while and eventually turned around at 3600 meters.
Ampay preserves the last forest of intimpa (podocarpus glomeratus), endemic to this part Peru. It is possibly the highest forest (2900m-3600m) we have ever been. Having experienced this forest, I now look at the landscape completely different:
1. Various trees do grow at altitude, though they may grow at a slow rate. The only trees we had seen so far at altitude on this trip are all eucalyptus. All the nearby mountains, who-knows-what other mountains can by covered by forests!
2. What may appear as nature to me may actually have been shaped by humans, even if not continuously. Even though the indigenous population was drastically reduced, the land has been used at the same rate.
3. Such is the struggle between man and nature
We get a good start on the day at breakfast at our hotel in Andahuaylas: bread, elderberry jam, and butter.
Two days ago, this street was the middle of the Sunday Market.
In this 15-second video we avoid some sheep and cows.
Video link here.
Great views of the road to Abancay as we are in the (smallish) front seat of the minibus.
There are clouds at higher elevations - see this 15-sec video.
And it's chilly.
The minibus driver was professional. Never a worry with clouds or sheep or landslides in the road.
A 26 second video of driving through the clouds.
The video link is here.
And eventually a view of Abancay to the left although still 45 winding minutes away. Even though I had studied our upcoming hike on Google Maps I was unprepared for the sight of Abancay, a city of 70,000 people, situated as though ready to slide down the mountain. Of course when actually in the city, one has no such feeling at all.
It took us awhile to find a hotel, but we eventually settled into the Hotel Imperial, this unlikely-for-us courtyard hotel. The pluses: quiet, big room, Alberto the very helpful manager, and proximity to La Delicia, the only vegetarian restaurant in town.
The Plaza at night.
Sun-Ling makes lunch for today's hike: Sandwiches with avocado and smoked cheese.
Traveler's Tip: If you bargain, you can get a taxi from city center to the Ampay Reserve Parking for 15 soles. The entrance fee for foreigners is 30 soles; however, you may be able to get in for 11 soles, the price for non-local Peruvians. If you call a taxi to come pick you and take you back to town, it's 30 soles. However the walk back to the plaza is 4kms, all downhill.
This taxi driver wanted 20 soles, but accepted our offer of 15.
There's a pretty good map at the ticket booth. The guy in charge pointed out a few routes to us.
As usual, we had a random dog with us on the walk.
Many flowers and plants to photograph.
Up,up, up.
View from the first mirador (there is a bench).
We reach the first laguna.
15-second tadpole video.
Video link here.
Tadpole pic.
We continue to the camping area.
Many bromeliads in the trees.
And other flowers.
After the laguna, we backtrack to the fork in the trail, and then continue up to the meadow at 3600 meters, a few hundred meters below the tree line.
Cows and horses are grazing in the meadow.
Many of the flora at Ampay have stickers/thorns/spines. Much more than we are used to in North Carolina. I think this is some kind of holly.
Mossy trees.
Colorful flowering plants.
Just about done.
As we are walking back down to town a woman on horseback is headed up.
Abancay has a new outdoor stadium.
Almost back to the hotel.
Dinner.
In the Plaza, children are demonstrating to protect the environment.
The next day we hang out around town; buy some black olives.
We have dinner at a food court with a view, and the best veggie saltado on the trip so far.
Shopping district at dusk.
No comments:
Post a Comment