Quad Tour of Moray and Maras
With a 7:30 pick up, we were off and walking to the quad tour office to be collected by the bus. Where we waited. And waited. Turns out another guest didn't set her alarm and was 30 minutes late for pick up.
Back on track, we drove about an hour to the small town of Cruz Pata where the quads were ready and revving to go.
After a short orientation on how to use a semi-automatic quad bike, each of us did a couple laps around the practice ring to get the feel for it. Then with helmets and driving gloves secured and looking super cool, we were off.
I got to drive in front behind the guide motorcycle! I thought Erin was right behind me but was concerned by how close she was following and that she didn't seem to know how to use the brakes... when I had a chance to look behind me, it wasn't Erin. It was a girl wearing full makeup reapplying her lipstick and frequently stopping for selfies and texting. Her brakes were replaced running in to me. Yikes!
We zoomed down pretty well paced rural roads and slowly proceeded through local villages. I clocked my max speed at 60kms/hr. Then proceeded to panic and slow down.
The first stop was Moray - the famous circular agricultural terraces. We were told we had 15 minutes (probably because we were late starting). Unfortunately the woman in front of us in the ticket line was a tour operator buying for more than 30 people! It took 10 minutes to get through the frackin' line.
Anyways, with the help of our guide John being pushy, we got through and ran to the nearby edge above the terrace. He explained that current thinking is the terraces were like a science lab - experiments for finding the best farming methodology. At times, more than 2,000 different types of potatoes were grown here!
The terraces at the bottom are on a low angle with a short wall. The depth of the terraces progressively increase and so do some of the angles. The terraces are well irrigated and have steps between levels. It's thought that the soil was brought up from the more fertile Sacred Valley and that there are underground channels built for drainage, but the site is somewhat fragile so no further excavation has been done to confirm.
Serious face, for serious listening to serious science seriously.
We had time for a selfie and to walk maybe 200 metres down the path before having to use the remainder of our time in the bathroom queue. Apparently, there are two more labs like the main one we saw, but you have to walk a while. And we did not have time. But the girl that kept making us late had time to make the guide take a dozen photos of her and to fix her lipstick.
Back on the quads we drove over to Salineras - the salt mines. The mines are still functioning today and it's the primary job for the people of the small town Maras that we drove through on our way to Moray and back.
Wading through a sea of people and passing by numerous stalls, we reached the terraces. There are a handful of rivers running to the valley from the high mountains. The water picks up minerals from the volcanic rocks and arrives in small streams super salty. Or from subterranean salt deposits from prehistoric salt lakes. Or from tectonic plates pushing briney water up. I couldn't really get a straight answer on that... So I'm going with a giant silver dragon shed a deluge of salty tears before succumbing to the sweet embrace of death when his mate of many eons was slain by a band of enterprising adventurers on an ancient quest for treasure and glory. Science!
One source stream trickling in. Note the salt crusted on the edges of the stream!
Our guide said that just a little drop of the water would be very, very salty on the tongue. Of course I jammed my finger in the water and tried it as soon as his back was turned. Holy sodium Batman! It was a sip of pure salt dissolved in a tiny portion of water - saltier than a sweaty Poseidon.
Anyways, back to behaving and listening... The water flows into the shallow terraces from small diversions cut for irrigation. The water stays in the pools until evaporation takes the water away leaving the salt behind. We are at the tail end of the rainy season, so the process was just getting started. In winter, a few months from now, the terraces are all white like snow.
Our guide told us there are three layers of salt that are harvested from each pool. The top layer is the best and is collected for adding as flavour for cooking. The second layer was also for cooking but more for boiling in water and less for direct consumption. The third layer is used for medicinal purposes. Mostly healing bath salts as far as I can tell.
Each terrace can produce 80kg of salt! There were locals working the salt flats, busy repairing walls and fixing terraces, as we ambled around. The terraces are passed down within families and has been practiced for more than 500 years. There are more than 6,000 salt pans near Maras nowadays.
On the way back to the quads by short bus ride, I had the chance to sample local chocolate mixed with the Maras salt. It was delicious. I immediately bought as many as could fit in my bag. Which was only two bars. Stupid tiny backpack... make room for chocolate!!!
At this point we were about an hour behind schedule, which would normally be no big deal but we had to meet our Inca Trail tour group at 3:30 and were slated to be back by 2. Back at the quads, we just had to circle back to the starting point which was about 30 minutes away. I was on my bike ready to go when the leader turned sideways and started yelling. Turns out the girl behind me was making a call on her cell phone and wasn't geared up or on her bike yet. The leader told her we had to go and she yelled back "I'm on the phone!" No one could really go around her because we were parked bumper to bumper. With some more yelling she started to get her ass in gear. Erin was able to pass her soon after she got on the bike and we were off.
For like five minutes. Then the motorbike at the lead realized only Erin and I were following. Everyone was at least another five minutes behind. So we had goofing around fun photo time!
Eventually, a different girl pulled up next and explained the delay. I couldn't hear with my helmet on and the engine running, but I have a pretty good guess what the delay was... I took a creeper photo of the what I'm dubbing "self-centred girl". Very prepared for quad biking through the dirt to archeological sites. With her low-cut boob top. Although another girl on the trip wore all white. So all light brown by the end.
Creeper photo of "Self-Centred Girl"
Anyways, we did make it back to the bus and back to Cusco a little more than an hour late. We met our group at the appointed time, me dusty, smelly, wrinkled and a little sunburnt, Erin freshly showered and in a dress because there was only time for one of us to shower.
We sat through an excellent and thorough briefing of the Sacred Valley and Inca Trail itineraries, altitude gains, and daily distances. We then rented the necessary equipment (sleeping bags, air mattress, etc.) and grabbed the small duffels we had to pack with five days worth of clothes but less than 3kg of weight.
What the hell have I gotten myself into...
Back on track, we drove about an hour to the small town of Cruz Pata where the quads were ready and revving to go.
After a short orientation on how to use a semi-automatic quad bike, each of us did a couple laps around the practice ring to get the feel for it. Then with helmets and driving gloves secured and looking super cool, we were off.
I got to drive in front behind the guide motorcycle! I thought Erin was right behind me but was concerned by how close she was following and that she didn't seem to know how to use the brakes... when I had a chance to look behind me, it wasn't Erin. It was a girl wearing full makeup reapplying her lipstick and frequently stopping for selfies and texting. Her brakes were replaced running in to me. Yikes!
We zoomed down pretty well paced rural roads and slowly proceeded through local villages. I clocked my max speed at 60kms/hr. Then proceeded to panic and slow down.
The first stop was Moray - the famous circular agricultural terraces. We were told we had 15 minutes (probably because we were late starting). Unfortunately the woman in front of us in the ticket line was a tour operator buying for more than 30 people! It took 10 minutes to get through the frackin' line.
Anyways, with the help of our guide John being pushy, we got through and ran to the nearby edge above the terrace. He explained that current thinking is the terraces were like a science lab - experiments for finding the best farming methodology. At times, more than 2,000 different types of potatoes were grown here!
The terraces at the bottom are on a low angle with a short wall. The depth of the terraces progressively increase and so do some of the angles. The terraces are well irrigated and have steps between levels. It's thought that the soil was brought up from the more fertile Sacred Valley and that there are underground channels built for drainage, but the site is somewhat fragile so no further excavation has been done to confirm.
Serious face, for serious listening to serious science seriously.
We had time for a selfie and to walk maybe 200 metres down the path before having to use the remainder of our time in the bathroom queue. Apparently, there are two more labs like the main one we saw, but you have to walk a while. And we did not have time. But the girl that kept making us late had time to make the guide take a dozen photos of her and to fix her lipstick.
Back on the quads we drove over to Salineras - the salt mines. The mines are still functioning today and it's the primary job for the people of the small town Maras that we drove through on our way to Moray and back.
Wading through a sea of people and passing by numerous stalls, we reached the terraces. There are a handful of rivers running to the valley from the high mountains. The water picks up minerals from the volcanic rocks and arrives in small streams super salty. Or from subterranean salt deposits from prehistoric salt lakes. Or from tectonic plates pushing briney water up. I couldn't really get a straight answer on that... So I'm going with a giant silver dragon shed a deluge of salty tears before succumbing to the sweet embrace of death when his mate of many eons was slain by a band of enterprising adventurers on an ancient quest for treasure and glory. Science!
One source stream trickling in. Note the salt crusted on the edges of the stream!
Our guide said that just a little drop of the water would be very, very salty on the tongue. Of course I jammed my finger in the water and tried it as soon as his back was turned. Holy sodium Batman! It was a sip of pure salt dissolved in a tiny portion of water - saltier than a sweaty Poseidon.
Anyways, back to behaving and listening... The water flows into the shallow terraces from small diversions cut for irrigation. The water stays in the pools until evaporation takes the water away leaving the salt behind. We are at the tail end of the rainy season, so the process was just getting started. In winter, a few months from now, the terraces are all white like snow.
Our guide told us there are three layers of salt that are harvested from each pool. The top layer is the best and is collected for adding as flavour for cooking. The second layer was also for cooking but more for boiling in water and less for direct consumption. The third layer is used for medicinal purposes. Mostly healing bath salts as far as I can tell.
Each terrace can produce 80kg of salt! There were locals working the salt flats, busy repairing walls and fixing terraces, as we ambled around. The terraces are passed down within families and has been practiced for more than 500 years. There are more than 6,000 salt pans near Maras nowadays.
On the way back to the quads by short bus ride, I had the chance to sample local chocolate mixed with the Maras salt. It was delicious. I immediately bought as many as could fit in my bag. Which was only two bars. Stupid tiny backpack... make room for chocolate!!!
At this point we were about an hour behind schedule, which would normally be no big deal but we had to meet our Inca Trail tour group at 3:30 and were slated to be back by 2. Back at the quads, we just had to circle back to the starting point which was about 30 minutes away. I was on my bike ready to go when the leader turned sideways and started yelling. Turns out the girl behind me was making a call on her cell phone and wasn't geared up or on her bike yet. The leader told her we had to go and she yelled back "I'm on the phone!" No one could really go around her because we were parked bumper to bumper. With some more yelling she started to get her ass in gear. Erin was able to pass her soon after she got on the bike and we were off.
For like five minutes. Then the motorbike at the lead realized only Erin and I were following. Everyone was at least another five minutes behind. So we had goofing around fun photo time!
Eventually, a different girl pulled up next and explained the delay. I couldn't hear with my helmet on and the engine running, but I have a pretty good guess what the delay was... I took a creeper photo of the what I'm dubbing "self-centred girl". Very prepared for quad biking through the dirt to archeological sites. With her low-cut boob top. Although another girl on the trip wore all white. So all light brown by the end.
Creeper photo of "Self-Centred Girl"
Anyways, we did make it back to the bus and back to Cusco a little more than an hour late. We met our group at the appointed time, me dusty, smelly, wrinkled and a little sunburnt, Erin freshly showered and in a dress because there was only time for one of us to shower.
We sat through an excellent and thorough briefing of the Sacred Valley and Inca Trail itineraries, altitude gains, and daily distances. We then rented the necessary equipment (sleeping bags, air mattress, etc.) and grabbed the small duffels we had to pack with five days worth of clothes but less than 3kg of weight.
What the hell have I gotten myself into...
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