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At 3 am, on August 3 2011, we were waiting the taxi driver Timoteo with whom I had spoken the day before to go from Cusco to Paucartambo, about 5 hours travel. He wasn't coming, so I called him and he told me slept that he was not coming. It has become very common in Peru, almost daily thing, to not meet what agreed, and being Basque myself, the adaptation was hard, but with daily training anybody adapts himself.
The team consisted of Peruvians Diego Ibañez and Leo Gonzales, Argentinian Silvio Gurrieri and I Eneko Yarza. We represented the Team Avalancha, awesome lifejackets made by Silvio himself. He made me one with the colors of the Ikurriña, the Basque flag, and the message "Non gogoa, han zangoa" which means "Where my thoughts are my steps are". Viva Silvio y arriba Avalancha!
We distributed the food that everyone had to bring for about 6 days, and there we were on the river shore in front of everything we needed to get into the kayak: sleeping bag, mattress, dry clothes, awning, pot, spare paddle, video cameras, mate, etc. After playing the puzzle-kayak game we embarked at 2500m altitude.
Self support trip with all in the kayaks, in 6 river days we didn't see almost anyone. We navigated about 200 km starting in Paucartambo river, that later changes its name to Mapacho river and last to Yavero river, until the confluence with the Urubamba river in the Amazon jungle, down to 480 m altitude. Continuous class IV rapids with several fifths, so continuous that there was almost no flat water in 5 days, what a joy!
The day used to begin lighting a wood fire, heating water for mate tea and oatmeal breakfast. Puzzle-kayak game, faster each day, dress and ducks to the water! After 3 hours kayaking, stop for lunch, which consisted of tortillas, ham, cheese, tomato and onion. Peruvian Sublime chocolate, and paddle for another 2-3 hours.Around 16:30 time to look on the bank for a beach camp because it is dark at 18:00. We undressed and played the tent-mounting game as engineers and workers. It consisted of putting a tent roof above the plot of sand using rescue ropes, stones, sticks and paddles. There was humidity and it rained the first night. Now firewood, light the fire, water filtration, tea, cook, dinner and with smokes and fires we slept in a canyoned hotel with hundreds of stars.
The sixth day we boarded a motorboat to go up the Urubamba River to the first village with road, Ivochote. Here we got in the back of a truck with other natives coming up and down. Chewing coca leaves because of the altitude, we travelled for 27 hours in the same truck to get to Cusco, such a trip!
These multiday kayak expeditions can be compared to big wall climbing or mountaineering. Or like a meditation retreat, or ashram. Knowing that you're away from shops, roads or toilets.Without privileges, just being is the privilege.
The journey through the veins of MotherEarth is the aim.
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