Samaipata and El Fuerte
by Richard
We had decided to continue north east from Sucre to Samaipata (1650m), a small town located at the crossroads between the highlands, grasslands and the tropical rainforest.
The main attraction there is El Fuerte, the world’s largest single rock carving atop a mountain, carved by ancient peoples and later added to by the Incas and Spanish settlers.
This time the only buses available went at night which turned out to be our worst journey so far. I suppose we should have expected an uncomfortable ride when we realised that we were the only non-locals on the bus and when we saw the sheep in a sack. Yup, that’s right, amongst the luggage on the floor of the bus terminal tied up in a big sack lay a sheep with only his head sticking out. Occasionally it would lift it up to peer around at the people and then lay down again and go back to sleep. Kate was all for freeing the creature, but I reasoned that it did not appear to be in any great distress and was seemed to be having a snooze.
The rattling bus was draughty and cold…very cold. So cold in fact, that you could stock it up with beer, and call it a mobile fridge. Even with hats, gloves and buffs on it was an unpleasant journey. Worse still we were told that it would arrive in Samaipata at 7am, but at 06:30 our fellow passengers informed us that we had passed it 3 hours earlier. We had no choice but to continue to Santa Cruz and then share a 3 hour taxi ride back again squashed into the back of the car with 3 men and a load of computer equipment.
However the hostel http://www.laposadadelsol.net/, and garden were an absolute oasis of peace and tranquillity where we relaxed in deckchairs and watched the hummingbirds feed on the bushes in an immaculate garden. The Texan “Trent” and his Bolivian wife “Rosario” were the most laid back and kind hosts, with lots of suggestions for hikes and places to visit.
We ended up enjoying the sleepy town for a very relaxing week.
The breakfast menu included extras such as porridge, home toasted granola, bacon and eggs, as well as the most amazingly light, frothy, fresh smoothie that I have ever tasted. Delicious.
Built by the Chanes, a pre-Inca culture, this fort commands great views of the surrounding hills and valleys.
If you look carefully you might be able to make out the puma carved into the top of a circle adorning the top of the rock.
The Incas later added their own nooks and crannies to the rock, including lots of doors which lead no where. Europeans first tried to blow up some doors thinking that there might be something behind them, not realising that they are merely symbolic connections to other Inca sites on top of distant hills.
The field below was actually a large plaza used for markets and gatherings and will be excavated later this year.
Our guide had worked on the excavation team for many years and offered to sell us his matchbox collection of arrow flint heads and a tiny gold Inca coin for a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately our budget and morals prevented the trade, so I bought his hand made necklace of different local clays, believed by the Incas to hold special powers. We satisfied our thirst for ancient relics at the local museum instead. Alas poor Yorico!
Las Cuevas
The next day, Maarten of Roadrunners, obligingly kitted us out with a couple of mountain bikes for the day. Nothing fancy, but for just $7 dollars they were just fine, and we set off on a beautiful 20km descent to the Cuevas Waterfalls.
Condors circled over head and people waved to us as we passed small villages and farmsteads along the way.
It’s a much more friendly way to be a road user with many a hoot and wave from fellow vehicles. We could (almost) understand why we had met several travellers crossing the length of S.America by bicycle. (one couple was from Neuchatel)
Although we missed the waterfall entrance and cycled halfway up the next hill, I eventually got the right directions from a blind honey seller.
Kate tried to wade across the pool to the waterfall but suddenly sunk into the quicksand up to her knees and struggled back in panic. A beautiful spot for lunch, although we didn’t know that we would treasure the itchy sand-fly bites for the next few weeks to come!
Tags: el fuerte, las cuevas, posada del sol, roadrunners, Samaipata, santa cruz, Sucre