The morning began much like the previous one: pitch dark, shivering cold, a knock on the door, a warm smile, and a lovely cup of coca leaves tea to greet us. While it was still chilly, the temperature was noticeably warmer than the previous morning due to the much lower elevation of 2900m compared to 3800m. However, this small win was diminished by the fact that our clothes were still soaked from the previous day.
Today was going to be an easy day, so the mood was relaxed and playful rather than nervous anticipation. We enjoyed pleasant strolls along deep valleys, with a gradual decline. Along the way, we were shown an hallucinogenic plant called the trumpet plant, used in Ayahuasca rituals. It’s common for travellers to partake in Ayahuasca, and for some, it’s even the sole purpose of their journey to the Amazon. Coincidentally, we had a similar plant in my childhood backyard, and I almost died from eating it, so an Ayahuasca experience was a big no-no for me.
As we neared the end of the valley after a few hours of walking, we passed by farms and sampled various exotic fruits within reach. The group was quite spread out, and those of us in the front found a small food stall with some hammocks to relax in while waiting for the others to catch up.
Setting off again after a brief rest, we soon reached the lunch spot, which was also our final stop of the day. Unexpectedly, I received the sad news that after lunch, we would be parting ways with Jana, the two French guys, and the two Israeli girls, who were on the four-day trek while the rest of us were on the five-day trek. The remaining group consisted of Anton, Raj, Oliver, Felicity, and me. We would also merge with another group, one we had seen at our lunch spots but had never interacted with. The mood was a bit grim due to the impending goodbyes. We had bonded a lot as a group, and the dynamics would change from here on out. We ate lunch, shared a few laughs, and took our last photo together as the original group. It was certainly a heavy goodbye.
After a moody lunch, we set to regain our good spirits and our sights on reaching the hot springs about 20 kilometres away. Walking wasn’t an option, so we needed a ride. The tour group, which was also associated with our accommodation, offered a taxi service, but at the steep price of about $15 per person. With about 13 people in our newly merged group, this was at least 5 times the price than local transport would have cost. Oli, Felicity, and I immediately refused, seeing it as clear tourist exploitation. We tried to unite the group to haggle the price down, but they folded and accepted the cost.
Determined to stand against this exploitation, Oli, Felicity, and I scoured the village for a ride from a local resident. Even with just four people, it seemed like a worthwhile proposition for someone willing to drive us to the hot springs. We found a family across the road from our accommodation willing to take us, but they first needed to check with the accommodation owners. Unfortunately, the owners denied the local family the chance to earn some money from the tourists, which made us furious just on the principles.
Undeterred, we soon spotted a local taxi that travelled between villages and engaged in negotiations. Since the driver wasn’t from our village, he wasn’t influenced by our accommodation owners and agreed to take us for significantly less. At that point, the exact price didn’t matter as much as avoiding the exploitative service from our accommodation. We were thrilled with our small victory, supporting a free market where more local people could also benefit from the tourism passing through their villages.
Arriving at the hot springs, I was struck by how developed it was. I had expected a wild pool in the mountains, but it looked more like a resort, which was a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, we weren’t going to let a little commercialisation stop us from enjoying our first shower in three days.
The instructions we received upon entering were a bit confusing, but we knew we had to shower before entering the pools. Anton headed toward a small waterfall, thinking it was the shower. The water was cold, which was a letdown since the weather wasn’t exactly warm. Luckily, before joining him, I scanned the area and spotted a more official shower area. Testing it, I found it was hot! There were enough shower heads for all of us to shower simultaneously. We even discovered some soap and shampoo that someone had left behind, which we shared among ourselves. What a score!
It was a deeply bonding moment as the four of us savoured a warm shower outdoors, amidst the breathtakingly lush Peruvian mountain landscape after three days of challenging hiking. It felt raw and invigorating, a true celebration of being alive. Stripped of modern comforts, we rediscovered a primal joy in bathing in nature’s embrace.
Once we felt satisfactorily clean, we eagerly entered the hot springs, which featured four pools ranging from the coldest to the warmest. After enjoying the bliss of the hottest pool for a while, we decided to capture the moment with a photo before we got out. Olly, already out and wearing just a towel, kindly agreed to take the picture for us. He snapped one shot but then tried to get a better angle by crouching down. In his haste, he forgot that he wasn’t wearing any underwear under the towel. As he squatted, inadvertently exposing his jewels, we all burst out laughing, much to Olly’s confusion. Eventually, he caught on, but by then, the damage and eager to rest.had been done. As scarring as this unsolicited image was, it will forever etch the events of that day into my memory, and for that, I’m happy to have been an unwilling witness.
