Day 1,019
Stargate
After 2 days’ rest in Puno we set off for Bolivia. We need to leave Peru as our 90-day allowance is just about up. With time to kill before the Bolivian salt flats dry out, our plan is to head back into Peru, cycle to Cusco, and spend a bit of time there. We hope to do some big hikes, catch up with other cyclists we've met, especially Helene, Jeff, and maybe even Sylvan and his dad. Helene has already found a restaurant that specialises in cheese, so that's a date!
First though we have to get there. Our route was beside Lake Titicaca and after the hills of the last few weeks was definitely easier riding. It soon became apparent though that 2 days’ rest in Puno wasn't really enough, especially for me. Our legs ached, breathing was still an issue, we are around 13,000 feet and the low oxygen level is definitely making itself felt.
However, Tom had been doing his research and had a great spot for our first night wildcamp, Aramu Munu.
Aramu Munu is quite something, set in the hills of Hayu Marca, a stunning range of weird shaped red rocks, it wasn't rediscovered until 1996. It is a carving of a massive doorway, though who carved it is unknown, though we were told it dates from around 3000BC. There are many legends about the origins of the door and the reasons for its creation. Whatever, it is certainly revered as a spiritual place.
Legend has it that an Inca priest named Arumu Muru, took a golden solar disk from the Sun Temple in Cusco, and fled here to escape the Spanish conquerors. When he reached the door, he placed the sun disc into a carved space in the door, it opened and he disappeared inside never to be seen again. Other legends have it that the Incas could enter the doorway, that it was actually a portal to other Inca sites and so they could exit at any place in the Inca Empire. I could go on, though one very interesting fact is that on the other side of the mountain archaeologists have found remains of Inca tunnels linking to Cusco and Tiahuanaco in Bolivia, so the myth may be based on fact, who knows?
Today it is a place where people come to perform ceremonies to find spiritual peace. With permission of the site staff we had set up our tent in a field just in front of the door. We had hiked up the hills and explored the whole area and were just about to settle down for the night when a small group of people arrived. They were here to seek some spiritual calm and a local guide was helping them perform the ceremony. Jennifer, from Colombia, asked us if we wanted to join in, so we forgot about sleep and agreed to take part. Shoeless we listened to the calming words of the guide, were handed various leaves, and took time to meditate at the wall. For me I felt an overpowering urge to pray for two friends who are undertaking treatment for cancer, if the Gods couldn't provide a cure then could they take away the pain please, then I felt my mind emptying, I couldn't hold onto any thought. Overall it was a calming experience. One of the things touring as we do, is to realise we have senses, instincts, that in the modern world we are no longer aware of, but being away from the 21st century, spending the majority of our time out in nature has made us feel somewhat reconnected to these senses. Whatever, we both felt our time at the doorway was something special.
Unfortunately the Gods couldn't fix a damaged air mattress so I had a somewhat uncomfortable night! In the morning we headed for the border with Bolivia, this was our quickest crossing yet, all done and dusted in under 5 minutes. Both of us were still feeling tired, so we decided to stop at the small resort of Copacabana, set in a natural harbour in Lake Titicaca. We ended up booking ourselves into a very nice hotel overlooking the bay, rather than a cheaper hostel in town. I'm sat writing this looking out on the stunning view from our bedroom window. Tom has within seconds found the hole in the mattress,hopefully it will patch OK, so maybe those Inca Gods are working their magic after all!
