31st December 2024

Today we had booked onto a group tour to visit the Palcoyo Mountains. The night before, Dan decided not to join me owing to fatigue from the last few days combined with illness. This was more than understandable considering the day would involve a 4am pick up, a total of 7 hours driving and a walk at 4,800m above sea level. Due to a combination of factors, I ended up being the only person on the tour, meaning I had a driver, a guide and an entire minivan to myself.

After a couple of hours driving we turned off the main road and on to a dirt track with extensive pot holes and many a switch back. Stone walls topped with cacti lined the road leading us past small villages. The van climbed higher and we drove into a red and green valley. The river was the colour of rust from where runoff had taken the red clay with it.

We reached the car park at the top of the pass and I followed Elisban, my guide, into the park. The path was rocky and worked it’s way up over the top of the mountain range to bring you to the other side of the valley. From here there was a large triangular ridge of mountain stripped in subtle greens, reds, whites and yellows on the right. To the left was a large red ridge, the top of which was covered in shards of rock. Thin, jagged and standing as if they had been thrown like daggers into the mountain top.

My favourite view though could not be seen until we crossed into the next valley. Here a triangular prism of the same four colours sat dominating the view. Looking closely I could see the shape of vicuñas standing on the top of the mountain. The colours were vibrant in the sunlight and I could see Ausangate, a high snow-capped mountain in the Andes.

Elisban and I climbed higher into the red valley and soaked in the 360° view of colourful mountains (pictured above). In this park there are three official rainbow mountains, but in reality the entire landscape was plastered with colour. The colours come from oxidised minerals, the most dominant of which is iron, producing a brick red colour. Sulphur produces a yellow, while copper forms a pale green, and limestone and quartz show as white. Like most unique landscapes in South America the area was under a prehistoric lake and a combination of erosion, techtonic and volcanic activity has resulted in these beautiful bands of colour in uniquely shaped mountains.

We descended down the red valley where we spotted a bright green lizard obvious against the red clay. We hopped back into the minivan and worked our way down the winding mountain road back to Cusco.

I jumped out of minivan and straight into the main square of Cusco, Plaza Mayor de Cuzco. It was the first time I had laid eyes on Cusco in the light and I was instantly taken with its charm. Restaurants and shops filled the plaza, outside promoters held open menus, hopeful in their attempts to tempt you inside. I moved away from the square in the direction of our hostel down thin cobbled streets, adorned with shop fronts promoting colourful goods. Several art galleries caught my eye, large canvases with abstract interpretations of Machu Picchu and portraits of llamas pulling inquisical expressions.

Throughout the city people were putting up yellow decorations, whether that be balloons, flowers, bunting, streamers or even dressing head to toe in yellow. This is a New Years tradition in Cusco, whereby yellow represents hope for an abundance of wealth and health in the new year.

By the time I reached the hostel I was desperate to drag Dan out to explore the city. Luckily, Dan appeared to be doing much better and shared my feelings. We wandered out and shared the city together stopping at a cafe I had clocked earlier. We were both ravenous, our appetite returning after a diet of Ritz crackers for the last two days.

Later on, when heading back out for dinner, we bumped into a couple we met on the bus to Puno a few days ago. We greeted one another and headed out into the chaos of town together. The city was buzzing with music and dancing. We were donned with yellow steamers to wear around our necks and weaved our way through the merry crowd in the search for food.

After eating we left the party early as we were starting the Salkantay trek the next day, hadn’t yet packed, and were still feeling a little unwell. We said our farewells and ran back to the hostel to prepare for the next four days before falling asleep oblivious to the new year being welcomed.