More bones in Chachapoyas

Trip Start Sep 03, 2007

106

Trip End Jul 03, 2008

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Where I stayed

Hostel Revash

(Chachapoyas hotels)

Flag of Peru Chachapoyas, Peru
Monday, March 17, 2008

A very tired but relieved that we actually made it here to Chachapoyas arrival sent us straight to the first hostel we saw Hotel Plaza. Venturing out for a couple of evening drinks but couldnt but help notice the lack of activity within the town so crashed out in bed fairly early. Waking to find our hostel was simarlarly lacking activity - it took us 30mins to find someone to serve us breakfast and there was not hot water and considering the place is in the mountains and freezing cold we quickly found another hostel with hot water - hostel Revash, a much nicer hostel.

Jamie still had a dodgy tummy (this has been going on for 3 weeks now) he spent the afternoon in bed whilst I took a taxi up to Huancas, where after a short walk I stood on the edge of a mirador looking over spectucular canyons. Well worth the little trip.

18th March
We had arranged to go to the pre-incan site of Kuelap today about 3 hours away

lama

. We had to go on a tour otherwise we would never know what the site was all about so we booked with Cha Cha Tours (55soles each), Jose our guide was perfect, if anything he knew too much information. We got in our minibus for the drive and were all somewhat subdued going through some lovely scenery but some hair raising roads. Past through a few small villages and arrived at Kuelap. We walked up the hill to the ruins to find we were alone which was great.

The ruins themselves consist primarily of huge walls overgrown with plants with a few entrances and inside a number of circular houses or other buildings in various states of renovation. The fortress was very impressive perched on top of a mountain with the clouds coming down on top of it. It was built by the Chachapoyas people around 800AD as a special ceremonial fortress. In some of the walls you could see bones as people were buried, a bit like Otuzco - they were buried in their village first and then after a few years dug up and buried again with sacred gifts within the walls of the fortress so they as they beleived they would be closer to the Gods. Some skulls were found to have holes in them were they believe they were either cracked open whilst they were alive as surgery or it happened as part of a sacrificial ceremony - not sure which theory I believe, but I hope it was for surgery. There is a lot of work going on the site at the moment but it was obviously their day off so we could go and see everything. The site was huge and very impressive. Some people reckon its as good or better than Macchu Pichu. I cant comment on that as I have not seen Macchu Pichu but it is a very special mystical place well worth the visit especially as we had the place to ourselves.