Mal Viento

Hiked back down Mucmoca Valley to catch a bus, actually a truck, to find some "tejidos" (textile weaving) at the local Sunday market at the end of the lower valley. The terrifying ride up many switchbacks and along and near cliff edges took about one hour. There were about 50 people crammed in the back of the truck who were picked along the route through the valley and were all headed to the market to sell or trade goods. Remigio and I got off the bus early in order to walk and take some photos of Ausangate Peak, which towers to 20,906 feet. The Incas worshipped mountains, and to them, Apu Ausangate was the reserve of the gods ("apu" means spirit). Ausangate is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Vilcanota, towering in the southeast sky from the city of Cuzco. It is a long, rugged mountain, with two high peaks rising from its jagged summit crest. The lower peak rises just east of the high peak, and is separated by a small saddle.

After a 20 minute walk we arrived to the town and checked out the market. Not much was for sale mostly food. We ate some lunch from a local merchant which I regret doing now. It began to rain and Remigio put out the word that I was looking for some weaving. We visited a few homes of local weavers but found nothing. The truck sounded its horn and we had to run to catch it. Remigio asked the driver to drop us off midway down the valley. We then hiked up the valley to where his younger sister lives. I started feeling really odd at about 14,700 feet and began to hyperventilate. I don't think it was the altitude considering I was just up at that elevation. My broken foot was swelling up and quite painful. Starting to think this trip to Peru 3 weeks after I broke my foot was a huge mistake. When we arrived to his sister's house I nearly collapsed. I lay on the bed trying to sleep but my entire body began trembling every 30 seconds beyond control. Felt like I had thorns in my stomach I just could not stop shaking. Was it that lunch? The altitude? I tried to meditate and concentrate on my breath and that seemed to increase the time between trembles. Guinea pigs were running back and forth acorss the dirt floor. It was also somewhat terrifying not knowing what was happening to my body. Remigio made me some mate de coca and I tried to sleep again. I was in my sleeping bag covered with 3 alpaca blankets and still felt cold. About an hour later Remigio and his brother-in-law told me to take my feet out of my sleeping bag so that they could hold burning medicinal herbs under my feet. Within 10 minutes the trembles subsided and I was sound asleep. I will never know for sure if it was the medicinal herbs that cured my sickness or just time, but I'd like to believe it was the herbs. Much later Remigio offered me some Alpaca guts, but I just couldn't stomach them. I fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake until morning. Remigio attributed my sickness to the ghosts that live in the valley and the mal viento "bad wind."