Day 9 - The Trans-Apolobamba Trek (Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo)

I had a knock on my hotel door at 6:30am, it was Freddie my guide. He told me breakfast was ready downstairs, and when I went down to the hallway area he had some of his camping equipment laid out on the floor! He had coffee brewing and he served up Kellogg’s cornflakes amongst other things, I was quite impressed! He was very attentative and seemed to want to make sure I had all I needed for my breakfast.

He made it clear over breakfast there was not going to be any mule, which I was a little disappointed about as I was actually looking forward to having a bit of extra company! I showed my concern at the amount of gear he had (which he clearly would be carrying), and he then suggested I should carry some! I thought 'why should I'? Twenty four hours ago I was told there was going to be a mule and two guides!? And anyway, I had my own backpack to carry. I blamed Vincente (the tour operator), as I began to see he clearly was making a healthy profit out of Freddie and myself! I did however start to feel a little sorry for Freddie as he was clearly going out of his way to look after me. There was no mention of me paying for my hotel room, which was something!

We set off just after 8am, and it was quite clear Freddie was carrying far too much gear, he had his backpack (which contained most of the food), and a large hessian bag full of gear attached to it. He was also carrying another hessian bag with some other gear including his tent! I thought it was all a bit ridiculous, what with his clothing and worn out trainers he was also wearing.

As we were walking out of Pelechuco, we stopped at some houses along the way and Freddie started talking with some of the locals and from what I could gather he was asking if anybody had a mule for hire! Nobody could help us. It was quite a steep climb out of Pelechuco and Freddie was stopping quite a few times to readjust his backpack and the other bag attached to it. I was beginning to think we might not make the trek all the way to the end! Eventually I began to walk ahead which gave me an opportunity to take some photographs. After a couple of hours of walking I spotted an old lady outside her mud brick house and asked if I could take her photograph, she was more than happy for 5 Bolivianos!

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

 

About an hour later we came to a flat bit of grass where llamas were grazing, it was great to see them up so close, they did not seem bothered at all. Freddie suggested we stop here for lunch, I thought it was a great idea. Freddie prepared a lovely lunch of tuna sandwiches and salad. Eating with the mountains as a back drop, and llamas for company was wonderful. He was really taking care of me, and making sure I had everything I needed; he was like a servant almost! I was beginning to feel sorry for him carrying all his gear. When he packed his gear away and attached it all to his backpack and attempted to stand (as he has to place the backpack on a rock first) it was quite distressing to see. Because of this I took away one of the hessian bags he had that included his tent and started to carry it for him, he seemed very grateful!

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (Great place to stop for lunch!)

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

As we set off after lunch, the heavens opened and there was some almighty loud thunder. It was quite tough going for the next hour, which was all uphill but at least the rain did not last very long. Soon we reached a peak of 4800 metres, with some amazing views. From here it was all downhill passing some lush scenery with more llamas and alpacas grazing. Finally there was a bit more climbing before it flattened out again. Freddie gave a hint that we should be near our sleeping destination soon which was a relief!

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (Looking back over)

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (Looking ahead)

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (Looking up at the mountain I have just climbed over)

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (Very close to Hilo Hilo)

 

At 5pm we reached Hilo Hilo which was a very small town, with a tiny plaza in the middle. It was great to walk though it passing the lovely mud brick houses with the colourful ladies and their children sat outside. They would have made some wonderful photographs, but they were not keen on having their photographs taken! I was amazed at how friendly the locals were; they all greeted me with 'Buenas Tardes'! I popped into the local shop as I was starving and I also wanted to get stocked up with a few sweets and biscuits etc for the next few days. The lady in the shop was very kind and I was amazed at how much I was able to buy for only 15 Bolivianos! Before too long a crowd was gathered outside the shop keen to meet me, especially the younger ones. Even the locals sat around the plaza were giving me a wave!

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (The town of Hilo Hilo)

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (The town of Hilo Hilo)

 

Meanwhile Freddie was suggesting we find a room to stay the night? My immediate thought was, this will end up being another drawn out affair and I would soon be proven right! Freddie visited a few places, and suggested he had found us a room, I asked him if we had a room each? He gave me a funny look and said yes, I didn't believe him! I asked if I could see the room, but there seemed to be an issue with seeing it straight away? (I know if I spoke more Spanish, things would have been a lot easier!) We then walked back towards the plaza again and Freddie began speaking with somebody else about another room!?

Whilst Freddie was doing whatever he was doing, I got talking to two local men, who happened to be the local teachers in town. They could see I wasn't impressed with Freddie's antics and they seemed to agree with me that pitching our tents in the town would be fine. Freddie came back over to us to say he had found another room, and suggested we go and have something to eat first. I tried to make myself understood; that if we were going to stay in a room, I’d rather see it straight away and if not we need to pitch our tents before it got too dark. After a little argument I just walked off intent on finding a piece of land to pitch my tent, it wasn't long before Freddie and the two teachers came after me and they suggested a patch of land ideal for camping at the other end of town (where we first arrived). It was where I had noticed a lot of kids playing football and generally just hanging around. I must admit at first I wasn't that keen, but I would soon realise I had nothing to worry about. As soon as Freddie and I and the teachers walked over many came over to say hello, and some just sat on the wall, watching and being absolutely amused at us looking around for the best bit of land to pitch our tents!

By now it was getting quite dark, so Freddie and I pitched our tents quite quickly. The locals were really just interested in me and my tent and some of my camping equipment! More of the kids came over to say hello and have a good look inside my tent. We all had a good laugh at both our inabilities to speak one another’s language! Some of the kids wanted their photograph taken in front of my tent which I was more than happy to oblige.

Day 1 - Pelechuco to Hilo Hilo (My tent in the town of Hilo Hilo!)

As darkness fell the kids disappeared, and I was left talking with the teachers, they were really nice people and they were keen just to learn a bit of English. I did start to feel sorry for Freddie again, as all the time I was talking with the teachers he was cooking and preparing my meal, and he clearly does not like camping! He cooked a lovely soup, which soon warmed me up as it was starting to get cold. The teachers left at about 7:30pm, and so I went over to Freddie and gave him a chocolate bar as a thank you, I think he really appreciated it! We made up after my little outburst earlier, he is obviously a very kind man who just wants to look after me, but he just winds me up sometimes!

Looking forward to a good night’s sleep in my tent, I am led to believe we covered approximately 15 kms today.