Quite used to the early morning arrival in an unfamiliar city now, I had made it along the sometimes unreliable road to Chachapoyas. I found it to be a fascinating city in many aspects. Firstly, It is capital of the Amazonas region in Peru, yet only home to around 20000 people. It is relatively small yet has schools, hospitals, government buildings and much more advanced infrastructure than you would think, being so isolated. It seems almost confused, stuck halfway between bustling metropolis and quiet, jungle town. I really enjoyed the vibe given off by Chachapoyas, the people were also extremely friendly and were intrigued by me, even more so than in the rest of Peru.

I started a cool breakfast routine here which consited of dried oats, yoghurt (they sell alot of bottled yoghurt in S.A. which was strange), linseeds, raisins and just about any fruit I could find in the market. I'm aware that I have mentioned previously the availability of fruit in the whole of South America, but will emphasise it again because it really did blow my mind. I was in heaven and as sad as it was, really looked forward to breakfast where I would prepare the fruit every morning. Banana, mango, pineapple, kiwi, pear, strawberry, papaya, apple, passionfruit and more. Then there were unusual fruits like the granadilla, chirimoya, tumbo, pepino, carambola etc. Of course I tried them all, it was all so cheap too! This "ritual" as I liked to call it, would carry on until the end of my time in South America.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the city, lunch and through the dirt roads up to an awesome lookout that really gave an indication of how strange the location of Chachapoyas is. Nothing but mountains and forest surrounded the town, with hills covered in green and the sound of animals calling. It was peaceful. That night I was on the hunt for a dish iconic to Peru, the stuff fit for the Inca gods themselves, though I was fairly unsure of whether I wanted to try it. It is safe to say when the plate of Cuy (roasted guinea pig) was served up to me I couldn't help but feel slightly guity for what I was about to do (I even thought I heard it squealing in the kitchen a few minutes before). The small little creature head, claws and all lying innocently on a bed of rice and potatoes. To be honest, it was more bone than flesh, tasted a bit like chicken and rabbit but I guess it was something I probably wouldn't eat again for a long time, if ever.

There is a site of ruins near Chachapoyas known as the Kuelap, and I was eager to check them out. Although tours are not really my thing, I was given an offer to good to refuse, paying only 50 soles (less than $20) for both a day at the Kuelap and a day at Gocta falls! Crazy. The next day we were on our way to Kuelap, down the windy road where we would then walk a short distance to the ancient fortress covered in vegetation like something from an Indiana Jones flick. Said to be more impressive and older than Machu Picchu (and without the crowds), the site stands roughly 600m by 100m in size and was thought to be built in 6th century AD, as a place of refuge against the Huari people. You can tell it is not frequently visited by tourists as most of the pathways and "stairs" (there aren't any) were quite dodgy, if not dangerous, especially in the wet where I was sure someone would end up sliding down the rocky hill. Now days there is not much left of the sites interior, however it was cool to see many of the small circular structures used for housing, burying etc still standing. As well as many other oddly shaped buildings for ceremonies, storage and holding the dead. One tall building comes to mind that was entered through the top, like a bottle. HOW? Not to mention the views of the jungle from the site! Crazy!

Gocta falls was also an adventure, rain filled day. It turned out to be one hour by bus to the small town and then another 2.5-3 hour hot, steamy walk to the falls from there. The group set off, in a trail that led up and down the mountainous terrain, through cloud forest, grasslands, coffee plantations, sugar cane, thick jungle and a few streams. Sure enough, the rain started just as we arrived at the falls and was relentless, lasting a good hour. The poncho-clad group stood around in the open listening to a folk tale told by the guide before heading down to get a real close up of the falls (a.k.a. standing right under them). When you are there, standing at the bottom of a wall of water plummeting down onto you, wind almost blowing your face off, it makes you feel alive. I stood in awe and watched, wondering where it all came from (a river obviously ya idiot). Gocta is almost 800m tall and one of the highest in the world, so by the time the water makes its way down it is not much more than mist, but the volume of water flying down off the rock makes it feel alot more powerful. The walk back to town was accurately described as wet, and this was an understatement as we avoided huge puddles, slippery hills and even a small mudslide just under a newly constructed rickety boardwalk where we literally had to run incase it gave way. Back at the town, I basically took everything except my shirt off, much to the guides amusement. Everything was soaked for at least 3 days. That night I tucked in to 2 rounds of feeds due to the considerable distance walked. The first was a plate of pasta with chicken in a creamy sauce. It was cold and I didn't enjoy it all that much, however I spent some time talking to a local man (in english and spanish) who worked in schools. It's funny in Peru, lots of people think they can speak english (moreso than any other country I was in previously), or they assume you can't speak spanish. So they will attempt to communicate in their best english. It was a funny conversation regardless. The second feed was unique to the region, known as a juane. Basically it is fish, chicken or beef wrapped in yucca and then wrapped in a bijao leaf and steamed. Pretty simple but taste SO GOOD. I had been looking for them for a while since being in Chachapoyas, funnily enough I bought from a guy carrying them around in a bucket. Seems legit...