August 12th, 2015
After a long mini-bus journey from Tarapoto to Chachapoyas with a stop and bus change in Pedro Ruiz, I’m back in what is still probably my favourite region of Peru. So much to do and yet largely unexplored this region is home to 2 of the world’s 20 tallest waterfalls as well as countless incredible archaeological sites still under touristed (though less so than 6 months ago). Pair all that with incredibly friendly people and lots of good food and this region of Peru is one you shouldn’t miss. The only downside is access as the closest serviceable commercial airports are Tarapota and Chiclayo (each about 10 hours bus ride from Chachapoyas.)
But on to the story, we check in in the early evening to Chachapoyas Backpackers in a comfortable 4 bed dorm thankfully still devoid of bunk beds and book a tour to check out one of the few major sites I’ve not made it to here, the Revash Mausoleums and Archaeological Museum in Leymebamba, before heading for a delicious night of pizza and cards at Candela. I’m sad to find my friend Domi no longer owns the place, but the pizza is still impeccable.
The next morning we head over the the same agency I booked both my tours with six months ago when I was in Chachapoyas with Elin and Olivia from Sweden and end up walking straight back to our hostel where the van’s are all lined up picking up the backpackers for the various tours. At 60 soles (negotiated down from 70 soles) plus 15 soles museum entrance, Revash is the most expensive of the four main tours and I’m not sure why. While it’s impressive and lots of fun, there’s nothing which seems to justify a higher price tag than Kuelap (30 Soles plus 15 entrance).
Still we pile into the car eager to head to this site of ancient mausoleums built into a cliff face, somewhat similar to the Karajia sarcophagus’ I visited six months ago. Sadly, it is quite a long drive, almost two hours straight to get to the tiny little town nestled high in the mountains which provides access to a short if not easy trail to the mausoleums.
The ride is jarring as the whole second half in unpaved, but the scenery as we go is truly incredible, just what I’ve come to expect of the area. We climb out of the minibus and excitedly start down some steps as we’re greeted by shy smiles from the locals and anxious glares from the farm animals.
As we head further along the trail the mud only increases and as we turn to more of a downhill section the going gets pretty slippery, but it’s all worth it when half an hour later we crest a rise and get our first glimpse of the ancient and strange looking mausoleums which look just like little houses carved into the cliff side and dabbed with strange red paint patterns.
Rob, Bethan and I hurry ahead and scramble down and then up again on the narrow muddy path, more than a little scared of slipping and falling down the significant drop to our right, still we make it, and get few brief moments standing alone beside the mausoleums. Some of the houses are in better repair than others and while some are only one story, one goes up to three stories. We peak our heads towards the entrance but resist the urge to go inside, knowing its likely not allowed and definitely not respectful. Eventually the rest of the group joins us and we learn a little more about the ancient Chachapoyan culture.
Estimated to be built in the 14th century these little mini villages comprised of several mausoleum houses are fascinating to stand beside and these particular ones are just one of many groups, built into similar sheltered ridges on caves, keeping with the Chachapoyan people’s tradition of lying their dead to rest in high places.
Our friendly guide Michel, who accompanied me to Kuelap six months ago and does remember me, tells us lots more little details and eventually points out that we’re not supposed to be as far along as we are in such a large group, so Rob Bethan and I scramble down an even more difficult trail to get to a viewpoint of the bigger collection of Revash houses, around a corner in the cliff face. No one else chooses to join us but I’m glad we do as these houses seem more complete and impressive than the others. It’s certainly worth it, even if I’m muddy and gasping for breath as I make my way back up to the main trail.
With that we hike back up to the van and climb back in for another hour of hard driving back down to the main road and into the village of Leymebamba where we take a break for lunch. Rob Bethan and I stick to the Plaza de Armas eating sandwiches we brought and sharing with a local homeless man while the others go to a restaurant which I’m sure provided quite a nice lunch. Rob Bethan and I also start having fun tossing my bouncy ball around, rediscovering our youth, thanks to just one of many strange contents in my bag.
then it’s back in the bus for a fifteen minute drive up to the museum where many mummies found near Laguna de los Condores (another very impressive trekking option in the region) are kept, among many other details of the Chachapoyan people and their history. Sadly no pictures are allowed inside but we learn a lot and I happen to find a few pictures of the 200 or so mummies who are bundled up in very terrifying positions.
We learn a ton in the museum, so here’s a very brief rundown on some of the interesting things about the Chachapoyan people also called the cloud warriors. Their civilisation began sometime around 400 AD and continued for many centuries up until they met the Incans in the late 1500’s. This wasn’t the end though as they largely resisted Incan invasion and rebelled often. then the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru and the Chachapoyan’s allied themselves with them. Enemy of my enemy and all that. Sadly, once the Incans were destroyed the Spanish basically took over, forcing important leaders out of their cities and into new built Spanish ones and slowly destroying the Chachapoyan culture to the point where the language they once spoke is now more or less entirely lost. Not the only people to get screwed by invading Europeans eh?
Another thing that stuck out was just how much land the Incans conquered in a very short span of time, about a hundred years. Here’s a map found on the internet.
At any rate, back to the day, once we’re out of the museum Rob and I play more catch with bouncy ball before we head to the last stop of the tour, a cafe across the street with hummingbirds. As we walk through the museum parking lot a massive rainbow appears in the ever clearing sky and shines brightly for all of us to marvel at. a double rainbow even appears which you can faintly make out in some of the pictures below.
We head up to the cafe and are delighted to find a lot of hummingbirds buzzing about, so while the rest sit and order coffee I devote my entire focus to capturing the hummingbird in a photo, something that’s never all that easy. I apologize for the large gallery below.
Cake, coffee and tiny birds enjoyed by most we climb back into the car and drive back to Chachapoyas which takes a while but passes easily enough considering how much time we’ve spent in mini buses over the past two days.
The sun’s long gone by the time we get back to the plaza de armas in Chachapoyas, but we’ve been lucky enough to come during a festival and fireworks suddenly bloom in the sky not 5 minutes after our arrival. They shoot up into the air from inside the plaza and are stunningly low, some embers even touching down on people causing momentary shouts of alarm. Still it makes the show all that much more impressive and that, paired with more delicious pizza at Candela provides a perfect cap on a lovely day.
