Kuelap!... I guess the reason Chachapoyas is on the tourist map. A fortress on top of a lonely mountain that is hard to notice unless you know it's there. Before the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadors put Peru on the map, the Chachapoyans built Kuelap do defend themselves against other warring tribes, over 1200 years ago. There it is on top of a desolate mountain. (It looks like a submarine, sort of.) 
Kuelap is a 3 hour bumpy ride south of Chachapoyas (the city that was named after the long gone civilization that lived here.) The ride itself is breathtaking as the van scales the mountains on roads that feel like they're out of place. Valley after valley, mountain after mountain, and tombs after tombs that are built into the faces of the mountains like the ones below. Chachapoyans had "balls"... 
Those round things above are bases for tombs or houses. "Why?", I asked myself. Imagine going to the bathroom at night. Dangerous. As a matter of fact, this whole region is filled with remnants of buildings stuck into unreachable places. But first, we had to find it...
Some hike here, we drove. Much easier than the 6 hour, 3 kilometer hike up the steep mountain. The "city" is a marvel. One of the fun facts is that it took a lot more bricks to build the walls than the largest Egyptian pyramid. Really, there is very little known about it, since real digging only started about 3 years ago. Our guide was filled with assumptions about the story of these people and their life. Nobody really knows because these people disappeared before anyone could ask them any questions. We brooded around the walls and then went inside.
The llamas are actually brought here for the tourists. They are not naturally here. Funny.
Me and my butterfly!
Honestly, we got a little screwed. The guiding company that we hired claimed to have an English speaking guide for us and was supposed to give us a discount. Ha-ha. Luckily, one of our fellow touristas spoke English and translated for us. Note to self: be careful with tourist trapping crooks! There she is. Pegonia was super awesome. I hope I spelled her name right.
But it was incredible anyway. The overgrown buildings, stones that have been here for eons made me feel like I was Indiana Jones.
A lot of this ancient city is under construction. The walls are being taken apart and re-mortared. It's difficult to describe this place. What can I say about it? It was awesome, inspiring, beautiful... and full of mysteries that we are just beginning to tap. The solution is all of you have to come and see it for yourselves!
We returned late at night and took Pegonia out for drinks. You would also be glad to know that the following day I became the right hand of justice and after much threatening, I got some money back. Yes!
Here are some more pics of Kuelap...
Sash n' J.
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