Here we are at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, looking happy and ready to go.
Participants start from varying points around the Trujillo area, but we decided that if we were going to do this crazy pilgrimage we were going to do it right. Our epic adventure began at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, where the five of us gathered and braced ourselves for the walk ahead, still having no concept of what we were getting ourselves into. It took us a solid hour to even escape from the city of Trujillo, and by the time we reached kilometer mark 0 on the main road, the sun was hot and we’d already logged a few kilometers. To fully appreciate how ridiculous we looked, you have to imagine 5 gringos wondering aimlessly on the side of a busy road with big backpacks. Several cars and police officers stopped to ask us if we were lost and kindly point us back to the city; however, when we explained that we were participating in the pilgrimage walk they seemed amused and encouraged us on.
Taking a break amongst the sugar cane
The road was straight and monotonous, lined with sugar cane and cerros without any new sites or turns to help the distance pass faster. Finally at kilometer 21 we arrived in Quiriuac where we happily collapsed into chairs and shoveled down enormous plates of rice. At this point it was already about 4:00pm and we were only a little over half way for our day’s walk. After a quick break we continued on, trying to motivate ourselves with sad renditions of Christmas songs and lots of shared stories.
Approaching Quiruac
The sun set quickly, and we continued our adventure by the lights of our headlamps. When we reached kilometer 31 we all literally collapsed on the side of the road, exhausted and unsure how we’d finish the rest of the day’s walk. As I said, I was having fun but I also kind of wanted to kill myself. We lay on the ground for a solid 30 minutes before finally picking ourselves up and continuing the following 6 kilometers to Shiran. We sat down in the first restaurant in Shiran, exhausted and spirits low. The day’s 37 kilometer walk took about twelve hours and we had finished about half of our entire journey.
Kilometer 31 almost killed us all
Luckily, after a night’s rest we were all a little more cheerful and ready to start our second day of walking. As we began our trek we all looked like we had aged about 50 years as we lay on the ground stretching and hobbled out the door.
Shiran was lined with people along the road stuffed into sleeping bags or resting under tents. This section of the pilgrimage was more crowded with people, which provided a much needed morale booster. The trek also diverged off the main road and onto a rocky, dusty path that curved and climbed with the mountains. The green fields of pineapple and sugarcane and rocky riverbeds provided enjoyable scenery, but the sun was strong and the continual incline provided additional challenges for our poor legs.
I definitely felt a bond with the other “pilgrims” as we continued on our journey. The shared sighs and groans broke any language barrier, and we spent much of the day alongside the same groups of people. Throughout the walk there were hundreds of little stands selling cold drinks, frozen marcianos, and a variety of food. We finally arrived in Casmiche, which was our last major landmark before arriving in Otuzco. We ate lunch and napped in a beautiful grassy oasis in the shade of banana trees before completing the final 17 kilometer stretch.
Relaxing before the final ascent
After leaving Casmiche we entered a portion of long, winding, steep roads that seemed never ending. Trujillo has 0 altitude and Otuzco rests at about 2800 meters, so in addition to the 75+ kilometers we walked, we also climbed almost 9000 feet in altitude. Before long the sun had set and the chill of the mountains set in, luckily the lights of Otuzco served as a beacon before became too disheartened.
Finally arriving to Otuzco, 32 hours later!
Plaza to Plaza- here we are in Otuzco!Around 8:30pm we entered the city of Otuzco, and slowly hobbled the last several blocks to the Plaza de Armas. 77 kilometers, 24 hours walking, 32 hours total adventure. The city was swarmed with people celebrating, singing, and dancing.
We entered the church in the plaza and saw the infamous “Virgen de la Puerta” and hundreds of devotees illuminated by the votive candles lit in her honor. Exhausted, we certainly didn’t have energy to participate in the dancing or celebrating. Instead, we went back to Brian’s host family’s house and they generously fed us a big meal and provided hot salt water to soak our aching feet.
The audience enjoying the Burro Cross
The following morning we attended the “Burro Cross,” which is a crazy competition between dozens of donkeys from Otuzco and the surrounding area. Each caserio enters their prize donkey and jockey who enter the donkey race at the Otuzco town festival. The donkeys, ridden by 8-10 year old boys, follow the race course and cross the river in a race to determine the fastest donkey from Otuzco. Donkeys are not meant for speed or agility, so watching this race was hilarious. Seconds after the race began there were unmanned donkeys, donkey collisions, and donkeys running in every direction. Surprisingly there were also some donkeys who were remarkably quick. Not only was there a prize for the fastest donkey, but also the “burro más burro” (essentially the dumbest donkey).
The donkeys and their jockeys
The whole weekend experience was definitely memorable, and of the tens of thousands of people who participated in the walk and festival, we appeared to be the only non-Peruvians. Taking part in events like this and sharing in the cultural practices of the people here (no matter how crazy they are) is something I really value and could never be replicated on a vacation or quick visit to the country.
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