June 21, 2007
Day 631
Taquesi Trek Day 3
The central plaza of Yanacachi.
For once I wasn't freezing all night. I actually found it easy to leave my sleeping bag when dawn finally broke. I started the day by walking about an hour uphill to the horribly ugly town of Chojlla, which was built to house the people working on the nearby dredge mine and their families. The water running downhill was polluted from the dredging process, much like what I witnessed at the mines in Guyana. Not wanting to see the horrible living conditions and environmental damage, I bypassed the village and continued toward Yanacachi.
It only took another hour to reach Yanacachi, which was quite pleasant compared to Chollja. Like just about everywhere else on the trail, the town seemed deserted, but eventually I found a hotel to stay in. My trek ended by noon, but that was a good thing. I was able to spend the afternoon washing all of my camping equipment and drying it in the hot sun. The emerald hills surrounding the town provided a nice backdrop for the rest of my day. The Taquesi trail turned out to be a difficult trek because of the long downhill section, but I managed to make it in one piece.
The photo album for this entry is here.
