Nearing The End

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So tomorrow will be the last bus ride that I will be taking in South America...and although I am more than relieved for that fact, it also means that I am near the end of the trip. Lima, the final destination will be reached on Sunday, then it is just a matter of days until the flight back home. The trip has been amazing, and has gone by way to fast, but it will also be nice to be at home, sleeping in a familiar bed.
As for the past couple of days, we just returned yesterday from the Santa Cruz Trek which was supposed to be a 4 day trek. We got to the trek, and decided after the first day, to walk about 2 hours more than what our guide book suggested to make the next day shorter, as we were told that the hike would be about 8 hours on day two. Day two came around, and we started trekking around 9 am. Again, we got to the next days camp fairly early, so we decided to try and cut off some more time of the next days hike. We kept booking along, and at one point did not come across any campsites. Around 4 in the afternoon we ran into a local, and asked how long until the next camp site. We were then told that we had 30 minutes to go to what was supposed to be the 3rd nights camp. This took us by surprise, but one that we were glad to accept. The ride from the end of the trek back to the city on the 3rd day was almost more taxing and stressful than anything we did on the trek. We were travelling through constant single lane gravel switchbacks all the way down a mountain. The views on the road were stunning, but they were only able to be seen when you werent holding onto your seat for fear of your life.
The whole trek was very breathtaking...because of the views, as well as the altitude. On the second day, we made it up to the pass and through, and we figured that we climbed upwards of over a kilometer that day, as well as back down about half a km. It was pretty easy to sleep at night, and it was a good thing that it was so easy to fall asleep, because it was mighty cold during the nights. Waking up after the first night, I had to lay my tent out in the sun to thaw all of the frost off of it. It was a nice experience, but one that I do not need to repeat anytime soon.
All in all, the trek was not too extrememly difficult, but I think we made it a lot harder on us than need be. When rationing our food, we came upon a quota of 4 cans of tuna a day for the first 3 days, and 2 for the last short day. A combination of knocking a day off of the trek, as well as only eating 2 or 3 cans a days made for a lot of extra, as well as uneccessary, weight. The extra challenge was welcomed though, and now that the trek is completed, it is just something that we can claim we did to increase the difficulty, although at the times I was cursing the large amount of fish in my backpack.
That is it for now...one week and I will be able to share my stories of the trip in person. Because of this, I think this will be my last blog from South America. I hope it has served the purpose of keeping everyone up to date, and I will see you soon.

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