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Published: March 24th 2006
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ah...to be back in a teeming city!
la paz is the defacto capital of bolivia, located in the north western part of the country. it is home to about 1.5 million people, who all live at 3,660 m. in a big canyon, surrounded by the gorgeous bolivian cordilla real mountain range. the city sprawls the base and walls of the canyon and offers a busy, lively, daily pulse of traffic, people, and markets. not a place for those in fear of over stimulation.
you can find just about anything and everything on the streets, being sold by the "duenas" (bolivian women) dressed in traditional clothing that consists of colorful, robust skirts and sweaters, with big embroidered shawls and little top hats. typically, their hair will be braided in two long braids that stream down their backs and sometimes have an element of decoration at the ends. the duenas seem to rule the streets and are often seen carrying massive loads of food, products, or children! on their backs, expertly tied and held with a colorful rug. at first, seeing toothpaste, chocolate, kleenex, sweaters, jam, shoes, pencils, chickens, apples, bread, bananas, peanuts, cd's, hats, scarfs, and toliet paper all at
the same "store", within 2 feet of more of the same, was a little intimidating...but then again, i can imagine its one of the most efficient places ever to run your errands.
i enjoyed a few days exploring the city and re-grouping. the artisan products made from 100% natural llama wool are beautiful, and there are some charming (however touristy) streets overflowing with their wears...even a witches market, with leaves, sprouts, twigs, natural remedies and potions, and many a dead animal carcass that are said to be able to cure just about anything. i will take their word for it!
the altitude must have been going to my head a bit after all, because i also decided to take advantage of being within spitting distance of some of the best climbing mountains in the world, and signed myself up for a 3-day climb up the foreboding Huyani Potosi. i've been trekking around a bit lately and although not in perfect shape, the effects of the uyuni tour had worn off, i was up for a little exercise and a new experience..and "when in bolivia"...right??
the trip was shared with 2 gentlemen who are currently living in sucre
la paz street
you can see the walls of the canyon and layers of housing rising up in the distance... (the real capital) doing volunteer and community service work, as well as studying spanish. so that was also a thrown in requirement/request - that it would be 100% spanish from our guides. ok, i've been learning a bit myself so...no problem, let's go!
let's just say that my professional climbing career has not gotten off to a stellar start.
we spent the first day "practicing" on a 98% vertical ice shard, in the lower mountain range. in the comfort of rented ski boots, aided with crampons (4 to 5 inch steel spears attached to your feet), armed with a pix ax (there is a technical name for this that i have quickly forgotten), strapped in a harness, and layered in all my best outdoor, freezing cold, ice climbing clothing...(some rented!)... we spent a good couple of hours throwing our selves up and down the ice wall. kind of fun actually, once you get the hang of it and over the complete fear and weirdness of scaling a 50-100 meter vertical face, with nothing holding you there except 5 inches of steel extending from your toes and a foot long spear, that resembles an overgrown (and sharp) hammer.
i
our "practice" wall
the guide and i, carefully axing and cramponing our way to the top made it through the practice run, with only one bout of crying towards the end when we decided to climb to the very top of this practice wall, and then "repell" over it (here is where the harness and rope come into play). if i've had any inklings of a fear of heights in the past, they have all been 100% confirmed. i actually made it over and down, but faltered a bit on the climb back up, using only the strength of my toes (crampons) and upper body strength to plunge and pull yourself up with the ax's. you have GOT to be kidding me! here commenced the crying. and subsequently, the guide and 2 boys talking me back down....in spanish. time to do more push-up's...:-)
day 2 was a hike up to our second "refugio", that consisted of scaling large, endless, piles of rock and snow...only to get to the base camp and find the refugio having a very strong resemblance to a large tuna can, precariously plopped on a snowy bank, about 5,200 meters above civilization. fabulous!
at midnight, our alarms went off, we drank a few cups of mate tea leaves (to help with
down she goes!
it took more than a little coaxing and i swear, maybe a little push..to get me over this 90 degree edge and 50 m. drop the altitude and warm us up a bit), got fully bundled in all necessary climbing gear and layers and layers and layers...and headed out in the pitch black to start the 7 hour haul to the 6088 meter summit of huyani potosi. unfortunately, since arriving at the base camp around mid afternoon, the weather had decided to throw us a little curve ball and we were in the midst of a snow storm. with the ax in one hand, and a little flashlight in the other, i made it about 20 precarious steps up the snowy rocky brigade in front of us, before turning around and going straight back into the tin can!!!
needless to say, my summit bragging rights will have to wait until the next time i decide to scale a 6088 meter mountain in the middle of a snowstorm 😉
the boys and 2 guides made it to about 5,700 meters, before having to turn around as well and start working their way down, due to the snow. they picked me up at the tin can, and we all proceeded the rest of the way down...tired, weary, a little bit disappointed (more them than me...i
the tin can
our home away from home on day 2...there is about 3 feet of rock behind this, and then down, down, down... was perfectly happy at that point to stay wrapped up in my sleeping bag and wait for dawn!)...but having that "mountain happiness" after spending a couple of unforgettable days in the depths of the cordilla real, with all of its majesty and beauty.
i have a new found respect for climbing and if this is at the top of anyone's list of hobbies or next adventures.....the cordilla real is a great place to do it!
for me, its on to the little port town of copacabana and lake titicaca for a few days of "grounded" relaxation 😊
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