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Published: January 23rd 2007
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So it's been over a week since I last made an update. Sorry for the delay, but just to clarify this did not mean I became deathly ill - although I did come close at one point. Last weekend I was still in Lima. On Friday night I went to a peña, a popular type of club with traditional folk music. The costumes were so elaborate I felt like I was at the Mummer's parade in Philadelphia. There was plenty of dancing going on, including plenty of gringos who made total fools of themselves. I laughed along with everyone else, even though doing so was slightly ironic.
On Saturday I had my first ceviche, a popular Peruvian dish that is raw trout prepared in lemon juice, among one of over a dozen varieties. If you like sushi, it is hard to not like it, it is simply delicious. For the rest of the day I talked with Alberto, the uncle of the family I was staying with, for over 6 hours! It's funny how time just flies by sometimes. We talked about everything from US politics and the war in Iraq to the current state of Peru to Walmart. Not
Ceviche at La Isla Escondida
Myself, Eduardo and Alberto enjoying a nice lunch of ceviche surprisingly US foreign policy is on a lot of people's minds here. Alberto, as it seems with others, shares a general fascination with the US and its culture, and couldn't stop extolling the virtues of films like Gone With the Wind and anything with Humphrey Bogart.
On Sunday I made the 8 hour bus ride north to Huaraz, a moderate size town that is the base for trekking in the Cordillera Blanca mountain region. Travel by bus in South America is never boring, and this time it was no different. At a police stop along the highway, we waited for almost an hour after it was discovered that the bus driver’s license had expired! I'm not sure how we managed to find another driver, but eventually we did and we were on our way. I arrived in Huaraz late in the evening and, going against every rule in the book, spoke with a guide, Juan, at the bus station hawking a particular hotel. Usually those guys rip you off, but I was too tired to care at that point. The hotel turned out to be OK, only $5 a night, including breakfast, TV and hot water-not always available. That
The peak of Huascaran
This was my money shot! price is pretty typical around here.
On Monday and Tuesday the altitude of the town really hit me. It sits at about 3000m (9,800 ft.) Of course Juan convinced me to go on an 8 hour tour of the area on Monday morning, which was definitely not the best way to get acclimatized. The area around here is certainly beautiful though. We visited the town of Yungay, completed destroyed in 1970 by an earthquake, and Lake Llaganuco at 3,800m (12,400ft). The landscape was truly awe-inspiring, as green, lush valleys gave way to towering mountains and steep cliffs. This area is considered to have some of the best hiking in the Andes, and I could see why. Just to give you an idea, there are more than 50 peaks over 5,700m (18,700 ft) in this small area of 180km, while North America only has 3 peaks over 5,700m. On the way back we saw breathtaking views of Huascaran, the highest mountain in the tropics anywhere in the world (6768m, 22,200 ft). In short, they don't mess around here.
By Tuesday the altitude was affecting me enough that I went to the doctor, who did a complete checkup, and an
Union Point, 4750m
I was dying by the time I made it here. I did my best to hide it from the camera. electrocardiogram I might add, for a measly $15. Hard to beat. Luckily he did not find anything physically wrong with me, so I grit my teeth and decided to go on a 4 day trek of the region from Wednesday to Saturday. I didn’t find out till later that I had been ripped off (everyone in the group paid $80, I paid $140), by my buddy Juan no less, but so it goes. I’m still trying to get my money back. We’ll see. There were six trekkers (3 French, 1 Australian, 1 Austrian and myself), 1 guide and 2 arrieros who guided the 2 burros (donkeys) that carried all of the camping equipment. Day 1 was a short 3 hour hike that took us through some poor towns in the mountains. The little that these people live on is certaintly disconcerting. We camped at 3,800m (12,400ft) and it rained all night. It would continue to rain for most of the trip. Day 2 was by far the roughest, as we ascended another 1000m up to Union Point at 4,750m (15,583ft). That four hour ascent left me gasping for air and pretty light-headed, and I was glad to have made it
Day 3 in the valley
The terrain seemed to go on forever. This was also our first day of sunshine. in one piece. Luckily we descended to a campsite at 4,200m (13, 779ft) and could rest. I still felt out of it, but our guide, Dino, gave me some coca leaves (yes,
those kind of coca leaves) to chew which definitely helped. The rain continued all day and all night, but when Day 3 gave us plenty of sunshine, I don’t think I’d ever been so glad to see the sun. The constant rain had certainly worn everyone out. Day 3 gave us beautiful views of the peak of Alpamayo and plenty of lakes and waterfalls. As you can see from the pictures, the views were expansive and endless. After a tough downhill on a path made of nothing but rocks, we made it to our final campsite, this time at about 3000m (9,800ft). Day 4, this past Saturday, had no hiking left, just a 3 hour ride back to Huaraz, first by taxi and then by colectivo (local bus). Colectivos are always entertaining, because people get on and off at will as the bus snakes along the highway. By the time we got to Huaraz, at least 25 different people had been on a bus that only seats
Two girls along the trail
These were two really sweet girls that I met, Roxanna and Lily, that lived just off the trail. 10. Saturday night brought some much needed rest, but yesterday, Sunday, I decided to keep on moving and go to Chavin de Huantar, the site of an ancient ruin of the Chavin civilization. While interesting (the temple was built around 1000BC and features some impressive engineering), the ruins themselves are not as captivating as they are made out to be.
So there you have it, my life in the last week or so. If you made it this far, thanks (if you skipped to the end, I don’t blame you). I’ll stay in Huaraz another day or two and then head either north to the beaches of Trujillo on the Northwestern coast, or the ancient culture of Nazca, in the Southwest. All I know is, thank God for coca leaves. My body actually feels acclimatized by now.
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Antje
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Bubie, THIS IS GREAT. keep writing stories. Love it. Glad you have survived thus far! Haha.