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Published: August 22nd 2005
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Llama Trek
The start of the llama trek Saturday morning a group of us were met at the house by Poncho, our guild, to go on a Llama trek. We all climbed into the van and drove for about two hours up into the Andean Sierras. Along the way we stopped and Poncho bought fresh trout from a trout farm for our lunch. When we arrived at out start location, a highlander was there with about fifteen llamas.
They rounded the llamas up and tied most of our stuff to them. I only gave them a few things and kept my pack with me. Poncho had also arranged horses to fallow along, just incase anybody was having difficulty with the altitude. I’m going to guess that we started our trek at about 12,800 ft and the high point of the pass that we went over was 14,500. Before the pass we stopped for a wonderful picnic. It was above a high mountain lake. The Central Andean Sierras are very arid and it just seems strange to be higher then Mount Rainier and not be in a snow field. As we continued on to the top of the pass a local man came running along with his ponies. He
Llama Trek
The view from were we took a snack break. was very insistent that one of us ride his other pony. Nobody was game so I Cowboyed up! It was fun. Even the ponies stop to pressure breath at that altitude. Before we reach the top of the pass one of the other girls was thinking that maybe she should ride, because she was felling the effects of the altitude, so I swapped out with her a finish on foot.
At the top Poncho performed a ceremony to the mountain Gods. We gave them flowers as an offering and each threw them into the air as we made a wish to the mountain. My wish was to be able to do really make an impact some how in the medical arenas. Well that wish has come true in a strange form. After the offerings to the mountain we headed down the other side. We had to move fairly fast do to a strum that was chasing us.
Part way down this valley we came to the village that we were to spend the night, which was celebrating a wedding and some sort of Evangelist religious event. We walked through the village to the other side were Poncho had
Llama Trek
Anyone thinking what I'm thinking? Wana climb! the van waiting for us. As we all climbed in so did several villagers who live down by the school that we were going to sleep in, along with a baby goat that one of the ladies was caring. At the school the cook had our fresh trout lunch waiting for us. It was so good. We rested which was a good thing because several people were feeling the affects of the high altitude. I do have to admit that I did have my first real altitude head ache.
Later that evening we visited a hut that a local family of four lived in. The hut was no bigger then a kitchen table. It was made of rocks stacked-up to make very drafty walls and the roof was made of some sort of grass. It was with mixed emotions that we sat and visited with them. Poncho translated for us. Most of the peoples of the highlands speak Quechan, the native language.
In the morning we were woke up by Poncho’s new baby lamb that he bought for 10 sol ($2.50). He turned it lose in the school room where we were sleeping. It was quit comical. The
Llama Trek
You knew I'd do this! 14,500 ft cook made us tea and we walked up the hill to watch llama shearing. They shear them with knives. They just flipped it over and hogged tied it’s feet. One of the men cut the llama and tried to blame it on Devra. I was thinking it was no big deal; I use to nick my sheep all the time when I was shearing them. So I went to check out the cut and it was quit deep. So I offered to stitch the llama up, hence, now the name of Llama Healer! The owners were very grateful because they thought the llama was going to die. I don’t know it the llama would have died, but the wound would have most likely gotten very infected and taken a very long time to heal. I am Llama Healer I told you the mountain God answered in a strange way! Poncho also took a puppy from a local family because they could provide for it. They were just letting it starve to death. It is a very cute puppy. We named her Muppet and feed her milk. Poncho is hopeful that he can nurse her back to health.
After breakfast
Llama Trek
The village we went for a horse/pony ride up another valley. It was so beautiful. The locals heard their animals way up in the highlands to graze. After the ride the cook had lunch waiting for us, after which we loaded back up into the van and were drove back to Ayacucho with a baby lamb and one very sick puppy. It was a wonderful weekend filled with wonderful people.
Ciao- Machelle
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PA Kurt
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healer
When i was in Papua New Guinea I was called the "mekanek blong man" (a man mechanic) and as a PA I was named the "dokta boi" (doctor boy). One interesting item was that we popped popcorn pn the open fire. The village folks had never seen, such an oddity, except for us.