Peru

October 25

A day of rest we decided to start our camping trip tomorrow. Yesterday we took a one day killer hike up to a 13,000 foot glacier lake called Chulap. The hike took about six hours and involved scaling a waterfall and rock-climbing to get to the top. We almost gave up at a particularly precarious spot that involved a bit of skill to rock-climb out onto the waterfall and clamber back over the mud to get to the steep rocks- very scary because one slip and you were going down the falls. It really is just mind over fear though. If the falls were not there, it would have been a no-brainer. But the fear makes you cautious and therefore a bit unsure which can lead to a misstep. However, we made it and were very proud of ourselves…And this was the easy way up…the other way up to the lake involved rock-climbing using ropes. Coming down, on the other hand, was a whole different ballgame and was quite terrifying. Add to all this the fact that it was difficult to breathe because of the altitude and you understand the difficulty of hiking in the Andes. Geographically, Peru blows away Ecuador. Ecuador is like the little brother of Peru struggling to compete with the size and grandeur of the Mountains here. In Ecuador, the mountains are big but they are slightly more rounded and green. Here the mountains are staggering and vertical and jagged - amazing. The entire landscape here is impressive: from the indian villages to the roaring rivers to the towering mountains. Peru is a delight for the eyes. However, it is not a delight for the ears…There is no such thing as the dulcet sounds of Peru. As one English guy said, "Forget the panpipes as the sounds of the Andes…I want to make a tape with the real sounds of the Andes: horns honking, firecrackers exploding, brass bands playing, dogs barking, and people yelling!" And it is true…the firecrackers and brass bands are unexplainable. For some reason, the Peruvians have a penchant for them. The taxis and cars honk their horns constantly, especially if they are driving by a gringo. If there are a line of ten taxis driving by me, they will all honk to see if I want a ride, never mind that I said no to the last nine taxis going by.

There are three ways to travel around Peru: taxi, combi, and bus, The taxis are usually only in and around a city or village, but you can also hire a car or taxi to take you far distances but it is much more expensive than the bus; however, it is much more comfortable and usually much faster. The combis are large mini-vans and are ubiquituous here. They do not have any real stops or departure times. They have a destination and you get in but then the driver cruises around town and his assistant yells the destination out the window until the combi is beyond full and we can leave. It then stops whenever anyone wants to get off which can be every ten feet. People do not travel lightly here…every person has a bundle of some thing that sometimes has to go on the roof. The combis are an experience. Yesterday, we took one to the starting point of our trek which was a small indian village.

The indigenous people here are called indians and it is not politically incorrect. The women dress in the most fantastic colors, as if someone dipped their clothing in a children's prirnary color crayon box. It is not uncommon to see a woman with a bright yellow skirt, a purple sweater and a red shirt topped off with the sombrero which varies in size and shape depending on the region.

The indians are a bit fearful of strangers and are therefore not that friendly. Plus they speak in Quechua and occasionally in Spanish, so I am sure they are talking and laughing at us. It is amazing that you can tell when someone is talking about you even if you cannot understand a word they are saying. When we got on yesterday, the combi already looked full but of course they said we could squeeze in, an older indian woman said, "Why are you letting these strangers on?" It is the feeling I get with most people here ? they just are resentful and do not like gringos. This does not mean all Peruvians; I have met some unbelievably nice people. When we were walking back yesterday through a small village to catch a combi we, got stuck on a path behind 2 indian women, a small boy and their various farm animals: a bull, two cows, a calf, two donkeys, four sheep, three lambs, and a dog. It was indian gridlock because we could not pass. We ended up talking to them and they were nice but still asked us for money when we wanted to take a picture. But how many people can say they were stuck behind indian women and their farm animals while trekking through the Andes at sunset? It was something to remember.

Ok, highlight of my week besides hiking: buying some new clothes! After wearing the same clothes for two and a half months, I just needed to get something different to wear. That is besides the fact that my clothes are starting to fall apart from much wear and tear and frequent washing. The very friendly (not) Peruvian woman who owned the store where I wanted to buy pants would not let me try them on because I would get them dirty. She was beyond rude. But these were the nicest pants I could find and believe me that is not an easy feat in Peru where everything is cheaply made and made for midgets. She grudgingly allowed tile to try on one pair - but what a …..! So, I purchased a pair of pants and a shirt and that night at dinner I felt like a whole new person! It is the little things in life that can make me happy: a sunset over the Andes and a pair of $6 dollar pants purchased in Peru. Life is good!

Tomorrow: camping in the Andes for four days…hope my legs and lungs hold up.

November 1 - Still in Huaraz

Yes, I am still in Huaraz. We are finding it difficult to tear ourselves away from the awesome hostel, called Joe's Place, and the beauty of the mountains. Our hike through the Andes can only be described as magnificent-perfect-breathtaking-awe-inspiring! It was without a doubt the best trekking and camping trip I have ever done. The Andes are more staggering and beautiful than the Rockies and the Alps. I think it also is just a bit more wild because Peru does not have the money or the facilities to have a national park like Rocky Mountain National Park. Therefore, I felt like we were out in the wilds, not in a national park in Peru. But that is part of the charm. The mountains here, by the way, are much bigger than anything in the States or Europe. I really had no idea. I thought when I hiked out west that nothing could be more beautiful, but I was wrong. We hiked for four days and believe me, it was tough. We hired two donkeys and one guide, Juan, who did not speak English but was a real sweetheart of a guy. There were 7 of us because we were joined by friends of Sue, Alice and Nick, who are finishing up a round the world trip with two months in South America - great people. But back to the donkeys...I felt really sorry for them. They truly are the beasts of burden. It is unreal how much weight they can carry considering their size, but it was essential for us. There was no way we would have made it if we had to carry our big rucksacks. However, many people do it and have no problems. It all depends on your level of fitness and what kind of hell you want to put yourself through. We decided it was not a race of a test of strength and wanted to really enjoy the amazing scenery, so therefore there was no question about renting donkeys. Unfortunately no one told us we also had to rent equipment to camp for the donkey guy. Luckily, his brother was hired for another trip that left the same time as us so he, shared his tent and blankets. We could tell Juan, our donkey guy, was poor. He certainly did not have proper clothing or shoes for the mountains and he constantly admired our high tech clothing and boots. We gave him all our extra food and a big tip. He, said he would give all the sweets to his kids, of which there were four.

Back to the trek - days 1, 3, and 4 were all relatively easy. Day 2, on the other hand, was a complete hardship. I actually thought a few times that I would not be able to make it. We hiked up and over a 15,000 foot mountain pass. The last 1,000 feet were straight up and there was absolutely no oxygen for our aching lungs and screaming muscles. I would take about 10 or 20 steps and then stop and gasp for air. Another 10 or 20 and stop and gasp for air. Occasionally sit down and put my head between my legs because I thought I was going to pass out. However, after this ascent, we went through a break in the rocks the size of the hallway at South to find the most incredible views ?an 18,000 foot mountain on the left covered in snow, many more smaller mountains in front that were shrouded in mist, and a turquoise glacial lake. It took whatever breath that was left in my lungs away. We had a quick lunch and then got down to a lower altitude because we were all feeling a bit dodgy. The altitude is definitely dangerous. An Israeli guy died a month ago because he did not allow himself to acclimatize properly. Not a joke in the Andes…