So Terra and I left the next afternoon on a foggy, but beautiful bus ride to Huari. There is a tunnel at the pass to get to the otherside of the Cordilleras Blancas (the Andes covered in snow) that has the largest statue of Jesus I have ever seen. Massive. Anyways, the bus journey was interesting in that we had to stop for a flat tire (not much new there) AND randomly my window shattered (followed by a girly scream coming from my mouth). We couldn}t figure out what hit it - a strap from the roof perhaps? - but at least I got away with only a small cut on my hand. Huari wasn{t all that exciting, but we were able to pick up some last minute camping supplies. The hike we planned was 1-2 nights, but we were ready for 3 incase we wanted to take it slow and do some side trips. It was different from many other common hikes in that it wasn{t through snow-capped peaks, but it was still supposed to be great.
The hike was fantastic. Day 1 was just 3 hours up to a lake, where we managed to create a campsite on a nearby hill and enjoy the view. We got a bit paranoid by fireflies (or some sort of glowy bug) as at first I thought someone was spying at us from a distance.
Day 2 was a solid 8 hours - up a big hill with some great views over the lake, then a long hike up a lush green valley, complete with LOTS of cows. No matter how remote you think you are, there are always cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules, and local people moving their cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules. It may be a strenuous hike for us, but its just a day in the life for them. It}s really amazing how far away from a village people can work and live. Day 2 brought with it some hail, which was quite exciting. Finding a place to camp was a bit iffy, as we were boiling and purifying stream water, and with all the cows around, along with came lots of cow manure EVERYWHERE. We joked about how the water we drank contained cow poo babies. I had lost a bit of my appetite at dinner. It was cold (we were at about 4300m), and we were eating in the dark and had moths and weird beetles attracted to our head lamps.
Day 3 started with everything covered in ice and frost, and with 4 curious mules hanging out with us over breakfast and our take down. At first they kept their distance, sniffing out some left over asparagus soup and instant noodles we had dumped out. Then they got a bit friendly - trying to eat our plastic bags, searching out packs. We contemplated trying to rope them up to carry our packs over the upcoming pass, but wimped out. Day 3 also started with me feeling ill. Diarrhea. It lasted all day. Terra had suggested that we hike all the way out that day (which I thought impossible as I was really lacking energy due to all food and water entering my body coming straight back out in liquid form). We ran out of toilet paper on day 3 because of me. Terra was a rock. Day 1 and 2 our pack weights were about equal. By the end of day 3 Terra was carrying the tent, 2 sleeping bags, the cooking equipment, and the rest of the food. I just had 1 sleeping bag. Luckily the day was beautiful. Getting over the pass took forever. Terra got to the top and then came halfway down to walk my bag up for me. Again, Terra the rock. She lives at altitude in California, and has worked as a firefighter. A great cow poo baby water companion to have. At the pass, I picked up my bag again, and enjoyed the views as most of the rest of the way was down (although having to stop for washroom breaks much more frequently than I desired to). More beauty. This day the snow capped peaks came into view in the distance. It hailed when we stopped for lunch. By this time we thought it might actually be possible to hike all the way out, and eventually we did, just before sundown. The hike ended in the quaint village of Chacas, which is kind of an italian colony. Everyone speaks spanish though. No fewer than 3 drunk men greeted us on our path into town, shaking our hands a bit harder than a sober person might, welcoming us, and asking if we spoke italian. The town had a great sense of humour. As we were approaching out hostal, we heard a man call out ¨taxi¨. He had a wheelbarrow, and was giggling. I was able to get most of my dinner down after barely eating all day. The only thing I had an appetite for was pancakes, and I wasn{t getting them until I got back to Huaraz the next day.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
adventures around huaraz
so i've been in and around huaraz for a few days now. haven't been too impressed with the accomodation here. i looked at 3 placed before choosing one. a lot of backpackers who smoke and drink stay here, which has been annoying, but I have met an american (terra) and a south african (lourens) and have had some good fun. first night here we went up to the lodge up in the mountains owned by the same peoplewho run the hostal in town. a beautiful setting, a great dinner, but too much smoke. the next day the 3 of us for a day hike to a glacial lake. it was a great hike with fantastic sights the whole way. the 3 of us spread out quite a bit, so when I got to the almost very end, i had no idea where to go. every where I went seemed like rock wall, and I had no idea how to get over it, so i waited for hikers closest be hind me to catch up. it turned out the impossible rock face was possible (with 2 people pulling me up by the arms, accompanied by lots of knee scraping). in the end it was well worth it. beautiful lake, sunny day, surrounded by glaciers and mountains. the walk back was a bit too much downhill for my knees, but we made it eventually.
we headed back into the city that night, and the next day rented mountain bikes and caught a local bus to the top of the mountain range on the way to the ocean, and rode down. cold at first, but lots of fun on the dirt road. lourens took a turn a bit too sharply and his face and body ate a bit of gravel. his chin and hand were pretty torn up, but he decided it would take longer to catch a ride down in a truck than it would be for him to ride the rest of the way. terra and i played doctor with toilet paper, water, and duct tape. later on terra and i were walking our bikes down a steep part, and noticed a bike part on the trail. when we caught up to lourens, we found that his front tire fell off due to the missing bike part we picked up. luckily he wasn't going too fast when the 2nd accident happened. all in all he needed two stitches to his face and his pinky nail pulled off. he's quite a sore sight, but in good spirits. today i took off from physical activity, enjoying the views, spending time planning the rest of my days in the north, and figuring out my short side trip to machu picchu. tomorrow terra and i (if all goes well, ie if i don't get sick from all the food i ate tonight) are heading off for another smaller town on the other side of the cordilleras blancas (huari) to hike for 2 or 3 days. and then my time here will be nearing the end :(
we headed back into the city that night, and the next day rented mountain bikes and caught a local bus to the top of the mountain range on the way to the ocean, and rode down. cold at first, but lots of fun on the dirt road. lourens took a turn a bit too sharply and his face and body ate a bit of gravel. his chin and hand were pretty torn up, but he decided it would take longer to catch a ride down in a truck than it would be for him to ride the rest of the way. terra and i played doctor with toilet paper, water, and duct tape. later on terra and i were walking our bikes down a steep part, and noticed a bike part on the trail. when we caught up to lourens, we found that his front tire fell off due to the missing bike part we picked up. luckily he wasn't going too fast when the 2nd accident happened. all in all he needed two stitches to his face and his pinky nail pulled off. he's quite a sore sight, but in good spirits. today i took off from physical activity, enjoying the views, spending time planning the rest of my days in the north, and figuring out my short side trip to machu picchu. tomorrow terra and i (if all goes well, ie if i don't get sick from all the food i ate tonight) are heading off for another smaller town on the other side of the cordilleras blancas (huari) to hike for 2 or 3 days. and then my time here will be nearing the end :(
Thursday, September 21, 2006
all better
So I left Caraz the next morning, as I was feeling much better and took off to Carhuaz, another small town on the way to the city (Huaraz). I was heading to a nice place in the country, a bit out of my normal price range, but it was fantastic. I waited an hour outside their front gates as they didn't hear my knocking, and they weren't expecting anyone as my e-mail went to the wrong address, but once in I was in a relaxing oasis. The place is run by Pocha, who bought the land over 25 years ago and built everything herself with her son. Also living there is Patricia, an anthropologist originally from Boston who moved there 20 years ago. She does field work, some consulting, and teaches at universities in Huaraz and Lima. Their ¨ranch¨is all powered by solar and wind power. Breakfast and dinner included made with fresh organic food from their gardens. Chickens, geese, turkeys and llamas wander around the property. Great views of the surrounding peaks. I was their only guest so it was quiet. My first full day there I hired a local guide they knew to take me horseback riding for the day. We climbed paths with those horses I could barely imaging climbing myself. It was incredible. It took about 2 hours to get to the viewpoint, which was absolutely stunning - all of the highest peaks in the Peruvian Andes in front of us. Our way down was steep, again very surprising what we could do with the horses. We went through a few villages, stopped to soak our feet in some bubbling hot springs, and eventually headed back. The day concluded with a sauna with Pocha and Pocha complete with soothing eucalyptus on the steamer. No matter how relaxing that was, though, my butt and legs would still be incredibly sore (and continue to be 2 days later).
The next day I walked down to the town, enjoyed lunch, visited the vibrant market, and had some icecream. Its fiesta time right now, so there are firecrackers going off all over the place, at all hours of the day. The first time I had heard them I was sick in bed in Caraz, and it sounded like someone was bowling on my roof. Back at the ranch I read a lot and enjoyed all the homemade food. It was a really great spot.
This morning we took off to Huaraz - Pocha and Patricia were catching a bus to Lima, and I was making my next stop, on the search for adventure. I haven't checked into a hostal yet, but I did find a Scotiabank branch. How random.
The next day I walked down to the town, enjoyed lunch, visited the vibrant market, and had some icecream. Its fiesta time right now, so there are firecrackers going off all over the place, at all hours of the day. The first time I had heard them I was sick in bed in Caraz, and it sounded like someone was bowling on my roof. Back at the ranch I read a lot and enjoyed all the homemade food. It was a really great spot.
This morning we took off to Huaraz - Pocha and Patricia were catching a bus to Lima, and I was making my next stop, on the search for adventure. I haven't checked into a hostal yet, but I did find a Scotiabank branch. How random.
Monday, September 18, 2006
ups and downs, literally and figuratively
Up and down No.1 - Hike to Laguna Paron
So Chiara and I caught a combi up to Pueblo Paron (1 hr trip that goes up over 1000m). Then the hike began, which theoretically takes 4-5 hours, and climbs 900m. We took 8 hours. Granted, we did go another hour than planned in order to find a nicer camp spot, and we had two long snack/lunch breaks, but it hurt. The lake is about 4300m I think, and is so fantastic, and so worth the hike, but after 4 hours of joking [media hora[ (half an hour) we were getting tired. The whole trip is up this narrow river valley, and you don{t see the lake until the very end. The blue lake is surrounded by glaciers and snowcapped peaks. The only drawback, I would say, is that it has been artificially drained for safety, and power reasons, and so the lake is a lot lower than I expected. But still, we found a great campspot and set up shop. But because the sun goes down about 6 and is pretty much dark by 6:30, we had a quick dinner of instant noodles and corn soup, a quick (and cold) stargaze (which was FANTASTIC!! I haven{t seen stars that great since camping outback australia), we went to bed. Cold, uncomfortable bed. I swear I didn{t sleep at all, but I guess I must have at somepoint. We knew that the last combi out of Peublo Paron left at 2:20, so we planned to leave by 7am. At 6 we woke up, crawled out of the tent already dressed in all our glorious layers, to find the fly encrusted in ice. We ended up not leaving until 7:45, but by that time the sun had risen over a glacier between 2 peaks, and the instant warmth that sun brought was very welcome. It only took us 4 hours to get down. We had to wait an hour for the next combi to arrive, so played mastermind while the kids from the local school stared at us and asked us for money until their teacher shooed them back inside.
A fantastic journey. Lots of beauty.
Up and down No. 2 - well, mostly just down.- Intestinal infection. WARNING: unpleasant imagery follows
So up at Laguna paron, I felt as though I might be coming down with a cold. After getting back, I felt that I was getting a fever. That night it was full on. Crazy fever, and the tossing and turning and crazy dreams that come with, aches all over (but from sickness or carrying backpack and tent?), and many non pleasant trips to the bathroom. I had been planning to leave the next day, but not like this. The next day I spent completely in bed. I read the health section in my guidebook. I was convinced I had either malaria or dengue fever (a little information is a dangerous thing:) The caretaker of the hostal came in bring back clothes that had done watching, and from that point I had a little Peruvian mother. She felt my head and stomach, arranged to take me to a privat clinic, where after a checkup was told that I had an intestinal infection, probably due to the fact that I, lets see, 1) eat fruit sometimes without washing, boiling, or peeling, 2) brush with local water, 3) eat sketchier food than necessary, 4) rarely wash my hands before eating. I guess I had figured that seeing as during my 6 months in SE Asia, I had only had 2 off days, I had pretty decent intestinal fortitude. Well, on the 12 days of this trip, I have only had 1 day where I HAVEN^,T felt at least a little off. So the night after my trip to the doctor and the pharmacy to get some drugs, I slept decent, probably from sheer exhaustion. The next day was filled with more trips to the washroom, with the addition of dryheaving, since it{s hard to throw up when you haven{t really eaten anything. Last night I actually threw up a bit, after I had drank some water. The whole day wasn{t horrible, but the night was, and I must had a fitful sleep with my head half over the edge of the bed over a bucket. At somepoint I fell asleep solidly, and woke up at 1pm today. My Peruvian mom made me banana crepes. She is always keeping on me to take my [pastilles[ and to dress warmly when I go out because it{s [frillo[. A bit tough as she speaks no english. Anyways, this afternoon I have felt pretty good. Watched a lot of english TV, as I havne{t spoken english in about a week and am missing being understood, or understanding for that matter. [Mama[ is making me tomato soup for when I get back. My plan is to leave tomorrow, based on how tonight goes.... I don{t want another night half spent on the toilet with my head over a bucket.
So Chiara and I caught a combi up to Pueblo Paron (1 hr trip that goes up over 1000m). Then the hike began, which theoretically takes 4-5 hours, and climbs 900m. We took 8 hours. Granted, we did go another hour than planned in order to find a nicer camp spot, and we had two long snack/lunch breaks, but it hurt. The lake is about 4300m I think, and is so fantastic, and so worth the hike, but after 4 hours of joking [media hora[ (half an hour) we were getting tired. The whole trip is up this narrow river valley, and you don{t see the lake until the very end. The blue lake is surrounded by glaciers and snowcapped peaks. The only drawback, I would say, is that it has been artificially drained for safety, and power reasons, and so the lake is a lot lower than I expected. But still, we found a great campspot and set up shop. But because the sun goes down about 6 and is pretty much dark by 6:30, we had a quick dinner of instant noodles and corn soup, a quick (and cold) stargaze (which was FANTASTIC!! I haven{t seen stars that great since camping outback australia), we went to bed. Cold, uncomfortable bed. I swear I didn{t sleep at all, but I guess I must have at somepoint. We knew that the last combi out of Peublo Paron left at 2:20, so we planned to leave by 7am. At 6 we woke up, crawled out of the tent already dressed in all our glorious layers, to find the fly encrusted in ice. We ended up not leaving until 7:45, but by that time the sun had risen over a glacier between 2 peaks, and the instant warmth that sun brought was very welcome. It only took us 4 hours to get down. We had to wait an hour for the next combi to arrive, so played mastermind while the kids from the local school stared at us and asked us for money until their teacher shooed them back inside.
A fantastic journey. Lots of beauty.
Up and down No. 2 - well, mostly just down.- Intestinal infection. WARNING: unpleasant imagery follows
So up at Laguna paron, I felt as though I might be coming down with a cold. After getting back, I felt that I was getting a fever. That night it was full on. Crazy fever, and the tossing and turning and crazy dreams that come with, aches all over (but from sickness or carrying backpack and tent?), and many non pleasant trips to the bathroom. I had been planning to leave the next day, but not like this. The next day I spent completely in bed. I read the health section in my guidebook. I was convinced I had either malaria or dengue fever (a little information is a dangerous thing:) The caretaker of the hostal came in bring back clothes that had done watching, and from that point I had a little Peruvian mother. She felt my head and stomach, arranged to take me to a privat clinic, where after a checkup was told that I had an intestinal infection, probably due to the fact that I, lets see, 1) eat fruit sometimes without washing, boiling, or peeling, 2) brush with local water, 3) eat sketchier food than necessary, 4) rarely wash my hands before eating. I guess I had figured that seeing as during my 6 months in SE Asia, I had only had 2 off days, I had pretty decent intestinal fortitude. Well, on the 12 days of this trip, I have only had 1 day where I HAVEN^,T felt at least a little off. So the night after my trip to the doctor and the pharmacy to get some drugs, I slept decent, probably from sheer exhaustion. The next day was filled with more trips to the washroom, with the addition of dryheaving, since it{s hard to throw up when you haven{t really eaten anything. Last night I actually threw up a bit, after I had drank some water. The whole day wasn{t horrible, but the night was, and I must had a fitful sleep with my head half over the edge of the bed over a bucket. At somepoint I fell asleep solidly, and woke up at 1pm today. My Peruvian mom made me banana crepes. She is always keeping on me to take my [pastilles[ and to dress warmly when I go out because it{s [frillo[. A bit tough as she speaks no english. Anyways, this afternoon I have felt pretty good. Watched a lot of english TV, as I havne{t spoken english in about a week and am missing being understood, or understanding for that matter. [Mama[ is making me tomato soup for when I get back. My plan is to leave tomorrow, based on how tonight goes.... I don{t want another night half spent on the toilet with my head over a bucket.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
a bizarre few days...
sorry, this is a looonnnggg one.
So it was great to spend my birthday with fun people in a beautiful village. Nicole and I made a ¨cake¨ in Rosemary's convection oven, and I am using the word cake in the loosest sense. We had to add eggs mid bake (oops), and then after and hour it was pretty much liquid so we added a flour/condensed milk mixture, which kind of worked, but created a chocolate cake with white lumps. The cake was supposed to have a meringue middle, but as the cake wasn't fit for cutting into layers, and because I am an meringue idiot (ie. I didn't realize adding the egg whites, sugar and water at the beginning together was a bad thing). The chocolate pudding for the icing also didn't firm up. But it had a candle on it and was the best darn birthday cake I've had at 3000m. The evening finished with some pisco drinks and lots of Uno. I also got a bottle of pisco filled with local peaches for my birthday. Just got to figure a way to get it back into Canada.
The next morning was filled with teary farewells (on my part) and a bit of traveller's ¨sickness¨. My stomach had been off for a few days, and was acting up. Nicole gave me a plastic bag for the windy road ahead. Pamparomas was fantastic. There is so much opportunity and culture and friendliness and beauty and so much more. My itinerary changes everyday - perhaps I can pass through on my way back down south. So the road to Caraz went up and up and up, and then down and down and down. The road through the cordilleras negras was fantastic, and then when the bus topped the pass and I saw the cordilleras blancas, with snow and the highest mountains in Peru, I gasped. I am such a mountainphile. The road was so windy and narrow, and the drop offs so steep, I felt funny taking pictures because it felt like I was taking my eyes of the road and somehow that was dangerous, even though I wasn't driving. Defiinitely not a drive for the weak hearted.
Caraz is a bit bigger than I expected, but there are few tourists. I think I have met all 7 of them. My hostal is great. I am splurging on a 11$ room - hot water, my own bathroom, comfortable bed, and VERY clean (vacuumed and cleaned everyday!). And quiet. My first full day there I popped down to the main trekking agency in town to see if there were any treks or tours going out, and I happened to meet 2 brits and a german going on a day tour to some glacial lakes. After having a bit of withdrawl since leaving Nicole and David, it was nice to meet them. The lakes were a crazy blue, and the Andes surrounded us. I love geology. Very peaceful. We did a bit of walking as well, but it's hard. The lakes were at almost 4000m.
After coming back, I had made plans to meet up with the two brits for dinner after a shower, but I meet an italian (Chiara) and we made plans to do an overnight hike together on Wednesday. Whats funny about this is that she obviously speaks italian, but quite good spanish, a little bit of french, and even less english (pretty much none). Whereas I can do french and english, but barely spanish, and no italian. We are communicating in spanish. It's a mental workout. I am bringing card and mastermind for the hike. No talking necessary.
Now while we were chatting, we ran into two ladies from Pamparomas who had come down in the same combi (van) the day before. This worked out perfectly for me as I wanted to buy a toilet seat to send up to Nicole, so we went and got one and I took them out for dinner to say thanks for bringing it up to Nicole. The whole situation was intensely humourous for me. Trying to explain to them that I wanted them to take a toilet seat back to Pomparomas. At dinner I was trying to ask them why they were down in Caraz. At first it sounded like one of them has a husband here who is married to another woman. Then I thought they said they both had the same husband. Then what I understood is that both of their husbands have passed away (they made a very clear throat cutting gesture). I never really understood why they were down here. Anyways, I hope the toilet seat made it home safely.
Today was my last full day here before Chiara and I go hiking. I slept in, as I have been a lot, as my stomach is still not happy. I can't tell if it is the standard travellers sickness, or if it's because I am eating much more meat here than I normally do at home, or too many late nights in Pomparomas, or the altitude, or a combination of all of the above. After I got up and was about to shower, I decided to do something about my hair. It had been driving me crazy here. So I took my swiss army knife to it and how have about 5 inches less. Fantastico. Anyways, the plan for today was to find a combi going to Huallanca, which would pass through Canon del Pato, a very narrow, and beautiful gorge. I must be spelling gorge wrong, it looks so weird. After 2 hours, I finally found one, and it was great as there were just two passengers and I got a great view in the front seat. Now getting back was an adventure. I waited quite a while, chatting with some locals and going through my dictionary with a young boy, and trying to understand a mumbling older man. I have to say I have been so impressed with how friendly everyone is here. Now I haven't made to any major tourist centres yet, but Í am much happier and open here than I was in general in SE Asia. Perhaps that will change as I hit Huaraz (the main hiking centre).
Anyways, over 2 hours later I squeezed into the hatchback of a 4WD toyota car with 3 others. There were 5 in the front and 4 in the middle. 13 in total in a 5 seat car. The view I was hoping to get on the way back turned into a view of the dusty back window and the shoulder of the man I was nuzzled up against. Ah well. Now Chiara and I have picked up all of our equipment, and are meeting at 6:15am tomorrow to try to find the combi stop. We are heading to Laguna Paron, which can be reached by a very expensive taxi, but we are going to walk up to it and then explore the far end of the lake, and a further lake. All surrounded by peaks and glaciers. And lots of bugs. I have already been ravaged, and have a lot of bites. This in addition to a few fleas I seem to have picked up in Pamparomas. I am consistently itchy, and have dreams of picking bugs out of my scalp.
We will be at over 4500m. It will be below freezing at night. I rented a thicker sleeping bag. At least it's only one night!
So it was great to spend my birthday with fun people in a beautiful village. Nicole and I made a ¨cake¨ in Rosemary's convection oven, and I am using the word cake in the loosest sense. We had to add eggs mid bake (oops), and then after and hour it was pretty much liquid so we added a flour/condensed milk mixture, which kind of worked, but created a chocolate cake with white lumps. The cake was supposed to have a meringue middle, but as the cake wasn't fit for cutting into layers, and because I am an meringue idiot (ie. I didn't realize adding the egg whites, sugar and water at the beginning together was a bad thing). The chocolate pudding for the icing also didn't firm up. But it had a candle on it and was the best darn birthday cake I've had at 3000m. The evening finished with some pisco drinks and lots of Uno. I also got a bottle of pisco filled with local peaches for my birthday. Just got to figure a way to get it back into Canada.
The next morning was filled with teary farewells (on my part) and a bit of traveller's ¨sickness¨. My stomach had been off for a few days, and was acting up. Nicole gave me a plastic bag for the windy road ahead. Pamparomas was fantastic. There is so much opportunity and culture and friendliness and beauty and so much more. My itinerary changes everyday - perhaps I can pass through on my way back down south. So the road to Caraz went up and up and up, and then down and down and down. The road through the cordilleras negras was fantastic, and then when the bus topped the pass and I saw the cordilleras blancas, with snow and the highest mountains in Peru, I gasped. I am such a mountainphile. The road was so windy and narrow, and the drop offs so steep, I felt funny taking pictures because it felt like I was taking my eyes of the road and somehow that was dangerous, even though I wasn't driving. Defiinitely not a drive for the weak hearted.
Caraz is a bit bigger than I expected, but there are few tourists. I think I have met all 7 of them. My hostal is great. I am splurging on a 11$ room - hot water, my own bathroom, comfortable bed, and VERY clean (vacuumed and cleaned everyday!). And quiet. My first full day there I popped down to the main trekking agency in town to see if there were any treks or tours going out, and I happened to meet 2 brits and a german going on a day tour to some glacial lakes. After having a bit of withdrawl since leaving Nicole and David, it was nice to meet them. The lakes were a crazy blue, and the Andes surrounded us. I love geology. Very peaceful. We did a bit of walking as well, but it's hard. The lakes were at almost 4000m.
After coming back, I had made plans to meet up with the two brits for dinner after a shower, but I meet an italian (Chiara) and we made plans to do an overnight hike together on Wednesday. Whats funny about this is that she obviously speaks italian, but quite good spanish, a little bit of french, and even less english (pretty much none). Whereas I can do french and english, but barely spanish, and no italian. We are communicating in spanish. It's a mental workout. I am bringing card and mastermind for the hike. No talking necessary.
Now while we were chatting, we ran into two ladies from Pamparomas who had come down in the same combi (van) the day before. This worked out perfectly for me as I wanted to buy a toilet seat to send up to Nicole, so we went and got one and I took them out for dinner to say thanks for bringing it up to Nicole. The whole situation was intensely humourous for me. Trying to explain to them that I wanted them to take a toilet seat back to Pomparomas. At dinner I was trying to ask them why they were down in Caraz. At first it sounded like one of them has a husband here who is married to another woman. Then I thought they said they both had the same husband. Then what I understood is that both of their husbands have passed away (they made a very clear throat cutting gesture). I never really understood why they were down here. Anyways, I hope the toilet seat made it home safely.
Today was my last full day here before Chiara and I go hiking. I slept in, as I have been a lot, as my stomach is still not happy. I can't tell if it is the standard travellers sickness, or if it's because I am eating much more meat here than I normally do at home, or too many late nights in Pomparomas, or the altitude, or a combination of all of the above. After I got up and was about to shower, I decided to do something about my hair. It had been driving me crazy here. So I took my swiss army knife to it and how have about 5 inches less. Fantastico. Anyways, the plan for today was to find a combi going to Huallanca, which would pass through Canon del Pato, a very narrow, and beautiful gorge. I must be spelling gorge wrong, it looks so weird. After 2 hours, I finally found one, and it was great as there were just two passengers and I got a great view in the front seat. Now getting back was an adventure. I waited quite a while, chatting with some locals and going through my dictionary with a young boy, and trying to understand a mumbling older man. I have to say I have been so impressed with how friendly everyone is here. Now I haven't made to any major tourist centres yet, but Í am much happier and open here than I was in general in SE Asia. Perhaps that will change as I hit Huaraz (the main hiking centre).
Anyways, over 2 hours later I squeezed into the hatchback of a 4WD toyota car with 3 others. There were 5 in the front and 4 in the middle. 13 in total in a 5 seat car. The view I was hoping to get on the way back turned into a view of the dusty back window and the shoulder of the man I was nuzzled up against. Ah well. Now Chiara and I have picked up all of our equipment, and are meeting at 6:15am tomorrow to try to find the combi stop. We are heading to Laguna Paron, which can be reached by a very expensive taxi, but we are going to walk up to it and then explore the far end of the lake, and a further lake. All surrounded by peaks and glaciers. And lots of bugs. I have already been ravaged, and have a lot of bites. This in addition to a few fleas I seem to have picked up in Pamparomas. I am consistently itchy, and have dreams of picking bugs out of my scalp.
We will be at over 4500m. It will be below freezing at night. I rented a thicker sleeping bag. At least it's only one night!
Saturday, September 9, 2006
acclimatizing
So I have been here for 3 full days and it has been fantastic! My spanish is still crap, but I am able to understand an OK amount, but my speaking skills need work. I have been lucky to be able to hangout with Nicole and David, as well as Jessica and Eduardo, the young dentist and doctor who are here on a rural practice, and Rosemary who makes the best dinners for us and many more. It's been great socializing!
Yesterday Nicole and I went for a hike. Most of it was on a dirt road, and a lot of it was flat, but the parts that weren't, really impacted my lungs! I don't think I've ever been at this elevation before, so any physical activity, including walking the short walk from the store where I buy awesome chocolate, up the hill to Nicole's, makes me winded. We walked and walked and walked, and eventually the road ended. it didn't lead anywhere. No villages, no agricultural plots. There was just a caterpillar and some oil drums. Apparently the local government had one road project in the works, and was working on this other 2nd random unneeded road so that it could say it had done road project¨s¨. Peru is getting ready for local elections, so it has been hilarious listening to the debauchery that is local politics.
I can't describe how neat it has been to be here. Waking up to the donkey, pigs, and sheep who live next door. The amzing views (though I am looking forward to the snow capped Andes as I head to Caraz tomorrow). Having Rosemary sit me down so I could tell her how to plan an event (she is the default event planner in the village, including an upcoming National Women's Day in Pamparomas). She has given me the nickname Mina. I've been told it means ¨Little Trina¨.
Apparently there are birthday party plans in the works for me tonight. A cake recipe was picked out. Jessica was asking what gift I wanted - ¨a kiss from the doctor?¨ He has a crush on Nicole :) If the few shots of pisco I had last night are any indication, the birthday should be fun. I've already been treated to guinea pig today.
Yesterday Nicole and I went for a hike. Most of it was on a dirt road, and a lot of it was flat, but the parts that weren't, really impacted my lungs! I don't think I've ever been at this elevation before, so any physical activity, including walking the short walk from the store where I buy awesome chocolate, up the hill to Nicole's, makes me winded. We walked and walked and walked, and eventually the road ended. it didn't lead anywhere. No villages, no agricultural plots. There was just a caterpillar and some oil drums. Apparently the local government had one road project in the works, and was working on this other 2nd random unneeded road so that it could say it had done road project¨s¨. Peru is getting ready for local elections, so it has been hilarious listening to the debauchery that is local politics.
I can't describe how neat it has been to be here. Waking up to the donkey, pigs, and sheep who live next door. The amzing views (though I am looking forward to the snow capped Andes as I head to Caraz tomorrow). Having Rosemary sit me down so I could tell her how to plan an event (she is the default event planner in the village, including an upcoming National Women's Day in Pamparomas). She has given me the nickname Mina. I've been told it means ¨Little Trina¨.
Apparently there are birthday party plans in the works for me tonight. A cake recipe was picked out. Jessica was asking what gift I wanted - ¨a kiss from the doctor?¨ He has a crush on Nicole :) If the few shots of pisco I had last night are any indication, the birthday should be fun. I've already been treated to guinea pig today.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
donkeys, not cars
So I arrived after the night bus complete with security checks including bag searches, id checks, metal detectors, and each passenger being videotaped. its supposed to be the safest bus company, and I can see why. I had a great seat in the front row of the second level. Lots of great background music - michael bolton, bryan adams, all the best. Shortly after I arrived in Chimbote at 6am, David, the priest in Pamparomas (from Salmon Arm, but living here for 16 years) picked me up with some local from his village. we spent the day doing errands (like trying to find an air compressor for the dentist that their region has for the next year), meeting more people, eating great food, and doing more errands. I spent as much time as I could looking around the city from the truck, but slept a lot. I hadn't slept more than 4 or so hours for each of the past 3 nights, so I was very tired.Thankfully, Chimbote isn''t know so much for it sights, more so for it awful fish smell and unsafe streets. Some of the city was vibrant. The rest, especially the main drag, looked like there had been an evaçuation years previous, and just a few people were risking life there. a shell of a city. we didn't get to pamparomas utnil after 10pm.the road up, especially after Moro, was likely the worst road I have been on for that length of time. Serious 4 wheel drive road with lots of hair pin turns as we gained 3000m in elevation to get to the village. It was great to meet up with Nicole. Have a solid nights sleep. I got to sleep in today, sit on the outskirts of the village, enjoy the view, catch up on my journal, and say noentiendo more times than I can count. Really need to continue with my spanish picking upping. oh, and the title of this entry refers to the fact that pretty much other than davids truck and the odd minibus that comes through, no cars. steep streets and lots of donkeys. fantastic!
ªt
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Tuesday, September 5, 2006
safe and damp
I have arrived!be warned this keyboard is wacky- for some keys there are three options and i have no idea how to get the third (the "at" symbol has proved elusive). so forgive my punctuation.
Flights were pretty uneventful (thogh I will never request a vegetarian option with air canda again). the moon was quite bright so i thought i could make out some mountains and coastlines in the dark. In hind sight it may have just all been clouds. I could see lots of lttle villages below. it was neat because most of them had little plaza that were lit up more brightly than the rest of town so each village had a few rows of lights with a bright circle in the middle. I got picked up by my hotel at the aiport - I practiced my spnish (or lack thereof) with vicente on the ride to the hostal. the whole time I was thinking as we drove [ oh, this must be the bad part of town[ by the end of the drive I realized it was all like that. at night anyways. he asked me what i did for a job secretary was his first guess. how do you explain in ridiculously limited spanish that you work at a not'for'profit women{s organization. eventually I wrote YWCA and he said öh..dee Y¨and he understood. its called the ACJ here.
I went for a wander around Lima today. I had thought I was going to be able to catch a bus out to a smaller twon 6 hours north of here to spend the evening, but all buses seem to leave at night, so I wandered around the city for the day. enjoyed the chorus of [meep meeps] that seem to be the universal language on the roads (who needs signs?) ordered lunch from a hole in the wall cafe something that had [pollo[ in the name because it was the only word I recognized. broke all the travelling food hygiene rules by eating a salad with three different vegetalbles that were neither boiled NOR peeled!! got 1 cat call, 2 hellos, one [very beautiful girl[.not bad for the ultimate tourista walking around in quickdry clothes, hiking boots, a bright red back pack and a camera case. everyone is so friendly and speaks slow in spanish to me (I think 5 people in Lima speak English, and I have met 3 of them).
I am experiencing one thing i really miss from asia - things are sold out of random hole in the wall stores and by people walking around rather than in big box stores. I now know no fewer than 6 places to buy shrink rapped photocopiers in Lima.
So my bus tongiht leaves just before midnight. bright and early tomorrow morning I will be picked up by a priest in Chimbote to meet up with a friend from highschool working in a village on the way to some bigggg mountains.
a reminder that my birthday is september 9th. i like birthday emails.i am only 2 hours ahead. so the emails need to be sent by 10pm to be vaild :)}
ttfn
!trina
Flights were pretty uneventful (thogh I will never request a vegetarian option with air canda again). the moon was quite bright so i thought i could make out some mountains and coastlines in the dark. In hind sight it may have just all been clouds. I could see lots of lttle villages below. it was neat because most of them had little plaza that were lit up more brightly than the rest of town so each village had a few rows of lights with a bright circle in the middle. I got picked up by my hotel at the aiport - I practiced my spnish (or lack thereof) with vicente on the ride to the hostal. the whole time I was thinking as we drove [ oh, this must be the bad part of town[ by the end of the drive I realized it was all like that. at night anyways. he asked me what i did for a job secretary was his first guess. how do you explain in ridiculously limited spanish that you work at a not'for'profit women{s organization. eventually I wrote YWCA and he said öh..dee Y¨and he understood. its called the ACJ here.
I went for a wander around Lima today. I had thought I was going to be able to catch a bus out to a smaller twon 6 hours north of here to spend the evening, but all buses seem to leave at night, so I wandered around the city for the day. enjoyed the chorus of [meep meeps] that seem to be the universal language on the roads (who needs signs?) ordered lunch from a hole in the wall cafe something that had [pollo[ in the name because it was the only word I recognized. broke all the travelling food hygiene rules by eating a salad with three different vegetalbles that were neither boiled NOR peeled!! got 1 cat call, 2 hellos, one [very beautiful girl[.not bad for the ultimate tourista walking around in quickdry clothes, hiking boots, a bright red back pack and a camera case. everyone is so friendly and speaks slow in spanish to me (I think 5 people in Lima speak English, and I have met 3 of them).
I am experiencing one thing i really miss from asia - things are sold out of random hole in the wall stores and by people walking around rather than in big box stores. I now know no fewer than 6 places to buy shrink rapped photocopiers in Lima.
So my bus tongiht leaves just before midnight. bright and early tomorrow morning I will be picked up by a priest in Chimbote to meet up with a friend from highschool working in a village on the way to some bigggg mountains.
a reminder that my birthday is september 9th. i like birthday emails.i am only 2 hours ahead. so the emails need to be sent by 10pm to be vaild :)}
ttfn
!trina
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