This past weekend was full of adventures for Amelia and I! Let me fill you in:
So Thursday I went to classes and then met up with Amelia in Parque Kennedy to go to the bookstore and buy El túnel by Ernesto Sábato, which I have to read by next monday. After that we headed to my house and had lunch together with Ruth and Estela (the empleada in my house). After lunch we had to do a few errands: bank, put money on our cell phones and get altitude sickness pills. Then we met up with our friend Dyago and walked down Ayacucho (the street I live off of) to a Andean fair. We walked around there and checked it out. It was pretty cool. Lots of people just selling their artesanía and food and such. Then we said goodbye to Dyago and hopped on a micro to Larcomar where we were meeting our program for dinner and a show. The restaurant is called La Dama Juana and they have a buffet dinner full of delicious food and then there is a show of a bunch of typical peruvian dances. My favorite was the scissor dancers. It was super fun and really good food! Then we headed home for the night.
I woke up on Friday morning and I wasn't able to go to Deporte y Vida because I had to be over at Amelia's house around 1 to get picked up by the taxi to go to the airport. So I slept in a bit, took a shower and packed for the trip! I left around 12:30 to catch a micro to Amelia's. I got there just in time for lunch, lucky me! Stuffed zucchini with rice, and ice cream for dessert. I love eating at her house. Then Erick the taxi driver arrived and took us to the airport. We got there, checked it and met up with Yaz, Samantha, Aurelia and Madoka (the other girls that we were going to travel with). We flew Peruvian Airlines which is relatively new and very cheap, but really nice. The flight was only 1 hour and 10 minutes (as opposed to 15 hours on a bus), which is shorter than my micro ride home from la Católica during hora punta (rush hour). So we arrived and got into two taxis from the airport to the Plaza de Armas. From there we walked to our hostel, where our friend Connor was already staying. He had befriended the owner and got us a good deal - 15 soles for one night (about 5 dollars). The lady also called the travel agency and got us a good price for the tour - 100 soles for 2 days, 1 night trek into Colca Canyon. So we were pretty excited about that. We met up with this guy Fernando that Yaz, Sam and Connor know from la Católica and he shows us around a bit and we eat dinner at Mamut, a sandwich restaurant. We then walked around trying to find an open bakery that had alfajores arequipeños, but didn't have any luck. So we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.
Saturday morning we were up at 3 am to get picked up by the travel agency. So we were up and there were two other couples at our hostel going on the tour with us, one from Canada and one from England. They were both really nice. So we drove for about 3 hours towards Colca. We had to pay to get into the reserve. The normal price is 35 soles, but we as estudiantes nacionales (national students) were able to get in for only 3.50!! So great!
I'm a condoooooooooooor
CONDOR
Cruz del Condor
you can't really see, but there is a little cross up there where
they used to sacrifice llamas and alpacas and the condors
were attracted to the blood, so now this is a
good place to view the condors
Then we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast and then continued on to Cruz del Condor, a place where you can go and view the condors. It was so pretty and absolutely breathtaking. I absolutely love the Andes mountains. We were at a pretty high altitude (4,700 meters = 15,420 ft) but we didn't get sick! Yay! I somehow actually felt more alive and had more energy than I do here in Lima. I think its all the fresh air and it also might have something to do with the mate de coca (tea made from coca leaves). So the condors were pretty cool and really big. Then we took the bus for like 45 more minutes and got out to start our hike.
We get out and our guide Pepe explains whats going to happen. So we're going to hike down the canyon for about 3 hours, then cross the river and hike for another half hour until we reach the little pueblo where we'll eat lunch. After lunch it'll be another 3 hours to get to Oasis where we'll be spending the night. Woah, Amelia and I had no idea that we would be hiking for like 7 hours. So off we go! We start going down the canyon. Its pretty fun, going down is a little rough on the knees and toes, and you have to be careful that you don't slip, but I kind of like it. Unfortunately Sam was wicked sick so we had to stop a lot and wait for her to throw up. But Amelia and I had a lot of fun. So the big group eventually split in two, Connor and the other two couples with Pepe, and Amelia and I with the other girls with Renero, the junior guide (18 yrs old). We felt kind of bad for Renero, but he was really nice. So it took us about 4 and hours to get down to the river. Then we crossed and had to go up a little bit. Going up is a whole lot harder for me, because its just harder to breathe at a high altitude. But we made it to the pueblo for lunch and Pepe was there waiting for us.
The path going down
He had sent the other group ahead with another guide. After lunch we had a little discussion about how to get Sam to Oasis. We decided it was best for her to get a mule to ride. So thats what we did. So Sam gets on a mule and we start off again. There was more going up this time. We are walking and its getting dark! Luckily the guides have 2 flashlights and the lady leading Sam's mule has one as well. So we're going down the canyon and its pitch black and all we have is a flashlight. So it was really hard. At the end when we were going up some more it was Amelia and I at the back with Pepe and Renero. They offered to take our backpacks, at first we said no, but they insisted so that made it a lot easier for the last 20 minutes or so. We finally arrived to Oasis and had dinner. Soup, spaghetti with tuna sauce and mate de coca. Lets just say I didn't eat much. Then Pepe asked if anyone wanted to get a mule to go back up tomorrow and he would call his friend. Amelia and I didn't even think twice, we told him yes please! Then Pepe and Renero led us to our bungalows. Yaz, Sam, Aurelia and Madoka were in one and Amelia and I got our own. The guides chatted with us for a bit and apologized for the tension during lunch. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. There was a bit of a discussion during lunch and everyone was upset and tired so some not nice words were thrown around a bit. But they apologized and we forgave them and said that we understood and that the important thing was that we all made it safely. I think we were there favorite people in the group. =) So then they left us for the night with the head lamp because there is no electricity in Oasis so it was pretty dark in our room. Amelia and I got into bed and told life stories. Then fell asleeeeeeeeeeeeep.
Our beds in Oasis
We woke up at 5:30 and met up with Madoka and our mule man around 6. So we got onto our mules and headed up! It was such a good choice to take the mules. Probably the best decision I made all weekend. So you know, we're just riding these mules up the canyon. We had amazing views! It was a bit scary when the mules tried to pass each other on the super skinny paths, or when they would like run up some steep steps. Also for some reason they always seemed to want to walk wicked close to the edge. Yikes! But it was fun. We passed everyone else and I felt a little guilty, but not really.
So we finally made it to the pueblo where we were told to wait for Pepe. So Amelia and I got off, paid the man for the mules, made a bit of small talk and said goodbye. We were in a small field area and just sat down for a while, seeing as we could barely walk. So we were just hanging out and decided to do some stretching and give each other back massages. That was a very good idea. Then after most of our group passed, we headed into town and met them at the restaurant for breakfast.
Piggy hanging out in Colca Canyon
We waited for Pepe and Renero to arrive with Aurelia and Sam. Then we got back into the bus and were joined by a couple Jake and Mel from NY that Yaz met in town and were looking for a ride back to Arequipa. They were pretty cool. They design leather bags and travel around the world gathering inspiration and fabrics. So we headed to the thermal baths. Amelia and I didn't feel like going in so we just rested in the van. After that we got lunch at a buffet and went to a volcano lookout. The lookout was at 4,910 meters and it was really cold and windy. Alright, so not cold like winter back home, but the wind made it cold.
Little pyramids made out of rocks by the locals to gain the favor of the gods
After that we headed back to Arequipa. When we got back to the city we found a little café to have a quick dinner. Amelia and I split an oreo sundae. Then we got a taxi back to the airport and headed back to Lima.
We got back to Lima around 10:30 and Erick the taxi driver was waiting for us. As we were driving home I was thinking, man its good to be home. I don't always like living in a big city, but it has become home to me. And its always nice to come home. So I got home, took a shower and went to bed.
Monday I got up and went to class. Had a bit of trouble going up and down stairs and walking around, but I did it. Then today I decided to take a day off and just relax. So I didn't go to music class, but I'll just get the notes from Aleece. No big deal. And its a good thing that I was here because I just met up with Moisés and got a package from Sarah Moniz. (Here's the connection, Sarah sent a package for me down with Abbey D'Agostino who was here in Lima for her senior internship with Masco and stayed with Moisés, who it turns out lives a few blocks away from me.) So after I finish writing this I'm going to call Sarah. Because I miss her. And she's the bestest best friend in the world. And I'm not just saying that because she sent me peppermint patties and Annie's Mac and Cheese.
No comments:
Post a Comment