Humbled by Beauty

Oh so many adventures and so little time to tell you about them!

This update is coming to you from Huaraz, a place which Lonely Planet describes as: The mountainous region of the Cordillera Blanca is where superlatives crash and burn in a brave attempt to capture the beauty of the place. A South American mecca for worshippers of outdoor adventure, this is one of the preeminent hiking, trekking and backpacking spots on the continent. Every which way you throw your gaze, perennially glaciered white peaks razor their way through expansive mantles of lime-green valleys. In the recesses of these prodigious giants huddle scores of pristine jade lakes, ice caves and torrid springs. This is the highest mountain range in the world outside of the Himalayas, and its 22 ostentatious summits of over 6000m will not let you forget it for a second.

Huaraz. View from our trek today!

The drive to Huaraz from Lima was 8 hours long, and so incredibly beautiful. Along the ocean, through the desert, up mountains...oh wow. And I thought I was going to sleep and read the newspaper (To practice my espanol more) during the ride, psh. I was practically up against the window screaming about how beautiful it all was. I'm glad Matt shares my enthusiasm about this place because he probably would have killed me by now.
A guy from Lima, named Jesus, sat across the aisle from us. We talked with him for much of the way to Huaraz. That is, Matt and I talked in Spanish and Jesus responded in English so we could both get practice with the languages we were trying to learn. This guy was awesome! He was a mechanical engineer in Lima, and was opening up a few restaurants around Lima. We ended up going out to dinner with him once we arrived in Huaraz, just to continue our conversations. Another authentic peruvian experience...check!

I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it is to be away from the claustrophobic mayhem of Lima. I am

Matt and I at the beginning of our trek! Check out those sexy...MOUNTAINS!

having minor difficulties from the altitude and Matt is recovering from a knee injury... but yeah right like that was going to stop us from playing in the Andes! We set off for a long day hike today and just took in the landscape. We caught a ride to the trailhead with intentions of hiking back to Huaraz. We weaved through mountain roads, passing chickens, cows, pigs, donkeys, sheep and feral dogs along the way. We passed people's farms and huts. We passed women dressed in beautifully bright fabrics and tall hats, carrying bundles of sugarcane on their backs. Everything surrounding me today reminded me of a National Geographic photo documentary. The driver honked at his friends (basically every person) as we passed - suggesting how small this town really is. Nonetheless, we zoomed up these mountain roads at easily twice the posted speed limit, as calm and collected as could be.

Another view from our hike!

This brings me to a discussion about something profound I have been learning within myself. It can best be described as trust, but there are so many complicated layers to it. [Mom, stop reading here] There have been so many times I have seen my life flash before my eyes on this trip so far. Mostly it has been some of the bus/taxi/car rides, yes. I have put an ungodly amount of trust in drivers as they take on hairpin turns at uncomfortable speeds, bomb through 4 lanes of traffic, and pass cars on the highway even though there are cars in the oncoming lane. Despite what it sounds like, nothing bad ever happens. And then there is trust in people. For example, Matt and I arrived in Huaraz last night without any clue of where we were staying. With the help of Jesus (just the guy from the bus ride, guys), we left the bus station with someone who claimed to have a room for us to stay in for a good price. Sure, why not? We hopped into his dodgy looking car and then had to wait outside of the hostel until his amigos brought him the key to the front door. Matt and I exchanged looks, but it all turned out better than we could have imagined. For goodness sake, this hostel even has a rooftop.