Well, to begin, lots has happened. I'm sitting in the Fort Lauderdale airport not waiting for my flight at 5:50 in the morning. It will most likely be there on time, so I probably don't need to do much in the way of waiting for it. Anywho, when we left off, I had just arrived in Huaraz. Since there were some ruins around the city, I decided to visit some of them. The photo below is of a tomb in the called Wilkawain, dating somewhere back to around 1000 A.D. In this area, folks worshiped ancestors (male leaders) and kept their bodies preserved in tombs like this one. The township of Wilkawain had tombs with enough space for 20 leaders - and if I do some quick math (average leaderspan is 15 years) this town was flourishing with the same customs for about 300 years.
The next day, a group of folks got up early to go hike around a glacier called Pasto Ruri. On the way, We saw a troupe of Andeans heading to a public demonstration in the local township. The locals kept going on and on about "accessible heath care" and "improved education".
Our tour group made a quick stop for Coco-tea, and here is a photo of my first ever cup! This beverage is an Andean staple, especially for travelers, because it allows the body to more quickly adjust to altitude changes by stimulating blood flow and widening capillaries. As the base of the Pasto Ruri glacier is situated at a modest 5200 meters (We have no idea how tall it is in feet because no one around had ever measured it in imperial, just metric), the tea was an important pit stop. The tea is made by steeping coco leaves, the same leaves that are used to make the drug known to some as 'nose candy', but the tea is nowhere near as refined as the stuff frequented by Rick James and Mick Jagger. Too bad, because the leaves were dirt cheap. More often than tea, the leaves are chewed until all the juices are extracted and the pulp is spittoon-ed away as unattractively and uncoordinated as one has the ability.
Continuing the adventure above the treeline, we drove through some spectacular scenery. Without those pesky trees, you can see the texture of the geology, which allows for some amazing views. One bend in the road allowed me to take the following picture. I made it extra large because it is my personal favorite from Peru, and I want all who gander to try and understand why I believe the Andes are a magical place.
Up in this all but barren land, only a handful of species even bother with that inter-species competition nonsense. Of these, the two most interesting (to me) are human beings and a bromeliad species called the "Queen of the Andes". In the background of this picture, you can see a couple dozen of these plants. They have a pineapple like base and tall flower stalks like century plants with thousands of flowers.
To provide some context for the size of these crazy plants that choose to live where nothing else can breathe:
Lord of the Rings was filmed in the wrong Continent.
This photo sums up the hike - spectacular view, but man, there is almost no air up here. How is there enough atmosphere for clouds?
Some of us had the opportunity to see a glacier before they go extinct.
I'm a sucker for a beautiful sky.
Back in Huaraz, I took a horse ride of the countryside. Our guide was a 13 year old girl who had been riding horses for nine of those years. Since I thought it inappropriate to take a photograph of the new teenager, here instead is a picture of her mom. I feel bad for not remembering here name, but it very easily could have been Mary, since Christian names are the norm 'round these parts. Regardless of her preferred monicker, this woman is wearing a traditional Andean outfit, from head to toe. Often, women are seen wearing a baby or other cargo on their backs inside a very colorful woolen blanket, tied across their chests.
Something endearing about Peruvian towns are the wandering street dogs. Some of them are owned, but of all of the American culture that has been adopted by the people of Peru, The Price is Right and Bob Barker have not yet made an impact. Bodily safety was not often a concern throughout the country, but at night I did wander through territory several times apparently controlled by gangs of canines. They are dangerous creatures because their cutest part is also their most dangerous part.
Some adorable little dogs were claimed by adorable little humans. This particular girl had two friends with her, but they were camera shy. When I gave out my last piece of candy, you can be sure which hand it went into. They were speaking in the local Quechua dialect after our encounter, but I'm pretty sure that our photophile said "don't hate the player, hate the game". What have we done?
To many Peruvian cultures over the ages, the cat is the spiritual symbol of the earth. This terrestrial goddess looks a bit pissed off- probably at a dog, which is the spiritual symbol of gang violence (my Spanish isn't very good, but this is the translation that made sense).
more to come.
