10,013 feet

Well, another week of school is finally done. And when I say finally, I really mean already. My weeks go by sooooooo fast here. That could be because I only have 3.5 days of classes, making weekends just as long as the rest of the week. I always moan and groan about going back to class on Mondays and then the next thing I know, it’s Thursday afternoon and I find myself wondering where the week went. This week was the same, though it was more difficult than usual to get back into the swing of things after an amazing vacation. It also probably didn’t help that I didn’t actually get home until 6 o’clock Monday morning. That 9 am class was a bit rough. So worth it though!

After exams last week, some friends and I decided we needed a vacation, so on Thursday night, we hopped on a bus that would take us to the mountains.

The beginning of our $20, 7 hour bus adventure. We even got a snack!

Friday morning, cramped, tired, and cold, we got off the bus in a town called Huaraz to a majestic view of snowcapped mountains. I was suddenly very awake and the ride to the hostal was filled with thoughts of what kind of adventures the weekend would bring.

As we checked in, the hostal owner informed us about the tours he would be leading throughout the weekend and against all former advice, we decided to go on the “easy” glacier hike later that morning. You see, Huaraz is located at an altitude of 10,013 ft, a height that anyone needs some time to acclimate to if their body isn’t used to the oxygen deficiency. We were originally planning on just hanging out in the town for the first day to get used to the altitude and then go on some mountain adventures the rest of the weekend. However, since we were told the glacier hike was going to be easy, we figured there was no need to miss out on something that sounded so cool. Getting winded after walking upstairs to our room on the third floor should have been a sign of what we were in for. After a delicious breakfast on the roof terrace with an absolutely breathtaking view, we all piled into the hostal van and set off.

Home sweet home.

Mmmm breakfast

Loving the terrace

View from the roof. This really doesn't do it justice.

We made a few stops along the 3 hour drive to the glacier, during which we saw some llama shaped bushes, watched people drink some strange looking water from a bubbling spring, and bought some coca leaves from the indigenous women, which are supposed to help with the altitude. That’s right, the plant that cocaine is made from. No snorting white powder involved with these though. Basically, you’re supposed to chew on the leaves a bit and then leave them in your lip until you suck all of the energy out of them (well, until you get tired of having them there). They’re kind of bitter and I prefer the tea version, but they aren’t too bad. I’m not sure if they actually helped, but lets just say they did because we all survived the altitude.

 

Hello there llama.

People were drinking this...

I'm not really sure what exactly these are, but they look pretty cool.

Chewing coca leaves!

When we finally got there, we were all ready to hike after sitting in the van for so long. We set out along the path and within a minute or two we were feeling the burn from the very slight incline. It was the weirdest feeling to be so out of breath when we were walking so slowly. The hike there was probably about a mile, but felt much longer. Everyone survived though. The glacier at the end was a pretty cool sight, but also a little sad. It was very clearly rapidly melting. Our guide told us that just 10 years ago, all of the land that we were standing on was covered by the glacier. No one could deny global warming after seeing that.

Beginning our hike

We made it!

The next day, Saturday, we decided to take it easy in town in preparation for the long hike on Sunday. We did some shopping at the artisan markets in which, like always, I want pretty much everything and can’t decide what I like the most so end up buying nothing. We also decided to check out some hot springs that were in the next town. To get there, we had to walk about 45 minutes through the beautiful countryside and then we got to swim in the middle of a gorgeous mountain landscape. It felt pretty surreal. Later that afternoon, we discovered a huge market in Huaraz. Seriously, GIGANTIC. They sold literally everything there, from kitchen staples like rice and beans to delicious baked goods to creepy dead animals to clothes to toys to luggage to… Well, you get the point. It was fun just to wander the aisles and see what would pop up next. This turned out to be a really relaxing day, but we decided to go to bed early so we would be ready to leave by 6 am for our hiking adventure the next day.

The plaza

My new best friend.

Traditional pottery and...winnie the pooh

Where's Waldo?

Adorable children that got mad at us when we didn't give them money.

The water was surprisingly warm

Rando rooster chillin by the pool

Need some eggs?

We love breakfast

Maybe they only get reception in that exact spot?

We stopped at a lake on the way

It would've been REALLY cold to fall in

I'm on a boat!

The hike started out flat enough in a valley looking up at the Cordillera Blanca (literally means white mountain range), including a fantastic view of Huascaran, the highest mountain in Peru, measuring in at about 22,000 ft. Before long though, we found ourselves looking up at the path winding up the mountain in front of us. Within several minutes, we were huffing and puffing. Luckily, we had a very motivating guide who kept us walking with his frequent “muy bieeen gringitas” words of encouragement. When we finally reached flat ground again, we mistakenly thought the worst was behind us. Soon we were climbing another mountain even steeper than the first. Just when I was about ready to lay down on the path and take a cat nap, the path evened out and suddenly, there was Lago 69 right in front of us. It was a most welcome sight and completely worth the 5 mile uphill hike. The shockingly blue, completely clear water was even safe to drink! Though the cold glacier water was the perfect thirst quencher, it was a tad cold for swimming. That didn’t stop a group of guys from taking the plunge though.

Happy cows are from Peru?

The whomping willow

And...Hagrid's hut

Huascaran-tallest peak in  Peru

Don't fall in!

Triumphant

None of us had the energy to stand up for a picture

Locos!

After a much needed rest by the lake, we headed back to the van, feeling very proud of ourselves. When we finally got back to town, we were all starving and decided to check out another of the cheap little local restaurants. Less than $2 for soup, meal, and tea? Yes please. The one thing is that the soup is the “soup of the house” and you get what they have. Which means if they have chicken foot soup, you get chicken foot soup. And, of course, I was the one that ended up with a GIGANTIC chicken foot in my soup. Seriously, like half the size of my hand. As that was the only meat in the soup and the rest looked really good, I went about removing the foot and stashing it under my bowl. Though the soup was then delicious, it took all of my willpower to NOT think about what had just been in my bowl.

By our 10:30 pm bus back to Lima, we were all ready to pass out, but this time the bus conditions were less than ideal for sleeping. I fell asleep right away, but kept waking up needing to shed my layers as the bus seemed to just get progressively hotter and hotter. Feeling like you’re drowning in your own sweat is not the greatest feeling when you’re trying to sleep. The weirdest thing was that I could barely bear being in a tshirt and I saw people around me curled up in blankets. I didn’t want my vacation to be over, but Lima sure was a welcome sight in the morning just to get off the sauna of a bus.

This trip (by far my favorite so far) made me realize how much I just want to TRAVEL and not just for weekends. A guy I met in our hostal was planning on staying in Huaraz for the next month or so and then moving on to see somewhere else. I was so jealous. Three days was not nearly enough for me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the endless possibilities for my upcoming 3 month break from school. It cannot come fast enough.

Adios Huaraz. Hope to see you again someday.

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