Andean Woman: Work and Playing in Peru and Bolivia

I have started this blog a few times over now and I still can't find the right way to write it all. This summer has been full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have been able to see the magical structure of Machu Picchu (TWO more times) when once it was only a dream on the top of my bucket list that inspired me to travel. I have taken in a new roll in a company I continue to grow in and battled my way through some complicated times while learning more about my innate strengths and more-so, my weaknesses. If there is any word that can summarize my summer it is gratitude. 

Gratitude for a job that opens up the world for me while simultaneously pushing me out side my comfort zone to learn about myself. Gratitude for a Peruvian community that always lets in a bunch of foreigners and calls them family. Gratitude for the young souls that reminded me the value of personal connections. Gratitude to live in a world with such natural beauty that in continues to inspire exploration. Gratitude for an open sky of stars that makes me realize how small I really am. Gratitude for the flexibility to travel and see and experience all these places. 

Realistically this summer's star is the Andes: tall, steep, endless, and magical mountains that had a constant present in my summer. These powerful beasts impressed and pushed me through my whole summer. Not only do they offer a bit of eye candy, but the open up a way of life for the local people that is so humble, yet so unique.Yes, the ruins and the tenacity of the Incan power is truly amazing, but what really gets me is the endlessness of these old mountains and how varied they are from place to place, culture to culture,  and season to season. 

Even with all the cultural experiences built in to the VISIONS summer like Pago a la Tierra (paying respects to Mother Earth or the pachumama), Andean bands, and local workshops teaching local arts (chocolate making, bee keeping, jewlery, ceramics, and carpentry) my favorite experiences while working were the hikes  in the mountainous backdrop. We hiked from the unique ruins of Moray to the towered Incan salt crops by means of local farmland and numerous pueblos. I was blown away at every turn by the innate beauty of the Sacred Valley and the etched mountains that fence it in.

Yet my favorite excursion was an unconventional hike up the Putokisi with some adventure savvy participants to get a sneak peak of the ruins of Machu Picchu from the "happy" mountain it faces. We raced the sun and battled our way up nearly vertical rock faces to summit. The excitement of the participants and my coworker's faces made every bit of the journey worth it. It was only appropriate that the next day the same group of kids gathered up the strength to hike Machu Picchu mountain to look down on the old ruins. Absolutely magnificent and to do it with an inspiring bunch of youngsters.

                                 

After a rushed and extremely emotional end of the program I packed up and headed off from the Sacred Valley to get more adventures and some needed peace of mind out of the mountainous terrain.

I headed straight for Colca Canyon where the famous condors have been a part of my outdoor ed teamwork activities for years now. The sheer depth and slope of the canyon where impressive (it is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon), not to mention the three meter wing span of the condor who hover over the rock faces in the same flight pattern as turkey vultures. Trekking this out first hand was the best way to fully conceptualize the jutting rock faces of the canyon. I was lucky enough to start this trek with a friend from the bus station, Anna, who ended up sticking by my side (or vice-versa) for the rest of my South American journey.

Our trip took us both to Bolivia where we were instantly drooling over the snow capped peaks surrounding La Paz. Due to a tight schedule and the sheer size of the country of Bolivia be opted into heading straight into a three day trek descending from the rocky peaks around La Paz to the lush peaks around Croilloco. El Choro (the name for this hike) started in snow pack and quickly turned into a rainy and water logged first day. The next few days were brighter, warmer and greener, but still challenging with a nearly constant downhill (still my least favorite part of hiking.) We were both impressed by the vistas and natural beauty, but ready to arrive back in La Paz after a satisfying tour of a few ecosystems.

Straight from this trek we didn't waste any time. We had booked our overnight bus and our tour of Uyuni and start upon return from the hike. The poor people with us in our three day long jeep tour never saw or smelled us us showered or bushy tailed. Uyuni is the base for the tour of the famous Bolivian Salt flats. Our tour started on the 12,000 km circumstance salar. This place was truly amazing. Hexagons of white salt stretched out as far as the eye can see. Our tour guide, who was super awesome and loved his job, went out of his way to harvest us some epic salt crystals and teach us all the cool picture options. If there is any place in the world that the pictures don't do justice this is it. I can't even tell you how many times "wow" came out of our mouths this day.

The rest of the tour was a lot of jeep time with a lot of beautiful stops with the natural park that is made up of flamingos, beautiful lagoons, and unique rock formations. After seeing the variety of mountain we did on El Choro it was astounding to see how many other natural wonders exist within the same borders. 

Our whole group thinks we really lucked out with the whole experience. This trip is notorious for bad reviews and unsafe conditions with drivers and companies. Not only did we have a stand up group of people, but also our guide wanted to inform of us of as mush as possible (Spanish really helps for that!) and ensured that we had a safe, unique, and not overcrowded experience. We felt all on our own throughout the tour which is really rare for this tour and being tourist in general during the South American high season.

                              

From Uyuni we headed to the beautiful city of Sucre for a little bit of downtime and a lot of eating. Sucre is known for its tasty empanada-like saltenas and the good vibe it puts out. While in town I did my best to sample all its goodies. Sucre also has a dinosaur fossil park. After growing up right behind one of the biggest dinosaur museums in the states I had do do my duty and visit the museum. It was way more impressive than I thought. Back in the day, while mining for granite, they discovered a wall full of dinosaur tracks. These tracks had a number of identifiable dinosaurs told a story of the geology of this part of the world. The tracks all jutted out of different layers with different slopes showing how this what-was lake has come to form the mountian. This more interesting than I thought combining so many areas of interest in one short tour.

From Sucre we headed out for one last trek on the mountains overlooking Lake Titicaca from Sorata. Now this is where my jaw starts dropping... 

This range of mountains seriously seems to pop out of nowhere. The trek to the Laguna Chillata and then the glacier above it was better each step of the way. I've always known I was a mountain person and this totally solidified it. I was constantly peaking over my shoulder getting a glimpse of the changing mountains. We got to the glacier just in time as the clouds that had left us with hail the night before moved in changing the view and climate quickly. I couldn't have asked for a better end to my trip. Camping at over 4000 meters to scale another 1000 meters with my new companion and a menu designed by us....

There is nothing better than waking up to a warming sunrise over a rock face and setting off up a mountain. That is my kind of "soul food."

                          

As I said Bolivia and the adventures within helped me touch base with myself again. With the chaos of our last program all I needed was time to touch base with what names me tick and I did just that. I feel like I still have so much more to learn about Bolivia and their culture. But I can tell you despite the lack of listening skills they are a people who are always willing to help. Whenever I asked directions to anything they would ask instantly pop up and direct me. It was also very evident it is still a developing country. Many of the people I talked to or hired for hikes and such didn't have Spanish as their native tongue. I was constantly noticing errors in their Spanish and seeing their laps in communication with us as a result- but this was all part of the experience.

I can't wait to cross this border again and see what more natural beauty awaits. Until then a New England fall is calling me yet again... but before I can venture up North I need a bit of Eastern Shore time.