Huaraz, after the trek.

Yesterday afternoon I got back from the Huaywuash trip. Unexpectedly, this eight day trek that is described as ´difficult and demanding´in the travel guide, turned out to be a lot easier than the four day Santa Cruz trail, described as ´easy/moderate´. What a difference a backpack makes! We gave our heavy mochillas, as they are called in Spanish, to the convoy of donkeys, and walked easily with a lighte daypack. Also, we were by now much better acclimatized to altitude. That is not to say the hike wasn´t strenuous at times. Take the San Antonio pass, for example. At 5.200 meters it is the highest point of the entire trek, and you get there after a gruelling and seemingly endless two hour climb. But what a vista once you get to the top! The kind of scenery that makes you say ´Well done, God or whoever made this! This is what this Planet is all about!´ I´m afraid my pictures here can´t quite capture the feeling of grandness or smallness you experience when looking at these white giants.

Our original company of four people was first joined by two other Israelis, and then together we hooked up with a group that was put together by a trekking agency, Andean Kingdom. We ended up being 22 people, among which were only two girls (both vegetarian). Fifteen of these 22 were Israeli – they called me Tuvia, which apparently is the Hebrew version of my name. There were also 15 donkeys, a guide, three arrieros and a cook. Our little group was only partly connected to them, as we cooked our own food and slept in our own tents, but we benefited from the safety of a larger group.

Our day schedule looked more or less as follows:
- 7 am: rise and shine
- 8 am: leave the campsite to start the trek
- 16 pm: arrive at the next campsite
- 17 pm: cook and eat
- 19 pm: retreat to our tent, some to sleep, in my case to read a couple of hours.

One of the memorable events was our enjoying a thermal spring. The water was 47 degrees Celsius, and I was the first one to dare to get in. Scorchingly hot, but a nice experience, being very cold, wearing fleece and windstopper jacket at one moment, losing it and entering a very hot bath the next...

On the second to last day we visited one more so called mirador: a top with a particularly good view. The guide hadn´t warned us that in the end we would have to go through some very steep and dangerous rockclimbing. I was glad to come away unscathed, although there was one moment when I got a slight vertigo-attack, seeming unable to move up- or downward. Fortunately, right under me was Jane, who pointed out where I could put my feet and fifteen minutes later I made it safely to the top. Apparently one guy freaked out and had to be saved by our guide Armando.

One night while I was reading, I felt as if someone was moving my tent. I thought I was imagining it, but the following day Kobi asked me if I had felt the earthquake...

Apart from the majestic scenery, the physical challenge, the air, the feeling of being closer to Something, the friendship... I must say one of the main merits of doing something like this is also to realize the value of what you have at home. How wonderful things like a real mattress, a real toilet, real good food, your own private room etc... seem at the moment these things are not available. And obviously, once you are no longer sleeping in nature, you start missing the tent, the stove, the mountains... Life, as Milan Kundera wrote, is Elsewhere. At least for me it is often like that, but I suspect for you too... It must be one of our biggest and most difficult assignments in this existence to really live in the Here and Now, not missing anything, just Being.

I go on a bit about what I missed, but don´t go thinking that I didn´t have a wonderful time. This is just a good opportunity for philosophy and pondering. You know I´m good at those ;-)
Apart from these things, I also missed like minded people. I am absolutely not used to the company of non-veggies, and this was the first time in years... At home I have the luxury of having a circle of friends and family that CARES about stuff. Here, the guys were good people, but, if you understand what I mean, as far as I could tell most of them didn´t care or feel or do much ´above and beyond the call of duty´. Perhaps an elitist thing to say, but that´s the way it is. I am used to people who will pet a dog when they see one and not throw stones at them to chase them away for fear of rabies (even though that may be a more sensible thing to do). I´m used to people who won´t even THINK of barbecueing a sheep on the last day of the trek (fortunatley in the end it didnt´t happen). I am used to people who WILL give a little something to begging children. So being with these although quite nice people wasn´t always that easy, but at least it made me realize the value of the wonderful group of friends and family around me, and I am very very thankful for that.

Now about the last thing I have been missing. Good food. I can really eat pasta with tomato sauce for days on end, but unfortunately our quick cooking pasta was hardly edible. So it was wonderful to get back to Huaraz yesterday and eat in a vegetarian restaurant and order two main plates... I still miss vegan baked things though. If there´s anyone picking me up at the airport, please bring vegan pancakes. Or some (10) waffles ;-)





Daddy told me not to touch the dogs over here, but what can I do? They are love on legs, and still my favorite animals in the world, even if they are mangy and not very clean...