The Santa Cruz Trek and ebook in Pariantana

Valley on Santa Cruz Trek

Once we made it out of Huaraz, we headed towards the big peaks we kept seeing looming over the city. We began the Santa Cruz Trek, which is a four day loop, circling the most massive and impressive mountains in the Cordillera Blanca. Drew had done his research, but I was blown away by these mountains of Peru. They are sheer, snowy, glacier endowed peaks, and they are jaw dropping gorgeous. The first day was spent walking through a valley, but after months of sitting on buses and being physically dormant in cities I found myself huffing and puffing up a rather easy grade. I also blame it on our packs which were ridiculously heavy with more food than we could possibly eat (we ended up bringing nearly half of it home). The Santa Cruz Trek is a great trek but is a bit of a dichotomy- naturally beautiful but scarred by humans. We got to our first camp site, and found it littered with human waste and other garbage. Again we are reminded of how lucky we are in the US, where people understand "leave no trace" principles and our wilderness is still pretty wild. Our campsite was also a pasture for a family's livestock, and throughout the night and morning, we had all types of farm animals greeting us. It was like Old McDonald's farm with donkeys, cows, dogs, chickens.... a moo moo here and a bawk bawk there...

Farm Camp

The next day was cloudy but peaceful. We took our time, enjoyed the scenery, tried to eat as much food as possible, and made our way to camp 2. A memory I have of that day is crossing a long open field and seeing a herd of horses running together. It seemed like an old western movie, with wild horses running for the sheer pleasure of it, one even bucking and kicking. We got some rain that afternoon but a bit after setting up camp, it started to clear. All day we could only see the base of a big peak in front of us, but the clouds slowly parted and finally we understood just how good our camp site really was.

Views from Campsite

On day three we climbed to a pass at about 15,000 ft. It was a clear warm day and my body finally felt like it remembered how to walk outside like this. It was really beautiful, and those hours of walking always give me time to put my thoughts in order. I thought of our trip, of home, of work, of the future, and it all seems to fit together so nicely. It is like meditation for me, walking in nature, seeing the lupine in full bloom, the butterflies warming their wings in the sun... here everything just makes sense.

On the top of the Pass

We made our way down the other side of the pass and got to our camp 3, tired. There was no one there and it was a big open field. Just to make sure we had some space, Drew found a perfect spot on the other side of the river. We set up the tent, got in, and it started to pour. It was perfect timing (we weren't screwed by nature) and we didn't get wet at all. But it rained and rained and rained, and we had to eat a cold meal in the comfort of our warm sleeping bags for fear of getting wet(this didn't help our food situation). Then, as we were enclosed in our little polyester world, we heard grunts outside. Sure enough there was a donkey and a man setting up camp 5 feet from our tent... and we thought we found our own little spot. Drew tried to convince the guide in Spanish that it was too close, but no amount of polite pressure could get this man to change his mind... so instead we had neighbors for the night. It is just one of the many times we have to shrug our shoulders and chalk it up to cultural differences.

Our final day was easy and took us through quaint villages. The first two boys who approached us with their herd of sheep, surprised us by asking for pasta (not a Spanish word). I gave them some cookies, but realized quickly the trend. Every single person we passed asked for pasta or galletas (cookies) and we knew right away they are used to trekkers and their leftover food. We have learned not to give things to people when they beg, because it just just promotes more begging. In these places, they have enough food (they are farmers), they just get used to the tourists giving treats and that is what they see in you. We would rather leave kind smiles and words and hope that not every foreign face represents pasta.

Views on the Last Day

When we finished the trek we found a van to take us back down to the cities. The ride was almost as spectacular as anything we saw on the trek, and took us over a pass surrounded by high peaks. The only problem was the van itself- it sounded like the shocks were giving out and we would soon discover why. The road itself is dirt, and full of holes and rocks. The driver didn't seem to mind and went full speed ahead over anything and everything, giving us a adrenaline rush and picking us off our seats at times. Then the back wheel started to sound worse - making grinding noises and clunking every time we turned a corner. And this was not a road where you would want to miss a corner, it was steep with drop offs into an abyss. Once we were through the worst of it, the wheel finally gave up and seemed to fall apart. The driver stopped, pulled out a string from the front seat, and went under the van to fix it. I don't know what he did with that little piece of string but it got us down the hill and to another mode of transportation. Whatever it was, it was a miracle from my point of view.

Road to Civilization

We spent a few days in the lovely town of Caraz to rest and relax. We found a great hostel with big gardens and trekking information for Drew. It was perfect because Drew ended up climbing Pisco with the owner himself. The staff only looked at us kind of funny when we ate every meal around a camp stove, trying to finish our mounds of leftover trekking food.

Then, Drew and I spent our first few days apart after a year of traveling together. It was interesting to be alone, but it made me even more appreciate of having Drew as a traveling companion through this crazy world of ours. After the Santa Cruz trek, Drew stayed in Caraz to climb Pisco and I made my way to a small village at the base of the biggest mountain in the area, Huascarán. The town is called Musho and through a fellow traveler, I made friends with two Peace Corp Volunteers that have been working there for 2 years. Their names are Benjamin and Libby and they are a great couple who invited me to stay with them in their one-room apartment without even knowing me. They have a great life in Musho and the people adore them there. They are like superstars and the kids run after them just to give them a hug. To get to their house I just told the taxi driver their names and he dropped me off right there. It is that kind of place- a small village where everyone knows each other and everyone cares, or at least has an opinion of everyone else.

Benjamin and Libby

The reason I went to Musho was to do one last ebook project before heading home. When Kelly was here in Peru we worked with two schools in the city, but we were hoping for a third in the campo to round out the experience. The school was in an even smaller village than Musho, called Pariantana, with a total of only 23 students. When we got to the school, we were greeted with hugs and high-fives from all the students. I could tell right away they have a special fondness for Ben and Libby and I got to soak it up as well.

School in Pariantana

The school was small and a bit run down, but I was happy to see a small garden growing and the kids studying live plants when we arrived. Ben did most of the talking and when the kids found out that we were writing books, they were so thrilled they could hardly contain themselves. It was hilarious because our first few questions were answered by their screaming voices all at once- they were just so darn excited. Their answers were great and I felt lucky to get an inside view into their lives. They talked about their rural lives and when asked what they do for fun, they answered that they work in the field, taking care of the plants and animals. It is quite different than the average American child's idea of fun, I would say. Also when asked about the environment they said, "For every tree we cut down we should plant a new one." This came from reading the Lorax with Ben and Libby months ago.

Teaching...

After asking all of our questions, the students took us around the village for photos. It was like letting bulls out of their cages, they wanted to run and jump and play. The other problem was if you pointed at something you wanted to take a picture of, 23 students would run full speed towards whatever it was, to be part of the picture. It is okay if it is a house or car, but imagine the startled eyes of the donkey when a group of kids came charging at it full of energy. A couple of pigs suffered when we decided to take their pictures and the students all tried to pick them up. If you could only hear the squealing! But it was fun and silly and the kids had pride in their eyes showing us their homes. For me as an outsider, it was a powerful experience.

Can you hear the pig squealing?

The best part of the project is knowing how it will benefit the kids. They live in a place with hardly any books, and the school is run in an haphazard way. It is hard to imagine a school without books, but it is the reality for many students in rural communities in our world. When told they were each going to get a book, one 6th grader said, "YES! A book of my very own! I have always wanted a book." It is one of his first, which is quite heart breaking in some ways, but it also feels good to know he will have at least one.

The whole school

The whole experience was wonderful and it is hard for me not to idealize their lives. It is a beautiful spot, with rolling hills full of crops, and a backdrop of huge snow capped peaks. The community is friendly and everyone says hello to everyone else. Their food is grown locally and it is quiet and peaceful. But in some ways I know their lives are hard. Benjamin and Libby are working on a big campaign called "Healthy Homes" where they are implementing ways to improve homes and the people's health. A big part of it is building new stoves with chimneys so that people's living places are not full of smoke. In the past, everyone just cooked over a wood fire with a pot on top of three stones, but now they have three burner stoves which can cook much more food while boiling water for drinking. I take for granted the ease of our household equipment and access to clean water. Ben and Libby truly are improving the lives around them and it was my first glimpse into what the Peace Corp is all about.

After my trip to Musho, I had a quiet day by myself in Huaraz. I had time to really think about our trip and everything we have experienced this year... it is hard to express the feelings and thoughts I am having. I also started to get butterflies in my stomach because I am so excited to come home!

In Lima, we are spending two quiet days with our friends, Veronica and Renzo. Our last feast was a parrilla with lots of meats, including intestine, chicken stomachs, and cow heart. We will continue to write about some of our reflections once we have made it to the States so stick with us a bit longer... Hasta luego!

Veronica, Renzo, and us eating Parrilla

We made it home to the good ol' US of A! We'll write soon and give you more updates!

Erin