Trekking

Today I am exhausted, sun burnt, in need of a shave (upon close inspection), coated in kerosene fumes, extremely sore and thankful that the bumpy 16 hour bus ride from La Paz is over. Yes, I just returned from a hiking trip. On June 12 a friend and I headed to La Paz where we spent a couple days exploring the city, relaxing and making preparations for our hiking trip in the Andes Mountains. After visiting the Coca Museum, Witch´s Market, local trekking shops and meeting up with some friends, we anxiously left the city on Tuesday and made the three hour bus ride to Sorata, a remote community nestled in the Andes mountains that, according to the Lonely Planet, serves as a base camp for hikers around the world. In Sorata we enjoyed the sights and restaurants the village had to offer, but also made sure to talk with some of the locals in order to find out more information about the hike and to iron out final details and questions.

Wednesday morning we woke up early, packed our packs, ate breakfast and headed out of town. Our destination for the day was a lake at about 14,000 feet where we would set up camp and spend the next couple of nights. Along the way we met up with a local farmer who was making his daily hour walk to work in his fields that line the mountainside. We chatted with him for about an hour, but soon realized he was also acting as our guide. We heard him bragging to his friends along the way that we had "hired" him, he was pretty excited. When we finally reached his fields, we payed him for his service and continued on our way. About two hours later we ran into a group of hikers, who were being lead by an actual guide, which thought we were following them; using them to find our way(this was a false assumption, we just happened to stumble upon them). After talking with the guide, we compromised and told him that if he helped explain the route on our map and provide some pointers, we would pay him; hoping no further discrepancies would arise. I guess this was to be expected since we didn´t hire a local to go with us, however not being able to figure out the trail for yourself takes away from the fun of exploration.

At around 4:30, exhausted due to not being in shape, we arrived and set up camp close to the lake. The view was spectacular, definitely a haven compared to the dusty and dirty streets of Santa Cruz. The scenery, fresh mountain air and tasty Romen Noodles for supper was well worth the trek. Darkness and the cold quickly moved in and we ended the day by settling into our sleeping bags and our Mountain Tent (we found this small A-frame tent in Santa Cruz, probably something our parents would have used, and decided it would be fun to travel back in time).

The next day we planned to hike to continue on up to find the popular glacier lake, but I ended up going with some other people who were also staying at the lake since my friend was unfortunately dealing with some stomach issues and altitude sickness (I would later suffer from the same). After hiking for about three hours, I decided to break off from the group and explore another area. This turned out to be an exciting adventure, but also left me worn out since I ended up having to climb two bolder fields in order reach the glacier lake. So there I was, feeling sick due to the elevation and too tired to really enjoy the moment. I could only think about returning so I could eat more Romen Noodles and sleep. Looking back, I wish I would have stayed put and enjoyed God´s beautiful creation instead of constantly hiking around and entertaining my love for exploration. Something I will keep in mind the next time, but I know will be difficult since I am constantly on the move.

The next day we were both tired and ready to return home. Instead of staying a third night like we originally planned, we packed up and returned to Sorata. We then found a micro and made the three hour trip back to La Paz. This included waiting out a bloqueo (persons will block off the roads as an act of protest in order to bring awareness to certain issues such as the price of public transportation) and walking 45 minutes since the driver decided he could go no further due to the blocked roads. Thankfully we found a taxi which took us to where we would stay the night in La Paz. The next day we then purchased our bus tickets and headed back to Santa Cruz. I will remain here, except for a quick trip to Concepcion, until July 17 when I will be flying back to Akron, PA. Chao.

Not Much Time

Winter is finally only a couple of weeks away which means cooler weather and restful nights; thankfully. Cold showers before going to bed are no longer necessary and instead of waking up periodically due to oven-like temperatures in my room, I can sleep the whole night through beneath my wool comforters. I have been longing for cooler weather for some time now, yet the change in weather has left me a bit confused. I usually associate cold weather with trees changing the colors of their leaves, snow and Christmas. I periodically have to remind myself I am in June and not November or December.

As I enter the winter months of June, July and August here in Bolivia, this also means my time is drawing to an end. The remaining time should go fast as well due to final reports, activities with the library, numerous final goodbyes, MCCs 50th anniversary celebration, a little bit of traveling and my brother visiting. Before I realize, I will be sitting on a plane and heading back to the United States si Diós quiere. I am both excited and sad about this fact. It is difficult to say goodbye to the people I have met and leave behind cultural habits I have adapted to. For those who do not know, I have roughly a month and a half left before flying home.

Looking back on the month of May, it has been one of the fastest months yet due to a number of activities. All the MCC Bolivia workers got together for a two day retreat, we purchased new books and materials for the library (thank you Susan See, those who played in the concert and to those who donated), mother´s day was a large celebration, my host brother was also confirmed this past Sunday and I took a weekend trip to visit a friend a couple weeks ago. Seeing how May flew by, I am rather positive June will be similar, if not faster. Nonetheless, I will continue to have patience, trust in God and rely on your prayers.