Day two is done! Our guide gently woke us up at 5:30am with our choice of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. We adjusted our aching bodies while the drink cooled. It was relaxing and peaceful and much better than my iPhone alarm. For breakfast we had toast and jam, yogurt and granola, fruit, and a crepe.
Today we reached the summit of our hike. We hiked for uphill seven hours. It was essentially an all day stairmasters. We met our 21 man crew and each told us where they were from, how old they were, and their name. Our oldest porter is 72! We then went around and introduced ourselves in Spanish. We took a group photo and the guide said "say Saul is metrosexual" and everyone laughed. I tried not to get too San Francisco but I wasn't into it.
Lunch was amazing and I am learning it is the best meal of the day. We had this wanton like thing with chicken inside, corn soup, then pasta with carrots and squash, and then a typical Peruvian dish which is like stirfry with al paca, peas, onions, and french fries. We finished it off with rice and pumpkin paste/sauce.
At the summit we took lots of photos. I chatted with the Irish couple, Sean and Dirjte, for an hour. They are from Northern Ireland - the first I've met. I asked them if they had heard of Paul Murphy, the politician I met on the Camino. Sean couldn't believe it! Apparently Paul is on the far left and wears jeans and a t-shirt to parliament. Sean kept saying Paul was "a radical." Sean told me Paul is well-liked for his work on the water tax. He explained that when the economy was down, the Irish government was forced by the EU to create taxes to help with the deficit, such as the "household" tax and the water tax. Both the rich and the poor are very against the water tax. Paul and his party organized a protest that involved surrounding the minister of water's house. Paul was arrested for false imprisonment, since the lady couldn't get out of her house. Sean said it was ridiculous because the protest was only an hour long. Radical!
After the summit, we hiked to our secluded campground, which was entirely down hill. I refilled my water and put in my special pills. Last night I forgot and then had to pay 10 soles for 1 liter (and then subsequently spilled half of it when I improperly closed my camelback). Knucklehead!
Our campground is next to a waterfall. There have been many along the trek. I love that it drowns out all noise, both externally and internally. I'm exhausted and looking forward to dinner. My legs are shaking!
Today we reached the summit of our hike. We hiked for uphill seven hours. It was essentially an all day stairmasters. We met our 21 man crew and each told us where they were from, how old they were, and their name. Our oldest porter is 72! We then went around and introduced ourselves in Spanish. We took a group photo and the guide said "say Saul is metrosexual" and everyone laughed. I tried not to get too San Francisco but I wasn't into it.
Lunch was amazing and I am learning it is the best meal of the day. We had this wanton like thing with chicken inside, corn soup, then pasta with carrots and squash, and then a typical Peruvian dish which is like stirfry with al paca, peas, onions, and french fries. We finished it off with rice and pumpkin paste/sauce.
At the summit we took lots of photos. I chatted with the Irish couple, Sean and Dirjte, for an hour. They are from Northern Ireland - the first I've met. I asked them if they had heard of Paul Murphy, the politician I met on the Camino. Sean couldn't believe it! Apparently Paul is on the far left and wears jeans and a t-shirt to parliament. Sean kept saying Paul was "a radical." Sean told me Paul is well-liked for his work on the water tax. He explained that when the economy was down, the Irish government was forced by the EU to create taxes to help with the deficit, such as the "household" tax and the water tax. Both the rich and the poor are very against the water tax. Paul and his party organized a protest that involved surrounding the minister of water's house. Paul was arrested for false imprisonment, since the lady couldn't get out of her house. Sean said it was ridiculous because the protest was only an hour long. Radical!
After the summit, we hiked to our secluded campground, which was entirely down hill. I refilled my water and put in my special pills. Last night I forgot and then had to pay 10 soles for 1 liter (and then subsequently spilled half of it when I improperly closed my camelback). Knucklehead!
Our campground is next to a waterfall. There have been many along the trek. I love that it drowns out all noise, both externally and internally. I'm exhausted and looking forward to dinner. My legs are shaking!
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