Thursday, December 14, 2006
Exploring Mountains Part 2
Next day the weather didn´t seem much better but you can't choose your weather...so set off on the bus again (the two germans from the day before were there again too). Today we headed south to Catac and then in search of a huge flower spike. Now this is a bromilliad that grows to 2m in diameter and then when fully grown (100yrs old by now) throws a 10m high flower spike with 20,000 flowers. It is considered a living fossil as it is one of the most ancient plants on earth. Well I didn´t see a 10m high spike but I did see some pretty amazing plants of some metres high. There were also natural sparkling mineral springs (so already carbonated) and lots of Lamas. Then as it got colder and we climbed further to altitude I got to hike to a glacier, visit an ice cave, throw snow and get snowed on - all at 5600m. The highest altitude I expect to visit. I only had a 2km round trip from the car park to the glacier and back and it took a good 2 hours. Yes, altitude does effect you!...It was FREEZING. I was wearing thermal pants and top, plus thermal outer and thermal slick, gloves, beanie and hat (to keep the snow out of neck). I stayed warm til my hands and feet got wet (to be expected in the snow) and then it was COLD with a capital C. The Germans and a Polish lady from Canada I had buddied with, were even colder so I didn´t feel so bad.
By the end of the day my brain was tired and I had developed a thumping headache. All altitude related but overall I think I coped really well. That night I travelled back to Lima on the overnight bus. Slept off the exhaustion, and the headache went of it's own accord as we decended from the mountains.
HINDSIGHT: Fantastic experience this Peru. One day on the coast with the ocean rolling in, the next at high altitude with snow and glaciers, and the next day 35 degrees and 100% humidity in a tropical jungle spotting macaws and cruising the Amazon!!!!!
Next day the weather didn´t seem much better but you can't choose your weather...so set off on the bus again (the two germans from the day before were there again too). Today we headed south to Catac and then in search of a huge flower spike. Now this is a bromilliad that grows to 2m in diameter and then when fully grown (100yrs old by now) throws a 10m high flower spike with 20,000 flowers. It is considered a living fossil as it is one of the most ancient plants on earth. Well I didn´t see a 10m high spike but I did see some pretty amazing plants of some metres high. There were also natural sparkling mineral springs (so already carbonated) and lots of Lamas. Then as it got colder and we climbed further to altitude I got to hike to a glacier, visit an ice cave, throw snow and get snowed on - all at 5600m. The highest altitude I expect to visit. I only had a 2km round trip from the car park to the glacier and back and it took a good 2 hours. Yes, altitude does effect you!...It was FREEZING. I was wearing thermal pants and top, plus thermal outer and thermal slick, gloves, beanie and hat (to keep the snow out of neck). I stayed warm til my hands and feet got wet (to be expected in the snow) and then it was COLD with a capital C. The Germans and a Polish lady from Canada I had buddied with, were even colder so I didn´t feel so bad.
By the end of the day my brain was tired and I had developed a thumping headache. All altitude related but overall I think I coped really well. That night I travelled back to Lima on the overnight bus. Slept off the exhaustion, and the headache went of it's own accord as we decended from the mountains.
HINDSIGHT: Fantastic experience this Peru. One day on the coast with the ocean rolling in, the next at high altitude with snow and glaciers, and the next day 35 degrees and 100% humidity in a tropical jungle spotting macaws and cruising the Amazon!!!!!
# posted by The Essence of Good Taste @ 1:19 PM 
