Climbing In Peru

[newdawnfades]

Hey Peeps,
I have been traveling of late so I haven´t had a chance to check in. I am currently in Peru, in a mountain town called Huaraz. They have internet cafes around every street corner, so I thought i´d pop in and say hi. Will be back in the saddle in about a week. I just climbed a 18000ft peak, and let me tell you it was way more difficult than I had imagined. You can hardly breath at that altitude, not to mention it´s impossible to get a good night sleep. Hope everyone is still rockin´ out. See ya in a few.

NDF

 

[Music Wench]

I figured you were climbing somewhere but it's nice to see you haven't fallen off a mountain or something. Hope you're having a great time.

 

[newdawnfades]

It was indeed great. The people were very friendly, probably the best part of it. The mountains were high and hard. Thankfully I left the diarrhea there, where I found it.

 

[Martha Washington]

YUK!!
so, glad you lived to tell the tale! any gruesome details?
I mean, not poop related. hyeah:

 

[newdawnfades]

The climbing was quite difficult, if only because we had a 'team member' who clearly didn't know what she was getting into. So we had to abort climbing a second mountain entirely. I was very disappointed, but I can't say it was a big surprise.

We receded back to a mountain town and had some really good times. Mountain biking, hiking to old ruins, intoxicating nights at some local bars. There was even a little romance with a local chica. That town is full of opportunity. I am actually considering going to Peru to a year at some point. I have to bulk up more on my spanish though. My friend David speaks fluently and he was having the time of his life.

 

[Martha Washington]

what were your impressions of the economy and so on?
the Senate just approved a 'Free Trade' agreement for that country. think something like that will help or is the country really too big to tell?
glad you had a good time!

 

[Martha Washington]

actually, someone just leaned over my shoulder and told me they wont vote on that for a month or so yet.
still, it's nice knowing somebody who's been there, any impressions?

 

[newdawnfades]

I can't really speak on something like that. I know a guy named Giovanni who saw a TV for the first time when he was 19, he's 25 now. I see poor people everywhere, but I also see smiles too. I don't think most Peruvians bother with politics or are waiting around for the govt to improve anything. They don't expect it, they just do their best to survive. Life seems easier, in a sense, when you don't know what you're missing out on.

There is quite a bit of spray painted political messages on buildings. Some guy named Alan, some gal named Lourdes, Ricardo, Ovilio. They all seem to be running for something. Oh, and they all seem to have catchy nicknames too.