llama trek

We left the "gringo house "at 8 am on the bus and drove high up into the Andes 2 hours from Ayacuchoto an altitude of 12000 feet. A herd of Llamas adorned with bells and bobbles took our rucksacks and off we trekked even higher again . Two guides on horseback carried water for us and a. horseback is the mode of transport for these highlanders and each family are not allowed own more than 2 horses each as grazinhg is limited at such an altitude.
At 13500 we stopped and had lunch , the altitude at this stage was affecting everyone so cocoa leaves were doled out by the handful which we stuffed into our pockets and into our mouths !!
These cocoa leaves are meant to be chewed and when combined with saliva they are supposed to create a feeling of well being and reduce headaches etc. I have to say I thought they were soo gross it was like opening a tea bag and chewing the contents but we trekked on all of us with green curly teeth and hoping the effects would soon take place !!
At 14000 we all had a blast of oxygen which I might add was much needed, its hard to imagine I know but the slightest exertion can leave you breathless, so every 5 minutes or so we stopped for a breather.
The scenery as you can imagine was amazing ( and yes it was literally breath taking !!)some peaks had snow tops there were icicles on cliff faces Not much plant life at such a haeight but what there was was perfect and beautiful.
At 14000 feet we passed a village, and I m not joking you, for those of you old enough to remember peig from the blaskets this was right there.. stone cottages stone on stone , no cement, thatched rooves. I t was just unbelievable that people lived in these conditionsno electricity, no running water, llamas sheep and dogs everywhere.
We passed many herds in our travels being tended to by 6 to 8 year olds sent off up to the mountains for the day so the animals could graze.
We reached our" lodging" which was a one roomed school, in which we ate and slept . I f you check my pictures there should be one of the mattress on the floor , yes THE mattress. The toilet was an outhouse across the field which in the middle of the night was not so pleasant . major fear of tripping over a sheep or llama !!. The toilet was a hole in the ground literally.
No electricity meant we were all in bed by sundown.
6am next day we headed out to the shearing pen where we witnessed a llama being sheared with a shears which basically resembled a large scissors. Two years growth wighing 3 lbs is worth about 15 euro. I n a pen beside us we witnesswd a llama being born , it just dropped to the ground. astonishing, some of you girls reading this have done the same I know !!!!!No sliding roof for these babies !!
after breakfast we mounted horses and trekked through the mountains for the next 2 hours, . W e were all set and waiting for our driver to take us home sitting outside in the sun an hour went by, no sign 2 hoours , holy shit everyone was having appoplexy I m a caucasian get me out of here . We ended up having to climb down treacherous ravines in the rain for the next 2 hours which was not pleasant . When we reached the road we left Pancho our guide to hitch a ride for us and we walked on towards the nexrt village. Well 30 minutes later you can imagine the 5 jaws dropping as Pancho pulled up in a local minibus that was way too overcrowded as it was and told us to pile in !! this was a minibus about 30 years old could seat about 25 people but there were at least 45 once we boarded. I was lucky enough to sit on a bag of alabaster on the floor beside a sack full of live guinea pigs , one which managed to escape and caused major consternation. This bus also had a roof rack that was piled high weith all these peoples belongings including 5 live sheep !!!I dont think OI ve ever been so petrified in all my life as you can imagine these roads are crap and very windy and I can bet the tyres on that yoke were 30 years old too, and mab did he drive fast, SCAAARY. aApparently our bus had broken down and no electricity no mobiles... Definetly not for you Michele or Laura !!
The carnival is in full swing and theres much music and dancing in the streets.
On Monday we all donned our traditional garb and took to the streets in lines and did our salsa dancing while walking I might add for 2 hours through the streets of Ayacucho, It was an absolute riot , hundreds of people line the streets and clap and cheer . Needless to say before we began we had a couple of the local coctails "pisco sour" which is a bit like brandy/sherry mixed with sprite .
Back to normal on pancake Tuesday up to the roof where we do our washing and drying. aAchange of workplace for 1 day , off to the girls orphanage . I was pleasantly surprised clean clean kids clean rooms etc, These kids seem to be doing ok on that front , no love and affection but they are well cared for. I spent the day with the babies aged 3 months to 1 year. Beautiful little babies some with parents who cannot afford to take care of them and some who have been abandoned. In the nursery there was one" Mammy" and me and about 4 girls aged 11to 13 who take care of these babies. The girls do everything from folding the cloth nappies to changing and feeding. It was a happy environment these young girls were soo lovely and soo affectionate with the kids that I left that day thinking ok, at least some kids are being taken care of in this town.
This weekend Im hioping to drive to the coast and see the nasca lines ( look it up ) in Ica a winery and the beach. so i ll keep you all posted . I miss everyone BTW. I ve slotted in very nicely to this very strange life that they live here and am really enjoying the whole experience.