High-altitude dreams

You would think that sleeping in a tent in a national park, surrounded by snowy peaks and beautiful nature would cause you to have serene dreams filled with horses gallopping over fields, glittering mountain lakes and healthy activities. Not in my world. I woke up one morning realising that I had been dreaming about the following things:

- I was going to a Sting-concert. Everyone tried to get in without a ticket but I was cool and had tickets.

- I was playing golf with Jack Nicholson. He was mad most of the time.

- I accidentaly cut of 2-3 mm of skin from my mothers nose with a knife. She said it was ok but I knew it would hurt like hell.

- My fridge was filled with cakes. Big tasty cakes with loads of chocolate on.

I guess the fact that I was seen as cool for having tickets to a Sting-concert must have had something to do with the lack of oxygen. Playing golf with Jack Nicholson however is always cool.

Good thing I have action filled dreams at least!

The Santa Cruz Trek

The Santa Cruz trek is probably the most beaten in the Andes around Huaraz. Nonetheless, it promises some of the best views of the Andes. We decided to go for it because it's probably one of the few treks that gets to nice places in 4 days only and because we wanted to do it ourselves, that is with no guide or donkeys.

So, after buying a map, gas canisters for cooking and renting a tent and a better sleeping bag for Karin we went to the market and bought all the food needed for a 4 days hike.

The next morning we hopped on a bus (that is a transit packed with 20 people) to Caraz, a town 2 hours north of Huaraz and from there a collective (a private car that collected passengers in the market) to Cachapampa, where our journey begun.

Climbing on the first day

The first day of the hike was difficult. We ascended from 2800 a.s.l to 3800 a.s.l in what seemed to be an endless climb. Both of us had trouble dealing with the thin air (really, at 3500 a.s.l you get 40% less oxygen in every breath) which meant fatigue, heavy breathing and even headaches. We had very little attention for the beautiful Andean valley we were walking in. Only towards the end of that day, when we were really tired we noticed the first snowy peaks that were waiting us.

The view while ascendeing, first day

The first evening and night were rough. The temperatures dropped sharply after the sun disappeared behind the mountains so we rushed to make our dinner and go to sleep. An interesting thing happened when I was trying to cook rice with water that I previously purified with Iodine pills. The purified water has the color of apple juice (and the taste of Iodine) but when reacting with the starch in the rice it turned blue. from that incident and on we used non-purified water to cook.

The first evening

The night was hard for me. I had an headache and felt sick. Those are signs of altitude sickness. It takes time for the body to produce more red blood cells and expand the used areas of the lungs to adapt to the thin air.I was gasping and felt like a fish out of the water. Eventually, I got some sleep. Karin seemed to have an easier time.

The second day was an easy walk. We didn't gain more than 400m and the Andes were glorious. We both felt the signs of the altitude when climbing or even getting up quickly .. You just get dizzy. That evening we had a carbohydrate rich dinner because the next day was supposed to be the hardest.

A mountain lake, second day

The second night was freezing. The drinking water we kept in the tent was fine but the cooking water we kept outside partially froze.

The third day was the challenge day. It begun early with a nutritious oats, banana and raisins breakfast that we cooked without leaving the tent because of the cold. In the first half of that day we climbed to the Punta Union pass at 4750 a.s.l and descended to the valley on the other side. The ascent was slow. We had to stop very often and to advance very slowly.

A lake on the mountain side, third day

Views from the ascent to the pass, third day

The view from the pass is amazing. Snow covered peaks, glaciers, pools and valleys spreading to the horizon.

At the pass (to which we'll call Debelstin pass)

On the pass

Both sides of the pass

A blue bird we found on the way down

The last day was supposed to be event less but still we managed to loose some time straying of the course (completely my fault) and spend hours on the collectivos back to Huaraz on roads that serpentined in a very scary way down hill and on a vehicle that just broke down in the middle of the way to Huaraz. Eventually we got there, already in the dark, and concluded the experience as taxing but beautiful and rewarding.

The view of the last day

Why do sea lions cry

The Galapagos islands were discovered (that is by a European) by the bishop of Panama in 1535 (pretty much at the end of the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire). The famous Charles_Darwin visited the islands in 1835. Today, most of the islands area (97%) is uninhabited and is considered a natural reservation. The only way to visit the reservation is with an official guide and a cruise (because only 4 islands are inhabited and have transportation between them) and even then the walking paths on the islands are well defined. Those rules prevent any uncontrolled intervention with the animal and plant life on the islands. Never the less, the island´s seclusion and differences in habitat conditions and the fact that all the animals linger close to the trails and don´t run (or fly) when a tourist approaches make it easy to understand how Darwin devised his theory about natural selection and adaptation.

In this entry I´ll try to describe (and mostly show) the different animals and plants that evolved (if you believe that theory) on the different islands because of their different conditions.

Giant Turtles

The famous giant land turtles evolved on all of the islands (it is believed that they evolved from marine turtles). Because different islands have different areas but mostly different heights above sea level they get different amount of water and vegetation. Thus, each island has its own endemic turtle that developed the characteristics required to survive on that island. Some species of turtles are already extinct and they differ in size and shape of their shells. The turtles live up to 150-200 years. One turtle at the Charles Darwin station (on Isla Santa Cruz) is the last of his species (known as lonesome George)

giant turtle at the Charles Darwin station, Isla Santa Cruz
Now it´s obvious where Morla came from

Sea Lions

Obviously, sea lions are not endemic to the Galapagos but they´re ubiquitous and very funny. By the way, they don´t really cry but get rid of the salt in their bodies through glands next to their eyes.

Sea lion on Isla Española

Sea lion cub on Isla Floreana

The following photo is of a newly born cub, its mother and the placenta. The guide told us that this is probably a first birth for that mother because she didn´t move away from the placenta that draws predators (e.g. Eagles) that can kill the baby.

Newly born sea lion

Sea lion playing with marine Iguana

Plant life on Isla Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz has high planes that get a lot of humidity and thus it has unique endemic plants. One of those plants is called Escalasia Pedumculanta and it exist only in those planes on that island. The Escalasia lives in symbiosis with the moss that collects humidity for the tree.

The Escalasia on Isla Santa Cruz

Another plant ... just beautiful

Land Iguanas

The land Iguanas are also endemic and differ from island to island. The iguanas on Isla Santa Fe eat only the cactus that grow on the island. The cactus is very tall and the iguanas can´t climb and have to wait for pieces to fall. That is why it is the only type that is territorial and can get along without food or water for months (even up to a year).

Land iguana in the Charles Darwin center

Land iguana on Isla Santa Fe

The cactus on Isla Santa Fe

Marine Iguanas

Those iguanas can swim between the islands, dive up to 15m and drink sea water. They get rid of the salt through glands in their head and sneeze it out. The iguanas shed their skin and the Mocking birds eat it along with parasites in the iguana´s skin.

Marine iguana, Isla Española

Mocking bird on the iguanas

Swimming marine iguana

Albatrosses

These giant birds (wing span of about 240 cm) live around 60 years and are monogamous. In order to identify their partner they perform an elaborate dance that takes about 30 minutes. It´s difficult for them to take off so they jump from cliffs. The guide said that they control their brain´s hemispheres separately and can fly while one side is sleeping and switch.

Albatross on Isla Española

Another albatross

Albatross chick

Albatross parents and chick

Flamingos on Isla Floreana

They are pink because they eat Shrimps that they find in the salty muddy bottom of the lagoon in the island. The chicks have to reach the wet season when they´re ready to learn how to get the shrimps. It is only then that the lagoon´s salty water is covered with a layer of sweet water and the mothers lift some mud and the Shrimps get confused in the sweet water so the chicks can catch them.

Pink Flamingo, Isla Floreana

Frigates

They are known for their red sacks on the neck that the males blow in the mating season. They get food by fishing without touching the water or by stealing from other birds. If they get in the water while fishing they drown. That´s why they keep the hatchling in the nest for an entire year.

Male Frigate, Isla Seymour

Frigate Chick, Isla Seymour

Frigate flying

Boobies

The funniest birds are the Blue Footed Boobies. Beside their name they also make weired movements and whistle funnily. We also saw the masked boobies. They hunt fish in groups and dive into the water like arrows.

Blue footed booby

Blue footed booby and chick

Blue footed booby courting

Boobies hunting

Masked Booby

Other beautiful animals we encountered

Pelican landing

Crab

Eagle and chick

Group Photo

Lima

It was with mixed feelings we got on the plane to Lima, two days after the big earthquake. A bit nervous about what would meet us there - complete chaos or just the normal South American disorder? After reading an equadorian newspaper we realised that the worst areas was quite a bit south of Lima though.

The next thing to worry about was our own security - the guidebook kept talking about robberies and the risk of getting into fake taxis and and other threaths. We decided to stay in Miraflores, a quite wealthy neighbourhood that should be rather safe for tourists. But the taxidriver still said that some places that we suggested wasn't safe enough. Found a hostel that was good enough for both us and the taxidriver and then took a walk around the area to get some food and check it out. Can't say we saw anything scary or threathening...

The morning after we took a bus into the center of Lima. No signs of the earthquake anywhere except for in every park volunteers where gathering water, food and clothes to the victims and on all official buildings the flags were on half-mast. Two things signify Lima in my opinion - colonial buildings and pollution. The buildings are beautiful, often colorful and richly adorned. We staggered away from the main streets on one occasion and started to photograph some beautiful buildings. Immediately a policeman came up to us and told us not to use the camera unless we saw a policeman close by, otherwise we could almost count on someone stealing the camera from us. So, back to the main streets, where there were policemen in every corner, and photograph the impressive buildings around Plaza Mayor and Plaza San Martin before we returned to the safer Miraflores.

Plaza Mayor, aka Plaza de Armas

Collecting supplies to the people in the earthquake areas

Only take photos when there's a police officer nearby!

Plaza San Martin

The second day we went to get bus tickets to Huaraz and then to Museo de la Nación to get some insights on Peru's history. Unfortunately the museum was closed due to the earthquake so instead we grabbed an unregulated taxi (huuh, living on the edge...) to Museo Larco who had an impressive collection of ceramics, gold, silver and textiles from ancient cultures. However, the most interesting part of the museum is their exhibition of pre-Columbian erotic pottery with very explicit illustrations of different sexual practices.

Funny pot in Museo Larco

More pots...

To summarize, Lima was a very busy city, the pollution was horrible but the public transportation system was very efficient (though a bit confusing). Central Lima was beautiful and impressive and Miraflores was a nice place to stay. It didn't feel as unsafe as everyone is claiming but maybe we were lucky. It's a very narrow line between rich and poor and while you can get a two-course dinner for 1,5 dollar you can just as well have a coffee for twice the price a block down.

Downtown Lima