(Wayrachmachay - Chaullay - Ccollapampa La playa - Sahuayaku, 18km, 2,400m camp, 1,400m -)
Salkantay is an odd, odd trek. Just like it was odd to just simply jumpstart on day 1, it was odd to descend all the way and finish off on Day 2. Just like that. :) But it was one long, long day. That too on the painful bus-road (this was bad on the knees - the mountainous climbs were actually very good).
In the morning, I wrote my stuff. Some local song was playing the background. It was nice peaceful. I meditated and was able to be in my tent. There were hut-like permanent things on these campsites. The tents would be laid inside. More organized I must say. I liked having Milo. When I was writing, I could hear Dr. M and Sarah laughing.
Dr. M was in amazing spirits. Fully recovered, energetic and happy. Great attitude. Was able to put his things behind. I think I gave the knee brace.
Jhois shared one painful experience - his first time as a guide. How his group kept drinking, doing drugs, misbehaved etc. Apparently from Israel (he said this in the end). Oddly, I heard similar stories in Ladakh. I think it must have to do with the compulsory military service. They (very young people) must feel liberated when it's over. That they almost faced death and came out alive. And they just simply want to let go.
The bus road was long. It's actually a muddy road. After a point, it just became meditative - one foot after the other. On and on and on...
We went through two cable cars. Dr. M wondered if it could snap.
(Sarah kept saying, "Oh snap!" generally as an expression - mostly for something positive. Like a nice dish comes on the table. Oh snap!)
On a 3rd cable car, we saw a man pulleying himself from one end to the other. Dr. M and Mads discussed the physics of it. (Mads studied physics).
One area, we saw this huge tower - one leg almost to the end of the mountain. There was lot of soil erosion. A huge, really huge plastic sheet was laid on the side of the mountain. To prevent more erosion. Dr. M wondered how they planted those towers in between these mountains in the first place. I was reminded of Gasa - in Bhutan - at the end of it, we would see these signs of development. Here we saw it on Day 2. :) But it was nice still.
One of the porters was wearing a t-shirt that said "Super Porter". Their strength - both mental and physical - is just amazing. And it's so consistently amazing in various parts of the world.
In the mountains, the smallest of things magnify in proportion. My toe nails had grown in the week leading up to the trek and I hadn't cut them. It would bother me inside the shoe.
The lunch was a long break for some reason despite it being a long day. It was on the top floor place. Nice lunch point. Some camp area types. There were two dogs that were lying around in the grass. I also did that - on a plastic sheet. Wanted to feel, what they feel. :)
We reached late, long day generally. More so because of the bus road. There was some cloud-forest area.
There was campfire etc. at camp but I was occupied in my own tent. At dinner, the chef got some turkey fire. I had pisco sour.
The horse-men left after this.
At the pulley area, I remember seeing one hiker with a white beard. Thin. With his large back pack. I thought he was older. When he approached he was young. Why do I remember him.
No comments:
Post a Comment