The past week has been quite an...adventure. Our instructors have asked us not to ´sensationalize,´ and Im a bit overwhelmed thinking about writing out all the details anyways, so I am going to go through the past week as basically as possible and you can infer the details.
Last monday, those of us who stayed in Sorata got into mobilidad and headed out to meet up with the rest of the trekking group. The road we took was, well, not really a road. It was mostly a foot trail covered with big rocks and often drowning in water that flowed from the mountainsides around us. At times, the road hugged cliffs so close we had to make 3-point-turns to make it up the switchbacks. The climax was when the driver stopped and declared that it was simply impossible to go on; the road was too un-roady and it was f***ing up his car. When we pressed him harder, he demanded a double in his salary and we continued onward. After the six hours I spent sitting on the floor in the trunk, I was happy to be reunited with the group at their campsite.
That night it was cold, but clear for the first time in a while. The stars were beautiful so many of us decided to sleep outside on the grass. It was nice until I woke up in the morning and found my sleeping bag COVERED in ice. Even the part around my head was icy- the part where a body releases most heat- if that gives you an idea of what temperature was inside my sleeping bag.
I stuffed my icy sleeping bag into my backpack, and my backpack was added to the pile for the small mule heard to carry. Despite the addition of six new trekkers to the group, no extra mules were found to be hired, so we continued on with the same number of animals, loaded with twice the amount of stuff.
Part of the nine hour day included climbing up and over a snowy pass. Despite the snow, we were warm because of the sun. At the top, we took a break to snap photos of the view, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight. Close behind us came the mules, and that is when the trouble began. The mules couldnt pass through the snow because it was too deep. Several of them got stuck and had to be push/pulled out by the mule handlers; it was actually very sad and scary to watch. As we sat among the rocks, brainstorming possible solutions, the clouds rolled in bringing sleet, rain, and snow. It became clear that the mules would not be able to make it over the pass without help, so we headed back up to the top to carry all our gear, by hand, to the bottom. Loaded down with full backpacks, day packs, a tank of kerosene, a large gas stove, tents, and food, we headed back over the pass in what had quickly escalated to a HAIL storm!
At the bottom of the snow, as we paused to reload the mules, the skies cleared and the sun reappeared. Continuing on, we couldnt help but notice that the weather was matching our situation.
But as we have learned, sunshine in Bolivia only lasts for so long. By the time we were setting up tents that evening, it was pouring rain. Before the last tent stakes were put in, it was snowing. And it kept snowing. And SNOWING. In fact, it kept snowing all night- so much that it weighed down the walls of our tent until we were all wrapped around the center pole just to stay dry. The snow on the ground rose up so high that it blocked the airspace around the bottom of the tent, and we had to dig tunnels to create breathing room. Perhaps the worst thing was that my sleeping bag (like many others´) was wet from the ice that had melted off of it in my backpack during the day. Just because synthetic sleeping bags still insulate when they are wet doesnt mean that they are warm or comfortable.
Most of us stayed awake all night because of the cold, but that doesnt mean the whole time was miserable. Between shivers, we laughed a lot at the crazy situation we found ourselves in; it honestly felt surreal.
The morning was a blessing. The sun came out, strong and hot, and when I emerged from the tent (harder than you might expect, since our zipper pull had broken off from the cold the previous night...) I found myself in a winter wonder land. We got the news (good or bad, depending on your view) that due to the harsh weather and the injured mules, we would be getting picked up early from the trek. All we had to do was walk a few hours to Amawayu (a small village with a small road) where our mobilidad would be waiting to take us to La Paz.
With the exitement of getting out several days ahead of schedule, we walked fast and arrived at Amawayu early. So we waited for the mobilidad. And waited. After many hours we learned that our transport had been spotted on the road, blocked by too much snow. So we settled down in the local school house for a warmer, dryer night.
We spent the following day waiting for our new transportation- a standard pickup truck that claimed 17 people + gear would have no problem fitting in the truck bed. Seven hours late, our driver arrived, as promised, but then delivered the news that he was no longer available to take us back. We headed back into the school house for another night.
Through all of this, our three lovely instructors were saints. They spent hours on the satelite phone, trying to contract (and re-contract, and re-re-contract) transportation, and worrying that we were cold, upset, or frustrated. They neednt have worried so much, because despite all the adversities, the experience was pretty incredible. In fact, Id call it almost Fortunate. The snow brought us together and made it clear how much everyone was willing to sacrifice for each other. And being stranded in Amawayu was actually a lot of fun: we made banana pudding, played card games, and stayed up all night talking.
The instructors, more than anyone, needed a break after dealing with our ´adventure´ so we have pushed back our Amazon trip and have spent the past few days in La Paz. Ive eaten falafal twice since we´ve been here, and Im pretty happy. Our hostel has TVs in some rooms, and Harry Potter 5 was on the other night!!!! I think Dragons is trying to compensate for the ¨difficulties¨ we´ve encountered over the past week by putting us up somewhere nice. Like I said, I never thought the ¨difficulties¨ were too difficult, but Im not complainting about TV and falafal, either!
(shout-out to Michaela, on the off chance you really do read this when you get home!)
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