Scott and I went on a mandated night away from the group last night. We took a taxi from Musho, about a half hour down the mountain, packed in to this station wagon like sardines. At the bottom of the mountain, in Mancos, we had to find a bano for Scott who was dying. Fortunately we found a public restroom close to the plaza where we had to pay 50 centimos each to go into the same bathroom (the stalls were labelled damas or cabellaros).
When we returned to the bus stop we waited for about 5 minutes and talked with a couple and their daughter about what we’re doing in Musho and Tumpa (in broken Spanish, but still, I’m having a conversation in Spanish… can you believe it?), and then when a bus pulled up, we told them to go ahead, but they insisted that we hop in instead. The people here really are the most polite and generous I think I’ve ever met.
So we rode, very quickly, from Mancos, through Carhuaz, into Huaraz, the closest big city. And this area invites many Americans and Europeans as it is at the foothill of Huascarran, which stands at about 22,000 feet. We live in the shadow of it, at about 11,000 feet. These travelers come and stay in these towns in order to acclimatize, to increase their capacity to breathe in oxygen so they can climb this mighty mountain. In hopes that someday they’ll be ready for Everest. As we walk down the main street in Huaraz, there are signs for trekking guides, white water rafting, and general tourism. And then there are all of the vendors, selling churros, homemade alpaca or woolen hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters.
Scott and I stopped at the first hotel we saw… Hotel America Huaraz. It looked nice enough, and we know that it was more expensive than most, as it cost $30 for one night, and it had hot water and a continental breakfast included. And we even had two english TV channels. We watched CSI in english, just like we used to at home, except we were missing a link in the chain… Sequoia. She used to love to lie right in between us at home while we watched CSI.
We ate at a tourist-y restaurant where this meal at home would cost about $30, but in Huaraz, it cost $13. And the ice cream here is the best I’ve experienced so far in my travels. We did a little shopping after, mostly souvenirs, and gifts, as the clothing here is SO cool! We even found a Christian bookstore in order to buy Bibles to give away in the mountains.
While at dinner we discussed future plans. And we’ve decided that we still have no idea what’s going to happen after this trip. But we do know that God is in control and that we just want to be in His will for our lives.
And so our date night was a blast. Fortunately we are supposed to date! In fact our team has to hold us accountable for doing this. However, in the mountains, date night must be an over nighter, as taxis won’t travel up to Musho after dark. I can’t wait til our next date night… I forgot how much fun dating is!
