Bolivia

The debate over Evo Morales resignation has been raging all week roughly split along the lines of political ideology. Last Tuesday, I wrote a Facebook post disagreeing with the liberal politicians Sanders, AOC, and Omar classifying this change in power as a coup. After days of research, my thoughts have evolved. I've decided to put those thoughts into a separate blog post. If you're interested, please read more here.

Regardless of how we got here we must take stock of the current situation and guess what will happen next. Currently, we have two sides who both think the other is illegitimate.

Evo Morales:

Calling for strikes and blockades causing food and gas shortages in large parts of the country
Trying to return to Bolivia and run in a new election
Supporters are calling for a civil war

Jeanine Añez:

Has promised to prosecute Morales' if he returns
Calling for "hunting" of Morales' administration officials
Using increasing military/police force against civilians
Using her interim office to reverse as much Morales' policy as possible
Required to hold elections within 90 days

At this point, if Añez continues to use her interim power aggressively and does not call for elections ASAP, Bolivia may descend into civil war or a second Venezuela.

Needless to say, it seems unlikely that this will get solved in the next few weeks, so I need to figure out where I'm going next.

My Travels

It seems a bit vain and silly to post about my week given what I just wrote about Bolivia, but this is a travel blog so deal with it.

Last Tuesday, I headed to Huaraz in the mountains of Peru. Huaraz sits at 3052m (10013 ft) so it’s advised to spend some time acclimatizing to the altitude. The only effects I felt were some shortness of breath, headaches in the afternoon, and a tough time sleeping the first night.

The primary activity in Huaraz is hiking because millennia of glacial retreat have carved valleys, cliffs, and Lagunas into the Peruvian mountainside. Akilpo Hostel (where I stayed) was chock full of hikers and I joined several different groups for the following hikes:

Laguna Wilcacocha

This was an acclimatization hike to get used to exercising at altitude but it was too easy. I wish I had skipped this and gone straight into something more challenging. On the upside, we recruited a pack of cute dogs that followed us around for 2 hours.

Laguna Churup

This was my first real hike and it was GORGEOUS. We got a big group together from the hostel and hiked the 2 hours up. The coolest part of the hike is the very steep rock climb. The park service has installed chains to help hikers climb up. It was reminiscent of the cable climb on the Half Dome summit (though much less intense).

Also, one of the softest and prettiest dogs I've ever met followed us up the trail. Clearly this is a daily routine for him. I really wanted to take him home.

Chavín de Huántar

This is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Jose (my guide from Chan Chan) told me about these ruins so I made sure to go. The oldest parts date back to before 3000 BCE. The main structure that I toured was built between 1200 BCE - 800 BCE. You can descend into the tunnels of the structure and walk amongst the stones handled by the ancient Chavín culture. Very cool experience.

Laguna 69 Panorama Trek

This was the most heavily recommended trek in my hostel, and now I know why. The Panorama view at the top gives hikers an amazing view of the Cordillera Blanca.

You can check out the 360 panorama view here

At the end of the trek, we encountered the Lagunas De Llanganuco which is the most picturesque place I've ever been to. The red of the Papelillo trees against the teal water and steep cliffs is unlike anything I've seen before. Fun fact, the Papelillo trees are nicknamed "Gringo Trees" because they peel and turn red, haha.

Yungay

We didn't visit this but just passed by on our way home from Laguna 69. It's the site of a massive graveyard. In 1970, an earthquake shook loose a glacier from the Navado Huscarán mountain. The glacier slid 15km at 200 km/h eventually hitting the town of Yungay instantly killing and burying 20,000 people. The government of Peru declared the area a national cemetery.

Huaraz Meat Market

For those with a weak stomach, the Mercado Central of Huaraz is not a fun place to go. The first floor is a meat and fish market and it is a veritable horror show of butchery. On hot afternoons, the stench of rotting meat spreads from the market encompassing the area.

Some fun experiences:

Seeing a child pulling a cows head in a wagon
Almost stepping on half a cow's head
Watching a butcher take a hack saw to a pig

I've put all these pictures in a separate area so that you can decide if you want to see them. See the butchery.

That’s all I got for you this week.
With love from Lima, Peru