Paz was with me in officers-school in the Israeli army, he decided to make an easy start to his South-American trip, and join a friend already knowing what it's all about. We set to meet in Huaraz because it fit my timetable of a long trip, and Paz could easily arrive from Lima.
Knowing I don't want to be late for Paz's arrival, I got there 6 days early (my count). Paz & I agreed that if I do make it early I'm allowed to do everything except for the famous Huayhuash trek. Knowing I've got 5 days, I went to see some places around the city:
Lake 69:
Huaraz is the first place in South America that staying away from Israelis was just not possible. Every hostel seems like it's over occupied by us. I found a far away hostel thinking it would be better - I was wrong.
Checking out the options (alone or through an agency), I found out it would strangely be cheaper to just take the agency's van. 8 people in the evening turned into 15 the morning after.
We set with the Jaimes (a very Israeli hostel) to leave Huaraz early, we didn't. To complete the delay we also fixed an old spare tire (on our time) on the way - good thing we did, because we also had a flat tire all to our selves.
Arriving late to the trail, we knew we had little time to climb a long and hard way. Even so, we made a very Israeli brunch - Tchina, eggs, salad & Nachle-coffee. We skipped the Nargila due to the height & lack of time.
Some chose not to stop with us, and so we were now 9 on our way up (7 Israelis, one German & one French both amazingly patient to Israelis). Most of the way up I found my self in the same pace of Tal (Israel), Elichay (AKA Dagan, Israel), Julie (France) & Jutta (Germany). The climb was not easy, but we made it to the top in time to make some more coffee & take a bath. The water of this lake/lagoon are somewhere on the top of my list of the coldest waters I've ever bathed in to.
On the way back, I found Jutta as a really nice person to talk to, about everything. Because I'm so good with the ladies, I even had the guts to ask her to spend the next day with me.
A day out with Jutta:
Wilcahuain is an is an archaeological site just 30 minutes away from Huaraz. We took the local transportation, others ride here be bikes. It's a small site, one main building remaining. From there we walked our way down to the ''hot-springs'' of Monterrey. They were not hot at all and I think there was even a part when we both shivered from the cold. At least I picked out very good company.
Ice-Climb to the Vallunaraju:
Dagan said it would be fun! Why not actually?
Waking up, I found out I miscalculated the days with Paz's arrival and he was waiting for me to wake up in the lounge of the hostel. I already payed and couldn't cancel my plans, and so I quickly hugged Paz, told him what there's to do around Huaraz while I'm gone, and was on my way to have some fun.
Tom (AKA Cruz), Dagan (AKA Ha-Katan) & I set off to conquer the summit of that dreadful mountain (5685masl) with Mel, the guide (AKA Gibson). Three days. First for arriving and climbing to the base camp (4700masl) with all our gear. Dagan took the height a bit too personally and started eating backwards. Second day morning, we learned & practiced climbing on the glacier next to the base camp. Using ice gear was new to all of us, and we had our share of fun. We all went to sleep early knowing we have to wake up early (midnight) in order to reach the summit the next day.
Walking on glaciers, all the group has to be tied together, that way, if there's a crack in the glacier covered with snow and someone falls into it - the others get to be pulled in as well. Mel walked first, being an ice-climbing instructor, in Huaraz, he was a lot better acclimatized to the height of the mountain and allowed him self to pull us up to the slops. Frankly, we felt like dogs on a leash.
Asking to stop a lot (because of the fast pace), and because the general pace was too slow, we got to the height of 5600masl at 07:00. Knowing we got less than 100 meters to the top, but we were exhausted and the time was getting late (not good to walk on a warm glacier) - we decided that was that and we had enough.
Descending, as always was easier.
Hatun-Machay:
Paz and I reunited. Dagan had an idea (ever since Lake 69) to go to a rock festival in the upcoming weekend. Paz agreed to try the new sport out, and I was excited to try out my abilities on a real wall (after a long time of plastic walls).
Someone once told me perfect depends on the eye of the observer. Well, Hatun-Machay is perfect. For what & for whom? Climbers! Just heaven. Crazy rock-formations, 30-40 meters high, rise up from a grassy area. A brilliant guy from Huaraz had the place arranged with bolts and about 120 courses in all difficulties.
Paz, Dagan & I checked out the easier ones and still had a very good time. I can only imagine what it feels like for a real climber to arrive to such a place.
Still in Huaraz, Paz and I continue to longer and harder tasks. The Santa-Cruz & Huayhuash treks await us.
Tips for Huaraz:
- Lake 69 - most people arrive and make it their first one day trek. The fact is, some don't make it to the top because they are not yet acclimatized. It's an expensive & beautiful place, and I think it's just too bad to miss it. Go there when you know you can.
- Vallunaraju & Ice-Climbing - Hard. Doesn't mean you don't need to try it. It's not for me, but maybe it's your thing.
- Hatun-Machay - Amazing. Go there, if you like climbing or not. If you do plan on climbing, sleep there a night in the camp or in the refugio. The drive is long (2 hours), and that way you get more time for actually climbing.
- Andescamp is an amazing hostel. A good combination between the price, the breakfast and the amazing people running it. Thank you all.
Showing posts with label Nachle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nachle. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Monday, 26 July 2010
Rio Pirita – A Very Wet Trek
The second option was a 5 day wet canyon trek in Rio Pirita. And the two more were Noam (a lonely Israeli girl worshiping Shaul) and Alexa (a 19 year old British girl, trusting an Israeli who recommended Shaul to her back in her hostel).
We set to meet back at Shaul’s the next morning, 08:00AM, packed and ready to go. Back the next morning, I found out Noam convinced another Israeli to join. Asaf is 37 years old and just now found some time for his big trip in South America. Bolivia has its own time schedule, and we ended up leaving La Paz at 10:00AM. From La Paz we drove 6 hours by taxi to a town called ‘Caranavi’, then, 2 more hours (switching private taxis?!?) to the starting point.
After already driving an hour and a half on the second taxi, Asaf finds out that the rear storage door has jumped open during the drive. Stopping and counting the bags, we found out that Asaf’s bag is missing. All passengers & remaining bags dismount the taxi and the driver + our guide (Leonid, AKA Superman #1), drive back to town to find the missing bag. Waiting forever, we decide to make some ‘Nachle’ black coffee on the road. Asaf has a problem with it (not good enough for him), and I end up drinking it by my self.
After a long time (the bag was found back in town, a car driving by picked it up), we finally continue it the right direction. Although we were meant to walk a bit that day, we arrive too late to the dropping point, and just settle for the night.
The next morning we wake up to very tasty oatmeal made by Leonid (which turns out to be a good chef), and start walking on a jungle path down towards the stream bellow. Once down, we cross the river for the time (certainly not the last), and walk without equipment to a three stories waterfall splashing all over. Happy and amazed, we go for a swim (not knowing how much wetness awaits us).
Back with the bags, Leonid makes lunch (tasty again). We, by the mean time, re-pack our stuff inside large thick-rubber bags, to avoid the upcoming water. Leonid, after he had finished making lunch (never rests) ensures our bags are all secure, and raps them with blue Utah-bags as well (to avoid damage to the expensive bags). This routine is repeated every morning and after every lunch, until we finish the trek.
Starting to walk, at first you care if you’re dry or wet, but after 100 meters it doesn’t matter any more. We arrive to a pool crossing, high walls on both sides, and all we can do is swim through it. Leonid surprises us again by gently laying his pack in the water, and jumping right on it, using it as a small raft. We do the same (not as successful as Leonid, but still).
The next adventure is a high waterfall without the option to go around it. Leonid ties a very worrying rope to a big tree, and we all climb down from it.
Another worrying spot, but Leonid always has the answers. This time, a slippery looking slop, and we’re not sure how to pass it. Leonid signals us to wait. He, easily climbs up, ties the rope to a tree, climbs down without his bag takes Noam’s and climbs back up, Noam climbs very slowly after him. Same thing happens with the other bags (and with the rest of us). When I arrive to the top of the climb, I realize there’s another slop on the other side, and all the bags are already waiting down there.
The walls of the canyon are closing on us, making the views prettier and the water colder, each evening Leonid finds a dry spot next to the waters to make camp. He also makes breakfast, lunch and dinner, and lets us help just a bit. During the second day Alexa’s Utah bag tears and the polls for the tent fall off and in to the water, we recognize they are missing way too late, and from that evening Leonid builds a shelter as well (from scratch).
On the fourth day we leave our bags, in the bushes and go for a detour in a nearby smaller creek. We walk for about an hour and arrive to a black narrow canyon with cold (very cold) water rushing through slippery waterfalls. Leonid amazes us again being able to climb slippery waterfalls from the middle, then, once he’s up throws the rope back down and raises us up. The way down is a lot easier, and just as fun – we just jump down to the deep pools, or slide down the waterslides made by nature. This experience resembles the ‘Black Gorge’ in the ‘Zavitan’ river back in Israel, but think about doing it back and forth.
We got to the end of the canyon (the main one), and so the last day was just crossing the stream from one side to the other, until we got to the pickup bridge.
One of the things Shaul loves the most, is sending Muchileros for ‘expeditions’, this meaning you go and check out a place no one has ever been before. For us, he offered a tube ride downstream in another river close to the town of Caranavi. We had to wait about three hours for the guide sent from La Paz with the tubes and for the purpose of helping out Leonid during the two upcoming days.
Fernando, AKA Superman #2, arrived to Caranavi after nightfall. We drove in a taxi for about half an hour, and got off next to a different creek from the one we left earlier the same day. Leonid and Fernando went to search for a place to make camp.
In the morning, we went back to the drop off point to look for a place to fill up the tubes. Once filled up with air, Leonid and Fernando tied each bag to one tube, making it as comfortable as possible to sit on and float. All was good except for the fact that there weren’t so much water in the stream. We tried real hard but we just couldn’t float with the tubes, and ended up pulling them down the stream instead.
That night we slept by a nearby smaller river, which we checked out shortly before sunset. The second day of the expedition was a half day, due to the fact that we understood pretty fast that the difference between enjoying the tube ride & getting hurt really badly is very close. If you succeed on gliding through a waterfall – it’s really fun & nit, but if you don’t – it hurts really badly, and it can very easily be dangerous.
Good thing we asked to stop at midday, because even so, we got back to La Paz in 03:00AM. Shaul was very nice, and let us stay for the night at his place.
We set to meet back at Shaul’s the next morning, 08:00AM, packed and ready to go. Back the next morning, I found out Noam convinced another Israeli to join. Asaf is 37 years old and just now found some time for his big trip in South America. Bolivia has its own time schedule, and we ended up leaving La Paz at 10:00AM. From La Paz we drove 6 hours by taxi to a town called ‘Caranavi’, then, 2 more hours (switching private taxis?!?) to the starting point.
After already driving an hour and a half on the second taxi, Asaf finds out that the rear storage door has jumped open during the drive. Stopping and counting the bags, we found out that Asaf’s bag is missing. All passengers & remaining bags dismount the taxi and the driver + our guide (Leonid, AKA Superman #1), drive back to town to find the missing bag. Waiting forever, we decide to make some ‘Nachle’ black coffee on the road. Asaf has a problem with it (not good enough for him), and I end up drinking it by my self.
After a long time (the bag was found back in town, a car driving by picked it up), we finally continue it the right direction. Although we were meant to walk a bit that day, we arrive too late to the dropping point, and just settle for the night.
The next morning we wake up to very tasty oatmeal made by Leonid (which turns out to be a good chef), and start walking on a jungle path down towards the stream bellow. Once down, we cross the river for the time (certainly not the last), and walk without equipment to a three stories waterfall splashing all over. Happy and amazed, we go for a swim (not knowing how much wetness awaits us).
Back with the bags, Leonid makes lunch (tasty again). We, by the mean time, re-pack our stuff inside large thick-rubber bags, to avoid the upcoming water. Leonid, after he had finished making lunch (never rests) ensures our bags are all secure, and raps them with blue Utah-bags as well (to avoid damage to the expensive bags). This routine is repeated every morning and after every lunch, until we finish the trek.
Starting to walk, at first you care if you’re dry or wet, but after 100 meters it doesn’t matter any more. We arrive to a pool crossing, high walls on both sides, and all we can do is swim through it. Leonid surprises us again by gently laying his pack in the water, and jumping right on it, using it as a small raft. We do the same (not as successful as Leonid, but still).
The next adventure is a high waterfall without the option to go around it. Leonid ties a very worrying rope to a big tree, and we all climb down from it.
Another worrying spot, but Leonid always has the answers. This time, a slippery looking slop, and we’re not sure how to pass it. Leonid signals us to wait. He, easily climbs up, ties the rope to a tree, climbs down without his bag takes Noam’s and climbs back up, Noam climbs very slowly after him. Same thing happens with the other bags (and with the rest of us). When I arrive to the top of the climb, I realize there’s another slop on the other side, and all the bags are already waiting down there.
The walls of the canyon are closing on us, making the views prettier and the water colder, each evening Leonid finds a dry spot next to the waters to make camp. He also makes breakfast, lunch and dinner, and lets us help just a bit. During the second day Alexa’s Utah bag tears and the polls for the tent fall off and in to the water, we recognize they are missing way too late, and from that evening Leonid builds a shelter as well (from scratch).
On the fourth day we leave our bags, in the bushes and go for a detour in a nearby smaller creek. We walk for about an hour and arrive to a black narrow canyon with cold (very cold) water rushing through slippery waterfalls. Leonid amazes us again being able to climb slippery waterfalls from the middle, then, once he’s up throws the rope back down and raises us up. The way down is a lot easier, and just as fun – we just jump down to the deep pools, or slide down the waterslides made by nature. This experience resembles the ‘Black Gorge’ in the ‘Zavitan’ river back in Israel, but think about doing it back and forth.
We got to the end of the canyon (the main one), and so the last day was just crossing the stream from one side to the other, until we got to the pickup bridge.
One of the things Shaul loves the most, is sending Muchileros for ‘expeditions’, this meaning you go and check out a place no one has ever been before. For us, he offered a tube ride downstream in another river close to the town of Caranavi. We had to wait about three hours for the guide sent from La Paz with the tubes and for the purpose of helping out Leonid during the two upcoming days.
Fernando, AKA Superman #2, arrived to Caranavi after nightfall. We drove in a taxi for about half an hour, and got off next to a different creek from the one we left earlier the same day. Leonid and Fernando went to search for a place to make camp.
In the morning, we went back to the drop off point to look for a place to fill up the tubes. Once filled up with air, Leonid and Fernando tied each bag to one tube, making it as comfortable as possible to sit on and float. All was good except for the fact that there weren’t so much water in the stream. We tried real hard but we just couldn’t float with the tubes, and ended up pulling them down the stream instead.
That night we slept by a nearby smaller river, which we checked out shortly before sunset. The second day of the expedition was a half day, due to the fact that we understood pretty fast that the difference between enjoying the tube ride & getting hurt really badly is very close. If you succeed on gliding through a waterfall – it’s really fun & nit, but if you don’t – it hurts really badly, and it can very easily be dangerous.
Good thing we asked to stop at midday, because even so, we got back to La Paz in 03:00AM. Shaul was very nice, and let us stay for the night at his place.
Tips for Rio Pirita:
- If you like to do things your way, get in touch with Shaul. See if something catches your eye on his website, or just ring the door bell with his name on it on Tarija street, La Paz (look for an A4 sign on a second floor window, Shaul’s name is written in Hebrew).
- Leonid was a very good guide. Knows just Spanish, but other than that, he’s perfect. Good cook, knows the way, and will do anything to satisfy your needs. Say hi for me.
- The trek itself was really pretty. The only downside was that I couldn’t take as much photos as I wanted – water problem. If you’re not into water, this trek is not for you.
- If you like to do things your way, get in touch with Shaul. See if something catches your eye on his website, or just ring the door bell with his name on it on Tarija street, La Paz (look for an A4 sign on a second floor window, Shaul’s name is written in Hebrew).
- Leonid was a very good guide. Knows just Spanish, but other than that, he’s perfect. Good cook, knows the way, and will do anything to satisfy your needs. Say hi for me.
- The trek itself was really pretty. The only downside was that I couldn’t take as much photos as I wanted – water problem. If you’re not into water, this trek is not for you.
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