Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Andes Mountains of Ancash Peru

I decided to use my last two vacation days to visit the Andes Mountains of Central Peru this past week. Sometimes when I feel jaded for getting a hot coastal city for a Peace Corps site I think of the mountains and what it would be like to be placed in a small Andean village high up in the mountains. I´ve learned that life in the mountains is so different from the life on the coast or even life in the jungle of Peru. Peru is so divided geographically, that when you cross into different regions you feel like your in a different country. People look different, speak different forms of Spanish or Quechua, eat differently and even have different traditions. When you ask many Peruvians what places have you been to in Peru, very few can say that they have crossed over into other regions. Cultures and traditions have remained in tact for hundreds of years. When I treked through the mountains I discovered many people still live in small stone huts with grass cielings. They cook with dried cow chips and have very few possesions. This brings humbleness to a new level. When you ask many PC volunteers what is it like living in the tall Andes they will tell you that the views are incredible but the work sucks. In this part of the region, the people are more closed and passive. They are not as receptive to new ideas and need lots of time to develop trust with volunteers. Work is slow in the Andes and development even slower. The food in the Andes is bland and includes very few vegitables and variety of meats. Though cell phone towers are popping up everywhere and DIRECT TV is spreading throughout even the smallest villages, many only recieve electricity only for a few hours of the day and still use latrines. Many still cook with wood and live in mud brick and thatch houses and use corrigated tin roofs. I hope you enjoy these pics I took on my last trip.
picture: Landscape of the Andes near Huaraz, Peru
picture: Little boy with his Alpaca friend.

picture: PC friends on a glacier at 6000 meters.


picture: Inside an ice cave under a glacier




picture: Andean girl with a lamp. She helps her family make a living by recieving tips from tourists as she poses for pictures. Very common in Peru.



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