Day Three - TICLIO

Ingrid and Lenino

Promptly at 5:00 AM Lenino woke me up. Within 5 minutes we were out the door and on our way for our hike to Ticlio. We took a small, non-crowded bus to our first stop. As we drove into the outskirts of Lima I began to see the poor areas of the city. The homes and shops became smaller and dirtier. Streets were unkept. The streets became more crowded. Trash became more abundant. I could tell Lenino was a little embarrassed as we passed into these areas. He explained to me this was a poor area, but not the poorest. I could see out into the distance on the hills. It seemed the worst and poorest places were on the hills. The houses were more like little shacks, many without power and water.

We got off the bus at what looked like a central station of sorts. Lots of buses and taxis converged in the one area. Of course, it was all chaos to me. But there must be a method to the madness (that soon became a common inner phrase in my head). We met his friend, Ingrid. Lenino bartered for a taxi as Ingrid and I got to know each other. She works for American Airlines and speaks fairly fluent English. She and Lenino had knows each other for years and have always must been friends. They had traveled to the US together. She explained how Lenino was very frugal with his money, always looking for the best deals. She said originally it was annoying but has found that a lot can be learned from his methods. After about 30 minutes, Lenino found a taxi that met his price satisfaction. The 3 of us crammed the backseat of the tiny taxi for our 3 ½ road trip up the pass to Ticlio.

Ticlio is the world’s highest Railroad pass, almost 16,000 feet. Many Peruvians get altitude sickness simply driving or riding over the pass. We were not only going to the top of the pass. We were going to get out and go hiking once there. What was I thinking?

After 3 1/2 hours of winding roads, we finally made it to the top of the pass. After a couple of minutes I could already feel the effects of “Soroche” (altitude sickness). As we walked just a few steps I suddenly was out of breath and had to stop and sit. I could feel myself getting lightheaded. We walked along a path headed for Meiggs Mountain, our original destination. There was a mine part way up the mountain about ½ mile. The property is protected by security guards. We asked for permission to cross the mine property to continue to the mountain. After many phone calls by the security guard, our request was eventually denied. We decided to turn back and try for another, smaller mountain, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Altitude sickness feels much like motion sickness. Nausea, dizziness, headache, sick to your stomach. You can literally feel the lack of air. Breathing becomes labored. Any exertion that requires oxygen becomes an effort. A sense of panic begins to set in.

I almost gave up several times along the way. But after resting for only a few moments, the symptoms begin to pass. Then I felt like I could continue on. But the symptoms quickly return. So it’s very slow going having to rest so often. Lenino had brought along some Soroche pills. Both he and I took one in the taxi about an hour before we arrived. If they were helping I was very grateful. I couldn’t imagine feeling much worse.

All three of us felt the affects at one point or another. Ingrid and I finally made it to the top. Lenino was down a little ways laying down on a rock. The views were spectacular on all sides. Having actually made it to our destination I felt a slight boost of energy. I figured coming down would be easy compared to going up. So I thought the worst of it was over. But as it turned out I became even sicker on the way down. By the time I reached the last ½ mile or so, every step was painful. I felt like I was walking through mud. My balance was way off. I tripped with every step and rested every 10 steps or so. I had to put my head down to allow the blood to flow, supplying oxygen to my brain. It was a horrible feeling. I finally made it back to the small station of Ticlio and instantly fell to the ground. I propped myself up against the side of the small building and tried to gain a sense of balance. I was able to rest for a few minutes before our bus arrived. I really wasn’t wanting to move but since the bus didn’t pass that often I wasn’t given a choice. It was all I could do to force myself up the stairs to the second deck of the double decker bus and fall on the first available seat I found. I was very thankful for the comfort of being able to stretch out a little. At this point everything was a haze. My entire body hurt. I could feel myself going through the motions but it was all like a dream. I almost got sick several times but managed to keep it under control. I soon fell asleep. Every time I awoke I felt a little better. By the time we make it down the mountain after 4 hours, I was feeling pretty much back to normal. The thick air of near sea level felt good to breath into my lungs.

Lenino, Ingrid and I has some good conversation throughout the day. We discussed littering in Peru, politics, lack of education in his country, different levels of poverty, diet, Taibo. At one point on the drive up to Ticlio, the Taxi driver ate something and began to throw the garbage out the window. Lenino quickly grabbed the litter and stuck it in his pocket. He explained to me the lack of education in his country allowed people to believe that this kind of behavior was okay. In his opinion, it was a conscious effort of the government to keep people “dumbed down” because they were easier to control. Another point during the day a bus driver offering me the front seat of the crowded bus, calling me “amigo.” Not wanting to offend, I accepted the invitation but felt strange being singled out as a guest while everyone else had to suffer the crowd. Lenino explained to me afterwards that is also part of the lack of education in his country.

We found one his favorite restaurants and had Anticuchos (beef heart). I was actually surprised at how good it tasted. I found out I was Lenino first official friend from http://www.couchsurfing.com/. He was also my first official couchsurfing friend I met. Pretty cool!

Lenino escorted me back to Ricky’s house. He said we should try to get together again before I leave. Perhaps Monday evening??? Ricky, Luis and Ricky’s dad were all in the office putting a computer together for Ricky’s sister in law. I told them some highlights of my day.

We called Michael, the paraglider pilot from Aeroxtreme about paragliding the next day. He said they would have to go to Puchamac due to the lack of wind. But he said if we were still interested, to meet him at his house at 10 the next morning.