The Land Before Time

Monday, July 25, 2011

After finishing the beast of a grant application that I had been working on all week long I left with the girls for a weekend trip to Toro Toro National Park in Potosi. I had NO idea what the trip would entail. After a lot of running around and asking for directions we arrived at the bus stop for the bus for Toro Toro. Fortunately, the hotel we were staying at had already purchased tickets for us and so we just had to arrive and get on the bus. We were running late so we hopped on the bus only to find out that we had gotten on the wrong bus and so we switched to the bus in front of it. Our departure was scheduled for 6:00 but the sun set and we continued to wait until nearly 8:00 before officially departing the area. Apparently it takes a while to secure things like bedframes, tables, chairs, and months worth of food rations to the top of a huge tourist bus. I prayed that we wouldn't be on a rough road and end up tipping the bus over from being top heavy. Although I was less than excited to be leaving so late, I was glad to be on the road none the less. We tumbled one a dirt and cobblestone path away from the city and down through riverbeds until we reached Toro Toro at roughly 2:00 am, a bit later than the scheduled 11:00 arrival I guess.

We checked into our lovely little ecofriendly hotel at the Villa Etelvina and promptly collapsed in the beds. The next morning the girls and I were up bright and early for a lovely breakfast with nice hot breads, fresh juice, real butter, and an overall beautiful setting at the foot of the mountains. I was surprised at how friendly and attentive the staff were, how clean the place was, and how beautiful the setting.

After breakfast we made our way to town to check into bus tickets (which was a hassle) and then find a guide for the day. The town was a simple Bolivian town with a colorful Potosi flair and a surprisingly well developed tourism industry despite the recent (4 years ago) arrival of electricity to the town.

In the tourist office we ended up adding a Peruvian and English couple to our group to split the cost of the guide and selected a trip to El Vergel for the day. We thought we would have a lovely and relaxing day down by the waterfalls but five hours, 10 K of rough terrain, and over 1600 steps in and out of a canyon we thought otherwise. The day was absolutely breathtaking but also absolutely exhausting. The scenery was so intense and rough and it was no challenge to imagine this as the land of the dinosaurs. Our guide Pablo did a wonderful job pointing out dinosaur footprints and other historic relics along our journey to El Vergel. There were easy casual parts and challenging parts that required a lot of lifting, pulling, and trekking. I was constantly amazed by the natural beauty of the adventure and delighted that we had the park all to ourselves until we arrived at the river in base of the canyon. For hours it was just our little group crossing natural bridges, climbing up rocks, and huffing and puffing down the side of the mountain. The water at the bottom was fun, but freezing and as we arrived relatively late we had limited time as the sun began to go down just over the walls of the canyon we prepared to leave and head back up the mountain. It was exhausting, exhilerating, and astonishing. Once we arrived back in town we returned to the hotel where I took a glorious hot shower with great water pressure. After everyone had freshened up we asked for an early dinner and had some pizza and beer, and LOTS of water along with a few rounds of rummy before turning in early from our tiring day.

We started the day with a hike to the Ciudad de Itas (Rock City in Quechua) which was really all about the hike to get there rather than the actual rock arches. Before we even reached the starting point by car I could feeling the heaviness in my lungs from the altitude. It was hard going but incredibly rewarding. Don't get me wrong, they were really lovely but the feeling of being on top of the world and all of the beautiful mountain views along the way were just awe inspiring. Again we had the park almost entirely to ourselves and only once saw a group far below us and then passed a small group right as we were leaving the area. Everything was really enjoyable and lovely except for the part where we had to climb up a cliff with a rope to hold onto but no harness. I was pretty scared and had to seriously strategize about the safest way to get up and although our guide was really great, I still didn't entirely trust the system and being right on the edge of an enormous cliff didn't help at all. Unfortunately, a lot of those photos are on another camera and you won't be able to see them until I come home. Anyway, it was just beautiful and brought so many emotions to me including excitement after conquering, awe at the scenery, peace when just reflecting on a mountaintop for a bit, adrenaline rushes and energy as we continues to climb, and relief after making it back.

There were many similar emotions in the huge cave of Umajulanta that we went to next but I have to say that the repelling and climbing were easier there when it required any kind of equipment. I suppose it also helps when it is dark and you don't quite know how close you are to the edge. There were quite a few times that I did see the edges and cliffs in the cave and was a little less than comfortable but knew that I could make it through everything. It was exhausting and thrilling, terrifying and beautiful. Once again the group and I were beat as we emerged from the cave and ready for the view on the hike back but dreading the climb to get there. I know someone who would be very proud of me though because I made it out of the cave as the cleanest of everyone...by far! I wish I could explain it better and although I do have some nice pictures, it is still really hard to illustrate. Overall it was just amazing.

Sadly we had to return today and barely got tickets on the bus. Please note that I said tickets here, not seats, as we had to sit in the floor in various capacities as we rumbled back through the rough road on our five hour return trip. It was so worth it though and I would go back in a heartbeat.