Siempre en Amor: El Amor en el Sol (Love in the Sun)

This morning I woke at the same time as most every other day, but there was something different. I couldn't place it at first but after I sat down at the arm chair in my room and prepared to spend some time with Jesus, I felt it. It was the brilliance, the reflection, the warmth... the sun. Even though I live in "the city of eternal spring," most mornings lately we have had little if any sunshine. It was just such a perfect moment, feeling the love of my creator in the beam of sunshine. Thanks, Jesus, for that blessed start to my day =)

The last weekend in June I also experienced a bit more sunshine than usual as our group traveled into the altitude of the Andes Mountains! We went to Putre which is about 3,500 km above sea level and the following day to Lago Changurá - an additional 1,000 km elevation! If you read those numbers and cringe because you wither know a bit about altitude sickness or have experienced it yourself, you do so in good reason. Of 22 people on the trip, only 5 managed to avoid all but a dull head pain. The rest suffered from what are flu-like symptoms at one point or another during the 24 hour trip.

One of the best remedies for an upset stomach - or to prevent altitude sickness - is to take coco leaves! Who knew? About half way through our trip on the way up the mountains, we stopped at a little dinner and had a snack for the day (bread with cheese) and cocoa leaf tea. One of our professors told us that it is typical to chew on the leaves but you had better not swallow them! So... as is natural for me to do in such a situation, I decided to try it =) Afterwards, one of the girls studying criminology leaned over to explain to me that chewing cocoa leaves is one of the first known manners of using drugs! The prof left that bit out!!! As it turns out, because the indigenous people had such strenuous living conditions for their bodies, chewing the cocoa leaves allowed them just to get through the day.

Welp. This is my drugged tea ;)

Since we were up so high in the mountains, the intensity of the sun was immensely greater! Unfortunately, that doesn't change the temperature at all. We had some fun sleeping in 30ºF weather without the blessing of heating. The beauty of the different places was well worth it for a one time experience, but I also do not feel the need to revisit in the future! Once is plenty for me =) I still can't wrap my mind around how people live there!

My roommate and I tried to be prepared for the cold! It just didn't work since we were in the very coldest room in the hostel!

The time we spent in the mountains was technically an educational trip; one of our professors went with us who has family that grew up among these indigenous people. It was so neat to see all of the splendor and also learn more about some of the legends all while hanging out with some fun ladies =) Probably one of my favorites was visiting the Termas de Jurasi which are some hot water springs. As the legend goes, there was a beautiful Incan princess who bathed in this spring and never grew old. She outlived three husbands but the fourth caught on that his wife never aged. One day he followed her to the spring and bathed himself! When the princess spotted him, she called out to the waters in anger, commanding them to boil. The husband died from them temperature of the water and eventually everything evaporated so the princess was never again able to bathe in the springs. To this day, the people believe that if you rub the mud from the springs on your face, you will age a year younger. That's only one of the interesting stories!

Like a true indigenous... I went for the full face-over!

I really enjoyed the trip, but I also think I shall never need to experience it again. Seriously! No heating! Zip! Zilch! Nada! I'm glad I made it back alive =)