Yesterday I took a little trip with the climbing team here in Ecuador. We visited a spot that was only discovered about two years ago as a potentia mecca for bouldering in these parts. To reach (I have to find out the name) the boulders the road is long, winding, and has been known to have piles of earth just mounded as unintentional road blocks. We are in a third world country here, and the towns surrounding Cuenca stand as colorful and eye-opening illustrations that attest to such a classification. The climbing spot was beyond beautiful, and being able to set the very first routes up and across these massive rock formations was an energizing and humbling experience in the same vein. Cows roamed the background while kids climbed rocks. The handful of families that dwelled at these heights could be heard convesing as fires were lit for nightfall.The ride home was spent in the back of a pickup with five other kids; laughter, tickling, jokes, and more laughter huddled together for any available strands of warmth against a cool night air. The feeling was that of innocence and freedom, of right-here-right-now and nothing else. Stars whipped past; just born sheep, barking dogs, and clucking roosters became a blur; sounds left mouths only to be stolen by the wind as we snaked down rutted dirt roads. The journey back was as much a memory as the one there, with an unmatchable experience of untouched boulders sandwiched in between.
For many of these kids, climbing is their life; they are SO strong.
A little shot of what lunch time looks like, with unbelievable soups, choclo, and avocado appearing most every day.
Me and Ma, Anisa´s abuelita. She makes me laugh. 
No comments:
Post a Comment