Trekking through Paradise - Santa Cruz Days 3 & 4

Trying to get to sleep with a pounding headache, altitude dizziness and a broken heart doesn´t happen every day. Neither does going to bed surrounded by at least five snow-covered mountain peaks. In the morning, nature had conquered all. All the pain was gone and I had recorded the highest crap ever by someone being me.

The morning was magical. Freezing cold at 4200 meters, a clear blue sky betrayed the coming of the sun in the still shady valley. And when it came ...
I wanted to stay here forever, but more goodies were waiting for us. And most of it downhill ! After packing up everything, we went to have a closer look at The Mountain. The Alpamayo was engaged in his daily wrestling with the clouds, but that didn´t diminish his majesty. It is said that his other side is even more impressive, but that would be for another time. The Santa Cruz valley lay open for us.

Wide open valleys, brooks and waterfalls, tantalising lakes, all under the watchful eye of the white giants in the clear sun. We were overwhelmed by it all. The grazing horses and cows seem to be used to it. It was hard to believe you could.
The going was easy, not to steep and not to fast. My pace was not that impressive anyway, wanting to follow the river in stead of the path and being forced to jump over or wade through all the little side streams because of it.

Our fearless guide had told us the last camp would be at a waterfall, but when it came in sight, I could not see it right away. It was hidden in a little glen bordered by massive boulders and straight at the roaring water. The pertual smiles on our faces were stretched just that extra bit again. Although the noise of the water was almost deafening, I slept like the boulders around us.
The morning awoke me again in a shady valley, with the sun itching to appear from behind the towering cliffs. In the morning the place was better still and, sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream, I concluded that life can be pretty darn good.

The morning ahead promised the last of our journey. The valley was hot and more vegetation appeared the lower we got. The roaring river became even more spectacular. Alas, even at this altitude, it was still too cold to swim.
What was not too cold however, where the hot springs just outside the valley. A nice and hot sulphury bath was all we could wished for, although for some it took more effort than expected to get that hot water running ...

My friends, I have seen paradise and I saw that it was good !!!