Friday, 29 October 2010

The parts that photos miss

Traveling is awesome*. I love taking pictures to "capture the moment". But you never really get the whole picture. There are intangibles that can't be captured. Some things you might be luck to catch on video, but others you'll just have to remember, or, you know, blog about so remembering isn't your only way to recall them. I'm going to talk about some from our recent trip to Peru and Ecuador (the Galapagos).

First, Peru:
How at altitude 4000 m or greater, your legs can feel fine, while your heart pounds and your breathing isn't able to catch up, even while trying to sleep. How lone little children seem to wander over a ridge I'm gasping on, looking for some cookies or crackers. That moment after reaching the top of a pass (4500m and 4600m in our case), and how the other side looks like an impossibly perfect oasis. That moment of panic where you notice a group of loaded pack mules charging down the 6' wide path and you have about 5 seconds to get out of the way, and you had better pick the side where you won't be pushed downhill because it can be a long way down. The realization that you're the only one looking out for your safety, so you had better not trip because it's a long, long way down. The swallows that zoom around Machu Picchu in dogfight-esq battles. That feeling that the gods really have smiled upon you, not only because you're able to be there, but because against the odds, the weather is nice.

Now the Galapagos:
How on some places, the sand feels more like baking flour and somehow seems whiter. How the animals have a very different concept of "personal space" than the ones at home. How the Marine Iguanas sneeze all the time, and despite their impressive volume and distance, you somehow are not soaked with snot. How a tree's sap (which I've forgotten the name of) smells. How freaking fast penguins and sea lions swim. Waking up in the middle of the night in your bunk on the boat with a falling sensation - because the seas are so rough. The unbelievable coldness to the water despite it being directly on the equator. The awesomeness of being greeted with hot chocolate and cookies after you get out of the cold water.

Just a few moments to remember. There were so many.

* As long as you're safe, healthy, have enough to eat, etc. Same caveats as "awesome" would normally have.

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