Rock-climbing!

While in Huaraz I did the unthinkable: I signed up for a three-day outdoor rock-climbing course. This is the kind of thing that terrifies me because of my not-so-stellar relationships with all sports, but I wasn't sure how else I was going to escape the three-day national strike that was set to paralyze the country and prevent me from doing anything interesting.

I ended up having a great time, mostly because of where the course took place - at a rock forest called Hatun Machay up in the mountains, with accommodation being a cozy lodge that reminded me of camp. In spite of the fact that there was no electricity or showers, or communications of any kind, I really loved being away from the city. Could this be the beginnning of a new, camping Annika? We shall see...

In the climbing I surprised myself, in that I actually made it to the top of some very high and scary rocks. On my second day it actually started snowing while I was climbing, and I was suddenly participating in an extreme sport. Pretty cool. Here are some pics: