Tribewanted: Vorovoro

So after months of umming and ahhing as to whether to take on the challenge of the Andina, I finally confirmed my place on the first two weeks of the Andina in mid-May. As my friends will know, I will give anything a go once!

Arriving in Lima with a sense of excitement, fear and nervous energy the size of the challenge began to dawn on me! Finally meeting (or reuniting with) the rest of the team; Gilo, Shorty and Pablo felt like months of dreaming and planning had finally come together and we sat chatting in our hostel late into the night. The two things which united us soon dominated our conversation – firstly Vorovoro and our own experiences there and secondly the challenge upon which we were about to embark and what had drawn us to it.

A combination of the jet lag and nervous energy left me tossing and turning most of the first night and finally at around 5am I gave in and got up; to my relief Pablo was awake so it wasn’t long before we grabbed Shorty and decided to go and explore Lima. At this time of year the sky is pretty grey and the air thick from all the fumes from the cars and taxis but we found ourselves wandering for a good couple of hours before breakfast! The afternoon had us further exploring Lima and all it has to offer; eating ceviche and jalea, exploring the old town complete with toy soldiers, filming in the park and many a laughing taxi journey…complete with petrol con gas (fizzy petrol)!

Day two we woke early and grabbed our backpacks ready and eager to head to the mountains…the real adventure was about to begin! Eight hours on a bus has never felt so great…until you arrive in Huaraz and it feels like you’ve been on the go for about 24! From the moment you arrive in Huaraz you feel dwarfed by the mountains; surrounded on all sides by the imposing mountains of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra the butterflies in your tummy begin to fly!

I was soon to learn that I was going to be testing my mental strength and resolve in more ways than one! Bouldering, rock climbing, hiking and an awesome hike to Laguna Churup in the first few days took focus and self-confidence that I didn’t think I had! There is definitely something to be said that ‘climbing is a state of mind’ and I think I was finally beginning to realise this.

Having spent a lot of time thinking about, and training hard for, the physical side of the challenge I realised that I’d neglected one key aspect of my training and that was the mental preparation. I’m the sort of person who will take on a challenge without thinking/stressing too much about the consequences otherwise I walk away all too easily; taking on the mountains was a challenge I took on and feel I won!

From the guides who led us on our way, to the communities we passed through in the mountains, it is clear that mountain life is tough and takes its toll on all those who live this life but one thing that is apparent is that they are all happy with their way of life and take pride in everything they do; whether it is leading donkeys, sheep and cows down the dusty mountain roads or guiding gringos like us up the mountains. The mountains (and team) taught me a valuable lesson – life’s way too short and happiness and being yourself should be a given.