Lake of Silence

I found out what "Churup" means. I asked the receptionist at my hotel, the Albergue Churup, "¿Que quiere decir "churup"? She answered, "La significado es silencia." That was totally just an excuse for me to use the crazy upside-down question mark. Today, I visited Lake Villacocha. I think that's the name. Anyway, it was more of a pond than a lake, but the views were breathtaking. The closest to it I've seen before was in California. Think wheat-yellow high plains backed by jagged, snowy peaks.

This will be my last post for at least 10 days. Did I groan before about leaving tomorrow for my hike at 5 am? Well, I found out it's actually 4 am. The day I return, around 5 pm a week from Tuesday, I will probably take the night bus back to Lima and then fly to Cuzco the next morning just after it arrives. A little insane, but within the realm of possibility, and it's in that realm where I live most of my life. I may even use that as the title of my memoirs, i.e. The Realm of Possibility: How Steven J. S***k Just Barely Got Things Done. Or I'll stay in Huaraz and delight in other outdoor pursuits. I met a Malaysian-Australian woman who wants me to climb (as in, with equipment) some peak with her. But I have to get to Bolivia, so we'll just have to see what shakes out.