El Sol y la Calle

This weekend was different, and by different I mean I went to the Salinas National Park in Peru. We had to wake up a little early to get to Casa de Avila, but I really didn't mind it at all. I've noticed that for some reason I find it much easier to wake up in the morning here versus back home. It's a strange pheonomeon.

The Salinas is basically a large salt lake. It isn't the most impressive thing I've ever seen, but at the same time I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. We basically traveled for about two hours to see a large salt flat, and a bunch of llamas. There were supposed to be flamingos, but for some reason we didn't see any, which was a little disheartening. I got a lot of good pictures while I was there. On the way up the mountain range we stopped at a small village, that was basically in the middle of no where. Everything is basically in the middle of no where here. I live on the edge of the desert. Anyways, the true thrill of the ride came after we left the village. After leaving the village, all paved roads ended and from that point forward, my head did not stop bouncing up and down. The were literally some of the worst roads I have ever seen (Actually, to call them roads would be a joke.) Luckily, I got to sit in the middle of the car and didn't hit my head that much.

While we were at the salt lakes, I managed to get sunburnt on my neck. I remember feeling the Sun while we were walking, but I didn't think that it was bad enough for me to get burnt. Well, it turns out I was wrong. At 4000 meters the Sun happens to be a little stronger than it is back home, and my neck was roasted. The GVI manual said that sunscreen was an essential item, and they meant it. A few days ago, I was talking with my Spanish instructor and she asked me the factor of my sunscreen. I told her that I brought SPF 30 with me and that I had a little bottle of SPF 55. Her reaction was priceless: she laughed at me and told me that SPF 30 was useless in Arequipa, and that SPF 55 would only give me moderate protection from the sun. At first, I just thought she trying to warn me about the sun by overeacting to my answer, but it didn't take long for me to see the light.

The sun is extremely powerful in Arequipa, and the UV factor can get up to about 20. In North Carolina, the worst level of UV radiation is 10. On average, the UV level is about 10 in Arequipa because of a hole in the ozone that is located directly over the city. Therefore, gringos carry sunscreen like it's money. An interesting little fact: the unit in which currency is measured in Peru is called the sol (Sun).

Now, I can understand why the Incans worshipped the Sun.