Monday 20 August 2012
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8:06 It is 8 am. I have been walking ( with breaks) since midnight.
I am sitting in a cow pasture. Off in the distance 15-20? Kilometers away is catamayo, where I started. On the otherside of the pass 50 meters away, I can see loja
I spent a very interesting night. Walking in the dark, no moon just the stars was amazing.
I saw for the first time, what I think is the southern cross. And later in the walk I saw the big dipper, but the north star is below the horizon so it was not visible. I also saw a lot of my ” old friends” in the sky, but in much different locations
Walking in the dark with the sounds of other people around is interesting. If we were both walking without lights it was hard to see where anyone was.
It was cold, but I was warm with the exertion. Now that I have stopped I feel the chill, so I have added layers to hold in the warmth.
I am waiting here for the “crowd” to catch up. If the sun co-operates I should be able to get a decent shot. We will see.
The biggest problem with where I am sitting is the wind. The wind can pick up and be really biting. I now understand why they are putting up wind mills on this ridge….
9:45  The wind won.  Moved on without waiting. I was starting to get chilled by the wind so I haves moved down the mountain aways.
It is interesting to watch people walk. You can tell that some people have real pain from the walk.
I blew it!
My goal was to take pictures of the massive crowd and I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand what this whole thing was about until I was too tired and sore to do it. Lesson learned.
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It was still an amazing experience, but next time I will know
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9:47 It is normal to put up a cross where someone has died on the roads. There are a lot of crosses on this road. At one curve I counted 4 and they were of different ages.
I am taking a break at the side of the road, and I can see two from where I sit.
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14:26 Left mi Casa at 10 pm last night, arrived back at 2:25 this afternoon. I don’t think I got any good shots, but I had an amazing experience…. walking 34 Kilometers through the Andes Mountains…. at night
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151069580530674&id=504670673
by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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20:53 I have been thinking back on my walk. One of the things that sticks out is the number of vendors selling food, and liquids ( no beer)
I was surprised to watch an official looking truck ( with army guys) stop and the guys strut into the “camp” set-up for selling of food. As I watched for a few minutes I realized this was a food safety inspection.
That was completely unexpected.
Sunday 19 August 2012
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17:03 I did my Sunday shopping… No avocados to be found in the market, but 5 fresh tomatoes for .25 is nice… I think I was overcharged on the bananas though 18 for .75. I have apples bread and water to take with me on my little adventure tonight/ tomorrow.
This is the weekend the “virgin of Cisne” arrives. The procession is supposed to include between 500,000 to 1 million people.
I want to photograph this from the top of the pass that people have to cross. I have to either get up really early and walk to the top, or take a bus tonight and hang out until the morning. They close the road to car traffic at midnight.
Still haven’t decided which, yet, but i am having an early evening snooze….
