Woman from the Andes Mountain
We met this woman on our hike in the Andes Mountains in Peru. We did the
Salcantay Route, a five days hike on remote paths leading us through an amazing variety of landscapes and habitats. We had to cross a high pass (16,240 ft.) below the spectacular glaciers of the Humantay (19,414ft) and Salcantay (20,572ft.)
Towards the end of our hike we camped at Winaypoko (5904ft). And that is where we met her. Unfortunately we were not able to speak with her, she speak only
Quechua, the native language that was widely spoken across the Central Andes long before the time of the Incas. But with a serious nod she allowed us to take her portrait.
.PeruWomantravel
![<strong><center>What have these eyes seen…?<br>
After hiking in the Himalayas we return to a tiny village in Nepal, and there he was; on the bus. Looking at us. With these old, wise eyes. Not a smile, just looking; and his eyes made us think; who are we – that travel far and wide to hike, just for the joy of it. And who are you, old one, how have lived your years in this beautiful mountains that we seek?
And we remembered Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s endearing words;
A man’s age is something impressive, it sums up his life: maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, grieves and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories. [~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944, translated from French by Norah Purcell]](https://photos.smugmug.com/People/Portrait/i-Chfj5TW/0/23d7093d/Ti/Nepal%20Man%20on%20the%20bus-Ti.jpg)
