it is incredible how i have lived here in la paz for over 2 years and i can still have days that take my breath away. today was such a day. i was invited to accompany my new zealand friends to the ice caves, and although i had a huge pile of work to do and i had not touched it all weekend, i decided that i needed to get away more than i needed to do work. so i accepted.
i woke up early this morning and bundled up...long underwear and all! we set off on our adventure that began with a 2 hour drive out of the city, in places where the word "road" is used loosely. we finally came to a place where the "road" ended and we all climbed out of the truck. we were greeted by the sight of a sparkling lake in front of a what looked like a snowy mountain, but really it was a glacier. And although this was beautiful, we were actually afraid the ice caves were no more. The snow and ice had receeded a lot since the last time my friends were there, and they were not sure if the ice caves would still exist. for those of you skeptical of global warming, it really is having an effect on our earth, today was proof of that. however, it also was the end of the dry season, so it had not snowed in months. but not willing to admit defeat, the 5 kiwis (including a 3 month old baby) and I set out on a hike to the start of the snow. it took a couple of hours and while not extremely hard, walking even slightly (and at some places, more than slightly) up hill at 15,000 ft can still take your breath away. or leave you "puffed", to use a new term i learned today. the terrain was something right out of lord of the rings. picture the scene where aragorn, legolas, and gimli meet the horsemen of rohan. that is the barren land i walked over today. surrounded by mountains on all sides, i couldn't help but feel i had been transported out of reality and into a magical world where anything could happen. when we finally arrived at the snow, we discovered that while they had shrunk significantly, the ice caves were still there. we hurried to put back on all the layers we had shed during the hike and then sat down to enjoy a small picnic lunch at the foot of the glacier. climbing into the ice caves was another magical experience. looking up, the ceiling of the cave is solid ice, sparkling blue and crystal, with rocks large and small embedded into it. i can't find the words to describe what it is like to be standing under a magnificent glacier, except that it is absolutely incredible. you feel so tiny, so insignificant. the walk back was much easier, being all downhill. and during the ride back i had the joy of holding baby maya in the back of the truck during the rather, shall we say bumpy, ride. she slept most of the way, but everytime we hit an especially big bump she would grab my finger tightly. i was thinking of how i had just witnessed this magnificent glacier, an example of the grandness of god, and here in my arms, i was now holding another example of god's greatness, but this time it came in a much tinier package. if the same god who created that glacier could also create this tiny, perfect baby, then he is more than able to handle all the little problems and troubles that have begun to overwhelm me. so, although i still have piles of work to do and i am exhausted, i needed today. i needed to be reminded that god can take care of my troubles and wants to take care of my troubles, if i will only hand them over to him.
2 comments:
You have such a wonderful way with words. I love it!!
Of course it was new zealand people who said let's go see an ice cave. That's like walking outside their back door for them, that and their fence of toothbrushes.
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