10.19.25: Peru Mountains

The Andes don’t feel real until you’re standing there, gasping thin air. Photos make them look majestic, but they don’t capture the weight of silence pressed against your chest. Villages cling to cliffs, alpacas grazing like it’s just another Tuesday. I once saw an old man walk up a slope I could barely crawl. No oxygen tank, no special gear. Just centuries of lungs adapted to altitude. It makes you feel both small and artificial, hauling plastic bottles of water while locals carry bundles of wood. Sometimes nature humbles you not with storms, but with quiet strength you can’t match.