Sal de Maras
Would you like to have a salty adventure in Peru?
The day I visited Maras, I was stunned. Maras is a town in Cusco. When I was in the bus on my way to see the salt ponds, I was not very excited, but when we were near there, I turned my head to the window and saw that amazing view. I had never seen something so unique and natural. When I visualized at the salt ponds, I thought the white powder was by the edge snow, but it was actually salt. Since pre-inca times, salt has been obtained in Maras. The sun was shining so brightly, I could see the whole mine. The climate was remarkable. It was sunny but the wind was chilly.
I caught a piece of salt and licked it because I could not resist the temptation. It tasted like frozen snow but very salty. It was not bad, but I worried that I could get sick. I was with all my friends walking around the mine talking and taking pictures. It was truly a great moment to be with friends. It was kind of cold so I had my sweatshirt on. I am glad I took my winter coat and a chullo. Special climbing boots were not necessary, but it would have been more comfortable. I also felt independent because I did not even know were the teachers or guides were at, I just knew I had to keep going straight, but I liked the independent feeling. Some people were scared of walking through the thin road. People were panicked that they might fall down, but I was not scared because I felt pretty confident about my balance. If you fell and hit your head with a rock, you could probably die. I made sure I looked where I was stepping. I was wondering how the ponds were formed, who owned them, and why was there water with salt in them. I was specially wondering how salt was created.
I have never been to Urubamba before. Urubamba is also a town in Cusco. I believe that I was more amazed than all of my friends. I really like nature and how natural products are made. I had not even thought in my whole life how salt was made. Later that day, I learned that salt was made by evaporating salty water from a subterranean stream. Since that day, I wanted to know how things, especially products, were made. When I really thought about it, I knew there were many things I have not seen yet that really impact my life everyday. When I was hiking around the mine, it was like I was not even in Peru. I realized I have not seen many things in my country. The outlook was amazing, it was as if I was in a movie, it didn’t seem real. The way of producing salt, was how I least expected it. I thought It was produced by extracting it from the ocean or something else. In conclusion, Maras was my favorite part of the Cusco trip and I really hope I go there again sometime.
