Blogs from Cordillera Blanca, Ancash, Peru, South America

Myself, Jana and Dane, an American dude from the midwest did this trek together. Originally, I'd planned on doing it myself, but afterwards I was glad that I'd decided to join then. Lorena really fucked me up emotionally. All I wanted to do was retreat into my shell of comfort...It was a strenuous, but beautiful trek. What kind of bothered me was that fact that Dane's schedule dictated the trek. He needed to be somewhere in said days, so it felt like we were rushing the whole time and didn't really get a chance to enjoy the moment. I lost my tent poles on the ride back to Huaraz. It was a bonehead moved that happened due to fatigue. We had pizza the night we made it back to the hostel. It was a memorable moment ... read more

Perso di notte per le strade del centro di Lima, inebriato dalla fragrante umidita' che risale dal vicino oceano, il Mercante non riesce a darsi pace cercando di trovare il motivo di questa sua presenza in terra Sudamericana; unico indizio nello zaino, un biglietto aereo che mi riportera' a casa.... dal Brasile, cioe' dall'altra parte del continente, sulle sponde di un'altro oceano! Che ci sia stato un errore di prenotazione? o un dirottamento del volo? Insomma, che ci faccio io qui?? Ripresomi a stento dagli effetti collaterali del fuso orario grazie allo shock culturale di una notte passata in adorazione nel tempio sacro della scena rock underground peruviana nei cui bagni l'acqua del cesso scorre vorticando in senso antiorario, decido di schiarirmi le idee fuggendo dall'aria viziata della grande metropoli e rifugiandomi per qualche giorno sulle ... read more

Reeds 5 weken vertoeven we in de Hoge Andes van Peru, alle laatste nieuws en fotos vind je op www.patagoniandreams.com for english version of this entry with more pics, please visit www.patagoniandreams.com... read more

There are enough lagoons, glaciers, peaks and valleys to keep us in the Cordillera Blanca for far, far longer than we have. Choosing which trails to walk is not an easy task, but choose we must. Hot off the Santa Cruz trek, we first opt for a day walk to Laguna 69, a glacial lake located at the foot of Pisco, one of the Cordillera's most climbed mountains and part of the same larger massif we circled in the Santa Cruz trek. Much of the trail is in the shadow of Huascarán, and despite being a relatively easy six-hour-or-so walk, the trip to the lagoon is one of the most gorgeous day-walks we've undertaken so far on the trip. It's sublime: frozen waterfalls, soaring mountains, water so painfully blue it wouldn't look out of place in ... read more

Much as the ancient archaeological wonders of Peru's northern coast - as well as its delicious cuisine - have captivated us, it's time to move on. Firstly, the coast is getting a tad depressing: mile after mile on the Panamericana rubbish-tip...I mean highway...from which there is little of natural beauty to see other than as many miles of rather featureless coastline devoid of colour or vegetation. The weather doesn't help either - it's the middle of winter on Peru's coast, and it's day after day after day of extremely low, dirty-white cloud which the sun can only very occasionally pierce. Secondly, and far more importantly, a little further south is one of the places we have come to Peru for in the first place: the mighty Cordillera Blanca. Part of South America's Andean spine, the Cordillera ... read more