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Published: January 9th 2010
Huascaran
Most days occluded by clouds, I felt very blessed to be shown this magnificent peak today. We arrived at around 5am Dec. 12th, 2009...
It was a beautiful, clear morning when we arrived in Huaraz, 3000m above sea level. We had travelled overnight by bus through winding mountain roads on our ascent from Lima (9 hrs). Thankfully we decided to try out the ´full-cama´ sleeping beds, chairs that nearly fully recline, to help ease our transition to higher altitude.
However, after fighting off a little plane bug from our arrival in Peru and traveling this way to hignçher ground we needed a bit more time to acclimatize. So we got a little ill (soroche= altitude sickness) following our day one excursion to Chavin de Huantar. Chavin looks close and the book says 2.5 hours on a paved rd., but the reality is a much different story. 4-5 hrs on a paved rd that has lots of bumps and jolts in a somewhat rickety bus and up to a mountain pass at 4550m left us both feeling a little, well, exhausted! To see this ancient temple or compound dating back to 800 BC it was certainly worth it though. The views on the journey were worth it in themselves!
We stopped for Coca Tea at one
point, which thankfully warded off the headaches we felt from the altitude. That leaf is a true Blessing from the Creator!
Chavin itself was beautiful, so old and yet so very intact. Laying in a Andean Valley at 2200m is was a scorching afternoon when we arrived. The lush green was met by a brilliant blue sky, and we explored the site for several hours.
Our tour guide spoke a special dialect I call: Mile-a-Minuta Español! We didn´t catch too much from him...but the tour was going and...well, it was great!
After our ardous trip back...we spent the next two days further acclimatizing, getting used to Peru, and exploring the city of Huaraz, the hub of the Cordillera Blanca - home to some of the highest peaks of the Andes!
The city is a semi-busy mix of indigenous villagers and local people, all living their lives at 3000m, high in the Andes. Its very much like other cities, with a more rural and antiqitous feel. We both Loved it and were really pleased with our time here, so early in our travels...
Next, on to the Hot Coastal lowlands and more ruins....
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