I´m retiring to Carhuaz

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Just returned to Lima by the night bus from Huaraz(didn´t sleep much). Splurged on the bed bus though I still couldn't sleep. I kept waking up and seeing theses cones bordering the switchbacks whizzing by in a blur. I just didn't want to know what was happening out there!

The cordillera blanca region is truly spectacular. Did not stay in Huaraz, which was clearly the tourist center of the area. Once go you past Huaraz, you encounter beautiful, tourist free mountain towns. This valley is bordered by the cordillera negra and the cordillera blanca. No snow on the negra side, but lots of snow and glaciers up high on the blanca side.

We traveled with our friends from Lima and stayed with them in their family compound in the small village of Carhuaz -- about 25 km north of the city of Huaraz. The compound consists of numerous houses and courtyards, some of which are in a bit of ruin. Before they lost all their land in the agricultural reform of the 70s, the compound was the family home. With the passing of the abuela in the early 90s, the siblings began walling off their share of the inheritance. We stayed in the section owned by Hilde, Norma's sister and a very warm and charming woman who welcomed us. Meche and Norma slept in the section owned by sister Laura and husband Cezar. The whole place is somewhat looked over by an ancient family maid, Ceria. I love this little old lady! She is quick to smile and for her advanced age, she moves pretty darn fast. One night she taught us how to spin wool. She's a pro and we just couldn't quite get it right -- which would send her into fits of laughter!

Our first day in Carhuaz was Sunday, which is market day. The peasants come down from the mountains to buy and sell their produce -- and just about everything else. In particular, we were on a mission to buy Bob one of those great woven hats from the region. The really good ones, the ones with the intricately fine weave were about $30 US. Pretty steep so I imagine the peasants wearing them either made them themselves, or they bartered, which is quite common here.

Yesterday we rented a combi and driver to take us to Lagunas llanganuco, the two mountain lakes at the foot of the Huascarán’s north summit (6,655 meters), Chinacocha and OrconCocha. Laura and Cesar's son hooked us up with a driver. Their son used to be a tour operator taking trekkers to various lakes until once he made the mistake of taking his parents. They were so freaked out by the dangerous road that they forbade him from continuing his business. The bus and driver cost 170 Soles, or about $65 US. Again, quite a deal for 7 people. These two lakes are probably the most accessable in the region. The road was actually in pretty decent shape. There is a bus service that uses the road to connect with a couple of towns on the other side of the mountain.

One cannot describe adequately the beauty of this place. The lake is stunningly beautiful, with a stunning turquoise color. The lakes are at 3,850 meters, which is pretty high up. But because we are only 13 degrees south of the equator, it is tropical. There are lichens, mosses, ferns, bromeliads and orchids everywhere. The day was sunny and pleasantly warm. Then you look up, and perched high above you are these enormous glaciers peering down at you. I'm so glad we came here! We went on a bit of an orchid hunt to see how many we could find in bloom. I think in total we found about 7 different varieties in bloom.

On the way back to Carhuaz, went into Caraz for a wonderful lunch and look around. This is the town Meche grew up in. She said that it was one of the few places untouched by the reign of terror the shining path brought down on the Peruvian people. She thinks is was mostly because of the location.

After lunch, stopped off at the memorial to the lost town of Yungay. On Sunday, May 31, 1970, an earthquake off the coast brought down a portion of the northern wall of Mount Huascarán, forming a river of glacial ice, mud and rocks. According to the local telling the story, it was over in 3 minutes. He was a child and was at the childrens circus located on a hill over the city and was thus spared. The entire town is buried under 7 meters of earth. I believe only a hundred or so of the population of 17,000 survived. In addition to the kids at the circus, about 90 more survived because they had been spending their sunday visiting their dead relatives at the cemetery, which is on a hill overlooking the town. I cannot imagine the horror of what they saw and the effect it had on them and the surrounding communities. In total, more than 50,000 in the region died that day. The cathedral on the main square actually blocked the flow and saved 4 palm trees in the town square. All that's left of the magnificant church however is a portion of one of the toppled bell towers.

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