Peru - Huaraz: Photos 21 to 42

Hiking in this mountainous region was fantastic - exhausting but deeply satisfying. However, Huaraz gave me mixed feelings. This town, arguably the trekkers’ capital in Peru, located in the proximity of perhaps two dozen 6,000 m peaks (including Huascaran the Peruvian highest mountain and Alpamayo, supposedly voted for as the most beautiful mountain in the world) seemed in a disrepair. The major plaza and many streets in the center were under construction, many restaurants marked in my guide were no longer there, and Edward’s Inn, a highly recommended hotel, was totally empty when I got there. However, its citizens were nice enough and once we got used to the mess in the streets we were able to enjoy what the city had to offer - access to premier mountain equipment, mountain guides, agencies, and some of the finest Andean food. Even our hotel turned to be a good deal even though there were hardly any other tourists to meet or a pool table like in some other hostels we stayed in. Edward, the hotel’s owner, was quite a character. While obviously past his prime years when he was THE guide here in Huaraz (perhaps 10 years ago or more), he

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