Blogs from Huaraz, Ancash, Peru, South America - page 8

This morning started off early for us. We arrived at El Fogon shortly before 8am and we waited for 10 minutes and thought we had been stood up by our Peruvian waitress/friend, Ruth. Ruth arrived with her friend Jessica and we went to the meat market. Words really can´t explain this place. It was loco! I have never seen so many dead animals in my life! Of course it was captured on video- pigs were hanging upside down, along with goats, guinea pigs, butchered cow, etc. It was unbelievable. We bought 1 kilo of meat for $1.50- how do they make money here? From here we went to another vegetable market, that was cheaper with clothes, shoes, belts, hats, dishes, etc. We sampled some roasted pig and some soup that was supposed to taste great. It ... read more

So after the last travel update Aldo recommended a restaurant (El Fogon) that we should try out if we were looking for local cusine. Of course! So we walked a couple blocks to the Plaza de Armas and then a couple more. Blocks are so small here, very walking friendly. I kept watch as Jeff withdrew cash from an ATM. We passed another local eating place that had a sign outside for hamburgers for Sole 1.5 (that´s about 50 cents ... good for Peru, bad for McDonalds). We decided to stick to original plan of going to El Fogon. I decided to order without knowing what¨"Trucha" is. Turns out it is fish, served complete with the head. The fish was great, but was was extraordinary were the sauces that came along with the food. It made ... read more

The bus journey to Huaraz took us from the dull weather of Lima to the sunnier climes of the Central Andes, and what the town may lack in elegance it makes up for in its setting, with the Cordillera Negra one impressive range of mountains nearby and the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca topping that. Not far south is the Cordillera Huayhuash, containing supposedly some of the finest alpine trekking in the world and in which the drama of "Touching The Void" was played out. Even though our modest ambitions were merely for a couple of day hikes, the region would be able to provide. While conducting online research for our activities, I was surprised to come across a blog from 7 years ago written by a girl I used to work with in New ... read more

Hello friends and family, We left Cajamarca during the day and headed to the coast. One thing about these roads in Peru, they all follow a river down the mountain valleys. The coast was overcast and quite dismal, especially after being around some impressive mountain ranges and awesome vistas. We stopped only for a moment in Trujillo, then caught another bus to Chimbote. From Chimbote (where we stayed one night), we would be heading up back into the mountains to Huarez. Chimbote was quite the nondescript town. Spent an uneventful night there with a decent meal, then headed to the bus station again. Robin & I were still traveling with Tammy and Terry of Secret o´Life fame. The ride up into the Cordillera Blanca mountain range was spectacular. It´s somewhat funny now, since we have been ... read more

After leaving La Paz, it was time for another day in Lima whilst waiting for my penultimate bus ride. I managed to get well and truly re-aquainted with black gold, as en-route I remembered they had Starbucks in Lima. Normally i'd rather lick my own arsehole than put money in the pocket of the man (ie global chains) but when you've been drinking instant coffee and some dubious black syrup crap they consider to be coffee for 8 months, little luxuries like this are forgiveable! So anyhoo, I headed to the bus terminal for about 8ish to catch my 9pm bus. It's always good when you're about to get out of the taxi and the driver tells you to hurry inside as it's a very dangerous area! Well im not one to head advice easily and ... read more