Blogs from Huascaran National Park, Huaraz, Ancash, Peru, South America - page 3

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

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

Ha, ha...oh, sorry, not Christmas yet is it? Must be the lack of oxygen up here or something. Well I had a nice birthday meal, quite Euro really, sliced beef in red wine gravy, potato rosti, broccoli and cauli! Then a few birthday drinks and a little pressie and card from my very kind friend Tanya. Sunday was a quiet night out but we managed to pack a tiny bar and there was a group of Israelis, one of whom also had the same birthday as me..so we made a lot of noise and danced about! Slept most of the next day and watched DVD’s (I love Walllace and Grommit) in preparation for the forthcoming trek and a 6.30am start. Huaraz I spent 11 days eventually in Huaraz and was a sad to leave, a combination ... read more