Tahlei Altitude is a bitch. Climbing stairs makes you feel like an overweight smoker. Shampoo, sunscreen, moisturiser - everything erupts in a messy reminder that the air pressure has changed. And that change in air pressure is probably to blame for the stomach problems we all suffered after taking an overnight bus from sea level to 3,000 metres. But with such heights comes the potential for exciting descents! Whether on a mountain bike or a sandboard, we have had some of these exciting descents lately. We arrived in Huaraz, the capital of the Cordillera Blanca, home to something like 23 snow-capped peaks higher than 5,000 metres, and the hulking Huascarán, Peru's highest peak at 6,768 metres. No matter how comfortable the bus, so overnight journey is going to be enjoyable. We emerged bleary-eyed and exhausted into
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