Huaraz and Cusco

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Hey

Its been a while since my last update so here goes i have done quite a bit so if you don´t have time right now save this blog for later!

Huaraz

Huaraz was fun... we actually took some time out to chill which was nice for a change!

On Ivans birthday we booked a 16Km trek to Lake 69. This was an interesting day.....early start with late bus as usual! The lake is set in the Cordillia Blanca so the journey to the national park up to the start of the trek was very impressive. It actually reminded me of Yosemite National Park, we passed huge roack faces and all around us there were snow capped mountains. We started the trek at 4000km Im slowly getting used to this high altitude! Our climb was up to 4600km so i think that was the highest i had ever been! The walk was beautiful really refreshing. There were parts which I found difficult but like i said previously it was all good practice for the forthcoming Inka trail! Unfortunately Laura was affected badly by the altitude, which was not nice but she was a proper trooper and got to the lake. It was a really amazing crystal clear blue and towering over it were big glaciers. The refelection in the water was stunning. I wish i was a better photographer as my pics don´t really capture it. We even got to see parts of the glacier drop off into the lake...it made a big noise! That evening was not so good as Laura really did not feel good so we called out the Doc then she was under strict orders to rest! I think resting is the most difficult thing for Laura to do! I bet you agree with me don´t you Laura! We took time the next day just to chill and walk around the markets which was nice.

The following day we decided to visit some thermal spas and suanas which were set in caves. The Guide books made this sound really idyillic so we were looking forward to it as it would help to relax our tired muscles from the trek. We took a local bus to the place which was easy enough travelling on public transport is usually easy enough and ALWAYS amusing you often have to hold on tight! When we arrived to these baths it was all very confusing, not sure how to explain the confusion but it took us a while to figure out what was what and the system in place. We were the only gringos around too the majority of the people were locals, this is actually the nice thing about travelling around you really do get to do the things the locals do in most places. Anyway after 45min wait we ventured into the caves! They were boling hot, steamy and really dark i just hoped that all the steam did some good to my skin! It was amazing to think that it was a natral source of heat. We didn´t stay in too long otherwise i think i would have fainted! The next part was a the equivalent to a jacuzzi i think! You sat in a tub and filled it up with water which were from hot springs i think! We still had one more outdoor pool to try but we gave it a miss! I couldn´t cope with the heat anymore.

The next day we boarded yet another bus to Lima as Laura was heading home.....The bus journey was cool we go to see mountains, dessert and costal areas all in one 8hr trip it was also a bonus that we did it in daylight!

Spent our last day in Lima which was a bit sad in a way as we have travelled back and forth so many times! But it was also good to think that we were going to explore another part of Peru.

Cusco

Our next stop was Cusco whcih was our last city in Peru before the Inka trail. The bus journey was a nighmare i felt so sick it was 20hrs in total and i wouldn´t recommend it to anyone! Anyway Cusco was lovely a really pretty city with a lot of character. We had 5 days to get ourselves sorted before we went on the Trail. It was a good job too as I was feeling quite miserable after the yucky bus journey! We found a cool bar Los Perros and some good restaurants to occupy our time with! The day before the trail was a bit busy and i was feeling nervous thinking about how i would cope with the four days!

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