CUSCO, SACRED VALLEY and MACHU PICCHU

29 May Cusco 3400m

That morning we were heading south from Lima by Boeing 722 in the colours of Aero Continental to the inland tourist zone of Cusco.

My notebook has just six lines of writing and a clear hint that we did not enjoy this town, not helped by the record that Joan for the first time on the trip suffered from breathlessness. Not surprising since apart from the day spent motoring across the Andes it would be the first time we had been exposed to over 3000m since our Annapurna trek in Nepal fourteen years earlier. 

OUR REFUGE in CUSCO,  HOSTAL las NINOS

Built around a large courtyard our mid range Hostal las Ninos was an excellent haven from the constant hazzle of the streets. From the beggars, small-time street salesmen peddling nicknacks, postcards, textiles, musical instruments, money exchange, restaurants, entertainment and tours - all refusing to take 'no' for an answer. The Plaza de Armas would have been fine but that it was simply impossible to sit and relax and escape the continual onslaught. That din made it impossible even to walk round comparing menus, one of my favorite pastimes, so we mostly eat in a small cramped Peruvian restaurant near our hostal for around 4s.

CUSCO Plaza de Armas

CUSCO Gate to Old City

 30 May
We escaped the main plaza by visiting the Cathedral which formed one of the sides of the square. We did approach a couple of girls selling tickets for evening show of local dance in a nearby arts theatre. A show of 12 dancers and eight musicians was a pleasant way to spend the evening, though the audience was only 40 tourists in a room which would house ten times that number.
One sign of poverty was the number of people trading on the streets for instance selling sweets in 10's, by dividing the much larger packets they had bought.  

CUSCO CATHEDRAL, Plaza de Armas

Hearing that there could be problems in getting to train tickets to Puno (Titicaca) at the last minute we unusually decided on a timetable for a week ahead covering the Golden Valley and Macchu Picchu. The train was for 7 June at 8am for 11.2s each.

Noted a novel way of producing orange juice which started by rotating a lathe by hand so as to peel the orange and then by a more conventional juicing process.

Sunday 1 June Pisac
Pisac is as far into the Sacred Valley as most tour parties reach usually in search of the fine Sunday market which attracts locals from far and wide.

Models looking for reward

As we arrived at 11am the church service was beginning, an hour or so later the congregation came in a procession from a mass given in Quecha tongue, all dressed in their traditional attire, led by boys and girls blowing on shells, their elders blowing on musical pipes, then the priest.

On the market Joan distinguished herself by buying a water colour of a country lane near Puno from one of many sheets of paper on display open to the elements, it now hangs proudly on our wall in a frame from Mumbles costing far far more. The lad managing the stall was surprised at her choice of such a mundane subject but went on to say this was the only one painted by his father, or grandfather?, who taught painting in the university at Puno.

PISAC SUNDAY MARKET

I bargained for a beautiful hand made brown leather belt so hard that the lady who had made it protested justifiably saying that she has a living to make, and I was shamed into raising my accepted offer. There are few times when I have known myself to be guilty of over hard bargaining - but in each case it is a soul searching experience. Mostly it is expected and the unaware can easily pay 10 times the real price.

Their were clay ovens at the where they were baking bread and coy. It was the first time we had eaten guinea pigs, and we were not overly impressed - perhaps it is an acquired taste, perhaps one simply of getting used to the idea of eating rat like creatures.

CLAY OVENS and COOKED CUY (guinea pig)

There were two or three places to stay overnight and we chose a guest house.

2 June Ollantaytambo
We must have taken a bus right through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo a point of embarkation for the train Cusco to Agua Callientes for Machhu Picchu, but having seen much of interest decided to retrace our steps tomorrow. Ollantaytambo itself was itself a massive ruined Inca fortress on the hillside, one of the few places to initially repel the Spanish invadors - though they later succeeded with reinforcements.

OLLANTAYTAMBO

Below the site is a village built on Inca foundations, which meant that the houses were entered via a courtyard at the front.

Entrance to Ollantaytambo Fortress from above town

Below the ruins they were preparing for a festival. We stayed the first night at the excellent Albergue Kapuly, but since they were full stayed the second at the less prestigious door where we had an electrically heated shower. I was horrified to see the electricity supply wired directly into the shower head. We were to see this frequently but I always entered with more than a little fear of being electrocuted. 

We spent a lot of time talking to another couple Carlos and Alexandra (early 30's) from Argentina which was currently in huge financial trouble following forced break of the fixed 1:1 link of the Peso with the USD at the beginning of 2002, continual devaluation rapidly reached 4:1 devaluation later in 2002. Carlos said Argentina must currently be the cheapest country in the world for backpackers like us. Bank accounts much in USD had been frozen and all deposits reduced by a factor of 4. So not only were people a quarter as wealthy but they had no way of accessing their funds. He described Argentina as being basically a rich country and that its crisis had been largely man made started by a deliberate unseating of the government leading to a rapid downward political spiral with 5 new premiers in a couple of months.

Carlos was temporarily working in Lima. Much as we would have liked we did not see him again except very briefly when we were at Machu Picchu queuing for the last bus back the several miles to Aguas Calientes. He was walking back up to the site searching for his wife. 

3 June Salinas and train to Aguas Calientes 
One of the more spectacular scenes from the bus yesterday had been a mountain valley appearing to be topped with snow gleaming in the sun. The guide book indicated this was hundreds of salt pans of Salinas going back to Inca times and could be approached by a narrow footpath.

Getting Closer to SALINAS salt pools

In the morning we caught the same bus back and got off when the valley came into view, found the track a point where a man was manufacturing mud bricks on a small scale. Then more or less on instinct followed the track upwards for over an hour. Midway we were passed by a woman with baby descending by horse, we had to move off the path to let her through As we neared the top salt pans appearing as the river trickled downhill a man, possibly a worker taking time, out explained that there was an office and sales location on the mountain road above. 

SALINAS, Close up of salt pools and harvesting

After lunching at a small restaurant we caught the bus back to Ollantaytambo and bought return train tickets to Aguas Calientes at 19:45, which cost 11.20s per person per direction for a seat in the backpacker coaches. A surprisingly large crowd of back packers collected awaiting the train intent on staying overnight in Aguas Calientes before visiting Machu Picchu. 

4 June 2003 MACHU PICCHU

The site was open from 7am to 5pm and a stream of buses left Aguas Calientes from 6am. It was a spectacular winding bus ride climbing through sharp steep mountain peaks, reminding us of the pinnacles around Mulu in Sarawak. Entrance cost 40USD per person, the bus being 166 soles.

Newly built Gatehouse in afternoon sun

We were amongst the first to arrive in the gloomy cloud and sat on the hillside overlooking the site but in shadow from the surrounding high mountains until the arrival of the sun at 9am. It was several hours before the tour parties started to arrive by coaches from Cusco so we independent travellors had this idyllic site to ourselves and felt miffed when the other tourists arrived - though in fact the site easily absorbed us all.

MACHU PICCHU from the hillside above

Amazingly the site was not re-discovered until 1911 and then accidentally by an American archeologist Hiram Bingham when looking for a quite different venue. It was not overshadowed in our memories by Kuelap, but given restoration and access development this could easily gain a similar tourist fame - though we shall always remember with pleasure having seen it untouched on a day it attracted just our threesome.  

At one stage we backtracked downhill to get a feel for the upper reaches of the Inca trail. This trail starts off with a train from Cusco
to 88km or 104 km points, the full trek taking 3 or 4 days sleeping in tents. It reaches an altitude of 4200m which is higher than Machu Picchu itself. It is also possible to join the trail from Aguas Calientes though that would be steep climb.

5 July PISAC
Up early to catch the 05:45 train from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo, nearly missed it from waiting at the wrong platform, bus to Pisac where we sought out the ASAC bakery and breakfasted on fresh lightly cooked empanadas of bread with cheese, onion and tomato filling. 

Looking down at PISAC

This second visit there was no market so we got a guide to take us around the fine Inca ruins on the mountainside above the town, a fair walk of several hours often on small cliff hanging footpaths. The excellent local guide became a friend and we still have the decorative bell chime we bought as a memento.

JOAN GUIDE and Decorated Bell

The guest house we had stayed previously was full so we took a room above a nearby store with no company other than the owners who were watching The Mask of Zorro on the TV. They were amazed when we told her the stars newly emerging Catherine Zeta Jones and Anthony Hopkins came from came from our home town of Swansea and Margam in South Wales where I worked. So did Richard Burton - and today I could add Michael Sheen. We are sure they thought we were lying! Perhaps it simply says everything about my Spanish.


                          Village of Ollantaytambo from Fortress

OLLANTAYTAMBO RUINS

Ollantaytambo, Building for Festival

Looking from above end of village to fortress entrances

OLLANTAYTAMBO

TITICACA, PUNO and TAQUILE

7 June PUNO 4000m, Lago Titicaca

Left Cusco as planned by 8am train and arrived in Puno on the lake shore of Titicaca just before dark.

Very interesting journey largely through straw coloured step-lands with a backcloth of high mountains. When it reached the high point of 4350m there was a station stop on which local sellers of food and drink appeared out of the blue. We walked around gingerly wary because this was for us a new height record.

Sat opposite Alexandrov a professional Russian student of around 27 years, he explained that he could earn more from scholarships to study in the west than he could get from working in Russia. Very intelligent and thoughtful he had clear views on Chechnya in more depth than we could understand. He clearly blamed the heavy handed intervention by Yeltsin who wished to stop the break up of Soviet Russia, but sympathised with Putin because the country was now run by bandits.

He compared my kindly face with Georges Soros who had funded one of his scholarships as though hoping I would support him. We left the train in a hurry to find accommodation leaving our guide book behind, on discovering the loss of an essential aid, our view improved after returning to the station to find he had handed it as lost property.

8 June UROS and TAQUILE islands on TITICACA 

Titicaca at 4000m is the highest navigable lake in the world and on the lakeshore there was a reassembled British made steamer as if to prove it. To the east and south it borders Bolivia, to the west Peru.  

Took a boat onto the huge lake, of North American size which looks like a sea. A boatload of perhaps 25 from Inka Tours, four hours out via Uros and three hours back from Taquile.

Reed Boats on Uros Floating Island

Uros is a floating island made of reeds with a impressive example of really strong reed boats that demonstrate the sense of the technique which led to Kon Tiki. Otherwise there is little of comparable interest on the island. To add to its attraction to tourists the moment we appeared a group started to play volley ball, but one suspects they stopped the moment we disappeared. Not the sort of combination to allure me.

We talked to Nicola a German lady who we had met earlier in Ollyantaytango. She teaches English but is currently on a sabbatical, the scheme is that she works for 3/4 normal pay but takes one year in four off to travel. On this occasion Quito in Ecuador where her brother teaches Marine Biology lives with his half- Peruvian family. She had spent four months on the Galapagos Islands and couldn't recommend them too highly but felt Isabella was the best island to visit. She also recommended the mountains of Huaraz and Ayuchucho in Peru even though the altitude of the Andes was too high for her. She had very liberal views like me and thought Bush was a very dangerous man.

On then to Taquile onto the port and then 500 steps up from the sea to the island proper, pretty exhausting at 4000 metres! First stop was a group lunch in a canteen like place offering a choice of fish or omlette. Once he realised we alone wished to stay overnight guide Andre organised a home-stay, although there are no hotels or guest houses not difficult because the whole island operates as a cooperative and houses with a spare room take visitors in strict rotation. He explained we could use the return half of our ticket whenever we wanted. We were thus shown to the house met the children Fernando and Sabrina and left some luggage in our bedroom.

Our bedroom was small with two double beds and a small table

Our Homestay, Isla Taquile

Fernando and Sabrina, a little nervous at first

Familiarity with the home-stay indicated no toilet, no water supply but solar powered heater, a bulb lit when connected to a car battery, clothes were washed in a bowl made from an old tyre hung out to drip at night and dry in the sun the next day. We slept in clothes covered by multiple blankets on two straw double mattresses, cold but surprisingly comfortable. Toilet in the nearby field was very cold but very beautiful, a clear sky full of stars, the moon reflecting in patterns on the lake dictated by the few wispy clouds. Not difficult to find a few stones to cover the mess and hide the paper. 

Married men wear caps which they knit themselves sitting in the sun, Andre told us they were so tightly knitted as to hold water. The women spin whilst walking and we saw a man weaving on a frame, their shirts are made of a loosely woven cream wool.   

Inca Terraces on Isla Taquile

Next morning we went for a walk up and down and around the island finding a new harbour on the other side of the island and some lonely new wooden buildings, we met just one other tourist and realised this development heralded the days of tour parties quite divorced from the islanders. Joan became quite short of breath, stopping after each third step, her pulse rate reached 100/min, while mine at 72 was only just above the 60 at home, we had both peaked at 85 on the long climb up the road to Sacsayhuaman. The soil was poor  with small three inch corn cobs and potatoes the size of pullets eggs.

Homestead on opposite (north)side of Isla Taquile

Were fascinated by the men of the island who all seemed to be knitting as they walked around. The married ones could be identified on sight because they wore red knitted hats.    

Red hatted men are married

We went to a hall where interesting things were laid out for sale, the room was more or less empty as the boat from Puno had not yet arrived. I decided to buy a woven belt with price labelled at 40, thinking it was dollars I offered what I thought was far less at 140soles. There were smiles and chatter all around when they realised I had thought it was 40USD and they had missed a trick.

Taquile Leaving Party, man knitting, woman spinning

When the boat was due we went back to the home-stay, they had hoped we would be stopping and in retrospect we too wished we had stayed. She displayed some of her wares and Joan bought a woven hat and a pair of knitted with a highly colourful pattern, which she wears on cold walks to this day some 12 years later.

Joan's Taquile Hat

Joan records the islanders make all their own clothes, the women wear thick wool skirts, like Welsh flannel, with many petticoats, often displayed having with hems decorated in coloured wool and with black shawls over their heads. Some ladies have the black over skirt pinned up to show off the coloured underskirts. The unmarried women cover their faces when passing a gringo (a male foreign tourist). 

Our dinner was good soup followed by a fried egg with rice and potatoes. Breakfast was a thick Canadian style pancake covered with black syrup and Muna tea.  

AREQUIPA, ICA and PISCO

10 June 2003    Arequipa, 2325m
The coach to Arequipa was empty on leaving Puno but filled up with Peruvians on reaching Juliaca. The road was newly tarmacked  and very fast taking 6 instead of the 12 hours suggested in the guide book. Cows and sheep changing to Llamas and Alpaca and the Vicuna on the 4500m Alto-plano. We stayed at the excellently run Hotel Miamaka, 70 soles (20 USD noted) aimed at better heeled tourists because Los Balcones de Catalina our first choice was full, so we missed the camaraderie of the backpackers. 

Plaza de Armas Arequipa

She recommended eating at the El Camaroncita restaurant, excellent advice, the Cupe de Camarone rated as the best seafood I had ever eaten. Other dishes on offer were
Rocoto relleno pastel de papa
Camarones a la plancha
Chicarrones
Cuy chactoo (fried)
with  Queso o Helado  to finish

Arequipa marked itself out as the best run city we had visited in Peru but even so the streets were full of armoured vehicles, a sure sign the emergency wasn't over. 

11 June
In the morning we went to Convent Santa Catalina,  wonderful place over 400 years old built of white sillar stone which has survived several earthquakes since 1579. 

One Nun's Private Kitchen

The early nuns were often the second daughters of wealthy Spanish families, many of the cells had their own kitchens. Initially it was a closed order and had only been open to the public since1970. Now there are 28 nuns aged between 18 and 90 in a still closed off part of the buildings. It is a wonderfully attractive peaceful place painted terracotta and white with quiet alleyways full of geraniums.

Santa Catalina

For lunch we took a taxi to Tradicion Arequipenas a beautiful garden restaurant, wonderful to eat out at midday in this sun. We ate Pequeno Tradicional with Queso helado vanilla for desert with the usual litre of lemonado. 

In the evening we went to see a Son et Lumiere history of Arequipa by which time it was distinctly chilly.The inflatable Mish mountains had volcanoes which erupted spectacularly to applause and a young girl Juanita was sacrificed to the volcano and flew off to heaven to and everyone clapped.

12 June

Mancion del Fundador

More visits by taxi first to an old water mill where unusually the wheel was horizontal, then on to an old colonial house Mancion del Fundadour which although uninhabited was still completely furnished with beautifully carved furniture and paintings.









Final stop was a miraor with views.Back in town we walked to the Sol y Mayo another fine garden restaurant, where I chose Cuy but was still not impressed.

13 June
We took a two day guided tour by minibus staying overnight in Chivay where there was a traditional evening entertainment of music and dancing. There were two couples of our age Jan and Ian who farmed in New Zealand travelling independently like us. Peter and Diane were on a 2 to 3 year tour of the world (South Africa, Eygpt, Turkey, Russia, Baltic States, Train Moscow to Beijing, across China booking next hotel by Internet, now South America, with Asia, New Zealand and Australia to follow). 

The party was completed by a group of three from Holland, unfortunately he had had his bag stolen on the snatched in the street whilst waiting for the pick-up. His daughter Diana now with a friend had been traveling several months in South America (Mexico and Equador) and she was delighted that her father had come over especially to see her.

14 June

Condor Watchers

Left at 6am so as to see the Condors soar as sunlight hit in Colca Canyon, but they didn't appear until 9am by which time we were intended to leave on the return journey to Arequipa. The predictable delay was simply the result of the time it took the sun to reach their roosting spots deep in the near vertical canyon. We had a really good view before leaving at 9.45am. I felt nastily sick for the rest of the day as a result of continually trying to track their flights through the camera viewfinder.

Condor Gotcha

Looking back at Colca Canyon

15 June   Fathers' Day in Arequipa
After a morning spent in the museum opposite Santa Catalina. so we made a return visit to celebrate at the Tradicion Arequipenas  restaurant for lunch.  Spent 4:30 to 8:30pm catching up with diary on Internet before leaving by overnight bus to Ica.

No doubt about it Arequipa made a fine stop, the best south of Lima.  

16 June   ICA
Originally checked in at Hotel las Brisas but the place didn't seem right, dirty and no towels for instance - we came to the opinion its real business was as a sex stop so moved on before paying.

The Hostal Silmar was much better but the morning was very noisy from a game of Arcadian being played enthusiastically next door, not suitable for the sleep we needed! So we wandered into town and saw a woman posting an A5 invitation to a photograph exhibition and decided to have a look.

It turned out to be more like a party than an exhibition.  Met a larger than life Irish-Peruvian who drives a 4 wheel drive truck on expeditions into the desert. More interested in Joan than me! nevertheless we had a fine dinner together in El Otro Penocito, the best restaurant in town, of chicken stuffed with spinach in a sauce of pisco sour, pecan nuts etc. He explained that many Italian descendents live in Ica and they still dominated the local Wine Industry, there were other localities dominated by  French and Spanish immigrants in much the same way. The wine was fine. But he rather lost interest when it was obvious we weren't potential customers!

17 June PISCO and Lagunillas
Very much on the tourist trail for good reason this is generally the first stop for tour parties going south of Lima. Immediately as  bus arrived we were latched onto and taken to Pasada Hispana our first choice was full, but we got a nice room in the nearby La Pasada.  The owner sold us a tour for tomorrow of Islas Ballestas for 30 soles each.

We decided to go to Paracas for the day and discussed it with the hotel owner, he suggested a taxi and recommended a restaurant, but when the taxi arrived he took over from the taxi driver and later handed us over to the restaurant. Not exactly pleased we said adios and left in search of an alternative and found El Delfin? where we ate Ceviche as a starter followed by by fish in batter. The owner was most helpful told us the bus times to get to Lagunillas and without pushing at all suggested we take a car with driver for tour around at the same cost as a place on a group tour. We opted for the bus to Lagunillas at 1 sole each and had a very pleasant walk along a fine beach which we fully recommend. 

18 June Tour of Islas Ballestas
Tour started on time at 7:20 and soon transferred to a powerful 2 engined boat and provided with excellent life jackets. The only  downside was the mist making it distinctly sweater weather. 

Sea Lions at Islas Ballestos

Nevertheless there was much to see in form of Sea Lions, Gannets, 3 types of Cormorants, Terns, Red headed vultures, a small type of Humbolt Penquins (named after current?), Fishing boats and Pelicans near  shore.

Pelicans

Bus in the afternoon to Lagunillas  for a very successful walk along the dunes and mid afternoon the sun came out at last.

Lagunillas

Back in Pisco we booked Pisco to Lima for 9 tomorrow followed by an 8 hour wait (spent at Zoo - good part on Selva) then Lima to Huaraz, both economico. We took waiting taxi predator at zoo gates back to Miraflores who tried to charge 10 USD rather than 10 soles, he like others is on the look out for uniformed tourists.

HUARAZ, CARAZ and LIMA

19 June Huaraz   3091m
Overnight bus from Lima arrived at 5am went to Edwards Inn as recommended by Nicola but could not gain entrance at that hour but an owner across the street offered us a room in his house with use of adjoining bathroom for 25s. It turned out he and his friend were English climbers who regularly spent their holidays climbing from Huaraz. With just two weeks a quick start was vital so Huaraz was an ideal location because a quick cheap taxi ride would take you right above the snow line to the start of the climb at over 4000 metres. This supported the Lonely Planet which called it the most important centre for climbing, trekking, even backpacking, in Peru if not in the whole of South America.

The climbers raved about the high quality of bread available from bakeries, in strict contrast to the rubbish usually served with breakfasts.

HUARAZ -  NO to Unemployment, Violence, Terrorism, Poverty

60% were unemployed, the minimum wage was 410 soles or £75/month. When Fujimoritook over inflation was running at 10,000% he got it down to 20% starting as a democrat but ending as a corrupt dictator. Today's (2003) Democratic PM Alexandra Toledo is in big trouble as first seem in Trujillo.

20 June
Walked to trout farm where we saw them sorting unfertilised eggs from others, fertilised eggs floating in water were further sorted by weight and washed. Ate trout in nearby Jardin restaurant, Joan did better with her fried ones as compared with mine undercooked on a BBQ.

Walked around town to find bearings. Glad to find little hazzle here at last you could look at things in a shop without sales pressure - but unfortunately there was little of interest.

21 June Caraz  2270m
Decided on a hour long rapid mini bus collectivo to Caraz, a much smaller town of immediate interest such that we decided to return straight away to Huaraz to fetch our belonging and return to stay in a nice empty hostal 'Perla de los Andes' with a room over looking the main plaza. Three journeys, three racing drivers dicing with death on a two lane highway overtaking at high speed with panache. The windows of all collectivos windows badly cracked by stones flying from worn roads. Not good for the nerves.

22 June Corpus Christi at Caraz
All the following day was a complete surprise. We were awoken at first light by the quiet arrival of minibuses bringing squads of pupils from local schools. It was soon obvious each group had clear plans to decorate part of the floor of the square in a way similar to that we had seen many years ago done on the same occasion in a small village in the Pyrenees. First they sketched outlines of their designs on the tarmac and proceeded to add the colour, but unlike the earlier example it was not carried out exclusively with flower petals.

School Groups animating designs chalked on paving

Caraz Plaza from our bedroom window

It was a magical scene in the virtual silence of dawn but later in the day it led to a church procession in front of ethnic large crowds.

The Procession starts with designs still very much in evidence

The Locals add to the Church Procession

The last part of the procession demonstrated the locals presence for groups from surrounding villages had walked into town carrying religious symbols of Christ on Sedan chairs marching to music from home made instruments in the form of drums and flutes. They entered separately into the church and paid their respects to the earlier villages Christs before leaving their own. So many parallels with Kullu in NW India in 1996, the year we retired.

Later in the afternoon there was a special service in the church, special perhaps because the congregation were very largely native Peruvian in colourful dress with the women in black, or white, traditional hats. They sat long and patiently on the church steps. 

Awaiting the opening of the church

Church elders, priests and front rows stood out as being of untainted Spanish descent, no natives or even mixed race here but the majority this day were true ethnic Peruvian. 

23 June Laguna Paron
What had attracted us to Caraz was the wonderful mountain scenery and above all the chance to see Laguna Paron backed by snow covered mountains reaching all but 6000 metres. Yesterday was sheer bonus.

Just off the plaza was a stand of perhaps half a dozen taxis so I started to bargain for a trip to the lake but were quickly shown to the start of the queue.  There we were offered 80 soles for spending 2 hours there, we asked for a stay of 5 hours and offered 125 soles which was gratefully accepted. The uphill drive on gradually  narrow roads was itself a delight.

Drive from Caraz to Laguna Paron

But our first view of Lake Paron was as spectacular as they come, though it proved impossible for me to photograph and avoid a dazzle from the sun.

First view of Laguna Paron, on leaving taxi

Mte Pyramide from path around Laguna Paron

We set off around the lake sure abd a couple of hours later had reached the halfway point of lightly wading across the water run off from the Pyramide mountain on pebbles. That mountain is the icon for a hugely popular American film studios, the name of which alludes me now. There appeared to be an equivalent lakeside track on the other side and we almost decided to try our luck on a complete circuit, dissuaded by only the thought of spending the night out in the inevitable cold of night if the sun went down on us. 

Joan nearing far end of Laguna Paron

One small river to cross, to circuit Laguna Paron!

I don't often err on the side of caution but that is exactly what would have occurred for the track was little but a change in colour on the rock. 

Caraz a town with a still as yet under developed tourist structure, few places to eat for example, though one surmised a few start ups were backpackers determined to stay. Nevertheless three nights there plus tomorrows onward journey left us with several memories to rival any on what turned out to be one of our greatest back packing trips.

24 June Yungay and Llanganuco
We traveled east from Caraz firstly to Yungay the scene of the single most destructive earthquake ever in the Andes which took place in May 31 1970. The whole town of 18,000 inhabitants was buried here with a total death toll of 50,000 people. Rock had fallen 3km vertically in travelling 14 km at a rate of 300km/hour. A new town has now been built just off the line of alluvial destruction, the old is marked by a huge white statue and some gravestones.

A further 28 km east brought us to Lagunas Llanganuco thought by the Lonely Planet to be an even better mountain site, possibly because the mountains are even taller at 6768m  possibly because the Yungay/Llanganuco trek which takes a leisurely 5 days is exceedingly popular. I guess we did it by minibus but my notes are zero. 

Pastural Llanganuco

Llanganuco, special hardwood trees

These special hardwood trees are now rare and the vast majority of trees now are Eucalyptus from Australia.

Back to Huaraz for the night, Edwards Inn let us down because they did not hold our advance booking, but then I guess it was unreasonable to expect them to hold the last room.
 
25 June Glacier Pasto Ruri, 5240m
Noted the wonderful silhouette of snowy mountains at sunrise when setting out early for the day's expedition.
Whilst the tour bus was waiting in the centre of Huaraz for its complement of passengers it was invaded by sellers of knitted goods. I still wear my grey knitted hat with the bold insignia of HUARAZ on the front which cost the immense sum of 50p, but no-one has ever stopped me to ask so I guess this is well off the tourist venues.

One of the bonus for locally organised tours is the range of travellers met in this way. Mike from Vancouver was complaining of problems in finding small informal tour groups, they promised a lot but manana always got in the way. Christopher from Holland was had spent a year in university at Rio and thus spoke excellent Spanish.

On route we stopped at this enormous but long dead flower, which towers high above me on this photo.

Me beside this huge dead Raymondi 

The Raymondi is the world's tallest flower, it flowers with 2000 florets after 100 years  of growth and then dies. This was well and truly dead.

Joan avoids crevasses at 5200metres, Glacier Pasto Ruri

A fairly steep breath sapping climb from the bus park, Joan even refused a led horseback taxi-ride for fear of falling off - so even then falling on her first artificial knee was a cause of concern. Now (2015) it has been replaced with a huge prosthesis due to femur bone decay plus the other so far satisfactory 10+ year replacement.


26 June     Overnight in Chavin de Huantar
With one photos and no notes it is difficult to recall this trip to the ruins one of the oldest cultures (Chavin) in Peru. Suffice to say it was not the happiest of trip being very slow climbing at high altitude over to the east of the Andes, a distance of 110km. Perhaps by this time we had seen enough of ruins though I do remember the huge naturally vented underground tunnels. 

Ruins at Chavin de Huantar

The entertainment wasn't that great either and as for the dinner I ended up next day back in Huaraz with the first diarrhea of the trip, almost always avoided everywhere and anywhere, by the simple expedients of eating freshly cooked meals and avoiding tours and hot buffet meals like the plague.

Luckily a group of French Canadians entertained us on the long return journey with quiet tuneful singing.

27 June Huaraz again
Notes record only the pain and discomfort of diarrhea, eating of snacks and shopping and an overnight bus trip to Lima. What a way to finish a great holiday! 

28 June Lima and Pena with Lissette.
We checked into the Hostal Buena Vista as recommended by Lissette way back in Trujillo. An ancient house built of adobe brick run by young owner Pablo who also delighted in an impressive front garden.  It was a superb choice a well appointed well run hotel in Miraflores with a clientel including many members of parliament and important visitors. The Vice president of Washington state was there with a party of Peruvian politicianswa

Not far away was a small shopping centre with specialist shops concentrated on Peruvian products, fine woolen materials and clothes, simple designs in striking black and white pottery famously made in Chulucanas near Piura close to the border with Equador. 

As promised we contacted Lissette by phone and although her parents were currently staying in Lima she suggested picking us up that evening and going all together to an evening of Pena De Rimpa y Raja in the district of Barranco. A huge hall with some similarity to a good working man's club. Every one sitting at long bench tables buying and sharing beer by the jugful and canteen food to order. 

A succession of wonderful loud swinging Latin bands with singers, a dance floor fronted by professional dancers - but the audience as a whole were no slouchers with hips swaying in a Latin style which Lissette was warned against in London as being far too sexy. I had to get her on the floor and try It was 01:30 before we all left and took our separate taxis.