(Dec 10, 2012)
We arrived in the city of Huaraz early in the morning after another long 19 hour bus stretch from Huancayo and were warmly welcomed into our hidden-gem-of-a-hostel, El Tambo. We had heard all about the myriad of hiking tours available in the area around the Cordillera Blanco mountain range that towers over Huaraz city and continues North and South for miles. We learned that the jagged mountain peaks and gleaming glacier caps of the Cordillera Blanco maintain their alpine climate and critical water reserves due to the protective barrier of the Cordillera Negra, which stands between the snow capped Cordillera Blanco and the warm winds blowing inwards from the Pacific coast.
On our third day in Huaraz, after a day and a half of rest and planning, we set off early in the morning to hike through the Huascaran National Park, which encompasses the Cordillera Blanco region, to the beautiful turquoise waters of Laguna 69. As usual, we had opted to do the hike sans-tour and by the time we reached the start point of the hike (after 3 hours on local buses), we had a no-tour hiking team seven men and women strong! We all blazed off together but split into smaller groups as hiking speeds became apparent - Peter and our new Australian friend, Simon, took the lead, making it to the top in an impressive 2.5 hours, I followed behind at a respectable 2.7 hours, and our other hiking companions and those from an organized tour swooped in at a tired but triumphant 3 hours for a steep 16km slog through blizzard-like conditions. At the top we huddled together as the wind and sleet pelted us and the clouds descended. However, even throughout these conditions the lake still pierced through the haze with a vibrant turquoise colour that seemed to epitomize cold. Needless to say, none of us went for a dip.
That evening, Peter and I went out to a local fine dining restaurant to enjoy his (belated) birthday dinner and then headed back to the hostel with our delicious Huaraz churros in-hand. If anyone makes it to Huaraz, you must find the churro man - his piping hot churros filled with molten syrup and dusted with sugar will knock you over, all for only 20 cents!
The following morning Peter was busy preparing his laptop to sell to one of our new friends before they headed to Lima. After a heaping $2 ceviche platter for lunch (Peter had an excellent steak), we ventured into the outer suburbs to the tasting room of a new microbrewery in town, Sierra Andina. When we arrived we were the only ones there and had a great time chatting with the tap room manager about beer making in Peru. After trying each of their four beer on tap, we settled in for an evening of delicious reminds-me-of-home beer, popcorn and darts. We said goodbye to our new friend, packed up our gifted Sierra Andina glasses, and headed into town to try out the other microbrewery, 13 Buhos. They didn't have a tasting system set up so we each just ordered a beer and picked on a complimentary antipasto plate offered to us by the owner. I tried the coca red amber ale, which had an interesting grassy-flavour (just like coca leaves) that did not overpower. A great way to end a night of beer tasting in the Peruvian highlands!
On Sunday we hopped on a day tour out to the Pastururi Glacier, passing by an alpine lake covered in mosses in a rainbow of earthy tones, another lake that bubbled up to produce naturally carbonated mineral water (which tasted like pennies and probably shouldn't ever be marketed), and the strangest looking plant we have ever seen (see photos). The Pastururi Glacier required a quick 30 minute jaunt through yet another blizzard but by the time Peter and I arrived at the top and gazed and the magnificent mass of ice the clouds had begun to clear to showcase the blinding visage of the glacier and light turquoise shadings that emanated from deep within. I stayed up top, mesmerized by the sheer presence of the glacier, until the other hikers finally reached the top and the guide beckoned for us to climb down. It was amazing to see that, despite being the presence of such immense natural beauty, I watched Peruvian tourists tossing candy wrappers and water bottles onto the ice. There just isn't the same widespread knowledge in this part of the world of the environmental and aesthetic harms of littering, as has been entrenched in our minds at a young age. I grabbed whatever garbage I could find and toted it a few meters down the mountain to the trash bin (granted, there was no where near as much garbage strewn at the site as we have seen in many of the urban centres we visit). Meanwhile, Peter was sitting towards the base of the path, jovially offering cookies to exhausted by passers and inviting them to sit and rest a while. This continued until one hungry by passer accepted his offer by taking the whole bag of cookies - it was a good reminder of the virtue of giving freely and without expectations and limitations! I guess his presentation of the bag for selection was misconstrued!
With my amazing and wonderful and death-defying glacier hike (Everest-style) postponed, we took a day to relax. Tomorrow I'll don a pair of crampons, boots, heavy jacket, snow pants and a pick axe to climb the Vallanaraju peak for a night of camping and morning of ice scaling. Peter, looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet (hey!), will stay below in preparation for my exhausted return. What a great guy!
We arrived in the city of Huaraz early in the morning after another long 19 hour bus stretch from Huancayo and were warmly welcomed into our hidden-gem-of-a-hostel, El Tambo. We had heard all about the myriad of hiking tours available in the area around the Cordillera Blanco mountain range that towers over Huaraz city and continues North and South for miles. We learned that the jagged mountain peaks and gleaming glacier caps of the Cordillera Blanco maintain their alpine climate and critical water reserves due to the protective barrier of the Cordillera Negra, which stands between the snow capped Cordillera Blanco and the warm winds blowing inwards from the Pacific coast.
On our third day in Huaraz, after a day and a half of rest and planning, we set off early in the morning to hike through the Huascaran National Park, which encompasses the Cordillera Blanco region, to the beautiful turquoise waters of Laguna 69. As usual, we had opted to do the hike sans-tour and by the time we reached the start point of the hike (after 3 hours on local buses), we had a no-tour hiking team seven men and women strong! We all blazed off together but split into smaller groups as hiking speeds became apparent - Peter and our new Australian friend, Simon, took the lead, making it to the top in an impressive 2.5 hours, I followed behind at a respectable 2.7 hours, and our other hiking companions and those from an organized tour swooped in at a tired but triumphant 3 hours for a steep 16km slog through blizzard-like conditions. At the top we huddled together as the wind and sleet pelted us and the clouds descended. However, even throughout these conditions the lake still pierced through the haze with a vibrant turquoise colour that seemed to epitomize cold. Needless to say, none of us went for a dip.
That evening, Peter and I went out to a local fine dining restaurant to enjoy his (belated) birthday dinner and then headed back to the hostel with our delicious Huaraz churros in-hand. If anyone makes it to Huaraz, you must find the churro man - his piping hot churros filled with molten syrup and dusted with sugar will knock you over, all for only 20 cents!
The following morning Peter was busy preparing his laptop to sell to one of our new friends before they headed to Lima. After a heaping $2 ceviche platter for lunch (Peter had an excellent steak), we ventured into the outer suburbs to the tasting room of a new microbrewery in town, Sierra Andina. When we arrived we were the only ones there and had a great time chatting with the tap room manager about beer making in Peru. After trying each of their four beer on tap, we settled in for an evening of delicious reminds-me-of-home beer, popcorn and darts. We said goodbye to our new friend, packed up our gifted Sierra Andina glasses, and headed into town to try out the other microbrewery, 13 Buhos. They didn't have a tasting system set up so we each just ordered a beer and picked on a complimentary antipasto plate offered to us by the owner. I tried the coca red amber ale, which had an interesting grassy-flavour (just like coca leaves) that did not overpower. A great way to end a night of beer tasting in the Peruvian highlands!
On Sunday we hopped on a day tour out to the Pastururi Glacier, passing by an alpine lake covered in mosses in a rainbow of earthy tones, another lake that bubbled up to produce naturally carbonated mineral water (which tasted like pennies and probably shouldn't ever be marketed), and the strangest looking plant we have ever seen (see photos). The Pastururi Glacier required a quick 30 minute jaunt through yet another blizzard but by the time Peter and I arrived at the top and gazed and the magnificent mass of ice the clouds had begun to clear to showcase the blinding visage of the glacier and light turquoise shadings that emanated from deep within. I stayed up top, mesmerized by the sheer presence of the glacier, until the other hikers finally reached the top and the guide beckoned for us to climb down. It was amazing to see that, despite being the presence of such immense natural beauty, I watched Peruvian tourists tossing candy wrappers and water bottles onto the ice. There just isn't the same widespread knowledge in this part of the world of the environmental and aesthetic harms of littering, as has been entrenched in our minds at a young age. I grabbed whatever garbage I could find and toted it a few meters down the mountain to the trash bin (granted, there was no where near as much garbage strewn at the site as we have seen in many of the urban centres we visit). Meanwhile, Peter was sitting towards the base of the path, jovially offering cookies to exhausted by passers and inviting them to sit and rest a while. This continued until one hungry by passer accepted his offer by taking the whole bag of cookies - it was a good reminder of the virtue of giving freely and without expectations and limitations! I guess his presentation of the bag for selection was misconstrued!
With my amazing and wonderful and death-defying glacier hike (Everest-style) postponed, we took a day to relax. Tomorrow I'll don a pair of crampons, boots, heavy jacket, snow pants and a pick axe to climb the Vallanaraju peak for a night of camping and morning of ice scaling. Peter, looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet (hey!), will stay below in preparation for my exhausted return. What a great guy!
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