Hi All,

Already 5 weeks on the road and it keeps on getting better.Instead of spending a few relaxed days on the northern coast of Peru as our program mentioned, we decided to speed down to Huaraz and explore the Cordillera Blanca further south. This meant we had to travel 24 hours by bus in 2 days. The other 24 hours we spent visiting Trujillo and the nice coastal town of Huanchaco where we had a day of blurry sightseeing due to the lack of sleep.

Huaraz turned out to be well worth the journey! The mountains and the scenery are stunning and there are lots of nice restaurants, shops, bars and cafés. A trip to Huaraz without a hike is missing the point said the guide, so of course we inquired about the hiking possibilities. A small tour agency called Monttrek told/sold us that the best views are always on top of the mountains. This sounded pretty logical, so we decided to take up the challenge and climb the Vallunaraju at 5.686m!

The following morning the taxi drove us up to 4.100m where we started our hike to the base camp at 4.800m (= top of the Mont Blanc). The hike was pretty steep and this combined with the altitude made my lungs gasp for oxygen and my heart pound out of my body. We arrived at the base camp at 3 p.m. and started to put our tents. Lucky enough our tents were up before the hailstorm and lightning started but as we were exhausted from the climb, we just fell asleep. A couple of hours later we woke up in a beautiful snowy setting with great skies. Unfortunately for me it was accompanied by a big headache and a bad feeling in my stomach. I drank a lot of 'mate de coca' (coca leaf tea that helps against altitude sickness … they say), but I still turned greener and greener. The night was loooong, also because coca's side effect is insomnia.The next morning the blue skies were a nice distraction, but all I really wanted was to go down. This was a shame for Sylvie as the climb to the summit really looked exciting. For me fortunately every step down was making me feel better, so at 2 p.m. in Huaraz I already felt as healthy as a pollo again.

After Huaraz, Lima (definitely not the most beautiful capital in the world) offered us a nice culinary experience. So after a nice diner we left for Cusco the next day. Up to now Cusco is the nicest city we have visited. It has a fascinating combination of Inca and colonial architecture and is a very lively and welcoming city. After 2 nice days visiting, we were picked up at 5.30 in the morning for a 4 day hike on the Inca trail. 4 days of deprivation of modern communication, transportation and sanitation is already a challenge, but you also have to hike more than 12 km a day (ranging from 2.600m to 4.200m). But what an excellent adventure! We had a nice small group. Three funny French girls, a Canadian movie expert (specialized in documentaries and foreign movies), a German Storyteller (who got kidnapped in Arequipa + likewise stories) and an Indian American who wasn't fit (though he would certainly deny this). We had 16 porters running up and down the mountains with 20kg on their backs and slippers on their feet, an excellent cook and a knowledgeable guide. The last day, when we finally arrived at Machu Picchu, it was covered in clouds as it should be, they say, to give it a more mystical look and feel. The lost city of the Incas is truly an amazing place with a great history.

Back to civilization we had another relaxed Cusco day and a 'goodbye dinner' where we tasted the local specialties,Alpaca (very nice) and Guinea Pig (not bad, but make sure it doesn't stare at you while you're eating it). Now we are in the train heading for the Lake Titicaca and they just start serving the Pisco Sour, so …

Until the next blog from Bolivia!

Harald and Sylvie