PERU

We spent just over three weeks in Peru after leaving Lima.  Broadly this was split between Cordillera Blanca, Cusco area and Lake Titicaca.  Our accounts.........

CORDILLERA BLANCA

This is one of the top trekking / outdoor locations in the Andes so we thought that it warranted a visit.  We caught a bus from Lima to Huaraz which is about 8 hours north east of Lima.  Fairly average bus but we managed to keep the theives at bay this time!

Huaraz is in a beautiful setting between the mountains of the Cord Blanca and the Cord Huayahash (sp...) to the south.  After a bit of homework we decided on doing another "unsupported" trek (i.e. you carry everything you need to survive in the wild for the duration of the trek).  Called the Santa Cruz trek, it is one of the more popular medium length treks in the area.  About 50 to 60km long with about 2,000m climbing, all at between 3,000m and 4,700m alt.  We spent another day and night in Huaraz acclimatising and stocking up on (too many!) essentials. 

Night before the trek we noticed a note on a noticeboard in a cafe saying that 2 people were planning the same trek on the same day and invited others to join them.  We caught up with them later that night and there we met Guy & Michel from Israel who were already talking with another interested couple, Ben & Bernadette from France.  So the 6 of us agreed to go it together and meet next morning for an early bus to the start.

At 5.45a.m. as agreed we 6 met and negotiated a favourable rate with a local chap to take us plus clobber to the trek without stopping every 5 minutes to pick up hoards of locals on every corner!  His word was good and we arrived at the access town on time.  There we breakfasted and got on the next scruffy Toyota Hiace to get us to the real start of the trek.  There we tripped over Moses & Kate from Chester, UK.  "Don't I know you" asks Moses of me.  My incorrect negative response is forgivable as he had recently had a fairly brutal haircut!  Indeed, all 4 of us had met about 2 months earlier near Milford Sound in New Zealand in a campground kitchen while preparing dinner!

So, our trek team of 6 swelled to 8.  After paying National Park entrance fees our French & Israeli friends tried to negotiate prices for donkeys to carry their kit but, credit to the, they refused to pay the recently inflated prices and we all agreed that we would go unsupported.  First day of trek was mostly uphill rising into mountains through a gorge, so views limited.  Hot sunny day so much water consumed.  M & I soon realised that we were carrying too much in the way of food and water as our packs were much heavier that our more sensible packing friends.  So we suffered.

Camp that night was in the middle of nowhere next to a lake in the valley bottom with towering mountaions above us.  Hot dinner plus team log fire which was great, mostly thanks to Mo & Ben.  We had the foresight to bring some wine which was greatlñy appreaciated by the team as the sun disappeared and temperatures plummeted.

Next morning we started early so we could attempt a side trip to the foot of a mountain described by the German Alpine Club as "The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World".  Mo & Kate took a head start as the super'strong team.  We, and Team France followed behind, as did Guy & Michel who stayed at an earlier campsite the night before as they were concerned re evening rain.  After a coupole of hours of almost flat walking up the wide valley we reached a junction in the path.  Left was a zig'zag trak leading up what looked like a 45 degree slope.  Now, when you are carrying unnecessarily large packs and you are at about 4,000m altitude, this is not welcomed as an "Optional Extra" on top of the main route.  However, we took it.

After about 45 minutes of climbing (and walking past a dead horse, a sign that we were indeed on a tough track) we found Mo & Kate contemplating by the side of the track. They had climbed a bit further only to find that the viewpoint we were after was a good deal higher, and in the clouds.  So, the team collectively agreed to go no higher and cut cross'country instead to our planned camping location for night 2.

Campplocation on night 2 was in an even better location with towering mountains around us on 3 sides and views down the valley we had climbed up infront of us.  I call itr a camplocation not campsite as you can camp anywhere in the national park, as indeed we did.  After setting up tents, those of us with too much energy left (Mo, Kate, Ben & I) took another side trek up to look at some glaciers which were perched in a bowel above us.  In huge mountains it is often the case that something that looks close and not very high, is in fact VERY FAR AWAY AND HEAPS OF METRES ABOVE YOU!!!  This was indeed the case.  Worth the effort though.  Best views of the day of the mountains and in particular ·The World's Most Beautriful Mountain".  WE got close to the glaciers and visited a bright blue glacial lake at about 4,500m alt.  Stunning.

On our return to the others at the camp we collected firewood and had a good team gettogether round the fire until well after dark.  More wine provided by team M&J to appreciative more sensible trekkers who had only brought the essentials!

It felt like a cold night and indeed when we rose for another early start the next day, there was ice on the tents.  We were probably at about 4,000 or 4,000m alt.  Day 3 started with an almost immediate 600 metre ascent to the Paso (Pass) at 4,650m alt.  It seemed to take forever and was taken at one step at a time.  The 8 of us rendezvoused (sp...) at the top to enjoy poanoramoc views of Cord Blanca in beautiful sunlight.  After a hour of backslapping etc. we started down the other side.  We soon found a lake which in the hot sunshine proved too tempting for Ben & I so we swam (well, splashed and tried to wash off two days of clammyness). At over 4,000m alt. it was cold to say the least and our thundering round splashing managed to stir up enough silt to cover us in brown slime!  However, this was soon dispersed with and we both felt human again.  After a brief lunch there we moved on again.

3 or so more hours of walking brought us to Night 3 base.  This was in a much lower valley which was inhabited & farmed so did not feel as adventurous or as exciting as previous nights.  Again, we had a statutory campfire, which could probably have been seen from space, but it was GOOD.  More camp food that night and tall tales round the fire but sadly our wine had run out.

Next day, can you guess........early start.  This was so that we could catch transport back to Huaraz and not be stranded in a one'horse town.  Walk was relatively short this day and consisted of walking down the vallay and then taking a sharp right turn up the side of an adjacent valley for the final climb of the trek.  We lost touch with Guy & Michel en'route and later saw them taking a different turn far below in the valley.  After much shouting and whistling we failed to get their attention and wondered if we'd ever see them again.  Team France decided to have a well deserved lie'in so we agreed to hold the bus for the.

Eventually Mo, Kate M & I arrived at the one'horse town which seconded as a bus stop, only to find Guy and Michel.  The sneaky two had found a shortcut despite starting the climb behind us, clever hey.  The "town" consisted of three half built houses, one of which was a scruffy shop, and a dirt road.  We negotiated with a local chap to get a van to take us to Huaraz and were assured that it would be along soon.  After 2 and a half hours waiting the bus arrived but Team France had not.  Oh what to do!!  The driver then told us that he had been asked by a French couple down the road for a lift but he hadrefused them as he had tro pick up another bunch of Europeans (i.e. us!!).  So, with much mirth we boared the scruffy bus and asked the driver to u'turn and go back to get our French friends.  Once reunited us team of 8 (plus three other trekkers we found) set off.

The road was staggering.  It rose up over  a pass which must have been around 5,000m.  View at top was too good tomiss so a photostop was requested, and granted.  Later on in the drive we dropped steadily until we arrived at the gate to leave the National Park, and then the "corruption started"!!!!  Officially each tourist should pay around 20 US Dollars to the Officials upon leaving the park.  However, we discovered that the bus / taxi drivers had a good scam. 

They persuade or bribe the gatekeeper not to charge us.  Then, when the driver gets to the end of your journey he demands around 15 US Dollars off each of you as "he has done you a good favour hey".  Us upstanding European citizens were rightly disgusted at this and demanded to be taken to a Park official to pay properly or back to the main Park exit gate (about an hour behind us).  We were not going to line the pockets of this character & his friends at the expense of the beautiful National Park which deserved and needed our money to keep it in good shape.  The more we argued the more of Mr bus drivers friends turned up to provide him support, and muscle.  Problem was, Mr Bus had our backpacks and was effectively holding them to ransom.  In the end, after much arguing and dusgusted looks, we agreed to pay about 50 pence each, and even that left a bad taste in our mouths.  Nasty business.

We got back to Huaraz on final leg of journay by cramming into local minibuses and all met up for team dinner at restaurant later, & cold beer!!!   Great to say farewell to Team properly.  Guy & Michel were off to Israel the next week, Kate & Mo to Argentina & Patagonia and Ben & Bernadette to Cusco, but a week behind us.

Nightbus back to Lima that night for M & I was very civilised, a bit like Business Clas in a plane, reclinning wide leather seats etc.  Painless journey.  Early  that same morning we flew to Cusco.