Week 3: Huaraz Highs and Hardships

As another week comes to an end in Peru, I find myself yet again completely in awe of this country. I continue to fall a little more in love with its beauty, culture, and people every day. My adventure of week three was a weekend bus trip to Huaraz in the Andes Mountains, and it was, hands down, my best experience yet.

Our travels began on Wednesday night with our bus leaving for the 8 hour bus trip to Huaraz at 10 PM. I knew from the start that this was going to be a rough evening for me because I tend to lean towards the insomniac side and any night not spent in a familiar bed is a struggle, let alone a bus seat. Add a screaming toddler for 6 out of the 8 hour trip and I basically pulled an all-nighter, which hasn't been enjoyable since like 8th grade. Thankfully, we didn't have anything planned for Thursday so that we could get acclimated to the elevation, so I spent the morning catching up on sleep. We then ate lunch at a small restaurant where we got our entree, soup, and beverage for 5 soles, or roughly $1.50. Peru prices on food are awesome. The rest of the day we shopped downtown, explored the city, and most importantly, found our first llamas (a photoshoot ensued). (I would also like to point out to my Dad the word "ensued" that I just used correctly in a sentence. During Christmas break we were playing Scrabble and he tried telling me "ensued" wasn't a word after I played it. Embarrassing, really).

How cool is this animal?!

The next day was our first of a three day package we purchased, meaning every morning a tour bus would pick us up and take us to our tour of the day. The best part was we never actually knew where we were going until we were en route that day, so that made it even more interesting. The first day we went to the Pastouri Glacier in the Huascaran National Park, about 3 hours outside of Huaraz. Here is where we get into the highs and the hardships, as the title of this blog suggests. Hardship: I did not pack any warm clothes. We ended up hiking through a blizzard. Bless the woman's heart who rented me a jacket at the bottom of the glacier for 5 soles because I honestly wouldn't have made it. High: I got to ride a horse up part of the mountain to the glacier which helped with my coldness immensely and reminded me I should've been a cowboy. :) All in all, the glacier was completely worth the cold, snow, sleet, etc. and it was a great start to our trip. How many countries can you visit a glacier and beach all in the same week?

                 

Day two was easily the most challenging and rewarding day of all. Our bus left at 5:30 AM to head up to the Laguna 69 hike to see a hidden gem of a lake in the Andes. Hardship: Going into the hike, I don't think any of us had a clue just how difficult it would be. I'm SO proud of everyone because we all made it up the mountain after about 3 and a half hours and the view was phenomenal. That same day a group of 30 attempted the hike and only about half of them made it, so it really is an accomplishment. High: Words cannot describe how beautiful the hike and lake at the end were. I know, because I've tried to do so in two languages and neither does it justice. I'll let my photos do the talking. After the hike, I don't know if I've ever been so tired in my life and was in bed by 9:30 PM with no regrets.

We did it! Now throw your Lopes.

After our hike Saturday, we were all still feeling a little drained the next day, so thankfully our third day was a laid back trip to Chavin de Huantar to the pre-Incan ruins. High: It was a neat area with a lot of history and the perfect way to end our trip. Hardship: By the time we got back to Huaraz that night, we had a little less than two hours to pack all of our stuff and get on our bus back to Lima. We made it in time for our overnight trip and although I didn't sleep much on the way home, it was an amazing weekend filled with memories and experiences I'll never forget. Sending much love to everyone back home and good luck with the blizzard this week! I will be here in Peru tending to yet another sunburn, pondering why I never learn my lesson, and preparing for my week at the beach. :) God bless and happy February!