Huaraz lies at more than 3000m above sea level and we came there after a long bus ride.

We started from Guayaquil where there is a huge bus terminal combined with shopping centre. And from there we took a night bus across the border into Peru and Piura where we just changed buses and kept going to Piura were we stayed one night and the next night we took another night bus to take us all the way to Huaraz.
The first day we just spent sleeping and letting our bodies catch up a little bit. I was also feeling a little bit sick so it was good not to move around a lot. Also the altitude makes you really weak as well.

But the next day I was feeling a lot better so off we went to visit a glacier and with some help of mate de coca we were able to handle the height.
Pastoruri is located in the Cordillera Blanca at about 5000m above sea level. On the drive in we stopped at a natural spring that had carbonated water coming out and then we also stopped at another mineral spring but unfortunately we couldn’t really see the colors since there was an overcast sky.
And then finally we came to Pastoruri the bus dropped us of at the base of a trail that lead up to the glacier and we used the opportunity to ride up on horses it was about 1.5 dollars for the ride up and I think it was a really good idea since the height made it hard just to walk up some steps.
When the horses had dropped us of we still had a bit to go that we had to walk up and it was really weird to be walking close to the cloud base. Every now and then one of the clouds sunk a little bit and it got very foggy.
Then finally we made it all the way up to the glacier and it is not the biggest in the world nor the highest but it was still cool and I can only imagine what it must look like with a clear sky.

We stayed there a little while got to play with the snow and then we walked all the way back down again!
Then on the drive out the sky cleared up a little bit and we could see some of the high peaks and the valleys and it was a beautiful scenery. Although Steffi missed a lot of it since she was sleeping her way through it. On the way back to Huaraz the bus also stopped to get some lunch and after an extremely overpriced meal Steffi found a little sheep baby that she got to hold.

That was all we did that day and the next we went walking around town and since it was almost a clear sky we were able to get some good pictures of the mountains and the city.
Also Steffi stole a picture of a lady who had dressed up her lama and was walking around the main square with it.

Thank god for our good zoom =)
We also bought the tickets for the bus and that night we left for Lima and some couchsurfers who were waiting for us there.

Chris

written by  Steffi & Chris on January 17, 2010 from Huaraz, Peru
from the travel blog: 212 days
Send a Compliment

---

Hola, que tal?

5000 m.ö.h!!! Inte konstigt att ni blev lite snurriga =)
Vi har åkt skridskor, inte riktigt på samma nivå som era snölekar i Bergen men...man tar det man har =)

Hoppas du hade det guld på födelsedagen! Sara skriker hej!

/Jonte och Sara

written by  Jonte on January 28, 2010

comment on this...