2009.11.06 – Bus from Lima, Peru to Huaraz, Peru
Days like this are what separate travelers from tourists. We got to Lima at some point in the afternoon and took a cab to Miraflores to walk around until we had another bus that night bound for Huaraz, Peru. We walked along the ridge that overlooks the ocean which is a great part of town, it’s actually one of the nicest parts of any Latin American city that I have been to. There is a skate park in Miraflores so we went over there, I borrowed a board and took some laps in the bowl and talked to the locals. It was fun. Randomly I ran into a Chilean girl who was staying in my hostel in Providencia, Chile. She was a pro mountain biker and had a competition in Peru. We saw each other on the streets and I had to double take. I said hi and we hugged.
We ate at this really good Lebanese restaurant and then caught a cab back to the bus station for our overnight bus to Huaraz. I slept decent on the ride to Huaraz but of course the bus got in at 6:00 AM. Huaraz was a nice small town set in the heart of the amazing Peruvian Andes. Even though it was early, it was pretty easy to find a place to stay there. This guy took us around town when we got off the bus and showed us a decent hostel that was owned by this nice family.
2009.11.07 – Huaraz, Peru
Finally a reprieve from bus travel and a bed. Our hostel was good, it was more of just a small hotel owned by a family who lived downstairs but they were very nice and hospitable towards us. When we got into town we took a nap, went out to these nasty hot springs and setup our tour to see the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca for the next day.
It was Saturday night so S. and I went out drinking as any self-respecting single, traveling, 30 year olds should do. We ended up at a pretty good bar in town, owned by the brother of the family that we were staying at. It was a good time, I was struggling to dance salsa with the daughter from our hotel and S. was getting groped by the owner of the bar. It was probably our best night out of our travels together.
2009.11.08 – Bus from Huaraz, Peru to Huanchaco, Peru
We did the day tour of the Cordillera Blanca which was amazing. I love those mountains, they are some of the best I have ever seen. Pure white, glaciated, jagged Andes mountains set against green valleys and emerald blue lakes. I couldn’t ask for anything more. That is my favorite type of scenery. We heard the incredible story about the 1970 Peruvian earthquake that caused Mount Huascarán to avalanche and wipe out an entire town. The earthquake killed 100,000 people and devastated the country. I was blown away hearing that story and looking at the mountain that caused the avalanche. After we got back in town from the tour, we hopped another bus to Trujillo in order to see some more damn ruins.