Peru Part I

Piura
We were up before the sun had risen and were off to Peru. We only had gotten 10kms or so when we noticed that the temperature gage was above its normal position, we pushed on for another five minutes and then had to pull over for fear of overheating the engine. We checked the coolant level, and looked for leaks but everything appeared to be normal. Stumped and not sure what to do we sat on the side of the road for twenty minutes and then tried again, we headed in the direction of Loja where we could find mechanics and some help. We drove slowly and stared at the temperature gauge all the way to the border, but thankfully the gauge remained where it should be. The road from Loja to the border was a nightmare, full of pot holes, rocks, farm animals and lots of windy passes, not to mention a thick milky fog that limited our vision to a few metres. We finally reached the super mellow border crossing at Macara and after an hour or so we were in Peru. Just before leaving the customs office on the Peruvian side our customs officer came out to ask us a favour, he needed a ride back to Piura and the bus didn’t come for another few hours, so he hopped in the back and we gave him a ride. We were a bit overwhelmed and shocked at the drastic change from Ecuador to Peru, the landscape changed immediately from lush tropical forests to dry barren desert. The extreme poverty level also made us feel a bit uneasy, these people have literally nothing, living in small shacks made of wicker and bamboo in the middle of the most inhospitable dessert. We still have no idea how they eat or get water. Once again we were reminded how lucky we are in life. Once we arrived in Piura we found ourselves a cheap hostel with air conditioning where we relaxed and cooled off while watching some Latin T.V. Besides the proximity to a casino and the prostitutes near the entrance it wasn’t a bad place. At this point Pete was way over due for a hair cut so we made use of a pair of clippers that a fellow backpacker had given us and gave Pete his first buzz cut....WOAH!! Then we went into town to enjoy a meal and watch a parade in the streets.

Huanchaco and Barranca
Since Piura was kind of a hole we were happy to leave and head to the beach town of Huanchaco. It was a long and hot drive through more desert which kept getting drier and more desolate the further south we went. In Huanchaco we found a hotel which offered poolside camping so we didn’t hesitate to stay there. Since it was Samana Santa (Easter weekend) the beach was packed with Peruvian tourists and it was a blast people watching. While cruising the beach we were called over to join some Peruvians who were drinking and dancing to some live music on the beach, “bienvenidos a Peru.” They grabbed our hands and started swinging us around. They really got a kick out of Karen shaking her gringo hips, hehehe. Huanchaco isn’t the most attractive beach resort but it was a nice place to relax for a couple of days after two hard, hot days of driving. From Huanchaco we made our way to Huaraz with a stopover in Barranca, another beach town with far less appeal.

Huaraz
So far on this trip we’ve driven numerous mountain passes and been up to high elevations but none compared to the drive up to Huaraz. From sea level we drove up to over 4000 metres in about 100kms. Up and up we went, snaking our way through hundreds of switchbacks until we finally reached the summit and caught our first views of the Cordillera Huayhuash .These beautiful snow capped mountains reach heights of over 6000 metres and were worth a stop to take in the view and snap a few photos. When we got out of van we realized that we lost a hubcap on the rough pot holed road. After backtracking for a few minutes we found it balancing on top of a rock waiting for us to retrieve it. The rest of the road down to Huaraz was in very poor shape with so many potholes that it was impossible to dodge them all and as it turned out we lost another hubcap on the way. Huaraz is an ugly city in an amazing setting with the Cordillera Blanca to the east and the Cordillera Negra to the west. Pre 1970’s Huaraz had some colonial charm but there was an earthquake which caused a huge piece of a glacier to fall into an alpine lake which spilled over its banks causing an enormous land slide that wiped out the city. We spent a couple of nights in the city preparing to head out on the famous Santa Cruz trek. The night before we went trekking there was a heavy hail storm which flooded the streets and left piles of hail all over the city. We were a little worried about what we were getting ourselves into because it was still the rainy season and it is known to rain heavily every afternoon.

Laguna 69 and the Santa Cruz Trek
Instead of just doing the Santa Cruz trek we decided to combine it with the Laguna 69 hike. We caught a colectivo to Yungay and then a beat up taxi up into the park and to the trail head of Laguna 69. Here we stashed all of our overnight gear in the bushes and then hiked up to the lake. We’ve both seen many glacial lakes but this one was gorgeous, surrounded by 6000m peaks with a large waterfall plummeting into it, breathtaking! When we got back to the campsite we found our stuff in the bushes, set up camp and cooked up some dinner before going to bed. The next morning we packed up and waited on the side of the road for a colectivo or bus to pass. Fortunately a 4x4 drove by and picked us up, agreeing to drive us to Vaqueria for the same price as the bus. The rough, dirt road steadily climbed up to a 4700m pass through switchbacks, switchbacks and more switchbacks, looking down from the top the road looked like plate of spaghetti. Just as we crested the summit of the pass the truck ran out of gas... oh well we though, it’s all downhill from here. We coasted for a while before running into an empty petrol truck which had just dumped its load and was returning to Huaraz. Our driver stopped the tanker and managed to get the drags of the diesel from its empty tanks. Luckily it was just enough to get the pickup running again and get us to Vaqueria. Here we talked to some other hikers who had just finished the trek from the other direction, and they pointed us in the right direction. We hiked for a couple of hours until we arrived at a campsite where we set up camp by the river. We weren’t exactly sure where we were on the homemade map we had, but we were hoping that we were at the right campsite. After a relaxing lunch and time to dry everything out in the sun a group hiked by and Pete found out that we were actually an hour and a half shy of the campsite we intended to be at. With only a couple of hours of daylight left we decided to tear down camp and make our way further up the trail. At the next camp we spent the night with a couple of other tour groups, and ran into our friend Sara who we had befriended in Vilcabamba. Day three, our biggest day. We left camp and made our way up to the top of the pass. The trail was very rocky and muddy, which made travel slow and difficult. Even though we had heavy packs we were still quicker than most of the other tourists who had mules carrying all of their gear. The hike was gorgeous and it just kept getting better the higher we got. Fortunately the weather was nothing but blue sky with no rain clouds to be seen. When we finally reached the top of the pass at 4750 metres we took a long break and enjoyed the breathtaking views. You could count at least 15 peaks most of them over 6000 metres. It was like nothing we’d ever seen before, absolutely amazing. After relaxing and soaking up the sun we made our way down to camp number four. From here we had views of Alpamayo, a classic mountain here in the Cordillera Blanco, amongst other jagged snow capped peaks. Day four: the hike continued downhill past a couple of lakes until we reached a marsh. From here you had two options, either the longer dryer route around the marsh or straight through. We opted for taking our boots off and cutting straight through the marsh. After a total of six hours on the trail we arrived at the final campsite, which sat at the base of a huge waterfall and next to raging river. The end of the trail was less than two hours away but we were tired and decided to spend the night. It didn’t take long to realize that the black flies here were unbearable. Karen discovered this while relieving herself in the bushes, at first she thought she had sat on a cactus but then realized that her bare ass was covered in blood thirsty black flies. We spent the rest of the day hiding in the tent until they died off at dusk. Day Five: The final day. Only an hour and a half of hiking and we were done. We grabbed a colectivo and made our way back to Huaraz where we satisfied our hunger with a $ 1.50 lunch menu. What an awesome 5 days in the mountains!!!

The Way Inn
After another night in Huaraz we headed up the hill to check out The Way Inn lodge. This beautiful stone lodge sits at 3700 metres with the Cordillera Blanca right in its backyard. An absolutely gorgeous setting! To top it off this place has hot water, a wood stove, trout pond and a wood heated sauna. We knew right away we’d be staying for a while in this mountain paradise. We spent our days relaxing, hitting up the sauna, hiking, and bouldering. We also treated ourselves to an awesome trout dinner, fresh from the pond. One day we checked out Laguna Churup, and also ventured up to Montana Churupita, a peak that sits at 5035 metres. It was a long day but we were entertained by Albert and Princess two cute dogs from The Way Inn who joined us and made the hike look easy. After a week in heaven we busted a move and once again were south bound. We stopped at our favourite cafe in Huaraz, Cafe Andino, for some wifi to say happy birthday to Karen’s dad and a snack, then made our way to the coast. On the way we looked for our lost hubcap but soon gave up after stopping three times only to find other hubcaps which didn’t fit our rims.

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