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A short drive took us from sleepy little Caraz to the contrasting hustle and bustle of the large town of Huaraz. It is the major tourist centre for the region, and as such, it affords a good opportunity for buying souvenirs such as alpaca textiles, pan pipes and the obligatory "been there, done that" t-shirts. We stayed at the Hotel El Tumi which was rather noisy as it seemed to me that I could hear every rooster crowing, dog barking, car alarm going off, and person arguing outside whilst trying to get some sleep. This was the last stop before the (interminable) bus ride back to Lima. |
Puya Raymondi plants.
On the day trip to the glacier we stopped to see these tall (rather phallic) plants, which we thought were cacti, but are apparently not. They only grow within a certain range at high altitude. When in bloom, they can produce thousands of flowers and millions of seeds. <End of biology lesson>. |
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Cordillera Blanca.
We also broke off to see a spring with naturally sparkingly water; to look at some faint inca drawings on a cliff wall; and simply to stop, stare and snap the magnificent mountains of the Cordillera Blanca, part of the awesome Andes. <I'm in an alliterative mood at the moment>. |
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Path to Pastoruri Glacier.
This starts at about 5000m altitude. Having walked only a few hundred metres down the path, we were all knackered and gasping for air. So the prospect of reaching the glacier from this point, where we stopped for a much-needed breather, seemed rather daunting. I have to admit that I had some qualms about going on then. |
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Pastoruri Glacier at 5200m.
The highest place I've been on foot. As you see, we made it, by walking at a moderate pace and stopping frequently to catch our breath. It was bitterly cold, and by this time we all had hammering headaches. The ice and snow was shaped/melted in interesting configurations, but it was easy enough to walk on in normal boots or trainers. |
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Way back from Pastoruri.
Going down was much easier, as one would expect. Christian and Paul decided to hire horses to take them part of the way back, which is something we probably should have done on the way up rather than walking. The effects of the altitude (headache, hot and cold spells, dizziness etc) gradually faded as we descended to the less heady heights of Huaraz. |
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