Firstly, I was the only Gringo on the bus. The rest of the passengers were Peruvian holiday makers. That didn´t bother me at all except for the fact they were either couples or families! Spanish speaking, middle aged, middle class Peruvians...as you can imagine I was thrilled??? The guide only spoke Spanish. Good practise I thought. A positive for the day. My cynacism WAS short lived though. And as it turned out I was quite the star attraction for the Peruvian happy travellers! The fact I was travelling alone, all the way from Australia and oh so very tall, my company was in constant demand. (FYI, at home 5"9 is not out of the ordinary, but in Sth America I am about a head taller than most men!) At one point it felt like I was in China all over again with the constant requests to join the family photo´s. I am sure I am in every photo with one particular family who took a special liking to me...probably because I entertained their 8 year old daughter all day. She was my ideal Spanish speaking teacher though! By the end of the day it was Roxy this, Roxy that, Roxy join us for lunch, Roxy come visit us in Lima. The fact they were calling me Roxy was amusing in itself. So far, all the Sth Americans I have met are quite formal and only refer to me as Roxana. But these mostly city folk were quite comfortable shortening my name without a second thought. They were great fun which made for a funny ¨Spanglish¨kind of day!
The trip itself was wonderful. The Parque Nacional Huascaran & the Cordillera Blanca is quite a magical place. With the highest peaks in Peru, and in fact some of the highest in the world, the scenery is dramatic and breathtakingly beautiful. The peaks of Huascaran are the highest at 6768m, with another 50 peaks exceeding 5700m. 29 of those exceeding 6000m! Alpamayo stands at 5947m and is considered to be the most beautiful mountain in the world by many. It´s all quite mind blowing. Magic!
We stopped at the Lagunas Llanganuco. Touristy, but by all means still a pretty site. Cordillera Blanca is filled with so many glaciers, amazing vertical walls and lakes. It was a real shame not being able to explore further and on foot...next time?
Another stop was the old town of Yungay. Yungay has a tragic history. In 1970 an earthquake hit, measuring a massive 7.8 on the richter scale. It was the most tragic earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere and the single worst natural disaster in the Andes. The quake loosened millions of cubic metres of granite and ice from the Nth peak of Huascaran, burying nearly all of the 18,000 inhabitants of Yungay within minutes. 70,000 deaths in total and another 250,000 casualties. I can not even begin to comprehend? Such sadness for such a beautiful part of the world. The town has slowly been rebuilt and life continues. A massive memorial stands in memory of the lives lost.
Caraz is another quaint little town in this region. It was here we stopped for lunch and where I feasted on my very first Cuy (pronounced koowee), also known to some as guinee pig! It was the popular choice with my newfound Peruvian friends, so when in Rome? It´s true, it tastes like chicken and is not as meaty, although much tastier! I have come across quite a few Americans and British who flat out refuse to eat this Andean delicacy given they have/had a guinee pig or two as pets. I for one won´t munch on a kangaroo, but give me a cuy anyday...mmmm!!!
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