Cordillera Blanca

A Waterfal with a rainbow
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Early next morning I got up and got a taxi to Trujillo. Alex wanted to stay longer there, so we finally "slit up". After six great days we became really good travel friends and who knows, maybe we will see each other in Cuzco. He hikes the Machu Picchu one day after I do ...

In Trojillo I got the bus to Chimbote. After 2 hours I arrived and had to hurry up to get my bus to Huaraz. There only one bus company driving through the Cañon del Pato to Huaraz and they are leaving at 8:30 in the morning.

Peruian Indigas
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I got one of the last seats and I was the only Gringo (or is it Gringa since I am feminine? ;-) ...). We left the city really quick and it didn't take long and the street became a dirt road. The Scenery changed from a greenish desert to a real desert! We always followed the river ... and it was dusty and hot ... the sun was shining like hell and the graveled road so so dry ... the bus didn´t have air condition, so we had to open all windows ... after one hour I had finished all my water (2 liters!!) and I was so glad, when the bus stopped for a break ...

fresh fruits on the street
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It took us over 8 hours to get to Huaraz and I really enjoyed the ride. The people were really nice and helpful and I think it amused them that I hold on to all my empty water bottles and my other trash. I love Peru and the people, but they are awful to the environment. They just threw their trash out of the window - regardless what it is. I mean, I don't mind if they throw the orange peel or the rest of an apple out of the window - that is a nature product and will rot and that is ok. But plastic bottles, wrapping of cookies, Tetrapaks ... name it and they throw it away wherever and whenever they want to get rid of it ... really sad. Accordingly to that the environment is full of trash ... I have no idea how or even if they want to approach this problem, but I guess, it will take years to clean up this mess ...

Desert and the river
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When I arrived in Huaraz I found a inexpensive but clean hostel. Later that night I was looking for a good place to eat and met these hardcore climbers from Canada. We found a good place to eat (Italian) and afterwards we went to a bar (I guess, you could call it Gringo bar) and had a beer. But I had three very short nights before that night, so I decided to go to bed early, because I was really exhausted. Bus rides are exhausting, let me tell you :-).

Next morning I overslept :-( ... I had set my alarm, but I just turn it off and turned around ... well, the bus for the ruins I wanted to see left already and there is no later bus on Sunday ... Oh well, I saw already some ruins, will see another dozen ... so I went to a local market here in town. Huaraz is the center of an area called Cordillera Blanca and there are tons of opportunities for hiking, climbing (mecca for climbers as I learned that night before) and seeing ruins and lakes. But everything is kind of hard to reach ... there are hardly any public transportation, if so you never know when and where exactly they start and if you book a tour you pay a arm and a leg ... it is a great area if you have time, but I have my Machu Pitcchu next Saturday ...

So after a little hike (4 hours in the heat!) I came back to Huaraz and decided to take the night bus to Lima. From there I will get another bus straight to the Nazca Lines ... Lima I will later this week ... I got a airplane ticket from Lima to Cuzco (Machu Pitcchu) - NO BUS !!!! :-) ... so the plan ... I let you know if it worked out or if I changed my mind again :-)