2nd Thursday

This is just one segment of the extensive 'rural slum' belting Lima.
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If you want to know if it’s ’worth it’ to drive from Lima to Huaraz,I have a simple answer: No. If you persist in hearing the call of the open road, I’ll try to drown it out “NO! NYET! NINE! Don’t do it!!

Actually, I’ll have to give our trip planner, Natalie, credit for trying to imply the drive is a bad idea. But, we had several people in our group with images of “Alive!” too vivid in their minds to want to fly in a smallish private plane across the Andes Mountains. And, I’d read another traveler’s account of the wonders of huge sand dunes and rare ecosystems along the way between those cities. So, Hey!  I persisted, telling Natalie we wanted to EXPERIENCE the little-touristed sights of the 'real 'Peru.

Then, horrifying yielded to ‘numbifying.’

- ethereal beauty in a unusual eco-system
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I’d stressed the idea of a comfortable van, a rider-dictated drive (“Oh , let’s stop alongside this beautiful stream for some photos!”) and taking the whole day for a leisurely transition between areas of Peru . Another of several “rest days” planned into our itinerary… HA!

To begin with, (& I have already shared my specific suggestions for improvement with our InkaTerra trip concierge, Patrick) our “new” van for the northern portion of our travels was the worst vehicle we had during our 20 days. It could barely be described as “comfortable” and it certainly needed to be excellent, for all of the time we spent in it! Also, as the drivers and guide were also from the Huaraz area, they immediately got us lost in the less-than-nice parts of Lima. “In this area, they eat cats!” gleefully announced our guide – happy for any knowledge to share after circling the same slums for over an hour.

Most of the river valleys we crossed were oasis of agriculture threading to the coast.
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But, it wasn’t much better once we broke from the grasp of the metropolitan area. Actually, it was worse. We then traveled for what seemed an eternity though the drizzle, glimpsing shacks without electricity or running water, either clinging to muddy hillsides or crouched along filthy ditches of sewage. Okay. This is reality. But, you know, I don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to see what is in my own backyard – the equally pathetic “cintura de miseria” – belt of misery – which encircles Mexico City. This was a sobering experience, And, unless you are prepared to stay in this area to help these people, I suggest that you try to avoid driving through it in your tourist van… gawking.

We saw more animals than humans!
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Then, horrifying yielded to ‘numbifying.’ Mile after mile after mile of NADA. My butt was turning to lead, yet there was nothing to even want to stop and photograph! Okay, we passed through a few green river valleys, and there were some interesting sand formations, but mostly we stared bleakly at an unrelieved moonscape. “Aren’t we the-e-ere ye-et?” I internally whined.

Lunch in Barranca was no respite, but then we turned inland to follow the Pativilca-Huaraz Highway … and, at least, our photo-ops improved!

After our turn inland, we begin heading up to cross the Cordillera Negra.
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We were running late, of course, and – although we were slated to arrive at our hotel (The Patio de Monterrey) before dark – we were only partly through the Cordilleras before the sun went down. The thought of driving on the twisty roads at night caused a little consternation in our group, but we nonetheless asked for one unscheduled stop – to photograph a magnificent sunset over the Andes!

"Finally! A human!" Uh, no... it's a saint.
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We rolled into our Hostel in time for a late supper there. Then it was off to bed in preparation for an 8:00 Friday morning departure with our “mountain guide,” Ricardo.

Had we made an error in choosing to stray this far off of the beaten "comfort-class" path?   MAYBE...