2nd Friday

- the goal of our day's trip - the beautiful tourquoise waters of the Llanganuco Lakes, glimpsed in a moment of sunlight!
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I’d have to admit that this first full day in the Huaylas Valley was my personal low point of the trip. The first disappointment was when our guide, Ricardo, advised us that the road to Lake Paron was very long & in very bad condition… then added that the lake had been drained of half of its water to provide electricity for the area.

- Huaylas Valley: the corridor between the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra
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My dream of a leisurely morning imagining what it would be like to live in Caraz - followed by an adventurous drive & hike, culminated by the vista of a sparking blue lake set like a jewel in the snowy peaks... LOST! I had been imagining this highlight for - literally- over a year. But, because it was sunny at that moment (and I stress moment, as the weather in the Andes changes REALLY FAST), we decided to do a "nature thing": our Llanganuco Lakes tour.

My dream... for literally over a year...LOST!

- typical Valley vegetation
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So, we drove down the picturesque Valley. We drove up the foothills, & our paved road disintegrated to gravel. We drove through mountain switchbacks, watching the vegetation change from cactus to eucalyptus to Andean grass. We drove bouncing over landslides & potholes. We drove, clinging to the hillsides with nothing more than the glue of our held-in breath. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the glacial lakes the sun had completely abandoned us. And still we drove up. The lakes were indeed a beautiful blue-green color, but it was hard to judge through the twin veils of the drizzle & my incipient tears. Yes. I was that sad - that disappointed - not to be able to see, in their best light, the mountains I'd been visualizing & anticipating for SO LONG. The ride back to the Patio de Monterrey was uneventful, but - of course - seemed to take twice as long. I was never so ready for a hot bath & relaxing drink in my life! Nonetheless, the tiny blistered tub in our room wouldn’t hold water (another disappointment) and then - just as I got HALF wet - the shower quit!

Going higher, the Condors got occasional glimpses of the highest mountains in Peru.
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I just couldn’t feel any lower.

Now... I’m imagining that all the motion-sickness medicine I’d been living on for the last couple days might have played its part in my depression, and I’d certainly been sleep-deprived! But screwed-up Circadian Rhythms or no, Kathy was not a happy camper on this day.

The one bright spot was dinner - on our own – in a Swiss restaurant in downtown Huaraz. Dic & I shared a fondue! Again, I have forgotten the name of the place, but included a photo. Other people who have been to Huaraz… Help!

But, actually, looking DOWN was as rewarding as looking up on this day.
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The restaurant was warm & comforting, the food good, and the 2 halves of our group even survived dueling cab-rides back to our hotel (no mean feat!) So, bundled under stacks of warm blankets we again slept fast.

Surely tomorrow would be a better day, right?