Santa Cruz - Peru
10/9/05
We had a very long and lazy morning, we didn't do much because after 4 days in the Inca Trail we really needed a little rest. But we didn't want to waste time, the plan was to head north to get to Huaraz, we had lunch in a nice little restaurant and then went to the bus station to figure out how to get there.
There was no direct bus and we had to split the trip in 2, the first part was 1.153 kilometers to Lima, the capital, and then from there another 400 kilometers to Huaraz.
The bus left at 4 p.m. and the trip took some 20 hours to Lima. The bus was very comfortable though.
10/10/05
We arrived around 12:30 p.m. in Lima. The city was noisy and crowded with heavy traffic from both vehicles and people. At the bus station we had to figure out another bus, this time from Lima to Huaraz. As soon as we stepped out the bus a taxi-driver-leech got stuck on us, he wanted to carry our bags straight into his cab even before knowing where we wanted to go. When we asked for a bus to Huaraz we found out that it departs from another bus station. Despite the annoyance of the leech we ended up taking him. The ride to the other bus station was obviously overcharged but absolutely worth because we caught the bus to Huaraz at 1 p.m.
So we stayed only half an hour in the Big Lima, from where it took 8 hours to Huaraz. Again the bus was very comfortable and it included food, soda and water! The road to Huaraz was very interesting because it goes through mountains to reach the city that lies in a valley known throughout Peru as El Callejón de Huaylas.
We arrived in Huaraz around 9 p.m. and went to check a hotel. The guy that brought us to the hotel also had tours to offer and since we already knew what we wanted to do it was just a matter of agreeing on the price. So before 10 p.m. we were already set to depart on the following day to do a four-day trek called Santa Cruz.
That was really an amazing thing because we left from Cuzco the day before and travelled for twenty hours to Lima where from we figured out, in less then half an hour, a connection to Huaraz. After another eight hours on the road we arrived quite late but even though we managed to schedule a trek for the following morning.
10/11/05 - 1st Day
Well, after so much traveling we started our first day in Huaraz quite early, at 07:10 a.m. we left the hotel with the guide to go to the beginning of the trail. To get there we used public transport and at the bus station we met other two people that formed our group, a French guy and a Cambodian girl.
From Huaraz we followed to Caraz and there we had to hire a cab to take us to Cashapampa where we started walking from 2,900m. The whole trip from Huaraz to the beginning of the trail was close to two hours.
The trail cuts through a magnificent valley where we saw many possibilities of rock climb.
Here is the beginning and entrance of the valley where we started walking at 2,900 meters.
We made a stop for a snack and arrived at the first campsite, Llamacorral, at 3,760 meters. From the campsite we could see the top of Taulliraju with its 5,830 meters.
Before it got dark our guide prepared dinner for the group and we chatted a bit. We learned that the guy works for a French bank and has 8 weeks of vacation, wow! And the girl was one of the lucky ones that escaped the crazy Pol Pot in Cambodia and made her life in France.
10/12/05 - 2nd day
We started around 8 in the morning and kept walking higher and into the valley, crossing streams of water ...
... lakes and stock of cows that seem to live in paradise.
Here on the second day we got a bit of rain, but at the end of the day it was fine again!
This time the campsite, Taullipampa, was at 4,250 meters and we were much closer to Taulliraju.
10/13/05 - 3rd day
On the third day we were getting high, literally. The pass was at 4,750 meters and it is called Punto Union. For each step higher we did, the Taulliraju seemed bigger.
And when we looked back to the valley we had walked into, it was hard to stop staring at such wonderful sight and start walking again.
Click here for a close panoramic of the valley
Click here for a far panoramic of the valley
Taulliraju kept growing bigger and bigger as we climbed up just next to it.
The only problem is that to admire such wonders we have so little time.
The trail started to become more and more rocky.
At the very bottom of Taulliraju there is a turquoise lake formed with water from melted snow.
There we also met a big group of French retired people (aging from 65 to 78), everybody got together to enjoy the view.
The view of the lake from far:
The guides make a lot of use of horses and donkeys to transport food and tents, sometimes they don't make it.
At one point the trail disappeared, the way was completely on the rock marked by little piles os stones.
Then we reached Punto Union, the pass, and we could watch the other side.
Click here for panoramic of the valley
The way was now going down, much easier.
Although we were very close to snow the temperature was fine, but I think that the smaller amount of oxygen affected Angie...
As we walked down the valley, we crossed many pounds of shallow waters that mirrored the surroundings creating interesting and beautiful views.
Angie loves trekking and by her face anyone can tell she was happy!
The valley turned grassy ...
... and we crossed a Queñoua forest, a very rare tree with no bark that grows only above 3000.
The campsite, Huaripampa, was at 3,700 meters.
10/14/05 - 4th day
On the fourth day we approached some farmer villages ...
... where we saw how hard life is around here.
But nonetheless, with its rewards.
When we were spotted on the trail by these two boys they ran up to us and started singing, it can break your heart.
Their house.
A local spins wool, a common activity around here.
The walk on the last day finished early, by lunch time! Our guide arranged a van to take us back to Huaraz. But before the van took us to llanganuco lgunas, at 3850 meters 26 km from Yungay.
After a little wait in Ilanganuco Igunas we departed to go back to Huaraz crossing the Huascarán National Park where lies the highest peak of Peru with 6,788 meters.
We had then another amazing mountain road trip through tortuous unpaved road rounding lakes and defying life.
The pictures were hard to make because it is through a dirty window of a shaking van packed with 13 passengers made of locals and tourists.
The road was a tour apart, so many peaks can be seen, so many lakes and the thin trail is actually the road.
Sometimes I ventured the camera out the window ...
... and when I saw this I just couldn't believe it. The only way down the steep face of the mountain was by zigzagging one of the most scary things I've ever seen.
Here you can have an idea, from the top looking down.
At the very middle of the descent some one called for a pee stop.
When we got to an advantage point the valley of Huascaran National Park revealed the amazing lakes.
But the road continued to be scary.
When we finally got down there we could check from close the amazing color of the water.
It was also close to two hours to get back to Huaraz. After all that we still had time to visit the famous Casa de Guias and schedule an ice-climbing class for the following day!!! Where we found energy for all that I don't know!
We had a very long and lazy morning, we didn't do much because after 4 days in the Inca Trail we really needed a little rest. But we didn't want to waste time, the plan was to head north to get to Huaraz, we had lunch in a nice little restaurant and then went to the bus station to figure out how to get there.
There was no direct bus and we had to split the trip in 2, the first part was 1.153 kilometers to Lima, the capital, and then from there another 400 kilometers to Huaraz.
The bus left at 4 p.m. and the trip took some 20 hours to Lima. The bus was very comfortable though.
10/10/05
We arrived around 12:30 p.m. in Lima. The city was noisy and crowded with heavy traffic from both vehicles and people. At the bus station we had to figure out another bus, this time from Lima to Huaraz. As soon as we stepped out the bus a taxi-driver-leech got stuck on us, he wanted to carry our bags straight into his cab even before knowing where we wanted to go. When we asked for a bus to Huaraz we found out that it departs from another bus station. Despite the annoyance of the leech we ended up taking him. The ride to the other bus station was obviously overcharged but absolutely worth because we caught the bus to Huaraz at 1 p.m.
So we stayed only half an hour in the Big Lima, from where it took 8 hours to Huaraz. Again the bus was very comfortable and it included food, soda and water! The road to Huaraz was very interesting because it goes through mountains to reach the city that lies in a valley known throughout Peru as El Callejón de Huaylas.
We arrived in Huaraz around 9 p.m. and went to check a hotel. The guy that brought us to the hotel also had tours to offer and since we already knew what we wanted to do it was just a matter of agreeing on the price. So before 10 p.m. we were already set to depart on the following day to do a four-day trek called Santa Cruz.
That was really an amazing thing because we left from Cuzco the day before and travelled for twenty hours to Lima where from we figured out, in less then half an hour, a connection to Huaraz. After another eight hours on the road we arrived quite late but even though we managed to schedule a trek for the following morning.
10/11/05 - 1st Day
Well, after so much traveling we started our first day in Huaraz quite early, at 07:10 a.m. we left the hotel with the guide to go to the beginning of the trail. To get there we used public transport and at the bus station we met other two people that formed our group, a French guy and a Cambodian girl.
From Huaraz we followed to Caraz and there we had to hire a cab to take us to Cashapampa where we started walking from 2,900m. The whole trip from Huaraz to the beginning of the trail was close to two hours.
The trail cuts through a magnificent valley where we saw many possibilities of rock climb.
Here is the beginning and entrance of the valley where we started walking at 2,900 meters.
We made a stop for a snack and arrived at the first campsite, Llamacorral, at 3,760 meters. From the campsite we could see the top of Taulliraju with its 5,830 meters.
Before it got dark our guide prepared dinner for the group and we chatted a bit. We learned that the guy works for a French bank and has 8 weeks of vacation, wow! And the girl was one of the lucky ones that escaped the crazy Pol Pot in Cambodia and made her life in France.
10/12/05 - 2nd day
We started around 8 in the morning and kept walking higher and into the valley, crossing streams of water ...
... lakes and stock of cows that seem to live in paradise.
Here on the second day we got a bit of rain, but at the end of the day it was fine again!
This time the campsite, Taullipampa, was at 4,250 meters and we were much closer to Taulliraju.
10/13/05 - 3rd day
On the third day we were getting high, literally. The pass was at 4,750 meters and it is called Punto Union. For each step higher we did, the Taulliraju seemed bigger.
And when we looked back to the valley we had walked into, it was hard to stop staring at such wonderful sight and start walking again.
Click here for a close panoramic of the valley
Click here for a far panoramic of the valley
Taulliraju kept growing bigger and bigger as we climbed up just next to it.
The only problem is that to admire such wonders we have so little time.
The trail started to become more and more rocky.
At the very bottom of Taulliraju there is a turquoise lake formed with water from melted snow.
There we also met a big group of French retired people (aging from 65 to 78), everybody got together to enjoy the view.
The view of the lake from far:
The guides make a lot of use of horses and donkeys to transport food and tents, sometimes they don't make it.
At one point the trail disappeared, the way was completely on the rock marked by little piles os stones.
Then we reached Punto Union, the pass, and we could watch the other side.
Click here for panoramic of the valley
The way was now going down, much easier.
Although we were very close to snow the temperature was fine, but I think that the smaller amount of oxygen affected Angie...
As we walked down the valley, we crossed many pounds of shallow waters that mirrored the surroundings creating interesting and beautiful views.
Angie loves trekking and by her face anyone can tell she was happy!
The valley turned grassy ...
... and we crossed a Queñoua forest, a very rare tree with no bark that grows only above 3000.
The campsite, Huaripampa, was at 3,700 meters.
10/14/05 - 4th day
On the fourth day we approached some farmer villages ...
... where we saw how hard life is around here.
But nonetheless, with its rewards.
When we were spotted on the trail by these two boys they ran up to us and started singing, it can break your heart.
Their house.
A local spins wool, a common activity around here.
The walk on the last day finished early, by lunch time! Our guide arranged a van to take us back to Huaraz. But before the van took us to llanganuco lgunas, at 3850 meters 26 km from Yungay.
After a little wait in Ilanganuco Igunas we departed to go back to Huaraz crossing the Huascarán National Park where lies the highest peak of Peru with 6,788 meters.
We had then another amazing mountain road trip through tortuous unpaved road rounding lakes and defying life.
The pictures were hard to make because it is through a dirty window of a shaking van packed with 13 passengers made of locals and tourists.
The road was a tour apart, so many peaks can be seen, so many lakes and the thin trail is actually the road.
Sometimes I ventured the camera out the window ...
... and when I saw this I just couldn't believe it. The only way down the steep face of the mountain was by zigzagging one of the most scary things I've ever seen.
Here you can have an idea, from the top looking down.
At the very middle of the descent some one called for a pee stop.
When we got to an advantage point the valley of Huascaran National Park revealed the amazing lakes.
But the road continued to be scary.
When we finally got down there we could check from close the amazing color of the water.
It was also close to two hours to get back to Huaraz. After all that we still had time to visit the famous Casa de Guias and schedule an ice-climbing class for the following day!!! Where we found energy for all that I don't know!
posted by Adriano and Angie | 11:17 AM
1 Comments:
All the pictures are amazing, I only wish I could have extended my vacation a week longer and to join you guys on this trek as well. Well I can only look forward to this year's adventures.
Danny
Post a Comment
<< Home