Travel with Manfred

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Copyright © 1999 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

Jan 30 - Jan 31, 1999

Into Thin Air

The Highest Peaks of Peru

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Peru, Huaraz, Andes, Cordillera Blanca, Cordillera Negra, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

"Always straight ahead, always straight. Just a few hours straight." This was the description of how to get from Lima to Huaraz when we asked at a gas station near the Highway Panamericana in Lima. We didn't expect any different answer. No matter where you go the answer always seems to be "de frente na mas" (always straight). It was funny nonetheless. This is like asking in Berlin, Germany, how to get to Paris, France, and getting the answer "just straight ahead". The answer wasn't so wrong, after a 4-hour drive north on the Panamericana, we took a right turn near the town of Pativilca, and drove another 4 hours on the main road until we finally reached Huaraz.

Huaraz is the city surrounded in the east by the impressive snow-covered Cordillera Blanca, in the west by the snow-less Cordillera Negra. From Huaraz the majority of the climbing, trekking or sightseeing expeditions in the Peruvian Andes start. The city itself lies at 10,500 ft (3,200 meters). The region carries the name "The Switzerland of South America", rightfully so. We should not forget, however, that the mountains here are a lot higher than in Switzerland. Already the views from the valley, without even walking a single mile, are breath-taking and inspiring. How much more fascinating must it be to be 10,000 feet higher up, on the peaks?

Getting there was fun too. For the 250 miles (400 km) we needed 8 hours. Like on any long trip we got stopped by the police when entering a village; this time at a typical checkpoint. We showed our IDs and smiled. The funny part was that the driver had no driver's license, so we had to improvise a bit. He used the driver's license of a person sitting in the back. That worked. Our lucky day.

Thereafter, I remember climbing the twisty road that leads into the highlands. I also remember this large truck in front of us. The truck was going 15 mph, with 5 people in our well-used Toyota Corolla at 10,000 ft our top speed, with the pedal to the metal, was 17 mph. Passing the truck on the single lane road with constant turns was an experience. My adrenaline level was elevated as we slowly inched forward while passing the truck, while at the same time hoping that no other traffic would show up. After climbing and climbing we eventually reached the village of Conococha at 14,000 ft (4,200m).

Conococha is also the highest point of our trip. Village is a little bit of an exaggeration for Conococha. It consisted only of a handful of houses. Despite summer it was cold up here. The few people that live here are farmers. Their goat cheese is their only income. We bought a little to try it. The kids are used to begging and come running up to the car as soon as stop. At 14,000 ft it is wise not to turn the motor off, it might not start again. We follow that advice. We stand next to the running car as we talk to the kids. The kids hardly speak Spanish, and we don't speak a word of their mother tongue Quechua. However, we can communicate well enough to understand that they want something to read. I doubt though that they can actually read the Spanish brochures we gave them. But I am sure it will help them start a fire in the oven.

The air is clean, cold, and, above all, thin. We are starting to feel the altitude. Walking around makes us a bit dizzy and is tiring. You can hear the heart beat in your head make "boom, boom, boom". But we get compensated. The view from here is outstanding. The valley is wide, flat and brown with some regions showing green grass. In the center of the valley is a lake, Lago Conococha. In the background we could see the high mountains of the Andes for the very first time. It was one of those "first time" moments for me. It was also special because it was all untouched. The lake was sitting there, lonely. No house anywhere near, no people to be seen. While looking at the beautiful landscape it suddenly started to rain and snow, but 10 minutes later it stopped as quickly as it started.

The next village in which we stopped was Recuay. A typical village, with a village square next to the church. Music was in the air. It came from a "pollada", a small party thrown by people who finished building a house in which the local people get together and pay a small entrance fee to financially help the person who just finished the house. Of course, wherever people have a party music is a must. On the square, not far from the "pollada", two women were selling "chicha" and we enjoyed the refreshment as well as the music.

When we finally got to the hotel in Huaraz, the first thing we did was to drink a couple of cups of "mate de coca" to help us with the altitude headache. The hotel conveniently had a large mate container right in the reception area. One of the hotel staff also gave us some coca leaves to chew. The remaining hours of the afternoon we took it easy. We had a long late lunch, strolled through town, visited the town square, the church and watch people prepare for another fiesta. A marching band played, people put meat on their grill, women sold drinks, the typical activities for a Saturday evening.

Sun sets early here and I was happy to have brought my warmest sweater and jacket. It was chilly. After sunset we strolled through the main boulevard that runs straight through town. This boulevard is also the main shopping street. It was packed with tour operators, hiking/trekking rental places and restaurants. On the street vendors had their stands back-to-back. Delicious food was tempting our taste buds. We tried and bought some local honey, some "manjar blanca" (a sweet paste made from milk and sugar), sweet bread and some desert. Besides all the food the typical things that they sell here are hats, gloves, and warm clothing in general.

At 9 o'clock we already hit the sack. While during daytime the altitude wasn't such a problem, now I felt it stronger. I was lying in bed with two blankets to stay warm, with a ball of coca leaves in my mouth, and my head was spinning. The spinning only ended when I fell asleep.

The next morning was extraordinary. I got up early and stepped out of the hotel. The air was fresh, the air was chilly, the air was clean. It felt like cold glass that you need to walk through. The coldness tried to seep into my bones. I had to move and walk to stay warm. As I walked towards to town square, I got better and better glimpses of the Andes in the north east. From many places in town the houses impede the vision. But from the town square it was breathtaking. The mountains looked so close. The sun was rising. The Cordillera Negra prevented the sun to shine into the valley. But the yellow sun already painted another color on the cold blue ice and snow on the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca. The valley running north-south and having Huaraz in its center is called "Callejon de Huaylas". Here you can also find Peru's highest mountain Huascarán (22,200ft or 6,770m). The peaks looked magnificent, close and easy and at the same time I knew that they are as challenging as any mountain over 22,000 ft. The view was awe-inspiring. It made myself stop, look, and watch the clouds move by the peaks. It made my jaw drop and I knew that this view is a highlight of the weekend.

Alpamayo, the most beautiful mountain in the world, is not visible from here. It is a bit further north. Journalists have chosen it from a selection of a thousand photos as the most beautiful mountain on this planet. Alpamayo has the perfect pyramid shape, that is covered in pure and clean virgin ice and snow. It is also a favorite postcard or poster motif.

For breakfast I had my usual breakfast in the market with some fruits and some bread, before returning to the town square where we visited a little museum with the long name "Instituto Nacional de Cultura - Ancash". featuring mummies, models of Inca ruins and a garden full of ancient stone work.

Jointly we toured the Sunday morning market one more time. The streets were jam packed with stands. Women with their traditional hats were sitting on the pavement with their vegetables piled up on their cloths in front of them. They were either cleaning the vegetables or continuing with their morning sleep. From corn, potatoes, yuca, beans to bananas, apples and papayas everything was available. There were also plenty of food stands with warm meals, primarily soups and meat. From time to time people were pushing their carts or their mobile stalls through the narrow streets. While the Peruvians were either carrying heavy loads in a cloth on their back or their infants, we just carried a light backpack. And people tried to make it even lighter. I was just helping a woman who had lost a yuca root from her massive load as another person walk up to us and told us that we have been followed by a thief and that we should be careful. We were a bit more careful from now on but nothing bad happened.

Beside food the market also had anything else imaginable. Tourist goods like sweaters, hats, gloves were on sale, just like kitchen tools, ropes, tarps and other staff. My favorite item was sandals that people made from used tires. The whole sandal, not just the sole were made from pieces cut from old used tires. While they certainly would give you a good grip, they looked pretty uncomfortable.

We also asked where we can buy coca leaves and people directed us to a little store on a street corner. It was a little grocer with UHT milk, soap, animal food and a few garbage-bag-sized coca bags. We bought some leaves for tea. While I knew the basic way to chew coca leaves and to use "cal", backing powder or cigarette ash to increase the effectiveness of the coca leaves, I wanted to get the inside-story from the store owner. He looked like he was in his 50s, had deep wrinkles in his face and wore a large cowboy had. He explained to us how to use the cal, which is a white powder. He said that people place the leaves first into their mouth to wet them and to form a ball. Then they use the back of a wooden match to make a small hole in the coca ball, and finally they use the match to put some cal into the hole. Cal is said to be not so pleasant if you have it in your mouth directly. They guy confirmed that and said that is why you only put it inside the coca ball. Anyway, I decided it is better to stick with baking soda.

For people without time, like us, who cannot climb any of the nearby mountains or hike to any of the many beautiful passes, or visit the famous and gorgeous lakes in the valleys, the rather poor substitute is to climb up to a little hill just a few miles south east of Huaraz. The hill is officially called Mirador de Retaquena, but by most people it is just known under the simple name "Mirador" (Viewpoint). From the guidebook we knew that it is about an hour walking from the city center. We asked our way towards it. The answers we got were "behind the graveyard," "always straigth on". Soon the houses stopped and we were walking through peoples' farmland. With nothing else to go on I proposed to take the direct route, which means to go where there is the steepest ascent such that we quickly find the highest point. We climbed up across the scrubs. There were many tiny trails made by animals or by the shepherds. We met some locals, i.e. shepherds during their work, and some of the wildlife, i.e. cows, goats and sheep. While it all appeared a little bit suspicious not to have any real trail and nobody knew if this would really lead to the Mirador, we had faith enough to continue. Soon thereafter we met two tourists, by coincidence people that we had met the day before in a trekking shop. They confirmed that we are on the right track. Another 10 minutes uphill and we could see a cross, the Mirador.

The Mirador is marked with this huge cross, several yards tall. From here the city and valley is laid out in front of our eyes. In the background the peaks of the Andes and the valleys that lead to the peaks. The view is nice and the sun is beating down on us now. It is mid-afternoon and we need sun-lotion factor 30 to stay unaffected by the radiation.

The Mirador is actually not a hill-top, it is just a viewpoint, behind it the hills continue to climb gently. There was a hill-top in sight above the Mirador and I tried to climb it, but when I got closer it turned out that behind it is another hill-top just a bit higher. This game repeated itself. Each time when I reached another top I could see the next one, still higher. Eventually I gave up because I thought this game would continue for hours and my friends were waiting at the cross. I jogged back downhill to my friends. This time we took the official way back to town. There is an actual road that leads to the Mirador. So, instead of crawling through the bushes we strolled down on the dirt road.

We just got back in town before the famous afternoon rain started. During the summer season it rains nearly ever day in the afternoon. And when it rains it pours. Today was no exception. We were lucky to watch the rain from the inside of a restaurant rather than being soaked on the trail.

As we wanted to leave town we had to find out that we had a flat tire. This worried me, but it turned out that a simple stop at the gas station fixed the problem. We filled it with air and to my surprise it held the air. There appeared to be no leak.

The ride back to Lima was a bit boring but the boredom abruptly stopped when we got pulled over by the police after crossing at a red light. Not that crossing a red light is so bad, everyone does it, and we stopped first to make sure it is okay before proceeding. We were just unlucky getting caught. The cop asked for license and reason why we crossed the intersection at red. Our friend who was driving at the moment didn't have a driver's license with him but at least he had a very good excuse for crossing at red. "Our friend in the back is sick and we needed to get home quickly, furthermore we are Spanish and don't know the road well and on top of that we stopped to look for traffic." Convinced me, but not the cop. He wanted to get his bribe. The cop mumbled something about impounding the car, taking the license plate off, and taking us to the police station. With every reason he gave us he added another $20 to the base price for a bribe. Of course we didn't want to waste time, going to a police station and spending the next 4 hours there waiting. So we asked how we can resolve this is a quicker fashion. The cop continued to talk about taking the car to the police station, to push the price even further. After 10 minutes of back and forth which seemed pretty long he finally came up with a number for us: $90. What a price.

$90! We were rookies in the game of bribing, so we didn't haggle and paid the first quote. Much too high of course. But better than spending half the night filling out paperwork. Well, maybe a quick visit to the police station would have been fun for the first time too. It certainly would have been an experience. Anyway we paid and learned our lesson. The lesson of course was not to not cross at red anymore, but to haggle more the next we get caught.

But with flat tire and the bribe our bad luck was not over yet. In order to not disturb the people in the hotel after midnight, we parked the car outside on the street. Just one night so that we could return the car the next morning. One night was sufficiently for someone to steal the side mirror. That was the end of the weekend but the memories will live on.

There are so many nice things near Huaraz that it is a shame that we only spent a weekend there. Within easy reach of Huaraz are various Inca ruins, thermal spring where you can take a bath in the hot water, the many lakes and passes in the Huascaran National Park. Some of the highlights can even be done on foot like the Wilcawain (Wilcahuain) ruins, for others like the Llanganuco or Llaca Lake a 4x4 is needed. The real stuff is, however, to get the camping equipment out and spend a few days trekking to the various passes and snow covered smaller peaks of the Cordillera Blanca. There are plenty of adventures to be found here.