two miles high

We had just one night in Trujillo, arguably Peru´s second city, so it was a shame we didn´t get round to trying the local duck or goat stew specialities. Neither did we make it to the cinema, which we were planning on doing because Trujillo´s cinema-goers have quite a reputation for being vocal and participatory. Actually we did make it to the cinema but all the films looked rubbish so we played air hockey instead. What we DID manage to do was visit some more ruins (we're big fans now) and stock up on some Trujillano sweet specialities, like pecado de lucuma (lucuma is apparently called´eggfruit´in English) and the brilliantly-named Kingkong - a brick-sized biscuit filled with fruit and various sugary things, for our overnight bus trip to Huaraz.

We needed more than some Kingkones to make this Movil Tours bus trip bearable. Our favourite, Cruz del Sur, doesn´t offer this route, but we now know better than to casually experiment with different companies. For over an hour we had to endure very off-key religious songs. This was followed by two loud films back-to-back, which didn´t finish until 2am. The bus was due to arrive in Huaraz at 6:30am, which left us with a whole three hours´sleep (the fact that we´d already seen Tears Of The Sun on the bus three nights earlier didn´t help matters).

So imagine our relief on our arrival when we were allowed to check into our room early to sleep. A gorgeous room with a lovely bed at that. Mauro suggested that this was one of the finest moments of our trip so far (in fact he almost wept with gratitude).

Despite a little altitude sickness, we really made the most of the breathtaking scenery around here (Mauro didn´t fare so well initially but felt better after drinking 15 cups of coca tea a day). Huaraz is nestled right beside the Cordillera Blanca, which features the highest mountain in Peru. We got a fine view of all of this from our hostel. It´s a constant reminder not just of the beauty of nature but of its power. This region has had more than its fair share of natural disasters, and the devastation caused by the massive earthquake of 1970 is still very present in people's minds. Understandable seeing as it killed 50,000 people. A couple of days ago we went for a long walk through the countryside to see some ruins, passing various pueblos, and Mauro ended up chatting to a very old lady who´d lost all her children in the 1970 earthquake. Some very sad stories to hear (but we could only understand the gist because she spoke in Quechua half the time).

By this point we´d got used to the local dress that the ladies wear around here - woolly cardigans with large, bright skirts and a taller-than-your-average top hat. They´re usually carrying something, some branches or perhaps a baby, tied on their back in a blanket. We´d also got used to the fact that the locals really do not like having their photograph taken! In fact, we were really struck by how quiet and reserved the people are. I´m not sure if that applies to Peruvians in general or just those from the highlands, but it´s hard to adjust to coming straight from Brazil! I had an uncomfortable half-hour in some hot springs. Not only was I the only gringo (Mauro doesn´t count), I was the only one in a bikini. Some of the women entered the pool fully clothed, in long skirts and blouses. We couldn´t believe it!

That said, everyone´s been really friendly and helpful (just in a reserved way). Yesterday we felt the benefit of another local guide´s in-depth historical knowledge when we visited Chavín de Huántar. It´s a site from the ancient Chavín culture, which predates the Incas by over 2,000 years (one of several reasons why we´re totally over not seeing Machu Picchu...hmmm). It seems the Chavins liked to get off their face a lot on hallucinogenics so they could talk to their gods and predict the future. We saw lots of their brilliant sculptures, like daggers and heads and obelisks, and I also found out that Cruz del Sur is more than just a bus company.

Speaking of which, we´re off in a couple of hours for an overnight bus back to Lima. We had another day full of spectacular scenery and walks at over 3,500 metres, so we´re about ready to get back down to sea-level. Hopefully bohemian Barranco will provide us with inspiration as to where to go next. We've heard that Cuzco has been declared a disaster area after yet more heavy rains, so we're not sure whether to go. Seeing as Mauro was more upset that Cafe Andino in Huaraz was closed than Machu Picchu (it supposedly has the best coffee in Peru but come on..!), he's not too put out by this. I'm much more disappointed, but would rather not go at all than visit a disaster area. At the moment it's in the hands of weather-gods...