With our bus getting in 2 hours earlier than we were told we weren`t too impressed. Now you might think this was a good thing but when your bus is supposed to get in at 7.30am and we turned up at 5.30am it wasn`t so great, mainly as our hostel had arranged to pick us up from the bus terminal: Being 2 hours early though, we weren`t that keen on sitting around for all this time but in the knowledge that we had a transfer sorted, we hadn`t even bothered to write down the hostel`s address or even the dam name of the place! Our frantic attempts at going through lonely plant books, checking the map at the bus terminal to see if we recognised the street name, asking the local chap names of hostels, had all failed. All we knew was that it was up a hill!
Getting more and more annoyed at ourselves we took a taxi and told him the name of the hostel which he claimed he knew and after taking us to a place which clearly wasn`t it, we realised he had no idea where it was but just picked us up for a fare. We told him to take us back to the plaza we knew was withing 4 blocks and paid him a pound for his amazing services. Now being pretty dark, full backpacks on and not really knowing where we were, we didn`t really know what to do, but a helpful chap told us the general direction of the hostel. We nervously set on our way looking like easy bait if anyone wanted to mug the lost backpackers! Randomly walking along, I thought I recognised a road name from finding our hostel online so took Jen down it. Instincts kicked in and for some reason I lead us down another road and saw a minibus of people getting picked up for a days excursion which meant a hostel had to be nearby so even if it wasn`t ours they could tell us where ours was or at least give us a map or let us stay in reception til the sun came up. Fortunately it was our actual hostel and we had survived what was probably a silly idea of walking around a new town with no idea where we were going. Asking for trouble really but it`s all good as here we are about 6 weeks later as I catch up on this blog! The eye stye disappeared too if you were worried (as I know you all are!) (Jack has failed to mention my contribution of guessing we were going up a hill as described in their directions I vaguely remembered)
As we rocked up to the hostel though we saw these adorable little kittens (yeah I used the word `adorable`....and what?!) and checked in and went straight to sleep!
Waking up about midday we went for a walk around after actually receiving a map, not much to report there other than some chickens hanging up on almost every stall and also a market which had dried meats in which was possibly the worst smell ever!
Getting back after this peutrid smell we booked into some treks that Huaraz had to offer, seeing as it was already at 3,300 metres above sea level. We booked into a trek to a glacier at 5,000 metres the next day and a well known tourist trek called Laguna 69 the day after that. With my long hair starting to take shape the guy at the hostel said that I looked like Oasis, pretty vague description but I got the point. If it ain`t Pique it`s one of the Gallagher brothers.....not sure which one is better to look like but he didn`t pick!
With not much on that night, we chilled out and watched a movie called "Men of Honour" with Cuba Gooding Jr and Robert De Niro purely because of the clown bus operater on our way here. They had put this exact movie on in English to start with so I was quite excited as I knew it was a good film. About 10 minutes in though he put the Spanish subtitles on which was fair play, everyone can now watch. 10 minutes after that though is where the bus conductor gained his douche bag status, he only went and put the Spanish dubbing on as well as the subtitles so now it was no good to us! The clown had even managed to put the first chapter on repeat which we endured 3 times before someone went and said something. Even then he couldn`t fix it so a passenger had to. Anyway back to the story, we found that same movie in the hostels collection so banged it on.
After this I was excited to be offered a 5 a side game of footy but it was in an hour. So we ordered a pizza which turned up about 15 mins before I had to leave so wolfed down what I could and went out leaving Jen to watch some other movies. Shame it was pissing it down with rain and I only had my 3 pound primark plimmies as the most appropriate footwear, forgot to pack my footy boots. They didn`t put that on the essentials list at STA travel. Anyway off we went and I scored a bad ass curling goal about 10 mins in which made them all think I was pretty good....shame the rain came down harder and from there on out I couldn`t get any grip and fell over almost every time I got the ball. The new tactic was walking about which is pretty much my tactics at footy in England anyway!
The next day we went off on our glacier hike but along the way we were taken to some natural springs where the views were amazing.
We also stopped off at some 100 year old cactus type things. They were pretty massive as you can see.
Oddly, they grow for 100 years, flower and then die and fall over...what a life. But it did provide for some entertaining pictures as you could get inside the base bit. I thought it would look like a good grass skirt but it wasn`t deep enough so looked more like a tribal pair of ankle reeds or something.
We were also promised ancient cave paintings which I was really excited about but another bus driver gained douche bag status as he slowed down for them but didn`t stop and as they were on the other side of the bus to what we were on, all I caught was a glimse. Very uncool mr driver.
Anyway, we got to the base of the glacier walk and set off through the mud, some people chose to take the mules to get up there but we were in Macchu Picchu training so walk we did. Was only me Jen and one other guy from the group who did walk. But we made it to the top after 30 mins and here`s proof!
The top however was not the end and we had a short hike to the actual glacier.
I suppose it might have been impressive had we not have walked on the mighty Glaciar Moreno back in Argentina. O well, it was still cool in it`s own little way.
Back down we came and chilled out again at the hostel and awaited our trek the next day which was supposed to be amazing.
The next day came and off we went on another bus and got to a stopping place for brekkie but I was more interested in the little swing of course!
They had a whole bunch of different sweetcorns hanging up, apparently Peru has over 300 different varieties.
Back on the bus and off to the valley where we would begin our walk, stopping at a beautiful lake at the bottom. If the Laguna 69 at the top was as awesome as this we were in for a treat.
Getting to the small settlement where we would start there was a cool river, and some animals grazing, very picturesque.
Of we set on our trek which was 3 hours up and 2 down but we were at altitude so it wasn`t as easy as you might think so we slowly plodded along, stopping where we could for photos, anywhere we could for an excuse to rest! This hut was a good enough reason.
The view from back down the valley where we had walked from so far.
And the ice capped moutains in the background, thankfully not where we would be trekking to!
After a very hard 3 hours of trekking we arrived at Laguna 69 at 4,600 metres. Sadly it was a bit overcast and was pretty cold and dingy so it wasn`t as impressive as it could have been. We both thought the lake at the bottom we stopped at was better, could have stopped there and saved ourselves some time and effort!
Time to come back down though after our sandwich break. This annoying cow decided he wasn`t going to move out the path however so on tired legs, we had to clamber over the rocks to the side. Cheers cow.
But back down we did eventually get, and strangely we were first which we didn`t think we would be as we were pretty knackered so I made Jen take a picture of me on our empty bus as proof we were first down!
I really fancied a thai for dinner so we went to check the place out but they had a sign on the door saying "shut for fumigation"! You`d think they might just put shut, but we won`t be going there that night or the next!
The next day was day of sport! Excited that Tigers were in the final I got up early and put on ESPN at 8am as the time difference meant that was when it was on over here. However, the ESPN channel was diffferent out here and had Champions League prep on. Not too impressed I went to the hostels computers and tried to stream it only to get a rubbish connection and purple players running around. Again not impressed but was saved by a guy with a laptop who knew a link and had nothing better to do so let me watch with him on there....legend. After warning my brother of Northamptons chances of winning the league 6 months ago (at the time he laughed but seems they almost made it!) I was pretty nervous, but then Dillan Hartley got sent off cos he`s about as clever as a fly trying to resist the temptation of a light bulb and had to go and say something to the ref...big no no in rugby. On Leicester went to win which I`m not sure they would have done so easily against 15 men.
Later I watched the Champions League final with a couple from Munich so I obvioulsy took the chance to support Dortmund. Didn`t help though. After a good old day of sport I was excited to see it continue with the offer of more 5 a side, this time not raining. Back on went the plimmies and the Leicester shirt and we set up a game between 5 Peruvians vs the rest of the world (as they coined it) comprised of two Brits, a Norwegian, that German guy I just mentioned and an Argentinian. On the way we came across a 4x4 which had backed into a ditch so all of us puffed out our chests and picked that bad boy up out of the ditch. If you are wondering.....yes....4x4s are extremely heavy!
We gave them a good old spanking much to their dismay as they always do these "rest of the world" games and normally win so they were slightly annoyed to be getting battered. At one point I even did a Haji and trapped the ball inbetween my feet and hoped between two of them and went on to score....footy fans will appreciate that!
However, as the game went on, my fitness withered (to be fair we were at 3,300 metres) and Jen managed to catch this shot of me breathing out my arse, hands on hips were a constant for the last 15 mins!
After getting chummy with the Norwegian guy from the game as he was in our room, we went out with him and his Norwegian friend for a dead cheap Lomo Saltado, the national dish and then we all jumped on a bus together back to Lima as we discovered they were staying in the same hostel as us.... (more football shirt shopping here I come)
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