Another Must-See Checked Off the List

(Taken from the rooftop terrace of the hotel we stayed at)
Greetings all~
I hope as we roll into August that life is treating you well. As for life in Peru, I am gearing up for the routine of full work weeks, something I haven't experienced for quite some time. As I mentioned in the last blog, swine flu (or the less colorful name it now is given) has been sweeping South America and caused the start of the school year to be pushed back another week for the students. The students aren't the only ones who have benefited-with the short work week (we only were allowed to come in Thursday & Friday of this week), Marianella and I took the opportunity to escape away for an extended weekend trip.

Late Friday night we boarded the bus for an 8 hour trip to the highlands and the small city of Huaraz (pronounced War-as). Now you might say that sounds like a pretty miserable excursion and I would normally agree; however, Marianella lined us up with a wonderful bus, where the ultra-comfortable seats fold down like a bed and we slept almost the entirety of the trip (with the same holding true Tuesday night/Wednesday morning when we returned home).

Once we arrived in Huaraz, we were greeted by sunshine, clear blue skies, and the "fun" that accompanies your body getting used to the elevation. We certainly enjoyed the first two items on that list, as winter in Lima has settled in-the tempertures are nothing compared to Minnesota winters, but it is often drizzling and the sun is a stranger, so the fresh air and sun did us good.

When we were in Huaraz, three of our four days were spent out and about touring the surrounding area, which possesses a wonderful combination of nature and culture. So, let me tell you a bit more:
Cordillera Blanca & Negra, Turquoise Lake, and the Lost City of Yungay
Upon our arrival in Huaraz, we jumped right into the tours available with a trip through the valley of the White & Black Mountains which included a stop in Yungay and ended at the Turquoise Lake (of course it's called something different in Spanish, but it's a long, difficult name to pronounce, so I'm just calling it the Turquoise Lake.

As you'll see in the pictures, this trip is pretty breathtaking, as the road splits between two major mountain ranges of the Peruvian Andes. To the west was the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountain Range) and the east was the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range). Because of the Pacific winds that howl across the sky, snow and ice is unable to accumulate on the Cordillera Negra, which acts as a shield to the Cordillera Blanca where snow and ice is prevalent. It's quite a contrast as you split the divide between these two immense mountain ranges. Our first major stop on this tour was the town of Yungay or what remains of the town. In May 1970, a major earthquake hit this area of Peru; however, it wasn't the earthquake that devastated this town. Five minutes after the earthquake was felt in Yungay, the seismic waves underground reached the Cordillera Blanca and the vibration of the quake caused the ice and snow at the top of one of the peaks to break off and cause an avalanche which swallowed up the town of Yungay. Estimates place over 20,000 people killed in the town with only 92 survivors who were able to escape to the hillside cemetary which overlooked the town. To look at the area now, you would never believe a bustling town once existed there; a scattering of homes is all that has taken its place. It was a sobering reminder of how helpless we are to natural disasters.

Looking towards the glacier from the cemetary of Yungay:
The frame of the Church signifies where it stood before the avalanche hit:
This peaceful garden was once part of a bustling little town:
After leaving Yungay, we traveled higher into the mountains to visit Turquoise Lake. By this time, both of us were feeling the effects of the altitude manifested by headaches and upset stomaches. Yet, we were still able to enjoy this beautiful lagoon shrouded by the mountains. The pictures tell the story better than I ever could. As you can probably imagine, by the end of this day, we were pretty exhausted and ready for R&R.

Pictures from around Turquoise Lake:
Pastoruri Glacier
After taking a day to better accustom ourselves to the elevation and just generally relaxing, we jumped back into the sightseeing with a trip to Pastoruri Glacier. Simply and crassly put, this day kicked our asses :). We climbed even further up elevation wise to reach the glacier. We had a wonderful guide who advised us on how best to handle the elevation, but even so, we were short of breath with killer headaches. When the bus dropped us off, we were able to ride horses for the first kilometer back towards the glacier, but we then had to walk another kilometer to reach the glacier. When I read this info on the internet, I thought it sounded pretty easy and I questioned whether we needed to bother with horses at all; thank goodness we did, or I'm afraid my body would still be on the mountainside. Pastoruri Glacier's peak, which we were very close to, is approximately 5200 meters. In our language, that works out to about 17,000 feet-to give you some context, the Grand Tetons and Pike's Peak are in the neighborhood of 14,000 feet. After looking that info up on the internet, I felt better about our struggles that day.

This visit was a bit sad, particularly for Marianella. She had visited the Glacier about 10 years ago and she was shocked to see how much of the ice has melted away. It was a constant theme that we heard in and around Huaraz, but until she saw it with her own eyes, it hadn't hit. Whether you buy global warming or not, the recently increasing tempertures have hit this glacier hard and it's estimated that in another twenty years, the ice and snow of the Pastoruri Glacier will have completely disappeared.

When the lambs are wearing stocking caps, you know you're in the highlands:
The Puya Raimondii plants, ready to bloom in about 5 months for the only time in their 100 year life cycle:
Ten years ago, this was all covered by ice and snow:

Utterly exhausted:
Chavin
If you've been reading this blog for awhile, one thing that you've heard over and over from me is the incredibly rich history of Peru. We dived into a little bit more of that history in visiting Chavin, ancient ruins that date back to 900 years B.C. It was long believed to be the oldest evidence of life in the Americas, although archeologists found an even older settlement in Peru closer to Lima (a future blog entry, no doubt). Nevertheless, this site was quite an incredible history lesson and yet another reminder that brilliant minds existed before the 20th century. It continues to be a treasure trove for archeological research, as we passed by archeology students from Stanford who were diligently working and searching for the next big discovery over their summer break.

When you cross from the west side of the Andes to the east, Jesus Christ greets you:
The head archeologist with his students:

More exploration:Holding up alright after 3000 years:
In the depths of Chavin:
Handsome fella, eh?:
On the ride home from Chavin:
As you can see, we packed quite a bit into our four days in Huaraz and the surrounding area. I'm guessing the blog will be a bit more dormant as Marianella and I both shift into the typical life of working stiffs. Our next extended break occurs in October, so be patient with me if you don't get any updates for awhile. Enjoy the dog days of summer and take care~Tim & Marianella