Huaraz, part deux

Hello again everyone~
How is life treating you all? From my understanding, the weather back home has been a big improvement since the last time I updated my blog, so I imagine that is making life a bit sweeter for everyone. Down here, life is clipping along like it typically does when engaged in full-time jobs; our weeks have been pretty consumed by our jobs and then weekends are spent resting, recuperating, and preparing for the next working week.

However last week was a nice break from the routine, as in this country that tallies 95% Catholics, Holy Week is quite a major deal and the time off from work and school includes Thursday and Friday, making for a nice four day weekend. Last year, Marianella and I stayed around Lima and hosted Easter dinner (go to the archives for all the exciting details!), but this year we decided to get out of Dodge along with seemingly the entire population of Lima. Marianella and I went the Robert Frost route though (road less traveled and all that), so instead of heading to the beaches we went to the mountains.

You may remember the post from last July when we headed to Huaraz (again, head to the archives for the exciting recap!) when Marianella and I enjoyed ourselves greatly. Visiting Huaraz this second time really affirmed this community as a favorite destination of ours in Peru. This time we were much wiser in how we approached the high climate of Huaraz, which made for a much more pleasant reaction for our heads and bodies to the change. We were also accompanied by Marianella's brother German on this trip whose company was very welcome on our excursion.

You may recall, to reach Huaraz you can only do so by vehicle. Our chosen mode of transport was the bus, which may sound like hell when embarking on an 8 hour trip (at least it sounded like that to me when first proposed by Marianella). However, the beauty of this drive is that we are able to take the "deluxe" bus, which translates to very cushy seats folding down into beds, where sleep comes easily since we leave at 11 p.m. and arrive at 7 a.m. When we reached Huaraz on Thursday morning, Marianella and my experience told us to head to our hotel room and rest, which we did; German, in his exuberance, took a quick shower and then hit the town. When we awoke in the late morning and called German, he was at the main square with a rough case of sorecha (altitude illness). After meeting him in the square, we proceeded to have a very peaceful and relaxing day, grabbing a little lunch and heading back to the hotel for an afternoon nap since a rain shower was moving through. You may find it foolish, especially with April showers upon you, but the rain shower was one of my favorite parts of the short getaway; living in the desert city of Lima where a slight mist passes for rain, it was quite enjoyable falling asleep to the sound of raindrops on the roof.

Good Friday arrived in Huaraz with everyone in the traveling party feeling pretty good. We chose to stay in town again this day and were quite glad we did so. Arriving at the main square in mid-morning, we found the streets covered with "rugs". Calling them rugs hardly does it justice however; what occurs is different organizations are given a large plot on the main street to first sketch drawings of Jesus or chalices or other holy images, and then they take dyed sawdust and create these beautiful pictures (or rugs) on the street. The images below do more justice than my words to these creations.
This began at 5 a.m. and finished around 1 p.m.:
Our pick for best "rug":
Details, details:

How long do these rugs stay intact? Not long, because soon after the Good Friday procession comes along the main street which involves small children, bands, and people carrying heavy, ceramic images of Jesus and Mary. As the procession advances, the observers on the sidelines fall into step behind the procession until it reaches its final stop on the road. Again, the images below do a much better job of describing the procession. For us, it was quite an impressive event to be a part of, even from the sidelines.
Heavy Lifting:

On our last day in Huaraz, we finally decided to get out of the city. It was hard for me to do; the quiet, clean and interesting city provides such an invitation for just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful views and partake in the wonderful food and coffeehouses within city limits. Once we got going on our journey, I was quite happy to be involved, even if it was a trip that Marianella and I took the first time we visited the area. A big difference this time was that we were both fully acclimated and able to enjoy the visit to Lake Llanganuco and the lost city of Yungay. We immediately headed to the high elevation of Lake Llanganuco, this beautiful glacier-fed lake wedged in between sheer mountain cliffs. Few places I've visited can compare to the natural beauty found here and I'm guessing you will agree when viewing the pictures.

After Lake Llanganuco, lunch, and a couple other stops we went to Yungay, one of the most tragic places in the entirety of South America. Back in 1970, a massive earthquake hit the Peruvian coastline, and the underground reverberations hit the Andes and in this particular city basically caused the mountaintop to break off, causing a massive avalanche that killed approximately 20,000 residents, leaving the city with only 400 survivors. It's a pretty powerful site to visit; after walking through the cemetery and proceeding along the walkways, Marianella reminded me that we were walking on a buried city, decimated and reborn as flower gardens in recognition of those lost to nature's power.
Contrast this picture with the one taken in July:
At the top of the cemetery:
Marianella & German:
A couple pretty, small town main squares:
By the time our day ended, we had just a couple hours before our bus took us back to Lima for Easter dinner with Marianella's parents. We soaked up the atmosphere of Huaraz as best we could in those last couple hours, with the knowledge that it's beauty, peacefulness, and proximity would likely draw us back again before too long.
Bye bye Huaraz:
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So, when will you hear from me again? I'm not for sure. . .we have a solid three months of work ahead of us before I get my July break from school, which I fully intend to spend back in Minnesota for a good portion of time. Hopefully we'll have some interesting adventures to share with you over the next couple months, but if you don't hear from me soon, just know that we're working hard, enjoying life, and looking forward to seeing you all soon. Take care everyone, enjoy your spring, and cheer on the Twins for me!