| Nov 14, 2005 - Huaraz, Peru
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 | View of Huascaran from my hostal roof
| | Huascaran and more
| | A different direction, still from the roof
| | Roof Panorama 1
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 | Roof Panorama 2
| | Roof Panorama 3
| | Roof Panorama 4
| | Roof Panorama 5?, or just another picture
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 | More from my hostal roof
| | Still more roof shots, later in the day
| | Yup, another one, but its got clouds!
| | Some of the roofs of Huaraz
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 | | | | Our celebration dinner
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| Today was really nothing more than a business day, a chance to get my nasty laundry done from the trek, and see some of this beautiful mountain town, all while killing time and relaxing before my first overnight bus ride of the trip. In addition to Matt, Andy and I, the girls that are each travelling solo whom we met up on Punta Union Pass were also staying in the same hostel, small world.
Huaraz is set at an altitude over 3,000m (maybe 10,000ft), and is the prinicpal town in this region of the Andes known as the Cordillera Blanca. It gets the brunt of the tourists that visit this area, and rightly so since massive snow-capped peaks can be seen in almost every direction. I woke up, late, and just enjoyed a slow day of visiting a new place. For lunch I tried Ceviche, a traditional Peruvian dish, for the first time. Ceviche is really just raw fish, but it can be any type of fish, shellfish, or whatever. It is marinated in lemon juice for a long time which is supposed to kill any of the bacteria or bad stuff that might be on it, and then is served with onions and maybe some other sauces or flavorings, and usally a side of potato or yam. I know, of all the places to try fish why up in the mountains. But, it was delicious, and the portions were huge.
Later on in the night Andy, Matt, and I met up for a celebration dinner upon completion of our trek, for which I had alpaca steak. Not bad, but a bit chewy. Afterwards I went back to the hostal to pack up my bags, and then off to the bus station for my 11pm overnight ride to Lima. Coincidentally, Felipe and Simone, the Swiss brother and sister who we met up on Punta Union Pass were on the same bus, and in fact Felipe had the seat right next to me. We stayed up for a while watching School of Rock (in English), and then promptly passed out. |
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