Cole Malerba -- Peru (Home Club: Colonie-Guilderland)

February 15, 2017

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to spend a few days in Huaraz. Huaraz is the capital of the Ancash region of Peru (located northwest of Lima). Its location in a valley between the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra mountain ranges makes it a very popular tourist site for outdoor sports such as, hiking, climbing, and skiing.

I first heard about Huaraz from my sister. She visited Peru before and recommended that if I had the opportunity, I should visit “Laguna 69”. Once I came to Lima in January, I began to look at photos and I became obsessed with the idea of a visit. I just needed to find an adult who was willing to travel with me. I first approached my current host family about the idea but they had already visited Huaraz, and did not wish to return. The only other option I had was to ask my previous host family from San Borja, a district of Lima. Before I flew to Arequipa I stayed with them for a week in Lima, but I had not seen them since. They were not obliged to host me because they did not have kids of their own, but they agreed to do it as a favor for Rotary. In that week we had formed a very strong bond, so I decided to ask my previous host mom, Cecilia, about the idea. She showed a lot of enthusiasm, and offered to go with me despite the fact that she had already visited Huaraz two times. She even offered to plan the trip. I was delighted. I got the permission to travel from my program director, and we quickly figured out a date.

Cecilia had a friend in Huaraz who put us in contact with a hotel that offered us cheap accommodations and a 3-day tour. We also purchased round-trip bus tickets. All that cost us about $100. We met in a bus terminal on Thursday, February 9^th, around 10 pm, where we took an 8-hour bus ride to Huaraz. We arrived to our hotel in the early morning, slept for an hour, and then got up to eat breakfast and start our first day-tour.

The first day, we visited others surrounding towns that made up the region of Huaraz. We first stopped in Carhuaz, where we bought delicious flavored ice creams, such as “Rum & Raisin” and “Pisco Sour”. Next we visited Yungay, a town that was buried by an earthquake-driven avalanche in 1970, resulting in the deaths of 20,000 people. The site was declared a national cemetery by Peru. Crazily, people continue to live there. The town was relocated about 1 mile north of the original. Next, we entered Huascarán National Park and visited Laguna Llanganuco. For $3, locals offered short rowboat rides across the crystal-clear lagoon. The scenery was beautiful. After the boat ride, we bought something small to eat. Cecilia pointed out a llama and said I should get close to it so she could take a photo. I guess the llama didn’t like that, because it turned and spit in my face. Sadly, she didn’t get the photo. I washed my face, and then the tour guide brought us to a place to eat lunch. We ate picante cuy (spicy guinea pig) and chicharron de chanco (fried pork). After lunch, we visited Caraz, a town that specializes in making sweets like, manjar blanco (dulce de leche). Lastly, we visited an artisanal shop, where we watched a pottery demonstration.

The second day, we went to Chavín de Huantar, an archaeological site of the prehistoric Chavín people. Along the way we made a scenic stop at Laguna Querococha. The visit to Chavín was interesting. We took shelter from the rain in some underground tunnels, then got lost from our group and ended up in participating in a small ritual. It was a nice day. We got back to Huaraz around 6 pm, got something to eat, and then went to bed early.

The third day I woke up at 5 am, and got on a bus to bring us to Huascarán National Park. Along the way we stopped for breakfast, and to buy some provisions for the hike. We began the hike at 9:30. The hike lasted 3 hours. It began in green cow-filled pasture, eventually progressing into steeper, mountainous terrain. The entire hike was beautiful, with scenic views of snowcapped mountains, twisting waterfalls, and exotic vegetation. When I arrived at Laguna 69 I couldn’t believe my eyes. The contrast of the clear, turquoise water, the stark, gray rocks, and the shimmering, white glaciers was breath taking. I took a few photos and then sat for a while just taking the view in. I had never seen anything like it. Another 3 hours on the descent and I arrived to the bus aching, tired, and hungry, but extremely satisfied.

Arriving back in Huaraz, we had a few hours before our bus left. Cecilia suggested we meet her friend at a restaurant. We shared a nice meal, and then Cecilia and I had to go. We arrived to the bus station to find it was closed. Apparently, we had mixed up the departure time of our bus. Scrambling, we ran to the nearest bus station and got on the last bus to Lima that night. All in all, everything was fine. We got to Lima safe and sound, and it made for one interesting adventure.