The panorama was breathtaking, even though the peaks of the 6000 m mountains only came out for a few minutes before they hid again in the clouds. We arrived at the turquoise lakes at a campsite where we were the only people and parked the camper to have lunch. After lunch I tried to do something for my ego and went off cycling to make it up the pass at 4700 m. Obviously, I didn’t make it because it got slowly dark and the rain came (good excuse to hide my lack of fitness) but it was nevertheless great being out in those mountains.
In the evening Kate, Anna and Lili all had various degrees of headache and went quickly to bed after we had run our homecinema to watch one of the Christmas present videos we still had.
In the evening Kate, Anna and Lili all had various degrees of headache and went quickly to bed after we had run our homecinema to watch one of the Christmas present videos we still had.
After school the sunny patches had become so attractive that we decided to try to go up to lake Lianganuca and to spend a couple of days up there in the wilderness. We just needed to get some bread in the next village and then we could go on the dirt road that goes up to the lakes and crosses the Cordillera Blanca to go down to the jungle on the other side.
While Kate was phoning her bank because they had blocked her credit card (not the first time on the trip this happened) I quickly checked the tire pressure and to my surprise we had a flat tire at one of the double tires in the back. I went to the next petrol station to change it and next door there was one of the millions of small "janterias", a one man chack that repairs tires, that one finds all over Latin America. He could repair the valve on the tire for 5 Soles (1,50 $) and after putting the tires back on we were on the track that lead from 2400 m up to almost 4000 m.
While Kate was phoning her bank because they had blocked her credit card (not the first time on the trip this happened) I quickly checked the tire pressure and to my surprise we had a flat tire at one of the double tires in the back. I went to the next petrol station to change it and next door there was one of the millions of small "janterias", a one man chack that repairs tires, that one finds all over Latin America. He could repair the valve on the tire for 5 Soles (1,50 $) and after putting the tires back on we were on the track that lead from 2400 m up to almost 4000 m.
To recover from our adventure in the Canyon del Pato we spent a few days in the valley of Caras going on walks and doing nothing.
The following morning we went for a walk in the mountains. After initial difficulties (wrong side of the river which ended in a steep forest and a potentially difficult rivercrossing) we made up the highest point which all of us had ever climbed: 4250 m. As you can imagine this was not a peak in this area where the mountains go way over 6000 m. It took us 3 hours to make it up the 400 m from our camp (I used successfully the "everybody-gets-a- crisp-at-the-next- bend-of-the-path tactic" to keep everybody moving), but we still had a nice view in the end. The amazing observation was that while in the alps the last trees can be found only below 2000 m -- here we still had (admittedly rather bizarr) trees all along our walk.
The following morning we got woken up by a rather strange noise at our campsite in the complete wilderness of a 4000 m above sealevel wild campsite. When we looked outside our window we could not believe our eyes: At 6:30 am a selection of 4-wheel-drive vehicles and small trucks had just parked outside our window to - I still can’t believe it - disembark a film crew including several manequins in order to have a photo shoot of the new autum collection of some clothing company!! Hence, we could watch generators being put up, huge reflecting screens to put the models into the best light, an entire group of cooks preparing meals and so forth. You can imagine that it was a bit difficult for the girls to concentrate on school when outside the film crew ran about and made a lot of noise. After half a day the spook disappeared as fast as it had appeared in the morning.
We spent the rest of the day doing not much (the girls were digging up cow pads!!) and the following morning we made it back down the valley (not without another flat tyre stop). The subsequent drive to Lima was quite spectacular as we had to drive over a plane at 4500 m altitude in quite rainy conditions. The engine suddenly had quite some problems with the engine stopping when accelerated beyond 2500 revolutions. This made for some slow and soft driving. But after a couple of days and then back at the desert coast of Peru we made it to a hotel we had booked close to the airport of Lima.
We spent the rest of the day doing not much (the girls were digging up cow pads!!) and the following morning we made it back down the valley (not without another flat tyre stop). The subsequent drive to Lima was quite spectacular as we had to drive over a plane at 4500 m altitude in quite rainy conditions. The engine suddenly had quite some problems with the engine stopping when accelerated beyond 2500 revolutions. This made for some slow and soft driving. But after a couple of days and then back at the desert coast of Peru we made it to a hotel we had booked close to the airport of Lima.
Anna’s account:
In Caras we went rock climbing. It was the first time for us! It was very exciting. A very kind guide helped us and he was very patient. And we did abseiling. We first climbed with our walking boots and then barefoot. We were held by a harness and a rope.
In Caras we went rock climbing. It was the first time for us! It was very exciting. A very kind guide helped us and he was very patient. And we did abseiling. We first climbed with our walking boots and then barefoot. We were held by a harness and a rope.
Trying to get my tyre mended was another experience. I found as usual a small by the road mecanic. He was obviously not equipped with too sophisticated equipment. When he had to get the tyre of the wheel he took out a pickaxe and with admittedly very precise movements he "axed" the tyre off. I did not feel very well at this operation but in the end he managed to mend the puncture in the tyre and it worked again - all of this for about 2 US$.
