Peru, the Cordillera Blanca and Vallunaraju

I ran out of words to describe the beauty sorrounding me. I have been traveling for almost 5 months in South America and every place keeps adding to the magic that surrounds this unique part of the world. And the Cordillera Blanca is no less.

9°32′S, 77°32′W , hugging the Cordillera Blanca at 3052m lies the town of Huaraz. A heaven for outdoor activities where you can mountain climb, trek, rock climb. The only problem is that there isn`t much air available so everything seems 10 times harder, yet still worth it.

In Huaraz my first visit was laguna 69. It takes 6 hrs from Huaraz, 3 of which are an uphill trek, but once you get to the laguna, you forget your sore feet. The magic surrounding this place is truly amazing, breathtaking not just due to the beauty but also the trek and thin air.

With the intention of doing the Santa Cruz trek with Kim, I decided that my next activity will be a mountain climb. So I went to Andean Kingdon, where Andreas told me he had a group with 2 mexican chicks climbing mount Vallunaraju today. So we organised eveything and before i knew it I was off.

Base camp prooved to be a hard 2 hrs almost 90 degree rock climb. Getting ther I left my backpack and headed to look for Michel, our guide, and the 2 mexican chicks. A couple of glaciers later, the sun has set and ther is no sign of the base camp or my team. I imagine what it would be like to sleep at 4000m, no sleeping bag or camp and start to panic. My whistling skills save my ass and not long after I find Michel in front of me. I hugged him like a baby...hehehe After dinner, a couple of cigarrettes to chill out, I manage to appreciate the starry night and sleep not for long since at 1 in the morning we had to start walking to the summit at a staggering 5686m. Half way, Ana, one of the girls gives up. Michel suggests we all head slowly down but I couldn`t just go back. No way. So I take all responsabilities and head to the summit ...alone. A couple of hours later I had made it. After a couple of minutes to regain my breath, seriously no air at all I am not kidding, I realised I had made it ... Malta 1 - Mexico 0 hehehe..for better pics of Vallunaraju check out http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150639/vallunaraju.html

Back in Huaraz, a day to chill and catch up with Kim, and a day later we were off ice-climbing the glacier Pastourouri. Hard work, much harder than it looks but good fun. Now keen on starting rock climbing, at sea level though.

And once again I say my goodbyes and head North. Trujillo and it`s beach Huanchaco, famous for the reed fishing boats which are said to have been the first surfer dudes to catch waves with their catch back to shore. And below is one of my favourite pics so far...

Next was Cajamarca in the Northern highlands which is a charming town resembling Cusco but smaller and Israeli free..hehehe ( those travelling will understand)

And here I am writing this in Cajamarca after a pleasant bath at the Inca baths where Atahualpa himself is said to have been camped before his fateful encounter with Pizarro.

Next spot is Mancara, a surfing beach where I`ll work on my poor surfing skills and chill after all this stress called travelling...hehehe