Back on the Armstrong Scale...
Trip Start
Aug 15, 2006
1
7
155
Trip End
May 27, 2008
Huaraz,
Peru
Thursday, August 24, 2006
On the Monday I happened to chat to a student mountain guide at the Case de Guias who told me the company Iīd booked rock climbing with had a really bad reputation (Andean Kingdom)
Base of glacier
. I checked this with the staff at the hostel and they agreed so I went and cancelled and got a refund as I told them I was still sick which was true anyway. I hung out with a climber from Yosemite for the day and he was off to do Pisco on his own and offered to take me but I said no as Iīd still need to hire gear and I'd probably be way too slow plus I was still only 20%. I went to another agency and booked the 3 day trek up Pisco for tomorrow (5752m so was nice knowing you all). Bought a traditional Peruvian hat, the woolly ones with the ear covers and tassles either side (Kaj like the one you bought in NYC-they are 10 a penny here!). I look very silly in it but I really like it and was only 1.20 pounds so bargain for those cold nights (or days on air-conditioned buses). Today i went to the Pastoruri glacier but unfortunatly I paid for a tourist bus. We stopped off a a local cafe so they could try and sell you coca tea for the altitude and then stopped another 5 times so people could take pics of things that weren't of any interest really (Michael a bit like the tour we did to the capital city in Cyprus, most of the day on the bus!). The guide spoke only spanish but muct have been cracking some jokes on the bus as everyone except me was in tears. There were supoposed to be some cool ice aves under the gacier but we didnīt get to see them as by the time we arrived we only had 2 hours so got to the galcier, walked about 100 yards on it then turned back
Hostel Churrup Staff
. Spoke to a guy from Tokyo though on the hike up-he quit his job and has been travelling for the last 10 months round central and south america. On the way back we stopped at the cafe again and I didnīt bother getting off but was then approached by a Spanish woman who kept pointing at her leg and saying something I didn't understand. I had to explain I didn't understand her as i didn't speak much Spanish. We did then manage to have half a conversation though which was amusing and she had been trying to ask me if my legs hurt from the walk up the galcier as she was in some pain! Then a mother and her daughter joined in as the daughter had learned english at school. They couldn't believe I was travelling alone. They told me they had family in newcastle (who apparently own a castle with huge grounds and a forest!) and family who own a farm in Lindisfarne near Croft. They couldn't believe I didn't know their family so I had to explain England is quite a big country! The mother also said she had a son at Eton college in England which of course I had heard of! They started talking about how much they loved English Christmas cake and xmas pudding too! They told me they lived in Lima and the mother gave me her business card and said if I needed somewhere to stay to call them. They also invited me to a party at their house on Saturday but I will be on the night bus to Lima and won't arrive until the following morning which is a shame! I'm not stopping either so I won't be able to take up their offer on a room!Got an e-mail from the Moroccan girl I shared my flight to Miami with-sounds like I didī't do too badly with my luggage as hers didn't arrive for 3 days so sounds like the reason I didn't get my bag in Lima was because it didn't even make the first flight with me!
