Huaraz

Monday 9th May 2011

My bus from La Union arrived into Huaraz about 16:30.

I checked into ´Aldos Guest House´(30 Sols per night) and later went to an agency so see what there is to do around Huaraz (which seems to be quite a bit!) I decided to book myself on a tour for tomorrow and spent the rest of the evening walking around town.

More festival celebrations in Huaraz:

Tuesday 10th May 2011

I took a day tour to Lagunas Llanganuco (which passed through some small local towns such as Monterrey, Caraz, & Carhuaz).  More amazing scenery in the countryside around Huaraz.

The main sight of the tour was the Chinancocha Laguna which is a beautiful lake in the mountains.

Some friends from Lima I met on the tour:

We spent some time there before making our way back to Huaraz but first we stopped off in the town of Yungay (the original town was destroyed in 1970 by an avalanche and the entire 18,000 people in the town were killed in seconds). We got an opportunity to visit the ceremonial graveyard and temple.

There were numerous other day trips I wished I could have gone on from Huaraz, but I didnt have the time. Huaraz is also the starting point for alot of backpackers to go trekking in the Cordillera Blanca mountains (usually 4-5 day treks), but I only stayed a few nights in Huaraz as I wanted to get north as soon as I could.

Wednesday 11th May 2011

Alot of walking today. I got up early and walked all around Huaraz taking photos. I visisted the Archaelogical and Etnography Museum in the morning

... and later walked through the city centre taking photos

... and went to Jiron Jose Olaya street to see the old buildings which is the only street still intact from before the city of Huaraz was levelled in an earthquake.

I then continued on walking up to the Mirador de Retaqenua which has fantastic views over the city.

All day I came across so many processions of music and dancing throughout the town but as I was making my way back from the Mirador back into town I came across loads of traditional processions gathering around the plaza. I stayed here for a few hours watching the parades, the music and the traditional costumes.

Later that evening I met a German backpacker (Sebastian) and we decided to meet up later for a few beers in ´Extreme Bar´. Went on to a club later so it turned out to be a very late night .. but great fun.

Thursday 12th May 2011

I took a walk north of Huaraz and then caught a bus out to Wilkahuain (about 8km north of Huaraz) in the afternoon to see the small ruins, temple and also the museum.

The weather wasnt the best so I didnt stay too long before heading back into Huaraz. I went to the bus station and booked myself on an overnight bus leaving at 21:00 heading north to Trujillo (315 km, 9 hours).

Huancayo, Huanuco & La Union

Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Arrived early in the morning to Huancayo and checked into Hotel Los Balcones (45 Sols per night)

Spent the morning sleeping as I got no sleep on the overnight bus last night. Later I took a walk around the town.

Wednesday 4th & Thursday 5th May 2011

Today I walked north out of the city and headed up to Cerro de la Libertad which has a great view over the city.

Later I walked on further to Torre Torre .. which are strange rock formations which look like towers.

There seemed to be loads of street musicians in Huancayo all dressed in colourful costumes. I met some local people on my way back from Torre Torre and I joined them for a few hours drinking beer and taking it easy. Apparantly there are local traditional festivals happening every day and different music bands and communities have their own processions. Was a nice experience to be able to spend some time with these people.

Friday 6th & Saturday 7th May

I decided to head north to a town called ´Cerro de Pasco´ after leaving Huancayo. I arrived into Cerro de Pasco bus station about 19:00 and to be honest the place didnt look like much (as well as it been really cold as we are up in the highlands), so I managed to get a collectivo (shared taxi) which was going to Huanuco (2 hours) so I figured I would keep travelling north.

I arrived to Huanuco late that night and checked into Hotel Sosa (30 Sols per night)

It was Friday night when I arrived to Huanuco and I really wanted to head out on the town but unfortunately I seemed to be the only backpakcer in town. I spent the evening in some local bar on the square chatting away to some locals and later headed out to a local club which seemed pretty good. My Spanish desperately needs to improve before I´m able to hold a conversation with anyone.

Some pictures of Huanuco:

I spent Saturday relaxing in Huanuco and taking photos. I can´t say I done much in this town at all.

Sunday 8th & Monday 9th May

I checked out of Hotel Sosa hoping to travel to further north yo Huaraz but I soon found out there was no transport going directly so my only option was to go to La Union .. another town north of Huanuco and catch another transport from there.

I arrived into La Union after a 3 or 4 hour bus journey and checked into the Gran Hotel Alvardo (10Sols per night).

Some beautiful scenery on the journey from Huanuco to La Union on the bus.

There is really nothing to do or see in La Union .. except for the fact that I appeared to have arrived here in the middle of local processions ... more colourful costumes and music. I also seemed to be the only backpacker in town ... again!

Some photos of La Union:

I only stayed one night in La Union and on Monday morning I caught an afternoon bus to Huaraz .. where I really hope I will meet some more backpackers.

Lima

Saturday 23rd April

Arrived into Lima at 16:30 after such a long bus journey (20 hours more or less). Despite the long journey we took a taxi to Miraflores district and checked into Family Backpackers Hostel ... showered, changed and we hit the town for a good night out. We started off on Pizza Street (the main street with all the bars and restuarants in Mirflores) and later we headed on to a few clubs. Very late night!

Sunday 24th - Thursday 28th April

Neil was flying back to Dublin from Lima on Friday so we had a good few days to chill out, relax and explore Lima and of course have a few good nights out. On Sunday we went down to Barranco district but it was pretty quiet ... but we reckon it was becuase it was Easter Sunday. Met a nice crowd of backpackers from India down in Barranco so we had a few drinks with them .. then back to a Karaoke bar in Miraflores followed by a nightclub.

Over the next few days we spent alot of time relaxing in Miraflores. Our hostel was located only 1 block from the coast. We spent alot of time walking about Miraflores and down in ´Largo Mar´ which is only a short walk from Miraflores.

The Miraflores coastline:

Some photos of Miraflores & Largo Mar:

We also took a day to head into downtown Lima to see the sights.

We had several late nights out in Miraflores ... and spent most of our evenings down on Pizza Street in the restaurants and doing bar crawls before heading on to karaoke bars and clubs. A great few nights out.

Friday 29th April

Went to the airport this morning to say goodbye to Neil who was flying back to Ireland. Back travelling on my own again after 5 great weeks in Bolivia and Peru with Neil.

Saturday 30th April - Monday 2nd May

Fairly relaxing few days in Lima after alot of nights out during the week.

Walked alot around Miraflores looking at the traditional markets:

Visited the Parque de las Aguas which is a large park in Lima with loads of water displays and fountains.

Visited Huaca Pucllana .. a pyramid with historic ruins in the Miraflores district.

Went paragliding off the coast ... along the Miraflores promenade.Great experience.

On Monday night I took an overnight bus from Lima to Huancayo (29Sols, 300kms, 7 hours)