I left LaPaz for Huancayo on Sunday. It was a seven hour bus ride, up into the mountains. Along the way we passed the highest point in Peru, then descended into the Rìo Mantaro Valley. The weather is perfect in the Andean highlands. It's the dry season. . . warm sunny days and cool nights. Huancayo was a cool town. It had a wild west frontier kind of feel to it. . . complete with rowdy bars, gambling saloons, and and old train station. I found a nice place to stay in a house complete with kids, cats, dogs, and a parrot that would steal your food if you turned your back on it. Huancayo is located in one of the least visited areas in Peru, mainly because its not connected to anything else. When I leave here It will be mostly dirt roads for a while.
Huancayo:
The second day in Huancayo, I set out into the countryside. I had directions for a twelve kilometer hike from a small village to some Inca ruins on top of a ridge. The book gave terrible directions. I lost the trail several times. Everywhere I went I was greeted first with ¨Donde vas? (Where are you going?) and then Donde estas? (Where are you from). Apparently I didn't look like I grew up there. The locals were all very friendly and helpful, a lthough I suspect that Spanish was there second language. I had a tough time understanding what was being said when I asked for directions. At one point a group of children gave me directions to their village where there happened to be a festival taking place. I stopped there and had lunch with a few local guys. I finally made it to the ruins with just enough time to make it back down to the main road and catch a ride back to town before the sun went down. The ruins, built around 1200 consisted of a long row of stone structures built on top of a high ridge. Nobody knows what the were used for. Some speculate that Arwaturo was a military outpost as the ruins commanded a great a view of the vally below.
The hike began at this church in the village of Changos Bajo:
The second day in Huancayo, I set out into the countryside. I had directions for a twelve kilometer hike from a small village to some Inca ruins on top of a ridge. The book gave terrible directions. I lost the trail several times. Everywhere I went I was greeted first with ¨Donde vas? (Where are you going?) and then Donde estas? (Where are you from). Apparently I didn't look like I grew up there. The locals were all very friendly and helpful, a lthough I suspect that Spanish was there second language. I had a tough time understanding what was being said when I asked for directions. At one point a group of children gave me directions to their village where there happened to be a festival taking place. I stopped there and had lunch with a few local guys. I finally made it to the ruins with just enough time to make it back down to the main road and catch a ride back to town before the sun went down. The ruins, built around 1200 consisted of a long row of stone structures built on top of a high ridge. Nobody knows what the were used for. Some speculate that Arwaturo was a military outpost as the ruins commanded a great a view of the vally below.
The hike began at this church in the village of Changos Bajo:
Somewhere around here I lost the trail:
I thought this might be it. . . I´ll never know.
I asked these kids for directions. . . they spoke much better Spanish than most of the other folks I met along the way.
The festival:
Back on track again. . . I think:
Arwaturo ruins. . . I ended up in the right place:
View from the ruins:
3 comments:
Awesome!
Happy Birthday!
Hi again your really good at this blog thing! Im glad your taking so many pictures
those ruins are way cool! your trip to them sounds like a real adventure. i might have given up by then...... :)
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