South American Adventurers: Huaraz

Hello from Huaraz, one of the adventure capitals of Peru. Set high in the Andes (3091m) and surrounded by 5000+ meter peaks, Huaraz is a Mecca for climbers and mountaineers. Unfortunately we only have one free day here, as it is a place you could easily spend two weeks or so exploring the surrounding mountains. On this free day I decided to give rock climbing a go, so this morning headed just out of town for a beginners session. Good fun and although not the highest climb in the world (about 20 meters), some of the routes were quite challenging. As an added bonus, it also gave me an excuse to don the old lycra!

As mentioned last time, a few days ago we visited the ruined city of Chan Chàn and Huacas de la Luna (temple of the moon), a fascinating Moche pyramid dating from about 600 to 900 AD. Both sites were interesting, but because Chan Chàn was totally exposed to the elements for centuries, there is not a lot left so you have to use your imagination. Both sites are constructed out of Adobe clay bricks, so it is amazing that they have survived at all (not really a construction method suitable for wet and windy England). It was also interesting to see that the Chimu kings knew how to earthquake proof their mud brick palaces all those years ago. My interesting fact is that before the Spanish destroyed much of it looking for treasure, the Huacas del Sol (nearby temple of the sun) was the largest man-made structure in the western hemisphere, at 45 meters high. Not bad considering it is made out of mud!

Our base for visiting the two historic sites was Huanchaco, a touristy surf town on the coast. No time for surfing this time, but it was interesting to see the local reed boats in action. Half boat/half surfboard and apparently they only last a few months. I can maybe see why they did not catch on in the rest of Peru.

Back on the truck tomorrow for a long drive down the coast towards Lima. I have really enjoyed being back in the mountains and it will be a shame to return to sea level, but on the plus side it is not long until we return to the mighty Andes.

I hope everyone is well back home and please tell Norwich to win at least one more game this season. Home to Aston Villa would be good seeing as they pinched our manager last year.

Anthony