Friday, Huancayo Weekend
On Friday night we celebrated with Ruthy [Marcelo's sister] at this really nice place in Miraflores. When I say nice, I mean she paid 300 soles [or was it $200? I can't remember now. I remember thinking it was a lot of money!] upfront to both reserve the space and to pay for a couple rounds of drinks. They're a very popular place. So popular that if your entire party doesn't show up by 10:45 that they'll keep your deposit and either move you to a smaller space or simply ask you to get out if there isn't any more room. Ruth was stressing because people were not arriving on time... but luckily she stalled the head honcho by saying that people were 5 minutes away. She called enough of her friends that we had enough people before it got too late.
Ruthy's Birthday Party
Marcelo and I ducked out of the party early [only two drinks each] so that we could pack our bags and get some sleep. We had to catch a bus around 7AM the next morning to go to Huancayo for a couple days of tourism. Marcelo grew up in Huancayo but hadn't been back in the last 5 years. He went to highschool and is attending college in Lima.
It was a 6 hour bus ride through the Andes to a valley where Huancayo sprawls. I got altitude sickness and I was really tired from not sleeping enough after Ruth's party so I felt like I was dying and couldn't fall asleep on the trip there. Also. Using a bathroom on a double decker charter bus heading up into the mountains is a really interesting experience. I recommend it to everyone. Watch out for the soap. Since the bus is climbing thousands of meters into the heavens, there's bound to be some pressure issues.
We got a room at the Hotel Olimpico on the main square of Huancayo. I crashed and had a major migraine and Marcelo wasn't feeling so great either. I slept all afternoon, evening, and into the early morning. What Marcelo didn't mention or possibly forgot is that every single Sunday there's marching in the town square. It's usually a small affair and just parents come out to watch their kids and the military officials do their marching... but not this weekend. Monday was the anniversary of the city's founding so it was a much larger event. This is what I saw outside my window before 8 AM.
Sunday Morning Wake-up Call
Those are kids in hardhats, by the way. All the schools are boys or girls only and many of them are geared towards a particular path later -- so kids who attend one school that is for math and engineering will get more credits toward college and experience when they go to look for jobs.
Coca tea is a yummy way to start the day. Yes, coca tea. As in coca plant. As in cocaine. It also helps with altitude sickness. Hooray!
We crossed the main square in the morning to head to the bus station to buy our tickets back to Lima on Monday. On our way we ran into some women selling seats for a tour line. We grabbed a flyer and discussed it on the way to get our tickets home. Since I still didn't feel well and couldn't catch my breath, we decided taking the van tour would be better than going hiking.
Sunday's 8 Hour Tour
We left Huancayo and headed north and west through the valley. We made a stop in a small town where a lot of touristy stuff is made. They showed us some looms and some really funny pottery. They explained how the different dies were made. Berries and Bugs, oh my.
We continued along the edge of the valley and along the sides of some hills to Laguna de Paca. It was a very beautiful place with lots of legends. This is a picture of the peak that they call the sleeping Inca. Do you see the Inca?
One such legend is that there was once an extremely rich town where the lake is now. A god changed his shape and walked among the people and begged for food and a little hospitality. No one gave it to him except a very poor woman with a small child. He told this woman to leave the town quickly and to not look back. A loud drumming began and the woman escaped the town. The god washed away the city. The woman looked back when she heard the screams of the townfolk and she and her child were turned to stone on the spot.
Another legend is that when the Inca were gathering the gold to send to the capitol to buy off the Spaniards, much of the gold from the region was sunk in this lake. It's thought to be cursed because many men die each year trying to reach the bottom. Strangely enough, they say that no woman has ever drowned in this lake.
We went out onto the water in a small boat powered only by a man with a couple large oars. [No, Marcelo didn't paddle us out there. The boatman had us pose for pictures.]
We got back in the van and headed up into the mountains to Ingenio. There's a fish farm there and lots of beautiful restaurants on the water. They call little stops like this either recreos or recesos. Marcelo isn't here to remind me. One thing about Peru that some people make fun of is the large produce. Remember this episode of South Park? Large meaning corn kernels larger than nickels:
This particular restaurant has the river running through it. There are several small bridges in the middle of this outdoor restaurant. Just a few feet away the water splashes down small cataracts.
Before we lost all the sunlight for the day, we visited the Convento de Ocopa near Santa Rosa. You should check out this. They've actually cut down the trees on the first peak leading into the mountains to look like a cross. It looks silly on the satellite view but from the Convent it looks really awesome.
We stopped in San Jeronimo to see how silver workers make the filigree jewelry and to check out a silver shop. It was really awesome. And since I'm a snowflake in a coalmine, the shopowner's tiniest daughter kept swooping by and poking at me. She was really cute but really distracting. She kept pinching my leg and my butt and then diving behind furniture.
On Monday morning we got up at a decent hour but I was still not completely well so we stayed in Huancayo. Waking at a decent hour only happened because Monday is Huancayo's founding anniversary. Which means loud marching bands that stop traffic and wake the dead! And all this started in the main square where the hotel is.
We went to the Parque del Cerro de la Libertad. This is a hilltop/cliffside park that includes a zoo. Marcelo used to play there as a child nearly every weekend -- his grandparents' own a property a block or two away. He says that it's a lot nicer now that it was then.
Midday at the Park + Zoo on the hill... OH. I MEAN THE ANDES.
I felt like I couldn't leave Peru without a picture with some al paca butts. Here ya go:
We then went to the Parque de la Identidad Wanka -- this park is awesome. These photos don't do it justice.
Outdoor Restaurant at Identity Park
Identity Park Entryway
Balcony
Here's some more photos that other people took of the park.
We went to a mall that Marcelo didn't know existed and saw a movie to waste time until our 11:45PM bus ride back to the coast. Angels and Demons is a very entertaining movie but very predictable during some parts. I haven't read the books so I have no idea how it is in that respect.
It's Tuesday night now and I'm really, really tired. Being a tourist is hard work.
EDIT: And tomorrow is my first day of classes! Eep!
Ruthy's Birthday Party
Marcelo and I ducked out of the party early [only two drinks each] so that we could pack our bags and get some sleep. We had to catch a bus around 7AM the next morning to go to Huancayo for a couple days of tourism. Marcelo grew up in Huancayo but hadn't been back in the last 5 years. He went to highschool and is attending college in Lima.
It was a 6 hour bus ride through the Andes to a valley where Huancayo sprawls. I got altitude sickness and I was really tired from not sleeping enough after Ruth's party so I felt like I was dying and couldn't fall asleep on the trip there. Also. Using a bathroom on a double decker charter bus heading up into the mountains is a really interesting experience. I recommend it to everyone. Watch out for the soap. Since the bus is climbing thousands of meters into the heavens, there's bound to be some pressure issues.
We got a room at the Hotel Olimpico on the main square of Huancayo. I crashed and had a major migraine and Marcelo wasn't feeling so great either. I slept all afternoon, evening, and into the early morning. What Marcelo didn't mention or possibly forgot is that every single Sunday there's marching in the town square. It's usually a small affair and just parents come out to watch their kids and the military officials do their marching... but not this weekend. Monday was the anniversary of the city's founding so it was a much larger event. This is what I saw outside my window before 8 AM.
Sunday Morning Wake-up Call
Those are kids in hardhats, by the way. All the schools are boys or girls only and many of them are geared towards a particular path later -- so kids who attend one school that is for math and engineering will get more credits toward college and experience when they go to look for jobs.
Coca tea is a yummy way to start the day. Yes, coca tea. As in coca plant. As in cocaine. It also helps with altitude sickness. Hooray!
We crossed the main square in the morning to head to the bus station to buy our tickets back to Lima on Monday. On our way we ran into some women selling seats for a tour line. We grabbed a flyer and discussed it on the way to get our tickets home. Since I still didn't feel well and couldn't catch my breath, we decided taking the van tour would be better than going hiking.
Sunday's 8 Hour Tour
We left Huancayo and headed north and west through the valley. We made a stop in a small town where a lot of touristy stuff is made. They showed us some looms and some really funny pottery. They explained how the different dies were made. Berries and Bugs, oh my.
We continued along the edge of the valley and along the sides of some hills to Laguna de Paca. It was a very beautiful place with lots of legends. This is a picture of the peak that they call the sleeping Inca. Do you see the Inca?
One such legend is that there was once an extremely rich town where the lake is now. A god changed his shape and walked among the people and begged for food and a little hospitality. No one gave it to him except a very poor woman with a small child. He told this woman to leave the town quickly and to not look back. A loud drumming began and the woman escaped the town. The god washed away the city. The woman looked back when she heard the screams of the townfolk and she and her child were turned to stone on the spot.
Another legend is that when the Inca were gathering the gold to send to the capitol to buy off the Spaniards, much of the gold from the region was sunk in this lake. It's thought to be cursed because many men die each year trying to reach the bottom. Strangely enough, they say that no woman has ever drowned in this lake.
We went out onto the water in a small boat powered only by a man with a couple large oars. [No, Marcelo didn't paddle us out there. The boatman had us pose for pictures.]
We got back in the van and headed up into the mountains to Ingenio. There's a fish farm there and lots of beautiful restaurants on the water. They call little stops like this either recreos or recesos. Marcelo isn't here to remind me. One thing about Peru that some people make fun of is the large produce. Remember this episode of South Park? Large meaning corn kernels larger than nickels:
This particular restaurant has the river running through it. There are several small bridges in the middle of this outdoor restaurant. Just a few feet away the water splashes down small cataracts.
Before we lost all the sunlight for the day, we visited the Convento de Ocopa near Santa Rosa. You should check out this. They've actually cut down the trees on the first peak leading into the mountains to look like a cross. It looks silly on the satellite view but from the Convent it looks really awesome.
We stopped in San Jeronimo to see how silver workers make the filigree jewelry and to check out a silver shop. It was really awesome. And since I'm a snowflake in a coalmine, the shopowner's tiniest daughter kept swooping by and poking at me. She was really cute but really distracting. She kept pinching my leg and my butt and then diving behind furniture.
On Monday morning we got up at a decent hour but I was still not completely well so we stayed in Huancayo. Waking at a decent hour only happened because Monday is Huancayo's founding anniversary. Which means loud marching bands that stop traffic and wake the dead! And all this started in the main square where the hotel is.
We went to the Parque del Cerro de la Libertad. This is a hilltop/cliffside park that includes a zoo. Marcelo used to play there as a child nearly every weekend -- his grandparents' own a property a block or two away. He says that it's a lot nicer now that it was then.
Midday at the Park + Zoo on the hill... OH. I MEAN THE ANDES.
I felt like I couldn't leave Peru without a picture with some al paca butts. Here ya go:
We then went to the Parque de la Identidad Wanka -- this park is awesome. These photos don't do it justice.
Outdoor Restaurant at Identity Park
Identity Park Entryway
Balcony
Here's some more photos that other people took of the park.
We went to a mall that Marcelo didn't know existed and saw a movie to waste time until our 11:45PM bus ride back to the coast. Angels and Demons is a very entertaining movie but very predictable during some parts. I haven't read the books so I have no idea how it is in that respect.
It's Tuesday night now and I'm really, really tired. Being a tourist is hard work.
EDIT: And tomorrow is my first day of classes! Eep!