Huaraz, Peru - deserves a post all it's own

The Cordillera Blanca mountain range is stunning. While the town of Huaraz itself could use a facelift, you couldn't paint a prettier backdrop. We did two different day hikes in the mountains and, other than the cacti and dry conditions, the scenery reminded us of the Canadian Rockies in many ways - except at a much higher altitude. The first hike we did was to the massive Pastoruri Glacier at 5,000+ meters above sea level; luckily we drove much of the way stopping to check out the Puya plants and glacial watering holes before walking about 1.5 hours to the glacier.

The next day we braved a much more intense hike to the infamous "Lake 69". It was a difficult, 3-hour, 9km walk up to 4,600 meters but the beautiful scenery along the way helped to keep our minds off the diminished oxygen supply! We passed local huts, loads of livestock, massive waterfalls, glacier lakes & rivers and pretty flora. The unbelievable aqua lake is located almost at the top of the mountains and is a rewarding surprise after a difficult ascent.

not happy about that sun-spot...

Back in Huaraz we spent a day recovering from these back-to-back treks and did a little people-watching in the park; I just love the traditional dress of the Peruvian women (and the alpaca's!).

We met up with a few friends and took the lazy-man's way up to a lookout over the city - by taxi - then enjoyed a pink sunset from the rooftop of our hostel.

Huaraz was one of our favorite stops in Peru so far... maybe because it reminded us of home :)