Hello cielo.

Greetings from Huaraz. (Funny, a week ago I was staring across the Rio Grande at the hills of Juarez, today I'm staring at the hills of Huaraz.) Ben and I didn't take well to Lima, finding the central city sort of lacking and the suburbs that people fled to (Milaflores) plastic, so we jumped a bus North to the second highest mountain range in the world, or so they say, the Cordella Blanca.

Now, today, we finally feel like happy vacationers. We woke up in our lovely little room with view of mountains, enjoyed our lovely little breakfast, and went for a lovely little walk. We picked our way through the market feasting on street food, including fresh egg sandwiches, boiled quail eggs, and soft-serve ice cream dispensed from the back of a pickup truck, all costing less than 1 sole each (about $.35).

We hopped a cab to the edge of town and began walking toward some ruins. Up, up, up a bumpy dirt road, past every form of farm animal imaginable and a wide variety of dogs. The ruins were a bit of a disappointment, but no worries, the area was beautiful and the campesinos were warm and friendly. Ben pointed to a cross high on a hill and said, "let's hike up there." We asked directions from the locals and were on the trail- which went STRAIGHT up. My lungs were working their hardest in protest of the mix of altitude and breathing for 1 1/2, and it took quite a few stop-pauses before we hit the view. Boy, what a view. We only saw one group of three people on that trail the whole way - two Beloit College students and a fellow UW alum. On the descent, we tried to follow a trail back into town but the plan was foiled when the pathway was replaced by a 4' drainage ditch. We jumped in a collectivo and I shared a seat with a bundle of sweet grass, a freshly made wooden side table, and a bushel or so of potatoes.

Back in town, it was fresh sugar cane juice and hot churros from the street vendors, followed by freshly roasted coffee.

Vacation. Ben's taking the photos- here.