Barb and I made the decision to head to Peru for a look at a corner of Peru , up in the Andes considered the meca for stunning walks / treks or as we Kiwis say , tramping . From nz this involved flying to Santiago Chile , then up to Lima Peru .

We’ve given ourselves a month

We had 2 nights in Santiago to rest and recover from the night flight from Auckland which certainly helped with managing the time difference and jet lag . From Santiago it was a 3.5 hour flight to Peru , and country we have never visited

Arrived in Lima mid arvo on a mission to achieve one important thing before boarding a night bus at 10 pm for our final destination of Huaraz . We needed data SIM cards for both phones and this mission we successfully accomplished with time for dinner before our 10pm start . The distance is only 400 km but takes all night due to very bad condition road surfaces and the steep switchback climb into the Andes ranges .

In the wee hours of the morning we noticed the speed drop as we began the climb over the Conococha Pass at a whopping 4100 metres . One feels a certain unease as the body becomes aware that oxygen is not so easy to find . The toilet in the bus also suffered in the wee hours as one almost needed gumboots to avoid spilled pee on the floor . Barb held on ! . The last hour or so descended to Huaraz that sits at 3050 metres .

We found our Air bnb and in checking in we soon discovered that walking up any long series of stairways leaves one absolutely breathless . Acclimatising to altitude is a serious business and the challenge for the days ahead .

Huaraz is surrounded by impressive snow capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca home to the Andean Condors and Jaguars as well as Perus tallest peak , Mount Huarascan . This area is known as a great alpine climbing training place with stable weather in the dry season ( right now ) as is the place where the true story of Joe Simpson’s “ touching the void “ book came from . Simpson was climbing with a friend who was forced to cut the rope on which Simpson was dangling from . His fall into a deep crevasse is a remarkable survival account .

Now our mission is simple .. acclimate to altitude and hopefully go tramping