5 Discoveries in 1 Week

1. Altitude sickness can get real bad

We were in the mountain town of Huaraz for a few days and despite sleeping for 6 hours after arriving plus loading up on mate de coco tea, Joachim still got ill that night at 3 a.m.

While he was feeling like death, I googled more info on how altitude can affect someone and found this on www.altitude.org:

I decided against reading it out because I didn’t want to panic him but I made the mistake of showing it to Mariano who obviously read it out. I suppose in retrospect, that was a good move because people deserve to know if they are in danger of death, hey? Lucky for Joachim and us, he survived the night.

2. If Nat Geo or History Channel ever did a piece on the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Dominic Casey would definitely win the lead role.

Dom was amazing when we got to Huaraz. Based on his 1 week knowledge of the town and its surroundings, he showed us around, took us bouldering and pretty much played the role of free tour guide. Because of that, we excuse the beard.

3. The strangest wtf toys come from China

We found this in the market in Huaraz. Mattel will never approve.

4. Guinea pigs look better as pets

Cuy, as they are called, are commonly eaten in the Andes and is, in fact, very good meat I’ve been told. Lean, nutritious and tender, there are many ways of preparing this lovable rodent.

5. When you think you can’t anymore, you always can… just a bit more

On our last day in Huaraz, we woke up at 5.30 a.m. to do a 6 hour trek (up and back) to Llaganuco lake 69, 4800 m above sea level. 1 nosebleed, a near exploding head, and what felt like ears that were trying to turn themselves inside out, I finally reached the peak ahead of everyone else…

Not. I was the last make it actually. But still, I am so glad that I did not turn back and it was definitely worth every bit of pain and blister because the lake, as my posh English friend Melissa would say, "was splendid."

Check out more pictures of the breathtaking region we were in. And to answer you disbelievers, Photoshop was not involved in this heart pumping affair.

So now, here we are in Lima, taking a few days to chill before Mel flies back to London on Wednesday and the rest of us continue on traveling. I love this city.

Pictures taken by Mariano when he's not busy making fridge poetry with Spanish magnets and a standard glass of wine.

To get to Llanganuco, you can take a taxi for 100 soles to the national park (entrance fee 5 soles) and back to Huaraz. Or you could go with a tour van which is what we did and cost us 40 soles each. No guide or maps needed; just water, chocolate and persistance.