aventuras por a caballo

Greetings from Huaraz a sleepy town in the Andes where I have decided to begin my Peruvian adventure. Honestly I feel like I´ve been here forever... seeing as I found a hostel that makes great banana pancakes and an instant community (from Israelis to Welsh! no Americans yet, but for those of you who know me well...know this is perfect).

Yesterday a few of us started out quite early (well by Puruvian standards at least) with coffee at Cafe Andino-- the local gringo hangout where after 24 hrs everyone really does know your name. Gabrielle (the French Canadian) had the idea to climb out of the valley we are living in, but this time by horseback. Evelyn (the Dutch girl) had a hook-up and knew of this guy Don Mario who has a ¨stable¨ and could maybe take us riding... so Katarina (the Berliner) and I left our hostel without a shower (since the hot water was out again) and went to meet the group.

In order to cut out the tourist agency of this adventure we had to find the town and location of Don Mario ourselves. So off to find on a colectivo that would take us to Marcara. If you have never traveled in South American let me share with you what a colectivo really is. Take a mini bus that in the states would seat 10 maybe 12 max and here you pack in 25 people (I kid you not) and this morning we even had two Guinna pig stowaways (know as cuy, the local delicacy). People hop on and off in each small town while a guy hangs out the sliding door window trying to sell the non-existent seats left on the bus. And experience not to be missed!

So we jump off in Marcara where the woman on the bus swear Don Mario is to be found. The townspeople send us on a 20 min goose chase only to find out he is actually in a town 10K up the road. This time a taxi brings us up... the taxi also picks up a family of three half way of the road and they smush into the way back (totally normal by the way).

So before we liberated our taxi (the only one to be founds for miles) we find the infamous Don Mario at his ¨stable¨ (otherwise known as 5 horses tied to a tree behind the fruit market) in Chancos. We haggle down the price from 100 to 50 soles each and start on our way.
Five hours of winding our way out of the valley towards to snow peaked mountains through little indigenous villages was fantastic... and much worth the adventure of getting there. The way back was a little less dramatic... for me at least. I was not sitting smushed up next to a man who smelled like a mix of a pig farm and beer bottle. The two other girls were the lucky ones sidling up next for him for the 45 min ride back. Needless to say I gave Katarina the first shower when we returned.

Today I´m off to Lima to meet Becca and then we head to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Missing you all, but having a blast. Write me soon!

buenos dias,

Morgan