During my second tour in the surroundings of Huaraz today, I found out that sometimes it is hard to distinguish whether a guide is telling you a fairy tale or the truth. A good example for this is the reason why the Cordillera Blanca and neighboring Cordillera Negra carry their names (which mean white and black mountain range respectively). One of the guides said this was due to the color of the stones found in each of the mountain ranges: one has white stones and the other black ones. The other guide told another story: he said the naming was because one has snow-capped peaks and the other doesn't. Both stories seem credible, but which is The Truth?
Anyway, the first stop on our tour was a spot where ice-cold water bubbled up from beautifully colored ground, made perfect by the mountains in the background.
One thing that bothered me, however, was that the guide claimed that the face of Christ could be seen on the mountainside. Sorry to all believers, but what a bullshit! Why should it be Christ, and not Manco Capac, or Evo Morales, or Julius Cesar, for that matter? This continent is exceedingly and irrationally catholic, if you ask me.
At the second stop, we could see a curiously shaped plant called Puya Raimondi:
And then, finally, we arrived at the base of Pastoruri glacier - or rather at the parking lot from where we had to hike uphill for 40 minutes to see the glacier. In itself, this sounds rather harmless, but consider this: the parking lot is at about 4800 meters of altitude, and the glacier between 5000 and 5200 meters. A new altitude record for me!
The glacier is extremely beautiful, but, sadly, melting at an alarming rate. In the past 35 years, it has lost more than one fifth of its size, says the Peruvian Times! So I'm really glad I got to see it while there is still something to see. Here are some more pictures:
Anyway, the first stop on our tour was a spot where ice-cold water bubbled up from beautifully colored ground, made perfect by the mountains in the background.
One thing that bothered me, however, was that the guide claimed that the face of Christ could be seen on the mountainside. Sorry to all believers, but what a bullshit! Why should it be Christ, and not Manco Capac, or Evo Morales, or Julius Cesar, for that matter? This continent is exceedingly and irrationally catholic, if you ask me.
At the second stop, we could see a curiously shaped plant called Puya Raimondi:
And then, finally, we arrived at the base of Pastoruri glacier - or rather at the parking lot from where we had to hike uphill for 40 minutes to see the glacier. In itself, this sounds rather harmless, but consider this: the parking lot is at about 4800 meters of altitude, and the glacier between 5000 and 5200 meters. A new altitude record for me!
The glacier is extremely beautiful, but, sadly, melting at an alarming rate. In the past 35 years, it has lost more than one fifth of its size, says the Peruvian Times! So I'm really glad I got to see it while there is still something to see. Here are some more pictures:
