Hijinks in the Cordillera Blanca

The last week in Huaraz has been our most active yet. Our first jaunt was to Laguna 69, a crazily bright blue lake at 4500m above sea level surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It was the first properly high altitude walk we've done but none of us were ill, just really really knackered. Next day we started a three-day trek, with an agency this time, to some place none of us can ever remember the name of, but it sounds like Turbluhbluhhulahula. We had expected it to be a gruelling strenuous hike but happily it turned out to be the slowest walk we have ever done thanks to the pace set by our two guides. Joining us on our three days of ambling through the mountains were a French lady called Cecile and Andrea, a sarcastic German. Given that we finished walking pretty early each day and there wasn't much to do, most of our entertainment came from the swarms of cows that surrounded our campsite, followed us around, tried to steal our food, and ignored us when we threw rocks at them. So all in all a very good trek that took us to the highest we had ever been, a mountain pass at 17 thousand feet. The third and final day of walking was followed up by numerous free pisco sours at the agency's office then a slap-up filet mignon.
After an uneventful day of rest (during which we bought a lot of clothes, most of them made out of llama) we began our second organised hike, this time to a glacier-topped mountain called Villunaraju. The first day was short but HARD due to our very heavy bags (containing our usual hiking stuff plus harnesses, crampons, pots, pans, fuel and food), the steepness of the hill, the altitude, and the fact we were all wearing ski boots. We got to the campsite reasonably early where it became apparent just how much food our guide had brought along with us. Won't go into the details but it could have easily lasted a small village from now until we get back to England. For the rest of the day we slept, ate, and sheltered from hailstorms. Coincidentally, at the campsite we were reunited with Andrea our German friend who seemed to have already met everyone at the campsite.
Then at three o'clock the next morning we got up to begin the real ascent - roped up, slapped on the crampons and started our journey across the snow. We seem to have blanked most of the ascent from our minds but we all have similar impressions of amazing views (at least after the sun had risen), freezing hands, and extreme knackered-ness. When we eventually got to the top though - which is at nineteen thousand feet above sea level, setting a new record for the highest we have ever been - it was definitely worth it. We collapsed onto the snow, panted and ate chocolate while our guide got out his mobile and called a taxi. Unfortunately we couldn't stay too long because it was getting hot and we didn't want the glacier to melt before we'd had a chance to walk back down it. Needless to say the descent was a lot more enjoyable than the ascent and for the very last stretch we gave up on walking and just slid, which seemed like a good idea until Alex almost fell down a crevasse and Franklin almost brained me with his crampons. Once back at the campsite we handed Franklin over some presents and a cake to celebrate his NINETEENTH BIRTHDAY! Well we didn't have enough space in our bags for a cake and we couldn't find any candles so instead Alex got a doughnut and stuffed it full of matches. Franklin was less than thrilled with this but he liked his Swiss army card and his flask full of peach juice so that's okay.
We had been planning to make the whole trek last three days but seeing as how we were a lot quicker than expected we decided to forego another night of camping and made it back down to our original starting point by one o'clock of the same day. Only trouble was that our hostel was fully booked so instead we stayed at our guide's dad's "house" which was actually an unfinished and totally abandoned building that had two beds and some mattresses and a pornographic calendar and... that's it. Our bathroom had no door but at least the water worked. Anyway we were so amazingly shattered by this point that we didn't care where we stayed as long as there was a roof. That evening we went our for another decent meal with Andrea and Cecile, followed this up with a beer at a nearby bar, then crashed at our hostel. Bit of hassle when we couldn't remember exactly where it was but after a lot of wandering around and a failed attempt at breaking into someone else's home we made it.
And that is pretty much it. Off to Lima at ten thirty tonight to continue our Peruvian adventure!