The Backroads of Peru to Cuzco: Part III

Leaving Huaraz was actually quite pleasant seeing that the road was actually paved and in quite good condition. Amazingly, this continued all the way to Huallanco which used to be called Huanuco, which is about 5 hours away from the place currently called Huanuco, although I´m not sure what that used to be called. As if that weren´t confusing enough there is also a Huancayo, a Huancavelica, Huallanca, Huari, Huaraz, Caraz, Carhuas, and Sihuas, all nearby the Cordillera Blanca. And that isn´t even mentioning, Pomabamba, Piscobamba, Tayabamba, Cajabamba, Bambamarca, and Cajamarca, the names just go full circle with various permutations of similar sounds and it is terribly confusing to keep them all straight. Nevertheless, my journey to Cuzco through the mountains continues with a five hour bus ride from Huaraz to La Union, an hour past Huallanco (Huanuco).

 

Shortly after leaving the limits of Huaraz the bus made its way south of most of the snow capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca and then turned east to cross the mountains. The bus was stopped at a police checkpoint right next a sign welcoming us to the high altitude zone and warning of the effects of altitude. The sign was certainly justified as the bus wound its way around high altiplano across some desolate uninhabited lands up to heights of around 15,000 feet. As we crossed this beautiful landscape there were high mountains with snow dotting the tops of the rocky peaks and then dozens of waterfalls flowing off the rocky faces down into the grass covered lower slopes. As we descended from the highest elevations we passed some small scale coal mines with hand-fashioned corrugated metal sheets funneling the black gold from up in the mountains and down to piles near the side of the road. Descending even further finally came to Huallanco, which still had thatched roof buildings on the main streets, and we had to wait for the kids to disrupt their game and take down the volleyball net that spanned the road the into town. Apparently there isn´t much traffic this way. After this the paved road faded to dirt for another hour to La Union. I can´t really figure out why the road was paved this far anyways, it didn´t seem heavily trafficked or to really lead anywhere desirable for many people. Anyways, La Union is a small town that has some ruins nearby and a big sun festival in the middle of July, but other than that doesn´t see any tourist traffic. From La Union it was another 5-6 hours to Huanuco, this time the scenery wasn´t quite as spectacular as the previous rides as we were descending all the way down to 6,000 feet. However, it did get a lot wetter and muddier for a while, before drying up closer to Huanuco. We passed lots of small towns, many had big schools that seemed to be abandoned, and many kids hanging around the streets with nothing to do, that is if they weren´t bombarding our bus at every stop and trying to sell choco (giant kernal corn), sodas, or nuts. It appears as if the economy has taken a downturn and the schools can no longer afford to operate in these rural areas. This wasn´t the case in Huanuco, as the city had a large university that seemed to be teeming with life and five thousand students.