Llamas at 4100m !

The network of roads in Peru is organised as the head of a rake with a limited number of roads starting from the big coastal highway up the mountains. Traffic inland parallel to the coast (as we are trying to do) can be along a valley, or require crossing the lay of the land with big deep valleys, and then dirt roads higher up. Today we are riding high.

It's grey on our lovely laguna as we leave. We need to cross its outflow either through a deepish ford or across a narrow high and extremely decrepit concrete “plank”. Hmmm. Alice leads the way and takes her shoes off to cross the ford which after all is not so deep.

The rest of the day has wonderful views - but is very tiring, with consecutive ups and downs. The altitude record is broken several times 4000, 4150, 4240, and finally 4300m! We are probably acclimated by now :-).

At around 4100m, big news of the day.
WE FINALLY SEE LLAMAS!!! First a couple, later a little group, finally a whole group of white ones that have been shaved -- but maybe those are Alpacas? On this piece of good news, we take a brand-new road down an engaging valley and bivouac near the torrent.Read more