After our time in the lovely desert hills of Cieneguilla, it was time to head north to the Andes mountains – specifically the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range).

We had a 2 hour drive to the Lima airport and it was very different than the drive in had been. There was so much traffic and activity the whole way there. Children were walking to school, people were sweeping the sidewalks in front of their shops, and street vendors were setting up shop. A lot of the little breakfast stands had plastic stacking chairs beside their cart where people were sitting to eat their breakfast.

I soon decided that to live in Peru, you would not only have to learn Spanish and Quechua, but also the proper way to use your horn while driving. Our driver did a good job communicating with his.

After arriving at the airport and paying our driver, we grabbed some breakfast, coffee, and fresh juice. When we got to our gate, the screen said last call, which was a first for us. Apparently they like to get boarding wrapped up early.

A little over an hour later we landed in Huaraz, which is the tiniest airport either of us have ever been in. We deplaned outside and walked through the building to use the bathroom then walked right back out. We were glad we had already booked an Uber because as soon as we walked outside there was a whole group of men heckling us to take their taxis. Most of the way to our waiting car I had to keep saying “No, gracias. No, gracias.” Maybe I should just have skipped the gracias part. 

Our driver was speedy and got us to Caraz in under an hour. We are staying in Caraz for the rest of our time in Peru, which I think was a lovely choice.

Kelly (the innkeeper) grew up in Montana, but has lived here for around 20 years and owns a beautiful inn. There are around 8 private rooms, a whimsical garden with all kinds of vegetables and flowers, and homemade shampoos and soaps to use and buy. There is a chef on staff to cook breakfast and dinner for us, what seems to be a gardener/groundskeeper, an herbalist who makes soaps and cleans the rooms, and two other assistants with an unknown job description. They are all so kind and happy to help us plan our outings and tell us fun facts about the area.

We were tired out when we got here, and had a hike scheduled for the morning so we went to bed early.

Through my open window I can hear the stream running and believe it will put me right to sleep despite the noisy game of basketball going on next door.

x Ella