Anyway, I had enough time to stay around for a couple of days and visit some places on day trips from my base in Huaraz, the regional ‘mountain-city’ capital.
Some sights are presented below:
Huaraz is located next to the mountains and is a relatively new city. An earthquake in 1970 almost wiped out the whole capital and few buildings remained intact. Most of it was completely reconstructed in a more modern way.
This is the city's main square, and to the very right in the picture, one can get a glimpse of the ruined cathedral, still today being renovated while it is leaning over the plaza like an ancient skeleton, illustrating the city's dramatic history.
More dramatic events occured in the town Yungay, an hour or so from Huaraz. In the 1970 earthquake, an avalanche was released from the nearby snow-capped volcano and almost all of the town's 18000 inhabitants were buried in granite and ice. Only 3-5 metres below the ground, the old town centre was located and the area is today a park and a cemetery. The big rock in the picture is actually not a rock but a piece of the crushed cathedral tower.The new Yungay has been re-built a short distance away, off the avalanche path.
In a glacied valley, the lake Chinancocha glows with a bright turquoise hue and the setting, surrounded by snowcapped mountains in clouds. is magic.
The central square in Caraz, the second largest town in the area after Huaraz, is also worth a visit. Caraz has fortunately survived many earthquakes and landslides and many backpackers come here to go trekking in the mountains.
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