¿Wanna get high?

A climb to end all climbs. We started at sea level, then drove up the Andes to a high point of 4100 metres, followed by a slight descend to 3100. We entered the town of Huaraz at 18:00, after twelve hours of driving. As this was New Year's Eve we gathered in the common room, eskie at the ready. The aussies had already had theirs some ten hours earlier, but us swedes rang in the new year at seven and the poms an hour later. However, the real celebration takes place locally, and off we trotted to our booked restaurant. As the bell tolled twelve, we watched as our resident junior pyrotechnician set off the fireworks, all while wearing our silly yellow party glasses. Efter midnight Huaraz city centre looked like a benevolent war zone; fireworks that had been dropped on the streets were neatly gathered together in burning bonfires, the street vendors were desperately trying to push their leftover party utensils (including, but not limited to, the yellow underwear Peruvians wear on new years night for good luck. It's a tradition, or an old charter, or something) and people were generally in a state of blissful disarray.In Huaraz area the Andes dominate the scenery, and it was about time to explore them firsthand. A full day trek to the glacier lake Laguna 69 in the stunning Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain range), which includes Huascaran, the tallest mountain in Perú and the second tallest in South America with its 6500 m peak. Starting the trek at some 3900 metres was hard enough, seeing that we were at sea level just two days earlier, but the real challenge were yet to come. Hiking constantly uphill is tiresome enough at low altitudes, but the 700 metre ascent by foot took it's toll. I might have been as tired as I've ever been, but when I finally reached the peak it was so worth the effort: The turquoise waters of Laguna 69, framed by the barren landscape and backdropped by snow covered mountain tops were a sight for your gods and my camera.The trek back was literally a walk in the park compared to the trek up. Not only was it downhill, but every step was one step closer to an altitude where oxygen was no longer something that happens to other people. With shaky legs and a full day's worth of excersise we took to what in Perú counts as roads, but to us (and especially us road designers and urban planners) were more like potholes interspersed with random chunks of asphalt. Three hours of avoiding the deepest voids later, and we were back at our hotel for a well deserved tomato soup dinner.BTW, Happy New Year!