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Market morning in Huaraz seemed to be a time for socializing and for a
group of local pigs to sneak a snake of drying wheat. I guess even
they realized the need for a diet rich in fiber.
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| The
Cordilleras Blanca and Negra |
The Cordillera Blanca that closes in the east side of the valley that
Huaraz lies in seemed to be bathed in continuous sunshine (left
side). The Cordillera Negra (right side), on the other hand,
seemed to be aptly named with isolated, lonely farm buildings under the
brooding mountains.
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| Returning
from a fiesta, road to the coast from Huaraz |
As we began to drop down from the high pass over the Cordillera
Negra, we came upon this group of revelers returning from a fiesta.
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| The
west side of the Cordillera Negra |
The last human settlements on the west (ocean) side of the Cordillera
Negra were at about the 2700 meter level. That was also the level
at which natural vegetation all but disappeared. Between there and
the coast the road descended steeply through increasingly dry and barren
terrain.
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| Shepherdess
and Drying Chili Peppers |
As we neared the coast we saw in the distance incongruous colored
patches of deep reds, oranges, and blacks like paint streaks on the
light colored desert sand. When we got closer we saw that these
patches were made up of enough drying Chili papers to give heartburn to
the entire Peruvian population.
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