The center of the small town of Caraz was so compact that we soon found our regular spots for lunch soup, delicious blueberry tarts, and evening flatbread (cachanga) with coffee.

We deliberately took plenty of time to prepare for our eight-day hike (interrupted by a shopping trip). This meant we spent an entire day gathering our provisions from the countless market stalls, printing out a paper map just in case, and packing our backpacks. I also packed my newly purchased alpaca wool socks for the cold nights at high altitude. On the morning before we set off, the hostel’s neighbor delivered the tamales we’d ordered right on time at 6:30 a.m. They were still hot and smelled heavenly. With that, we really had everything ready, and we were good to go!

The walk to the bus station took us through the colorful weekly market. I could hardly take my eyes off the carefully arranged vegetable displays and the indigenous women with their colorful carrying cloths and embroidered hats. So it didn’t bother me at all that we had to wait a while until enough passengers had gathered to fill the shared taxi. In the minibus, we drove about half an hour up the mountain to the starting point of our hike in Cashapampa. Before we set off, we treated ourselves to some soup at the mountain inn and watched as caravans of donkeys arrived and were loaded or unloaded with luggage. The first few days of our planned route took us along the Santa Cruz Trek, a very popular multi-day hike that is often undertaken by organized groups with the help of pack donkeys.

We were our own pack animals and carried the heavy backpacks up the mountain ourselves. David set a pleasantly leisurely pace on the way up, a quality I didn’t even know David had😊. The tamales we had for lunch were delicious, and a cow was happy to eat the corn husks they were wrapped in. In the early afternoon, we reached a wide valley with a great view of the snow-capped mountains. The first official campsite was too crowded for us, so we hiked a few kilometers further and found a pleasant spot to pitch our tent sheltered by bushes. Very satisfied with our first day of hiking, we set up camp, filtered water, and cooked our instant noodles for dinner. After the first few bites, David was overcome by a bout of nausea. That put a damper on the evening’s mood. David’s unpredictable stomach left us both at a loss. Could it have been the change in altitude this time? We’d actually love to plan the rest of our journey with joy and confidence, but this way, nothing is fun or makes sense.

The breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery couldn’t cheer me up the next day. So I walked behind David, lost in thought and saying little. Some donkey drivers provided some relief when we gradually gave them our surplus of tamales. Luckily, the people here aren’t picky and are happy to accept unpackaged food from strangers’ backpacks😊. After our lunch break, we had the choice of spending the night at a relatively low elevation of 4’200 meters or tackling the 4’750-meter-high Punta Union Pass and descending as far as possible on the other side. We opted for the second option, which turned out to be a long day. The 500-meter climb took us more than two hours. Interestingly, it wasn’t shortness of breath that held us back, but rather a lack of strength in our legs, so we had to take many breaks. After taking a few photos at the pass, the descent was much easier than expected though still long. By the time we arrived at our planned campsite, I was pretty exhausted and doubted I’d have the strength to make it through the remaining six days of hiking. But David managed to cheer me up so much that I set off the next morning feeling confident and motivated.

After we’d covered the first few meters of elevation gain on the less-traveled trail toward Jancapampa, David started feeling unwell again. He was tense, nervous, and still had no appetite. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to return to the Santa Cruz Trek route and shorten the planned eight-day loop hike to three days. Bummer! The weather made our early turnaround a bit easier, as it started raining upon our arrival in the little village of Vaceria. We would have liked to take a short break here and have a drink, but a kind lady had held up the only bus of the day just for us. So we didn’t think twice and hopped on. In sunny weather, the drive over the pass with its countless switchbacks would have been truly spectacular. As it was, we were just glad to be sitting in the dry and not having to pedal along the muddy road. Given the rain, we decided against visiting Laguna 69 and instead had ourselves driven directly to Yungay on a four-hour ride. From there, we took a shared taxi back to Caraz at breakneck speed.

Fortunately, despite our unexpected return, there was still a room available at our hostel. We stayed another three nights at this friendly place until we both felt better and had decided on our next route. Because of the Peruvian national holiday, prices for lodging in the nearby town of Huaraz had skyrocketed. So a detour was in order😉.

We took it easy on our first day of cycling. After just 15 kilometers, we made a longer stop in Yungay to visit the Campo Santo memorial. It honors the 25’000 people who lost their lives in 1979 as a result of an avalanche triggered by an earthquake. But aside from souvenir stands and selfie spots, there was only an extremely superficial museum to see. A shame for a tragedy of this magnitude! In a five-minute online search afterward, we found more in-depth information and moving accounts, such as this podcast (in German).

We stopped for lunch in Carhuaz, and from there began our five-day ride over three high mountain passes. The most spectacular scenery was undoubtedly provided by the 4’740-meter-high Punta Olímpica, with its countless switchbacks and views of the glaciated mountains. But the panorama from the chapel on Abra Huachacocha and the view back down the descent to Catac were also impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the (sometimes bumpy) ride through the mountains, camping, and being on the road, and were glad that we’d gotten back on track after the disappointing hike. And what are a few unpredictable stomach problems that sometimes throw a wrench in your plans? During those days, we received a WhatsApp message from Corine and Erwin. We’d met the Swiss cycling couple a few times in Canada, got along great, and had stayed in touch ever since. They were about two months ahead of us and were cycling through Bolivia when they were hit by a car and seriously injured. Tragically, their journey ended with a repatriation flight on the Rega jet. We wish you the very best from the bottom of our hearts and hope you recover quickly, Corine and Erwin!

So we had absolutely no reason to be upset about missing out on anything or having to take another forced break! This time, the break was due to the worn-out bearing in David’s hub dynamo. It had become noticeable a few weeks ago with an uncomfortable wobble in the front wheel. While looking for a replacement, we asked in a WhatsApp group if anyone was flying to Huaraz in Peru. And luckily, Tamara and Simon, our other Swiss cycling friends, had a friend visiting them in Huaraz. He was kind enough to bring us a replacement dynamo from Switzerland. A huge thank you to Sven, Tamara and Simon! The three of them had left the spare part at the Tambo Cyclists’ Hostel in Huaraz, so all we had to do was pick it up and have it put in.

To spare ourselves the hectic bike ride into town, we decided to take a bus instead. So we asked at the police station in Catac if we could store our bikes and luggage there for three nights. A nice policewoman offered us her bedroom as a storage space. It wasn’t until we said goodbye to her that we understood that she was now on a four-day vacation and we wouldn’t be able to pick up our things until she returned. Oh well.

With fresh clothes and David’s front wheel, we took a minibus to Huaraz, a trip of about an hour. There, somewhat against my will, we settled into the Tambo Hostel. I dreaded the many cyclists who feel the need to outdo each other with the coolest routes, the most adventurous stories, and the most sophisticated gear. But it wasn’t that bad, because without our bikes we were incognito and could choose whether or not to join in on the discussions.

We took David’s front wheel, along with the new hub dynamo, to a mechanic who seemed reliable and professional. Within a day, he removed the spokes from the old hub and re-spoked the new one. His work cost a whopping 20 soles (about 5 francs), plus an additional 50 soles for a bottle of chain lube from Europe😉. Wow, what great service!

Now we’re sitting on the balcony of our lodging, writing these lines, and later we’ll take a stroll through the streets of Huaraz.