Saturday, September 18
We wanted to go to these Incan ruins today so we waited a while for the combis (local mini buses) at the bus station. It never came so we shared a cab with a local Andean couple. On the ride I told them where we were trying to go to the Ruinas de Wilcahuain and the woman told Libby we were going the wrong way and the taxi driver stopped the car in the middle of the road between the town of Huaraz and Monterrey (8km away) and they all told us to get out and follow this trail right up this steep hill they were all pointing to off the road. So we did.
The trail went up and up for alomost an hour and we didn't really have a clue where we were going but the trail was beautiful tucked behind white eucalyptus trees and small houses. So we stopped at this house where two old men and one very old woman were outside talking. The old woman didnt respond to Libby. We think she was blind because she didnt seem to notice us. There were all these tiny puppies running around. A woman breastfeeding a young girl stood in the doorway smiling and laughing at us gringas wandering around in their backyard. The old man, Rudolfo, told us directions so we continued back up the so called trail. If we would pass someone in their yard, to make sure they wouldnt get freaked out we would ask them for directions, which way to the ruins.It was a beautiful trail.
We didnt pass many people, but those we sawe were mainly farmers. All were very nice and seemed confused as to why we were there. By this point, were were accustomed to being ñaughed at.- So we started to get into a more populated area another hour later and this blue VW bug comes puttin´ down the gravel road. He slowed down when he got next to us and we realized it was the same old man, Rudolfo, who had given us directions earlier. He laughed at us and told us we didn't know what we were doing and that he would drive us to where we could catch the combis to the Ruinas. So we got into his old bug and coasted down the road. He was really nice and took us all the way to the right bus stop. He was a retired math professor and he was so sweet!
The combis here are little vans that a million people cram into. When one that didn't look too crammed finally passed we got in and everyone was laughing at us and telling us where to sit. Libby crammed herself between this old man and woman and I sat on her lap. About 30 minutes of putting up this steep dusty hill, we got off at the ruins de Wilcahauin yay! we talked awhile with the guy collecting money for the ruins and his 8 yr old friend, Miguel followed us into the ruins and offered to give us a tour for a tip of course. He was so good. Without him the ruins would have just been a bunch of empty tombs. He described everything very well. He said he'd been doing this for 5 years now. So I don't know how old he was, but he looked really young, maybe 8. We left the ruins in another bus and went back to town. It's so cool here up in the country. It's just a bunch of farms, farmers, sheep, pigs, dogs, little kids and gravel roads. Everyone is so friendly.
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