The Adventures of Andrew Maurer

I started the day by blogging and importing photos. It’s quite a pain trying to import photos from RAW into lightroom, export to jpeg, and then upload. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a laptop here, but no plausible ideas yet. I considered buying one here, but a netbook that costs $250 in Canada costs $600 here. I figure it would be worth it to continue trying, since it would mean being able to add pictures to the blog with much greater ease.

We met up with Brad and Skyler, two VOCers at the Plaza de Armas at noon. Brad injured his foot last week while downclimbing on a mountain and was in crutches. It was interesting hearing about their experience in Huaraz so far. We went for lunch for S5/person ($1.67) and toured the Mercado Central. We then decided that we would head to some hotsprings outside of town. I was the only one who didn’t have a swimsuit, so I found a one-size-fits-all swimsuit on our way for S5 ($1.67). I tried and failed to find anything cheaper. The pair I purchased are blue with yellow racing stripes down the side.

The hotsprings are located about 30 minutes outside of Huaraz. Either S1 for the pool, S2 for a private pool, or S5 for the caves. We went with the private pool option. It ended up being a bathtub/pool just large enough for the four of us. There were faucets connected to big pipes which allowed the hot water in. It wasn’t natural in the slightest, but we had a good time talking about climbing and mountaineering, and going through the Huayhuash book that Brad had brought.

We went back to town in a taxi that we bargained down to the same price as a collectivo, S2.5/person ($0.90) We all had churros (S0.50) and then Skyler and Alex had patatas rellenas (S1), potatos stuffed with egg, vegetables, and meat, then deep fried. We parted ways with Brad and Skyler and then went to a chinese restaurant for dinner. They’re everywhere in Huaraz! I had chicken fried rice, S6 ($2) and Alex had chicken with vegetables, S8 ($2.67). We also had 650mL beers for S5 each ($1.67). The portions were massive and we left content.