Huaráz

Sunday 27th March 1988

I was cold and dying for a piss by the time that we passed through the Lake District-like scenery and into Huaráz. A group of tricycle taxis and a young tour tout met the bus. The youngster handed me an “Ice Tours” circular, and as there were no other prospective customers, led me to the Edward Inn.

Here I got a great clean room with a toilet and a shower for 200 Intis. There was a balcony with a good view out over the local pastureland and the surrounding hills. I had breakfast and went down to the Post Office to get some postcards.

There was a market run by colourfully dressed Indians selling meat, greengroceries and plasticware. In town there was a procession for Easter (Good Friday was on April Fool’s Day 01/04/1988 and Easter Sunday was on the third of April 1988). A band and a crowd of people armed with palm fronds surrounded a plastic effigy of Jesus and a grey donkey. Soldiers in flak jackets carelessly carrying their weapons were there to maintain order.

Above: View from the Edwards Inn in Huaráz.

I retired out of the sun into my hotel room to do some writing. At 16:00 hrs. I went out for a walk around the town to try and familiarise myself with the layout. I was hungry but no decent places seemed to be open. Only the local Indians were out on the streets, with their pleasant faces, black hats and colourful shawls.

Along the main drag there were a lot of pavement knitwear stalls as well as stalls selling bread and cheese. There also seemed to be a huge range of newspapers on sale, many with The Sun / Sunday Sport style “Girlie Sex Romp” layout.

I returned to my room to finish writing my postcards as the sun turned the clouds red as it set behind the hills. For my evening meal I decided to give the guinea pig a go. I went to the “Oh Que Rico” Restaurante which was set back from the main road at the end of a short alley.

Here I ordered Picante de Cuy and received a tiny side of rodent served with a mass of rice and potato. Two scruffy looking local youths came in and bought a litre of Pisco and a litre of Coca Cola which they mixed together in another empty bottle to produce two litres of Pisco and Coke to take away.

Pisco is a liquor with an alcohol percentage between 38% and 48%. It is very similar to brandy and is produced in both Peru and Chile. This incredible drink is the national drink of Peru and the pride of all the inhabitants of the Andean country. Pisco is part of the national spirit of Peru.

The drink is made in such a way that the fermenting wine distillation comes from the fresh must of about eight varieties of grapes. All in order to produce a kind of transparent and clear brandy. Besides, Peruvian pisco stands out for its traditional and artisanal preparation methods, so it tends to be a bit more expensive than the Chilean Pisco.

I walked north over the bridge and onto Avenida Centenario to investigate two night spots recommended by the South American Handbook 1988. The Paccchack Pub was dead. Maybe it was too early, and Freddie’s Tavern was not at the given address.

I browsed through the craft stalls on my way back to the Edwards Inn. I read my book for a bit and then took one last walk into town to confirm that everything was indeed dead. I went back to bed at 22:00 hrs., falling immediately into a much-needed sleep.