August 18th -2010

My eyes are heavy when I awake to the view of the Peruvian desert. I'm dropped by the side of the Panamerican, close to the town of Pativilca. From here a connecting road leads north east toward Huaraz, the mountain town and basecamp for people accessing the Cordillera Blanca.
I catch a ride to a gas station, from where I wait for a bus.
A nun sits with her old mother also waiting for the same bus.
We begin speaking and to my surprise the younger one speaks english.
On the bus two boys aged 7 and 10 take me as their new best friend. They show little interrest in the fact that I speak as an infant. Finally one goes back to his parents while the younger falls asleep on my bag.
We reach Huaraz after dark, and I decide to follow the nun and mother as they are also looking for a place to stay for the night. We find a small affordable hotel and go for dinner.
I'm told that they have made the journey to visit a hotspring which is suppose to be good for arthritis. They will go the following day and ask if I'd like to join them - as I have nothing to do I gladly accept. A strage looking crowd we must have been - the mother, one of the shortest living people, a nun and gringo danish...