14th. so today taxi to the coach station longing to end this dependence on timetables and get on a bike but instead in a luxury bloody coach for 1 and 1/2 hours out of Lima (population 10 million )then through a filthy desert a real downer. tiny huts and chicken sheds ,great long things, we think and blown dirt gradually covering everything up again . after three and a half hours we left the coach coast and started climbing .4 hours late later of abject luxury front seats top floor we are looking at snow-covered Peaks . we have let the air out of the travel cushion twice and Susie’s hand cream exploded in her face .We are following a large river along the plateau and having being close to the snow line are now dropping presumably into Huaraz going through yet another toll station and even here with nothing around women and children are trying to sell a scone and Sweets. oh no another 43km to go my God we are going to remember this bus very fondly .

Huaraz. Well it’s pretty damned big we really liked it. The women really are tiny wrinkled and Dark and really do wear stovepipe hats and frilly skirts knitted cardies and identical black leather shoes. Unless you try and start a conversation with them you remain pretty much ignored. It’s cheap and honest and the squares have nuns in them. One of whom is nursing a newborn baby , strangely.