Tales from the seat of our bikes...

Rejuvenating in Huancavelica

It took three days in Huancavelica before we felt we wanted to move on. There was a lot of eating to be done and in between times, things to see and do.

Today was a good example: Wake up. quinoa muesli, fruit and yog, big sandwich of avocado, tomato, cucumber and olives. Go for a walk up to Sanctuary del Señor de Orepesa for a great view over town. Second breakfast at cafe in the plaza, jo – hamburger, juice, Alan – desajuno Americano. Catch taxi up to historic mercury mine, walk back to town. Jo – apply pastry, tea and passion fruit pie, Alan – hamburger & juice. Hang out in room at Hostel Postada. Anticipate dinner…

Huancavelica is one of the poorer provincial capitals, and not often visited by gringos. It is a city of 40,000 and is rough around the edges but we have enjoyed our stay. What we have found all the way through these “off the tourist track” places is that people don’t treat you as a source of money as is what happens in the likes of Cusco, and you pay locals prices. As visitors we are still a novelty and as such, treated well.

Tomorrow we head off again, bikes are clean, as are we…

La Postada hostel, beside one of the 8 Spanish churches and plazas in the town

 

The Plaza de Armas (principal plaza)

 

The church door

 

At lunch time every day the military college runs around central Huancavelica, in time, chanting, and with a few calisthenics in the plaza

 

And today these littlies had a procession around the plaza

 

One of the three Aguas Thermales around town -just a shame the water isn’t warmer

 

But the run off from the pools is a great place to do the laundry. We checked to see if we could see our laundry being washed!

 

A breakfast stall

 

The view over the town from the Sanctuario

 

We wouldn’t have fitted our tent into this sanctuary

 

One of the towns characters

 

The old mercury mine that put the town on the map. It was one of the most important mines for the Spaniards, as the mercury was needed for the extraction of siver. Not operational now, and we didn’t see any two headed llama up there! The old church and village stands deserted in behind.

 

Historic colonial bridge in the nearby village

 

All the women knit in these parts – the street vendors, women walk around knitting, sit in doorways knitting. These women were a community knitting group making items to sell

 

And this was the fastest knitter of the group, and we got a smile out of her

 

Alleyway on our return to town

 

Our most visited shop…tea and a pastry for 80c

 

In need of a birthday cake?

 

Limon pie for Jo

 

Hamburger and juice for Alan, passion fruit tart for Jo

 

Alcohol puro – just what we want – but child left in charge is not selling!

 

Tales from the seat of our bikes...