we leave Lima behind

Hello friends,
Yes, we made it out of Lima! The house was cleaned, the family said goodbye, and as a thank you to the fruit vendor who parks her motorcycle in our yard, we also went to the right terminal.
There are about 12 buses lined up here, all heading to HUANCAYO. There are some people in front of each bus, loudly advertising the best offer. 25 soles. We wait a little longer, after half an hour it costs only 20 and we get on a green bus. We leave around ten o'clock and should arrive around six o'clock in the morning. But since there is heavy rain, we have to make a stop soon and wait for about 3 hours. The bus feels like a sauna, no one tells us why or how long we have to wait here, people are becoming restless, babies are crying... maybe we didn't choose the best bus. We can sleep a little, but every time we open our eyes, nothing has changed. Well, as often happens here, just wait. After a 17-hour instead of 8-hour bus ride, we finally reach Huancayo. We jump into a taxi and quickly find affordable accommodation. In the courtyard, there are two black cats, a small monkey, two birds, and something similar to a squirrel. Our room is about 3 square meters and everyone else who visits this hotel only does it for 2-3 hours to meet up with their girlfriends.
We spend as little time as possible in the room because it doesn't invite you to stay. Loaded with threads and beads, we go to the square every day, sit in the sun, and start knotting. Interested people keep coming by and we chat with them. In the evening, we go on our rounds and sell our bracelets. It's really fun to get in touch with people, have a little fun, and also make some money!
On the way home, we have a delicious OTONGO, one of the tastiest meals on the whole trip. It is sold by the mamitas on the street and tastes like Germknödel, with a dollop of raw brown sugar on top - yes, it almost tastes like in a ski hut. We make another stop at another mamita who sells 'yuyo with juno'. A dish that is very similar to chard with potatoes, but still something unique mmmmhhh
Here in Huancayo, it is quite cold, it rains from time to time, and we put on everything we have so that we don't freeze!

After a few days, we make our way to HUANCAVELICA, a small town located at an altitude of .....m in the middle of the mountains. For the first time, we are traveling by train. The route is beautiful, we are driving next to a wild river in the midst of the mountains. The route reminds me a lot of Switzerland. The train stops from time to time, but then it continues, why is unknown. Occasionally, we stop in small villages where women and children (yes, there are really many children here who work ) get on the train to sell delicacies! The landscape is really impressive, and once again, I realize that I am really enthusiastic about Peru. We arrive in Huacavelica at lunchtime. It's raining a little, we set off and look for accommodation, hey this time a room with a window! We stroll through the streets, across the main square, and treat ourselves to some good food, then we sleep properly - I think for about 16 hours... hehe yes, the altitude really affects you, you wouldn't believe it.
Strengthened with Maca and Tortilla de verduras, we explore the city. The path leads us to a mountain from where we can see the whole town, phew, it really feels good to feel nature and especially to look down from a mountain! On the way home, we pass by a carpentry workshop, here we can finish Ruben's fire staff, which will be used to play at the traffic light in the evening. Successful

Two days and a case of diarrhea later (slowly but surely, I should know by now that I shouldn't drink every water offered to me), we are on our way to AYACUCHO. After all the encounters with the 'pure' mountain people, the sight of the faces of the people here in the city is not the most beautiful. You can tell that the people here are more inaccessible, closed off, and also much unfriendlier. An older woman on the street insults me, with paint on her face and Pipilangstrumpf braids, calling me a Satanist well, we won't stay here forever!

The new destination is called ANDAHUAYLAS. We reach the town in the middle of the night and after asking several times for accommodation, we realize that there is a carnival going on and all 'hospedajes' are full. A little frustrated, we first drink a warm 'emoliente' and sit down by the roadside. As if by magic, Ivan crosses our path and asks if we want to sleep in his room and give him a little something for it! Yes, jackpot, so we also have accommodation for this night. We spend two days here, visit the big festival, stroll through the streets, and then we leave Andahuaylas again. We ride on the back of a truck towards Abancay. Yes, Abancay, to visit the treehouse!!! The truck drives halfway and drops us off in the middle of the mountains. There is nothing here except some 'mamitas' who cook chicken, trout, and potatoes by the fire and run towards any car that passes by slowly, trying to sell their food. It is really funny to watch this. After we already made plans for where to set up our tent, a car finally arrives after about 4-5 hours.
We can ride in the back of the pickup truck all the way to ABANCAY. Yay

Without further ado, we decide to hike to the 'agua termales' (one of the most beautiful places on the whole trip) and spend the night there. It's an adventure - not seeing anything and heavily loaded, we cross the 'stream', which has now turned into a small river. When we arrive at the thermal springs, we enjoy the starry sky and the natural bathtub...ahhhh, and finally, we return to Abancay - the place where Ruben and I met half a year ago