Churin

Yikes, I'm not good at updating this in a timely manner! In my post about the accident about a week ago, I said I was going to talk about our weekend getaway in Churin.  This is an extremely popular destination for Limeños, especially those who don't have big wallets. It's located in the northeast corner of Lima province, about 7 hours away from the city. The draw is the abundance of natural hot springs in the area, which are said to have healing properties. It's also nice to get away from the noise and pollution of Lima.

There are a number of hot springs, but the most famous are the Huancahuasi baths, an additional hour and a half outside Churin. These were definitely worth the drive! There are two large pools and a few smaller, individual rooms. All the pools have the temperature posted. We stayed in the 30 degree pool for most of the time. We ventured into a 34 degree pool, but I could only stand it for about 5 minutes and when I got out, my legs were bright red! We left very relaxed, but also freezing. While waiting for the taxi, it started raining. Apparently, it's winter in the mountains and we were not prepared with just our t-shirts. We also visited one hot spring in town, but were less impressed. It wasn't as well kept up, and the coolest pool they had was a whopping 36 degrees, which we didn't know before we paid. We spent most of the time trying to cool the water down and dipping our toes in. Well, Jorge did better than me - I was the wimp.

The next day, we took a colectivo to the provincial capital of Oyón, about 45 minutes away. Jorge had seen in his guidebook that there were a number of lakes and forests that were worth a visit. Because this is not the high season, however, there were no tours and we would have to find a driver willing to take us around. Luckily, we shared the taxi with two older ladies who had the same idea, and we rented the car for the day. We went to some beautiful mountain glacial lakes and saw a lot of sheep on the way. All the locals had dogs to herd the sheep, and for some reason all the dogs would run at the car, biting the tires and barking. I was nervous that we would hit one, but fortunately we didn't.

The roads were in terrible condition and we had plenty of tense moments, but when we arrived at the Laguna Surasaca we were greeted with this sight:

We went down to the shore to take pictures and wash our hands. It was so peaceful and truly isolated; I bet fewer than twenty people make it here in a year.

After visiting the laguna, we had one more place to visit: a protected forest of queñuales, a tree native to Peru. After getting lost more than once and asking a number of locals, we were climbing up a narrow dirt mountain road (it seems like that's the only type of road there is around Churin) until we reached a sign saying "Private: Property of Oazuna Mine" and a big dump truck. Two rough-looking men approached the car and told us we had to get a special permit to pass. Confused, we asked them if the woods were further up the road. They said that yes, they were, but the road was owned by the mine and therefore closed to the public. They looked pretty serious and one guy had a gun, so we turned around, disappointed, and went back to Oyón. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that mine was up to something fishy. There are a lot of coal mines in the area, but the air of secrecy and the covered truck we saw make me think that there was something else going on.

Back in Churin, we packed and got ready to rejoin civilization in Lima. Lots of people say they enjoy the provincias and escaping the noise and fast pace of Lima, and I get that. However, I realized that I am a city girl through and through: I like hot water on demand, toilets that flush, fresh produce at reasonable prices, and paved roads. That last one is pretty important. Although I enjoyed the trip, I wasn't thrilled, and with what happened on the bus, I can say with some assurance that we'll be thinking about a trip somewhere flat, with paved roads. I can hear the beach calling...