Day 2

Early morning wake-up. Taxi to the airport to catch the LC Busre flight to Anta, a small airport in the Cordillera Blanca. The airplane, a twin-engine propeller plan, seating about twenty people. As we arrived we could see North American anthropologist Kate Dunbar and our faithful driver Hugo waiting. A dear reunion.
Hugo took us to the hotel in nearby Carhuaz, where we could dump our luggage. We stopped at the city square in Carhuaz to have a taste of what we were told was the region's best ice cream. Hundreds of people, dressed in beautiful folklore dresses were gathered in the square - partly to pick up a monthly government check. Great footage. But one of the women got really upset with Jon's video camera, and thought it'd be suitable with a small token for the trouble. When he didn't immediately reached for his wallet, she slapped his arm several times. Could have turned ugly!
After finishing our ice cream cups, he headed up the mountain side to Copa Grande, a small farming village that sits at the foot of the beautiful, but rapidly retreating Copa glacier.
Marco was away for the day, he plays in the local band and had a gig playing as a nearby village were celebrating their independence day. We met with Marcelino Cruz, the former president of Copa to talk about the changes in farming and climate. Marcelino is only 34, but in his lifetime he has seen the glacier retreat about two kilometers up the mountain, he told us.
Walked down the dirt road toward the small market, as we were witnesses to a tremendous thunderstorm. Thunder claps echoed between the mountain peaks. Beautiful and some astonishing sounds!
Caught in the rain we returned to the room Kate rents in the Cruz' home to do additional interviews.
Before dusk, Hugo drove us to Huaraz, where we first visited Kate's apartment, and then had a great meal in a restaurant at Plaza de Periodista (yep, the Journalists' Plaza).