Peru - Day 3 & 4

Sunday, May 18, 2008 – Colca Canyon/Chivay, Peru – Casa Andina

First off – I think I am going to have to move to Peru. The men call me “beautiful” and the women tell me I am “too skinny!” Do you think they need a Johnstone Branch in Lima?

So today got off to a great start – I was up bright and early – mostly because I was excited about the day ahead. NO headache so the altitude hasn’t been a hassle…yet. Of course, we are going to double the altitude by the time the day is done. I just haven’t spent much time at higher elevations so I am not sure how I’ll react. The only time I can recall was climbing Mt. Fuji and I remember being really tired and crying at more than one point, but I am not sure if that was because I was 12 years old, out of shape, cold, scared, fighting the altitude or… all of the above?

So I grabbed breakfast in the restaurant and met a lovely couple from Germany. Thankfully they spoke English because my German, in spite of my heritage, is non-existent! They had taken six months off of their jobs and were driving the Pan-American Highway – quite ambitious and they had fun stories to tell.

Jorge picked me up and we headed out of Arequipa to Colca Canyon, which is in a National Reserve. The city is surrounded by Volcanoes – we are smack dab in the middle of the Andes! The most famous volcano here is El Misti and it peaks at 21,000 ft! But the views, even from the city were amazing. El Misti is where the “Ice Maiden” was found – apparently the Incas believed in sacrificing children to the gods – and this 12-year-old girl had been frozen and was found in amazing condition. Still a bit sad…. Apparently (thankfully?), they only sacrifice Alpacas and Llamas now.

But as we drove out of town, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the views were spectacular! The plant life is pretty colorful and unique. Apparently there are 4 types of Peruvian Camels, of which the Llama is one. Besides the Llama, we saw the Alpaca and the Vicuna. They are actually pretty easy to tell apart now that I know what to look for. (It is just as well that we didn’t see the fourth type because I have NO idea how to spell it…)

While we were driving, Jorge also gave me a history lesson which I very much appreciated (since I already confessed to not having done much research before the trip). We stopped occasionally to take pictures of the animals and plants and took a break at 12,000ft for a bit of shopping. More coca tea and I learned how to chew Coca leaves – not something I loved or care to repeat, but had to try it once. Apparently, the leaves have healing qualities before they are processed into Cocaine. I bought a few local crafts but mostly because they had two adorable kids selling them (I know, B… I am an easy target) and so a few dollars made them happy and I have a purse that I will never, ever use again...:)

Surprisingly, the roads were in really good condition, but there were parts that were really bumpy. A bunch of switchbacks as we worked our way up to 16,000ft. So get this… I worried for nothing. NO headache or any other issues. Jorge said my soul was happy and that a happy soul helps with altitude sickness. But, I think lots of fluids, coca tea, sweets and the breathing exercises Kevin D. taught me – were more of a factor! We did a little hiking but I didn’t want to overdo it and push my luck. Our driver, Felix, had a very good eye and pointed out all sorts of animals that I wouldn’t have seen on my own!

So after goofing off at 16K, we pushed on towards the Canyon itself and although the Grand Canyon is pretty spectacular, Colca Canyon is impressive in its own way. It is actually twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and the 2nd deepest canyon in the world. Again, more pictures and more history. It was actually quite chilly – there was snow on the ground and ice covered some of the rocks. By this time, we were getting hungry so Felix drove us down into the bottom of the Canyon to the town to Chivay, a town at 11,000ft, where we checked into our hotel and had lunch.

Lunch – I tried Alpaca. It was “okay” – it tasted like lamb. I was hungry enough to eat it in spite of having just seen a bunch of them and commenting on their cute faces! I am a horrible person, but I was hungry…

Then in the interest of not overdoing it, I was “ordered” to take a two-hour nap, which I did and woke up refreshed, but with a bit of a headache, which is apparently pretty normal. But off we went to explore the city!

The city of Chivay is very primitive, but the people are very friendly. Amazingly, I have great cell phone reception here in the canyon. I am not lonely or homesick, but when traveling alone it is nice to feel in touch with everyone via text messages - gotta love modern technology!

We drove around and admired some of the architecture, which has a very obvious Spanish influence. Spent quite a bit of time walking the streets and looking at the markets. Found myself getting easily winded (duh!) but enjoyed seeing what the city was about. Jorge let me explore on my own and so I walked through the meat and fruit market – got some interesting pictures…. And if you can believe it – there is a McElroy’s Pub – Irish pubs really ARE everywhere! And then also explored a local Catholic church which was unique in its own way – most certainly not what you’d find in the United States.

Then I found a group of local women and girls in traditional dress walking their Alpacas back from the countryside so, using my pitiful Spanish, I asked for their permission to take their pictures. They were so excited; of course, I knew they would expect a tip so I am not sure that it was just the picture they were excited about! I took lots of pictures. I am kicking myself that I didn’t think to actually get IN the picture with them, but I was just so focused on watching them, I didn’t think to. Their dresses are beautiful and the hats indicate their marital status. One flower means single, two flowers means married and a single black flower means widowed. I really enjoyed *trying* to talk with them – it was fun and they had contagious smiles! Then I ended up helping two other groups of tourists take their pictures and pay the tip – just being helpful :)

So then it was back to the hotel for dinner. In the lobby, two local ladies were weaving and one was apparently a local fortune teller. I passed on the fortune teller, but watched the ladies before I went into dinner. I played it safe with Chicken and wasn't at all tempted by the local guinea pig, which is apparently yummy? It is very, very cold here – it is supposed to get down to 0 degrees tonight and it feels that cold to me already! I have two heaters in my room and layers of blankets. I am actually thinking of foregoing a shower because it’ll be really, really cold when I get out. So now it is off to bed, we need to leave the hotel at 6am to make the trek back up to 16K to see the Condors! Tomorrow is going to be another exciting day!

Monday, May 19, 2008 – Chivay, Peru – Casa Andina

Up bright and early! I just *thought* it was cold last night because this morning – even colder! But I managed to get moving, grab breakfast and meet Jorge at the van by 6:15.

We took off towards Condors’ Cross, but made a stop at a neighboring town square to check out the local arts and crafts – they are out EARLY! There was also a kids' group doing a native dance and that was neat to watch. Then it was back in the van for another 2 hours as we headed to the Condors. We drove along the Canyon so the views were different from the day before – more farmland. But there were a lot of tourists and buses so it was slow going as we ALL made our way to the top of the Canyon to see the Condors.

Thankfully by the time we got there, it had warmed up a bit – and I found a nice warm spot in the sun – and we waited for the Condors to start flying. We saw 2 young males and 2 adult males. They were pretty spectacular to watch! I was so caught up in watching them that I didn’t take that many pictures! But I am sure that pictures wouldn’t have done them justice anyway. We also saw Falcons, Hawks and Finches flying around, too. All in all, it was pretty spectacular.

So then after the birds were done flying, we headed back to Arequipa. I have to be honest, I am not sure I would recommend this part of the trip to anyone else. The Canyon and the Condors were pretty neat, but it took a LOT of driving to see them. We were in the car another 5 hours, via the same route, to get back to Arequipa. The advantage was getting acclimated to the higher altitude since the next few days won’t find me below 8K and as high as 14K. But otherwise… Maybe they could do a helicopter tour of the Canyon, if someone hasn't already thought of that!

So here I am back at the same hotel – El Liberatador - getting ready for tomorrow. It was nice to get two days worth of dust and dirt cleaned off! I enjoy being outside, but I sure do like to pamper myself a bit, too! Had a nice bath and thendinner with a few French travelers who had just arrived from Cusco, which is where I am headed tomorrow morning. And since 5am will be here very early, that is it for now!

Love,
Kathleen