We were at Reception by 6.45am ready to be transferred back up the steep road to the top where our transfer was waiting. There were 4 of us, plus driver and guide. Then off to explore Colca Valley, and further on, Colca Canyon.
Colca Valley, our hotel hidden below in the river gorge,
and the village we walked to yesterday
Looking onwards towards the Canyon
By some estimates Colca Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world. But whoever wins the accolade is irrelevant, as the steep sides are perfect nesting places for the South American condor. Again by some estimes this is the biggest bird in the world! The albatross has a bigger wing span, but this is a heavier bird....! Anyway, with a 3 metre wing span they are pretty impressive swooping round you. They are heavily endangered and numbers are really low, so we were very priviledged to see them at close quaters. Our guide denied it, but they are definitely fed in this remote area. Too many dead cows around to just be bad husbandry!
From the internet sadly - my phone just doesn’t hack it for this, but they were this close
We walked for about an hour along the side of the Canyou, enjoying the condors, but slso the fantastic views, and the beautiful flowers.
Back in the minbus we drove back through the canyon, stopping briefly at one of the little villages, Maca for a quick look at the local church, and the market. Maca has been largely rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed it some years ago. The church withstood the quake, but lost its right tower, which has since been rebuilt.
This lady was dressed in her very best clothes and allowed me a photo for a sol
We drove back to Chivay for a buffet lunch in another local restaurant. We were joined by another 3 folks, also transferring to Arequipa. So we set off for the 4 hour drive, through very empty country. Mountain desert almost. The road was busy though. We met a convoy of 10 buses, returning workers to the mines not far from Chivay. We also passed a huge cement works, the (second?) largest in Peru, which sends most of its output on our same road to Brazil.
Finally we arrived at the outskirts of Arequipa. With 1.5 million of a population, much of it in the ‘slums’ around the outskirts, it took us at least 45 minutes to get to our hotel near the centre. It didnt feel too attractive after a long hot drive so we shall see tomorrow when we explore.
The only 2 things needing to be done in the hotel was a catch up on laundry, and an attempt to change our itinerary for the remainder of the week. We want to fly the Nazca Lines, and we have a small window of opportunity, on Thursday and Friday. We have contacted our travel agent here in Peru, she understands what is required, so we will see what happens tomorrow.
A drink in the bar, this time with a Colca, not a Pisco Sour, but its exactly the same!
