the land of volcanos and condors

a herd of wild alpacas on the pass to arequipa
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tuesday 25 sept.

it doest seem like a week since terrible tuesday. quite unreal in a way. we were woken by what sounded like 50 roosters having a crowing competition in our bathroom, along with a hundred or so dogs barking outside the bedroom window.  all at 4am. ouch. we dozed until get up time, had a good breakfast then got picked up at 7.30 gustav was our driver, peter our guide.  we were the second group to be picked up. we took daysacks plus one small bag with us, and left the rest at the hotel. we seem to have luggage scattered around peru at the moment! we spent an hour or so picking people up in ones and twos from different hostels/hotels then off.  peter was excellent. he gave the tour in english and spanish but spoke clearly and was interesting. we were 20 or so in the minibus. we drove to chivay over the mountains. plenty of stops. and fantastic scenery. we went through a couple of national parks, and saw huge herds of vicuna (which produces the priciest wool, only for export) and alpacas.  the highest pass was 4900m. we were fine but one poor lady in another minibus was very poorly. we got to Chivay and had a buffet lunch. then dropped off at our various hotels. we were at the Colca inn with Laura, a canadian. room 223 was basic but ensuite so no complaints after camping! we then got driven for a short trek. total one hour 45 mins. very gentle compared to last week. but the majority of the group wanted to take it as quickly as possible. we fell back and plodded along, then when we caught up they were still resting and we passed them with a quiet smile. i guess we are fitter than we realised now. it was a gentle slope most of the way, then clem gave me a hand up and down the steep bits. we ended up at an ancient burial site, with lots of skulls in wall graves. fascinating, especially as the skulls were deliberately deformed. they had two tribes, one went for long thin skulls, the other for short wide ones. achieved by tying wood to the babies skulls when still soft. bizarre to us. we went on to the calderas, hot springs. one indoor pool which was heaving, and several outdoor. the showers and changing rooms were outdoor too. private, but chilly. we went for outdoor 5. we soon warmed up. the water was 40 degrees. one guy from another group fainted from the temperature. it was bliss for us. we stayed in nearly an hour. it was dark but couldn't see many stars owing to cloud. then changed and back to the hostel for all of ten mins. we were then picked up for dinner at a local pena. it turned out to be only 50 yards away. food ok, and great local music and dancing. clem got dragged up onto the dance floor this time. literally, they had a strange dance where the men and women took it in turns to act drunk and lie on the floor while their partner beat them. how strange life is!!! another early night. the whole group turned in early, its not just us who are being party poopers. something about this lifestyle is just not conducive to late nights or lie-ins.

a condor!
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weds 26 sept

up and breakfast ready for  a 6.30 pick up. we drove to the colca canyon to see the condors. and see them we did. they are magnificient birds. it was quite thrilling to see them soaring on the thermals. they are monogamous, with one egg every two years. reach adulthood after eight years, live to 50 or so. juveniles brown plumage, adults black and white. when one adult dies, the partner soars as high as poss then dives to its death. now that is serious monogamy. clem was the class swot, who knew that the albatross is bigger than the condor, and that the peregrine falcon is the fastest bird of all. but i got another prize, for knowing that arequipa is 2325 m above sea level. id just read it in the book. we had several stops on the way back, and lunch in Chivay, then back to arequipa. i was very glad of my neck cushion as my neck had decided to go into spasm. its off to the osteo when i get home. we got back 5ish. clem did some writing while i sorted some paperwork, then out into the town centre for dinner. we saw a father christmas all dressed up in green , the old colour before coca cola made red popular, then found a rooftop restaurant which offered a free pisco sour and excellent pizza. i was a little merry and we wended our way back with smiles on our faces. yes, for another early night.

the minibus group in colca canyon
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thurs 27 sept

a lie in today. woken at 4 by dogs then back to sleep. breakfast then clem did his diary while i blogged. and the machine crashed and lost 3 days. grr. so into town. had a wander. a fantastic square. cathedral runs the whole length of one side, with arches the other 3 sides. fountains and tropical plants in the middle.we found the museum with juanita the ice mummy and had the guided tour. she was sacrificed about aged 12, but they knew from birth she would be. with her were a number of ceramics, effigies, some of her hair, and her umbilical cord.  how strange. did her family feel proud or sad? on to a rooftop restaurant on the square. we thought it was one storey up but it was about 5! glad to get there. sandwich and wine/beer. then we went for a look round. clem wrote his diary and i blogged to catch up. we head back on an overnight bus to cusco tonight, with a flight to puerto maldonado tomorrow morning so no internet access for a few days. cant say i miss it, but just good to try to keep this up to date as the memory and detail fade so fast.

lots of yellow taxes in arequipa
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til next time

Rx