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Well it was yet another early morning when we were picked up by the mini-bus to take us to Colca Canyon. Somehow we managed to get placed into a French tour group (there seems to be a misconception amoungst Peruvians that all Canadians speak French) but the guide was very nice and gave us our own English translation on the side. Plus it was entertaining to practice our French.
It was a long, bumpy 5 hour ride into the Canyon but fortunately we had a number of stops along the way to break it up. Our first stop was the Vicuna Sancuary. Vicunas are the smallest of the Camelidaes (which include Llamas and Alpacas) and are extremely cute! We were lucky enough to come across a small group of them fairly close to the highway although we continued to spot many more throughout the trip.
About halfway through our journey we crossed the Mirador los Andes pass. At 4910 meters this was the highest pass on our trip. From here it was possible to simultaneously view eight of the almost 100 volcanos in the valley. This area is often refered to as the "Valley of the Volcanos." Even at
4910 meters the souvenir sellers were out in full force so we stopped for a little shopping.
After the pass we continued the long decent into the valley. The vast majority of the valley is barren desert but the bottom of the valley springs into beautiful green terraces where the river runs through. The French group was dropped off at their hotel in the village of Chivay while we continued on to our slightly more upscale hotel in Yanque. We had our first taste of Alpaca steaks (very lean and healthy) and then took it easy for the rest of the evening.
The next morning we were driven up to la Cruz del Condor. The gorge here is over 100km long and 3,400 meters deep. Looking over the edge was the largest drop I had ever seen in my life! The powerful rising winds of the canyon are what allow the Condors to soar here so easily. When we first arrived there were none to been seen but after a little waiting we saw our first brief glimpses of a single Condor appearing briefly from behind the rocks and then disappearing again far below us. Later another appeared
and for a while it was a game of hide and seek between the Condors and my camera. After being satisfied with the sightings and the pictures we decided to retire back to the bus for a rest. After sitting for a while Barb suddenly pointed to the cliffs. Three or four HUGE Condors where soaring directly over the heads of the dazzled onlookers at the observation point. I rushed back to the cliff with my camera to capture the show. In the end at least of dozen Condors had appeared with many of them flying directly over us and with several others taking turns resting on a rocky outcropping just 10 meters away. How big are they? Well it's hard to judge scale from the photos but lets just say that if you stretched your arms out to either side, the distance between your fingertips would only be a little bit longer than the length of just one of their wings! After leaving the lookout our guide told us that they typically only every see three or four and occasionally five Condors here at any one time and that today was a
very special day.
The rest of
the afternoon we spent touring through the valley and villages but nothing else for the rest of the day could quite compete with the show at the gorge. Soon afterward we started out long bumpy drive back to Arequipa. Once back at the hotel we crashed and ordered in Pizza!!!
The following morning (our final day in Peru!) we caught a morning flight back to Lima. Our return flight to Toronto was not until late in the evening so that gave us a chance to see a little bit of Lima before heading home. After arriving in Lima we caught a Taxi down to the un-historical, expensive, touristy but very comfortable Miraflores district on the coast where we indulged ourselves in Buffalo Wings, Potato Skins, Coffee, Gelato and to top it all off, a game of 10-pin Bowling (just watching Peruvians bowl is an entertainment all to itself). We also got to watch the surfing competition, dip out feet in the Pacific ocean and enjoy a nice sunset.
After another 14 hours in airplanes and airports we were finally home, exhausted and ready for nothing but a shower, food and a long sleep.
In the end it
was a fantastic trip. At times difficult, at times uncomfortable, at times tiring, but always awe inspiring as to the beauty and wonder of the places in this world.
P.S. Oh and just in case anyone is STILL wondering. No, we never did try the Cuy!
Steve and Barb
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Linda Marie
non-member comment
Misidentified animal
The photo labeled "Barb and baby vicuna" does not show a vicuna. The animal is actually an alpaca. The young of an alpaca is a 'cria'. This term is also used for the young of the closely related species: the vicuna, the wild guanaco, and it's domestic descendant, the llama. Alpacas were domesticated from the vicuna over 6,000 years ago for their luxurious fiber and as a major souce of protein in a harsh climate. Linda Marie Inti Alpacas, LLC New Hampshire, USA