The Dance of the Condor

DAY 7: COLCA CANYON - AREQUIPA

Today the alarm clock woke me up at 5:50 a.m. and I was really happy because my headache was history. Since my bus would be picking me up in one hour and ten minutes, I took a quick shower and then I left my room to eat breakfast. When I left my room, I almost froze because the temperature was around 30ºF. After eating breakfast, I went to my room to pack and get ready.

My bus arrived around 7:15 a.m. and took me to the Yanque Main Square. In the Main Square some kids were performing some typical dances. Remember: tip them if you are going to take a picture of them. (A couple of dollars, or even a couple of soles, will make their day great!) By the way, if you noticed, the bus did not arrive on time. This happens sometimes because the bus needs to pick up other tourists and sometimes they are not ready on time, so do not be upset with your guide…

At 7:35 a.m. we left Yanque to go to the Cross of the Condor in order to admire the flight of one of the biggest birds on the earth, “El Condor,” and to enjoy the Colca Valley view. On our way to this point, we stopped in different watch towers to admire the thousands of pre-Inca and Inca terraces and some pre-Inca tombs hanging from the cliffs. Our guide told us that some scientists say that the Colca Canyon is the deepest Canyon in the world, but some others say that the Cotahuasi Canyon, in Arequipa as well, is the deepest one. Anyway, the Colca Canyon is just so beautiful that it does not really matter in my opinion.

At 9:00 a.m. we arrived at the Cross of the Priest, and our guide proposed that all the tourists take a walk to the Cross of the Condor by foot. He told us that it would be a 45 minute walk, so we agreed. As soon as we started walking, we started looking at some of these huge and amazing birds flying or I should say floating on the air. It was a spectacle of almost one hour. After the condors decided that they were done with the show, I was able to see an improvised singer performing some songs for his camera recording guy. (Look at the picture and make your own conclusions.)

On the Cross, I found out that there is a trail that is getting more and more popular with hikers. It is a 2 day and one night hike or a 3 day and two night hike that takes you about 4000 feet down on the canyon. Some hikers told me that it is tough but it is just amazing, so it is on my list of things to do in Peru.

At 10:45 a.m. I had to jump on the bus in order to leave this beautiful place. On the way back to the town of Chivay, I was able to appreciate some beautiful lakes and even some Peruvian hummingbirds. The bus stopped in the town of Maca to appreciate the rebuilt church that was destroyed when the Sabancaya Volcano erupted in 1991.

At 12:30 p.m. I arrived at the town of Chivay, where I ate a great buffet. After that the bus took us back to Arequipa. On the way back a Spaniard couple left the bus in Patahuasi in order to take a private one to the city of Puno: my next stop!

At 4:20 p.m. I arrived in Arequipa pretty exhausted, so the only thing that I did for the rest of the day was rest and reflect on the amazing places that I had just left behind.

www.latikaperutravel.com

---

---