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Published: June 21st 2011
Arequipa, Peru
Plaza de ArmasFriday May 27th – Thursday 2nd June
After our stressful few days in Puno, it felt even better to be in the 'White City' of Arequipa, which has a distinctly western feel to it. It even felt quite good to see the familiar signs of Burger King and KFC.....so it would have been rude not to get involved and man, a Whopper has never tasted so good!
Nicknamed the White City due to its buildings being whitewashed in volcanic stone, Arequipa is surrounded by three volcanoes, all visible from the central Plaza de Armas. Unfortunately for the locals, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are not uncommon (the most recent earthquake a few days after our departure on 2nd June!), but we had had enough drama of late and our time here was very relaxing.
We explored the city on foot, including a tour of the fascinating Monestario Santa Catalina, a home to nuns since 1580 and practically a citadel within a city with its high walls.
The main attraction for us two trekkers, however, was the nearby Canon del Colca, the World's second largest canyon at 3,191 metres.
We departed at 3am for the hair-raising journey over
Colca Canyon, Peru
Our bamboo hut... complete with lots of windows!!! a 4,800 metre pass to Chivay at the head of the canyon, and then onward to Cruz del Condor, a nesting place for Andean Condors. In the early morning thermal air currents the condors glided effortlessly through and above the canyon as we competed with the other tourists in a battle of the lenses to get the best shot.
Our three day trek began with a four hour, zig-zagging descent into the base of the canyon, through pre-Inca terracing and past donkeys transporting supplies to and from the small villages within the canyon, to our homestay for the night. We had been pre-warned that the accommodation was basic and that description proved to be spot on as we were shown our room for the night, a small hut built from bamboo – four walls, a roof and a door....oh, and lots of windows! Still, it was great to experiece the simple way of life of the locals and it's not often you get to see the stars when lying in bed (the roof had lots of windows in it too!)
Another four hours trekking on day two saw us pass through a few of the canyon's settlements and
more pre-Inca terracing on the steeps sides of the canyon, as we tracked the river along to the oasis of Sangalle, where there were natural pools for swimming. A strenuous hike, leisurely topped off with a chill by the pool in the sun and an evening ´locals versus gringoes´ game of volleyball. In full view of the camp site staff, the two guides were struggling against the English / Canadian pair of Chris and a fellow traveller, but just as it looked like the Peruvians were about to be beaten at their own game, their score suddenly jumped from 10 to 14 (they count differently in Peru!) and it was match point against.....you should have seen Chris' face as he reluctantly shook hands in defeat! An after dinner camp fire with our guide whose English extended to “Camelot......Lancelot” made for an interesting end to the day.
Our alarm at 4am signalled the start of day three and meant it was time to start the long, painful trek out of the canyon before the sun rose, which would make it too hot. Without breakfast (not even a cup of tea!), it was tough going and for the first time on
any of the treks we have done, we started to think it may be beyond us and that the only way to the top would be to hijack a donkey making the same trip. However, slowly but surely, we climbed the 1,200 metres required to get out of the canyon to the nearby town of Cabanaconde, where breakfast was waiting for us. The pain didn't last too long and once back in Chivay, we were able to soak our tired limbs in the thermal pools for a good hour and drift off in the late morning sunshine. Happy days.
After the interesting journey from Arequipa to the Colca canyon a few days earlier, we decided the best approach for the return leg was the classic ipod and sleep combo, which worked a treat. It was a good job it did as, after a small flight from Arequipa to Lima, we spent that night curled up on the not-so-comfy chairs at Lima airport, ready for our 6am flight to the capital of Ecuador, Quito (free accommodation is not to be sniffed at).
Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we arrived in Quito with one thing on our minds.....the Galapagos Islands.
Combined with half-hearted attempts to see the best that Quito had to offer (lots of churches), we spent the most part of two days trawling local travel agents for last minute deals to visit the islands and deliberating over which package to go for. We sealed the deal just in time for happy hour at Foch Plaza (a square full of bars and dubbed 'Gringolandia'😉 to celebrate nabbing a cracking deal for two days time (or maybe to forget the substantial hit to the travelling budget – the Excel model blew up!). Either way, the 2-for-1 caipirinhas were a great reminder of where we started our journey some thirteen weeks ago in Brazil....and also how strong they are!
With one day left to kill in Quito before we took on the Galapagos, we decided to leave the city and take a day trip to the base camp of the much talked about Volcan Cotopaxi, a volcano which towers to a height of 5,897 metres above sea level. Things weren't looking good as we arrived at the national park to be greeted by big grey clouds and a healthy dose of drizzle, both of which looked like they were set
Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Pretty impressive when you can see it! in for the day. Still, encouraged by the guide to “smile as it makes the clouds go away”, we endured a wet walk around a lake before continuing on to Cotopaxi, which was still barely visible through the clouds.
We completed our short but breathless ascent to base camp at an altitude of 4,810 metres and just as we were about to award our day out the prize of most pointless day trip ever, the sun came out of nowhere and Cotopaxi towered above us in its its glory....for about five minutes! Those five minutes were priceless, and even more so as the guide announced “que suerte!” (what luck). He clearly held no hope of seeing the volcano either then.....
As we headed back to Quito in a misty haze, the excitement about our 8 day trip to the Galapagos Islands started to build.....
C and K xx
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