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Published: December 8th 2008
The Giant Condor
A magnificent bird. met a few in my time! When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such
a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.
- Indian saying
I am so behind with my blogs its crazy. I suppose I should be thankful that the aipport liost my flight booking and I now Have two hours to kill. It´s funny that, when people say "I´m just killing time" as surely in fact it´s time that´s killing us? So Colca Canyon and a day in the desert voluntering to help build a school, nearly a month ago now. So many different and great things I have done in this time, so many small dreams fullfilled.
Well, that day started with a substantial delay too, someone sleeping in and holding up the bus, these things happen. Our group was small enough, in total and one guide, Roosevelt. On route we stopped off to veiw the giant Condor flying over the canyon. A magnificaent bird, huge and gracefully gliding in groups. Wings outstreched like fingers. We found out there that Colca canyon is now in fact the biggest canyon in the world. The former being in Peru also but supposedly with modern equipment now, scientists have realised this one is the biggest.
We arrived in the small town of "icantrememberitsname" and all sat
two´s company
they glided in a group around us all down to a very basic feed. A small walk round the square after before embarking on was was four hours of down hill. Now you´d be forgiven for thinking that downhill is better than up, but at about 4000 meters, and direction, be it on a flat, is quite hard. The views that we were surrounded with were some of the best i have ever seen. The path was cut out of a steep hill with at times a dramatic steep fall. We could see at most of the time the track loop that lay before us over the next three days, some severe ups and downs, ce la vie. We were told that we would encounter some donkey´s on the way, lugging up and down various things. I know totally understand where the phrase "as stubbourn as a mule" comes form as these animals were often stacked high with unballanced and very heavy goods, including people, and trundling up or down no matter how difficult the paths were. The people with them almost running in flimsy sandles if anything. Quite increadible. This is the only method of tranport between the villages too. Life here is simple and hard. Electricity
spread eagled...
almost as large as the wandering albatross, they re the heaviest flying bird alive being fairly new in many of the mountains´villages.
The down hill was quite pleasant but it´s your knees that start to go after a while, and by the time we all got to the bottom of the canyon crossing, our knees were a little worse for wear to say the least. Only now two hours of uphill, the joys! Our destination for the night was a small village called "forgotthisonetoo" where our accomodation, even though called a hostel, was a shack of a building with a decent bed on a dirt floor. Food was poinently simple but delicious afetr the hike and believing that I was ready to sleep for days, i went to bed. For some reason, altitude and exhaustion perhaps, i didnt sleep a wink and wasn´t overly happy about the day ahead. But with pancake and syrup for breakfast, trundled on.
* * *
The problem about sitting in this airport just now is that the weather is closing in. That in itself in no real worry except the place i´m flying to "icantspellitsname" has only a grass runway and if its wet, the planes turn back, great. So the only
the group at the begining
you would think i was blessed with nothing but female company... thing i can do is blog, eat a burger king (oh how cultured i am in the local foods) and watch some poor bitch being attempted raped by a pack of three other dogs. Finally, she discovered sitting down helps.
* * *
We walked past a wee museaum in the next village and walked in for a look. There were loads of cultural tools and stuffed animals and explanations as to how people still go about their daily life. It really was like stepping back in time, yet here these people are living today with the most basic of technology at thier disposal, living a very tough, poor and simple life. Leavinf our donation for the museaum in the rams balls (see photo) we moved on. Roosevelt stopped us at a cactus that looked plagued by some white insect. He told us that this insect was, and still is, cultivated in huge quantities for the modern world. Taking one of them off the cactus he squished it in his fingers. The most brilliant dark red exploded on his hand and fingers as he informed us that this insect is what is used to make
A long and windy road
This was stunning countryside, with thin and dangerous paths many red lipsticks globally. So ladies, next time you feel like a splash of red on the lips, know that you are smearing dead cuctus bugs into your mouth!
I really cant begin to describe how wonderful the views and scenery was, i can only hope that my photos do it some justice. we knew that there was a hard end to the day. the hill we had to climb at the end of the day was a solid three hours uphill of steep rough windy paths. First we had the joy of a swim in an oasis at the bottom of the canyon. A different world from the one we stayed in the night before. A surplus of water here and a small tourist attraction in the mountains. We set off after lunch and i praye that my dodgy stomach would make it to the top before giving way. My prayers fell on deaf ears...
* * *
Great, so its now pouring. There is a feeling of forboading about this trip. I already rescheduled it as had the worst stomach of my life for the last 2 weeks. Parasites and bacteria that
shouldn´t be in me causing havoc. Saw the doc and postponed for two days, now this. One can´t but help wonder if this little excursion is meant, or rather not meant, to be. Still, I get to catch up on the blog before going to do another cool thing that needs blogging about! I still have to write about the amazing Inca trail (which should be renamed ther inca trial!) and Machu Picchu, along with cycling the imfamous Death road and my visit to the most surreal thing i have seen, the jail San Pedro in La Paz. All this before my current voyage, should i ever get there, to swim with pink dolphins, piranas, anacondas and aligators!
* * *
So, starting the ascent at my own pace, head down and foot after foot, i slogged upwards. Only got about an hour into the hike when my stomach decided it wanted to empty itself. Well all i need to say is that when you gotta go, you gotta go and thank goodness i was far enough ahead of the rest of the group to have some privacy! Twice! This was one of the hardest
a look ahead
day one was a long way down hill things i had done to date. The walk that is, not having to go in the wilderness. And panting and sweating for the whole way, after two hours reached the top. Where I was greated by a german hiker who exclaiomed at me in a very loud voice "I am pissing out of my arse!" to which I collapsed in hysterics for about 5 minutes. Probably the best introduction anyone has ever given me. Funnily, I knew exactly how the poor fella felt! We walked into the village and i found my hostel. Possibly the best shower of my life, changed and walked back to the top to great the reast of the guys.
That night we found the only pub in the village and had a brilliant night. They even served White Russians so I decided to have quite a few and befriended a canine that i can only describe as Valcor, the luck dragon from the Never ending story. That night, i slept like a log. Arriving back in Arequipe I had signed up to do a days charity work in the desert slums. One of the things I have been really keen to do whilest
stubbourn as mule
i now know where the expression comes from! away is spend some time doing a substancial amount of charity work. So far it has not been possible but I have hopes for March, after the Rio carnival, to get my teeth into something a bit more long term than a day. That night I made the mistake of having a bit too much to drink at altitude and was woken by a guide telling me I was meant to be at the office already!
Running down the road, still dressing, I made it to the office only 15 mins late, not too bad my son. There were five of us and a leader for the work. The bus ride out of town took about an hour and the walk up the dirt track to the place was a wake up call of poverty. The most simple and basic of places to live, crumbling mud bricks for houses that were the size of my kitchen back in Edinburgh, which probably housed an entire family. We reached the place and were shown how to mix up the cement and how to lay the bricks accuratly. This was simple and slow work. The work that was horrific was going
steep cliffs
narrow paths and high walls on in the background behind us. The hill behind was being desttryoed for its stone and ground down and refined. The problem here was that the guys who were filling the trucks were only paid ten soles per truck load of rubble. They were to deliberatly cause land slides, most of the time they were caught up in them. No dust masks where they were breathing in huge amounts of dust at every breath. This was humbling and the most aweful work I have ever seen. They would have got more money begging on the street and probably live longer too.
The sun was stifling and my hangover was begining to kick in. Still, had to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. We had to go collect water in wheel barrows that were half as full by the time we got them back to the site. Still, slowy but surely, and brick by brick, we completed three rows in the day. At the end fo the day, when we began to pack up, kids started to arrive for their afternoon classes in the building adjacent. It was good to see what our work would look
Lipstick anyone?
Ladies, just so u know, this is where the red u put on ur lips comes form, cactus bugs! like when it was all finished. A room full of happy kids sent us home with a feeling of worth for our efforts.
That night I took the bus to Cusco, readying myslef for a ten year awaited treck of the Inca Trail and the reward at the end of Machu Picchu. Thats when my hangover really kicked in and I had the bus journey from hell...
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