Puno, Arequipa and the Condors

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I planned one morning in Puno to visit Lake Titicaca´s top attraction, the Islas Flotantes or Floating Islands; since the time of the Incas the Uros tribe has avoided confrontation by living on thick interwoven beds of totora reeds some distance from the lakeshore, from this amazing semi-edible plant they also make their homes and their boats. During the tour we were taken to two of the islands and were given free time to wonder around, the ground was very springy and it was quite difficult to shake the suspicion of an imminent collapse. My favorite snippet of information was that when one island was having a family feud the two opposing sides would simply chop the island in half and float their separate ways, quite a neat solution I thought. The islands must be quite unique and despite massive commercialization they remain a fascinating site.

I was expecting a speedy return to Puno after the second island, but unfortunately some num-nuts at the dock had shoved me on the wrong boat and I was to endure a further seven hours motoring to Isla Taquile (a big tourist trap in the middle of the lake) and back again before returning to Puno. Luckily one spot on the 8pm bus to Arequipa was still available, unluckily the bus was delayed by three hours and took two hours more than advertised to do the trip, the upshot of which was I arrived into Arequipa at 6am having not had much sleep. One benefit of the whole debacle was that the man at the bus terminal in Puno and my guide on the boat learnt a new English swearword - Bollocks.

Arequipa is a picturesque colonial city built from a white volcanic rock called sillar, as usual the city is centered around a grand plaza, complete with a huge cathedral. I only had one day to explore the city so I opted to do the two biggest tourist attractions, the first was the Convent of Santa Catalina. This huge complex covers a city block and for about 400 years housed the second daughters of rich Spanish families who were pressed into the church. It was only opened to tourists in the 1970 and consequently its extensive maze of little streets, buildings, courtyards and gardens are still beautifully preserved. The second site I visited was the Museo Santuarios Andinos which exhibits the frozen body of Juanita; an Inca maiden scarified over 500 years ago at the summit of the local mountain Ampato. It’s quite strange looking into the face of someone that’s been dead for such a long time.

The next day I started a two day trip to another of South America´s quintessential attractions, Colca Canyon. To reach this remote region northwest of Arequipa involved a long bus journey through the mountains, since I was on one of the dreaded tour busses the trip was broken up by some interesting sites. The first stop we made was to see a herd of rare Vicuñas, these animals look like a cross between small llamas and gazelles but are still part of the camel family. Their wool is the finest in the world and partly because each animal only produces 200g of it each year the price per kilo has reached a staggering US$500. The highest point during the drive was 4800m, as usual the pass was typified by a bleak, rocky and barren landscape, but unusually the small hill next to the road was covered with small stacks of stones up to a meter high. Apparently these little piles act somewhat like a wishing well, the locals come up to the top of the mountain (or as close as the road will allow) build their little stack, make a wish and go home. Our final destination on the first day was Chivay, which as well as providing some fantastic hot springs also heads the Colca Canyon. With an evening free I headed to the local Irish Pub and ended up spending three hours there drinking and playing pool with two Brazilians and a guy from Holland. That’s what I love about traveling, you meet and socialize with people that would never cross your path in everyday life.

The next morning our bus took us early morning along the edge of the canyon to a spot called Condor Cross to hopefully see some Condors. Colca Canyon is the second deepest Canyon in the world, at its deepest point it drops 4160m; it is this incredible depth that makes it a prime habitat for the Condor. Condors are remarkable creatures, they are the largest and heaviest flying birds on earth; males can weigh up to 17kg and can have a wingspan of three meters. They are monogamous and in their long 65 year lifespan they only raise one chick every two years, which I guess is why they are now an endangered species. With their incredible eyesight they hunt for carrion at up 7000m above ground level, they use thermals to rise to this great height and for some reasons the thermals around the Condor Cross are particularly good. Every morning large numbers of these massive birds congregate in this spot after leaving their cliff side nests. It was a truly awesome sight, over the hour or so that I sat on the precipitous edge of the canyon, between 15 and 20 condors circled, swooped and glided above and below me. They flew within a few meters of where I sat and every detail of their plumage could be seen, the shear size and bulk of them was astounding, every face was in awe at their passing and I am not surprised that the Incas considered them a sacred bird. The condors were joined by three falcons and the surrounding mountain flowers were constantly being visited by large hummingbirds, these sights which on any other day would have been very fortunate just added to the spectacle.

I’ve now returned to Arequipa and am due to fly to Lima tomorrow morning in order to start the last week of my trip down the west coast of Peru so this is probably my penultimate blog.

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