Blogs from Colca Canyon, Arequipa, Peru, South America - page 14

First off, it is essential to say: We survived!!! Our excursion to the Colca Canyon started very early in the morning with a 3am pick up. We drove until 6am when we took a break and then continued on until we reached the Canyon of the Condors (Huge birds!). We saw some of the amazing creatures and then got back in the van. When we arrived at the Colca Canyon we started walking. None of us had any idea what we were in for. The hike started and we were all amazed by the scenery! We had no idea of the physical and mental challenges ahead of us on the way down. The first leg of the trek was down since we were climbing down a canyon. It was steep and tricky so we took it ... read more

I recently completed a group of excursions, but they all started in Peru's second largest city: Arequipa. Arequipa is known for its Rocoto Relleno (stuffed pepper dish), sillar (white, volcanic stone used in the city's architecture), and its strong, patriotic love for Arequipa as if it were a completely separate entity apart from Peru itself. It is known for other things as well, but for the sake of time and energy, I limited it to those three items. So, I was accompanied by a few ladies from the U.S. for this trip, and it was nice to have some companions, even if they liked to poke fun at me since I was the only fellow in the group. We arrived in Arequipa at 5:30 am, and we shacked up at the Hostal Santa Catalina (I would ... read more

Iquitos laissee derriere nous a bord d'un avion, nous a permis d'aprecier toute la grandeur de la majestueuse foret amazonienne. On peux vraiment se rendre compte de ce ue veux dire la phrase "l'Amazonie est le poumon de la planete"...du vert a perte de vue, rien que ca. Et dire que l'on est en train de detruire ce paradis...enfin, je ne vais pas rentrer ici dans le debat. le retour fut cette fois beaucoup plus rapide puisque 2 heures plus tard nous aterrissions a Lima :D ou nous avons passe deux jours. Pas grand chose a dire a propos de Lima, c'est une ville enorme tres polluee avec quelques beaux monuments a regarder, mais a par ca, nous n'etions pas facher de mettre les voiles. Nous sommes ensuite arrive a Arequipa, tres jolie ville coloniale perdue ... read more

Like a crack on a worn pavement, the Colca Canyon is a crack on the earth´s surface. It is the second deepest in the world at 3,191 meters (the deepest is just next door). The road from Arequipa to Chivay crosses a high Andean plateau. It is a bleak place up there, like driving across the moon. After Chivay we took the road to Cabanaconde, a bone-shaking three hours. Between Chivay and Cabanaconde the landscape was different, the terrace farming is really impressive. Cabanaconde sits on the banks of the Colca Canyon. A cold village with narrow streets of earthly browns. The mud brick houses have been weathered by years of wind and rain. This farming village seemed untouched by time. Only the mobile phones in abundance are a giveaway to modernity. After a night in ... read more

We crossed from Chile to Peru via a very small train and made our way to the city of Arequipa. Arequipa has a fascinating museum that holds the frozen body of 'Juanita, the ice princess' who was sacrificed to the Inca mountain gods 500 years ago. After the museum we spent the rest of the day exploring a old convent, Monasterio de Sant Catalina, founded in 1580. The huge area of twisting streets, hidden courtyards and cosy nun cells allowed Tracy to get arty with her camera. The next day we headed out into the Peruvian countryside to the 100km long Colca Canyon. We hiked along quite country lanes and visited villages with their busy plazas. By chance we came upon a festival with hundreds of school children in local custom dancing in the streets. On ... read more