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Published: June 20th 2009
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Toilet and stones
toilets and wishing stones at the highest part 4900mtrs, people stack rock on top of each other and make a wish. There are thousands of them You have to excuse my typing as I am not very good on a Spanish keyboard.
We headed off to Colca Canon around 6:30am this morning and the trip takes around 2 hours with stops along the way, the road is not sealed a pretty rough.
Lots of little old towns along the way where we stopped to take photos and get hassled by the street vendors. At one place they stick an eagle on your arm or head to have photos with then stick their hand out for money it´s easer to let someone else do it and you sneak the photo and run.
Jeffs still feeling a little worse for wear as he couldn´t stomach breafast this morning and the bus trip wasn´t helping, of course I didn´t help things.
The views along way to the canon are amazing, green and gold valleys, vastness, huge mountains, streams, Colca has the lot and certainly is impressive.
We arrived at the canyon around 8:30 and there were people everywhere doing the same style tour as us. The views of Canon and the Andes as the back drop are awesome, from the top of the largest mountain
Andeas
View of the Andes fro our Colca tour to the stream below is 3600 or 3900mtrs, from where we are standing is just over 1200mtrs.
It wasn´t long until I saw my first condor, probably a couple of hundred feet below me when it caught the current and soared up high above us and made its way along the cliff face.
These birds have wings span around 3.0mtrs and the just catch morning currents and glide around looking for food. They only eat dead food which surprised me and I couldn´t see what they would eat up around here.
I have taken photos of the Canyon and the Condors, but unfortunately photos don´t do it justice, it´s one of those places " you had to be there". I did however get some good video footage of the condors on the camcorder but I can´t upload it. Jeff said what makes it different from the Grand canyon is that it looks "newer" meaning Colca has the Andeas as the back drop being green with snow and other varying colours and the grand Canyon being "old" meaning awsome but with the browns it look older (work that people) I think Jeffs stills needs oxygen.
I actually
dancers
Dancers from the night out in Chivay caught on video an Adean Rabbit, this is a rabbit that has a long tail like a squirrel and jumps arounds cliffs, I told Jeff awhile ago about these rabbits and he thought I was joking and said there was no such thing.
We walked up the main view point with Jeff tagging behind feeling Nausia still, once we reached the top Jeff had a bit of lie down and I went over to the cliffs and sat there with my legs daggling over just taking it all with the views and the condors soaring around.
we spent around and hour and half there which is about the right amount of time, as condors only come out in the mornings to catch the currents then must have a lie down in the afternoons.
An amazing place Colca Canyon and should be seen by anyone contemplating a trip to peru - it,s a must do.
On the way back down we stopped back in Chavey for lunch...and guess what! Jeff sparks up and comes back to life like nothing had happened and is hungry. This buffet lunch consist of things I had no idea what they were,
Chivay Town
Chivay town centre but I did spot some Alpaca and had some with a couple of rice dishes, fresh salads, crumbed chicken and coke. Jeff comes back with similiar and he says they have Guinea Pig casserole which he has stacked on his plate, so i thought what the hell.
I came back and Jeff is picking through the fat and bones and asked him what it tastes like, he said it was OK, chewy and bony (probably those little feet)
These little guinea pigs have a fair bit of fat around the flesh, you had to cut it off and peel it away, the flesh is dark brown and has a rubber feel (I am thinking Goat from Vietnam by now) Jeffs still eating away like hasn´t eating for two days (which he hadn´t) and I slide this meat into my mouth a give it a bit of a chew (brain is thinking "your eating a rodent") and first thing I get is bones and meat from a giant rat is not what I want, so spit it back onto my plate and try another less fatter bit, I actually managed to hold that one down with a bit
chivay
Chivay Plaza of almighty chewing, so I put in another piece, bones, fat and flesh. At least I had a go. Its tastes like Ox tail to me but chewier. Jeffs didn´t seem to mind it though.
We got back to Aequipa around 4pm, had a shower which we desperatley needed as we were covered in dust, then headed into to town to find a pizza place. We ran into the wales couple Richard and Caroline and eçwe all ended up having a great wood fired pizza and beer-
Came back around 8pm to annas the road block for buses travelling to Arequipa to Cusco was still on, so we thought about hiring a 4x4 and driving ourselves which anna said could be an option, the 4x4 was so late at night we could run the road block when the guards were less likely to stop you....yeh right, a rented vehicle, left hand drive and one of us at the wheel, we would more than likely have guards with guns rather than stones, plus we were going to give this other aussie a lift who also seems to be stuck in town, but had a feeling we would also be
Basil
Don´t ask me, i just took the photo in the place where jeff had wet potato slapped on his face, This fox looked like and somethingour dog would do. hauling around these other two americans who want to get to cusco as well. the other option was to catch a bus to Puno which is about 7 hours, then have a 9 hour wait in the street before the next 15 hour trip, well this is not on the cards either, as I think the guinea pig is playing havac with my stomach (Goat from vietnam revisited) and since it is "urination only" in the bus it would be a hell of a journey.
Will continue later when I have some time...
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Leanne
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Colca Canyon
Photos are great, you need more with you in them as it is good to see your face! Guinea Pig sounds awful and how can you eat such sweet faced creatures as an Alpaca? Loved the Bazil photo. xx