Hola amigos!
We had a great couple of weeks in Arequipa and the Colca Canyon. We spent 3 days in the Colca area, hiking between towns in the canyon and seeing lots of condors! We took a bus to the small town of Cabanaconde, on the upper plateau of the Colca Canyon. In the morning we went to the Cruz del Condor lookout to watch condors ride the thermals of the giant canyon.
Cruz del Condor
The lookout and the Colca Canyon
A condor coasting along the edge of the canyon
A condor soaring past the tourists at the lookout
A condor flying over us - you can see it's white neck and splayed wing tips
After our exciting condor watching, we packed up and started hiking down into the 1.2km deep canyon. We stayed one night in a town near the bottom of the canyon called San Juan de Chuccho, at 'Casa de Roy'. The lady who owned it was a real sweetheart and cooked us a wonderful dinner. The cabanas we stayed in were lovely, with a stunning view of the canyon.
Day 2 we walked up through a few small towns, about midway up the canyon and then back down to the bottom to a river oasis in the town of Sangalle. Here there were swimming pools and gardens to relax in. We arrived for lunch and a bit of RnR in the hot sun and then it was a long steep climb back up the near vertical 1.2km wall of the canyon. The best part of the climb up was the condors! There were about 6 or 7 of them flying around us as we hiked. We arrived back in Cabanaconde at sunset, with a gorgeous pink light over the corn fields. What a day!
The next day we took the tourist bus back to Arequipa. We stopped a few times along the way at viewpoints, towns, and the best hot springs yet! All in all, a fantastic trip to Colca Canyon - highly recommended!
The view from the start of our hike. You can see the towns we were walking to on the other side of the canyon.
The river oasis at the bottom of the canyon
The view from the bottom of the canyon on our way to San Juan de Chuccho
Shaina relaxing at our cabanas in beautiful San Juan de Chuccho
Marsh at the oasis in Sangalle
The pool in the oasis
Arriving in Cabanaconde at sunset
A view of the Colca Canyon on the drive back
Back in Arequipa, we took a cooking class at the same place we took Spanish lessons. We started with a short trip to the local market, buying a few new fruits to try and some cooking ingredients. Our menu consisted of 3 typical Peruvian dishes: (1) causa rellena - a cold appetizer dish with layers of mashed potatoes, tuna with tomato and onion, avocado, and more mashed potatoes; (2) ceviche - fish marinated in lime, chili and onion, served with sweet potatoes and corn; (3) lomo saltado - a classic dish of stir fried steak with tomato and onion served with french fries and rice. We ended the meal with the local drink of choice - the pisco sour - pisco (grape brandy), lemon juice, sugar and egg white. A delicious and fun afternoon!
In the evening, we checked out the museum with the frozen body of a girl ("Juanita") sacrificed by the Incas to the mountain gods, and saw a very interesting National Geographic documentary on it. Then we had a glass of wine overlooking the cathedral in the main plaza.
Cooking class - Shaina with ceviche (fish marinated with lime, chili and onion) and causa rellena (layers of mashed potato, tuna salad and avocado)
The cathedral at the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa
We arrived in Puno, on Lake Titicaca, yesterday afternoon. The lake straddles Peru and Bolivia and is the highest navigable lake in the world. It's also freezing cold! This week happens to be Puno Week, with festivities such as parades, concerts and fireworks going on all week. Today there was a huge parade with all kinds of different traditional costumes and music from the local indigenous groups.
Costumes during a parade for Puno Week
We're hanging out here for a couple days and visiting some islands on the lake and then crossing over into Bolivia.
Happy halloween!
love M&S
xoxo
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