Sadly after lunch in Colca Canyon it started to rain, so the rest of the day was a bit of a wash. We tried to go to some local `hot-springs´i would call them warm pool. It was a man-made pool, with semi-warm water. As it was pouring rain and not warm you had to jog around the pool to stay warm... when we finally arrived at the hotel I had a scalding shower, until i was litterally tomatoe red, still not warm i wrapped my self sausage-like in 4 alpaca blankets and went to bed at 8pm as there was nothing else to do in the town and i had not brought a book or music...
The next day we woke up and hiked out from the town to the canyon. We looked down a 3000 foot drop into the raging chocolate river, and across the canyon at the volcanoes and 6000 meter peaks beyond us. Nestled within the valley were small towns, the terracing reaching up into the moutains, fed by the streams from the glaciers above. Our guide explained the people there would raise llamas, alpacas, and grow vegetables and fruits. When they needed supplies they would load up donkeys, and walk 11 hours down to the base of the canyon, across one small bridge, and then back up to the village we were staying at which for the three villages we could see, was the closest town that was attatched to the `main land´. The closest village was about 6-8 hours each way, one of the furthest about 20 hours each way. There are about 11 villages on the other side of the canyon that walk to the local villages on the `main land´side of the canyon. I call it the main land as it is connected by roads to the big towns and cities. These villages are not. The only way to them is on foot.
The french couple left us at this point as they were treking alone in the canyon for the next 3 days, planning to hike to the little villages on the other side of the canyon where you could find hostels for those adventure types. Next trip to Peru, I will be doing this! So when I am walking around Fish Creek hiking up the hills with a 30lb pack, this is what i am training for. However before that happens my real bed a couch are my first priorities for Calgary.... I might not come up for a day or two!
We continued on hiking to a few more look out points which were all jaw dropping. It is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world I have ever been to. After the breathtaking vistas, we hiked back to the van to go and find the condors.
Trying to stick to our plan of avoiding the thousands of other tourists who are all on the same travel schedule, we went to a random side of the road pull out and hiked a bit down the hill. After about 25 minutes of waiting, the condors made their apperance. They float like a feather up on the wind, tilting back and forth to gain altitude and find the warm currents that raise them above the canyon in their search for food. The largest bird in the world, and also a vulture, they look below for some poor befallen animal who has plummeted down to their death. The birds are so big and heavy with 12 foot wing spans and standing close to 4 feet tall, that they cannot take off from the ground. Instead they live on the cliff edge so they may jump to catch the wind and fly. They look graceful and light while flying high above you, however when they pass by, in their accent, they zoom past and are much more forboading. It was awesome seeing them so close, without hundreds of other on lookers all fighting for elbow room. It was the 3 of us and out guide on the cliff edge. A few hundred meters down the road we could see the pile of buses, and vans all lined up on the road.
After the Condors we headed back to Arequipa, a 4 hour drive with a stop over for buffet lunch. The lunch although having lots of local food, was about as good as any buffet lunch one can find, which tends to leave you hungry for better food, and full of bad food.
We decided to wander the local market for coca leaves and leefta. Now coca leaves are from the coca plant from which cocaine is made. Locals and Gringos both chew coca leaves. Locals as it is energizing and kind of a culture thing, gringos to help with altitude acclimitization, as it is a natrual safe product that really does work. They often have it as coca tea, but if you go to the markets you can buy the dried leaf.
Now before some of you get all crazy that I was doing cocaine in Peru, it really is safe and natural. Not cocaine!!! Cocaine is the alkaloids that are in the plant which are extracted using kerosene, formaldahyde, and a bunch of other disgusting and terrible things. Within the coca leave are alkaloids, chewing them releases about 14 of the different alkaloids, when mixed with leefta, about 40 of the alkaloids are released. Leefta looks like a small black rock. Instead it is the ash of another local plant that is burned and then pressed together. When chewing them together it tastes like an extremely strong tea bag is in your mouth. Also they numb your mouth. My whole mouth tasted like a topical lidocaine had been applied. An interesting side effect, but made sense when i remembered cocaine used to be used for an anesthetic.
I never felt high or hyper or really noticed any other side effect other than the numb tounge until we reached the highest point on our return home. Back up at close to 5000 meters the last time everyone was feeling very sleepy, a common altitude side effect. One of the other travellers the previous time we were at this spot felt short of breath, this time leefta and coca leaves in mouth, we all felt fine. No one was tired or short of breath. Interesting little leaf this thing is!
I returned to Arequipa late that evening. The next day was the for mentioned Easter Sunday. I wandered about the town hungry again, most everything was closed, even the local starbucks!! Now firstly it is strange to find starbucks in Peru, secondly starbucks is open on Christmas in Canada, not Easter Sunday in Peru.....
I finally found a restaurant that was open and had yummy crepes, it felt appropriate for Easter. I wandered around the town again, watching processions, and people wandering about in their Sunday best. The big problem came at dinner time, no where was open... at all. Finally I found a coffee shop, and coffee and key lime pie made dinner. Tasty, but after a day of walking around the city, and only a crepe for breakfast, wasnt quite the satisfying turkey dinner i was craving!
Areqìupa was a beautiful city, however if I ever return, it will not be over Easter Week.
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