After leaving our dirty washing from the Inca Trail at the laundry (and hoping that it doesn't go astray as it consists of most of our travelling clothes) we headed off in our van with our local guide Donnell towards the Colca Valley. Our first stop was to see the 3 volcanos which stand above Arequipa. They are quite impressive despite the smog (not as bad as Lima). We then made our way through the poor area of Arequipa where people don't have access to running water. This area was adjacent to the Yura cement factory. Most of the cement is exported to Bolivia, Paraguay & Chile. The road then continued through valleys of farming land where the main crops are garlic & onions. The next section of the road took us to the National Park. This was divided into 3 areas: a buffer zone where the indigenous population were allowed, a research area where tourists could visit & a restricted area. Here we saw lots of vicuña ( a type of small camel related to the llama), alpacas grazing with some sheep & a couple of Arctic hares (Vizcachas). Towards the top of the pass, Yareta, cushion type plants, similar to the ones that we'd seen in Bolivia, were growing amongst the rocks. The locals used these as fuel and also for medicinal purposes but they are now protected. We finally reached the top of the pass at 4905m. Although we'd climbed to this height quite quickly, none of us felt any effects of altitude sickness. We were not exerting ourselves which helped, but the Inca Trail had also helped us to acclimatize. Here we were surrounded by about 6 volcanos which was quite a spectacular sight despite the inevitable tourist trap of souvenir stalls at every possible opportunity. One of the volcanos, the Mismi volcano is where the Ice Mummy was found. We are hoping to go to the museum in Araquipa to see it when we return. One of the other volcanos is regarded as the source of the Amazon. We then wound our way down the mountain to the town of Chivay where we were spending the night. Our activity for the remainder of the afternoon was a visit to the hot springs. This turned out to be a very different experience from our Bolivian dip in the hot springs which was in complete wilderness. In Chivay it has been developed for the tourists with several pools, blaring music (?) with volume turned up well beyond the capacity of the speakers, traditional dancers performing at the poolside and drinks served in the pool in glass containers & of course the souvenir shops. Despite all this, it was still a fun afternoon as we relaxed in the 38 deg C water and watched the sun set behind the mountains. We spent the evening at a traditional Peruvian restaurant where they had a Peruvian band & dancers which ended up with everyone joining in. The following morning we were on the road by 7.00am and heading along a dusty winding road towards the Colca Valley and Colca Canyon. The trip through the valley was spectacular as we looked down upon vast areas of terraced hillsides adjacent to the Colca River. Farming here involves cropping beans, wheat, potatoes, quinoa, corn and fruit such as apples, pears and avocados. The valley ended and we reached the canyon where we were perched on high cliffs looking down 1000m into the river bed below; it was incredibly precipitous!! We walked for an hour along the canyon edge hoping to see condors that frequent this region. Our expectations were met and 6 or 7 condors appeared from within the canyon below us and lifted on the thermal air currents in front of us. Cameras clicked like mad but focussing on these big birds is no easy task when they're quite close but moving quickly. The Colca Canyon is reputedly the deepest canyon in the world although not the longest. There were several other species of birds sighted too including humming birds, robins and a blue headed finch. Cactus plants abound in this semi 'desert' region and the only trees are exotic eucalypts, imported to reduce erosion effects which are widespread in the wet season if and when this occurs. We returned to Chivay for a late luncheon and then headed back to Arequipa for an evening meal of crepes in a delightful restaurant built inside an 18th century monastery. Tomorrow we have time to explore this attractive city centre before heading for Nazca and rediscovering oxygen at closer to sea-level!!
Saturday 19 May We decided that #1 on the priority list for Araquipa was the Ice Mummy, Juanita. Having seen the volcano where she was found, we were interested to see the mummy & learn more about her, although with a few mixed feelings given that she was a human sacrifice in the Inca times. The museum / research centre was well set up & even though Juanita is now famous & current day technology has allowed us to develop hypotheses about the Incas, respect was maintained. We were surprised at how small the mummy was, & also how well she was preserved. During the summer months of Jan - Mar, she is returned to the mountains to assist preservation, so we're told!? Our next stop was to the Compania Church Cloisters which are now a shopping centre. The building itself is quite magnificent as, like many other buildings in central Araquepa, it is built of white volcanic stone.
Next on the list was a visit to the Santa Catalina Monastery. This is still a working monastery with 30 nuns in residence. Parts of the building itself had been damaged by earthquakes & rebuilt several times with different styles of architecture. The artifacts & artwork in the building were interesting & made us realize what a harsh existence these nuns lived. The rooftop also gave us a vantage point for viewing the city. We the made our way back to the main square detouring via the bridge. Our accommodation for the night was an overnight bus to Nasca.