South America, Days 16 to 19 - Stage 3: Peru - Arequipa, Colca Canyon & Puno

Jackie looks after the hotel cat in Arequipa over breakfast (including feeding it a slice of ham!)

Day 16 Thursday

We had a prompt breakfast at 06.30 which we shared with the cat, which was great, if only we’d known we might have been down earlier every morning. Not that I was particularly hungry having had a really good alpaca steak for my dinner. We were collected on time by a very pleasant man, Ale from Giardino Tours, who sat us in the front of the bus so that when he was talking to us in English he didn’t have to speak over the Spaniards, a group of 7 young friends, 6 girls and 1 boy just travelling for a fortnight. They were nice enough, but didn’t really say very much to us.

On the road to Colca Canyon we stopped behind El Misty volcano to spot these Vicuna (relatives of Alpacca and Llama, which are themselves related to Camels) at a small lake

A big rush to get out of the city and through the roadworks, which held us up for about 15 minutes, but that’s fine, as between 10.00-12.00 there would be no movement. After this it was a lot more relaxed, as we stopped to look at vicuna, llama and alpaca, not to mention the scenery. Views of the back of the volcanos we had seen from Arequipa and new volcanoes, Ampato, Sabancaya, Hualca-Hualca, Mismi and the Chila mountain range. We were also going higher, the volcano viewpoint was at 4910m. We’d stopped for coca tea and Ale had given us a few coca leaves to suck on. At this point we both felt fine.

They are very cute things. They were almost wiped out in the 1970's through over hunting, but this area is now a National Park and their numbers have recovered strongly. They feed on this yellowy grass which only grows at altitudes between 3500m and 4500m. There should be an accent over the 'n' to make the pronunciation 'Vicunyas'

We drove through Chivay and on, to our lunch stop, Lodge La Casa de Mamayacchi, one of the suggested overnight stops, glad we didn’t pick it as although it was the cheapest it was way out on a limb. Lunch was interesting, starting with a demonstration from Ale on how to make causa rellena a simple potato cake. We then all had a go and tasty it was too. It was a buffet lunch, which we are never keen on as we don’t ever feel we get value for money. It was ok, though the alpaca steak, cooked outside on the bbq, wasn’t a patch on the one I had last night.

Drinking coca tea to try to help with altitude. The Coca leaf has medicinal properties, I think it helps blood flow to get more oxygen round the body. It's the same leaf that is used to manufacture cocaine, but this is very mild by comparison

A walk for about an hour, around some of the agricultural terraces was good, and although slow, we still felt ok (See Relive video of walk: click here). Then went to the Pozo del Cielo hotel we were all staying at (this pleased Ale, and Percy the driver no end, particularly when he found out that coincidentally we were all staying at the same hotel in Puno too) which was fine. Reviews had worried that the shower was cold, the room was cold, stuff didn’t dry and there were no power points. We had none of these problems, our only problem was the very thin window curtains and no curtains on the skylights!

Another stop further on at some marshy ground where these alpacca were drinking and eating the greenery. I called it moss, but I was corrected, but I can't remember what it is now

Only here briefly before on to the hot springs, which were hot. Three different areas with three different temperatures, we never even went into the hottest ones! We were here longer than I would have liked really (and there are no photos as we took no phones or anything with us) but the van had gone off to get its fuel filter changed. This meant we were the last group in the baths which in some ways was much more enjoyable. I did have a really interesting chat with Ale, discovering all about his girlfriend in Germany and the possibility of him moving out there. A big step for a 41 year old Peruvian man.

A third stop at a lake and this is a Andean Coot

Back to the hotel where we were both beginning to feel a little off, headaches for us both and a real shortness of breath for Brian. Neither of us were very hungry after our lunch, but we went straight into Chivay to have a look round before it got completely dark, had a very average small pizza in the Irish bar and a quick look round, before going back and showering and bed.

And a couple of Gavotia Andina

Day 17 Friday

Up for breakfast at 05.30, meeting time had been 06.00 but we’d got a WhatsApp from Ale changing it to 06.20. Shame that none of the other 7 seemed to have got this. We didn’t hold them up for long, only the time it took to clean our teeth. Then on to the main point of the trip, the visiting of the condor viewpoint.

This was the highest point of the day as we went over Volcano point at 4910m. Surprisingly we both felt OK at this point and it was downhill to a mere 3600m after this. However, onset of altitude sickness is gradual and we went downhill as the day went on 

We had a couple of stops enroute firstly to watch some children dancing in the Yanque town square. Most odd that they do this starting every morning at 06.30 before school! Here I also gained a dog, he was mine for the whole duration and even chased after the bus barking as we left!

Fabulous views from this point. We had views of six volcanoes, including this smoking one, Sabancaya

The bus stopped at a completely nondescript point on the road and we got out for another hour or so walk to the main viewpoint (See our Relive video of our walk: click here). I enjoyed this more as we did see condors, albeit a little further away, but it was just us. Once at the official viewpoint we had 45 minutes to ourselves and didn’t see anything till the last 10 minutes when a couple flew overhead for good photos. What it did show us though was that our original plan, to get the bus to Cabanaconde, stay overnight, then a collectivo to the viewpoint, with our luggage look for birds and wait for another collectivo to take us on to Chivay would have been a real pain. We wouldn’t have done either of the walks or learned anything that Ale had shared with us. Much better to be on a trip.

Jackie chats with Ale outside our lunch stop near Chivay

Another stop, where we asked Ale to help us buy some coca leaves (they had to be fresh he said) as we were both still feeling ropey, and Puno our next stop was going to be higher than Chivay.

A pleasant walk from the village of Coporaque with views of the old Inca terracing and, beyond, the start of Colca Canyon, not very deep at this point

Sucked some of these and was feeling hungry. By the time we arrived at our buffet lunch I was feeling sick. I did eat, but we really didn’t get our moneys worth! Then the 5 hour bus journey to Puno, a few toilet and viewpoints, so had to get off, but felt horrible. Brian had a headache, but we were expecting that, not me to feel like this! Arrived in Puno and the hotel, dumped the bags and out, Brian did want to eat. Puno it would appear is the town of 1000 pizza joints, every restaurant seems to serve pizza, some just pizza and some alongside more traditional stuff. The weirdest thing. A very average meal and bed.

Highest point on our walk before we headed down and the views are just stunning

Day 18 Saturday

Still feeling rubbish we had breakfast and then did a little planning, our trip for Monday. Fortunately we had time to schedule a gash day as we saved a couple of days doing the canyon trip rather than doing it ourselves. Out to see more bands and dancing ladies, we’d seen them Friday night too, before dinner and kept hearing them going round in circles till we went to sleep. Feeling a little hungry I took us to the port, on the lake where we shared a lovely trout. Back to book our trip for today and for some quiet time. Brian has not been sleeping as the dry air and shortness of breath combine to give him what feels like sleep apnea.

This is the National flower of Peru called Cantu o Cantuta

Out to look at the cathedral and have something to eat as I was hungry again. Magically half way through our pizza (yup, it was the easiest thing, and actually ok, we’d seen them actually making them here) I became human again. I can’t explain, but it felt like a switch had been flicked. Just need the same to happen for Brian now!

The church in the small mountain town of Yanque. The scaffolding round the tower is to stop it collapsing after severe cracking occurred in an earthquake (all too common in these parts). It's been like this for sometime, money being the problem

Day 19 Sunday

Spend the morning planning, so we have, onward trip to La Paz booked, via Copacobana and the Isla del Sol, hotels booked and flight to Sucre booked. A one hour flight or a 12 hour bus journey? No contest. We were going to take the slightly longer, slightly better timed, slightly cheaper flight, but midway through booking someone obviously beat us to it!

Out for a quick lunch before our afternoon trip to Sillustani, but more on that in the next blog...

This was the dancing we were treated to at 6:30am. It's a very traditional dance in traditional dress only in this valley and is actually recognised by UNESCO. You may think they are all girls, as we did but, if you look closely, the girls are the ones wearing a type of straw boater, and the one's wearing a blue hat (looks a bit like a lampshade to me) are boys in disguise, trying to attract the girls. They are holding things to twirl round in their hands and, traditionally, in one hand they were fruit to attract the girls, but in the other they were stones to fend off other boys from their intended  

Jackie found a friend who would not leave her alone. It followed

her everywhere and barked and ran after our bus when we left

At a viewpoint towards the Condor Mirador and, like most viewpoints along the way there was a person dressed up as a condor making a display for the tourists

On our morning walk towards the Condor Mirador. We were dropped off someway down the road and had a quiet walk to the crowded mirador

Lots of bird sightings on the way, this, as full zoom on my camera, is the largest humming bird called, I think, the Giant Hummingbird

I impressed Ale with my little camera when I took this photo at quite a distance. Its a Tyrant Flycatcher

This is possibly a Rose Starling

Pleased with this photo too. Its a Black Billed Shrike-Tyrant

then finally some condors made an appearance

This was probably the best one I took. They can have a wingspan of up to 3m (10 feet)!

After walking alone along the clifftop the Mirador was, a little crowded lets say!

On the way back along the canyon road we stopped at the village of Maca and this is it's slightly earthquake damaged church (see left hand tower). Bit sad about this town, it's a bustling place, but it's gradually sliding into the canyon. It's built on an old lakebed soil that is sliding on the bedrock below, helped by the occasional rumble from earthquakes. Quite a few buildings have been abandoned as they crumble and disappear over the edge. Even the road has been rerouted as bits have fallen away. In the meantime they just get on with it and it's business as usual

Lovely drive out and this was one long section through fabulous scenery. This road was only built in the 1970's, connecting Arequipa with Colca Canyon. Before this date the canyon and all the villages were isolated for all except those that wanted to trek about three days to get here. It was only surfaced properly in the 1990's, before that accidents were frequent, particularly on the narrow switchbacks on the mountain sections

A train winding through the mountains

Flamingos on a lake on the road to Puno. Ale thought they were Chilean Flamingos until I showed him this photo, they are Andean Flamingos. As a matter of interest, this is the third continent we've seen Flamingos in this year. We saw them in Spain in October, Africa in September and now in South America

On another lake further on

Jackie finds an alpacca to stroke at one of our stops

Now we're in Puno on the banks of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world

As an illustration, Jackie found this sometime ago from somewhere that shows just how high it is in relation to other well known lakes around the would. At 3800m altitude it's pretty high!

It's a pretty town with a nice cathedral, but it lacks the style and charisma of nearby places suck as Arequipa and Cusco. Tomorrow we head onto the lake proper for a night on a floating island, Uros Khantiti, hosted by indigenous people, staying in a homestay and learning their way of living. More on that in the next blog...