Arequipa – Day 15, and final thoughts

Our last day in Peru, and a totaly chill day – a great way to end the trip.  The weather was awesome and we just wandered about eating & shopping all day long.  Eventually then it was time to head the airport and begin the long journey home.

It was a great vacation – we did so much that Machu Picchu seems so long ago.  I can’t believe all that we saw and accomplished, and am especially glad that this random grop of friends traveled so well together. 

Colca Canyon – Day 14

Everything we read about Arequipa spoke about heading to the Colca Canyon, 3-4 hours away, so we set ourselves up a day trip.   Sadly for us, day trip to the canyon means a 3:30am pick-up in order to get there in the morning to see the condors. 

Mariluz & Dante picked us up in the dark of night and we squeezed into our minivan, attempting to sleep for the drive up but of course I didn’t catch many zzz’s.  It was also freezing in the van which didn’t help.  Around 6:00am we arrived in Yanque to look around, but at that hour nothing was open, not even anywhere to get coffee or breakfast, so we continued on towards the condor viewing spot.  We stopped by a couple lookout points along the way and then arrived at one of the deeper points of the canyon around 8:00am.  First thing in the morning and again around noon is the best time to spot the condors, so we along with many other folks perched ourselves along the canyon walls and waited.

Soon we spotted our first condor fly by and saw many others swooping around the canyon over the next hour.  Despite the early start to tehday it was worth it – the birds are huge and it was cool to see the contrast of them against the steep canyon walls.  After an hour we wandered back to our van and headed back through the canyon towards Chivay.  The amazing thing about the canyon is the vast array of terraced farmlands lining every inch of space.  Many of the farms have been abandoned since the Spanish invasion in the 1500’s, but you can see all the outlines and plots.

In Chivay we spent an hour at the hot springs which was great.  The water could have been a little warmer, but we were outside on a sunny day in a beautiful setting, so it was nice relaxing time.  From there we finally got some food for the day, stopping for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then began the long drive back home to Arequipa.  Along the way we stopped at one of the highest points on the drive, around 14,000 feet and again were hit slightly by the altitude – even though we weren’t walking anywhere, it was definitely harder to breathe.  So weird.

Got home around 4:30pm and then had naptime to recuperate a bit from the 3:00am wake-up time.  Dinner later at a swiss place called Zig Zag – I had Quinoa gnocchi. 

Arequipa – Day 13

Left on our own with no schedule, we slept in and met for breakfast in thegarden at 9:00am.  The eggs here are really good.  And coca tea again since we are back up high again.  After breakfast we spent the morning wandering around the Monasterio Santa Catalina (http://www.santacatalina.org.pe/arquitectura_i.htm ) which was ana amazing spot – a very interestinghistory and great architecture.  Our tour guide Claudia was very cute and full of information, useful to have in a place this huge.  Short version:  In it’s hey day, all the rich families sent their second daughters here to become nuns.  The “novice” nuns essentially lived solo in heir rooms for 4 years before becoming a full-fledged and have slightly more freedom.  Reform came in the 1800’s allowing even more freedom, and there are still 24 nuns that live and work here today.

For lunch we headed out from the city center to Tradition Arequipena, a big restaurant with lots of outdoor seating which was great since it was a beautiful day.  Kevin finally got his cuy (aka guinea pig).  I took a bite – it really wasn’t very flavorful, same texture as chicken (which is what I had, with an asparagus sauce)

In the afternoon we wandered through the neighborhoods of Yanahuara and Cayma, as well as around the Plaza de Armasand the side streets.  Then dinner and into bed early for the final 3:30am pick-up of our trip.  I’ve never been up during the 3:00am hour so consistently in my life, whew…